Monday, May 12, 2014

30 Signs You're In Your 30s

Two years ago, I turned 30. To commemorate the occasion, some friends and I came up with this list. I'm turning 32 this week and two years in, I'd have to say that it just might be my favorite decade so far.

To all my friends (and sister!) turning 30 this year-- there really is life after 29!

You probably never became a famous pop-star/astronaut/children's book author and you still haven't met Mario Lopez, but the fact that "Full House" is still on TV gives you a strange sense of peace. You may be getting older, but Uncle Jesse lives on in TV Land immortality.

You realize you are no longer as cool as you once were, but you know what? You don't really care.

And that's the beauty of 30. You don't stress as much about the things that aren't important and you focus more on the things that really matter.

Like posting silly lists to the internet on your birthday.


30 Signs You're In Your 30s

1. You stop pretending that grey hair you found was just a fluke.

2. It makes your back hurt to even think about sleeping anywhere but your own bed. A friend's couch? No thanks. A hostel? Never again. Camping? SHUT YOUR MOUTH.

3. Your bathing suit is from Land’s End.

4. You realize your life is not nearly as much like "Friends" as you thought it would be. You realize HOLY COW THAT SHOW ENDED 10 YEARS AGO. Could I BE any older??
The "Friends" in their 30s

Me in my 30s
5. You totally feel like you could pass for 23...until you hang out with someone who is ACTUALLY 23.

6. The other day someone called you “ma’am.” And you liked it. Yeah, ya did.

7. Being up at 2am is NOT fun anymore.

8. You know those people on planes with the annoying screaming children? That's you now.

9. Getting carded is AWESOME.

10. You're appalled at skimpy clothes on teenage girls. I mean, we NEVER wore anything inappropriate when we were that age, amiright??

11. You get excited when a recipe includes the “Weight Watchers Points.”

12. You have fully embraced the gloriousness that is the mini-van. 
I mean, just look how much junk we can stuff in here!!
13. You find yourself saying the phrase, “Oooo, I have a coupon for that!”

14. You come to the depressing realization that you are too old to compete for Miss America, win American Idol or even be on the Bachelor. So long, dreams.

15. Your purse is 10 times bigger than it was 10 years ago.

16. You prefer HGTV to MTV.

17. Music from the 90s holds a special place in your heart.

Baby, hit me one more time, but don't go chasing waterfalls.
Universal truths.
18. You have a board on Pinterest dedicated to household chores.

19. A “muffin top” is no longer just a baked good.


20. You go to the farmer’s market….for fun!

21. You read the news….on purpose! Wait, Facebook counts as the news, right?

22. You go to more kids' parties than adult parties. 

23. When you do go to fancy grown-up parties, you have conversations about potty training. And one about CoolSculpting fat removal. True story.

24. You discover that your camera is totally broken – all of a sudden these little lines are appearing around your eyes in all your photos!

25. You’re still hanging on to some pieces of clothing from high school for when you finally lose those extra few pounds.

26. You realize that even if you could fit back into your old clothes, they are not in style anymore. 
Maybe sweater vests and overalls are not in style anymore,
but I should definitely start posing on banisters with my friends again.
27. You feel your technology savvy slowly slipping away. Seriously, can someone please explain the iCloud to me? Maybe a 12-year-old?

28. You occasionally offer up prayers of thanks that smartphones did not exist when you were a teenager.

29. You don’t have to ask your parents’ permission to go out anymore – but you do have to ask them to babysit.

30. You're just glad you're not 40 yet.

32, here I come!
And there's nowhere else I'd rather be. 

What else would you add to the list?

*Embrace life's little messes by following along on my new Facebook page :)

90 comments:

  1. Bwahahahaha! I laughed out loud at #6! How about... a relaxing afternoon is going to Target...ALONE!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes! just recently hung out with a dear old friend who never gets out bc she has 3 kids. When leaving our reception at 7:00 I asked where she wanted to go for a drink since she is so rarely downtown. Her answer: "Do you want to take a walk around Target?"

