Loving GrADDitude Blog - ADHD Life Coaching Tips for Parents of Children with ADHD

3 Mindsets for Homeschooling ADHD Children

LovingGrADDitude
April 15, 2020

By now we are in a month, give or take, of our new normal. I am wondering how you are all doing and coping? How is homeschooling your ADHD children? While I am a homebody by nature, this is testing my resolve as well.

I, too, am juggling running my business, managing my household and now, being an accountability partner for our sons while they manage their home learning. This is no easy feat even for me, and this is what I do for a living!

I have observed a great deal of how my son is managing his schedule and being productive during this time. I am thankful I am able to help him succeed and stay focused each day. In so many ways, he is stepping up and exceeding all our expectations.

My eyes have also been opened to some personality traits that are so common on a regular basis, but now, in this environment seem exasperated. Anyone relate?

Dealing with COVID-19

Creating a Home Work Space for All Family Members: Establishing Boundaries

LovingGrADDitude
March 17, 2020
ADHD, ADHD families, ADHD strategies, COVID-19, new normal

I’m a tip kind of person so I’ve created a series of videos to help you reduce the stress, overwhelm, confusion and uncertainty of how you can adapt to the new logistics in your ADHD home and world due to COVID-19.

This first video focuses on establishing boundaries when your home is now a living space + office + classroom with many moving parts.

Spend 6 minutes to learn how you can set everyone up in your family to remain respectful, sane and succeed!

Raising Teenagers, Uncategorized

Does Your Teen Need a Mental Health Day?

LovingGrADDitude
February 26, 2020
academics and adhd, ADHD and teens, Parenting teens with ADHD

Pull up a chair and let’s talk about your teen’s mental health during these final months of school…

It’s that time of year where students, and maybe even teachers, need a little extra boost to get them through the end of the school year, yes? I think we all get a bit of Spring Fever and long for a much-deserved summer break. And while everyone may be ready to turn in their backpacks for swimsuits, it’s also the time to buckle down and pull up any grades that are not where students want them to be.

OWN Your ADHD

Why My ADHD Marriage Works So Well

LovingGrADDitude
February 12, 2020
ADHD marriage, ADHD relationships, ADHD strategies

10 is the number. It’s my number with my ADHD husband…with the Love of my Life in my ADHD marriage. And, yes, I keep score, so I know the number is 10.

There seems to be a running joke in our home…Who have I asked a question to the most and how many times have I asked it? It’s always my husband and 10 is the number. What does the number 10 mean?

ADHD Strategies

The 1 Question I Ask Myself Each Day

LovingGrADDitude
February 1, 2020

We are all busy. We all have a LONG to-do list, which continues to be added and subtracted to. We all feel the pressure to get everything done. Sometimes this pressure becomes stress and then where does that lead? Nowhere good, that’s for sure!

OWN Your ADHD

LovingGrADDitude
January 30, 2020
ADHD, ADHD coach, ADHD coaching, own your adhd, time management

31 Days have elapsed in this new decade and I’m wondering how many of you are STILL sticking to your resolutions, intentions, goals, (whatever you’ve named it!) for 2020? Hands raised? Hands lowered? How’s it going?

I. AM. STILL. GOING. STRONG!

And it feels GREAT to commit to something every day so far!

I highly encourage you to NOT give up on something you’re wanting to do for yourself!

One of the things I say to my clients all the time is:

“Don’t let yourself down!”

Don’t do it! Stick to your guns and remember the importance of why you decided to want to do these things. Don’t allow yourself to be deterred (or get in your own head!) because it seems too high a goal or something that was just too far fetched.

If you’re reading this and you have challenges with ADHD and Executive Functions, I am here to share with you –> I am fully engaged this month on HOW to best support you! How to stay on task, How to get projects and to do lists done and NOT be beholden to all the negative stuff that comes into your thoughts that deter you from being awesome!

This month it’s all about OWNING your ADHD!

Yep! I’m making this the month to share how you can be more productive, accountable, and manage time all the while bringing an understanding of ADHD into your world as to WHY you may not be able to stay motivated.

Anyone bored with their goals yet? Anyone not feeling motivated?

AHHH…I’ve got you! Stay with me and follow me on Social Media – INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK – so you don’t miss any of the goodness coming your way!

Make February YOUR month to OWN your ADHD..like the rock star that you are!

Kelly

Organization

4 Steps to Get ADHD Organized

LovingGrADDitude
January 15, 2020
ADHD, ADHD strategies, organization

I love to clean, file, purge, fold, re-organize and create more space in our home. My mind thrives in order and if things aren’t in place, I feel as if I’m not in MY place: my happy, calm and peaceful place, that is.

(As I’m typing this and walking through in my mind how I organize, I realize my heart flutters a bit more and races when my house is not in order. Anxiety over disorder? I suspect so!)

So it’s inevitable that during the Christmas and New Year season you will find me reorganizing shelves, taking everything out of drawers or closets and making it all look nice again. Maybe even re-doing something I just did so it fits better!

In order to be successful and get into the “mood of organizing,” the following are a few steps I take to begin (and stay on) any organizing task!

1. Set the Mood / Atmosphere!

Why is this important? I need to be mentally ready, interested, focused and determined to begin something or there is a high probability it will not get completed! I can’t just start something on a whim (sometimes it takes me days or weeks to get my head around organizing – what takes me from thought to action is when I “just can’t take it anymore!”). I have to be in the right mood and this begins with getting my atmosphere ready.

What’s my atmosphere, you may ask?

