Hello everyone.  Well, here is my story... I got divorced 3 years ago.  I used to have my Real Estate License and had to put it inactive because I needed a stable salary to provide for my 3 kids and be able to pay for rent and utilities.  Gladly I found a job right away.  I worked as a Circulation Manager for the local news paper.  Little did I know that the job hours were from 3 am till whatever time I was needed there, sometimes delivering the paper at the wee hours of the night myself door to door.  Nevertheless, it was a job, and it provided me with enough money to live month to month.  Sadly I lost the job.  Then I spent the last year looking for another one but I came to find that at least in this town, no degree means no job.  Well, lets be honest, I can work anywhere but not only I have great skill as administrative assistant, but also, being paid the minimum wage does not add up to include a baby sitter payment for me.  So I decided I needed to pursue a career, and fast!

So I did.  I enrolled to the University of Phoenix online, and by the end of this year (2007) I would have finished my Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. 

I have done so many things while.  I am giving therapy to kids with disabilities as a volunteer, I have give folklorico dance clases as a volunteer also, and enjoy helping people around in general.  You could say I am a good girl.

I just can't wait anymore to finish my school.  I am already behind on my rent, I am 2 months behind on my car payment, I have no money for anything, specially to at least take my kids to the movies!  So its pretty sad.  I had come up with a plan already, I talked to a Real Estate Broker (Exit Realty) to sponsor me so I can get my Real Estate License back.  He kindly accepted, so I had already finished the only class I needed to renew it, but I still have to take the test again.  The Broker at Exit Realty is paying for all the I need until I pass my test, class, renewal fee, exams etx.  So far it looks great. 

I am just going crazy not knowing what to do for money to provide to my little family while I sell my first house!!

I really need a helping hand.  I have 3 kids, two of them are special kids, one is Bipolar and the other one is Obsesive Compulsive (The third one is doing great, no problems) so you must understand why is so hard to go thru this fear of not knowing if I will be able to get back on track.  I am afraid they will evict me from my apartment because I am so behind, I am afraid they will take away my car because is the only one I have to take my kids to school. 

The other part that is driving me crazy is that I got a traffic ticket 2 years ago (driving at 4 am in the morning is not the best time to drive) and I could not pay it so it became a warrant.  Then I got stopped because a light on my car was not working (did not even noticed) and since I had a warrant already I was affraid to show my drivers license, so there you go, another ticket, this time for no stop light, and no drivers license.  Again, I could not pay or go to court for the same reason (I had a warrant) I was affraid, so I got another warrant, and the got my license revoked.  The good news is that I was able to gather some money and pay my warrants.  The bad news is that now I have to come up with money (lots) to pay the fines to get my drivers license back.  (bummer).

You might ask, So where is the father??  Well, the father is very near, but he already has another BIG family to support.  At my divorce I was stuppid enough to accept 400 a month for Child Support, and that is all I get.  Later I found that my ex husband is making about 70,000 a year, and he is suppoused to give me about 1200 a month for Child support.  So I went to the authorities, the Attorney General and guess what?  They said they had to respect the divorce decree, and I was stuck with only 400 a month, not only that, but they also made my ex pay for insurance for the kids, and now he is paying 400 for that insurance that nobody uses!!  I am so frustrated!!

I just want to be able to provide for my kids.  I just need one break, just one.  It has been down hill for the past 3 years and I just don't see when is this going to end....

I want to be able to pay my rent, to pay my car, to take my kids shoping for some new shoes, to take them to the amusement park, to take them on their first flight.  I know the nice things will come as soon as I start working in Real Estate, I know they will get better when I get my degree.  But now, I just want to get back on track, I want to be able to drive and not be afraid of the police stoping me and finding my license is not active, I want to be able to come home not afraid I will find my self lock out for not paying the apartment, I want to be able to know that my car will be there tomorrow to take my kids to school.

Its just getting so hard and I sometimes think that I just cant do it anymore...

God, please help me!  The sea is so big and my boat is so little.....

Thank you for reading my lines...

Ale