u/trash_talking

My ex and I have been doing 50-50 for our kids 10 and 14 for 9 years with no major issues. Minor differences come up time to time but nothing that I feel requires a custody battle to begin. Yet here we are. My ex filed for custody (I do not have the paperwork yet I know about it because the mediator called me, my ex confirmed). I don't know if it's full custody or just some legal direction to have a more solid custody plan rather than the co-parenting we have now. Currently it's week on / week off and I'm usually taking the kids more on my off weeks but not A LOT just more willing to say yes to help the ex.

Anyway the first step is this mediation and I am trying to figure out if I need a lawyer and hear how these things go. I'm freaking out because there is a lot of unknowns because I don't have physical paperwork. All I have is the confirmation from my ex he filed and the mediator wanting to set up an appointment. I do have a call in for a lawyer but financially it's not possible for me to even afford one. I know there is free legal aide but the one time I thought about doing custody through courts I was told they only do mediation and if we can't agree it goes to court and the free lawyers don't cover courts.

I know my 14 year old "hates" me. But really hates my house because it's small and he doesn't have his own space. And his dad lets him play video games all the time and I don't have the video game he likes. Etc. it's teenage feelings. And I don't take it personally. But since my kid has decided two weeks ago he wants to live with his dad the ex filed custody. I don't know what this means for my 10 year old but I know they will get input from my 14 year old.

This sucks. I am trying to hold it together but I'm falling apart inside. If anyone can offer any clue what to expect and what I need to be prepared that would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I'm going to start by saying I *REALLY* FEEL for anyone who is in a LDR in two different countries right now. I'm very fortunate that my boyfriend and I are both in the US and about 1,000+ miles (EDITED because we are not 3,000+ away, omg! It feels like it though) apart. But I'm still beyond frustrated that due to the insane rise in cost for airline tickets my chances to see him are less and less now. I'm sitting here fuming because I have to choose between August or September to see him. It used to be only a year ago when I could have done both. I'm heartbroken and frustrated. And yes, I understand it's still a good problem to have that I can see him at all. I'm not trying to make others feel bad or anything like that. I just want to let this out in a place where people truly get how hard it is to be dating someone who is miles and miles away and having that opportunity to see them being taken away by costs of airline tickets is shitty and unfair. Southwest REALLY did a number when they revamped the whole airline and now the best airline I could afford to fly went down the drain. So I switched to Frontier which I can fly out of two airports nearby and YAY! I was so happy again. Now I'm here about to stay in debt a while longer because I want to see my boyfriend in August and it's almost $300. OR I can wait and spend the same amount in September (which is our anniversary month and both our birthday month too). OR I can REALLY keep my CC at a nice high number and pay for both flights. It's a stupid stupid choice but I honestly don't see the fucking point anymore in saving money or anything other than doing what makes me happy. And in my life and how things are going seeing my bf is about all I got going on that makes me happy. I don't know where this rant and venting session is going so I'll shut up now. I just had to get that off my chest. Not looking for suggestions or advice unless you know the magic key to flights not being so INSANELY priced. I'll end with the same thing I said when I started - I'm truly thinking of and feeling a lot of empathy to those who are in LDR right now, especially international. This has to suck for all of you too. *hugs* Solidarity.

What are your must have that you always take with you to jobs? I'm not talking about overnights because I have not done them I usually have pets in my home.

I'm thinking more like cleaning supplies, extra leashes, water bowl for long hot walks, your checklist if you provide clients with notes and updates, etc.

I'm trying to figure out which band is headline in the Philadelphia show. Is there any way to tell? Have they been switching off or are they doing the same lineup every show?

Hello! I've been pet sitting professionally for 8 years. I started as a subcontractor with a company. I'll keep the nightmare stories of working under someone to myself but say that I was sick of having her take a huge cut and decided that after a few years experience I could do this on my own. So I did. I still keep clients under the company I was with because I ethically didn't feel right taking anyone from her.

But business is SLOW this year. Worse than last year and now I'm stressing for my summer I won't make enough to hold me over for the slower winter months. I'm thinking of starting a referral program to drum up new clients. I've got some ideas but if anyone has done this before what have you found works best?

Do I do a discount? One visit free? Do I apply it to both new and referring clients? Maybe X amount of new customers by one client gets them X percentage off for X number of visits?

I want to remain professional above all else and keep to what I create so it would be beneficial to me and all clients new and old. But also make me more income and repeating clients too.

What's your secret to getting new work? The business is SATURATED where I live. And FB posts get hundreds of replies. How do I stand out?

I'm insured. Have nothing but glowing reviews. I'm an LLC. I have had pets my whole life along with the years of experience professionally. It doesn't feel like enough. I am hoping word of mouth via referral incentives will give me that boost.

Thank you for your support and suggestions. I'll try my best to reply. It's a busy week coming up with Memorial Day weekend.

I guess this falls under merch. I figured out how to join the fan club and did. But it's been a month and I'm wondering how long it takes for the shirt to arrive. I have a very anxious teen who has been asking me daily for weeks now. I just assume wait and it will arrive. She prefers for some type of timeline. So here I am asking for anyone else that has joined the fan club and got their shirt already what was the wait time from registration to receiving? Many thanks friends!

I read on here too often about negative experiences. I also see a great balance of that with magical moments. I appreciate both sides of the pendulum. Sorry I'm going to ramble. Lots of energy drinks today.

Here's my take, which is simply opinions based on my experiences. Over the past 1.5 years I've had many opportunities to go to Disney again. I hadn't been since 1992 previous to November 2024. My childhood memories are honestly wiped from my brain because I was young but I had gone a few times before '92 as well. Very fortunate and I know that. Now I'm even luckier to be able to get to the parks whenever I visit Florida to see my bf.

Anyway that's the background part. Here's the thing about my time at each of the 4 parks... they are all pretty fantastic and I haven't had my bubble pop yet. I don't see the vaping or smoking I've read about. I remember my first few times I didn't even notice miserable people or crying kids.

Granted I have seen some folx with the electric scooters not be the best at navigating but it hasn't directly impacted me or my experience. When I get stuck walking behind lollygaggers or families that spread out the whole pathway it's a brief thought of "WTF you're not the only ones here" followed by a verbal "excuse me" and slipping past them. Line cutters I have had my share of but I figure karma is a bitch and shrug their ignorance off. It won't affect my day if they need to be jerks. And lastly I have watched CM tirelessly remind parents or gently mention to young kids to not do certain things for safety reasons and it be both neglected and respected. Kids are tiny jerk humans (I have two so I speak from experience lol) but it's on the parents to not be the real jerks in those situations. 9 out of 10 times they have been great.

On the plus side my last visit I spent a long time in lines for some rides and ended up getting to know the families behind us. One was commenting on my hair and my bf's tattoo and we chatted them up for the duration. The other needed a battery charger for their phone as they forgot theirs. I lent mine for as long as I could. And we also talked quite a bit. There is kindness and genuinely great people at the parks. Sure there's the other side of that but, repeating myself here, my bubble won't burst over their craptastic selfishness.

I think that's most of it. I am blissfully aware and unaware at the same time. I can notice these behaviors but tuck them away and not let it distract from why I'm at Disney which is to experience the magic and make memories.

Thanks for even reading this lengthy conscious stream of thoughts. Hope whether you're just heading to Disney, there now, planning for the future, sadly headed home, or anything in between your time there is as fabulous as you can possibly make it. You deserve that piece of the Disney bubble magic too.