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happy friday + mom brain…

Oh-joy-ruby-mom-brain

Oh-joy-ruby-mom-brain

I always thought that "Mom brain" was a myth. I thought it was something that happens when you're already kind of disorganized or not good at multi-tasking. But no, Mom Brain is for real folks—and it's something that has plagued me now, too. I forget everything these days. It's usually not anything really important {like paying my bills or how to drive my car}, instead it's really simple things that I just said or just did that escape my brain as soon as the thought has passed. I forget that I already brushed my teeth. I forget that I already took my contact lenses out and find myself grabbing my bare eyeball for no reason. I forget that I've told Bob the same story four times already. I forget that we already have pasta sauce at home, so now we have one too many jars after my trip to the grocery store. And, I've probably forgotten something else that I can't remember right now.

For as alert and responsible as I need to be right now, this whole Mom Brain thing is pretty ironic. But hey, I guess I have something to blame for all this forgetfulness, hunh? Please tell me some of you have had Mom Brain too? Wishing you guys a happy Easter {and not too forgetful} weekend! — Joy

Ps. For those of you in LA coming to my Pool Party next Thursday at Kate Spade, be sure to RSVP as space limited!

{Photo by Oh Joy of Ruby and I after one of our daily walks. We went to buy a gift for a friend and she carried the bag all the way home!}

62 comments

  1. YES! It’s real 🙂 I wish I could say it gets better, but now after having my second and running around with two toddlers I can’t remember anything! Yikes!

  2. No mom brain here, but preggo brain for sure! When I was pregnant I did all of those things you mentioned. I spent 45 minutes looking for something right in front of my face, I drained the pasta water into the pasta sauce v. the sink, it took me 10 extra minutes to leave the house because I had to make extra trips back from the car because I forgot my keys, then my phone, then…

  3. Holy moly, mom brain is NO JOKE! I didn’t believe in it either, and I thought it would end with “pregnancy brain,” but noooooo. Luckily, I was already pretty organized so I’ve been able to step up my existing habits to help me stay on top of things. But I could definitely use a few more tricks and techniques and routines to keep it all together! I’ve come to terms with it, and my husband loves that he’s not the only forgetful one who can’t remember where he put stuff!

  4. Hi Joy, I’m a long time reader, fellow designer and mom of an 18 month old. The funniest thing about Mommy Brain for me (I think I’m past it) was that I would say something, forget something or do something repetitively without even realizing I was doing it. In the moment, I felt totally in control. Kind of mad, right?
    Highly recommend the book, The Female Brain, if you haven’t browsed through it before. Has a great chapter on the benefits…yes BENEFITS of Mommy Brain. It’s totally a biological thing.

  5. I am not a mom (yet), but have plenty of friends who are now new moms. One of these new moms just told me story where she was getting ready for bed and was washing her face. She said she started to feel a tingle and was really confused why her face wash was feeling so weird – and then it hit her that she was actually washing her face with toothpaste instead of face wash. She said “I never believed in Baby Brain (what she called it) until this happened.” Hilarious. Good luck!

  6. i’ve tried putting both contacts in the same eye, forgetting that i already had one in there. made for a blurry, painful morning.

  7. This is real. I’m 14 weeks pregnant and I’m starting to forget things like… pushing the buttons in the elevator to get to my parking space? I just stare at the buttons thinking about nothing and suddenly I realize: oh, it’s not moving, I’m getting nowhere.I guess I’ll suffer from Mommy Brain too.

  8. Mom brain is real, as is pregnancy brain! I’ve resorted to pinning a calendar by the door and writing down EVERYTHING. That has helped a lot.

  9. LOL…has plagued me too. I tried the Ginko Biloba as a natural remedy to help, but forgot to take those too!

  10. I am so forgetful that I rely on my 3-year-old to remind me of things. I will say, “you have to remember this because you know I’ll forget,” and she’ll just nod knowingly.

  11. I full out LOST my keys twice when my son was less than a year old. Had to get new ones made and everything.
    3 years later…I’m still plagued with mom brain.
    There’s just TOOOO much to think of! You’re not alone.

  12. Haha Ruby’s so cute! She carried that bag all the way without trying to eat it?! I’m impressed!
    Have a good Easter weekend and have fun with your little bunnie!

  13. Oh no! I thought that baby brain would end after pregnancy– this is the first I’ve heard of Mom Brain. My lord! I’m gonna stay this out-of-it!!?? yikes!! –such a sweet pic of you two btw…

  14. I read an article about it being a science thing for real, something actually going on with your brain. Made me feel a lot better when I could never ever remember where I parked my car! Love that photo of your little shopper.

  15. Yup, Mom Brain is for real. I also like to call it Momnesia. I’ve left my purse on the counter of a boutique, case of water at the bottom of a shopping cart, and constantly forget people’s names and thoughts (mid-conversation!!). The upside? Our little people, like your adorable munchkin. So all is not lost.

