The other day I was in a mad dash to finish some work.  All I needed were 15 solid, uninterrupted minutes. 

“Mommy, I need help!”  Karenna bounded into my office with a tangle of scotch tape stuck to her hands.

“In a few minutes.  I have to finish this.” 

Karenna’s in a phase where she finds random objects around the house and tries to wrap them herself.  She began this hobby by neatly folding her “gifts” in blankets and towels.  She’s since progressed to covert present-wrapping operations, smuggling wrapping paper and tape from the closet and sneaking off to her room to finish the deed.   

Occasionally I’ve found her crying in the middle of a mass of crumpled paper and piles of twisted tape strands.  ”I can’t do it, mommy!” she cries.  I end up wrapping up the stuffed animal, bar of soap, or whatever the gift of the day is, for her.  Then she unwraps her present, pretends to be surprised, and the cycle continues. 

This particular day was the worst possible day for her present-wrapping obsession to become a full-blown birthday party.  I had already assisted her in gathering decorations and blowing up balloons that afternoon, and with a deadline looming I had to focus.

“But mommy, I need more tape for my pretend-birthday party.”

“If you just hang on a few more minutes, you’ll have my full attention.  Be patient!” I barked, a little too impatiently.  I fixed the tape mess and sent her on her way, feeling guilty and frazzled.

Ten minutes later, I had almost finished my article.  I just needed to fix one more thing…

“MOMMY, COME ON!  YOU HAVE TO SEE!”  Karenna flew in, grabbing my hand and almost pulling  me out of my chair.

“WHAT, Karenna?!  I can’t just drop what I’m doing every time you need something!!”  Defeated and at my whits end, I begrudgingly let her pull me down the hall to her room.

“SURPRISE!  Happy Pretend-Birthday, Mommy!”  She stood proudly, waiting for my reaction to the streamers, the balloons, the birthday signs, the meticulously-set tea-party table.  Only then had I noticed that she’d changed into her best dress and dress-up jewelry.  She handed me her homeade gift.  I unwrapped it to find a picture drawn in crayon.  It showed two happy stick figures under a rainbow and surrounded by hearts.  Inside each heart was the word “Mommy.”

“Thank you so much.  You worked very hard on this, and I love it.”  As I knelt down to hug her, I felt like a fool.  I felt gratitude for my family, and for a daughter who spends a whole afternoon throwing me a pretend-birthday party.  

I hope this Mother’s Day blesses me with more moments like these.  They are way more important than deadlines, fancy brunches, expensive baubles or anything else.  They remind busy moms how worth it it is to drop everything and enjoy our kids’ adoring love for us.  Little do they know, that unconditional love is the best gift we could ever receive.

 I made these (pictured above) for my daughter’s preschool class.  Just add a few drops of pink food color while you’re mixing the Rice Krispies and marshmallows together, cut out hearts using a cookie cutter, and you’re done. 

For added appeal, I drizzled pink-colored white chocolate on top of them. 

One batch made 18 hearts.  I plan on trying out green shamrock Krispie Treats for St. Patrick’s Day. 

Find the full recipe on familyfun.com.

Enjoy, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Advent Forest

Christmas…The most wonderful time of the year, right?  But if you’re like me, sometimes the stress of shopping, wrapping and all the rest can get in the way.  This year I’m determined to pare down on the commercialism and simplify the season so mommy can enjoy the holidays too! 

Now, there are certain things I go all out on at Christmas that won’t ever change.  I LOVE decorating.  But I made less batches of cookies, bought less gifts, and am making more family time.  I’m focusing more on the special family traditions I can pass on to my kids, and on carving out more quiet time at night for us to just hang out.  Here are a 8 simple traditions, crafts and shortcuts that help me put the joy back into Christmas:

easy gingerbread houses

2.  Improvise.  Forgot to buy tags?  Here’s an easy way to make your own:  Using white card stock, cut paper into strips or squares using patterned-edge scissors.  Tape them under bows for elegant, simple tags.  These are such a snap to make, and personally, I think they are much prettier than the sticker kind anyway.

make your own tag

3.  Easy crafts.  Whether it’s a gingerbread house or a popsicle-stick snowflake, pick a craft and have some fun with the kids!  White glitter pinecones are my favorite.  These have been around forever, but if you’re looking for something easy to do with the kiddos, these are simple and pretty.  Mix together glue and white paint, brush on pinecones, then sprinkle with white or iridescent glitter.  Finish by tying a pretty ribbon to the top.  I have these on my tree, and sometimes the kids give them as gifts.  Tip:  The more paint you use, the prettier they are!

make your own centerpiece

4.  Use nature’s beauty.  Not all Christmas decorations have to come from a store.  Snip some evergreen from your yard and display it in pretty vases for a centerpiece.  Not only pine, but cedar, juniper and boxwood also make beautiful decorations.  Keep them in water so they last all season.  If you’re feeling creative, craft a wreath by tying or gluing the branches to a wreath form from a craft store.  Simple, elegant, and cheap!

