I’m 35 you know

which used to be middle aged but given I am now precisely half my Dad’s age I’m hoping isn’t middle age anymore! I guess it is a definitely more than a third though, which is slightly scary even if I am planning on growing very old and very disgraceful ;).

I’m not super keen on birthdays. I don’t mind getting older – it’s proof you’re alive and I have no hang ups about growing old but the timing of my birthday right after Christmas is always a bit flat. As a child I used to feel very melancholy at the thought that all my celebrations were already over now until next Christmas – and the last one was less than a fortnight ago. I try really hard to make birthdays really special for my children and I guess that is some throw back to not having felt that happened for me. I have a bit of a plan, inspired by Em, to make sure next year is a fab birthday surrounded by people making me feel special by organising something myself. Not sure what, where or how but I’ll think more on it.

I saw midnight in on my own. I had a text at a few minutes past from my mate Dayve wishing me happy birthday and then a barrage of emails from various survey and competition sites I must have registered with giving my date of birth, which amused me. Computer bots churning out birthday greetings on the stroke of midnight 😆

Scarlett was awake on and off from when I went to bed and I came back down to her three times before I even fell asleep. At 3am Ady woke me to say ‘she’s calling you’ which she was – it had entered my dream, a little voice croaking ‘I just want my Mummaaaa’. Rather than carry on upping and downing I got him to swap beds with her so he could get some uninterupted sleep in her bed, she could ‘just have her mumma’ and I could attempt to go back to sleep. That didn’t happen as she was then in the mood for chatting about my birthday and whether it really counted as my birthday yet and if so could she give me my present? I think we both got a bit of sleep but at about 530am when she suddenly started wailing that now she ‘just wanted her Daddaaaaa’ I decided there would be no reasoning with her and directed her back to her bedroom to find him!

She came back to my bed when Ady went to work at 7am ish and fell asleep again. Davies woke me at about 830am so I got up leaving her still sleeping to get dressed. Davies woke her though and then we all went into his room for the grand card and present giving ceremony.

Davies had made me a birthday card. It had ’35’ on the front, a cup of tea with steam and a full colour depiction of Boppit. Inside it said ‘To Mummy, Happy Boppit Birthday, Love Davies’. It’s ace, I love it :). He’s thought about what I like and drawn it on a card for me. Thoughtful, all about me and showcasing his artistic talents :). Scarlett had been too poorly yesterday to make a card so had written in one instead (we found a sackful of old cards from my Clinton Card days when we cleared out the wardrobe. When companies changed designs or phased out cards they told us to dispose of them and gave us full credit for them. The staff were allowed (in a turning a blind eye rather than an official allowed) to take them home so we have stacks of them) and drawn a cup of tea too :).

My gifts were three big boxes of quality chocolate liqueurs – one each from Davies and Scarlett and one from Candle the cat apparently. And a memory foam pillow which I have been coveting for ages.

We breakfasted, got dressed, dealt with chickens and had plenty of cuddles. Scarlett has been much better today and they were both fairly consumed with their DSs. Which left me free to go and make my own birthday cake. Ady had offered to buy one or even find time to make one but actually I like baking (really! ;)) so was happy to do it myself. I decided to try something different and after perusing some online recipes found a Nigella (who also shares my birthday – happy 49th birthday Nigella!) one for lemon meringue cake. I decided chocolate was in order for birthdays so messed around with it and made a chocolate and Baileys meringue cake loosely based on her recipe. I have to say it was quite the best birthday cake I’ve ever had. I may make it my signature dish. Although it is very much for grown ups and neither of the children was keen on the Bailey’s cream or the Baileys and chocolate brownie part.

My Mum rang and we arranged for her to come and take Davies to his swimming lesson as Scarlett was not right enough to go swimming and as I’d rung in sick for work tomorrow already I didn’t want to risk bumping into a work colleague (slim change but not worth the risk). I took phonecalls from my Granny and Ady and cards from Michelle (thanks x :)).

The children played together really nicely all day – DSing, some Very Hungry Caterpillar board gaming and some disappearing off upstairs together to play something too. Davies was telling my Mum all about how ill Scarlett was yesterday and how he was worried about her :).

Mum did come over but managed to persuade Davies not to go swimming either. Dad and Frazer also came over and Ady arrived home earlier than usual in honour of my birthday so we had the lovely cake with candles. They all left, I read the children bedtime stories and then Ady took over in full on birthday mode :).

He changed the bedsheets so I will have my new pillow and clean sheets, ran me a bath with candles, opened champagne and brought me cashew nuts and olives to snack on. Cooked me a delicious dinner and completely pulled off making me feel special and birthday-ish. Hurrah for my lovely little family :).

So there you go. 35. Doesn’t feel much (any) different to 34 really…