Today is my 3rd anniversary of my 29th birthday. 😉 OK–if you did the math, today is my 32nd birthday. Wow! I don’t feel 32. It seems that just yesterday I was 15 and my 30s were a lifetime away. And now I’m there–with a husband and 3 beautiful little girls to mother!
A lot of bloggers like to take the opportunity to share a little bit about themselves with their readers on their birthdays. I did that last year, but going along with the theme of my site, I thought that this year I’d put a special emphasis on 32 humbling things about me. Because…none of us are perfect (but it’s easy to think that sometimes from the other side of the computer screen).
So, here goes. I’m laying it all out. Check out the following real, raw, transparent, vulnerable, authentic, humbling 32 things about me on my 32nd birthday!
1. I get easily overwhelmed.
2. I take on too much.
3. I have a hard time saying “no” to others–even when doing so would mean more “yeses” for my family (those who really matter!).
4. I am can be terribly disorganized (but I’m working on it!).
5. And more often than not, I fly by the seat of my pants.
6. I’m clumsy–which means I spill things a lot.
7. I’m messy (see #6).
8. And am prone to clutter (piles of laundry in the closet and dishes in the sink and junk mail on the counter, anyone?).
9. Sometimes the lunch dishes are still sitting on the kitchen table at dinner time.
10. Sometimes I forget to change my babies’ diapers (I have two in them now).
11. And I’m habitually late (although when it comes to writing, I never miss a deadline). (I recently discovered this signals disrespect to people, so I’m working on this! Most often I’m lost in…#28 below, which makes me late.)
12. I’m forever forgetful.
13. My brain gets foggy if I don’t get proper nutrition or take my supplements.
14. It’s been foggy lately.
15. My baby’s two months old, and I still look like I’m 6 months pregnant (I have a diastasis).
16. I don’t exercise (but that’s coming!).
17. I stay up too late…way, way too late.
18. And I sleep in until my kids wake me up.
19. I too often neglect my quiet time.
20. I spend too much time on the internet–so much so that I recently called it quits for the time being and deactivated my personal Facebook account (for real!).
21. Sometimes the laundry stays in the washing machine so long that I have to re-wash–or at least re-rinse with a 1/2 cup of vinegar to remove the sour smell.
22. I lose things.
23. I’m addicted to coffee–just one cup a day. But if I don’t have that one cup–whew, I can feel it!
24. I often get lost in a dream world.
25. And lack much common sense.
26. I used to pride myself on writing thank you notes. But since my second was born I’ve had a hard time remembering to send them. The other day I found written, sealed thank you notes that I hadn’t sent–from my 2 year old’s baby gifts.
27. I’m not crafty.
28. Sometimes, when the kids are in bed, my husband and I find ourselves watching Dora.
29. I strongly believe a wife should be submissive to her husband…but my strong will often stands in the way of that playing out in my home.
30. I am a sinner–saved only by God’s grace.
31. I’ve been humbled–terribly, horribly, depravedly (is that a word?)…humbled.
32. But I’m a work in progress. God is picking up all my humbled little broken pieces…and fixing me (like only HE can).
OK, now that I’ve laid out 32 humbling things about me…what are some humbling things about you? Do you ever get tired of reading about the “perfect” lives of others when you feel like you don’t measure up?
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obearlady
hi have a good 1 on your 32 B-Day “O” to be 32 again (NOT) lolol was on 4 kids then I like 62 the freedom now nice to be a grandmother of 4 so have a good 1 on your good B-Day in-joy it time goes by fast
Stacy @Stacy Makes Cents
🙂 Happy Birthday friend. You’re a blessing.
Lisa Suit
Happy birthday!! Thank you for being real & honest, especially on your birthday! 😛 And btw-we share many of the same humbling things about us 🙂
Deborah
Have a Blessed Birthday! Thanks for sharing!
Deborah
I forgot to answer your questions. Humbling things about me:
I can relate to a lot of yours. I’m not organized, I stay up way too late, I have the best of intentions but a hard time following through. You don’t know me so I won’t bore you with more but to answer your other qustion about reading others perfect lives: I hate Christmas letters because every one elses kids sound SO accomplished and successful. I know it is only the outside stuff and not the things that matter for eternity that I’m reading about …have to remind myself that.
Christin
Happy Birthday! Thanks for sharing these and for letting us see the real you!!! So often blogs, pinterest, and facebook only let us see the “perfect” side of people. It makes us all feel like failures when our realities don’t measure up to what we see of others’. What you describe above sounds exactly like my life!!! And I feel like a normal person again!! Thank you!!