      I only said no out of principal.. but secretly thought that was a fabulous idea.

      Delete
    2. ......I'd love to be able to go to Target alone! hahahaha

      Delete
    3. The title should have been "30 Signs You're a Mother in Your 30's" Those of us that are still childless can't relate to most of these....but it was cute :)

      Delete
    4. Only 5 of the 30 items had anything to do with children.

      Delete
    5. Yep have to agree with "30 sings your a mother in your 30's." Wish I could relate to the kid ones first hand.

      Delete
    6. I only counted 4 having anything to do with children.

      Delete
    7. I loved this blog and could definitely relate to a lot of them! Thanks for sharing. I am 31 with a baby on the way, but I can see why if you don't have a kid just yet that this might not fit. In which case, I suggest reading this one... it applies more to single/childless people in their 30s who probably live in cities. http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/30-words-that-have-a-different-meaning-when-you-turn-30?bffb

      Delete
  2. Yes to all! Guess I am definitely in my 30s!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This post is awesome! And you know, even though I'm almost older than the friends people were in their last season. . .I still feel younger than them when I watch my dvds lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's because you watchingvthe dvd's NOW, you still are younger than they were, then. Lol. Its like Beverly Hills 90210. They are always much older than they portray.

      Delete
  4. Loved this post!! I am still laughing. I will turn the "dreaded" 30 in 10 months and I have been stressing. I mean there is NO WAY I am THAT OLD and yet it doesn't seem THAT OLD anymore!! You have made me not dread it anymore, and yet to look forward to the continued fun and excitement that comes with the 30's! I mean seriously it's just a number,I am as old as I think I am, right??!!? Thanks for the boost :) Emily from justatouchofcrazy.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love your blog. Your list covered it all. The good, the bad and the ugly. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love numbers 1, 13, 22 and 26 especially! The other night my husband and I went out on a date. We stayed out reaaally late, like, 11:30pm! When we got home we apologized to the babysitter for being so late and she

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oops! She said not to worry bc she wasn't supposed to meet up with her friends til midnight anyway! That's when I knew I was really old!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! Whenever we get sitters we always get an overnight because we know we need to sleep in the next day from being out late (11:30)!

      Delete
  8. And you're totally considering a divorce right now because your wife won't stop yelling at you for the past 5 years. Even looking forward to it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You get to be the matron of honor instead of a cute, young bridesmaid. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is me for my sister's wedding in August. At first I was like "Yay I got married first!" Then I realized it made me a matron and I felt 100 years old.

      Delete
  10. Your more awesome now than ever! Oh yeah 30s!! Long live Jesse and the rippers!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would add that it takes alot longer to heal from injuries. Then It did when we were younger.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You have officially entered the roll of "taxi mom" and have even considered purchasing one of those yellow bumper stickers for your mini-van.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  13. Going to the grocery store without kids is so peaceful...you take extra time just strolling with the buggy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. You spend your Saturday nights on Facebook reading lists about why it sucks to be 30

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am 41, and it is all true!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I LOL at most if these! Priceless facts of growing older and owning it! I will never see my 20's again, THANK GOD, and haven't yet hit mid 30's but I have loved the ride on this 30 train so far! Great post! BTW, 5, 15, 17, and 25-30 are my favs!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm 25 but I caught myself telling my fiance about something that happened yesterday as they were young prob 30 to 32 would not have said that a few years ago shows we are getting there fast :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Priceless realities that make me truly appreciate being in my 30's

    ReplyDelete
  19. I recently hot 34, so I am well-established in the 30's. I think I would add that a night out on the town includes soccer, dry cleaning, and grocery shopping. What to do with a day off involves staying home as long as possible. And the word "vacation" got lost somewhere between "privacy" and "spa."

