Here we go again!

I don’t know about you, but for us school starts in exactly one week from today.  I can’t believe it.  We have gone from being totally relaxed over the summer to bedtimes, setting the kids’ alarms, organizing binders and other office supplies, coordinating outfits and what seems like endless cleaning!

I must say, Hannah (my 9 year old) has been very pleasant about most of the process.  Amber (my 17 year old) has been pleasant but not so successful.  Now, to be fair, not only is she getting ready for the new school year, she is taking a class online to get her advanced diploma, working 18 hours a week and practicing soccer another 17 hours a week.  I guess she might be tired.

I am forever doing laundry and reminding the kids to do theirs, but there is a good result at the end of the road for us.  They are looking forward to the new school year.  They are excited to see their friends, curious about their classes, and, dare I say it, I think even looking forward to getting some of the structure back.

Don’t get me wrong, they are busy kids, even over the summer.  I’ve told you about Amber’s schedule, but I didn’t mention that Hannah is taking 6 hours a week of dance and 2 hours a week of Tae Kwon Do.  They are both quite busy, but that is how they thrive.  That is how many ADHD kids thrive.

Well, on that note, I suppose I should get so I can switch the laundry, put the remaining office supplies in a central location, and get to bed.  My resolution was to go to bed the same calendar day I wake up.  I’m still working on that one!

Back 2 School Begins

Well, this was the weekend for Back-2-School shopping.  It was truly unbelievable.  Not only did we manage to spend a ridiculous amount of money in a REALLY short time (I love the impulse buying effect of ADHD) but we had a lot of fun.  It was just my daughters and I (no men allowed) and we went from store to store.

My youngest daughter’s favorite part was spending her money from her water sale of a couple of weeks ago.  What was the total you ask?  Well, for their time out there they managed to rake in, drumroll please, $34.45!  No joke!  These kids earned over $30 selling something we all have in our houses these days.

So, as I was thinking about this great experience they had, and I was enjoying all the hard learned lessons (pricing, customer service, etc.) I realized the most important lesson had escaped me.

What my daughter had done, together with her friends, is to harness the true power of the ADHD mind!  She needed something to do with her time, so she found something.  She didn’t let negativity creep in.  Heck, she didn’t give it time to!  She got bored, thought, and acted.  And for that action, she made a good little chunk of money.

So, what are the lessons I took from this. 

1. Don’t let other people tell you something can’t be done
2. Let your creativity guide you sometimes
3. It’s amazing what you can do when you don’t know you can’t
4. The power of a child’s imagination is truly awe-inspiring 
5. Always take your own bottle of water when you leave the house!

So, those are today’s lessons for me, I thought I’d share them with you.  Oh, how did back-2-school shopping turn out?

Well, my 9 year old wanted a pair of slacks, but we’d already spent her budget.  So, in order to get them (they were, after all, on sale) I asked her to tell me what she would wear them with, telling her she couldn’t get additional, unecessary clothes without a plan.  She proceeded to list the belt, shirt, shoes and accessories that would be worn with the pants.

Well, needless to say, she entertained the other parents in the store, who offered me their sympathies.  Oh, and the slacks?  Yeah, they’re hanging in her closet tonight!

Welcome!

Hello all and welcome to the new TheADDEdge.com blog.  Okay, so my daughter just had a ball helping me set up this blog, theme and all.  You will have to let me know what you think. 

You know, it is certainly a reality check when you realize you are asking your child to help you set up stuff on computers.  I consider myself to be fairly computer literate, but for some reason this blog thing was totally stressing me out.

Oh well, we might as well use teenagers where we can when they’re willing, right?

So, this is a great place to post thoughts, comments and experiences about ADHD, life with those with ADHD, and everything in between. 

Speaking of, I thought I would share with you how my youngest daughter, a beautiful 9 year old who epitomizes ADHD, spent much of her weekend.

She put her hyperfocusing skills into high gear and set up shop in our driveway, selling whatever food she could get me to give up.  Now, she didn’t do this alone, she got the neighbors to help.  I’m not sure who started it, but I’ve got to give them credit!

The first day they made eight dollars!  Now, you might wonder what 3 nine and ten year olds sold to make 8 dollars in a day.  Here’s the kicker.

They sold water!  No joke.  Water!  They took paper cups, put two ice cubes in each one (we’re in a VERY hot climate), filled them up with bottled water and sold them for a dollar.  Do you believe that?!

So, there’s my great ADHD story of the weekend.  How my 9 year old daughter and her friends made $30 in 2 1/2 days standing at the end of my driveway selling water and some crackers!  Oh, the inventiveness of kids!

Have a great night.