mothers on the verge

Does anyone else walk into the drugstore and promptly forget what they needed? I always knew I had lost a chunk of my front lobe when the Kid was born. Stupidly I thought that would come back, kind of like thinking the elasticity in my stomach would rebound (uh, no). Today I walked in, needing some index cards, a Cherry Coke (yes, I did need that), and a toothbrush. Forgot the toothbrush, did manage to get into the stationary aisle but bought scotch tape instead, and yes, came out with a Cherry Coke. At least I got my priorities straight.

Why does having a kid make me feel like I'm back in high school again?

A friend recently asked me, "When you get invited to breakfast with other moms, does anyone eat??" You mean, besides me and my hefty bowl of oatmeal? It seems my friend had spent the past week eating at breakfasts with other moms from her child's school -- and when they placed orders, after she did for her omelette, or a bacon frittata the second time, the other mother would order coffee. Black. And that's it. Aha! I smelled some competitive mommy breakfasting. I explained to her that while I had only seen the behavior in the territory of the Upper East Side, I suspected it had started to migrate downtown. While most Moms I breakfast with (and let's get real, I work, I rarely "breakfast") are happy to chow down on a cheese omelette, oatmeal and a FULL FAT cappuccino, I am more than aware of those moms who consider food something they endure only when necessary, and only when trying to prove to everyone else, "Oh I can eat anything. I just ca...