5.  Family movie night.  Time to pour the eggnog or hot cocoa,unwrap the cookies and get out those great Christmas classics! Whether it’s Rudolf the Red Nosed Reinder, How the Grinch Stole Christmas,  A Charlie Brown Christmas, or A Christmas Story–or newer movies like The Polar Express or Elf, a special movie night can make for great family cuddle time.  We love Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas, a Jim Henson classic.  If you’re in the mood for live entertainment, you could also take the family out to holiday concert at a local school or church, or even to the theatre.  I apprehensively took my 4 year old daughter, who loves dance, to see The Nutcracker, and to my surprise, she loved it.

white glitter pinecones

6.  Light-Peeping: Fun and Free.  Once a year, we pile in the car and drive around town marveling at the awesome light displays.  We stop for coffee and hot cocoa along the way and have the Christmas carols on full-blast.  We even stop at a drive thru live nativity at a local church (a mini drive-thru Christmas play), which we can view from the warmth of our car.  The kids love it!

7.  Give Back.  Something as simple as taking some food to a local shelter can do alot to put the spirit back into Christmas for me, and it reminds the kids that it’s not all about the presents.  Sign up the family to ring the Salvation Army bell for an hour, or see if your church has any outreach programs your family can get involved in.

8.  Caroling.  If you have anyone musical in your family, break out the guitar/keyboard/flute and start singing.  Get some other families together and carol around your street/neighborhood, or havea caroling party right in your home.  Always puts me in a great mood. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

apple picking

1.  Apple and grape picking.  Living in upstate New York, these homegrown fruits become staples in the fall.  And they taste so much better picked straight from the tree/vine.  My whole family gets in on the action, and we have ball.  We’ve also visited cider mills, where the kids can watch how its made and then sample the result. 

2.  Visiting a pumpkin patch.  I don’t mean choosing from neat rows of picked pumpkins, I mean sloshing through the mud in our boots until we find the perfect ones.  Our favorite pumpkin patch grows pumpkins in all shapes, colors and textures–green, white, grey, bright orange, pale orange, bumpy ones-plus gourds and squash galore.  The night before Halloween, we carve two of them.

3.  Going on a scary hayride and other good, old-fashioned fun.  There are two types of

hayride at Powers Farm Market, Pittsford, NY

haunted hayrides–kid-friendly ones and adult-friendly ones.  We take a kid-friendly hayride at a local farm market.  We wind through the woods watching ghosts, gouls and witches as they stir their cauldron, as well as a creepy cemetery filled with dry ice.  At the farm market we also hit the petting zoo and giant corn-stalk teepees, which house wall-to-wall jack-0′lanterns. 

farm-market fun

If you’ve ever experienced a more “adult-appropriate” hayride, you know they probably involve gory masked figures jumping out at you suddenly and screaming in your face, and you’re not sure whether to laugh or scream back!  Fun for a goofy night out with friends. 

4.  Making pumpkin pie/muffins/bread and eating it with a hot cup of pumpkin spice coffee, by the flame of a pumpkin-spice candle, before taking a bath filled with pumpkin-spice bubbles.  You get the picture.  If you can’t tell already, I love everything pumpkin.

Canandaigua Lake

5. Taking walks in the woods and drives in the country.  The Finger Lakes boast breathtaking foliage in autumn.  During peak season, we like to walk along the nature trails at our local state park, observing a chipmunk, toad, caterpillar, bird, or maybe even a deer in its natural habitat.  We also love to ride through the hills around our lake as we listen to Louie and Ella’s “Autumn in New York,” stopping at an antique, coffee or pie shop if we spot one.

6. Wine touring.  Living in wine country, hubby and I love to do this any time of year, but autumn is prime time to visit our region’s wineries, some of which are the country’s best.  It’s our relaxing ”getaway day”. 

7.  Watching, “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”  We grew up watching this, and now we do it with our kids.  Who cares if the Peanuts kids are cruel and every other word in the show is “stupid”?  It’s a classic, right? 

