Momnesia The Book

And now, a short "media coverage" break

I know you came here thinking, "I'd like to read a fun article about the book Momnesia."

Well, ask and you shall receive! Here's an article that reporter Courtney Perkes wrote for the Orange County Register.

A crunchy circle of danger

 

In the book, we don't just talk about memory lapses -- we also talk about the ways that your brain *improves* after you have a baby. For example, you are way more perceptive about things that might harm your little one. I bring you this illustration from the book:

 

I came up with this cartoon because it reflects my deep, ongoing fear of choking hazards. "Adrienne," you say, "that is a normal fear." Well, my friends, I have taken it to a new level. Case in point: when my kids were starting to eat solid food, I was scared to give them Cheerios. I was certain they would choke.

Cheerios. You know, the cereal that dissolves into mush soon after you put it in your mouth? Oh, and by the way, it has a *hole*, so even if it did get temporarily lodged in your windpipe, it probably wouldn't obstruct airflow.

Still, I was freaked out. I guess we all have our irrational fears, right?

Right??

Anyway, now that they are ages 6 and 3, I allow my kids to eat Cheerios. With a warning, of course: "Let it soak for five minutes," I tell them. "Then chew each bite 100 times."

And guess what - it's working. No Cheerio-induced choking so far. (Feel free to use this advice with your kids as well.)

Momnesia Moment

Moms chime in...

"My greatest momnesia moment so far: During my one weekly baby-free hour, I ran errands around town. Post office, fill gas tank, groceries, ATM deposit, pet store, etc. Trying to be Super-Efficient Woman, I made out my deposit envelopes at home and had them ready to go. Of course, they went right into the outgoing mailbox with my letters...

I realized what I'd done about ten minutes later and returned to the post office (clock's ticking!) only to be told that the mail had already been picked up and was on its way.

Since the checks-to-be-deposited were our only endorsed paychecks, I had to close both of our personal accounts and our business's primary checking account and re-open new ones to replace them.

Luckily, no fraud. But what a pain re-routing all the auto-debits I set up so I don't forget to pay our bills!"

Welcome to Boot Camp

In the book we talk about how exercise can help boost brain power. Sure, sure, sure. But as we were writing that part, we thought, "When you're a new mom, getting to the gym isn't your top priority." So we started thinking about the *other* ways that you get exercise.

The idea I had: Changing the crib sheet. What is with that, anyway!? Why is it SO HARD? The fitted sheet is ever so slightly smaller than the mattress -- so you get the three corners, but the fourth one is basically impossible. (Do they plan it that way?) Of course you have to navigate the hand-tied bumper guard and perfectly positioned crib skirt as well.

My method (not ideal) was to pull the mattress out of the crib entirely. I would stand it upright and wrestle with it, swearing under my breath, until I either managed to get the sheet on or I toppled to the ground. Mostly it ended with the topple.

Boot camp, indeed.

Things Moms Do

From the "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" file...