I’m still in the early stages of my divorce but with the way things are playing out, it looks like the soon to be ex is going to have to move to another county to live at her mom’s for free. This means different school systems as I’m not going to have the money to also move to that county.

That said, I’m going to fight for at least weekday custody of the kids during the school year. My youngest starts kindergarten next year, so both kids get home around 2:30 next year. I work from home but can’t really watch both kids for the last few hours of the work day. Anyone in a similar situation they got solved?

I’m thinking about asking one of my neighbors if she could watch them from getting off the bus until around 5 since she has two kids the same age but I’m not sure how to bring it up nor how much I should offer in compensation.

The stbx is still living in the house but not contributing at all so I’m managing all the chores, taking care of the kids, and working full time. Things have progressed to where I don’t have hardly any social life as I can’t go out because the wife always is and it’s gotten to the point where friends don’t want to come over and hang out since they don’t want to see the stbx. I figure once I get into a routine, I can find an evening babysitter if I need to go out in the evenings (I’m 41 still trying to make it as a musician but not quitting my day job). Any advice or thoughts would be great. I don’t really have a place another person could live in so an au par wouldn’t work unless they’d want to share a bed with me lol