Please give me advise.

Hello, I am a mother of 3 wonderful children. Their dad has custody of them. I have them every other weekend, and when their dad lets me. In the original custody papers I only have supervised visitation. Seven years ago their dad decided to file for divorce and I was living with my mother. I had recently moved out of a house that he helped me move out of. He brought the papers to me to sign at my mothers house, but gave the court the old address. So I never received the court date in the mail. At that time I was not stable enough anyways to be taking care of my children. I was, at the time on methamphetamines. I have been clean for 6 years and I recently moved closer to them to be able to see them even more. I have not tried to change custody because I have not wanted to put my children through a long horrible custody battle. However, my oldest daughter has been having a lot of teen problems lately and my other two never want to go back to their dads. My daughter is now saying that she wants to live with me. Their dads girlfriend also lives with them with her 3 children and their child that they have together (making that 7 children in their 4 bedroom house). His girlfriend takes care of my children and makes the decisions for them. I do not get a say in anything.
I call them every evening when I don't have them, and tonight my daughter told me that his girlfriend smacked her.
I want more than anything to have my children with me as I always have, I just don't know where to start, or if I even have a chance.
Please any advise would be great.

First of all, I commend you for your recovery---for recognizing your problem and dealing with it for the past six years. That being said, the fact that his girlfriend makes decisions for your children is something that has been brought about by your inability to have your children with you.

Also, it isn't uncommon for teenagers from broken families to have the 'grass is greener' philosophy. And, in some states, teenagers that reach a certain age are allowed to choose with whom they live.

Your case has merit--I would consult with an attorney and have him/her present your case and express your concern for the child's well being. In the interim, if you feel the children are being abused, slapped, etc. contact social services, who can investigate while your case for custody is pending.

One more thing I wanted to mention regarding your comments about abuse. Having seven children in a four bedroom house is not abuse. I have lived in houses as large as 5000 square feet---and it only had THREE bedrooms. Currently, I live in a four bedroom home---with my seven children--it is a very large house, including large bedrooms, but number of bedrooms isn't an indicator of neglect or abuse. But, slapping or hitting a child very well may be. Distinguishing between the two before forming your allegations will give your case more legitimacy.

Good luck.