    ReplyDelete
  20. Overalls and most 90's fashion are actually back in style now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So I've heard! But I like to stick with the motto "If you did the trend the first time around, it's not your turn anymore!"

      Delete
  21. The thought of baby setting use to make you cringe! But now if your kids aren't home you're calling about them wishing they were home, and you don't mind their friends being there you encourage it!

    ReplyDelete
  22. The thought of baby setting use to make you cringe! But now if your kids aren't home you're calling about them wishing they were home, and you don't mind their friends being there you encourage it!

    ReplyDelete
  23. When you reference a song or show your 20 something coworkers know nothing about.

    ReplyDelete
  24. A fun filled Saturday night. Is watching 48hrs mystery and drinking coke after 9pm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. I always get sucked in to 48hrs Mystery.

      Delete
  25. Actually overalls are coming back! It freaked me out when I saw a pair of black and white striped ones in a big name sore last weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is what I hear. I refuse to believe. Just look at this: http://thecourtneykerr.com/overall-impression/ The horror.

      Delete
  26. I work with children and I had a school ager talking a out pay phones, so I asked her if she knew what it was. Her respose was yea, it those things old people used in the 80s where you had to put money in a phone on the side of the road. I had just turned 30 and all I could do was shake my head at her!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Karaoke at Applebee's is the exciting girls night out.

    ReplyDelete
  28. When I turned 30 a friend told me it was just like your 20s only with more sleep and more money.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Sitting quietly on the couch with nothing to do is heavenly!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I am 33 and I recently went back to college and earned my degree. While there, I told a girl in my class (she is 20) that my DVR works about the same as a VCR does. Her response? "Oh, I've never used one of those". o.O

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even better, tell her you remember life BEFORE the vcr :-)

      Delete
    2. Even better, tell her you remember life BEFORE the vcr :-)

      Delete
  31. I would say 80s music instead of 90s music. And I refuse to get a mini van! LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me, too! I drive my four (what the heck? FOUR???) children around in a Honda Pilot! I could be a grandmother and I'm only 43! My oldest is about to graduate from high school and enter the USCG. Okay, typing that out has now made me feel really, really old. HAHA!

      Delete
  32. This is so true, spot on. I turn 32 this month.

    ReplyDelete
  33. You have a sitter for the night, but instead having a night out, you have a night in......to catch up on sleep. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  34. This should be you know you are in your 30s with kids, cause Im also 32 just months away from 33 and almost nothing on the list applies to me. Camping is still my favorite activity of all time - and only in my little popup tent that I bought at 30 - no more borrowing the 1970s 8 person from my parents that I was always too short to put up easily. I still get asked where Im looking at applying for college (probably doesnt help that I mentor teens and we usually meet at state parks or the camps I work at or the mall so people think Im just part of the group just paying for everyone). Bathing suits are Target or TJMaxx cause Im only going to ruin them at camp. 2 am is still my most productive time. No minivan but considering a station wagon next time so I can fit in my ever increasing camping toys and my skis better. My purse has shrunk bu my backpack is bigger than ever. No kids parties unless you count my teens. And college is the topic of choice and AP classes. No pintrest, still wear clothes from HS but camp tees never go out of style - they are vintage now! And I am the sitter when people want a week to themselves and send me thier kids at camp. (This may be why the friends I really see are in thier early to mid20s but camp friends rock.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right. I thought about calling this post "30 Signs You Are in Your 30s and Have Kids," but it seemed a little long. Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous of the Target bathing suits and 2am productivity!

      Delete
    2. Yes, but I have baby envy everytime a college or HS friend posts pictures of thier little ones. Someday my partner and I will get there, but she is younger and in Vet school so we arent finacially there yet. I will say that Target and even more so TJMaxx have nice, cheap, full coverage, athletic swimsuits which I need for work. And I dont have to worry about destroying them on a boat or if kids decide to play "pile on the directors". I am a couponing cheapskate though so I can keep putting as much as possible away for a wedding - dont want to have to ask my parents for help with it at this point!

