32" Flat Screen TV Request from SD

My stepdaughter gave her other graduation gift wish list for her dorm room to her dad yesterday (her first one has a new car on it - - we're leaving that list for her mother:).  She wants a 32" flat screen television.  Not a 22".  Not a 26".  She specified it to be a 32".  Kids put flat screen televisions on their gift list?  I'd like one of those in my bedroom too!

She also wants a movie projector but she doesn't know WHY she wants a movie projector.  Yeah, that makes a whole helluva lot of sense.

Apparently, child support will end but the huge expectations won't.

I just can't fathom my ever putting something that on my gift request list for any reason with my parents.  We didn't get big gifts for holidays, birthdays, etc. as kids and my stepkids always have the big-ticket items on their gift list.  As an adult, we still don't get big-ticket items for whatever the occasion. It seems more like an expectation than a "wish" from my stepkids and that rubs me the wrong way.  My parents also didn't pay for my college.  I did.  I don't understand the whole "hand out" mentality at all with everything that is expected from my stepkids. 

Oh yeah, since apparently she is now dorming at the college, college goes up to $67,000 and up for her first year!  Holy Money Trees!!

Read more...

Massaging Johnny

My husband and I had a conversation about massage therapy the other day because I had made the comment that I could never do that job after seeing it on a commercial or television show.  Both my mother and a sister are massage therapists.  I, however, do not want to rub my hands all over some stranger's body.

So my hubby asked me if I would massage Johnny Depp?  No, because I actually like him IN his pirate costume, not out of it.

He then went on to ask me if I'd massage Jon Bon Jovi.  Well, that's different...

*big grin*

Not everybody looks like Jon Bon Jovi so that job just isn't for me!

Read more...

Nothing Changed, Just Not Blogging as Much Right Now

It's been six days since I posted last (I'm on a "vacation" from income blogging but not personal blogging) so I will likely be posting a little less for awhile unless the ex goes on a rampage or a stepkid gets arrested or pregnant.  You never know, it could happen.   

No, nothing has changed.  Things haven't gotten better.  Sometimes, it's nice just not to think about the step-stuff and take a break from it all.  It's too much frustration to carry around on a daily basis and once in awhile I need to take a step back and just not think about any of it. 

My husband did send his son a text asking him why he removed me from his facebook.  No response from his son.  In fact, since my husband sent that text, his son hasn't contacted him for anything.  No big surprise there.  They don't have to answer for their behavior.

No clue on if my stepson is coming for spring break.  Considering his dad will be working and his siblings will be in school, I would imagine he's not going to want to sit here with just me.  Whatever.  I'm cool with that.  My stepdaughter isn't coming.  She's blowing off time here again to do something else.  That becomes normal after about five years of it.

Read more...

Rub It In His Face

I don't know how hubby handles his kids.  I really don't.  They ignored him on Father's Day, his birthday, Christmas.  Everything else is always more important than spending time with him. 

My sd recently posted on her facebook how she had a surprise birthday present for her mom and that she accidentally left it out for her to see.  Post that on your facebook for your father to see, knowing you ignored him on every holiday this past year?  Does she not get how much she hurts her dad?  Does she know that just rubs it in his face?  Is she that oblivious? 

Tell me that kids aren't THAT oblivious to their actions and other people's feelings?  Of course, the alternative would be she knows she is hurting him and she just doesn't care.  Neither one of those options are good!

Read more...

They're not coming, then they are but not sd...huh?

Apparently, my stepkids were planning on coming here for Spring Break (though we had no idea).  We had sent the request for Spring Break to the ex back in October?  November?  Something like that and we never received a response. 

Today, my husband received a text from his daughter because she wanted to go to Florida with a friend instead of come here for Spring Break.  I had no idea they were even coming for Spring Break given the complete lack of response to the request. 

She hasn't been here since last April.  My stepson hasn't been here since...the year before that.  Yeah, whatever, go to Florida. 

So, is my stepson coming here by himself?  No clue but I'd be surprised if he did considering he just booted his siblings and me off his facebook.  I can't see him wanting to sit here with us, without his sister, while his dad works.  Actually, he'd be sitting here with just me, the stepmom he hates to make his mom happy, because my kids' spring break isn't at the same time as his. 

Maybe I can take a vacation at that time too.

Read more...