8.  Halloween Fun.  Costumes, decorating and spooky crafts.  Need I say more?  This year I’m actually attempting to make my daughter’s costume, which will be interesting since I don’t sew.  Families from all over town come to our little area of the neighborhood to trick-or-treat, because the homeowners here go all-out in their house decorating.  Sometimes the adults dress up too.  Who knows, maybe hubby and I will try dressing up this year.  Now THAT’s something I haven’t done in awhile.      

9.  Football.  I’m not big into TV sports, but football’s an exception.  There’s something about football on a crisp Sunday afternoon that screams “fall”.  Football, chili, and a roaring fireplace.  My son is playing on a touch football team this fall, and he loves going to watch our high school football team play home games, also.

10.  Crockpot meals.  Comfort food, plain and simple.  Soup, stew, chili, casseroles, you name it.  They’re easy one-dish dinners you can fix in the morning and forget about until dinner time.  By the time September rolls around, these meals become a welcome change to summer’s burgers and salad.  Visit here  for some easy slow cooker meal ideas.

You’ve wanted to get fit for months, maybe years.  But there are never enough hours in the day for exercise.  And now with the kids’ homework and extra-curricular activities competing for your time, you may be thinking now’s not a good time to start either.  However, learning to fit exercise into your regular schedule, and then adhering to that schedule consistently, is a big step forward in itself.  Today may be as good a time as any to make yourself, and your health, a top priority.  You deserve it!  Because a happy, healthy mom is a better mom.

Easier said than done, you say?  All you need is 30 minutes, three or four days a week as a starting point.  Check out shape.com for exercise programs, expert tips, nutrition information, and an online virtual trainer to help you plan meals and exercise routines, and also to track your progress.  In addition, here are some other tips and ways to help you get started:

1. If you can, sign up for a trial membership at a fitness center, and go there at least three times per week.  That way if it’s not your cup of tea, you won’t have the guilt.  Family-friendly facilities, like your local YMCA, are an excellent way to get the kids involved in fitness too.  And, you’ll have access to their childcare services, pool, gym, group fitness classes, personal trainers and racquetball court.  You may even meet some other moms there who are trying to achieve the same goals as you.
2. If the first option isn’t feasible for you, find a moderate to high-intensity activity you love and do it consistently.  Want to try yoga?  Here are a few moves you can do with your kids.  Walking and running are also both great options.  Never run before?  That’s okay!  Start slow and work your way up.  You’ll be amazed at how far you can progress in just a couple of months.  You can find some great running tips online.  Or pick up an issue of Runner’s World, at newstands.  Have a baby at home?  Bring her along in the stroller.
3. Exercise at a time of the day when you’re happiest and at your highest energy level.  Your workouts will be more effective, and you’ll be more motivated to follow through.
4. If you don’t want to leave the house, pick up some fitness DVD’s and get moving.  Even the half-hour length ones can be very effective if you use them consistently.  Mix and match between strength training and cardio, since both are important for weight loss.  Some great ones to try:  The Firm series and Jillian Michaels’ series.  You may want to invest in some weights (about $10/each) to use with the DVDs.  Fit tv also offers some good fitness programs.  Just don’t give up!  You’ll get more and more comfortable with the routines with every use.
5. If you’re the type who likes to commiserate with others to stay motivated, recruit a friend to exercise with you, and push each other to stick with your workout schedule.
6. Pair exercise with healthy eating.  We’ve all been there:  Ordering takeout after a crazy day…finishing your kids’ mac-n-cheese and PB&J crusts.  It’s an easy trap to fall into.  Make a conscious effort to watch what you eat.  Stick to fresh produce, whole grains, lots of fiber, nuts, legumes and lean meats.  Watch your saturated and trans-fat intake and your sugar intake.  Avoid excessive snacking and listen to your body’s signals when you’re full.  Most of all, forgive yourself when you screw up, and start again fresh the next day. 
7. Start slow, and be patient!  Set realistic goals, and reward yourself with a new lipstick or another small splurge when you reach them.  You don’t want to burn yourself out by trying to do too much, too soon.  Don’t expect results right away.  It takes about 6 weeks to notice the fruits of your labor, but it’s totally worth it in the end. 

If taking that first step seems daunting, don’t worry.  You can do it.  It is possible.  You may hit a few stumbling blocks in the beginning, but stick to your guns and your new healthy lifestyle will be like second nature before you know it.  And you’ll be amazed by how fabulous you feel.  Best of luck!

