Almost 30

Well, in two days I should turn 30, that is, unless I have that condition my mom has where I perpetually turn 29 every year since my 29th birthday...

Thirty, the big 3-0, the year one is officially a grown-up.  I wrote a blog about this last year, but I'll go ahead and revisit some of the things turning 30 means for me.  The biggest thing is seeing if I've acquired the taste for coffee.  On Saturday, July 14, 2012, my husband will be choosing the coffee I try to see if my taste buds know they're grown up.  I'm a bit nervous about this since I abhor coffee.  Really, I'm afraid I might throw up.  But I'll be brave and keep my promise to try it, mostly because Chase loves coffee so much and I think he would enjoy sharing his delight in it with me.

Thirty is also the age I will be when we become homeowners.  Wow, I'm such a grown-up!  As long as the bank gives us a loan (which we've been pre-approved for), we'll be closing on our first house August 15.  Our boys will have a bedroom together and their baby sister will have her very own (very girly) room.  Naptime will be so much easier!  AND our room will no longer be taken over by laundry!  (At our current place the washer & dryer are in the garage, so our bedroom doubles as where we put dirty clothes and where I fold the clean ones).  You know you're getting old when you get excited by the idea of having a clean floor being way easier when you have hardwood in the dining room (and most everywhere else) as opposed to old janky carpet.  I dread the process of moving, especially since it'll be three hours north-ish of where we live now, but I'm excited to live in our own house in a city with lots of things to do.

Me holding Charlotte

I don't really expect people to be able to tell that I'm 30 just by looking at me.  I mean, last week some lady said I looked 18.  I say she needs to get her eyes checked.  Now, I know I look young, but I don't look 18 young.  People I meet are super surprised to learn that I have three kids and often remark that I "don't look old enough to have three kids."  What I want to know is how many kids do I look old enough to have?  I mean, I had my first when I was 25, which is pretty normal, and they're all bunched together.  But when I'm at the park or in a mommy group or something and meet someone for the first time, they'll see me holding wrangling Charlotte (age 1) and assume she's mine.  Then they'll hear me tell Jonas (almost 3 and lately insists on being called Spiderman) to a.) stop throwing things  b.) stop bullying Simon  c.) stop walking around with his pants & undies around his ankles  or d.) all of the above.  After this, the new mommy acquaintance will usually ask if that one is mine, too, and I will say he is; and at this point I'll often just go ahead and point out that the 4-year-old whining because his brother threw something at him is also mine, because I can tell by the look on her face New Mommy Acquaintance is wondering just how many I have.  Then New Mommy Acquaintance's eyes usually get wide and/or her jaw drops.  That's when I either get asked how old I am or am just told I don't look old enough to have three.  I've even been asked if I was the kids' babysitter.  I mean, come on!  I pushed these kids out of my lady business and I want credit for being their mama!  But I guess once I'm 30, I'll be old enough to have three kids even if I don't look old enough...  Yay?

Turning 30 means no more shopping in the junior's department, no more low rise jeans (well, having babies means no more low rise jeans), no more wearing cartoon characters on my shirts (at least in public, I'll continue to wear them around the house because the boys get a kick out of seeing Cat in the Hat and Mario & Luigi on my shirts).  These things are fine, I mean, maybe if I dress a little more grown up people won't be so surprised that I have three kids.

I have two days (well, really, a day and a half) left of my 20's.  I feel like I should do something irresponsible.  Live it up.  Have cake for breakfast!  Jaywalk!  Post a picture of myself on Facebook doing something silly and I'll later regret it!  Watch Workaholics!  (Shhh!  Workaholics is my new favorite show, but don't tell because it's pretty dumb.  It's like Adam Sandler-type comedy: think Billy Madison & Happy Gilmore meet Stella.)

What dumb things should I do with my last day-and-a-half of my 20's?  You know, things that are appropriate in your 20's but not in your 30's?  Note:  I probably won't do any of the suggested things unless they can be done while taking care of three small kids (What?  I have 3 kids?  I'm not old enough!) and packing for our move.