Susan, That was lovely. Your poem was so descriptive and full of emotion - I could easily imagine myself in your kitchen watching the 2 of you making applesauce. You managed to convey so much in just a few lines. Thanks for sharing.

OMG! What a nightmare. If I were you I'd do two things right off the bat. Find a good attorney and meet with him so that you know the right answers to the questions you've asked (or start at the web site mentioned above for a less-expensive route). THen, also find a counselor for your own marriage and family to help you get through it. I know that they cannot force you to move though, or to visit the child. It could end up being a financial obligation only. It looks like you live in CO (?) does she live in CO as well? If so, see the link provided. Child support and paternity laws will be based on the state SHE lives in. I see that in CO, paternity can be established up until the child is 18. So based on this, I guess she could legally go after you for child support plus arrears, but there is a chance that you could fight it. Especially since the girl already has a 'dad' and a 'step-dad'. Where I live, I think the courts would favor making 'dad', blood-dad or not, be responsible for supporting the child. Especially after 5 years of marriage. Have you had a DNA test? If not, you should insist on one. Also, where does this $500/mo figure come from? There is a formula that takes into account how many children you already have, what your income is and has been over the past 12 years, etc.. It also takes her income into consideration (see FAQ's on the link provided) Has she used such a formula to cite this amount, or is she just hoping for 500/mo ? You have the right to go to the court and question any court orders that are given to you. Make sure they do things right, don't just accept the amount they ask you to pay. Trust me, they will try to get away with asking you to give her whatever she has requested, in the hopes that you won't question it!! (Friend of the Court is often called "Friend of the Mother" ) Hope things work out for you... Here is a link that might be useful: CO child support info

Wow....what an amazing list of people.... too many of them no longer with us or active here. It is nice to remember some of their names and their struggles that we shared. Thanks for the memories.

I used this forum many years ago to help me pick a 30" RNB for our kitchen renovation. I've generally loved it even though it has not been trouble-free. I'd been having problems as of late--burners weren't lighting reliably, the oven door was a bit skewed and not closing fully, leading to knobs that were hot to the touch (and extra oven cycling.) it was also in need of a good cleaning. I removed a soaked the grates and scrubbed them clean. I took out all the burners and then looked at the inside of the rangetop. I had some accumulated dirt and grime. I suspect one of the problems with burner sparking was a difficult path to ground for the igniter sparks, so I made sure the brackets that held the burners were well-cleaned and had bare metal for the burner to touch. I then attacked the burners themselves. After 12 years there is some minor rust on the burners, but the bigger issue was accumulated grime that again was probably preventing the spark from jumping. The worst was probably on the simmer burner--which doesn't get as hot so doesn't burn off debris as frequently. I used a razor blade to scrape a greasy film off the top of the burner, as well as the burner holes adjacent to the igniter. I poked through every burner hole with a toothpick, and turned the burners over and tapped and shook them, where quite a bit of reddish-black dust came out (I assume this is a combination of carbonized debris and burner rust. I put everything back together (making sure the ingniter wire sockets were not touching metal--I have had this prevent ignition) and tested the burners. All the burners ignited with one or two clicks of the igniter; except for the simmer burner which took 3 or 4 clicks. Then to the oven door. I tried removing the door by opening the clips and lifting the door out, but apparently on the 2008 vintage oven it does not work that way. I could not get the hinges to lift out fully, but I did just enough to prevent the door closing properly. I was worried I had messed things up badly but after quite a bit of playing around I was able to get the hinges to reseat and the door to close as it was. The right side was still sticking out though. Several years ago I had warped the oven door due to stuck hinges. I now religiously lubricate the hinges and they have been smooth, and I was able to mostly unskew the door by using a clamp to bend the metal back into alignment, but over time the metal on the right side had again warped a bit. A new application of the clamp to push the metal back into place now has the door closing flush across the entire top. I confirmed it was working properly by noting the knobs were no longer too hot to touch during oven operation. So now the range is operating well and the thorough cleaning (I also cleaned the front kickplate under the oven door, and gave the exterior a good wipedown. I recently cleaned the interior so it's still good) makes it nice and shiny. However, I still have some longer-term concerns. I have replaced two of the igniters and probably need to replace the other two. But the screws holding the igniters are rusted, and you don't get replacements with an igniter kit. Even if you do, at least one of the burners has rust such that the screw hole may not work for a new igniter screw. It was a lot of effort and some improvisation to get the screws to hold on the two I did replace. I'd have to replace burner heads at that point. The 2008 oven door has issues and a very small window, so sometime it will stop working, and the cost of repairing it probably isn't cost effective on a 12 year old appliance. I have eyes on a Platinum Series range to replace this one--I know some of the issues have been improved although there are stories of some challenges. But the cooking performance is still outstanding, and I have been able to rehab things enough to keep my range going for a while longer.