      Delete
    3. I'm 30 and single/no kids and I feel like much of this list still applies to me. I think staying around kids at camp would have a healthy benefit of keeping you young. I'm mostly around families and kids so I've blended into their world (minus the mini-van.. but I DID just upgrade to an SUV! woot woot)

      And all of that's totally fine with me :)

      Delete
    4. Yes, the kids certainly help! And even moreso, the staff. When you spend all summer away from the rest of the world with a small group of other women you get pretty close. And when the others are mostly 18 - 25 it keeps you in a young mindset. It also really helps that I met my girlfriend my last summer as unit staff (Im an administrator now but still friends with my staff cause they are cool gals) and she was in that younger part of the staff but we worked together almost every week. And it really helps that Ive become friends with the earliest groups of teens I worked with who are now graduating with Masters degrees or working in exciting jobs in amazing places. And we still just meet for campfires, coffee and dinner ( cause I just cant drink with my girls, it would be weird.

      Delete
  35. Love this - it's so true, and I cannot get over what girls wear these days! I would also like to add how much "The Babysitters Club" inspired my outfits - mostly Claudia and Stacy. I'm completely fine with staying in instead of going out, and I've become a creature of habit in some ways! And I'm ok with that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, the BSC. I SO wanted to become a member back in the day! We actually have a babysitting service we use now and everytime I call to book a sitter, I get the urge to ask if Claudia Kishi is available. ;)

      Delete
  36. Love the post and I made 35 in January just to make you feel better! LOL I have yet to embrace the minivan yet. My husband, 37 in October, thinks he is still too young for it. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  37. So, I still feel this way, however, I turn 40 in TWO days! Doubt any of that will change between now and then except for #30!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Yeah, I'm 31, and none of this applies to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear ya...I thought that through most of them. Probably cause I don't have kids.

      Delete
  39. I may ache all over for no discernible reason pretty much all of the time, but I'd much rather be in my 30's than my 20's.

    ReplyDelete
  40. This article is complete my day, I'm not in 30 yet and still single, but it is true, I can fell now;

    ReplyDelete
  41. Geez, all these people saying "this doesn't apply to me cause I don't have kids, blah blah blah." Only a few things have to do with kids people!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you in your 30s? Do you have a few grey hairs? Are you fatter than you were in high school? Did you listen to music in the 90s? Then this applies to you!!

      Delete
  42. When going to the bathroom alone is a luxury.

    ReplyDelete
  43. This list just makes me want to slit my wrist more now that I'm 30. How depressing :( Take me back to 20s. Still, for what it was- it would be accurate for moms I'm sure. I can't relate to a single one of them & that's the only thing that makes me happy about this list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow. Can't believe you had the audacity to actually write that out, read it and then post. Hope you find some happiness one day....

      Delete
    2. Jeeze, @Anonymous June 3, 2014 at 1:23pm... if someone can't find humor in this post, I dread to see what they'll be like at 40...eeeek. Drink some lemonade and look for the bright side in everything you do...good advice for ANY age so you're free to take it :)

      Delete
  44. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  45. This was great!! I Iol'd at the weight watchers points one and #2 hit home just the night before last. I went out into our driveway and laid in the back of my husbands truck bed to look up at the stars. I live in the country BTW. I remember thinking gosh this sure hurts my back. I remembered how we could sleep anywhere in our younger days and never give it a second thought. When I laid in bed that night and it was so comfy, I vowed to never sleep anywhere else but there. That's when I knew I was officially in my adulthood. I would add that you know you're in your 30s when you go to Wal-Green's to grab Similac because you're almost out, and you actually get a cart (aka buggy in the south) and shop because ever since you became a Mom, you never get to browse around stores anymore. Yeah this was me last night after work!! The young cashier was quite entertained by me. Thanks for this post. It was a fun read.

