Untying The Knot And Tying The Tubes?

So everyone has told me that 30 is supposed to be fabulous.

I'm still waiting...

So far 30 can go for a stroll into the woods and just stay there. Well, I kind of take that back. Not all parts of 30 are bad. I am as happy as a clam personally, it's just all the things that keep happening around me, trying to burst my bubble that can go take a hike. Trying to untie the knot and officially be divorced has been the biggest challenge since turning the 3-0. The big D is supposed to be finalized in a matter of weeks, but now isn't looking that way. Oye, for the love.... I just want it done. We have been apart for long enough now that still being wed legally is like a reoccurring nightmare that makes me unable to move on with certain parts of my life. So by the time it's actually done, I will emotionally be so far removed from it, but on paper, the ink won't even be dry yet in some peoples eyes. It is what it is I suppose. Hopefully it's finished before the girls go to college. I'd actually like to be, dare I say it, friends with my soon to be ex spouse one day. I've known the man over half my life, so having it be this way is really the last thing I ever expected. I now see why people throw themselves a celebratory "I'm divorced" shindig! I will just probably grab a bucket of chicken with some oh so classy box of wine and go sit on a beach somewhere...but hey....who knows when that day will come.

I also didn't expect to have my longest relationship EVAH come to a tragic end at 30. My Jenny the Jeep (which has recently been named Smokey.) That green machine has been my ride or die for 9 years! We've done road trips, had a few very minor accidents and murdered some street rodents together. I lost her once on 6th ave too. She drove me to the hospital for both my labors. It was the first big girl purchase I ever made on my own to celebrate a promotion I had just received at work. You'll be greatly missed.

I 'm laying the foundation to a new life for the girls and myself and I guess in order to do that, everything must go! A garage sale of the mind and material things if you will. A good friend told me (in so many words) when all of this first started that I would be fine and come out ahead, but that things will have to get mighty difficult first. Boy was she right! Everything she has ever said has been spot on so far. The woman is truly gifted when it comes to her predictions, and if that's the case, I am beyond thrilled for my future! A great thing about 30 so far is simply just caring less about what others think. I'm happy, my kids are fantastic and I have strong friendships with so many wonderful people. All other things will just fall into place when the time is right. If it doesn't, thank goodness for fermented grapes and carbs!

However, one of the biggest shockers of 30ness so far happened when I was at the Dr's recently. I was just in for a routine check up and the Dr. starting talking to me about birth control. As we were discussing different options from what I currently have, she said............WELL NOW AT YOUR AGE AND WITH YOUR EXTREME FERTILITY, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED TYING YOUR TUBES??!! What the what? "At your age?!" I'm 30! I'm fairly certain I just felt my ovaries shrivel up and request to start cashing in on social security after hearing her say that. It's not that I plan to challenge the Duggar's and have a bazillion kids or anything, but still...

Soup & Salad

Leah the Grem Grem is sickly and was rather lethargic on the sofa. I don't like it when my littles are sick, but this is when she is so affectionate and calm that I don't mind it when she says "I wanna snuggie you on the couch Mama."

I leave her to make coffee and I look over to see Kaelyn laying a blanket on Leah and kissing her on the head. I notice she drew her a picture, brought out all her favorite stuffed animals and set up Leahs nightlight in the living room. It was pure sibling love. She whispered "I'm sorry you don't feel good sissy. I'll kiss you on the head because I don't want your germs." Kaelyn even made herself breakfast...which is a small slice of parenting heaven.

So we head to the store to get sickly supplies and things for dinner. Kaelyn wants soup. Since my oldest was so sweet to her sister I decided to let her pick which soup. I said we can have chicken noodle, corn and sausage chowder, or chicken tortilla. She picks the chowder. Sweet, that's what I want anyways. Just as I am about done getting what we need, Kaelyn wants the tortilla soup instead. Here we go! The fickle mind of a 5 year old. So there we were conveniently in the booze aisle, as she goes back and forth for what seems like an eternity over which soup I will make. Meanwhile im just looking at the bottle of Pinot thinking.....It's 5 o'clock somewhere, right!? Kidding. The only reason I was in that aisle was because right before, some sweet senior citizen ran us of the main drag when she crashed into my cart and smashed Kaelyn's finger. I pulled into the next aisle thinking it would be quiet in case Kaelyn needed to shed a few tears because who buys booze at 9:30am?! Oh well guess what?! Many Moms coming from school drop offs or still in their Lululemon attire from the gym were flooding it. I wanted to high five them all. Eventually we decide on dinner and head home.

Fast forward to dinnertime. Leah had been clung to me all afternoon like some fever ridden marsupial. Sweaty, snotty and sick-poor thing. Have you ever tried to chop six cups of potatoes and an onion while holding a healthy 2 year old? If the answer is no, I don't recommend it. Well as I go to serve the soup....which for some reason I made enough to feed a village when lets face it, I know I will be the only one that actually eats it, Kaelyn asks me for a salad. I said no but here's your soup. She asks for a salad again. I deny the request for a second time and put the soup in front of her. It wasn't until she asked for the third time that I thought HOLY CHIT this kid is asking me to eat salad! And I , her mother, am denying her! I don't know if it was because I was delirious from holding the marsupial baby all day, but how could I miss hearing that my kid asked for a freakin salad?! Those are vegetables ya'll, VEGETABLES! That kid has been eating plates of beige for far too long, so this is a huge deal in my house.

She ends up eating 3 helpings of salad and no soup. So as expected I was the only one that ate that. I don't even care though, the kid ate vegetables! Later she tells me she only did it for one reason....

She wanted to be a rabbit. Hey, whatever works.

I need this trend to continue. Those of you with kids that love veggies, how do you do it? And don't say you just cover it in cheese or hide it in the food. My kids are like mini vegetable detectives and could identify the "healthy secrets" within a casserole in seconds.