I’m forgetting things a lot lately.  Not huge things – like a kid or anything like that, but things that I really shouldn’t.  For the last month, I couldn’t seem to figure out exactly when my daughter’s preschool graduation was.  My husband kept saying he was going to golf or go somewhere and I would shout in my most exacerbated, are-you-kidding-me voice “You can’t!  It’s Kamryn’s graduation!”  To which he would reply, “That’s on the 3^rd.”  Now that her graduation is only 2 days away, I’m afraid that I’m going to forget to go, much less the cheese and crackers that I signed up to bring.

Last weekend we were in Phoenix to visit friends.  I had this trip booked and organized over a month ago.  The flight, hotel and car were all reserved and paid for…or so I thought.  Once we touched down, I was scanning my emails looking for what rental car company I reserved the car with.  I couldn’t find it anywhere!  I kept telling Ryan, “I know I reserved it!  Don’t you remember when I was booking our trip to Iowa?  I was going to reserve a car for Arizona and then remembered I already did?”  I just got that look and it was pretty clear I had imagined this whole thing.  Thank God for smartphones; we had a car in a few minutes.  Apparently, my phone is more capable of getting things done than its operator.

On that same trip, I forgot to bring diapers for Rory when we went to my friend’s house for a barbeque.  That’s acceptable, right?  I mean, I have only had at least 1 kid in diapers for the last 4 ½ years.  I promised my friend, Kelley, who just had an adorable little boy, I would send her 2 nursing bras that I had, but never really wore, only to get home and have this vague recollection of taking them to Goodwill when I was cleaning out my closet.  And to top it off, after we got home and unpacked all of our things, I realized I forgot my “cuddle pillow” at the hotel.  I have been hugging this pillow for the last 10 years when I sleep and travel with it all the time.  What’s that saying about losing your head if it weren’t attached?   

I used to remember everything.  Phone numbers, birthdays, anniversaries and names were stored away in my brain like a secure lockbox of organized data that I could easily draw from at any given time.  Now it’s all a slurry of numbers and letters that I can sometimes piece together to get some information.

Today was the last straw.  The kids wanted grilled cheese for lunch.  I buttered up the bread, threw some cheese in between both slices and had it on the stove heating away.  About 5 minutes later, Kamryn said “I think it’s melted.”  I gave her a look that said “What are you talking about?!” and then saw her glance towards the stove.  SHIT! 

Writing this has just made me realize all the other times I have forgotten things and instead of laughing about my forgetfulness, I’m actually a little concerned.  How many calories can I burn with brain exercises?