Look Out for Mama Bear!

I know that life isn't fair... hell, I know that more than most! My daughter (17-yr old step-daughter) has gotten the short end of the stick! Her "mother" has emotionally abused her for years, physically abused her on occasion, manipulated her, moved her thousands of miles away from her close-knit family, treated her as her own personal slave, and told her to move out several times. This is all VERY heart-breaking to me!

Yesterday, we finally got her "mother" to agree on the flight arrangements for both the kids to fly home. She had one final demand that we will not agree to... unfortunately, this set off a domino effect. Her and her sister started a full on psychological warfare with my daughter. Long story, short... Hannah will NOW be returning home, for good, on June 9th! The living situation she has been forced to endure for the last 7 months is absolutely unacceptable.

During all of the "discussions", I was practically hyperventilating and having panic attacks. Mama Bear made an appearance last night... when she comes out, I only see red. I want to protect my kids from anything and anyone... I don't care who you THINK you are! It's probably a good thing she is so many miles away, or I may be in a jail cell this morning. (No worries... Nothing murderous!)

In the end, I'm realizing that no matter how hard this is on me... God put me in these kids lives for a reason... and I'm beginning to understand that more and more!

Imagine all of that combined with being dizzy and nauseated! Yeah, it gets more fun! I have some liquid in my inner ears, causing my balance to be completely off. The meds make me SO tired! So, no driving for me for 2 - 3 weeks... good thing we'll be in Vegas for a good part of that time!

Makes you wonder how none of us are in the Nut House!

You're Fired!

Back in January, I was fired from a job for the very first time in my life. The funny part is, I quit 2 times prior to that! It was a mutual departure, none-the-less. At the time, I was struggling with depression and anxiety, not to mention the fight to keep my family intact was a losing battle. So, working wasn't quite in my cards! Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I was fired... it was an honest, stupid mistake that could have happened to anyone in the same situation! So, I was fired with a rehirable status... YAY!

I received a phone call from my old boss... yes, the same one who fired me... to see if I wanted to come back in a different position. I've been so excited about this, because I'm studying to get my AS in Early Childhood Education... and this particular job is PERFECT! The timing is better, and so-on-and-so-forth.

Last night, I got a call from the same old boss to let me know there has been a mistake and I'm not "rehirable" after all. I am very bummed about this... I miss the kids, my co-workers, and a purpose each day. She is very angry by this realization and is trying to work around it. Meanwhile, I've basically been fired again... before I even started!

While dealing with this, I'm also frustrated with the process of flying my stepchildren home from living with their "mother" in the Cayman Islands. She is making every step of these arrangements as difficult as possible... ranging from requiring so much time between layovers, to unaccompanied minor issues (these issues are in her own head), all the way to completely refusing to pay any portion of the children's airfare. My husband has certain rights under WA state law that prohibits her from keeping his children from him... maybe, she needs to read up on family law a little more. Over the past couple of years, I've researched this so much, I should be studying to be a paralegal!

At this time, I think we're buying one-way tickets for both kids just to get them home. We'll have to figure out the return flight for Josh later. I know she's doing this because she doesn't want Josh to see his father at all... apparently, she can be mom and dad? Who needs their father, right? WRONGO BUCKO!

Good times! Thank God, we leave for vacation next Wednesday!