Reminders

Before I became a mother, I could remember all sorts of information. I often went to the grocery store, sans list, and came back with what I needed. I didn't forget my wallet and my phone was always firmly attached to my hip. Ian was the forgetful one and I was often exacerbated with him. How hard is it to remember to grab the keys from the ignition before you lock the car and shut the door, for crying out loud??? Ah, the good old days.

I am now the proud mother of three beautiful little ones (with one on the way, in case you didn't know) and those days of having it together are long gone. During one of his clever moments, Ian came up with the saying, "Mommy Brain: when your grey matter turns into grey hair." And I completely agree. I used to roll my eyes when I heard the term Mommy Brain. "Whatever," I thought, "not me." Yeah right. My brain has changed so much, I don't know what I'm doing half the time or where anything is. It's a good morning if I can locate my phone before it stops ringing.

And it is now an exercise in futility to ask me to remember something. My mom tries to do it all the time and I have to remind her that I am no longer the girl who remembers everything (unless Ian does something wrong, but that information gets filed somewhere else entirely). Nowadays, if you want me to remember something for you, it's best to text it to me once an hour for two days, write it on a post-it note and stick it on my bathroom mirror and then tattoo it on my forehead and the back of my hand so that I will be guaranteed to see it. And make sure I set a reminder on my phone.

Oh how I love the cell phone reminder. I'm now using a fancy phone - on loan from my phone-savvy brother - and it has all the bells and whistles. If I wanted to, I could use it to create a power-point presentation! If only it were that easy to answer the phone when someone calls... But I digress. Back to phone reminders. I use mine for all sorts of stuff. My newest reminder, I am embarrassed to admit, goes off to let me know that I need to brush my teeth before bed. Gross, I know, how could I forget? Easy. I have three little children and one on the way. Mommy Brain. I often have to look into the toilet just to see if I actually flushed or not. A couple of months ago I backed into my garage door. And there are days when I honestly don't know how long it's been since I've washed my hair. Yes, it really is that bad. In my defense, I usually do remember to brush my teeth, but it's not until after I climb into bed and I finally get all warm and cozy and have a little baby comfortably nursing. And then it's "Oh crap! Oh well, cavities, smchmavities, it can wait." Hence, the phone reminder.

My next reminder to add in will be to remind myself to blog. It's pretty fun and a good way to unwind after the kids are asleep. And it's especially enjoyable when I'm waiting for my new Netflix movie and I've already seen everything I have three times. Though, I have started watching the bonus features and just learned that Steel Magnolias is a true story. Welcome to my life.