Oh poop. It's here.

At almost-45, I can't really deny that I'm firmly entrenched in middle age. I mean, I literally did the math. 45 x 2 = (oh c**p) 90!

I am not sure why this has taken me by surprise, after all I've had 45 years to see it coming!

Middle-aged me.

When my parents were 45 I was just entering my teens. Man, they were so uncool, ugly, boring and a bit fat.

My mother wore those god-awful shoes which made her look 100 years old, and when she was on the beach she would still wear a t-shirt so that the sun-burn marks showed (uggghh!)

My dad would always be telling me to “do your coat up”. Nag, nag, nag.

And why oh why couldn’t she learn to wear her make-up properly? Where’s the eye-shadow and blusher for heaven’s sake?! Tuttt.

And not forgetting the fact that they are always drinking TEA on hot days. And they both had ugly feet.

Oh yeah, and if we were in a cafe, she would, like, actually complain and send things back....so embarrassing!

Man, I do miss her.

It all seems so perfectly reasonable now I’m 45 too.

Lord save me from the venomous opinions of my offspring.

Note to self - less complaining, more blusher.

Middle-aged mum sporting ciggy, and me, 1982

Life has a habit of running away from you. Be sure to capture and preserve every precious moment of your own journey and the memories you make with your children. They obviously hate you now, but a legacy of their memories could be the greatest gift you ever leave them.

There are lots of resources out there to help you preserve your family stories, and SaveEveryStep.com is a great place to get started. Free to use, family stories on a chronological timeline.

Read more of Helen’s Blog here.