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Friday, October 28, 2011

Mommy Mush Brain


People warn you.



Mothers, grandmothers, friends…the warnings come from all over.



They come fast and furious.



They come by way of “enjoy your brain now sweetie because once you’re pregnant it all goes bye-bye.”



Ah yes, pregnancy brain.


For me that meant a certain amount of fogginess that just never went away. Pair the fogginess with hormonal emotions and you’ve got flying blueberry pancakes and a major breakdown over the texture of the nursery walls.



After you give birth, more warnings come.



“If you thought pregnancy brain was tough just wait until mommy brain.”



Ummm yeah….mommy brain?  Mommy brain is tough! 



Early on mommy brain meant not remembering if I showered, brushed my teeth or had a meal that day. 



It meant trying to remember how many ounces of formula my baby had and how long ago he had it. 



It meant trying to remember all the stats and percentages after a well baby visit at the pediatricians’ office.



After getting out of the infant baby stage and you’re starting to sleep through the night you think that you will finally get your normal non-pregnancy, non-mommy brain back. 



Yeah, that doesn’t happen.



Well at least it hasn’t happened for me yet and I’ve been waiting and looking for it.



Mommy brain sticks around well past the baby stage because now what you are trying to remember is not just meals and doctors appointments.



In addition NOW you have to keep school work, activities, field trips, and parties in your brain.  You have to keep soccer practice, games, and snack schedules in your brain.  Don’t forget the pick up and drop off times (for school and sports) You have to keep dentist, and hair appointments in your brain.  Not to mention all the typical household stuff like if everyone has enough clean underwear or not.



Sure an organizer and calendar help, IF you remember to look at it.  But then again, that is one more reminder to keep in your brain.


AND if you have more than one child you have to keep all of it straight and try not to mix it up between the kids. 



This usually results in you calling one child by every other name in the household (including the dogs) before actually getting to his real and actual name. 



So after a long day of remembering everything listed above and then some by the time the evening rolls around I don’t just have Mommy Brain, but Mommy Mush Brain.



It hits about the same time every night, right around 7-8pm.  You ask me a question and I’ve got the “deer caught in headlights” look as a response. 



There is nothing left.  My brain feels like Cinderella after the ball, except I’m not the princess who goes from wearing a gorgeous gown to rags.  My brain is the gorgeous flowing carriage that turns into a pumpkin and then gets trampled on by horses.



And that….that is Mommy Mush Brain!


Do you get Mommy Mush Brain as much as I do?

lovelinks


33 comments:

Alison said...

Haha I love your Cinderella analogy!

I only have one child and already I'm struggling to remember his weight from his last weigh-in. I also forget to brush my teeth sometimes. And in mid-Twitter conversations, I tend to forget what we're talking about.

Wait, what's this about again?

Karin @Mommy's Paradise said...

You're so right. I used to be a 'fast thinker', and now, with only one boy and a Hubs, I'm so happy not to have to think about anything at all comes night. And if I do, it feels like I have sand in my gearbox.

Missy | Literal Mom said...

I used to snicker at my husband's mom and her mommy brain. I don't snicker so much anymore. Since I have it now too. :(

Kelly K @ Dances with Chaos said...

Ah yes..

The Mommy Brain is strong in me.

I too once laughed.

My mind was a steel trap, remembering everything.

Now if I didn't blog or take photos, I'd remember almost nothing.

I'm hoping it comes back.

It does, doesn't it?

You can lie.

The Woven Moments said...

LOVE THIS POST!

Mommy Mush Brain? Yes. That.

After 7:30pm, my brain becomes the consistency of oatmeal. I'm completely worthless.

Enter Twitter. :)

Christine Siracusa said...

It is a very long process, I think. Getting your brain back. I suspect it never fully comes back...but hopefully close. I can't read anything longer than a magazine article or blog post. This is a problem.

Rach (DonutsMama) said...

