I forget

Somedays it feels like I have so very much to say and not a single brain cell left in which to form the words to
say it.  I will begin multiple conversations throughout my day, with my Mom, my girls, Corey and never finish them, not because I've been interrupted, or because there is a crisis (although there are many conversations left hanging for these exact reasons) but more because what I was saying completely vanished from my brain.  It's kinda like the missing sock, you know, one minutes you're putting 2 socks into the washing machine, the next you're pulling one out of the dryer - the other sock, never to be seen again.

This didn't always happen to me, in fact I used to pride myself on my uncanny ability to remember any and everything! (In fact, I used to have the item numbers of random items in most of my stores memorized.  Useful? Not often,  Dorky? Absolutely.) My Mom used to have conversation farts, where it all went out the window and I used to roll my eyes - pft Old people. 

The thing is, one of two things has happened.  Either I've become old (which would explain why random teenagers keep calling me Ma'am.  And no, I'm never going to let that go) or my Mom had a valid point when she said it was my fault, at least partially my fault.  You see, she used to say she gave birth to half her brain cells when she had me, and then half of what was left when she had my brother, so all she was left with was a quarter and that entitled her to forget things once in awhile.  I said that was a bunch of garbage and to try a new one, but now, I wonder....

I've given birth a few times now, and it seems miraculously that my ability to remember things is disipating at a rapid rate.  Maybe it's the whole brain cell thing or maybe, the ones that are left are overloaded with kid stuff.  You know the 600 things I have to remember each time we head out the door and the reason I don't carry a purse but Mary Poppins' magic bag.

The other theory is that it's because the sheer volume of these two children is mind numbing at times.  It's not all crying and shreiking (although there is definately times where that is the exact cause of the sound) these days the girls are learning to play together and that involves laughing and giggling, shouting for each other and hide and seek - which by the way is where Bethany puts her face against the wall and counts, while sneaking a peak through her armpit and Audrey standing there in a braced position for the moment B turns around to find her.  It's sort of more like a kid waiting anxiously for a Jack in the Box to pop than two kids hiding.  It's intensly frustrating and undeniably cute, but over all really loud! 

What ever the cause, the cure seems impossible to find.  I read, they say that exercises the brain, my brain's got a wicked six pack but it's memory bank is still flabby.  I tell the girls to "Turn down the volume", and that lasts 2.5 seconds and I do what every self respecting woman does.  I write lists in and on everything, I have a grocery book with lists and notes, my pants pockets are full of scrap paper lists and snotty tissue (because what mother doesn't carry snotty tissue), I don't write on my hands because I might forget where to find my list, I use a day planner and fill the calendar on my Crackberry to it's fullest, (not to mention my kitchen calendar), then I don't go anywhere without it.

And still I forget!  So today, I shout out to all my fellow Mommies, I need help.  Do you remember things?  Does your brain feel like the contents of a sick kids diaper or are you holding it all together?  What's your trick, how do you manage to remember it all and keep it all together?