The Highs and Lows of a Mom in Her “Mid-Thirties”

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Today is my birthday.  I’m now 33, which is not a big milestone by any means. It actually takes me a beat lately to remember my age. But, nonetheless, it feels like I’m entering that interesting age range titled “mid-thirties.” On one hand, I welcome my new sophisticated age category with pride! On the other hand, I’m cringing because somehow “mid-thirties” sounds much older than “thirty.” These high and low conflicting feelings go along well with #momlife right now.

Need more examples?

High:

Getting carded.  Because – heck yeah! I look so young! Woooo!

Low:

Getting carded.  I don’t want to look like I’m 19 years old.  As the comedian Jen Kirkman says “I don’t want to look like I have four roommates and sh*tty towels.”

High:

I no longer feel guilty about spending money on treating myself to something.

Low:

I now feel guilty about… everything else.  Literally… everything else.

High:

I now have enough money that I can go out to eat at an actual restaurant!!

Low:

My Yelp search has diverged from “trendy foodie finds” to “family-friendly” restaurants that serve dinner at 5pm and offer free kids meals (because they won’t eat it anyway).

High:

My Google search history no longer includes questions like “Marcus Theatre movie schedule,” “best curly hair products” and “When is shark week?”

Lows:

My Google search history includes “How to tell if your toddler has a concussion,” “natural laxatives,” “spaghetti squash recipes” and “TSA guidelines for breast milk.”

High:

I am far enough removed from high school that I no longer care what high school classmates think of me, and I have wise advice for current high schoolers.

Low:

I just realized my toddlers are closer to high school age than I am…

High:

I can totally pull off a mom bun.

Low:

I never have time to do more with my hair than a mom bun.

High:

I’m officially old enough to swear in front of my parents without thinking twice.

Low:

My toddler just repeated a swear word in front of my in-laws. Whoops.

High:

One of my 4-year-olds just guessed my age to be 7.

Low:

My other 4-year-old guessed 46.

High:

My kids go to bed by about 8pm every night, leaving the rest of the night to my husband and I!  Some nights we open a bottle of wine and relax on the deck!

Low:

No less than 5 nights per week, once the kids are in bed my husband and I do sexy activities like making peanut-free lunches (harder than you think), folding laundry (So. Much. Laundry.), and watching Netflix re-runs before diving into bed as early as we possibly can.

Overall, I’m choosing to welcome my “mid-thirties” with open arms, because even with highs and lows – this is a truly awesome time in my life. My perfect birthday plans are not what they used to be, but I’m 100% okay with that. This morning my kids sang to me (adorable)!  Then I treated myself to a latte.  Other plans include having an early dinner at our favorite “family-friendly” Mexican restaurant, actually doing my hair (which I will regret later when it’s laying in bean dip) and cheering loudly for the Packers from the comfort of my own couch (on which I will fall asleep around half time).

And, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

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Jolene
Jolene grew up in Luxemburg, WI. After going to college in Stevens Point and working for a year in the Milwaukee area, she moved to De Pere, WI to get married, start a family, and pursue her career. Both the youngest of six, Jolene and her husband always wanted a big family. After struggling to get pregnant, their family was jump-started by having identical twin girls, Eden and Ellie, who are now 5. Then came Jude, who will be 3 in August, and they just welcomed James, Baby #4, in June. Both she and her husband work, and Jolene owns her own company, www.howtoconcerts.com, planning large scale entertainment events across the country. Because she has to travel for work, Jolene has used a breast pump while flying, driving, walking and talking, and has the war stories to prove it. Her keys to success (aka survival) are the members of her support system, starting with her husband and extended family, and ending with good coffee and a sense of humor.