Mr Bond and 25 - I have read your posts several times and given them a lot of thought. I just disagree. You don't know my W. I did want you to know that I value your perspective even though I don't agree with it.
The last month has been difficult; lots of arguments and conflict. Shortly after my last post, my L sent out a draft of the D agreement. She received it on Mon 9/16, and reviewed it with her lawyer on 9/19. She called me from her L’s office and we agreed in principle to the remaining disagreements. Her L called my L stating that we had agreed to terms and that we could start living the custody agreement (50/50 w/alternating weeks) immediately. My L sent me a letter via email on 9/20 giving me the go ahead to move out. I moved in with my dad (1 mile away) on Sat 9/21.
My W kept the kids the first week while I got the rooms setup. I had them the weekend of 9/28-9/30. I took them to Target to buy window treatments, new bedding, and some other stuff to decorate their rooms. That sure was expensive! They have been going to my dad’s for years, but I think the new stuff really made them feel like the room was now theirs.
I got both D12 and D14 cell phones so I could text and call them without having to go through my W. I setup a GMAIL account where I entered the custody schedule and all the kids activities into the calendar. I have seen my kids almost every day and my W keeps calling me asking me to pick up/drop off the kids to and from their activities. She acts like nothing has changed.
This week 10/4 – 10/20 was the first week as a single parent with my kids in the new house. I am not sure how to manage clothes in a 50/50 arrangement, so I took the kids shopping and we got the basics (Socks, underwear, pajamas, etc…) They now have a base of clothes at my house that they don’t have to move every week.
Getting them to and from school is tough. Even though my new house is only 1 mile away, it is out of district so I don’t have bus service. The 3 kids attend 3 different schools (elementary, middle, high school) with 3 different start/end times. I have a family friend with kids in the same schools who is helping me out. Things are going pretty well, but I think it is going to take time to get into a routine.
Life is moving forward and I am beginning to see the end of the tunnel. I received a letter from my L with the list of changes my W and I agreed to. We will have a court date sometime in Nov where a judge will sign off on the agreement, and our divorce will be final Jan 1, 2014.
