Week Started Bad. Can It Get Better?

So I mentioned this lawsuit that my ex has thrown at me. Went to Health and Welfare today to see what Child Support could do. In a word.....nothing. Valid lawsuit. I now have 3 choices.

1. Sit back, do nothing, and see what happens.

2. File a response on my own at the courthouse.

3. Hire a lawyer and try to fight it.

Right now, the one choice that I can afford is #1. But, not an option. I will not sit back and not let my side of the story be told. I really don't care about the money. I just don't want it to appear that I was some money grubbing witch (with a capital B) who didn't care about anyone but me. For those who know me, that's laughable. For those who don't, I tend to think of everyone else before myself. It is actually a character flaw of mine. I will get in a tizzy and overwhelmed trying to do for others, especially my kids and other family. That is where I am right now.

So, if you are so inclined, pray for me to be calm, to think clearly, and to make the right decisions regarding this wonderful lawsuit. And everything else in my life.

Beyond that, I still love my job, and Kat is done with school tomorrow. Until she starts Driver's Ed on Monday. Fair warning my friends.

When It Rains, It Pours

So, I had an interesting week. Dealt with personal issues, work issues, feeling overwhelmed and overly emotional. I really earned my 3 day weekend. Today was pretty relaxing, at least until 5:00, when I was awakened from my nap by a knock at the door. I was served papers. My ex-husband is suing me over his child support order. For those who don't know the story, a short (hopefully) history.

I have 3 wonderful daughters. Sammee, Tori, and Kat. My ex is Sammee and Tori's dad, but not Kat's. So, after the divorce was finalized, the State of Idaho started proceedings for a child support order. Since the state couldn't find Kat's father, they listed my ex as the legal father, since we were married during the pregnancy. So he was ordered to pay a monthly amount for 3 children.

Fast forward to last May. He realizes that Tori will be turning 18, so he decides that he is going to have the order modified and have Kat removed. It was March before the process was completed. He was ordered to pay the same amount for one child that he was paying for 3. Needless to say, he's not amused.

Quick info bit on the State of Idaho child support laws. If 2 people were married during any part of the pregnancy and the biological father cannot be found, then the other spouse is considered the legal parent and subject to support. the non-custodial parent has 6 months to contest paternity. So, he couldn't get the DNA tests to prove that Kat was not his child, and had to roll with the ruling handed down. But, instead of taking it like a man, he has chosen to sue me directly to get the support order dismissed.

So, I have talked to a couple of people who know a little about civil law (which is a lot more than I do), and he is suing the wrong entity. I had no control over what the state did with my case. On Tuesday I will go to Child Support and show them the papers and see what my next step should be. I am not going to just sit back and let this happen. He has been bitter for 15 years over this stuff, and is just trying to take it out on me. I am a strong person, and won't stand for being dragged through this crap! A friend told me that Legal Aid should help me because it's a family issue, so hopefully I won't have to pay thousands of dollars in legal fees to fight this ridiculous suit.

I am not worried about this frivolity. I am just annoyed that my ex won't let it go away. I know where I stand in this. I have never deceived anyone into thinking Kat was my ex's child. There is a notarized document on file with the state that my ex is not her father. I am also annoyed that his wife has involved herself in this, sending me nasty emails accusing me of basically being a money grubber. Nothing is further from the truth. I don't care about the money. I even offered to send the money back to them.

I will keep you posted on the progress of this lunacy. Hopefully it will all go away one way or the other in a month or so. I really don't have the energy for a long, drawn out process. But, other than that, life is pretty good.

Someday I Will Blog More Often

So here we are, almost the end of May. Kat only has one full week of school left. I am hoping that she will pass all of her classes. She has had a very rough freshman year. And I think the fact that I have been working an average of 50 hours a week doesn't help. I am a very tired mom. Plus, Tori and Sammee will be moving out of their apartment this weekend. No relaxing 3 day holiday weekend for me.

On another note, right now I am not sure how much longer I will be working. The project is almost finished and should be completely done by the end of June. But, we are waiting to hear on two bids on other areas of the plant. If we are awarded the bids, it could be another 6 months I think. But there will be even more change. Kat wants to transfer to Century High School from Pocatello High School next year. We are signing her up for Driver's Ed next week. That's right, folks, if you live in Poky, stay off the sidewalks this summer. My kid will be driving. Sammee will be starting her senior year of college, and will turn 21 in July. And the biggest change is that Tori will move to Portland, OR to attend college. Very proud of her perseverance in getting into her dream college, but the Mommy heart strings get pulled whenever I think about her being so far away. I think that I will treasure the lunches, shopping trips, and meetings for coffee just to chat, because that will end for a time very soon. I will stop now, because I am getting verklempt.

But, before all of the change in the fall, Tori, Kat and I will take a long weekend trip to Kansas City in August. I know, why the heck would anyone voluntarily go to the Midwest in August? No, it's not some sort of weird sweating diet. The former Department head of the Theatre Department of my college will be in town for some reason, and we have scheduled a mini reunion. I haven't seen these people in over 20 years, and am so excited to go! Right now I don't have money for plane tickets, but I still have 3 months until we fly. I can save it up!

So, I will try to post more often, as long as I have time. I think you all will know when I am unemployed because I will suddenly have time to post more often.