a mother's mind is like a sieve...

I spent the other morning at my friend Julie's house where we'd planned to put up these cool Blik decals on the walls of her daughter's room (they are so cool and I'm drooling over the Anise design), but gave up trying to get anything done because it was too hard with the kids, so we sat with them and ate their snacks and watched them play.

"Is Tali going to gymnastics today?" Julie's oldest asked and we both realized that we'd totally forgotten about gymnastics. How it's possible that we forgot, I'm not sure. Gymnastics is a weekly event that four of our six children go to. It's at the same time each week and it's not unexpensive. Yet, it totally fell off my radar. And I have to say, I'm so relieved that Julie forgot, too, because 1.) I've always figured she was so together and 2.) now I'm a little less convinced that I'm experiencing early onset Alzheimers.

Here are some of the other things I've forgotten this week:

1.) Samuel's sleepover--I actually called Samuel's friend's mom and said, "Hey, Samuel would love to have a sleepover this weekend--what do you think?" And after a long pause, she said, "Amy, we planned one for tonight." Oh, right. Yeah... I was just testing her!

2.) Not only did I get one call from a summer camp this week, but THREE telling me that I'm late in sending back the medical forms.

3.) Father's Day (By the way, if you are my father and you are reading this, I have not forgotten Father's Day--See? I'm reminding myself right now!)

4.) I forgot to go to my dentist appointment last week... Just totally forgot. But I did remember this week that I was supposed to go... last week.

5.) On Sunday, Boaz and I both forgot that we've been keeping Tali off of dairy because she's been having stomach aches. So he took her to a birthday party in the afternoon where she ate pizza, cake, and ice cream, and then later on when we celebrated Naomi's birthday, she continued to eat more pizza, cake, and ice cream. And then spent the evening in bed with us curled up in pain with a stomach ache. Sigh...

6.) I'm about three weeks overdue in giving another parent my contribution for the teacher's gift. Luckily, she's got my number and knows where I live. :)

7.) And finally, a few days ago, I was driving a friend home, and even though I'd been to her house probably about two dozen times, I could not remember what street she lived on. Seriously. And though I have always been very admittedly and severely geographically disabled, this friend does not live very far from me. I explained to her how I've done this to other friends--forgotten where they lived--and one friend took it personally and how it was just my complete spaciness, but I'm not sure she didn't think something was a bit off with me.

So why am I forgetting everything? Is it because I'm not careful enough? Maybe, but I have lists in twelve billion places and have resorted to writing the most important information on my hands (which I have to say, is actually not the greatest look. But it does work--at least until you've washed your hands a couple of times.) I would write it on my face if it'd help, but lately, I haven't had time to look in the mirror often enough to believe that seeing something there would help me remember anything.

I'm going to attribute the forgetfulness to simply being way overwhelmed. Three kids, five schedules to create and follow, twelve tons of laundry, committees to serve on, miles to run, meals to cook, lunches to make, carpools, baseball, t-ball, gymnastics, doctor's appointments, phonecalls to return, bills to pay, and a career to grow, and oddly, thankfully, or unfortunately, I rarely forget things at work, so maybe my brain isn't strong enough to hold it all? And why are we, why am I, trying to do so much? Maybe there are just times when our family motto of "Everyone in bed and alive at the end of the day makes for a good day" is a good enough goal to live by.

So this is just to say that if I've forgotten to call you back or can't remember where you live, it's nothing personal. It's just that my brain is leaking a little.