Answers
My divorce was final in August 2008. I basically gave her everything except the tools in the garage and furniture from a rental home. We have joint custody of our 7 year old daughter. I didn't seek 50/50 custody at the time because I was renting a room and didn't have my own house. I have a house now, just recently remarried (I know ... a bit fast ... but she's wonderful), and the same job I've had for years. I'm a good father and live a great example for my daughter. I can't say the same for her mother who got a live-in boyfriend right after the divorce, and gives hardly any structure to my daughter whose grades are failing. I want 50/50 custody so I can have my daughter with me more often. I only live a mile from her house.
I was told that it was too soon for me to go back for full custody, but was curious of any other opinions out there on the subject and if 50/50 custody is any easier.
Thanks,
Randy
Go fir bird net.
It’s a form of access or custody where the children stay in the former family residence and it is the parents who rotate in and out separately and on a negotiated schedule.
The children simply live at "home" and the separated or divorced parents take turns living with them there, but never at the same time.
The core element of this arrangement is that each parent maintains a separate residence where they live when it is not their turn at the "bird's nest". When one parent arrives for his/her designated time, the other vacates right away, so as to minimize or eliminate the presence of both at the same time.
At times, bird's nest access can be coupled with specified access with the other parent say, for example, for dinner one night a week.
Sometimes, this form of access or custody will end when the youngest child reaches the age of majority at which time, one parent either buys the other out of their interest, if any, in the former family residence, or it is sold and the proceeds divided pursuant to the matrimonial property regime or separation agreement.
The arrangement can be expensive as it generally requires that three separate residences be maintained, the "nest" and a separate residence for each parent.
The concept is somewhat novel and appears to have as its origin a Virginia case Lamont v Lamont.
In Canada, Greenough v Greenough was a ground-breaker case in that the Court implemented a bird's nest custody order even though it had not been asked for by either party. Justice Quinn, in Greenough stated:
"In Lamont ... the court made a bird’s nest custody arrangement in which the children (aged 3 and 5 years) remained in the home, with the mother staying in the home during the week and the father on the weekend. I think that the benefits of a bird’s nest order are best achieved where the children are able to stay in the matrimonial home, particularly if it has been the only residence that they have known....
"Time and time again I have seen cases (and this is one) where the children are being treated as Frisbees. In general, parents do not seem to appreciate the gross disruption to which children are subjected where one of the parents has frequent access. In this regard, I do not believe there must be evidence that the children are suffering before the court is free to act. To me, it is a matter of common sense. At the risk of falling prey to simplistic generalities, I am of the view that, given a choice, I do not see why anyone would select a living arrangement which involved so much movement from house to house."
The biggest hurdle is finding an attorney who works for you and not to just drain your wallet.
If you want to learn how to do all this go to Dads House in Yahoo Groups. There's an educational manual in the file section that can teach you what you need to know. The organization it came from is defunct due to attorneys that tried to take it over and make money from it.
Take the time to learn what you can and should do.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Dad sHouse/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GiveKidsAC hoice/
http://www.rcfp.org/taping/
http://www.glennsacks.com
http://www.parentalalienation.org/
Rental Furniture for Your Home or Office.Furniture rental and leasing Brook Furniture 1220 Inwood Rd Dallas TX 75247 214-631-0233 www.bfr.com ...
Confessions of a Cape Town landlord
Floor with no lift that's no mean achievement but it was me that got burned. Lesson learned the hard way.
The truth is you can't choose your family but you can choose your tenants. This might be the best advice I could give any prospective landlord but it wouldn't necessarily do them any good. A recent story in the Sunday Times where Zindzi Mandela, daughter of Nelson and Winnie, was accused of trashing an upmarket rented house before walking off with some of her landlady's expensive furniture shows that even the rich and famous (or their offspring) aren't guaranteed to be good tenants.
So what can you do to make sure you get good tenants and what recourse do you have when those tenants prove to be troublesome? Late and non-payment of rent, causing damage to the property or late night drunken parties that get out of control are just some of the problems that property owners face when letting out their property.
With troublesome tenants prevention is better than cure. There are no guarantees in this business but you can take all the precautions necessary. You can get a rental company to do the hard work for you. They can find you a tenant and do all the background checks, lease signing etc. For this they usually take 10% (plus VAT) and they can manage the property and rent collection for 15% of the monthly rent.
Budget Barbie: Online Home & Garden Stores that Accept PayPal
In an ongoing 'themed' post (because the list is so long) I've broken it up and today's installment is online Home and Garden retailers that will accept PayPal for payment. I'm not providing links to each of them as that would be time and labor intensive and reap no rewards for me, but this list will let you know who accepts it and you can go to their website directly if you are interested in their services. Thanks for visiting my website, and I hope these lists help even
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