Yep, I forgot to title my blog post too.

Goodness, I can't believe how far behind I've gotten on this blog! To say things have been crazy since the start of school would be a vast understatement. We are now a family of five on a rigid schedule and we are on the go, go, go! Trying to keep up with everything along with the new demands of school has been a real challenge, and things are slipping off my plate often these days. So if you've told me something and I'm acting like I don't remember, *remind me*. Because I probably don't remember. Sometimes I don't even remember things long enough to get them on my to-do list. And often I don't remember to look at my to-do list. Or calendar. It's sad. I'm working on it.

'Mommy Brain' is an insidious thing. When you have a tiny baby, everyone expects you to be sleep deprived and forgetful. When your baby, or babies as the case may be, are a year old, suddenly you are expected to get it all together. Yes, I am getting more sleep these days, but somehow my brain hasn't caught up with that fact. What's the deal with that? I know that a lot of this pressure is internal. I used to be organized, on top of things and pro-active. I was a planner. I was dependable. I was steadily making progress on my to-do list most days. I long for that capable feeling again. Nowadays, I feel like a juggler who is often dropping the balls. As long as I don't drop a baby, I suppose the other things will work themselves out eventually.

It struck me this morning as I was struggling to open my bleary eyes and face the day that when Big Sister Bear was the age the babies are now, I was attempting to be a part-time working mom. It was really a rather disastrous attempt for many varied reasons. But one of the biggest reasons, I now understand, is that I was still suffering from 'Mommy Brain'. Staring at a computer all day in a quiet, dim room was too much for my fogged mind. Trying to write coherent Java code? Laughable. I suppose that if I had had a job where I could be active and interacting with others, it might have worked better. Still, I'm glad I tried it, because now I know.

Fortunately, since I have been through this before, I know with certainty that my brain will come back online. I will be organized and dependable again. I will not send my daughter to school on picture day in her self-chosen crazy outfit with a frog on the front and barely brushed hair. Or do the same for picture retake day two weeks later. I look forward to it.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program. We will be taking a small trip back in time, and I will attempt to catch you up. Here is some video from the end of August where you see us engaging in one of our favorite activities: Bin driving.



Bins are not just for organizing anymore.



Watch out for those underage drivers.