Christin
Humbling things about my life: 1. I only take a shower every other day. 2. Some days the kids and I all stay in our PJ’s all day until it’s bedtime again. 3. Some days I let the kids watch tv all day while I sleep on the couch all day (I have fibromyalgia and chronic migraines). 4. I always thought I would have perfectly behaved little angels and would look down on parents whose kids misbehaved….and then I had kids. And my boys like to fight – like punch each other out, fight – and they are only 3 and 5. My husband says they are boys and they just need to get some aggression out once in awhile. I’m not sure. 5. My 3 yr old had oreos for breakfast (and a bagel with peanut butter). 6. I must sleep 10 hours a night. 7. I don’t clean. 8. Laundry doesn’t get done until people in this house start begging for clean underwear. 9. I always have to look “perfect” in public so that no one can guess how utterly falling apart my health and my home is. 10. I have a lot of food allergies, and sometimes it’s just too much work to cook appropriately for myself, so I don’t bother eating at all – or I just eat an apple for a meal. 11. I am a perfectly poised, smiley person, who strives to be on time for everything, which is actually a fault, because it gives me panic attacks when I am running late. 12. I don’t make my bed every day. Hee hee! 13. (For the record, our island is also cluttered with mail and dirty dishes are piled up – from before the weekend when we were out of town, and toys cover every floor surface in the house.)
Erica
Happy Birthday! That was just what I needed to read today! So many times we only get to read about the best part of people’s lives, and that can leave us feeling like we are terrible mothers. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and having a 4, 2 1/2, and 3 month old lately I feel like I have way more weaknesses. Thanks for putting it all out there!
Here are some humbling things about me…….
I have 6 loads of laundry that need to be folded and put away that probably never willl, but at least we have clean clothes.
Some days my kids watch way to much tv.
I yell to much.
I never make my bed.
My room is always messy, always has been.
Tori
I can tee-totally relate to almost every single thing you listed! Except I have three crazy boys 4 and under. #20 has been a big thing I just recently overcame with God’s grace. I was spending so much time on facebook that I went through withdrawals after I closed the account. Nope, so not kidding. :)Now I’m so glad not to be sucked in every time I turn on the computer. Still a struggle at times, though. Happy 32nd! I’m right behind you.
Cherie
Bless you 🙂 So glad to know I am not alone. I’m 46 and have the same 32 on my list, and I could easily add more.
Kallie
I love this post, it is so easy for us to post and write about our success or all the things we do right, but sometimes that leads readers and friends to think we don’t have imperfections. I post often about the foods I make from scratch or the bounty from my garden, but I never want people to think that is an every day occurance. The fact that it is unusual for me to bake bread from scratch or to have my plants thrive and actually produce edible foods is so new to me that it’s worthy of telling everyone I know. Several years ago, a home cooked meal meant pulling a package out of the freezer and putting it in the oven most nights, that happens a lot less often, but it still happens. I am a work in progress and I don’t know if I’ll ever have 7 days in a row where we don’t dine out or pull something from the freezer, but those days are becoming fewer.
Nicole
Ah Erin, (my sister is a red headed Erin too by the way!) I have common sense and practicality to a fault…other than that, we could be twins! Happy Birthday!
Adrienne
Happy Birthday, Erin. I must say, I remember when I first “met” you on the internet. I recall saying we had a lot in common. Now I am all the more convinced of it :).
Blessings in Christ,
Adrienne
Melissa Conte
Oh my, this could so be MY list except the stomach being more than lack of excercise and that I’m actually 39!!! I thought I was the only person who forgot the laundry and still had plates on the table!!!!!!
Jessica
I laughed out loud picturing two grown adults watching Dora! Too funny! Maybe you should do an upcoming post on supplements that prevent a foggy brain! I think I’m missing those, too! 🙂 Happy Birthday!
Promise
This sounds like I wrote it. To a “T”. Everything that is a work-in-progress for me is listed here.
Rachel @ day2day joys
Have a wonderful Birthday friend! We already know we are a lot a like, I bet you are crafty too!
Beth
I loved reading these dear friend! So many brought a smile to my face as I can personally testify they are true:) It reminded me of all the reasons (and many more) that I am thankful for you and cherish your friendship! Love you dear friend and wishing you a very happy birthday. Praying you will know the goodness of the Lord in new and precious ways this year!
Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger
Happy happy birthday!! 32 is YOUNG 🙂
And I am prone to clutter. BUT I HATE IT.
Teri
Happy Birthday! It makes me feel better knowing that everyone isn’t perfect. I’m good at washing and folding clothes that never get put up 🙂 we just get them out of the basket.
Erin
Oh yes–the putting up. That’s the hardest part!
Anna
Thanks for sharing your weaknesses, It IS nice to know I’m not the only one! Ahem, My turn: I break and kick things when I get mad. Every house we’ve lived in (4) have had holes in the walls,( from me kicking or throwing things) laundry doors have been broken and needed to be replaced. I even broke the windshield of the car with a sippy cup. I’ve been working VERY hard to overcome this and I am definitely improving!! yay! But it is a weakness of mine. I also get VERY impatient. Thank goodness I am improving with God’s help with both of these things. But it is a challenge! 😉
Erin
LOL! Thanks for sharing, Anna!! And one broken thing every year and a half isn’t so bad! God’s grace is amazing!
