REPAIRING MY REMEMBERER

I AM RECOVERING FROM A WEDDING. WE HAD THE WING-DING SATURDAY, AND I'M TIRED. I DON'T REMEMBER BEING THIS TIRED AFTER THE LAST DAUGHTER'S WEDDING AND I KNOW WHY THIS ONE IS AFFECTING ME DIFFERENTLY. IT ISN'T THAT I AM OLDER, THOUGH I AM. IT ISN'T EVEN THAT THIS WAS THE LAST DAUGHTER'S WEDDING. I HAVE TWO SONS AND MORE GRANDDAUGHTERS THAN I CAN RECALL RIGHT NOW. THEY ALL WILL PROBABLY HAVE WEDDINGS.
NO, THE PROBLEM IS THAT I HAD TOO MUCH HELP WITH THIS ONE. TOO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. TOO MUCH UNCERTAINTY. THAT TIRES ME OUT.
THE SAME IS TRUE OF MY FOSTER PARENTING. OF COURSE, ANYONE WHO DEALS WITH KIDS KNOWS THAT YOU CAN NEVER ANTICIPATE EVERYTHING, AND BEING SPONTANEOUS IS IMPORTANT TO STAY YOUNG. BUT CONTROL IS IMPORTANT TO STAY SANE.
THE GROOM'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY WANTED TO HELP WITH THE RECEPTION AND I HAD NO CONTROL OVER WHEN AND HOW THE FOOD WOULD GET TO THE PARK WHERE THE RECEPTION WAS HELD. THE WEATHER WAS "IFFY" AND I DIDN'T FEEL I COULD MAKE THE DECISION TO MOVE THE PARTY TO THE CHURCH.
I NEED CONTROL!!!!!!
I'VE LEARNED, WITH MY FOSTER KIDS, TO THINK THROUGH THE MAJOR ISSUES OF SITUATIONS BEFORE I FACE THEM. I ANTICIPATE THE UNEXPECTED MIGHT HAPPEN AND PREPARE FOR THE EVENTUALITY. I MAKE LISTS SO I WON'T FORGET THINGS AND I PUT THE LISTS IN PLAIN SIGHT. ( I ONCE PUT SOME RENEWAL PRESCRIPTIONS AWAY IN A CABINET SO I WOULDN'T LOSE THEM AND DIDN'T FIND THEM UNTIL THE LAST PILL WAS GIVEN. ) I KEEP IBUPROFIN IN MY PURSE ALONG WITH TUMS, ETC.
I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT I COMPENSATE FOR DIMINISHED STAMINA AND MEMORY ( AND ARTHRITIS) BY PLANNING AHEAD. I SAW THIS ARTICLE ( AUTHOR UNNAMED) THAT DESCIRBES-IN A NUTSHELL--MY PREDICAMENT AS AN OLDER PARENT. I'LL BET YOU CAN IDENTIFY WITH IT!
I decided to wash my car. As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the hall table. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the trash can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full.So I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the trash first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take out my checkbook that is on the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the den, so I go to my desk where I find the bottle of soda that I had been drinking.I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the soda aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
I see that the soda is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the soda, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the soda down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down onthe counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, we will be looking for the remote, but nobody will remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day, the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm bottle of soda sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

SOUND LIKE YOU?? MAYBE NOT, BUT--REST ASURED--IT IS ME TO A TEE. ANYWAY, I GOT THIS TIDBIT FROM A GREAT SITE FOR OLDER PARENTS--http://www.getorganizednow.com

LOTS OF TIPS ON ORGANIZATION FOR KEEPING UP A HOUSE, REMOVING STAINS, ETC.
I AM GOING TO END FOR TODAY--I NEED TO FIND A LIST I MADE OF THINGS I WAS GOING TO ACCOMPLISH YESTERDAY.