The mind is the first to go.

It happened once last summer. My daughter told me she was going over to Alice's house to hang out; dad was going to drive her over there. Later she called me to come pick her up, so I drive over to Alice's house to pick her up. I am sitting outside Alice's house, so I text my daughter and tell her that I have arrived. I waited for a while. No daughter. A little while later Alice's mom, who is a good friend of mine, comes out of the house and looks at me with a puzzled look on her face. The conversation goes something like this:
"Why are you here?" She asks me.
"I came to pick up my daughter, what is taking her so long?" I replied.
"Uh...she's not here." She says.
"Wha..?? *head slap* "I'll bet she is over at the other Alice's house (she has 2 friends named Alice)" I murmured, a little embarrassed.
Big goofy grin on my friend's face. "Kim, you are a dork."
"You just figured that out?" I said.

I just assumed she was at Alice #1's house because that is where she usually is. So, off I slunk to the other Alice's house to get her.

That would be a funny little anecdote if it were an isolated incident, but alas, it is not. The same thing happened at the same friend's house about 6 months later. The. Exact. Same. Thing. We had a good laugh and I went and retrieved my daughter from the correct friend's house. Again.

The latest mix up involved my daughter's birthday and my friend's daughter's desire to throw a surprise party for my daughter. I got a phone call asking me if it would be okay if my daughter's friends gave her a party for her birthday. I said sure. I figured this would be a great way to have a party, but not actually have to host a party. What could be better right? My daughter wanted to 'kidnap' some of her friends and bring them back to our house for a sleepover. I thought I could just bring her to the surprise party and therefore skip the whole 'kidnapping' thing in deference to the great party her friends were throwing for her. My mind sunk into the idea like nobody's business. That is until...

The night before my daughter's birthday my friend (yes the same friend) and I were at a PTA meeting. She asks me what the birthday plans were. That encounter when like this:
"What are you doing for your daughter's birthday tomorrow night. She texted me about kidnapping Alice." She said
I said, "I am just letting her think she is kidnapping people; the surprise party is her real party."
"Ookaay...but what about tomorrows night?" She inquired
"Huh? We are taking her to Sally's house for the surprise party."
"Uh...Nooo...the party is Saturday night." She says
"Nuu-Uuh! Nuu-Uuh!" I am in denial at this point, but it is obvious to her that I have gotten the dates mixed up. They are not having the party on Friday, her actually birthday, but on Saturday instead. Oh, my goodness! Plans must be made! What am I going to do! No time to think about that right now, there is PTA business to attend to.

She is laughing and shaking her head incredulously as I get up to start my PTA meeting. Oh, yes, I must mention that these unsuspecting people trust me to run the PTA. Little do they know that my mind has completely slipped a cog and not only can I not remember where people are, but I cannot remember when to take them there either.

I am telling you, keeping up with the schedules of four children is not an easy task and details might slip the attention of the best of moms, but I always prided myself on my memory. When I was younger, I rarely had to write anything down. I always just remembered when and where to be. Not any more. Time and four rounds of childbirth have robbed me of my memory. I mourn its loss. I will have to become one of those list maker people. I didn't want to admit it, but if I want to preserve any respect my friends have for me, I am going to have to write everything down. Now if I can only remember to actually read what I wrote down and where I left my list I will be in business.