  16. I totally have Mom Brain after I have my baby boy, who is almost 10-month old now. It sometimes gets really bad that I have to stop in the middle of a conversation and completely forget what I’m going to say. I think it has to do with the lack of sleep!

  17. Before I became a mom, I never had to use a calendar or make lists. I remembered dentist appointments, dinner reservations, all of it.
    Some days I swear I have to remember to write down how to breathe. It’s nuts. And I also believed it was a myth until I lived it!

  18. I had the worst mommy brain ever- I felt like I couldn’t keep anything straight and I would mix up days and times and couldn’t follow anyone else’s life. And then around a year later, my brain magically reappeared. But I still have to write most things down. 🙂

  19. I was laughing as I was reading this. I have four children and they are very much grown (17-24)…but I remember those moments and when you get older…they come back! Have a great weekend and love ’em while they are little…because they do get big fast.

  20. Oh, there are so so many things like that that I rolled my eyes at before I had kids – and now it’s my life! It’s funny when we realize how totally clueless we were about some things before having kids – and now that we have kids we’re clueless for completely different reasons! Basically, we spend our entire lives being clueless, I guess 😉

  21. The two of you are sooo cute! 🙂
    Oh yes, the mum brain. I think the fog does lift after a while…. or maybe I’m just used to it!
    Anyway, hope you and your family enjoy the weekend together.
    Ronnie xo

  22. Mom brain is totally real. Between being a mom of a toddler, and the thyroid disorder I got postpartum, I have no short term memory to speak of! It was super frustrating at first, but you get used to it eventually…

  23. I have that and I’m not even a mom! I have nothing to blame it on except for bad genes. Everyone in my family has a really bad memory. When I become a mom at least I have something to blame it on! You guys are adorable.

  24. I read an article several years ago about a Mommy Brain study that concluded that not only is Mommy Brain real (duh), but that it’s the result of your brain rewiring itself to make you a better mom. Isn’t that hilariously ironic? I can’t figure out whether I’m a better mom with Mommy Brain than I would’ve been before, but I’m not enjoying this spazzy quality of my life.
    Oh, within days of reading that article, I bought my wedding ring (long story) and the woman couldn’t write down my phone number in the right order. She had to do it, like, eight times, and to get it right, I finally gave it to her one numeral at a time. After that, she ssaid she didn’t know what was wrong with her–she kept writing things down wrong. I said, “You don’t happen to be pregnant, do you?” and she said, “How did you know?!” So I told her about the study I’d read; I even got her e-mail address and sent her the link.

  25. so very real! I have an 11 month old and all my co-workers make fun of me because i forget everything!keys, purse,jacket,bib, nothing is exempt…can’t wait to grow out of this.

  26. I went over to a friend’s for dinner. Afterwards we both wanted something chocolatey so we scoured the kitchen, but found nothing. We debated going to the store, but ended up settling for cream cakes and popcorn.
    A few hours later I went home and opened my bag. I found the tray of chocolate brownies that I had specifically baked for the occasion.
    Mom Brain.

  27. I just want to let you know I really enjoy reading your blog especially when you talk about Ruby. We had twin girls around the same time you had your daughter. I was just wondering how the sleep training is going and if Ruby started sleeping through the night.

  28. Hi!
    Thank you!
    Sleep training is going well and yes, shes sleeping through the night most of the time now. 🙂
    Hope all is well with you and your girls!
    Joy

  29. That made me laugh because I’ve totally found myself brushing my teeth again, loosing my keys, and just recently going to the grocery store only to find that I don’t have my wallet! It’s almost comical at times.

  30. Are you kidding me? I have mom brain so bad that I currently have three blocks of unopened parmesan cheese in my fridge. I just keep buying it. And my kids are 7 and 4.

  31. Great post joy. I think I condition my hair twice every day because i can’t remember whether I’ve done it already. So I’m right there with you. Also, I sadly can’t make it to your party workshop but my friend Cori already RSVP’d us. So you can take us off the list and put someone else on. Hopefully you can make it to my LA blogger get together though!

  32. Uh oh… I have mom brain, but without the baby! Always been a daydreamer, so that will be my excuse 🙂 Fortunately I get to daydream for a living I guess… *kinda*
    Ruby is adorable. So is your beautiful blog 🙂

  33. I was told that your brain shrinks during pregnancy as the growing baby steals some of the fatty cells from your brain – so it literally shrinks. It comes back about 9 months after the baby is born.
    Add broken sleep to the mix and it’s a wonder we are all still alive!

  34. I have 3 little ones. ahhh the stories I/we have.
    We are always in full swing round her and I don’t mean the two-step!
    P.S. I still revisit those cute dresser’s in Ruby’s room!
    xo
    Kara

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