One Winter Night..

I admit it...I usually don't take my kids places. On the weekends the lure of computer games is just too much for them to resist. Removing them from the house results in much whining and misery, so I usually don't do it. But tonight we had a break in the cold weather and I insisted we go to the park. After the initial whining everyone had a great time. On the way home the dog yawned in my face and gave me a blast of nasty dog breath. The kids started discussing her habit of eating cat food and came up with the idea of starting their own dog food company. They discussed this idea earnestly; what kind of ingredients should be included (which led to an unpleasant conversation about animal by-products) and whether making canned foods would allow them to provide a fresh product. I was so impressed with their ideas. Now we're back home and they're both sitting on the couch reading while the smell of chicken soup wafts through the air. Mmmm. What a cozy winter night.

Excitement!

This is what passes for excitement in my life. Target changed their brand name and sent me a bunch of coupons for all those things you have to have around the house. So I went to Target today and got a bunch of stuff for 30 bucks! I was so excited!
But I had to ask myself as I packed my stuff and my kids into my car: if I had known when I graduated high school that this is where my path would lead, would I have taken an exit somewhere? In other words, do I have any regrets about the life I lead? I certainly wish I'd have gotten my degree before having kids. But, honestly, school just didn't have a purpose until I had two kids and having a degree meant having a way to support them. I wish I had chosen another man to be my children's father. But it was raising them alone that gave me the self-confidence to believe that I deserved someone who would treat me well. So, I suppose I wish I had taken another, easier path to get here. But I think the journey has been well worth it. I have finally created the only thing my heart has ever really wanted: a family.