<p>Some of you asked about the logistics of my situation- hopefully this will shed some light:</p>
<p>As for right now- I’m a drain on society. It’s horrible and I feel guilty about it every day, really, but it just serves as more motivation for me to really pull myself and my family out of this hole. We collect food stamps, we have Medicaid, and we live in public housing. We are your tax dollars. 
I’m sorry! I have so many goals in life- to nurture my children into becoming the best versions of their uniquely different selves as they can possibly be, to always be open-minded, supportive, loving, and foster an environment of honesty and sharing so that they will never be afraid to talk to me about anything (I think my biggest problem growing up was that I felt so much like my mom wouldn’t understand me, that she was so great and nice and perfect, yadda yadda, that I could never talk to her, be honest with her, when my life began to beckon skeletons- they HAD to be kept in the closet- so I want to make sure my kids not only realize that they CAN talk to me, but that they NEED to talk to me), I want to make a difference in the way American children are educated, make us all stronger and hungrier for knowledge, not just to make us more globally competitive (although that would be nice), but to create more problem-solvers and really make the world a better place- I know, cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason… 
…and there are many, many more goals, some specific, some general, but one that is very important to me is to get off social programs and finally begin to pay society back for taking care of my family in these rough years, and ideally, I’d like to donate to and work with charities and set up scholarships for talented kids who just need a helping hand to get to a better path.</p>
<p>Anyway, that was the beginning of my explanation of how we survive- social programs, basically. I have had approximately 9, 722, 946 menial jobs over the years, but ever since I started college I typically only work during the summers. I do a lot of volunteer work, student government, etc., so all of that PLUS maintaining a 4.0 GPA PLUS raising four kids doesn’t leave room for a job as well, which I kind of feel just makes me more of a loser (as in, maybe I should stop being such a selfish jerk, suck it up, and just work a min. wage job until my kids are grown and I have time to go to school while I work- but I’ve thought about it a lot and I think I will be on the road to paying MORE into society AND giving my kids a better life much faster by getting a good degree- plus, crazy thought, I might actually get a chance to be happy…whoa). So, as of now we survive off of the government’s handouts (your tax dollars) and student loans. I do have a partner (not technically my husband- we’ve both been married before and aren’t particularly eager to do it again- but if we ever do, there’s no way I’m having a wedding unless I have the time and money to enjoy the whole planning/flowers/dress/catering/shabang I missed out on last time!). He’s a student as well, but only part-time. He has a min. wage job, but loses over 75% of his paychecks to child support for only ONE of his two kids. I don’t even know how that’s legal, but I can tell you factually that it…well, it just plain sucks.</p>
<p>okay…does that cover everything? hmm…</p>