Memory Games

Being pregnant nulifies brain cells.

And, yes I am pregnant. I can no longer be trusted to remember much of anything, let alone be trusted with the primary care and nurturing of vulnerable, impressionable children (seven of them!). Even if I write something on my calendar, I might not remember to look at my calendar.

I don't think the cliche string-on-the-finger trick is going to do me much good, either.

Today, some of Hyrum's friends came over. They were goofing off outside and having a good time on the trampoline and all the things 12-14 year old boys do for fun. But it was pretty chilly. And I like to play the Cool Mom role. So I told them I was going to make them all some hot chocolate.

This announcement was well received, as you may imagine. I went into the kitchen, measured two quarts of water into a pan, and put it on the stove top to heat...not boil, mind you, because then it's way too hot to drink, and hot chocolate that is too hot is just plain mean.

Knowing it was going to take a minute or two to heat, I thought I would check one or two things online. My computer is just four steps from my kitchen. This should not be a hard thing. After a while, I started hearing some quiet noises from the kitchen. I thought to myself: gee, I wonder what that is. It sounds almost like something is cooking on the stove. Weird. I know there isn't anything cooking, but it sure sounds like it. Huh. Go figure.

And I ignored it. But I kept hearing it. So, finally, after several minutes -even though I knew nothing was cooking on the stove - I decided to go investigate, just in case. Of course, I found the water for the hot chocolate boiling for all it's worth, and boiled down more than just a little bit.

Immediately, I remembered what I had been doing, and felt very foolish. I stirred in the cocoa mix and tried to cool it down with some milk, but it was still miserably hot. I ladled up four cups for the guys and took it outside, warning them it was pretty hot. I hoped the cold air would cool the hot chocolate before anyone burnt their mouths.

I still feel stupid, and a little bit like I am an endangerment issue to my own self. Should I ground myself from the computer until October? Not like having seven children is going to improve my memory or my ability to stay focused on any one task...