I quit the library

[Jaybee]

There is no way I'd go spend several days to a week at his parents'. It's just plain awkward, and that is not a healthy place for you anyway, from what you have described in earlier posts. Enjoy the break from the stress, tension, and responsibilities, and prepare for the move as much as you can. I am so glad you are making boundaries and standing up for yourself. You are sounding more healthy almost from one post to the next. (Don't look now, but I think your confidence is growing! 🙂 ) From afar, you sound like you are growing back into yourself again, with the added maturity that experience brings. Just an impression, since I don't know you personally. It could be that some of your difficulty in keeping up with housework, organization, etc., was related to depression or hopelessness related to your situation. (Musing here.)

It sounds like your dh wants his cake and to eat it too. If you go, then he can push off the responsibility of the kids onto you, and just do whatever he wants without anything interfering with it. If you don't, he is the one responsible for making things work, or maybe his parents will. I agree that his thinking does seem to be spectrum thinking, though I don't know tons about it. It will be interesting to see how he handles the responsibilities in the future, and how his thinking might change after you move.

[heartlikealion]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

That makes sense from what you've said about him in the past. He seems to have a hard time changing his way of thinking, even when it really makes no sense anymore.

Doing things as a family together makes sense if the parents are able to have a healthy relationship. But travelling to the other person's parents' house doesn't. That isn't the type of family time that makes sense in my opinion.

Yes. To be fair, I usually made the most of it. I’d visit with my mom and dad some, I’d do some shopping (they live closer to Target, Kohl’s), I’d take the kids out sometimes. I don’t know if it was spring break but one visit I took ds to the Hard Rock casino’s ice cream shop. But the obligation to go to his parents has hung in the air all these years. When I lived on the coast and we shared a car he had a standing Friday visit with his mom. If I wasn’t at work (I worked part time at a retail big box store) I had to go or stay home without a car. I’d ask him to compromise with a short visit but he’d go all day and stay for dinner. 

[heartlikealion]

Some visits I slept at my parents’ house. Some visits I slept at his. Either way it was an awkward family trip. My parents used to have enough space for us but then our family grew and my aunt moved into my parents’ house. Plus, dh likes a cooler house and couldn’t stand the a/c temp at my parents’. So before my aunt moved in he already refused to sleep there anymore. My in laws often kept their house like an igloo but I’d pack extra warm pjs and add blankets to the bed. Lol 

when dd was very young and breastfeeding I would sleep at my parents’ with her. My in laws smoke in their house (deny it but they smoke in one room and it travels). Ds has asthma. And after every visit I’d have to rewash the smoky luggage. Also I refuse to leave the cat for the week. I may have before but I don’t agree with it now. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by heartlikealion

[heartlikealion]

Side note - since spectrum came up. I inquired about ds possibly being on the spectrum but was shot down by ds and dh about pursuing testing. It took me years to get ds tested for APD and he has it. That verdict resulted in ds remaining disgruntled at me and now he does Hear Builder daily. I’ve fought with the schools for an IEP for dd since she turned 3 and she just got it this Friday!!!! She starts speech services next week (virtually from the school computer lab). 

It’s an uphill battle with my family but I’m still walking. Now if ds isn’t on the spectrum why won’t dh let him walk home from the bus stop alone. He’s 12. 

[heartlikealion]

He’s probably mother enmeshed. Unknowingly. 

[Melissa Louise]

The good thing about an ex being an ex is that, short of being court-ordered, you don't have to do things their way anymore. 

You're doing good. He sounds...stuck. Leave him there. That's his business now. 

[heartlikealion]

After the initial conversation I found out he has a dental appointment there (he has dental anxiety and finally found someone he likes. So impractical to go that far IMO) and he really wants to take kids to the beach. I guess to walk and play in the sand. Virtually no local person goes in the Biloxi water. Between it looking dirty, the BP spill, occasionally flesh-eating bacteria and depending on if there’s been a recent hurricane, people pretty much avoid it. The cousins have spring break in April. And I’m not sure with Covid if they will get together after school hours. 
 

They can go. I just want him to put something in writing. That will probably not happen. Oh well. 

