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!

Just got my copy today! Check it out HERE.

Posted by Terry at 08:01 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday, October 10. 2007

Brain Age- ADD Style

Have you ever played those Brain Age games on the Nintendo DS System? I have the first one and my daughter is encouraging me to get the second version, saying it's way more fun. Or maybe she's trying to tell me that I need to keep working on my memory. Ahem. She's right.

Anyway, it got me to thinking that maybe we need to develop specific ADD Brain Age games to help sharpen our cognitive skills in a fun way. So here is my list to get your ADD brain going today:

What is the color of the interior of your car? (I ask because I need to buy a new car and when the salesman asked what interior color I wanted, I had no clue what mine currently was, even though I'd just gotten OUT of my car minutes ago).
Name ONE of your grade school teachers. Get an extra bonus for remembering two or more. 10 points if you can remember what they look like.
What is your parents' Anniversary date?
If you had a family pet as a child, who named it and how did they come up with that name?
What was the phone number of the house you last lived in? Extra points if it was 10 years ago or more.

Very good! Now if you're brave, you'll share your answers here!

Posted by Terry at 10:05 | Comments (8) | Trackbacks (0)

Saturday, October 6. 2007

Mopping the Ocean

My daughter and I began a daunting task. We began de-cluttering her room while preparing to overhaul it with my professional organizer.

Current status:

Mackenzie has a fairly small sized bedroom....and tons of stuff. Oh, and ADD. Hmmm…not a good combination, eh? She also goes through about 2-3 outfits per day and is incredibly hard on her clothes- even stain sticks are no match for her messes. Thus, I’ve had to habitually buy way more clothes then most kids normally would need at her age. If they’re not ruined, they get lost. And often. As a matter of fact, I just counted about 6 backpacks we found, because they get lost, get replaced, then get found again. Something like the bad penny story, I guess.

In talking with a friend about clutter and the endless attempts at getting rid of it, it occurred to me that for me, anyway, it’s like mopping the ocean. You get started with the best of intentions, get rid of tons of stuff, but “things” just re-appear.

Deb, who’s courage is admirable, suggested we get rid of all this extra stuff because she could see that there simply wasn’t enough room for it all. In addition, she pointed out that with fewer clothes, there’s less laundry to do and thus, less to put away. Duh. What I was doing was actually counter-productive.

We’re also taking the doors off her built in closets and drawers, so that she’ll be able to SEE where her things are and where they need to be put back. The latter part of that sentence is, perhaps, wishful thinking, but at least she won’t tear up her room each day as she looks for outfits that work.

Stay tuned- this should be interesting. Now, back to my mopping.

Posted by Terry at 15:51 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday, October 5. 2007

Back From NYC and Ty Pennington

ADHD Experts on Call was a great hit; we broke our past records of the number of calls and chats we took. After a 16 hour shift, I was ready to pack up and get back to Detroit. But not before we had our photos taken with Ty:

ty pennington

Ok, back to work. Thanks, Ty!

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

Wednesday, September 12. 2007

AD/HD Experts on Call Coming Sept 19, 2007

Where will you be September 19? Please join Ty Pennington and a group of AD/HD experts, as we answer your questions about AD/HD.

Calls will be answered from 8am to midnight EDT. Call toll free: 1-888-ASK-ADHD. Live Webcast (with TY!) from noon to 1:00pm EDT. I'll be manning the chatrooms for those who'd rather connect via computer. Check details at www.adhdexpertsoncall.com .

Don't forget that September 19 is also National AD/HD Awareness Day. Check ADDA for details: www.add.org

Check out this awesome video of Ty talking about his own AD/HD: http://tinyurl.com/yv3ewd

Posted by Terry at 08:19 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, September 3. 2007

Odd ADD Awareness

www.addconsults.com

Ok, so maybe it's not ADD related, but it seems like many of my ADD friends seem to notice things that others don't. And it happens to me all the time, too.

Have you ever watched TV commercials for a food product and noticed that often times, people shown eating a meal use their left hands to hold their fork or spoon? Why is that?

What quirky things have you noticed?

Terry

Posted by Terry at 23:08 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

Saturday, August 25. 2007

AD/HD Experts on Call- September 19 with Ty Pennington

www.addconsults.com

Well, I have made a new best friend- Ty Pennington. Seriously, we were in NYC recently offering a presentation to leading journalists who were interested in information on AD/HD.

