AceShowbiz - Melissa Etheridge's estranged partner is demanding the rocker pay her in excess of $12,000 a month, so she can look after the couple's kids and seek work now she's an unemployed single mum. In newly-released court documents, obtained by People.com, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels insists she's a full-time homemaker and has no income.

She lists her monthly expenditure in the papers, stating that her rent is $6,000 and detailing how she spends $1,500 on groceries and household supplies. She adds on $50 for laundry and cleaning expenses and a further $800 on dining out with her twins.

Estimating that her ex-partner earns at least $600,000-a-month, Michaels is also asking for $4,300-a-month for childcare. In court on Monday, July 12, Etheridge's attorney revealed his client gives the actress $2,000-a-month and pays all her bills. The "Come to My Window" hitmaker announced she had split from Michaels earlier this year.