[Danae]

I wouldn’t try to get anything in writing now, but it would be perfectly reasonable, when working out the parenting schedule with your lawyers, to specify that the kids alternate parents for Spring break and since they were with their father in 2021 they are with you in 2022. 

[heartlikealion]

3 minutes ago, Danae said:

I wouldn’t try to get anything in writing now, but it would be perfectly reasonable, when working out the parenting schedule with your lawyers, to specify that the kids alternate parents for Spring break and since they were with their father in 2021 they are with you in 2022. 

I was trying to get it in writing to make it easier for next year. That way I’d get even years. He’s very stubborn and may not let this year “count.” 

[Spryte]

Just now, Danae said:

I wouldn’t try to get anything in writing now, but it would be perfectly reasonable, when working out the parenting schedule with your lawyers, to specify that the kids alternate parents for Spring break and since they were with their father in 2021 they are with you in 2022. 

This.

We had a 50/50 plan (I don’t know what you are going for), and our parenting plan was extraordinarily detailed wrt alternating holidays - major and minor - and things like Mother’s/Father’s Day, alternating kid birthdays (if there are siblings, would you include both kids on each bday, so they stay together to celebrate?  Would make sense.).  We had specific times and on and on.  Every detail imaginable because we were in a high conflict situation, and things had to be spelled out.

 

 

[Spryte]

2 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I was trying to get it in writing to make it easier for next year. That way I’d get even years. He’s very stubborn and may not let this year “count.” 

Well, “count” or not, I’d just start with thinking about who has the kids for winter break that academic year, and make sure the other parent has spring break that year.  I think that’s pretty standard.  So you’d have the kids Thanksgiving and spring break one year, he’d have them winter break that year, and alternate.

We included things like President’s Day, Memorial Day, etc, too.  Any school holidays.  Might as well iron out the inevitable trouble they will cause now, rather than later.

We ran into issues with needing to change pick up drop off times on 4th of July, due to fireworks, and wrote that in, too.  It was necessary for us, maybe not for you, but we had to have it all spelled out very clearly.

 

 

[heartlikealion]

Oh I see 

[Danae]

9 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I was trying to get it in writing to make it easier for next year. That way I’d get even years. He’s very stubborn and may not let this year “count.” 

He might find out he has less control over that than he thinks.  Once you get the courts involved, which he has done, they are less amenable to manipulation than a wife who is trying to make the marriage work. You don’t have to go along with what he wants, no matter how stubborn he is.

[heartlikealion]

The hearing was today. It didn’t go like I expected but I still have faith there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t know what I can say here. It’s very complicated. 

[Scarlett]

Just now, heartlikealion said:

The hearing was today. It didn’t go like I expected but I still have faith there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t know what I can say here. It’s very complicated. 

Pm me dear

[hjffkj]

reach out privately if you need

[mommyoffive]

Sending lots of hugs and good thoughts your way.  I am glad that there is light.  I am sorry it is so complicated. 

[heartlikealion]

Thank you 

[Jaybee]

I'm sorry, Heart. I'm praying that God will sustain you and give you strength and wisdom. And that the light at the end of the tunnel will be a relief to you and a step forward into hope and better health after all you have been through. 

[heartlikealion]

My house is taking forever. No one works on it consistently. Yesterday I don’t know what happened — no signs of work and no response to my texts I sent my landlord. 

I overstayed my welcome and the court order was going to be signed so I more or less got evicted yesterday. Maintenance changed the locks while I was finishing packing. I booked a hotel for the weekend and am trying to figure out what to do next. This is costing more money I don’t want to spend. I have to go to my work office on Tuesday and keep an eye on my home/settle in ASAP so it seemed pointless to drive to my dad’s. For now the cat is with dh. 

Everything is a disaster but I have faith God has my back. I canceled one storage unit but given the state of the home I don’t want to move more stuff in. I got a lead on another storage facility that was not searchable by Google. Word of mouth small town stuff. 

My hotel has a laundry area (takes coins) so that’s nice. 

