“Begin, be bold, and venture to be wise." -- Horace

It's a simple life, what mine has become. I get everyone up and fed and get Stomp off to school. Joshie and I start on my SHE stuff. When he takes his morning nap, I lay down on the couch and watch Drew Carey on The Price is Right. Sometimes I doze off myself. When he gets up he eats enough food to feed a large asian nation his lunch and I nibble something too. We finish whatever chores are on our list and get busy with the playing and learning. He's already (at a mere 18 months old) got more than 100 words, can almost count to 10 and knows an alarming number of body parts. When the time comes to get Bubba, we go to the school and he "reads" his book while I enjoy the quiet time in the car reading whatever I've obsessively hoarded compiled on my kindle. When we get home, Stomp does his chores and whatever homework he may have. Then Joshie laughs uproariously while Mama either does the free-run or free-step on the Wii fit while watching Dr Phil. We have supper and baths and then it's Joshie's bed time. Then it's time for Mama-Stomp time and we usually read (we've thoroughly enjoyed The Hobbit and will be beginning the first book in the trilogy shortly). Sometimes we talk to Grandma and Papa in Albuquerque or Nany or a handful of other family and/or friends and sometimes we have them over for playdates. Around 8 I let Nathan watch tv (mostly Futurama these days) and then he goes down for the night at 9 and I talk to my better half. Him and I usually watch tv or listen to old timey radio shows while we're on the phone or on skype. We fall asleep on the phone together.

Simple, right? Very normal. Very hum-drum and ho-hum. But it's mine. I'm no longer under the heavy hand of someone else's control. I get to do things I like to do. If I want to watch tv in the living room on the good tv, I don't have to wait until someone's done playing Call of Duty. If I never want to make another meatloaf again, I don't have to. If I never want to smell fish or grow and pick and slice okra again, I don't have to. When the boys are with their dad, if I want to wear nothing but a tshirt and fuzzy socks and slide all over the tile, I can. If I want to stay up till midnight watching tv or reading or staring at the moon sucking on a rock, I can. I never once lived alone after I graduated. I went straight from my parent's house to living with Mike.

For the first time in my adult life at the ripe young age of 32 29 again, I feel like an independent, strong, competent, responsible, capable woman.

...except for that sliding around in my fuzzy socks thing.