I am single mother and I have two part time jobs (both at about 28 hours each give or take and both at $12 an hour), but both have full time benefits. I live in the state of Maine and the two jobs I have - They are both cell phone companies, so they are competitors and it's a conflict of interest. But it was the ONLY decent job I could find making that much money without a college degree. :(

My first job that I have been at for 4 years is horrible - I'm treated like crap, disrespected, pushed, taken for granted, and everyday I feel like I will be fired for something even though I don't believe I have done anything wrong and I think I'm pretty good. It's been like this since day one, such as a manager asking me to work right after I told her I just found out my dad just killed himself. I just feel like they will fire me but I'm trying SO hard to keep that job. My second job is great and I love it, but I can't live on that income alone. I also took intermittent medical leave for 3 weeks for hurting my back at the first job, but not the second job because I didn't really have to move.

I just don't know what options I have if I get fired. Is there somebody that has any knowledge on what rights I have for unemployment? Can I get unemployment if I only have one job? Will the medical leave affect me? I'm just really concerned. I'm trying to find another job to replace the first one I have, but with this economy it's really hard.

My husband left me for another woman last year and I have his 2 children with his previous girlfriend who died of drug use and I have twins children of my own with him, so I have 4 children I'm caring for along with a mortgage/taxes/house insurance, car payment, car insurance, and the health insurance for the whole family because he just had a minimum wage part time job with no benefits. He got custody of the children before we were married so they aren't legally mine, but do I have a right to claim them on my taxes? Additionally, I don't think I would qualify for food stamps and I hate to taken advantage of the state, but I want to be able to support my kids. Even though two aren't mine, the father doesn't care and I love them. I want to file for custody for them as well.

I'm sorry this is a lot, but if anyone could help, this would be great! Thanks!

First, to collect unemployment, you have to be willing and able to work. For each day you are not, you can't claim UI. So if you work P/T each day you work you will be unable to claim. If you work 4 days, then you will get $0 benefits.

Second, have you gone after the father for child support? He needs to be supporting all his children.

Third you need to apply for, at least, guardianship of his children so you can authorize medical care.

Regarding the two children that aren't yours: you asked if you have the right to claim them on your taxes. The answer is: it depends. If you are still married then you can claim the step-children if they lived with you for more than half the year. I would assume that you would file as Married Filing Separately. However, your husband may also claim them, depending on when he moved out - if he lived in the house with his children more than 6 months in 2011 then he has the right to claim them, and as a parent his right to do so will trump yours.

Alternatively you may want to consider filing as Head of Household. You can do this if you are now unmarried or "considered unmarried," meaning that your husband did not live at home for at least 6 months and you paid for more than half the upkeep of the home during the year. This may save some taxes for you, but the rules for claiming his children are a little different. If you are unmarried then these children are no longer your step-children, and the requirements to claim them as "qualifying relatives" are that they must have lived with you the entire year, they must have less than $3650 income, and you must provide more than half their support. If you meet these conditions then you may claim them, but again only if the father can not claim them, which again depends on when exactly he moved out.