Wednesday, December 12. 2007

I am NOT an ADDer

Ok, I'm prepared to take the heat on this one. But I have to speak up. The truth is...

I HATE the term "ADDer."

I am a woman who happens to have ADHD. I'm a mother with ADHD. I'm a clinician with ADHD. However, I am not an ADDer. I know many of my friends and colleagues use that term and each time I read it, I cringe.

Just like someone with depression is not a depressionER, or one with bipolar is not a bipolarER, I am not an ADDer. I don't like being defined by my condition, period. To me, it makes light of it and also makes it sound trendy and almost cultish.

So, flame away. I put it out there, I can take your comments, good or bad. Gulp.

Posted by Terry at 23:22 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

Thursday, December 6. 2007

Test Your Brain

I've gotten more interested in brain science these days. Maybe because I'm getting older and notice that my memory is getting worse..and worse..and worse. And having ADHD only accentuates the loss even more.

I found a neat website where you can test various brain functions- working memory, differentiating spoken words from background noises, and more. They even offer a computer program to improve your cognitive functioning.

Try the tests HERE and see what you think. But don't despair; my guess is that many with ADHD will have problems with these. I really struggled on some of these tests.

Posted by Terry at 23:00 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

Saturday, December 1. 2007

Who Invented the Dashboard?

We with ADHD know how important visual cues are. Especially visual cues that you can prominently see, right? So when I realized - almost too late - that I was about to run out of gas, I wondered who in the world designed some of the dashboards in our cars today. In my case, I can hardly see the gas gauge. It was a close call....

www.addconsults.com

Posted by Terry at 21:19 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, November 30. 2007

Being Bored is the Enemy

Torture. Being bored = being tortured. That's why I always have to be doing something even if there's nothing to do. I'm constantly taking my daughter to variou appointments, which means hours waiting in offices. So what's an ADD brain to do? I bring my Gameboy, books, magazines, etc.

But I just heard about this little gadget and thought I'd share it here. It's Amazon's new Kindle, a wireless, portable reading device. What's cool about it is that it "connects" like a cell phone. Meaning, you can download books, magazines, etc etc ANYWHERE that a cell phone works. Check it out HERE:

Your bored days are over! Check it out HERE

Posted by Terry at 09:23 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

Sunday, November 25. 2007

Zowie! Have your Holiday Cards sent FOR You!

A task many of us hate to do or..forget TO do. Never again, though. Have your cards sent out FOR you- holiday, birthday, you name it. Check it out HERE.

Posted by Terry at 17:22 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday, November 21. 2007

...Just Bring Some Cheese

cheese www.addconsults.com

The request seemed easy enough. After all, she didn't ask me to bring a turkey. Or stuffing. Or even the no-brainer green bean casserole. And I was more than capable of bringing desserts (IOW, asking my daughter to bake something).

No...my mother, sweet thing, thought she was doing me a favor by asking me to "only" bring the cheese for Thanksgiving appetizers. Did she hear the hesitancy in my voice when I said..."sure, mom- no problem."

I then had a nightmare unfolding in my head, thinking about all the MILLIONS of types of cheese available at even the dinkiest grocery stores. Since I don't eat cheese unless it's tossed on a hamburger, I have no idea what type one would bring for a holiday appetizer.

The next day, I was shopping at the supermarket with said daughter, when we landed at the cheese department. I broke out in a sweat. "Holy cow, Mackenzie! What kind of cheese should we bring to grandma's??"

I remember reading somewhere that it's nice to choose some hard, some soft. But...which ones? Some labels said "good for fondue (people still fondue??). Others said "good for cooking."

God help me.

In the end, we went with a block of cheddar and a soft brie.

Mom, next time, ask me to bring the green bean casserole. In my book, there's only one way to make that. And it's right on the soup can.

Posted by Terry at 18:02 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday, November 13. 2007

Look at the Mouth!

The news was important- he needed to tell me, to share his day. But I was in major distraction mode. Sound familiar?

I recalled how I got through college; by sitting in the front row so that I could see my professor's mouth moving. If I couldn't see, I couldn't hear. If I can't hear, I can't learn.

So next time you find yourself drifting, remind yourself: LOOK AT THE MOUTH!

Posted by Terry at 09:29 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, November 9. 2007

Dog Days

...of summer are over. I could cry. So to cheer myself up- and anyone else who hates winter, here's a photo I took a few years back at our annual Basset Hound Parade. Yes, this is true- and they were all in costume, like this little fellow. Enjoy-

Posted by Terry at 22:48 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Thursday, November 8. 2007

New Organizing Magazine- WOW!

Finally..! I think I'm going to check this one out. If any of you receive this (it's new!), let us know what you think. Check it out HERE

Posted by Terry at 08:50 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, November 5. 2007

Exercise your Brain; End World Hunger

Caution: this is addicting. But in a good way. Play this vocabulary game and for every correct answer you get, they donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations.