I've had mommy brain since before I was a mom! I try calendars, notes, lists. But then I forget where I put them.

Kate F. said...

TOTALLY GET EVERY WORD OF THIS POST. (even with my completely "mommy mush mind"...) Loved it!

Anonymous said...

That last paragraph sums it up nicely. I actually play mental games to keep my mom brain from melting. Brain Age and stuff on DS - very helpful. So are agenda books and such.

Kimberly said...

This is so darn true!!
Love!!

Jenna said...

this was absolutely true for me. way to go on nailing this as you wrote it out! :)

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Kimberly...uh I mean Jessica...uh no Alison,

Thank you! It is amazing how I feel dumber than a mud fence most days!! Three kids will do that to a girl!

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Mommy's Paradise,

I'm so glad you can relate! Don't try to get me to think about anything after about 7pm. It just doesn't work right!

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Missy,

Yeah, I remember wondering why my mom couldn't just call me by MY name without running through all the names in the family first. Now I get it!

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Kelly,

I sure hope it does. If it doesn't I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I envision myself walking around in circles not knowing if I'm coming or going. Not a pretty picture.

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

The Woven Moments,

Isn't it amazing how our brains just seem to turn off. Even if we don't want them too? UGH!

Twitter is a nice place to fall isn't it?

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Christine,

I hope it comes back!! I've been in the Mommy Mush Brain status for over eight years now. HA!

I too can't read anything of any length. Expect for when I'm vacation, without the kids. Hmmm imagine that!

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Rach,

HA! I totally hear you! All the organizational things I have tried get lost somewhere!

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Kate,

I'm so very glad you can relate. But I have to say it's not surprising since we were seperated at birth!!

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

MamaMash,

I'm glad you liked it! Hmmm, I think you are onto something there with the games. I can tell my DH that I'm doing it to keep my mommy brain from melting. BRILLIANT!

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Kimberly,

I'm so very glad you liked it and can relate!

Hopes@Staying Afloat! said...

Jenna,

Thank you so very much for coming by and commenting! I'm so very glad you can relate to this. There is safety in numbers right!

Lindsey @ Campfire Song said...

Mommy brain made me a very good list-maker. And I also keep a daytimer.

Erica M said...

What were we talking about again?

Andrea said...

I keep waiting for Mommy Brain to go away. No luck. I've even tried those brain games on the DS that are supposed to help your memory. Still no luck. If you figure something out, please let the rest of us know!

Amanda @ It's Blogworthy said...

I have it for sure. Its' not nearly as bad as pregnancy brain, but it's pretty bad. And I will never have my life in order, planner or not, so I don't even bother. Embracing the chaos ;)

Mirjam said...

I could have written this, well not as well as you have, but man, do I recognize this!I have three kids and I have given up on my brain (and former photographic memory)!

Mommy2¢ said...

Girl add mommy mush brain on top of ADD brain on top of nocturnal oh wait no one else in my house is so they wake up at the ass crack of dawn brain on top of neurotic brain. Now that's one hot steamy bag of effed up!

Elena Sonnino said...

Um yes.You would think a brand would realize what a big market mommy brain is and start trying to help those of us that are afflicted! :)

Jamie said...

Horses trample on me EVERYDAY!!

a runner said...

LOL... yes! it happens to me, too... that 7-8 pm thing. I can be fine and just cruising along and then BOOM! I am down. But usually right around then we shovel all the kids into bed and I go out for a run. Mommy Mush Brain. Yes, indeedy.

Jennifer Hall said...

Very, very, VERY true! I would like to go one step further and say that Mom Brain also leads to MADD. Not Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. That's Mom ADD. I have that.

Cookie’s Mom said...

Ah, yes. Yes I do! You forgot (sorry!) to mention that we have to keep all of hubby's crap in our brains too. Sigh. I think our brains actually start to work harder and more efficiently when we become moms, but it's just never possible to keep up.