42??…There is no way I can already be 42…..

…..I mean, I was just in high school a couple of years ago, right?!?!

Geez, I remember when I was a kid and thought that my parents, who were in their 40’s were ancient!

Now I have my 3 boys telling me almost daily how old I am! They laugh when I tell them we didn’t have computers or cell phones or electronic devices when I was growing up! They say what did you do for fun?? I tell them that I played kick the can on the corner with the neighborhood kids, that’s what I did for fun. And my boys just chuckle, and say, “wow mom, you ARE old”.

Life comes full circle, doesn’t it?!

So we have this little tradition in my family that my parents call me at the minute I am born on my birthday. So today, I rushed home from the gym because I wanted to be home when they called, and just like clockwork, at 10:22AM EST my phone rang to my parents singing Happy Birthday to me. They have never missed a year in 42 years….I am truly blessed.

Some things I have noticed as I have gotten older….

1. WOW, it is sooooooooooo (can’t put enough “o”‘s on that) much harder to maintain my weight once I hit 37 years old! Us women have gone through pregnancies and are going to go through menopause, you would think that we would be spared of gaining weight as we aged, right?!?! That would be nice if that was the case!
2. I become more and more boring with each year that passes. And I thought my parents were boring, well, I think I put them to shame in that category!
3. Alcohol is a thing of the past for me. This daily wine night drinking mama has stopped that habit 2 years ago, and I feel so much better since I stopped! I think I stopped when I was at a GYN appointment and the doctor asked if I drank any alcohol, and Noah said, mom, don’t lie, you drink wine EVERY night and you let me have a sip too. Yep….I definitely won mom of the year at that very moment!
4. I am really enjoying my kids at the ages they are at right now. The twins are 10, and, I swear that is the perfect age—-they still love their mama and aren’t embarrassed by me YET! Then my oldest is 15 and he is growing up! He is talking about colleges and about saving money, and he has finally realized that studying helps him get better grades! FINALLY!

In the past year I have set pretty challenging physical and financial goals. Just like with anything in life, with hard work, determination, dedication and grit….you can succeed at anything that you put your mind to!

My mom asked me this morning on my birthday call….”Do you feel any older?” Without hesitation, I answered no! I feel better, stronger, more energetic, and healthier than I did in my 20’s! Heck, in my 20’s I was overweight, didn’t eat right, and didn’t exercise….no wonder I felt like crap! You are what you eat, as the saying goes!

It truly doesn’t matter what age you are, it matters how you take care of your body. I have met plenty of younger people than me that feel miserable since they just honestly don’t care about their bodies.

Your body is the only place that you have to live…..so you might as well take care of it!

Your age shouldn’t define how you should feel.

Age is just a number…..cheers to another 42!