Tuesday, February 8, 2011

If Wine Gets Finer With Time....Then Why Can't I??

I know, it's a crazy question, but I can't help it, it's been on my mind for the last couple of weeks. With my passing birthday last month, (I'm still the same age as I was last year!), followed by my oldest child turning sixteen on Sunday, (OH GOD...he's begging to get his drivers permit, GULP!!!!!), what else is there to think about??????? How much the car insurance is going to sky rocket?

Okay, I have to admit the gray hairs that keep popping up in my crown of curly hair are more noticeable then they were five years ago. They're even popping up in places that are completely unmentionable...(did I just mention that? SORRY!) Sigh....I can't help but begin to feel my age. The worst part is my husband is three months older than I am. He can go for weeks wearing a beard that's sprinkled with gray hair, but the minute he shaves and cuts his hair he literally shaves ten years off of his look!!!! People that we associate with that are ten years younger than us will continue to say 'yes ma'am' to me even though I've asked them to stop saying it, not a good sign. To him they say, 'man, I thought you were my age!' That's depressing.

I've noticed myself paying more and more attention to commercials by various cosmetic companies singing the praises of their youth rejuvenating miracle makeup and serums. I'd never given them a second thought in the past, probably because the actresses promoting them were women well beyond my age group. And of course the fact that I was in my late twenties and early thirties had something to do with it too. But when the actresses promoting the make-up have you remember seeing them in movies that were new ten years ago....you start to realize that: OMG, I'm next!

Another sign that you're starting to get older (even if in your heart you still feel pretty young, which I do!) is when older guys (men obviously in their late forties and older) start looking at you like you remind them of a woman they used to date.

So what are we supposed to do????

Well, everyone has their own way of dealing with the ever moving clock of time, but here are a few that I have done:

One: Wardrobe change.

Yep, I said it. I ditched the mom jeans that came up to my navel, they are now a thing of the past. Re-discovering that I have a shape - butt, hips, shapely thighs, and boobs- after having four kids has been a real eye opener for me. Low rise jeans fit my curves best, especially if they're boot cut. They rest on my hips and leave my navel uncovered. Now I didn't say I have a flat stomach....I'll probably never see that again, but it works great. Follow up with shirts that are fitted but long, meaning they stop at the top of my hips and voila! I not only let the world know that hey, I've still got a figure, but I'm can dress younger and look good too! (I know I've been success full with my look when my thirteen-year-old daughter says I look cool. I still look like a mom, but much younger one. LOL. Thanks sweetie.

Two: Pull out the makeup bag and dust that bad boy off!

After years of making sure the kids were presentable when leaving the house, I stopped doing more than throwing on clean clothes and pulling my hair back in a pony tale. After all, who had the time? By the time I made myself presentable we'd probably be late! The funny part about it is before I had kids, I wore make-up every where I went. These days, I often find myself throwing on the infamous 'mom jeans', followed by a t-shirt, pull over and a hat while running to the store. Sigh. But hey, there's no need to look good while running to Kroger's to get a gallon of milk. I've have however began pulling out that bag of beauty tricks to spruce it up when going to my kids school or hanging out in the street for the day. Maybe that's why older men have begun giving me that look of 'hey, you remind me of ______', fill in the blank. The look must be improving because my husband has begun asking me where I plan to meet my boyfriend. Ha, ha, very funny.

Three: Hang around your kids and their friends to get cool points.

I can't say that I've planned this, but somehow over the last few years, my oldest sons' friends seem to think that I'm the ultra cool mom. How did I know spending two days playing Lord Of The Rings with my son until we beat the game would turn me into the coolest mom on the planet? Now every time his friends come over he's trying to recruit me into playing with them. I quickly decline because the LOTR, Midnight Club, and Star Wars Force Unleashed game obsession was not supposed to be a lifetime thing. I had my year or so of being a video game junkie, but now that I've decided to become a writer, I have no time for it. But the little things seem to keep cool points up with the kids. For example, my son's orchestra scored outstanding last year during their LGPE rating. To reward the kids for their hard work I showed up one day with four pizzas, chips and drinks. It was a surprise for everyone in the class, my son included. To this day I'm know as Kristoffer's mom, she's so cool because she brought us food!

WARNING, WARNING!!!!!!

Beware of becoming too cool with your kids and their friends. It can lead to you being involved in some conversations with your kids  you could go on living without having knowledge about them. For example: hearing ridicules boy jokes that are so juvenile they make your head hurt. Being asked questions that are so stupid you want to bang your head on the steering wheel while driving them to the movies. (If you have a teenage son, you'll know what I mean!)

Those are just a few of the things I do to continue to feel young. What about you?