Birthday Numbers

Today I turn 39 years old. Which got me to thinking, how the hell did that happen and where did the last 9 years of my life go? A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say:

The best picture from our Easter disaster.

What most of the rest of them looked like.

I turned 30 in the year 2000, and 3 months later I was pregnant. We've had four children, which brings me to the following realizations: I spent 3 out of the last 9 years pregnant. I nursed all four of them for about a year, for a total of 4.25 years. We've had kids in diapers for 8 years straight, and for 3 years and counting we've had 2 in diapers at the same time. I guess I know where all that time went! Oh, and I gained 153 lbs (pregnancies) and lost 147 of it.

Hopefully in the next year we can manage to get the last 2 potty trained, I can lose the last stinking 6 lbs of fat hanging around from 'baby' Jason, and we will move out of babyhood just in time for me to turn 40. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! It's bright and blinding! And I want it!

I love my kids, I love being a Mom and I'm especially grateful that I can be at home with them. But sometimes I'd (not so secretly) like to run away. It's hard to remember who I am in the midst of all the day to day treading water we do. The last 9 years have gone by in the blink of an eye and by the time the next 9 are over I'll be 48 and Evie will be a junior in high school. What will I be doing then when all four of them are in school all day? I can't even imagine. Hopefully not accounting :)

Everyone needs to have something to shoot for in life, and being that I'm a homebody, I don't have any great desire to go off and conquer anything before I turn 40. I have more modest goals, and really would just like to be more even-keeled temper-wise and maybe more spontaneous. Not everything HAS to be planned out at least a week in advance, right? Oh, and I'd like to do all this without the help of Prozac, thank you very much.

My to do list for the next year:
  1. Have more patience with my family.
  2. Make better use of the time that I have - for them and for myself.
  3. Survive with my sanity intact!
  4. Cut out the junk food & be more consistent with exercise - which will hopefully help me to
  5. Get to my goal weight.
  6. Swear less. Srsly. Little pitchers have big ears.
So! Happy Birthday to me! Hopefully I can stay on task and be a better, happier parent & wife. If only the damn kids would cooperate ;)

*************************************************************************************
And now for what I know you all REALLY stopped by to find out:

The winner of Pumpkin Edward (and the Starbucks gift card!) is......

I'd like to thank Pocket Edward for helping choose a winner from my scientific drawing

Jen at Tatertots and Jello!

I'm so excited Jen won because the giveaway was her idea in the first place :)

He's all packed and ready to go, I just need an address to send it to so Jen please contact me & hopefully he'll be at your house in time for Halloween!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to enter!

Comments

  1. Happy, happy. I hope you have a wonderful day. I love your goals, they are very similar to mine right now. It's all about the small, everyday stuff and getting back to being me, not just Mommy. I'm 43 and done with diapers and everyone is in full day school but I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up:)

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  2. When you look back...That is going to be the BEST decade of your life:)

    Happy Birthday! Here's to potty training (you and me both kid:)

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  3. Happy Birthday! I'm glad Jen won - it's perfect!

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  4. This is funny. This subject came up recently with a friend of mine and I discovered that I've been pregnant and/or nursing 76% of the last 10 years or so! Yikes. I wonder all the time what I'll do when all the kids are in school all day and it's just too scary for me to think about. So I keep having more children to put it off longer. ;)

    Congrats to Jen on her win!

    And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

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  5. Happy birthday you svelte young thing! Also, I'd like to object to the results of the giveaway on the grounds that Edward reads minds.

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  6. Happy Birthday Jen!!

    And a big Congratulations to Jen at Tatertots and Jello, she really does deserve it!

    xoxo ~Lisa

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  7. Happy Birthday!!!

    Wow, only 6 pounds left from all those children!! You are amazing :)

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  8. OMG - I am so excited! Thank you so much Jen!!!

    And I loved reading your list of what you've been up to over the past 9 years. When you add everything up it is amazing!

    Happy Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day - you are such a wonderful person!

    XOXO
    Jen

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  9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

    I sit and wonder most days where the last 9 years have gone too! I'm just 2 months and 9 days older than you. I see a 40th bash in our future!

    Congrats Jen!

