It is a good thing I've held a "wait and see" attitude with Katie. I guess too many manipulative behaviors on her part over the years, too many lies........and I just will never be able to fully trust the woman.
I took what she said/did at face value and let it go. With Katie, if she is putting on an act or lying it usually doesn't take too very long for it to be discovered.
On Thanksgiving and Xmas her biomom is invited to join in on the family activities. Well, actually, she is welcome at any of them but I am rather forceful over these two main holidays as I don't feel it right for the woman to sit home alone while her daughter and family celebrate it with us. Katie would happily exclude her from everything given half a chance. I realize that biomom is Fred's ex seems weird to an awful lot of people, but we've never had any trouble getting along. So why not? Biomom came last year and seemed to have a great time. Unless she is a fabulous actor, I read body language / facial expression like an open book, the woman really enjoyed herself.
So again I told Katie I expected her mother for the holiday dinner. The excuses, somewhat familiar, started again. Biomom wants to stay home alone for the quiet. That is the main one. When that didn't work, it was "she has nothing to wear" due to the fact I expected everyone to be dressed up for dinner. When I shot that down with I have a whole wardrobe I can't wear that will fit her........it was that she is "anti-social" and jealous and angry Katie and family were spending the day with us. Anti-social people do not walk up to total strangers and strike up conversations or walk clear across town to attend a large church they've never been in on their own. Biomom is very social, always has been. I countered this with the fact that she had no reason to be jealous or angry when she'd also been invited to spend the day with the family. So then Katie comes back with some bologna about M lecturing biomom about how she is hurting Katie with her jealous behavior and she needed to accept the invite, he'd bow out so she could come. (there are 6 of them if biomom comes, I can barely squeeze 5 into my car). I shot that down by pinning easy child down to go transport them.
So all of Katie's family is here for Thanksgiving dinner.
Now a bit of background.
Katie can't make it past week 2 with her foodstamps regardless of whether or not we take her to aldi's or help her shop sales. I'm not even sure most times she makes it past week 1 to be honest. This was prior to the FS cuts.
M is working, but his hours have been cut.
Kayla "won" a tablet at bible school (it is in quotes because I suspect it is yet another lie), took care of it until Katie stepped on it while it was charging and broke the screen. It would cost more to repair the screen than to replace the tablet, which Travis told them.
Katie is pushing hard that Evan loves me/adores me/is dying to spend time with me. Now I don't doubt he loves me, sees me as the fun Nana whatever and probably does want to come over here. This is the fun place after all. But not the way she is pushing it. He hugged me when he arrived and went off to play with Aubrey, which is fairly typical. lol I think I got a total of 3 hugs and 2 I love you out of the boy. Normal for age. Doesn't much impress me that he is dying to spend time with me. Know what I mean??
Biomom looked like a homeless person. Now granted she has obviously lost quite a bit of weight (she just went through the denture process), but the sweat shirt and sweat pants were literally hanging on her. I know she has something better than that to wear as I picked them up for her when we went to the GW outlet in Dayton. Biomom has always taken pride in her appearance and tried to look her best. Her hair.......well, her appearance suggests that Katie didn't let her know until last minute she had been invited. She seemed embarrassed until the family deliberately didn't notice. I wanted to smack Katie. She was awfully talkative for an anti-social person. lol
Now due to outrageous overtime hours, I bought xmas this year..... I picked up Kayla a tablet because she'd cared for the one she had and it had been broken by no fault of her own, plus it was an excellent price. I got the 2 yr warranty too in case something should happen to this one.
Kayla lets it be known to Nichole she thinks she is getting a tablet for xmas from her dad.........then does the whole oops I let the cat out of the bag and better cover my fanny or it might not appear under the tree routine. Not long after M brags to Nichole about the great deal he got and was ready to pop his buttons buying her the tablet.
Yes, they can buy a tablet when they can't feed their kids past the 2nd week of the month.
Oh, no.....wait, it gets much better.
Remember when I said easy child provided their transportation? M bragged to sister in law (he picked them up instead of easy child) about having bought the new playstation 4 (new system all the rage, expensive as heck) and all the games for it that are currently available and that his new xbox 1 (also a new system) would be arriving any day. sister in law literally bit his tongue but just couldn't believe what he was hearing.
M at best is getting 40 hrs a week at min wage. They receive Alex's disability check of around 700.00 per month. There is biomom's disability check of the same amount. There are the food stamps which are also near that amount.
Yet they can't afford food past the first part of the month.
Katie tells me her FS have been cut dramatically. Not. I looked it up.....at most they were cut 15 percent. But there was a limit on families I believe to not exceed 60.00.
They can't afford to do laundry to the point where it fills yard bags and all their closet space because she is so far behind.
Nichole informed me last night that Kayla is sleeping on the floor/has been sleeping on the floor for months because "the boys spilled something on her bed and it stunk". Now sorry but Travis was a bed wetter for years. His bed never stunk. I know Katie told me she had an issue with bedbugs at one point.
So you can't eat, can't afford to catch up on laundry (so you're always saying you need clothes for the kids), and can't buy your kid a bed but you can buy not one but 2 expensive gaming systems plus video games and a tablet for your daughter for xmas???
I had seen indicators and had backed off the help nearly completely. Now that it is confirmed, Nana's pantry is closed to them. The family will no longer be picking up items for the kids as we find them. If you're going to waste your income you need to feel the natural consequences.
I irritates me because They make more per month than I do, considerably. (I count in biomom's disability because I know Katie is controlling it)
Yet I'm the one they look to for help.
No more. Katie will be 34 come Jan. Time she figure it out. I won't be here forever.
Side note: I've been waiting for 4 days for Katie to answer me on whether or not she wants to swap out the tablet I bought for what M bought (if it is cheaper) or me to just take it back. Not waiting anymore. I'm taking it back and getting a refund. phhht. Kayla will get some makeup ect instead. It put me waaaaaay over budget for her to begin with.
