In my experience when you become a mother, especially after you have become a mother three times over, you forget things.
And by things, I mean everything.
I forget to eat breakfast.
Each time I leave the house I forget my wallet, my sunglasses or my car keys.
Sometimes I forget all three.
Last week I had to jump out of the truck and go back to the house for my forgotten jacket. It was 3° … Fahrenheit.
I have found that it is annoying to forget kids shoes when you go to the grocery store but a serious inconvenience to forget your own.
I discovered that not only is it both annoying and a serious inconvenience, it is also embarrassing and possibly unsafe, to forget your kids snow gear when you travel north for the holidays.
I forget meals and dishes, laundry in the washing machine and to take my contacts out. I forget to call people, cut the low hanging branch over the sidewalk, find a dustpan for the garage, clean out the truck and which kids is named what. I forget to paint my toes, where I left my shoes, what I did with my tea and to sign Ivy’s schoolwork.
To date I haven’t yet forgotten that I have children but at the rate I’m going I figure it’s only a matter of time. Preparing for the worst I have come up with a test in case I ever become confused on the subject.
It’s very simple, if you are a mother and can’t remember if you have kids or where they might be, take a nap.
That’s right, find a blanket, lay down on a couch in front of a fire and fall asleep. 
Guaranteed reminder of your current motherhood status.
And yes, Clara was just about a sick and she looks, I was just as tired as I appear and Jane was being just as mischievous as her smile makes her out to be!
Behind the Willows 
I can relate, Jessie. The sad thing for me is that I have no kids in the house providing distractions upon which I might blame my state of mind. When out and about I keep asking myself–“Car key? Wallet? Camera? Cell phone? Despite the effort of constant questioning, one of those items is likely to go missing.
But the good news for you is that you did have a houseful of kids! They likely broke the remembering part of your brain long ago. The bad news for me is that apparently it never recovers! 🙂
Jessie, this is a classic! It goes with the territory. Someday I will tell you about some of the things I forgot when the kids were small (or, heaven forbid, Jack will tell you.) Hope everyone is well rested, and Clara is feeling better, or at least hasn’t spread it to everyone else. 🙂
I think a story from each of you, without the other one around, would be most interesting… 🙂
Was about to comment on this, but I forgot what I had intended to say. Something about parenthood destroying memory cells in the brain. Especially after three children. I think I remember three.
Oh dear, third parent of three to claim the memory never recovers… trouble, serious trouble.