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  10. Happy Birthday!! It looks to me like being a mommy is your number one priority and you are GREAT at it!!

    And congrats to Jen! I know she really wanted it!!

    ~Becca

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  11. Happy Birthday! I ♥ this post. I think it is so great to take the time to reflect. And then to set some goals & move forward. I identify with a lot of your goals & the things you mentioned in here. I ♥ being at home with my kids and I want to have more desperately, but sometimes it's easy to get sidetracked by how hard it is, how demanding it is on us as the mothers, and we need to stop & try to appreciate the everyday. The very things that if we were working 40 hr weeks in an office, we would be SO longing to do. Ya know? Anyway, loved this post.

    Happy Birthday!

    Also so glad Jen won. I know how much of a freak, I mean fan she is. :)

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  12. Happy Birthday Jen!!!

    You've been a very busy girl the past 9 years.

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  13. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLY!!!

    39 is a good age, filled with fun and wisdom. You're timeless beauty in high heels and lipstick. Don't look back too much because God has treasures in front of you.

    You also share a birthday with Gracie, my 45 year old sister. So happy birthday to the two of you.

    CELEBRATE!
    yoli :)

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  14. Congrats to Jen! That is SO funny!
    She really wanted that pumpkin!
    You know when you do the math with all the pregnancies and breast feeding and weight, etc. over the last nine years? That's a LOT of all that stuff! : )
    But you have 4 beautiful children and that's no small feat. : )
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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  15. Happy Birthday! So...I'm 6 weeks older than you...I'm so happy that we are 39 together!

    Congrats to JEN!

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  16. Happy birthday to you!

    YOu seriously crack me up! the easter pics made me laugh because we've all been there! and I'm with ya on the whole chillin' being easier if the crazy kids would cooperate- we did pumpkin carving today and it was C-R-A-Z-Y!!!

    Anyhoo- have a great day! You've earned it!

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  17. Happy Birthday, Jen! I love your reflections, and your goals for the future. I'm with you on a lot of them. I adore being home, and definitely wouldn't want it any other way. But the days are so filled with "stuff, stuff, stuff", that I feel like I walk around like a zombie until 10pm and then I blink, and wonder where the heck did the day go? I need to make better use of my time too! I need a To-Do list! Anyway, happy birthday!! Hope it is super special.

    *And yay for Jen! I'm so happy that she won. You know Edward's goin' to a good home :)

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  18. I'd say you've been very productive in your 30's and spent your time and talents well!
    Have a great birthday!

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  19. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    That hubby of yours better had gotten you a FABULOUS gift!!!!!!

    everyday I look in the mirror and think WHO THE HELL IS THAT CREEPY OLD LADY??????

    But YOU look FANTASTIC. Really.

    I hope it was a fun, latte filled day for you....

    much love!

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  20. Happy Birthday and pleased to meet ya!

    There are lots of us crazy women with tribes of kids around aren't there! Your kids are gorgeous.

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  21. Happy birthday Jen, I hope you had a fabulous day!

    Yes indeed, little pitchers have big ears. I have to watch my mouth around Connie's kids. I cuss like a sailor and they've started to pick up on some of the things I say!

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  22. I love this! You goals for the next year sound fabulous! You're totally rockin' the 39...I would have never guessed. Hope you had a super happy birthday...and the damn kids cooperated. ;)

    Congrats to Jen! (although I an secretly jealous and wishing that Edward was MINE!...at least I can make my own. :)

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  23. Happy belated birthday! Fun post - must have been eye-opening to figure out some of those stats! :)

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  24. Happy Happy Birhtday! Love the famiy pic of the kiddos. You have accomplished so much already.

    And congrats to Jen on the win.

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  25. Belated Happy Birthday! So you and I were born in the same year, except I'm a January baby, which means. . . .I'll be 40 in just a few months! I'll let you know what it's like on "the other side". The time sure does go fast!!!

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  26. I'm late but still wanted to wish you a happy birthday! I am one month behind you and agree that these 9 years have FLOWN by!

    Congrats to Jen on the giveaway!

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  27. Happy belated birthday! I love that you've set goals and that they are reasonable. (Except for that one about sanity... pfft. yeah, right.)

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