Warped SS, Hissy Fit from SD

I guess my stepson didn't like his nine-year-old sister telling him "no potty mouth" on his facebook yesterday because since last night, he removed her, my other daughter, and me from his facebook.  I was going to block my girls from his facebook anyway because he is totally inappropriate (aka "warped") so I'll go in and do that before my girls realize their brother kicked them off his facebook.  He probably thinks I had something to do with my daughter's facebook message to him yesterday to remove me too, but I didn't even know she'd done it until afterward.  I am proud of her for knowing right from wrong and not being afraid to tell her brother, who is four times her size, what is right and wrong.  It will be interesting to see how my husband is going to handle his son kicking his wife off his facebook...

My husband told me last night that his daughter threw a hissy fit at him a couple weeks ago because he wouldn't drive 300 miles each way to see her band thing on his work weekend.  He finally stood up to her and told her she had no right.  Yeah to hubby!! 

To say I am DONE with his kids is an understatement.

Read more...

My 9yo reprimands her older brother (my ss) on his facebook:)

My teenaged stepson was swearing on his facebook this morning.  Of course, his mother does nothing about it.  She must think it's just fine to cuss in front of family and young children. 

Well, my nine-year-old daughter did what his mother wouldn't - she called him on it on his facebook.  She told him to stop using potty mouth on facebook or in public.  I'm proud of my little girl!

He used to cuss like that here when we (his dad and I) couldn't hear him and we'd find out and my husband would tell him to stop.  However, we have no say over his behavior while he's at his mom's house.  He knows he can get away with it there - real obvious by the content on his facebook these last few months that the ex is aware of - things like cussing, calling his older sister swear words, posting his own homemade songs about oral sex. 

Kids will do what you allow them to do.  The ex allows him to do whatever he wants at 15.  Heck she allowed him to do whatever he wanted from the time he could walk. He is exactly who she raised him to be.

Now, after I am sure that my stepson has seen his little sister's reprimand, I will be blocking his facebook from her as well since there is no telling what kind of obscenities he will post next.

Read more...

Argument Avoided

My husband asked me this morning if I wanted to go to my stepkids' state with him on Saturday for his daughter's band concert.  I told him we couldn't afford to kennel our five dogs for the weekend right now for that trip when we'll be doing it again in June for her graduation so he'd have to go by himself.  He said, "No, I mean just for the day."  Huh?  Drive nine hours with our four kids for kids who ignored his existence on Christmas, his birthday, Father's Day and who ignored their siblings on their birthdays and Christmas and who wouldn't consider spending time here with us because everything else was more important but put their hands out asking for huge and expensive gifts (phew, deep breath)?  No, thank you.

I was very even-tempered and calm about my response.  There weren't any loud guffaws of astonishment from me.  There wasn't any snickering or snorts.  Wow.  I did good! 

Read more...

Money Must Grow on Trees

I've been trying to think about what would be a good gift for my graduating stepdaughter.  I really don't have a clue yet.  I was also thinking that anything we get her will be nothing compared to what her mother will give her but oh well.  I'm not losing any sleep over that.  We'll come up with something for her that doesn't crush our bank account into oblivion or put us into debt for a few years...we have time yet.  This thought popped into my head a few days ago:  I think her mother will get her a new car for graduation. 

So today I asked my hubby if his daughter has given any indication of what she wanted for graduation.  Of course she has.  She told her dad she wants a new car.  *excuse me while I pick myself up off the floor*  She picked a college that costs $62,000 per year AND wants somebody to buy her a new car?  This from a kid who hasn't ever held a regular job - not even babysitting?  Wow, what's it like to have things handed to you?!?! 

I could not imagine ever telling one of my parents that I had a new car on my gift list!  My first car was paid for by me.  My auto insurance was paid for by me.  My college was paid for by me.  I pulled good grades and worked several jobs in high school at a doctor's office in the afternoon, waitressed at night, and  I babysat on weekend nights when I wasn't working at the restaurant.  I worked for what I wanted or needed.  I worked and went to college on my own dime, not my parents.  I don't understand this mentality where everything gets handed to you without working or anything (and that's not just college but kids today EXPECT everything - mp3 players, cell phones, etc.).  I've already told my oldest, who is two years away from a driver's license, that she'll have to pay for the higher insurance if she wants her driver's license (and if she expects a car, she better have a job). 

Yeah, good luck with that new car, ex, because we will not be buying it for her.  My car is ten years old and my husband's is 13 years old, both over 100,000 miles.  If anybody is getting a new car on our dime, it'll be one of us.  I don't give free rides and never to ungrateful kids.  Maybe that sounds mean to some but I expect my kids to learn the value of working for something and not have things handed to them on a silver platter without any effort on their part. 

Read more...