Sorry to offend, docmom. However, I didn't accuse the neighbor of anything, neither of being ignorant nor cheap. I said she was just trying to do something "on the cheap"-- maybe on the "quicker and easier" would have been better language. As far as I'm concerned doing something on the cheap doesn't mean you are cheap. I do things "on the cheap" all the time, and so do most people. In fact, anyone who tries to feed birds is rather generous with both their time and money, IMO. And btw, you may hate the word "cheap", I hate the word "ignorant". I think of it as a slur, not a description of an action. Why not say she didn't know better instead of calling her ignorant?

I don't make them but you can find them at http://craftersbuz.com Here is a link to a person that does make them: http://craftersbuzz.com/gallery.cgi?KIMREYNOLDS She's got some wallets too :) Here is a link that might be useful: Free 5 Page Website

That is the beauty of our country's secondary education system, there's a fit for everyone and there's really no "right" or "wrong" school scenario for everyone. So, as parents and future college students, you just need to do the best you can to find a school that fits your child's interests and personality. As parents, I think we need to just resist the urge to intervene and make right every adversarial situation a young adult comes into contact with. They are adults at 18 and need to learn how to fend for themselves. That's what I actually like about college - it gives them 4 more years to grow up and mature before they're really on their own. As far as the FASFA, at the schools we applied to, it wasn't necessary for merit based awards - ie awards for grades/test scores. There was a long list of private grants/scholarships if you qualified for specific criteria - ie you had a family member that was a nurse, or an iron worker or a member of a specific union etc. We didn't qualify for any of those $$ although I did read each one carefully looking for a fit! I do believe that you need to complete the FASFA to apply for any of those, even if they stated it was a merit award and not soley need based. At a state public school here in Ohio, the awards are either financially driven (requiring a FASFA) or merit based. My son did get a merit scholarship, but taking into account the money he got from his athletic scholarship, I knew based on our income, he would not get any need based money. I'm sorry, but that form is a PIA and really didn't want to disclose all of our financial situation when I knew we wouldn't qualify. When I went to college a gazillion years ago, my parents filled out the FASFA because my brother and I were both in school and my mother was a school teacher and my dad a bricklayer. We thought while we were definitely not poor, with two kids in college, we were also not feeling flush with money. Of all the things I saved in the college scrapbook, I saved the response I got when I applied. Back then tuition/room& board was about $3300 a year for a state school. My FASFA came back and said my parent could afford $5800 a year for college expenses - and that was with my brother also in college. I truly do not know how they could come up with that number with two parents who had definitely middle class incomes, but again, they had no debt and no mortgage, so if you're financially responsible, you get no help. Granted if I had gone to a private school with a much higher tuition, we may have gotten something but, I was happy going to the state school, so while I did have alot of student loans, they weren't as much as if I had gone to a private school.

Thanks fo all the support and kind words ladies. That woman is a mess. We have decided that once the move is complete and we are nice and settled J is going to look into what it would take to require the paperwork and file for custody. He has decided he is going before the judge with or without a lawyer. I don't know if BM would even show up for a hearing. Her BF probably won't even allow for her to make phone calls after she dared to leave for two weeks. I can't feel sorry for her anymore though because she had to know this is what it was going to be like if she went back. On the upside, the girls are so excited about Easter and going to church in their new dresses and hunting for eggs that they seem to have forgotten she told them she'd get them saturday. THANK GOD! As far as whether or not it's legal to cut her off....the system can kiss our a$$. We arn't sending them any where with her as long as she's with that jerk off and if she has a problem with it she can take us to court. She is so busy defending herself against FELONY DRUG CHARGES that she won't have time. I almost wonder if that man would even allow her contact with the girls after this. He hates J and I so he may not want her calling even to speak to her kids. He doesn't like us because we called him out for what he is and we keep telling her she needs to leave him and go to rehab. That's precisely what he DOESN'T want her to do. He really really REALLY hates us. That's another reason why I don't trust her with the girls. He could try and talk her into running with them just becasue he knows it would hurt us. Then he would abuse the girls just like he does their mother. I really wish they would re-desighn the child welfare system. Children are not pieces of property...they are PEOPLE. The system treats them like a friggin house or car. They shouldn't be a part of a divorce stimulus package. It's sick how the rights of a parent are considered before the physical safety of the child. The courts do not SEE the situations for what they really are. We should be able to report her but since the girls live with us we can't. That is such BS. There should be a point system in place that determines whether a parent is with in their rights to withhold visitation rights. Drug/Achohol use, violence, criminal charges, living conditions, mental stability, moral character of live in BF or GF....all these things should be taken into consideration. At the end of the day, if the situation isn't healthy for the children then the stable parent should have the right to make a call with out a court writting them a permission slip. Dear BM, Pleas excuse R------ and N------ form visitation today since you are a total disaster. Thank You Geargia State Courts Give me a damn break.