[heartlikealion]

To clarify I have a ton of stuff in my car and someone else is temporarily holding some of my stuff. It was cheaper to get this hotel than the air bnb options. Crazy. All the extra fees ABNB added. 

[Jaybee]

I'm sorry for all the upheaval. I hope your situation improves quickly, and you find peace in your new life. Hugs.

[mommyoffive]

39 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

To clarify I have a ton of stuff in my car and someone else is temporarily holding some of my stuff. It was cheaper to get this hotel than the air bnb options. Crazy. All the extra fees ABNB added. 

I agree airbnb adds tons of extra fees and hotels are a lot cheaper most of the time.

 

I am sorry for all the mess you are going through now.  I hope they hurry up on your house. 

[fairfarmhand]

Ooof. I am so sorry. That’s so crappyZ

[scholastica]

I am so sorry. Praying the house gets finished and your landlord has sympathy for the fact that you are effectively homeless. I am sorry your STBX does not.

[hjffkj]

Sorry you are dealing with that.  

[heartlikealion]

I stayed at the hotel 4 nights. I'm at my dad's now working from home (thank goodness). Everything is so screwed up. I've been FaceTiming with the kids. My landlord is MIA. He hasn't returned calls or texts in days. I don't know what God has up His sleeve, but maybe this is part of the plan. 

[Jaybee]

Hugs, Heart. I hope you are able to keep good records of everything that is going on, and make sure your lawyer has this info.

[hjffkj]

Just now, heartlikealion said:

I stayed at the hotel 4 nights. I'm at my dad's now working from home (thank goodness). Everything is so screwed up. I've been FaceTiming with the kids. My landlord is MIA. He hasn't returned calls or texts in days. I don't know what God has up His sleeve, but maybe this is part of the plan. 

Can you find a different place to rent and break your lease under the terms that they aren't making the fixes you need done?

[Scarlett]

6 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Can you find a different place to rent and break your lease under the terms that they aren't making the fixes you need done?

My understanding is that this place was a rare find in that town where she really needs to live .

 

Edited April 21, 2021 by Scarlett

[heartlikealion]

Oh I have looked and there's nothing better/close to the kids 😞

I'm going to stay here for a little while and if push comes to shove I'll recalculate my budget and see if I need to be put on a waiting list for one of the other places. Well I'll look at my budget today and I can be added to a wait list now I suppose as a backup. 

Yeah a VERY rare find. It's the only thing in that county I could find. Everything else that was a lead fell through (ie. no pets allowed, income stipulations). 

[hjffkj]

5 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

Oh I have looked and there's nothing better/close to the kids 😞

I'm going to stay here for a little while and if push comes to shove I'll recalculate my budget and see if I need to be put on a waiting list for one of the other places. Well I'll look at my budget today and I can be added to a wait list now I suppose as a backup. 

Yeah a VERY rare find. It's the only thing in that county I could find. Everything else that was a lead fell through (ie. no pets allowed, income stipulations). 

gotcha, that makes a lot of sense.  I'm sorry this is such a big struggle for you.

[Catwoman]

Hi Heart! I haven’t been here for a while, so I missed everything that’s going on. Are your kids not living with you now?

I’m so sorry that things are still so tough. 😢

You deserve so much better than this.

[mommyoffive]

Ugh I am sorry.  I hope that your landlord contacts you soon.  Sorry that this is such a hassle right now. 

[heartlikealion]

26 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

Hi Heart! I haven’t been here for a while, so I missed everything that’s going on. Are your kids not living with you now?

I’m so sorry that things are still so tough. 😢

You deserve so much better than this.

I sent you a PM. Yeah, he has the kids ATM. 

[Ausmumof3]

I’m so sorry things are so rough at the moment.  I hope you’re in a better situation soon.

[heartlikealion]

My landlord texted me last night. He said the water issue is fixed. He originally told me he was painting but his text said he has a painter coming to do the doors and closets. He anticipates the a/c and heater to be installed soon and everything done around Saturday. But I’ve been told “it’ll be ready this weekend” since at least Easter, so I’m not holding my breath. 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

My landlord texted me last night. He said the water issue is fixed. He originally told me he was painting but his text said he has a painter coming to do the doors and closets. He anticipates the a/c and heater to be installed soon and everything done around Saturday. But I’ve been told “it’ll be ready this weekend” since at least Easter, so I’m not holding my breath. 

