I assume you have some sort of income on your own since you kicked him out & you are supporting yourself & your 2 children......I know here there are low income (which takes into consideration your income & your 2 children) lawyers that provide services.......I would imagine that you really don't have much accumulated between the 2 of you since he went back to live with his parents.....& there are also ways that you can file for divorce on your own....you don't need a lawyer....you might just need some legal aid to make sure that your filing is accurate & reasonable....& with the 2 kids.....there will need to be some sort of visitation rights that will need to be put in place (that is probably the most complicated part of it).....I know that my lawyer here in KY....filing an out of state divorce after leaving my H 6 years ago from California....is only charging $750....& we are doing it a little at a time so I can afford to pay also.
I would personally call around to different lawyers & also to the legal aid in your state & see what actually is available....talk to them & determine the best way to proceed.
I stayed married for 33 years before I finally left...it was bad from the beginning.....& I know what you mean.....the first week I moved into my farm house & went to the grocery store & looked into the cupboards....it was such a relief to have food that was JUST WHAT I LIKED....I lived all those years eating only things that he liked & the things that I liked always had to be limited by taking into consideration that he liked it also.....since I would eat almost anything. I found I could live with my values & not his & I knew that the only way that I could break away from feeling the need to ask him questions because he had taken over the finances when my major depression had hit 13 years before....& I had no idea where any of the information was that he had or had filed....I would ask & he wouldn't know or he would tell me an answer that I would later find out was a lie or as far from the truth as possible...but he was absolutely sure that he was right.....& would never admit he had to look up any information.......it was such a feeling of freedom & being 2100 miles away from him was even better because I didn't have to have anything to do with him & wouldn't run into him anywhere.......I hadn't felt so good in 33 years.....so I knew it was completely over at that point....just didn't get around to the divorce until now because he was finally destroying me even worse financially so I knew it was time to end it.