Anna
BTW, I did all this within the course of seven years, so it averages about 1 broken thing every year and a half…that’s not THAT bad right?? lol
Laurie
My humbling “About Me” list would be almost identical to yours! 🙂 Isn’t great that Jesus loves us anyway?? I’m always amazed by that fact!
Happy Birthday! May you embrace each part that make you YOU!
Erin
Thank you so much, Laurie!! Yes–He loves us in spite of ourselves!
Jen @Allergy Lane
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I pray it has been blessed!!!
Since it is 11/12, I will list 12 humbling things about myself (I relate to your list SOO WELL!). 1 – I am sitting at an end of my dining room table almost lost in the clutter of papers, catalogs, to do lists, my bible, cookbooks, wedding planners, etc. 2 – I do not keep the clean home that I would love to keep. 3 – Laundry is also an issue for me. When my kids aren’t here to put it away, I don’t put theirs away til they get back (they are 5, 7, & almost 10). 4 – I love to cook, but HATE grocery shopping with a passion (the strong scents really bug my asthma, and shopping for a family w/20 different food allergies is tough!). 5 – I also hate washing dishes, though mine are done now. 5 – My bathrooms need to be cleaned in the worst possible way! 6 – I don’t take the time to sit down for a quiet time every day, though I do pray as I drive my school bus twice a day. 7 – I keep making excuses as to why I am not exercising, though I NEED to lose 25 before my wedding in May. 8 – I am WAY more excited about my second wedding than I was my first, and I realize I am a much better person now than I was the first time. 9 – I suffer from depression (due to my seriously abusive marriage and a side effect of celiac disease), but am not good at letting others see my suffering. 10 – I can handle any kid emergency (broken bones, anaphylactic reactions, serious cuts) with no problem, but when I cut my own thumb 2 weeks ago I almost passed out til my fiance got home to care for it. 11 – I yell too much at my babies when I should be loving on them. 12 – I have more patience for my kids now that they are in public school than I did when I homeschooled them.
Erin
Thank you so much, Jen–and thank YOU for sharing your humbling list! Oh your dining room tables sounds like mine SO often! I can also relate to #2. My girls don’t put their laundry away yet….but that day will be nice! Instead, we often pull clean clothes out of baskets. :/ Oh my goodness–I HATE grocery shopping as well! Actually, I don’t like to shop period! Yep-totally relate to #5-7 as well. I don’t think #8 is a humbling thing….I think that’s amazing! (And congrats, by the way!!) #9–I’ve definitely had my fair share of that…(see PPD posts!). And I’ve heard celiac can cause that. 🙁 10–Ha! 11-Been there–too often. 🙁 12-Thanks for your true humility!!! 🙂
Megan M.
Wow! 31 of these could have actually been written about me!! haha! We must have a lot in common. Other than number 27 (I’m super crafty) all of these things are my humbling truths, too. Welcome to grace!
Erin
Grace is…amazing! Glad to know I’m not the only one with most of these! I wish I were crafty! I’ve tried…quilting, sewing, scrapbooking–you name it! Blogging is the only “hobby” I’ve stuck with….and it doesn’t involve crafts. 🙂
Gabrielle
Well if I set out to write my list of humbling things, 31 of them would match yours identically. Thanks to hyperemesis, I’m wearing my prepregnancy clothes. And yes, I forget to change my baby’s diapers too. It’s because we have two in diapers. I feel like I’m always changing someone’s diaper, but in reality, I’m still not changing them frequently enough!
Erin
I’m glad I’m not alone–and I think the weight is probably easier for SURE than going through hyperemesis (I can’t imagine!). I feel like I’m constantly changing diapers as well…and I guess we could be doing it all day!
Sara Shay @YourThrivingFamily
Happy Birthday again 🙂
Yup, most of these are me too! Except I am a year behind you. And I’m with you on the Diastis thing, pretty sure I’m there are well. Makes me hate getting dressed!
Oh and I just lost the “1” key on my computer, how does that happen – its not like it is the car keys.
Erin
Haha–Glad I’m not alone! Thanks for the happy bday, Sara! 🙂 (I’ll be posting a little bit more about diastasis tomorrow–including a pic of mine!)
Sarah E@TheTeachersWife
I can relate to many of yours- the one about needing to rewash clothes, sometimes having lunch dishes in the sink at dinner, saying yes to everyone, and working on not being late b/c others can take it as disrespect. I like to think of myself as a mess, but a beautiful {and I don’t mean looks} mess b/c I’m constantly being molded by my savior! 🙂 I’m DEFINITELY a work in progress!
Erin
I’m glad I”m not the only one! I never realized until a few years ago being late=disrespect for other people! :/ When my husband explained it to me, a lightbulb finally went off. Thanks for sharing!
Diana@My Humble Kitchen
I think you left out genuine, compassionate, joy filled, friendly… goodness girl, I could go on! You are a blessing to so many and I’ve been touched deeply by your friendship this year! Just thought you should know that 😉 Have a happy, happy birthday!!