36, A Bonus Year.

Today marks the first day of my bonus year.

Ever since the girl’s birthday they have been mildly obsessed with finding out how old everyone and everything is. They know my birthday is after Christmas, and ever since Christmas Day they have been asking me how old I will be. I’m all for upfront honesty with my kids so I proudly proclaimed that I would be thirty-seven (yes girls that is a three and a seven and yes that is old) on my next birthday.

Thirty-seven… hmm that is starting to sound a little old isn’t it? Like maybe I need to grow up and stop wearing my hair in a pony tail with bright coloured hair ties? Maybe I need to buy some grown up shoes and quit singing into my hair brush and dancing around the house? Thirty-seven, old enough to make me take a moment and think about life, but not so ancient as to feel life is over. Still, thirty-seven, my ‘child bearing years’ are rapidly racing away….

It was during one of the ‘how old are you going to be Mama?’ conversations while we were away that my best friend stopped me. “You can’t be turning thirty-seven”.

“Yes I am” I assured her… “I know it’s old… but you know, it happens to us all.”

“But you are only turning thirty-six”.

Hang on a minute….

Ok so I have never been very good at maths, but a quick calculation, a thought about how old my children are and how old my husband is and yeeeehaaa… BONUS YEAR! The year you have when you find out you are actually a year younger than you thought you were!

I am not sure what you are supposed to do with a bonus year…. something spectacular no doubt. I am not quite sure if I can live up to that expectation. After all, despite my bonus year, it seems that dementia has already begun to set in, since it took someone else to tell me how old I was.

Happy Birthday Me.

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20 Comments

  1. Ah, better than losing a year?

    I lost a year, last birthday (in decemeber), I thought I was turning 36, in fact, just two days ago I still thought I’d turned 36… That was, until my brother pointed out that HE is turning 36 this year, and therefore I MUST be turning 38 – OMG, 38!!! Like you, I feel like I’m sure my mum was much more mature than me at this age, all grown up and taking care of two kids on her own in a foreign country… Hmmmm, maybe I need to rethink the fisherman pants, singlet tops, tattoos and shaved head I had planned before my next birthday…

    Nah! Grow old disgracefully, I say! And I want video of you singing into your hair brush…

  2. Hey, Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great bonus birthday and bonus year! But, no need to buy grown up shoes or any of those other things…stay young while you can! Anyway, you’ve got another year up your sleeve now. That is a great birthday present. :)

  3. My SIL did the exact same thing! I’m lucky that I was born in 70 so it’s a nice easy calculation :)

    Happy birthday – enjoy your bonus year!!

  4. LOL Welcome to 36….I just turned 36 on the 4th. My friends and I have all decided that we will not be ‘late’ 30s until at LEAST 38, so let’s all still enjoy our mid 30s!

    What’s scary to me is that this is IT. This is meant to be the TIME of our LIVES. Really? But there’s all that washing to do PMSL.

    I’m really hoping to have my stuff together by 40. At least that’s the plan.

  5. lmao

    Happy Birthday!!

    And Happy bonus year!

    Mum and I both tell the kids we are 21…….. took them a lot of years to figure out that both Mummy and Nanny couldn’t be 21 at the same time! lol

  6. Happy Birthday Kate!

    What do you call it when you lose a year? That’s what I did… telling someone that I was turning 28, and they said that I can’t coz that is how old they are turning… d’oh! The problem was that I turned 25 and kept saying that I was 25 for the next 3-4 years! I couldn’t keep track of my real age… very embarrassing when asked by the doctor and I couldn’t remember!!!
    I asked Sam how old I am and he said 5… so there you go!

  7. Oh, I love bonus years. I think you need to do the following

    *do something special just for you
    *buy something special just for you
    *go out to dinner with friends to celebrate
    *go out with hubby to celebrate
    *have an extra party
    *and continue to sing in your hair brush

  8. I had a few years where I had no idea my actual age – I think after a certain time you are allowed to just throw the dart in a decade!!!

    Enjoy the bonus year.