Why Forty-Four?

One would think that turning forty-four is not very significant.  You've already passed the dreaded fortieth birthday where you were showered with gag gifts, birthday cards predicting impending doom, and an unlimited budget for a party to end all parties because you still can't believe you made it to forty alive!  

But forty-four?  Not a milestone in any way.  You're still closer to forty than to fifty.  So why has turning forty-four this week turned my life into upheaval?

First of all, my birthday fell on a Tuesday this year.  When you have a working husband, two adolescent boys at home, and it's the beginning of summer, having a birthday on a Tuesday really just means it's going to be the same as every other day of the week, the month, the year.  The difference being is that you wake up to cheers and in the case of my husband, a barrage of incredibly thoughtful gifts. But other than that, you're still mom, it's still summer break, and it's still just a Tuesday.