Update and a Daily Routine

 Hi all!

Last time, I told you that I had scheduled an appointment with my doctor to talk about the possibility of trying medication to help me deal with my ADD.  She gave me a referral to a psychologist for further evaluation. I had my initial intake a few days ago, and she agreed that I might have ADD, so she gave me some forms to bring home. I filled out the two questionnaires that were for me, and my husband needs to fill out the observer one. Then I have to send them back, and see what she recommends. So I'm in the process of determining whether or not I actually have ADD, and if so, how to deal with it. It's only taken me 53 years to actually do something here. Oh well, better late than never.

One of my challenges is how time just seems to slip by because I have this tendency to get so easily distracted. I decided that I need to have a basic daily routine. I've sort of been doing one, but this morning I decided to actually write one out in my journal. There's just something about putting it in writing that makes it more likely to get done. Getting it out of my head and onto paper helps keep me on track because if I get interrupted (either by life or my own random, swirling thought trails), I can look at my written routine and get back into my groove a little more easily. I don't have to stop and try to make my brain jump through as many hoops in order to refocus. And for me, the fewer the hoops, the better, cuz sometimes my thoughts wander if the hoop jumping takes too long.

So, here's my daily routine. I don't have set times because things don't always take the same amount of time every day, but generally speaking, these are the things I'm doing each weekday for now.

Coffee (I need this first. This is my brain activation and self control elixir in a cup.)
Bible study (Currently working through Life Principles by Charles Stanley. Highly recommend it BTW)
Prayer
Make my bed
Eat breakfast
Take meds
Wash, dry, put away dishes
Clean kitchen counter
Take meat out of freezer for dinner if needed
Put on workout clothes
Brush teeth
Start laundry
Walk for 30 minutes (I don't do this every day necessarily, but at least several times a week)
Shower, get dressed, basic hygiene, hair, makeup
Continue laundry
Pick up my room and bathroom floor if needed
Work on school with James (I homeschool my 12 year old son.)
Journal (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
Work on tasks Jim has asked me to do (He doesn't always have requests, but this is when I do them if he does.)
Communications (phone calls, emails, etc if needed)
Work on goals (I have a running list of goals/to do usually 7 or less)

So there you have it. What do you think? Today was the first day I did these things in this order, and it felt good. Of course, I may have to tweak this as time goes on, but for now I think this will work.

Would love to hear from you! Til next time!

What's Up, Doc?

 Happy May Day! Looks like winter has actually come to an end here in the frozen tundra otherwise known as Minnesota! Hard to believe that we were in the midst of a raging blizzard just a couple of weeks ago! It was such a long winter this year! After living here for almost 25 years, I can now say whole heartedly that the novelty of cold, snowy, icy weather for 4 to 5 months each year has most definitely worn off. I would so LOVE to move to a warmer climate that also is by the ocean. It's just all those pesky details like income and housing, and selling our home here, that's in less than stellar condition (and that's putting it VERY kindly). Still, if all that could be worked out, I would do it in a New York minute.

Since I seem to have many symptoms of ADD, at least according to all the online assessments, which usually put me in the moderate portion of the scale, and since it does cause some challenges for me on a fairly regular basis, I've finally decided to see my doctor to talk about the possibility of trying medication. I don't know whether or not that would be a good option, but I'd at least like to get her opinion on the matter. I can hear the naysayers chanting, "Meds are bad! Skills not pills! It's a pharmaceutical conspiracy!" So, in my mind, I have to tell them to calm down and take a chill pill, but that's probably the wrong thing to say since pills are evil, right?

For the record, I believe in skills. I don't believe in using medication as a substitute for skills, but I honestly get so tired of hearing people (usually ones who aren't dealing with ADHD in themselves or with the kids) saying that parents who put their kids on meds are lazy and looking for an easy way out instead of taking the time to teach their children "skills." OK newsflash from a mom who's oldest kid has MAJOR ADHD, you can't even begin to teach the skills if your kid can't calm down enough to focus for more than a nanosecond. The meds were never about skipping skills training with my child. All the meds did was level my playing field to be somewhat closer to "average", so she had a better chance of success with learning and applying those skills. OK now I will step down from my soapbox. Sorry, it's just one of my pet peeves.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what my doctor has to say. Who knows? Maybe meds will make a big difference. And for any naysayers, real or imaginary, who would say that I'm foolish to even consider the pills as an option, maybe they would like to come over to my house right now and scrape out all the charred clumps of burnt rice that's bonded to the inside of my newest pot. This happened because I started to cook and totally forgot about it until that telltale aroma of burnt food attacked my nostrils and triggered my memory. I'd like to say this was the first time or even the second time this has happened, but then I'd be lying. So, at this point, I'm thinking meds might be a viable option.  Either that, or I need to look into getting a fire extinguisher.

Til next time!