Nothing really new to report. I had a fairly quiet birthday yesterday. I worked from home, then spent the evening with my S's.
Today I took them to another birthday for a friend's DD. It was a combined Disney Princess and Disney Pirates themed birthday. Lots of fun for the boys.
Both S7 and S4 had spectacularly good days at their respective schools yesterday. This during W's tenure, just a week after last week's fiasco with S7. I am very happy for S7's sake he has been getting his act together, but needless to say I feel W is going to smugly use this against me, to say that our children cannot behave under my care.
All I can say is, it is was it is -- there's nothing I can do about it now. If this comes back to haunt me, well, then so be it. I'm getting to the point where I'm too tired to worry about it anymore.
I tried to call a friend this evening after the party. She's going through a rough time right now, as she has a friend of hers who committed suicide earlier in the week. I had promised I'd call her but couldn't get ahold of her -- she sent me a text in response to my voicemail that she'd call me back later some other time. As long as she's okay.
I am also loathing the prospect of the MIL coming back into regular contact with my S's. They don't need that kind of person in their lives, not on a day-to-day basis certainly. W wants her to act as a childcare supplement, to save W some money in that area. If she thinks she's gonna' still get the same in C-S from me under that unpalatable scenario, she's got another thing coming. I'd almost pay to specifically NOT have MIL anywhere in the picture. Evil. Just evil she is.
But what can I say without coming off the bad guy?
You could try throwing water on her. It worked in the Wizard of Oz.
Hee!!!
I think silence is golden for this situation. Don't get sucked into another conversation with your wife. If she starts up a talk about this (actually tries to throw it in your face), just say "I'm sorry you see it that way, I am doing my best" and leave it at that.
Glad you got to enjoy part of your birthday with your sons. How is Christmas looking for you guys? Do you get to see them at all?
If she thinks she's gonna' still get the same in C-S from me under that unpalatable scenario, she's got another thing coming. I'd almost pay to specifically NOT have MIL anywhere in the picture. Evil. Just evil she is.
But what can I say without coming off the bad guy?
[/quote]Don't let her know about the pay thing. She'd use that to her advantage I'm sure! Witholding financial support for that sounds good to me. I should think both parents should approve of a childcare person, and you shouldn't have to fund someone that's not good for the children. Of course, legally I don't know. Maybe ask your L? I would not get into it at all with your W. Not a word. I'm sure she already knows you feel anyway doesn't she???
And boy you sure kept your birthday quiet!!! Happy Birthday, NC!!! The Disney party sounds like fun; hope you had a good one!!! Karen
You could try throwing water on her. It worked in the Wizard of Oz.
Hah! Hey, see now, I knew there was a reason I refer to MIL as the WWOTN (Wicked Witch of the North). Why didn't I think of that?
Originally Posted By: lwb
How is Christmas looking for you guys? Do you get to see them at all?
It's an even-numbered year, so I get them for Christmas Eve this year, and W would get them Christmas Day. But W is balking at my proposed terms (according to my draft of the separation agreement) for when the change-over is to occur, which is currently set at 9 PM Christmas Eve. She wants it to be earlier in the evening, no later than 7 PM, for reasons she states has to do with how long it takes to get our two S's to settle down and get to sleep. I want it later because I would like them to have enough time to open presents with me prior to bedtime -- her plan makes that nigh impossible.
On a positive note, I have a vacation lined up. W asked me what I was going to do both on the day after Christmas and the day after New Year's, so she could plan her work schedule and childcare accordingly. I told W I had made plans to take a vacation trip to visit family starting the day after Christmas and returning on New Year's Day. I also said that I would like to take our S's with me to visit my mother and W's sister -- but since that would be during S7's birthday (Dec. 30) I understood if she opposed me having them both away that week.
To my surprise W said it would be okay wth her, that she could celebrate S7's eighth birthday when he got back the following weekend (she said it really didn't matter to her or to S7 when they actually celebrated. Dumb-founded, I thought "Yeah, okay, whatever."
I was fully prepared to travel alone, but I will be more than happy to share this trip with my little ones. This is a pleasant surprise. (At the same time, I am cynically thinking that W appears to be more concerned that she is freed up from the responsibilities of taking care of our S's on New Year's Eve, so she can ring in the new year with her OM, just like last year. But if she lets herself be so distracted from her S's, then that's to my advantage. Her loss.)
I am particularly happy that my mother and my side of the family will for the first time be able to share in celebrating S7's birthday. My mom is tickled to death.
Originally Posted By: karen43
And boy you sure kept your birthday quiet!!! Happy Birthday, NC!!! The Disney party sounds like fun; hope you had a good one!!!
It was indeed, thanks. We had a lot of December birthdays to celebrate yesterday, it was pretty amazing.
A bit of a rhetorical question, for anyone who cares to chime in: What is it with L's?
I am just a little perturbed by the statement I got this weekend from my L. We've had two face-to-face meetings and about a score of emails between us since I took out the retainer for her services, but no serious work involved other than redrafting the material I provided for a separation agreement proposal. I feel I have a good rapport with her in what little interaction we've had, but apparently several times she charged just for reading a simple one paragraph update to the marital situation with my W that I would send via email. Stuff like letting her know about the sale of our marital home, for example.
So far we've blown through more than half the retainer mostly on her reading twelve emails from me. I'm thinking I've learned my lesson there and to shut my yap unless truly necessary.
Am I wrong in this? Or should I just stop helping my atty. to do her job and quit feeding information to her unless she explicitly asks for it, especially if the meter is running?
No offense to anyone here in the legal profession, but some folks I just don't get.
