27 is not old. At least I hope it's not old enough to be considered age-appropriate for the midlife crisis which I think I'm experiencing. Recently I've been polling my good friends and family to see what they think about me going back to being a brunette (not the midlife crisis, wait for it!). You see, I feel as though I'm stuck between feeling like I'm 23 and being a 27-year-old mom with two kids. While I can still (sorta!) fit into the "juniors" clothing and FEEL like that's where I should be shopping, I know in reality that the tshirts and zip up hoodies I wear daily aren't necessarily age appropriate. As a stay-at-home-Mama I don't always have reason (or motivation) to get dressed for anything more than playing outside or cleaning the house. But when a quick impromptu trip to the grocery arises, I'm stuck wearing an IU tshirt, looking young enough to be my kids' babysitter. This whole age crisis/epiphany happened after being carded for the 2nd time for LOTTERY TICKETS. Thinking that maybe they had changed the age from 18 to 21 I asked the clerk what age you had to be to get tickets and found that they in fact had not changed the age...she really though I looked questionably young. Wow. Now, I know I look old enough to buy lottery tickets, and get secretly excited when I don't get carded for buying alchol (which rarely happens), but I think about what people must think when I take the kids to the park or when we visit Lilly's preschool. The last thing I want is for people to judge me for "looking" young when I am, in reality, 27 (soooo not young! Hahaha! Kidding!). It's not just about what other people think, obviously...I know people have "issues" about turning 30, but what about 27? Has anyone else ever had this problem? It seemed when I was 26 I could still justify the way I dressed and looked (!), but at 27 I feel like I'm ready to take the Mom-leap. I'm not saying I'm ready to bust out the holiday sweaters or denim jumpers, but I AM saying that I am trying to find where I fit in the clothing debacle and wonder if the attire I have and wear now is age-appropriate.
I had another slight epiphany when two good friends of mine came to Fort Wayne for a visit. After not seeing them for almost three years, I was excited to spend some time with them. About thirty minutes into dinner they requested that we all go back to my house with a case of beer and "party" at my house. As I sat stunned at the use of the word "party" and scrambling to think of an excuse to NOT have everyone at my abode, it really sank in that "partying" at my house was out of the question and I was perfectly happy with that. Not only would Aaron have NEVER gone for company at our house at 10 o'clock at night, but I had NO desire to bring the party back to my house where my precious babies were fast asleep. I guess it just made me realize that while some parents are okay with partying with friends while their kids are asleep upstairs, Aaron and I just aren't those parents. Aaron and I are the type of parents that get jammies on the second both kids are asleep, get out the ice cream and cookies, and divulge into a sugar high while watching the latest episode of Survivor together. And I love that about us!
