Archives: ADD

Note: I have learned that ADD was the underlying cause for my anxiety and depression. All posts about anxiety or depression have been re-labeled ADD.

There's nothing like a good deep primal scream...

There's nothing like a good deep primal scream to make a person feel not very much...

Wow. I needed someone to watch the baby for a...

Wow. I needed someone to watch the baby for a minute, and asked Seamus. He objected, so I had to explain to him why it makes less sense for Aoghdan to stop school to help me than for him to stop playing to help me. Then he did something insane -- he recognized that what I was saying made sense, agreed with me, and watched his baby...

Mark keeps trying to get into work early, and...

Mark keeps trying to get into work early, and this morning he had plenty of time. But then we ended up having a 45 minute discussion on book banning, why it's impossible to reconcile public school's Constitutional limitations with the need to protect children, and why we try so hard to actually discuss difficult topics with our kids rather than hide them. He didn't make it in...

I feel exhausted. I feel like I talked and...

I feel exhausted. I feel like I talked and thought so much this morning that I expended enough emotional energy for a week. Now I just need a moment to collect myself -- which is lucky because a moment is all I...

I just tried to write a status update about how...

I just tried to write a status update about how my meds have taken me from being unable to get my thoughts into words to having so many words that I talk for hours on end and have trouble getting to the point. It wouldn't post because it was too...

I am having a pretty bad day. I took my pill...

I am having a pretty bad day. I took my pill this morning, but I don't feel like it's helping at all. Worse, Seamus is acting crazy and hyper and getting mad easily, like his pill isn't helping, either. Yesterday everything was so much better! Tomorrow I go up from the intro dose of 30mg to 50. I hope that...

Been on meds for two full days now. The...

Been on meds for two full days now. The difference is obvious, but not dramatic. I wish I could skip the part where I take a lower dose for five days before taking the "real" dose. Tomorrow I start FlyLady again -- cross your fingers and say prayers for...

It's official, Seamus and I have ADD. That's...

It's official, Seamus and I have ADD. That's four out of nine members of our family so...

My insurance company won't let me have the test...

My insurance company won't let me have the test on my first appointment. Could have it tomorrow, just not today....

Everybody please pray that I can hold things...

Everybody please pray that I can hold things together until next...

Weekly Wrap-Up: A doctor, a work out, a not broken finger, and a long weekend

Anna had her doctor's appointment on Monday. My SIL, Mary, watched the other kids so I could take her. This was the first time I had met Anna's neurologist. Mark took her to her first appointment (he sees the same doctor for his ADD), and the second visit was just a simple computer test, so we didn't even see him then. I liked him and I didn't. I liked that he made her responsible for her own health by insisting she needs to know what medication she's on, how much, and why. I...

Wear A Hat

For the last few years I have been thinking more and more about the sources of unhappiness in my life. Understand, I'm coming from pretty much the opposite of a hedonistic philosophy where happiness is the ultimate good. I don't even really subscribe to the modern notion that I must take care of myself in order to care for others; the Bible teaches us, rather, that we are to put our own wants and needs last and trust that God will take care of them. I think it's obvious though that I am...

Where's Michelle?

Mark got laid off. Three weeks ago Tuesday. I tried to keep it together -- I kept doing my schedule for like three days -- but the sudden lack of structure undid me, and I have spent the last few weeks trying to recover. It's ridiculous. My husband is out of work and the hardest part for me is that I can't rely on that morning routine where he kicks me out of bed to iron his shirt while he showers, then I make breakfast while he gets dressed, and by the time I'm "on my own" I'm awake and...

Saturday Evening Post: What's Been Happening This Week

I am still doing well using my book, which is just... amazing. TWO MONTHS, you understand. Two months where I have not been sitting at my computer all day doing nothing. Two months of keeping up with the housework, the laundry, the dishes, school. It's awesome. It's wonderful. It has to be God. I honestly have no other answer. And even that answer brings up a million questions for me, mainly, "Why now? Why not seven years ago? Why not five years ago? What were you waiting for...

Welcome to Real Life

So, you've probably been wondering, where did the Queen of Blog Addiction go for the last month? It's kind of a long story. As you know, for a long time I have been struggling to figure out What Is Wrong With Me. I don't know what exactly it is; somehow I just fail to comprehend how to live real life. Marriage, motherhood, housework, friendships -- I just can't get it under control. And not like "Oh, life is so busy/hectic/crazy, how can I get it all done?" More like, "Life? Huh? Uh...

I just have this nagging feeling.

It's almost 1 am, and I can't sleep in tomorrow. Not just because the kids will be up early, or because there's no one here over the age of 6 to keep an eye on them in the morning except me, but also because we need to eat, get dressed, and go pick up Mark at the airport by 11:30. I should be in bed. I just have this nagging feeling that I am missing something. This is what keeps me up at night, especially when Mark isn't home -- the feeling that there's something, something fun or...

Morning at the park, dinner at Chick-Fil-A, and a break-in?

Did I mention that I gave up on the Katy Photos at the Park Meetup Group? The first meeting went really well -- three people showed up, we took photos and started to get to know each other. The second meeting, three people RSVP'd, but only one showed up. The third, one RSVP and no one showed. Finally people stopped even responding to my messages. When you're the admin of a Flickr group, and you quit the group, the next oldest member becomes admin. I doubt that person even knows that he...

Social Phobia / Social Anxiety

(I read some literature from an advocacy group stating that we are now to call this disorder "social anxiety," and that's what the commercials call it, but my doctor is old fashioned so my official diagnosis is "social phobia." I really couldn't care less either way.) You might as well know it: I'm crazy. One of my therapists asked me once what I meant when I said I was crazy. I thought that was a really nutty question, don't you? I mean, I was in therapy for crying out loud. For as...

Seeking Encouragement

Once in awhile I read a very interesting and lovely blog called Amy's Humble Musings. Today I was looking through it, clicking links, and I ended up reading an old entry on a site I'd never visited before: Dear Homeschooling Mother, by Carmon @ Buried Treasure. She is discussing negative responses to homeschooling, and quotes reformed Professor Carl Trueman: For every omnicompetent wife who seems to be able to run the world and then some, and still look like a million dollars when hubbie...

Ultimate Blog Party: My Large Family

Christmas Day, Click to view in gallery. As I have mentioned, I am the lucky mom of 6 great kids (3 boys and 3 girls), with another one coming in July! While you can read all about my terrific family on my About Page, I thought I'd address some of the common questions I am asked about our family. Seamus and Aryanna, Click to view in gallery. Wow, you look so young to have 6 kids! Ok, not technically a question, but this is probably the most common thing that people say to me when...