I'm getting everything lined up to return to college next semester. If I plan to be able to support myself and the kids in the way, I want to, it's time to get back in the saddle of life. I need to further my education.

I'm interested in nursing, but the waiting lists for the nursing programs in my area are all at the very least, 18 months long. This is a bit longer than I want to wait before starting. With the shortage of nurses in our country, I'm surprised there aren't more programs open in the Michigan area. We're very limited on Licensed Practical Nurse programs, and the waiting list I mentioned is for the Registered Nurse Program.

I'm mainly interested in the medical field. I believe I'll try to pursue this field even if it's not in the nursing capacity. I'm also considering radiology, or possibly becoming a surgical technician. I'm not so sure of the latter; I don't know if I have the stomach for it or not.

When I was married, I always wanted to continue my education but for some reason or another, I always placed it on the backburner. My ex didn't support my returning to school. He didn't come right out and tell me not to go back, but I knew he wouldn't pick up any slack at home or help in any way.

Now is my time, and I'm going to go for it. Wish me luck!

I've been single for the past two years. It still seems strange to me to be cooking for just the kids and me. I don't know if this makes any sense to anyone or not. But for some reason I still feel someone is missing at the dinner table.

If he were still here, don't get me wrong, I think I would have to poison him. However, all joking aside, it still seems strange at the table to just be the kids and myself. I'm not sure where this comes from or even why. I don't recall feeling this way after my other divorce and both marriages lasted around the same amount of time.

I'm not a big fan of cooking, but my ex really enjoyed the family dinnertime together, so this may be where the void is coming from. It wasn't as if he was going to help cook or clean up, but he was always ready to sit down and have a meal. Therefore, it's not as if this was a time we spent together in the kitchen or anything along those lines that I'm missing.

I haven't mentioned any of this to the kids. I don't want to plant any seeds and start something in their minds. Nevertheless, it certainly makes me wonder why I feel this way every time I'm preparing a meal. It actually makes dinnertime a bit of a sad experience on some days depending on my mood.

I found a really interesting site on online divorce.

I found that you can simply fill in your information, obtain the appropriate forms for your specific state and you can then file with the court.

I wish I had known about this when I was going through my divorce paying huge fees to have these same forms done by an attorney. Several different sites offer this service.

If you're interested in something like this, you can do a search and find the one that interests you. The sites I found cost around $200 for the documents, which is far less than an attorney would charge these same forms to be filed. I wouldn't suggest this method if there is a custody or visitation issue involved, nor for the divorce with a large amount of assets involved.

However, in cases where the divorce isn't contested and each party agrees, online divorce could be a huge money-saver. In uncontested divorces, some cases are as simple as just filing and signing. Mine wasn't that simple, but I still feel we could have come to some resolution on our own and could have kept that money in our pocket, instead of the attorneys'.

I'm now curious to find a site that may allow me to file an amendment to my current decree. Or, to find a site that would allow for a custody change or other things that many of us in the post-divorce stage face. 

I help take care of my 90-year-old grandmother. She lives alone and is mostly independent, but doesn't drive. I assist her by taking her to all her doctors' appointments, doing some household chores, and taking her to the grocery store. She's currently receiving regular injections, and I scheduled this month's appointment for the 14th.

This was not done unconsciously. I figured this day might bring me down some, and having something extra to do would keep me busy. Not to mention having the blessed opportunity to spend another day with the woman who has been such a wonderful presence in my life.

I do not need man to have a good Valentine's day. I just need to spend it with someone I love and someone who actually loves me unconditionally in return. That is a combination I have never found in a man.

Therefore, this Valentine's Day I will be with my grandmother. We will both have a Valentine and will have a wonderful day together, I am sure. We will make one more memory together, and this to me is better than any box of chocolate or flowers I have ever received. It will be real and mean so much more than hollow gifts given out of guilt.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone — spend it with someone you love and someone that loves you in return.

I read Julie Savard's posting about living apart together. I found this idea very interesting. I have obviously heard of couples living apart to "take a break" while trying to sort things out, usually while deciding if they actually want to stay in the relationship. I have not heard of couples going into the relationship with this understanding.

I found this delightfully interesting. I think this could be the path of any future relationship I may enter into. I like the idea of maintaining some of myself. I always seem to lose myself somewhere along the way when taking care of a man and trying to be that perfect wife.

I like the independence I have found in this post-divorce world. I have always been in some form of relationship it seems. The past two years have been the longest single period in my adult life — I have been alone to just actually get to know myself, which by the way, I am enjoying immensely. I like being in a relationship but can't say the same about living with someone else. I have enough dirty laundry and dishes of my own.

I realize that I am nowhere near entering another relationship. I need a lot more work on myself before that can even be an option. This sounds like the perfect compromise for me when I am ready.

I want to thank Julie for this information. I will continue to look deeper into this arrangement idea.

My ex finally received his letter stating the amount of child support he is to pay for our daughter. I have my son from this union every weekend. He has not seen his daughter in a month. He also hasn't taken the time to call her or have any contact except for the few minutes it takes when we pick up her brother. Yet, he found time in his hectic schedule to call as soon as he received this letter in the mail.

