Introduction

Just thought I should give a brief background. Sometimes blogs are hard to follow if you don't quite know everyone and where they fit.

My name is Kim and I have 4 children. Three daughters, 23, 22, and 13 going on 30, (like the movie) one son, 17. Two younger daughters live here and my son lives a couple miles away with his dad. My oldest is in an apt with friends. You obviously gathered that I am divorced and remarried. I waited 12 years to remarry and I am glad that I did. I was in no rush to jump in again.

My first three children's father and I amicably split up. At least that is what I thought. My youngest daughter's father and I were together for about 5 years, but never married.

My son was 13.5 when he moved in with his dad and although I am sure there were ulterior motives on his father's part (mainly child support), I did not want to put him through a huge custody battle. It really broke my heart, but he is not far away and his dad is not a deadbeat or anything so...I guess that fathers are good parents too! (Besides, I was in the midst of two teenage girls and their dad didn't really help me deal with that, so I figured he can give it a shot. Just so happens my son is so easy going-no comparison)

My current husband is 9.5 yrs younger than me with no children. He didn't want any and that was OK. At first I didn't believe him. I figured one day he would. Nothing yet, that I know of anyway. He loves my children dearly as if they were his. That is, unless we have a problem, then they are mine, but all in all, he is a good step dad. He has been with my children for 8 years. That's about as long as I was married the first time!

We have a dog too, a Lhasa Apso named Max. I gotta tell you, I used to love animals when I was younger. I wanted to own and run a chimpanzee farm! I did not take in to consideration the clean up and maintenance. Whew. Almost like having a kid. Some things are easier such as; leaving a bowl of the same stuff out once a day, they don't argue, ('course they don't always listen to you either) and um...well...I guess that is all I can think of at the moment on the easier side. On the same level; even when they grow up the care is still the same, you have to pick up their poop forever, they bark for nothing, they don't pick up anything except fleas, you have to pay to get them groomed (at least with a Lhasa), and when they aren't outside playing and goofing off they are inside laying around. Hmmm, why would any mom want a dog? I might as well as had another kid! But anyway, I let them talk me into one. Silly me, buying the 'ole "but mom you won't have to do anything, we will do it all!" And I bought it and the dog. Enough about that, it's embarrassing. You would think I would know all the pitfalls.

There is always tomorrow.