Today, I am thirty.
….sooo…. why do I feel no different today than I did yesterday, at 29?
Probably because my kids went to bed squabbling and woke up squabbling. Thanks for keeping it real, kids. You da real MVP.
But I digress. Today isn’t just that huge of a deal for me. It is what it is. My best friend made a valid point this morning — 40 will probably be my epic meltdown birthday. So, there’s that. Ten additional years to prepare for being a complete basket case. She also told me to party like a rockstar — little did she know that I woke up laying in puke that wasn’t my own (thanks, Mason!) and to an unwelcome foot down my pants (thanks, Connor!). So while I’ll likely not party like a rockstar, I certainly woke up like one. Same difference, right?
I’m pretty sure my body is just in shock that I’ve made it thirty years through three c-sections, a slew of super-stupid life choices, and a nearly completely pickled liver. The “dirty thirty” birthday bonanza will probably hit me like a semi-truck later when I’m kicking children out of the bathroom so I can just take a damn shower. So for now, I’m going to leave you with thirty things about myself that, like ’em or not, have made me who I am today.
- I was born May 30th, 1988 at 8:15 AM. I only know the time because my sweet mother has hammered that into my memory for, oh, thirty years.
- I have three siblings (two brothers and a sister), all of whom I am extremely proud of. No, their accomplishments are not my own. But they make me proud to be their sister.
- I have always rooted for the underdog. That hasn’t always worked out in my favor.
- I am a momma to three beautiful and slightly deranged little boys. They are my reasons to get up every morning — largely because they wake me up at the buttcrack of dawn every. damn. day.
- I love Diet Coke and would drink it by the case if I didn’t think it would kill me on the spot.
- When I was growing up, I wanted to be a writer. …that clearly didn’t pan out.
- I also wanted to be a pilot and an interior designer. I don’t mean to brag, but I chauffeur my kids around like nobody’s business and I can feng shui the hell out of some Legos.
- My most favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird.
- I love murder-mysteries in any form — except for in real life. Don’t nobody got time for that.
- Murder, She Wrote is my JAM.
- I love to explore and would pack my family up to become adventurers if given the chance.
- Ireland is on the top of my “Places to Go” bucketlist.
- I talk with my hands.
- I’m a hugger (comes with that Southern territory — sorry, not sorry).
- Daisies are my favorite flower with tulips following at a close second.
- I love all things history, emphasis on Early American and European history.
- I am fascinated by the lives of people from the past. I think I romanticise it all and get it in my head that they lived these super intriguing lives when, in reality, they were probably pretty ordinary for the times.
- I romanticise a lot of things, come to think of it.
- I was a single mom for two years. Not a very long time at all by most standards, but it taught me a lot and helped me really appreciate life and, more importantly, my son’s life. On a more serious note, he truly did save me from myself.
- I met my husband through my ex-brother-in-law via Facebook. Truth be told, I only met Evan to shut Jake up. Little did I know…
- My abhorrent punctuation skills aside, my favorite subject in school was English.
- I plan on taking the leap one day and writing a book. God bless the editor that is assigned to that hot mess!
- I am terrified of deep water.
- I wish I were a bit bolder.
- Sometimes I feel altogether useless as an adult and parent. But don’t we all?
- I really love deep conversations. I know that’s not a super popular thing these days, so I have to censor myself lest I become a real buzz kill.
- My mouth is absolutely horrid. Seriously, I don’t even realize I swear half the time. I’m working on it.
- One day I hope to explore an old house and find a secret passageway. That would be the equivalent of finding gold for me.
- I have no idea what I’m doing most days.
- Writing this list made me realize how little I really know about myself, which is oddly scary.
- And finally, I hope to lose minimally thirty pounds by the end of the year. Not just for myself, but for my kids as well.
So there you have it. If you made it through that somewhat redundant list, then bless your heart. I’m off to celebrate the morning at IHOP with my kiddos, because prying sticky pancake off of my four-year-old is the best thing EVAH.
A SAHM’s take on her three-ring-circus and the three Converse wearing monkeys who live there.