I will be returning to NYC on Sept 19 for the annual AD/HD Experts on Call and I can't wait. I LOVE talking to people from all over the country who are looking for information on AD/HD.

I will be manning the online chatrooms as other national AD/HD experts answer phone calls from around the country. Ty will again be the celebrity spokesperson and will be offering a live webcast from noon to 1pm EDT.

Calls will be answered from 8am to midnight EDT at the toll free number: 1-888-ASK-ADHD. Watch for upcoming info at www.ADHDexpertsOnCall.com

Put it on your calender and look for me in the chatroom. And maybe you'll be lucky and catch Ty on the line!

Posted by Terry at 00:48 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Thursday, July 26. 2007

Win a Trip to Meet Ty Pennington in NYC!

On August 8, I will be in NYC with Ty Pennington, where we'll be presenting on AD/HD to a room full of journalists representing the largest magazines in the country. Would you like the chance to meet Ty? Well then, hurry and enter the contest today! ~~Click~~ ~~HERE~~ ~~to enter!~~ Winner has been chosen. Sorry!

Posted by Terry at 22:54 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday, July 24. 2007

How to Survive Packing Your Child for Summer Camp

www.addconsults.com

So easy, even a child can do it. Not.

Today, I sent my daughter off to summer camp. Do you know what the hardest part of doing that was? Not the teary goodbyes. Not buying all the necessaries. No...it was figuring out how to pack 3 1/2 weeks worth of stuff into two duffle bags.

If you've heard me present, or read my book, you'll know by now that I'm a big proponent of accepting the need for help in areas I don't shine in. One of those dark areas happens to be packing. I have no sense of visual space, nor do I have the patience to figure out how to fold, roll or smash 10,000 items into a duffle bag. No can do.

Admitting defeat, I asked a former camp counselor to help me. The cost was minimal and it saved me $50 in Xanax.

I don't know why we are so reluctant to get help. I guess a lot of it has to do with still feeling saddled with the thought that we SHOULD be able to do these things. Well, I'm sick of the "shoulds". Are you?

Posted by Terry at 20:40 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday, July 17. 2007

ADD Organizing Chore of the Day: Walk around the Block

www.addconsults.com

10 minutes. 15 minutes. 30 minutes. Even FIVE minutes of walking will get your heart going, blood circulating and your mood improving. No need to power walk; just put on some comfy shoes and get out there. You will feel sooo much better. Really!

(Ok, so it's not an ORGANIZING chore...)

Posted by Terry at 21:29 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday, July 16. 2007

ADD Organizing Chore of the Day: Buy Socks!

Buy 12 pairs of new socks (less frequent laundry, this way!). Throw out those that have holes or are mate-less. A great way to start de-cluttering your sock drawer, too.

And if you crave soft, comfy socks, check these out:

Women's softest socks in the world

Men's softest socks in the world

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

Saturday, July 14. 2007

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me

I am a huge Beatles fan. Rubber Soul is my favorite album. Coming in second is a tie: Joni Mitchell (whom I met!), James Taylor and Sting. Other favorites are Jonatha Brooke, Rufus Wainwright, Squeeze, John Mayer, Dionne Warwick, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee. Song that can make me cry every time: Over the Rainbow.
I absolutely hate sticky floors, doorknobs, countertops, etc. *cringe*
I studied painting first at Wayne State U, then at the Art Student's League in NYC back in the 80s. One of my paintings was chosen for the annual prestigious juried show at the Butler Institute of Art.
My husband is a world record fly fisherman.
I almost flunked sewing in middle school. In high school, I walked out of Geometry after two days and never returned. I still have to count on my fingers.
As a child growing up in Detroit, I lived across the street from Marvin Gaye...but never met him.
I hate dried fruit, mint flavored dishes, curry, carrots, oranges.
I love chocolate, especially Bun bars (are those regional?), KitKats, etc etc.
My mother is a gourmet cook- and taught it for years- and was a dancer in her youth. I can do neither of these things.
I play acoustic and bass guitar (Taylor is my fav), piano, drums. My lifetime dream has been to have a band. Both of my brothers are musicians.