I usually welcome the quiet, but today it’s daunting.  I’m not as excited as I thought I would be to have two whole hours of uninterrupted work time.  Suddenly I don’t know what to do with myself.  I just dropped my youngest off at preschool for a third day in a row, and it went the same all three days.  She squeals with delight, skipping excitedly at my side as we walk into the school.  When it’s time for me to leave, she clamps onto me like a huge suction cup, crying as she buries her face into my shirt. 

I know that the best thing to do when this happens is to kiss her goodbye and leave quickly, but I hate it.  I feel like I’m betraying her.  Thank goodness she has an awesome, nurturing teacher or I would really lose it.  She does the same thing when I come to pick her up.  As soon as the parents start showing up, she cries.  I have to carry her out to the car, and she won’t even talk to me until we get home.  The teacher assures me that this is temporary, and I agree with her.  I know my daughter is more than ready for preschool.  But my heart obviously doesn’t listen because I continue to sit here, worrying like a nervous Nelly the whole time she’s away.   

When I dropped my son off at second grade last week, just the opposite happened.  As we walked down the hallway to his classroom he kept scampering ahead of me, impatient.  When we got to the room he ran in and got busy catching up with his friends.  I think he forgot I was in the hallway, waiting for my goodbye for a good minute or so.  This also saddened me in a different way.  My family is reaching the stage where mommy and daddy aren’t the center of the universe anymore, and in certain cases we can even be extremely uncool.  The pace at which Nick seems to be growing up totally freaks me out sometimes.  No matter how much I try to stall it. 

So here I am, fretting about my “baby” at preschool when I’m supposed to be carrying out all my grand plans for the morning.  I’ve been counting down the minutes until I can pick her up.   I think I’ll give up on the whole work thing right now.  Mommy needs some time to adjust, too.   It seems I’m having just as much trouble letting her go as she is me.  Maybe it’s because she’s my youngest.  Or maybe it’s because I’m realizing how quickly she’s reaching that next stage of childhood.  In any case, I think I’ll go for a run and ponder the issue.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Every summer I struggle with the question: To have or not to have?? 

I contemplate the pros and cons.  Pros: Getting paid to get rid of stuff I no longer want or need.  More space, less clutter, and the feeling of relief and accomplishment that comes with it.  Cons:  A week of sorting, pricing, boxing, hauling up and down stairs.  The waste of a Saturday.  My husband complaining about having to help.  My mother-in-law dropping by and getting upset when she sees that I’m selling the cowboy boots she bought for my son 5 years ago.  And again boxing up all the stuff I didn’t get rid of and having no idea what to do with it.  Okay, so there may be a few more cons than pros, but that didn’t stop me from having another yard sale last weekend.

Everytime I sort through my kids’ stuff, my internal dialogue goes something like this:

“What if I regret selling this?  Should I keep it for my grandkids?  Ugh, no!  Get rid of it!  They have too many toys already!  Sell!…But it’s so cute, and we spent a fortune on it, and Nick had so much fun with it, Keep!…No, too many toys, Sell!,” and so on. 

My kids went to my parents’ house the day of my sale.  At the end of the day Karenna came home with my silver Barbie corvette from 25 years ago (ugh, I feel old!), which my mom saved all this time.  The steering wheel and some of the decals are missing, but Karenna could care less.  She loves it as if it were brand new.  She also plays with my childhood Cabbage Patch Doll, Pound Puppy and Little People sets, all of which my mom has saved, which my daughter loves equally as well.  So there is a good argument, I think, for saving a few of the kids’ toys, if you don’t go overboard and you have a place to store them.  I like to save a few of their favorites and the ones that’ll be classics decades from now.

Thinking about all of this has led me to ponder how wasteful our culture is, and how disposable our belongings are.  When we want something, we get it, and we get it NOW.  Then two years later we tire of it and it ends up at our next sale.  As easily as we get it, we trash it.  And the cycle continues.  It happens with my kids’ toys, with our clothes, stuff for the house, electronics, you name it.  It seems like it didn’t used to be that way.  Growing up my family had the same TV, the same appliances, the same toys forever before they were replaced.  I had nowhere near the amount of toys my own kids have, and I was just as entertained.  So why do kids today have so many more toys?  Why is everyone always striving for bigger, better?  Who knew a mundane yard sale would bring such questions to mind.  It has definitely allowed me to consider, “How long will my kids actually use this?” before buying them yet another toy that may land in a landfill. 