    ReplyDelete
  46. God, this list is depressing. Please, women of our 30's, let's stop being one giant CLICHE. Ok sure, my bathing suit is from Land's End, but that's because it makes me feel sexy!

    This post glorifies the sad slide from exciting women into HGTV-programmed Mombots driving our sad tan minivans and taking selfies in the driver's seat. Author, you are not too old for an occasional awesome 2am night, or too lame to be fashionable, or too irrelevant to know about technology. That is NOT "the 30's". This is your CHOICE. Your life can be anything you want it to be - you can be funny, sexy, cool and technology savvy if you want to be. I know lots of moms and non-moms who are. Or you can choose for your 30-something life to look like this list.

    Don't believe the hype people, it's possible to be in your 30's and not whine constantly about how lame you are.

    p.s. Get a fashion clue. Overalls are totally back in. I'm 34, and even I know this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Geez, I think getting old has turned "Anonymous" into a total bi-atch! Who said anything about sad and lame?? I look hot in my minivan and, I assure you, I am quite fashionable, despite my reluctance to don overalls again. I owned a white pair with pink and purple polka-dots back in the 5th grade and that was quite enough for me.

      Delete
    2. Dear Anonymous,

      Author here. I can't thank you enough for your inspirational comment. It is just the encouragement I need to ditch the kids and my minivan and set out in search of the life I've always dreamed! 2am, here I come!!! Right after I run out and get a pair of very fashionable overalls.

      Delete
    3. Author- you are the coolest person around. and PLEASE do not get into some overalls. Just trust me. Author, you are going to find people all over the internet who do not agree with you and who do not have enough integrity or respect to voice their opinions kindly. Having a differing opinion is totally ok, not everyone is going to be in the same life-stage or season as another at that same age, but the decent thing to do is to hear that other person and respect their place in life. This post was brilliantly funny to those of us in that same season of life- with small kids. Keep on writing, girl.

      Delete
    4. The only down side to this article is that yes, you are getting older and aging. Who wants to look older? No one. But there are so many benefits to actually being older. In the thirties you finally know who you are and have looks to boot. God that is such a relief. I don't envy young folks because I know how much they have to learn. I don't want to go through that again. No thanks. The good far outweighs the bad--if you mature appropriately. I mean yes, you could hang out at the club and try to be young..but do you really want too? Stay healthy & make God/family your priority. Author-- keep writing. Cheers to aging gracefully.

      Delete
  47. Loved reading this and as a fellow 31 year old mommy rocking a swagger wagon- I could relate to every single one! Cheers to 32!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow and just read "Anonymous" and her super upbeat critique of the blog. Maybe we should be asking ourselves if we can be in our thirties and not dump all over others who happen to be using a little humor in telling about how they became a well adjusted grown up that loves her life?? I think someone needs a mommy "juice box" and some retail therapy at the overall store :)

      Delete
    2. That's funny.

      Delete
  48. I completely love this...I'm 36 and I didn't realize that there was a whole world of 30 Somethings out there who might feel my pain when my 12 year old daughter refers to the 90's as "back in the old days", she does not know what a busy signal or a VCR is, and she asks if we had to milk cows in when I was growing up in the 90's

    ReplyDelete
  49. The other day I was with a group of college grad/interns from my husband's office and when they were talking about Canada's Rob Ford, I mentioned it was a shame that Chris Farley isn't alive anymore, that he would have been the perfect cast for an SNL skit. Annnnd blank stares followed. They had to google Chris Farley, at which point TWO of them "recognized him." Ugh.

    ReplyDelete
  50. You no longer give a rip what the other moms think, you're just doing it.

    ReplyDelete
  51. This article was awesome. I think it makes you just appreciate what you have. More than anything, I am realizing that the 20s were more about me (my emotions/accomplishments) and my 30s are more about my family. You try to be these things in your 20s but you just have growing up to do. I like the 30s, thus far.

    ReplyDelete