I have to say I agree with Aaron when it comes to the first few years of raising children, my brain was not functioning to it's fullest. I found the less sleep I had the more my brain went to mush. "The mommy brain" as most moms I know call it, would get better as my kids starting sleeping through the night. Having two children 15 months a part was hard work but now that they are 4 and 5, i feel it is so easy and fun. But I'm glad I have the opportunity to be home with them to help them build a solid foundation of our families values and goals.

As for ways to keep my mind challenged I seek out organizations such as the "Moms Club" and I get involved. Holding positions such as Secretary and Party Planner keeps me on my toes. I also joined a book club and do some consulting work (I have a degree in IT in Business) so I utilize my skills and try to keep up to date with technology the best I can. Sometimes I feel the thought of going back to work may be intimidating at first but I'm confident that being involved and keeping a social life will ensure all the skills I had before will come back to me. Hopefully my "mommy brain" will slowly fade away.

OMG, Aaron thanks for this article. So, so true!!

I guess my only advice would be to pick up a newspaper or read a good book and then join a group of friends with like minded interests. But when you're home raising kids who has time for that!? Duh.

The only thing that's worked for me the past couple of years is to make sure I make monthly meet-ups with my child-less friends. It forces me to not focus on the kids and talk about other things. It's not always easy but it works for me.

OMG!!!! I so relate to this....

My Sanity Keepers are quilting, reading or riding my horse (this one not nearly often enough)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me to not feel as if I'm losing my mind! About two weeks ago I was lamenting to my husband that I felt "intellectually slow". Since I began staying home with my children 2 1/2 years ago I've noticed that my vocabulary has shrunk, my processing speed has slowed, and my impeccable memory resembles Swiss cheese. As a former school teacher I find it especially frustrating that I’m struggling to hold normal adult conversations. With our oldest son I continued teaching until he was 3 ½ years old. During those first few years with our oldest there were times when I’d be stressed or sleep deprived and would struggle some, however I did not feel the diminished brain capacity I do now. Through my personal experience, I believe that the more stay at home moms and dads can do to stay part of the adult the better!! My involvement with the school PTSA has given me a lot of hope to regain some “intelligence”. I’m hoping to find other similar groups and organizations to keep my mind stimulated.