On that note, I’d like to share some “yard sale tips” for success.  Here’s what’s worked best for me:

1.  Advertise!  Put an ad in your local classifieds.  Be very specific in your ad, naming your big-ticket items, popular items, clothing sizes, brands, etc.  If the sale will be held on an open lawn, list a rain date.  Announce the sale on Facebook and Twitter.  Consider having a street-wide or neighborhood sale.  Make sure your signs are strategically placed, sturdy and easy to read.  Have your sale for two or three days, if possible.

2. It’s all about presentation.  Put your most desirable items in the most visible spot.  Neatly organize your loot.  Iron and hang clothes, if possible, or neatly fold them and place them on tables.  Separate kids’ clothes by sizes.  Have a separate bin for well-worn clothing and label it $1 or 50 cents.  (You’d be surprised how many people buy kids’ clothes from this.)  Note: I have never had luck selling adult clothes, even like-new ones.  Have toy playsets displayed on a table, not boxed or bagged.  If you still have instruction manuals, put them with toys/electronics.  Make sure everything has batteries, or keep some on hand to demonstrate that items missing them do work.   

3. Expect haggling.  People who go to yard sales want stuff for next to nothing.  When you’re pricing, keep in mind that people will try to get you to lower that price.  (Price everything!  People hate asking for prices.)  For stuff you really want to get rid of, price lower.  You could even have a “free” box.  For more valuable stuff, price higher and keep labels on hand in case you want to slash the price later.  

4. Be organized.  In my experience, the morning hours are crazy and the afternoon hours are steady to dead.  Expect a few people to show up a half hour to 15 minutes early.  Have someone available to watch your small kids, or send them to grandma’s for the day.  Make sure you have change for large bills.  Have lunch/lunch plans ready ahead of time and keep drinks and water on hand.  Keep your money on you or have someone with your cash box at all times.  Keep jewelry and valuables close to you.  Have someone there to help watch for shoplifters.  You’d be amazed how easily things can disappear when you’re not looking!

5.  Consign/Donate/Sell Online.  Your sale is over, and you’re left with a truckload of junk.  Now what?  I’ve had great success consigning my kids’ clothes.  They do the selling for you!  Pick a reputable children’s consignment shop and see if they’re taking new consigners.  Also, don’t forget to donate clothing, household and other hard-to-sell items to a local charity.  Finally, consider Ebay and Craigslist.  Ebay can be great for clothing, valuables and collectibles, and Craigslist is convenient for larger things that you don’t want to have to ship in the mail.

typical work-at-home mom scenario

I love being able to work from home.  It definitely has its perks.  I can sit at my desk in my pajamas for as long as I want, and forget about makeup.  I can make my own hours and spend more time with my kids.  It also comes with a few minor challenges.  You work-at-home moms know what I’m talking about, right?  There’s a kind of tug-of-war constantly playing inside my head.  And summer brings with it the endless temptation to want to blow work off altogether and enjoy the weather (which I’m giving in to more than I should lately).  When I’m working, I feel guilty for ignoring the kids.  When I’m with the kids, I feel guilty for blowing off my work.  Time becomes a little blurred, and before I know it, it’s 5pm and I need to scrounge up some dinner.  The house is a disaster and I wonder what I accomplished all day.  Does any of this sound familiar?

I’ve tried to break my day up into increments, and it works out okay…sometimes.  In the morning, I hang out with the kids and run errands.  In the afternoon I try to block off some time to get stuff done.  Sometimes it goes off without a hitch, other days…not so much.  For instance, I put a movie in for the kids the other day so I could work on an assignment (I’m also taking a course).  Ah….sweet silence for about 70 minutes.  But I can always tell when the ending credits begin rolling.  Suddenly my silent sanctuary is replaced by shouting, fighting, and the pitter-patter of little feet running up the hallway to tattle about the other sibling’s latest offense. 

The kids play on their own pretty well, but I can only expect them to do this for so long.  Usually an endless stream of distractions prevent me from getting too involved in my thoughts.  I hear “Can I have a drink” and  “Can you help me (insert request)?” pretty much every day.  I must say, when left on their own, the kids do become quite creative in finding things to do.  Last week my daughter ran into my office with bright orange nail polish smeared all over her hands.  ”Isn’t it pretty mommy?”  I pretty much laughed and cried at the same time.  What could I say?  I probably shouldn’t have left her and the polish alone together.

