Happy Birthday to me!

 
I am turning 36 in a couple of hours. I feel like I just turned 21 not too long ago. And then I look at my kids and down at the loose skin on my belly, who am I kidding?

A couple of days ago, my friend offered to pluck the white hair from my youthful head of hair while we were at the beach. No, we were not playing frisbee, swimming in the lake, or sunbathing in our bikinis at a beach. We were sitting on our beach chairs, plucking each other's white hair. A whole bunch of it. It scared the shit out of me when she was done plucking.

I visited the chiropractor for the first time in my life a couple of months back to fix my back which gave way after a coughing fit. The joys of growing old.

I used to get kind comments on how young I look. Now, there is no kidding anyone. The Hello Kitty T-shirt is not going to help. I now spend considerable time instagramming photos to delude myself.

At this ripe age of 36, I am grateful to have fabulous friends who listen to my rants about parenting, about cooking the same chicken dish for the third time this week, about the mountain loads of laundry that is taking over our rooms, and about the horrors of sagging skin.

We share our kids' tantrums, our own melt-downs and even what we are eating for lunch, dinner and at midnight. Instantaneously through Whatsapp. We may be doomed how technology has infiltrated our lives, but I think this is the best app ever. Some days, my most uplifting moment is when I receive a Whatsapp message with a photo of my friend's pedicure.

My sister used to say I whine when I was little. At 36, I still do. Fortunately (for him, not for me), my husband has developed an acute sense of selective hearing. I whine about how dirty my car is, about having no time to fix my mushroom-head of hair, about having to stand in the rain at soccer and swimming practices with the boys. Ironic as it sounds, despite seeming to live in a constant disarray of endless chores, and having no recollection of how it feels to sleep in, being a parent is undoubtedly the best thing that has happened to me.

So, back to turning 36.

I am going to stop eating the bits and pieces off the chopping board after serving my kids a bowlful of wholesome goodness.

I am going to stop snacking at night when the house is quiet and I feel I deserve a big bowl of ice-cream.

It's time to peel those baby animals wall decal off the walls in the boys' room because they no longer find it cute. It's all about being cool and having a battle with those strange-looking Pokemon species.

It's also time to redirect my time and energy back to business as the opportune time has arrived with both the boys in full-time school in two months' time.

It also means, in two months' time, I would have more time to get my butt to the gym and start on a serious exercise routine. Yea right!!

Happy Birthday to me. It's a wet and cold summer day. I am going to crawl back under my sheets. The boys can have bread for their lunch.