Yay good news.  I really hope it is true this time.

[fairfarmhand]

9 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Yay good news.  I really hope it is true this time.

same!

[heartlikealion]

Dd told me to get back soon. That made me feel good. I hope it won’t be too much longer. My dad just had the whole house set up for Ethernet fir health reasons — he wants to avoid WiFi. Now my phone is gonna be a data hog ugh. 

[heartlikealion]

As usual “this weekend” turned into something else. It became Monday then I don’t think they finished up til Tuesday. I drove from my dad’s to the home Wed. I got here late and had so little time to get the house ready for the kids. Legally we agreed I get the kids the weekend after I move in. 

I can see a few minor things not done. I’ll bring up later with my landlord. He’s not charging me for any of April. 

Dd hurt my feelings saying she wanted to “go home” last night. I told her she has 2 homes now. She wanted to be with dh. It took me a min to reframe it in my head from her POV and put my feelings aside. I hope she feels this is home too after a couple visits. We are working on a bookcase in her room inspired by the expensive JoJo Siwa bookcase. We need to put the rest of the stickers on today and then her books. 

Ds has been pretty cool this visit. He can often be difficult. He told me my shirt was racist when I picked him up at the bus stop Friday. I said it’s not racist at all and I had 3 black people tell me they liked it when I was out shopping (it reads: “You don’t have to be black to support black people” and was bought from a black owned company). I think we’re at that stage where anything I do is embarrassing, insincere or me trying too hard to him. I can’t win. So I just said don’t worry, you’re not the one wearing it. Aside from that he was pretty nice. 

I promise, this all feels like a test lol but I’m gonna be ok. 

I do have a lot of relief now having my own place. I got a TV and DVD player this week but apparently we have lost or late library items at dh’s house so we couldn’t check anything out last night at my former library. I felt so defeated. But, I’m taking them to a different library system in the city today (I have an account there) when I run a few errands. They are finally open for browsing. The kids were able to access YouTube on my tv. I told them I didn’t have any subscriptions right now (I’m trying to manage a tight budget). They’ll be fine. 

I get them next weekend too because of Mother’s Day. I’ll probably get my cat Monday. Her litter box is finally at the post office and I wanted to sweep and mop more before she got here. I didn’t know you needed a spray bottle for that bona floor cleaner so I didn’t mop til last night since I got the bottle yesterday afternoon. Mother’s Day might be hard as I think of my mom but having the kids will be nice. I don’t think I fully grieved yet. 

I bought a laptop a while ago that sucked. I exchanged it. That one was acting up, too! Last night I exchanged that and paid the price difference for a similar laptop different brand. I pray this one is good!!! I even bought the protection plan. I’m so over electronic issues. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by heartlikealion

[mommyoffive]

Yay, I am glad you got to move into your new home!

[Heatherwith4]

I’m so proud of you!  

[hjffkj]

I'm so happy to hear you have moved in and your kids are visiting.  

[Storygirl]

I'm glad that you are finally in your home! This transition will be very hard on everyone, and I'm glad you were able to respond gracefully to the kids' hurtful comments. I hope there will be many bright spots within this difficult time.

[ktgrok]

I'm so glad you are finally in your own place! NOT having unhealthy emotional manipulation to deal with day in and day out will make a huge difference. 

[TechWife]

I’m so glad you are in your new home! 

[Scarlett]

I am so happy for you.  I never like to see a family break up so I am not happy about that part, but I recognize you really needed away from his insidious abuse.  
 

Your dd will adapt.  ((((Hugs)))))

[historically accurate]

Congratulations on your new place! I'll keep your family in my thoughts as you navigate this new arrangement. Hugs to you, Lion!

[freesia]

That's wonderful news!  I'm so impressed you put your dd's comments aside.  She's so young and new things are hard for all of us.  I'm sure she is confused inside.  She will adapt and long as you can keep doing what you did and not make a big deal.