I’m not writing about this to whine.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Working in and out of the home both have pros and cons, and each mom has her own personal experience with/preference about it.  With the added freedom of being home, I found I needed to have a ton of added discipline.  I’ve sacrificed many a night with my husband to catch up on work, plugging away at the computer until the early morning hours.  It’s all about finding balance in my life, something I’m still learning to perfect.  I think that’s one of the main challenges moms face today, and I suspect I won’t stop working at it anytime soon.

I’m being reminded more than ever lately that the most joy can be found in the simplest of acts.  The other night, on a whim, we had a “camp out” in our backyard, complete with flames crackling our metal fire pit, s’mores and singing.  We’re not huge campers, but it was a beautiful night and no one wanted to go inside just yet.  Who knew it’d be so much fun to scrounge for wood, eat burnt marshmallows, and teach the kids old Girl Scout songs from eons ago?  We lit tiki torches as the stars lit the black sky like a planetarium show.  We took turns finding constellations (real and made-up). 

Hubby and I noticed the fire still burning full force after we put the kids to bed, so we grabbed a bottle of wine, turned on Diana Krall and stayed outside until the last ember faded.  It was nice not having to talk over the TV or obnoxious ring of the phone for once.

In a few weeks it will be back to business as usual.  The kids will be back in school, once again I’ll take on the duty of carpooler-in-chief and our nights will be filled with homework followed by earlier bedtime routines.  But until that happens, you’ll find me snoozing in a hammock somewhere, taking one more dip in the lake, eating that last s’more, and relishing in summer’s simple pleasures.

You regularly put yourself into a panic thinking you’ve lost your wallet, keys, credit card or phone. 

You suddenly draw a blank when someone asks for your phone number, kids’ birthdays or age.

You can be found rifling through every closet, drawer and diaper bag in your house at 2am looking for a stray diaper because you forgot to pick some up that day.

If any or all of these describe you, you might have mommy brain.

It’s been over 7 years since I’ve attained mommy-dom, and my pre-mommy brain is still nowhere in sight.  Maybe I left it at the hospital with my last unbroken night of sleep.  When you’re pregnant, they tell you that this abrupt onset of flightiness is preggo brain.  But they never tell you that preggo brain morphs into mommy brain and never goes away.  At least in my case it didn’t. 

Without my desk calendar I don’t know where I’d be.  I refer to it constantly not only for appointments, but sometimes just to make sure I have the right day of the week.  And I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve wasted looking for things…Like my sunglasses, when they’re on top of my head.  Or my keys, when they’re in the front door.  Last week I left a bag of groceries at the supermarket, twice in the same day.  Then a few days later I did the same thing with a gallon of milk.  Eight out of ten times one of the following occurs at Wegmans : 1) I lose my grocery list and wander the store aimlessly trying to remember everything on it. 2) I turn my purse inside out looking for my keys, wallet or debit card. (Why do purses have so many stupid pockets?) 3) I forget where I parked and wander the lot like an idiot until I stumble upon my car.  One time a few months ago I left my cart behind my car and ran into it backing up. 

Now, maybe not all moms have had the same unfortunate luck as me.  My husband thinks that in my case it may be early dimensia (no joke).  He laughs at the whole notion of mommy brain.  Granted, I’ve always been a tad clumsy, a little unobservant, (relatives, stop laughing!) but it got notably worse post-children.  And people like my husband don’t know that mommy brain is backed by scientific research.  NBC Nightly News highlighted this in a story they ran in 2008.  It described ”momnesia” as forgetfulness experienced by moms, caused by hormone shifts and lack of sleep.  Apparently, new moms lose 700 hours of sleep in the first year of baby’s life.  Add doctor’s appointments, potty training, daycare/school, carpools, birthday parties, sports, music lessons, playdates, making meals, maintaining the house, making a living and still having time for ourselves and our husbands, and it’s no wonder our heads are in a state of permanent brain fog. 

If anyone has a cure for this, please share!  In the meantime, despite my hopeless condition, I have found that a few things that have helped:  1) Obviously, getting enough sleep can’t hurt.  2) Exercise and eating right makes me feel better and more energetic.  3) Doing the same things at the same time every day keeps things predictable.  For example, I keep my keys in the same place all of the time.  When I used one, I would restock my diaper bag every night.  4) I love my lists.  My purse is full of them, ripped and crumpled.   I refer to a “to do” list throughout the day, which keeps me focused.  That is, until I lose it.