Feed the hungry, while exercising your brain:

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Posted by Terry at 10:27 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Sunday, November 4. 2007

ADHD Tshirt- Yes, I found it!

Do you know how many times people have asked me where they can find that AD/HD tshirt, ala AC/DC style? Well, I found it. Order yours for the holiday HERE.

Posted by Terry at 15:03 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday, October 31. 2007

An ADD Woman's Worst Nightmare

No, it's not de-cluttering 3 month's worth of bills piled up. Or making a dinner party for 20. Or keeping up with the family laundry. Or multi-tasking between the job and taking care of the family. It's not even the thought of the holidays coming up and all that entails.

No no no...

It was none of that. It was much worse. What, you ask?

I had to buy new bras. Something I've put off for oh...close to 10 years, maybe? Yes, Terry confesses.

I hate bra shopping. Actually, I hate clothes shopping, period. But bra shopping tops my list.

Today I went to Macy's. First, I had no idea what size I might be. You gals know what 10 years can do to a middle aged body. Then there was deciding- lace? No lace? Wire? Or no wire? Warner or Olga? Then frustration takes over- WHY are they jammed together like this on racks that are eye level to a three year old? Whaaa? I can't find the tags. Forget how much they cost- help me find the right size and get me OUT of here.

I started to grab this one and that one. But with my hypersensitivities, I had to make sure that:

There was no lace - too scratchy
The straps weren't too thin- too painful
It was 100% cotton- so my skin wouldn't break out

Once in the changing room, and noting a sign on the door that read:
"Surveillance by female attributes" (I swear this is true), I got started.

After the initial shock and depression of facing a full length mirror, I began the chore from hell. 15 bras later, sopping in frustrated sweat and surveying the heap of badly fitted bras, I found THE one that fit. Of course, it was the last one I tried on. My shoulders and back were bright red from the TAGS scraping my skin off (well, that's how it feels when you have tactile sensitivity).

Then there were the sickening florescent lights to deal with, which give me vertigo. And then the decision making again: do I get white or flesh colored? How many? Should I keep up the pace and buy some clothes, or dash out of there while I still have some bit of sanity left?

I dashed- straight to the food court to soothe my frayed senses with a plate full of Chinese food, followed by a chunk of chocolate.

Well, I survived. And hopefully for another ten years.

Posted by Terry at 23:04 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, October 29. 2007

From the "Wish I'd Thought of That" Category

Get rid of those ugly wires and cords! Isn't this brilliant? Found it at:

http://tinyurl.com/2ksw5z

Posted by Terry at 21:22 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, October 26. 2007

Wonder Bread and ADD

I thought that stuff was immune to mold!

Ok, here's the scoop. We have a bread drawer that, obviously, can't be seen when it's closed. It's the kiss of death for someone with ADD to put things away where they can't be seen. I forgot about that loaf of bread for weeks.

....till I realized it was probably time to buy a new loaf. I've learned one thing- I must check my staples before buying new items, because I don't want to buy a 7th bottle of Ketchup. Yes, we have 6 bottles of that in the pantry.

Well, I checked the bread drawer and really, I don't think I have EVER seen Wonder bread go bad. (note: yes, it's the only bread my daughter will eat- I don't touch the stuff- BAD mother, BAD mother).

But there it was, a whole loaf that no one touched, except for that nasty blue mold. Can you even imagine how long it had been sitting in there?? Ecchhh...

Posted by Terry at 16:19 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, October 12. 2007

New Book! Odd One Out: The Maverick’s Guide to Adult ADD

odd one out

Just got this and can't wait to read it! Jennifer Kortetsky's new book, Odd One Out: The Maverick’s Guide to Adult ADD looks like a winner to me!

In her new book, Odd One Out: The Maverick’s Guide to Adult ADD, Jennifer Koretsky defies conventional wisdom about ADD, explores the ways in which adult ADD can be both challenging and rewarding, and reveals why this difference offers a remarkable advantage.

Developed through her own personal experience as an adult with ADD and her years as a professional ADD coach, Jennifer has isolated The Five Essential Skills for Managing Adult ADD, and she shows you exactly how to build and implement these skills in your own life.

This revolutionary new book doesn’t just tell you about these skills; it provides a roadmap to success.

Inside, You’ll Learn How To:

Create structure for your life using 'The 5 Essential Skills for Managing Adult ADD'
Break the cycle of overwhelm
Use 'The Golden Rule of ADD Management'
Put yourself first in order to care for those around you
Work with your ADD, not against it
Communicate your differences to others in a positive way
Addjust your attitude to focus on your strengths
Find out if you are a BMW (bitcher, moaner, whiner)
Dump the "shoulds" that plague your everyday life
Be more organized by doing less work
Take advantage of the one time management tool that is a must-have (page
Live out loud
Identify what's really keeping you from living your dreams and achieving your goals
Plus: Get access to a special resources webpage available only to Odd One Out Readers!