Lots to tell, it's been a busy week.  Monday was all day at the Gain office, conveniently located on Glenoaks in Burbank.  It was an all day thing.  I got there before 8am and left at 5:05pm.  Yesterday, I called my case worker, and told her I had $ to report.  If I hadn't called, I could have waited until I have to fill stuff out in MARCH, but it's better to do it now.  Aly hurt her eye.  Then today, we are at the Sun Valley library, waiting until 6:15pm to roll around.

Monday, there were a load of people at the Gain office, and there were lots of stories about what to expect.  We were called in for a seminar t ype of thing at about 9am.  Normally the guy, Phil, said they had about 8 people, there were 32 of us Monday.  Boring books, boring videos, but some very useful info.  I know the formula on how income is looked at.  They stressed how to do your taxes using the EIC (your refund does not count as income), and all the services the agency has to offer as far as schooling, work clothing, counseling, trasportation, child care, and best of all, auto repairs.  We had lunch for an hour, more talk, more boring video.  At 3p Phil let us go, we had to wait to be called in by our case worker...I had asked specifically if I could leave at 3:45p to PU Eric, I was called in at 4:08p, and I had to then wait again until 4:30ish.  I told the case worker I had been lied to.  She hooked me up the the car repair paperwork (they will pay to repair my car up to $1000 (yep-that's 3 0's)  My first assignment is counseling, which I volunteered for, and I will go next Wednesday at 9am in Van Nuys.  Once I get the car & counseling going, I will go to the job club.  They help you decide on what career or job is best for you, they help you with a resume.  Maybe gets some schooling...

Tuesday, I called my case worker to report the two checks.  She's very nice and we talked because her computer was so slow.  I didn't need to report my income until March.  I want to be honest & fair...  I'll fill the form out when I get it.  Didn't get it today, but I put my call in.  I also need to fill an affadavit that it's not regular CS...   didn't get any money this week...regular "normal" CS, LMAO, not since August 2006 (and I plan to mention that on my affadavit).  so we will see about next...I'll report that for February.  And then we will see how February goes.  Hoping to give the kids Christmas in February, I promised them.  I have my February bills pretty much covered.  If I get CS (which is preferred), I'll since qualify for some assistance, until I get a job through them.  I really need to do the counseling, Aly has been asking for it.  The figure, if your life isn't all fixed up (mentally), you can't perform at a job.  I even figured if I get a month of regual support (week by week), I'll still be in the program, because the support doesn't reach the max.  This will also give me the time to work with the DA about arrears.  I'll need to go through the child care service for someone to PU Eric at his busstop every day, and be with him for an hour.  He'll also need to have someone during vacations and days off.  The county will pay for that.  We'll see how much they charge...Come to think of it, I'd like to know...someone has been crying about paying for day care...Until E is 13, he'll still need some. 

I think that's about it for now.  If anything comes up, I'll post tomorrow.  I need to get an estimate on the Escort tomorrow, and submit it to my case worker, along with my car registration.  (got to find that)...hopefully I can drop that off to her tomorrow,  (I am renting a car to go to E's science fair), or Friday before I take the car back.  Finally got G out of the house Sunday and went to Marie C's (my scale is protesting the mashed potatoes, and potato soup, and chef salad, and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake-forget the trip tip)...   I've really gotta run...praying for peace.

Last night, Aly & Eric were messing around, I could hear them with the doors closed, all the way into the back.  Aly came back for ice, her right eyelid cut, her eye swolen.  It looks good today.  Still a bit swolen, her eyeball isn't red, she went to school, can read fine, etc.  The story went that she was grabbing Eric's Eankles, and he pushed his leg back and his heel hit her in the eye.  I didn't need to take her in, pretty much everything looks okay except the cut on her eyelid, poor baby. 

Now, tonight, we are in Sun Valley at the LAPL, waiting for the kids to go to dinner.