This call was an attack — yet again — on me, trying to get me to respond in some way. I am happy to report that I did not take the bait. I simply told him to call them and try to resolve this matter, which I am sure is not a mistake. He earns four times what I do in a month. I hardly think the court will allow this to situation to continue with no additional support for my daughter. Nevertheless, he is free to call and check it out for himself.

I find it amazing the response many men have over child support. If circumstances were reversed, I would be more than willing to help provide for my child. I visit my son regularly and do not intend to stop that pattern. I would not change visiting my son for any amount of money in the world. Certain things just do not have a price in my opinion. I wish he were half as concerned about his daughter as he is his checkbook. Now that would make for a wonderful father-daughter relationship.

As we all have learned thanks to the whole Britney Spears thing, Dr. Phil is not really a psychologist. Nevertheless, I still value his opinion. I agree with his advice that before you leave the marriage you need to earn your way out. I did this by trying everything I could possibly think of before leaving. I wanted to be able to someday look back and realize I had made every effort possible to save this marriage. I wanted to do this not only for myself, but for my kids as well.

Things where very bad in our home for about two years before I packed the kids and left. When it became physical, that was the end of it.

I suggested and even begged for counseling on numerous occasions. I even sought counseling for myself, since he would not go. He felt this was my issue, not our issue. Therefore, I had my work cut out for me. I was married to the only perfect person in the word. Thus, every problem we had was about my imperfections.

I purchased the post-divorce home a year before leaving. I wanted him to realize I was serious, and to have a place to go if things became too unbearable. This turned out to be the best investment I have ever made in my life. It made the transition so much easier. I didn't need to go to family or anyone for help. I had all the pieces in place to make this move with as little stress as possible for my kids.

I am thankful I took these steps before leaving. A well thought-out plan saved adding a huge amount of stress to an already stressful situation.

I have been having a good stage in my life lately. I seem to be settling into this new post-divorce self better than I thought I would. I used to be so nervous of what the next day might hold. I seem to be rolling through the days lately and not looking back with any regret, remorse, or unfinished business of any kind.

I hope I am finally seeing the light at the end of this two-year tunnel I have been stuck in.

I certainly am not ready to date or become involved in any way with another male. At least I don't look at myself and wonder if I have made the right decision everyday. I know I made the right decision. I did not rush into anything. I waited two years after the hell began before I ever walked out. I purchased my post-divorce home a year before leaving. (You would have thought he would have taken it seriously after that, but no reaction at all).

I think what may actually be happening is, I have realized this just was not meant to be. I have stopped blaming myself for yet another failed marriage. I felt a huge amount of guilt for not being able to make this work for my families' sake. In some way, I feel as though I am forgiving myself for whatever part I may have played in this.

I am truly happy with the stage I am in now. Whatever the reason, the days are looking much brighter lately.

I am cutting all ties to my ex that is not specifically related to our children. I am no longer going to fall into the argument trap. I see no reason to communicate beyond the children anyway. My ex just loves to get under my skin. This has to be true, otherwise why would he go out of his way to anger me? This has happened repeatedly. It always blows up in my face and makes me look like the irrational one.

He knows from experience what buttons to push and when. I am tired of giving him the satisfaction of doing it. He had constantly been having my son call on a daily basis to see "When are you going to come see me?"

I stopped that by a set-in-stone visitation schedule. We had been trying to allow the other parent visitation as our schedules permitted. This will no longer be the arrangement as it has been used to manipulate many situations. Something as simple as this cannot even be agreed on. So now, I pick up my son on a specific day each week and he stays with me for two nights.

Every toy I've bought my son since the divorce is at his dad's house. I was allowing him to take them home, instead of making him wait until he came back to play with them. Well, when I pick him up and he wants to bring something I've purchased for him, his father makes sure to remind me to bring it back.

Therefore, I think it will be best to have separate toys at each house, because this has become too much of a source of confrontation. Just little nitpicky things to try to anger me and I am no longer taking the bait.

The news of this tax rebate was music to my ears. It's been all over the Internet and television for days now. The plan would give individual taxpayers up to $600 in rebates, working couples $1,200 and those with children an additional $300 per child. I am not sure if there is a limit to the number of children or not. This is a little dream come true for divorced women and single parents.

The rebates would phase down gradually for individuals whose adjusted gross income is above $75,000 and for couples with incomes totaling more than $150,000.

I was happy to hear the Senate may try adding an unemployment extension. This would also be a wonderful benefit. Here in Michigan the economy is struggling to say the least. This unemployment extension would make a huge difference for many people. The Michigan unemployment rate for December 2007 was 7.6%. This rate is listed as "seasonally adjusted". I wonder what the difference in the number of agriculture workers vs. the number of those to remove snow in the winter is.

I hope they get all the details hammered out and get the checks in the mail soon. If all goes as planned, checks are said to be arriving sometime in June. I don't know about you, but I will be standing by the mailbox waiting.