A cup of hot green tea, TV (hardly even watch it, just listen) or Alexa playing music in the background. Or maybe I listen to a podcast… depends on the location of the room and the length of the task.

2. Tools, Glorious Tools!

I always, always, ALWAYS ensure I have all the tools I need before I even begin my organizing.

Tools? Yes, tools. People with ADHD often start in the middle of a project without thinking through what they’ll need to complete the task at hand.

And when the tools are not in place, the ADHD brain shuts down because the task at hand is too hard and long and they don’t know where to begin. (True? Lightbulb moment here? Did you just have an “A-HA” moment?)

Therefore, offices have even more piles on them, kitchens are aghast with containers covering the countertop, and closets are jammed and crammed, with nowhere to throw anything accept on top of the heaping pile of clothes already there! (I won’t even address playrooms!)

The result: very little gets accomplished when it needs to.

So in order to begin a project, you must think through ALL you’ll need to complete the project.

Things like: Plastic bags for trash, files, folders, tabs, pens, pencils, hangers, paper, boxes, containers, stamps, iron, folding table, tape, etc.

And yes, that may mean you need to take a quick run to Staples or Walmart or Target or The Container Store (my bff!) for supplies! But do not let that deter you! Once all the tools are in place, you will be good to go and you won’t have an excuse to not get it done!

3. Break it down!

Some organizing tasks take time and can be overwhelming. Things like your dining room covered with bills needing to be sorted and filed and left there for days on end. Or a kitchen that has all the plastic containers out of the drawers because you cannot find the lids!!!

To tackle these tasks, break them down and take small piles at a time. Set reasonable and attainable stopping points so you don’t become weary and not complete all the filing. Use timers if you have to!

Figure out what is YOUR way to best accomplish the task from beginning to end!

4. The End Game!

Taking the mindset that for everything there is a beginning, a middle and an end — what is your end game?

Maybe you just want to organize your papers and put them in piles. Maybe the end game is to put all the papers away in a file cabinet. Maybe your end game is to just hang clothing instead of folding them. Know your end game and this will make the task at hand attainable!

Bonus: 5 Questions About Stuff in Your Space

Often one of the things that stop us from successfully organizing our SPACE is feeling overwhelmed with what to do with all the STUFF.

Now if you signed up for my Holiday Survival Guide last month, you know I break my thought process down into questions and bullet points as this is how my mind functions.

So, in staying with true Kelly fashion, when I organize, I look at the whole space and ask myself a few questions:

What is used most often? (think accessibility)
What will fit here the best? (think best use of space)
Can I condense something? (think add more space)
What is the best use of this drawer, cabinet and shelf? (think functionality)
How much time am I committing to this and what can I reasonably get accomplished? (think succeed and complete project)

If you’d like to know more about me and keep up with me on Social Media, here is where you can find me and become a member of my community:

www.LovingGrADDitude.com

Kelly@LovingGrADDitude.com

IG: @lovinggradditude

FB: @lovingradditude

Here’s to a Happy Organizing New Year!

Kelly

ADHD Life Coach, CALC

#somethinggood2020

#SomethingGood2020 – Join Me!

LovingGrADDitude
January 1, 2020
ADHD, ADHD coaching, happy new year, somethinggood2020

Happy New Decade!!

WOW! Can you believe? A new decade has begun! Thank you for “ringing it in” with me! So, what now? Do you make resolutions? Are you a goal setter? Or is the New Year just another day in the life?

I’m doing something I’ve never done before! I’m challenging myself to share #somethinggood2020 every day for 365 days!

“What? Are you crazy?” you ask.

Yep, I’m going to share something in my life each day that is Good. With you.

Have you ever committed to something for an entire year? Aside from eating, sleeping, breathing and taking care of my personal needs, I cannot raise my hand on this one, but that’s about to change!

What have you done each day every day for one year?

Well, here’s your chance to join me! 5 minutes or LESS is what I will be spending on my “good” each day. No excuses! Make it easy! We ALL have 5 minutes to share and maybe make someone’s day, right????

Maybe it’s a campaign, maybe it’s a movement (that would be awesome!). There is NO right or wrong! If you feel every day is too much, what about once a week? You could walk around your house or scroll through articles or find pictures, or know people you’d love to share – 53 things are not that difficult? What about 365 things?

I could walk around my house and list 365 things that are good to me right now! Don’t you think I’m not going to be sharing appliances! Where would I be without the ease of slow cookers! (Oh dear, I just gave you one of my “goods”!)

Join me – it’s easy! Here are the steps:

Post on social media and use #somethinggood2020
FOLLOW The hashtag #somethinggood2020 (just like you would follow a person)
Tag @LovingGrADDitude in your posts so I can see what you share
Follow #LovingGrADDitude

Can’t we ALL use a little good each day?

Here’s to finding your #somethinggood2020,

Kelly

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 … 7 Next

August 9, 2019

November 16, 2018

June 8, 2021

June 22, 2021

June 14, 2021

June 8, 2021

So helpful! I always dread telling my son about a change in plans. Excellent approach.

GrADDitude Corner

Here are some tips on how you can proactively create the space and balance so everyone in your ADHD family can be productive, efficient, get their work done and have fun along the way!

In this video, I share how you can shift your mindset to build and restructure your home to make it all happen!

This first video focuses on establishing boundaries when your home is now a living space + office + classroom with many moving parts.

I love to clean, file, purge, fold, re-organize and create more space in our home. My mind thrives in order and if things aren’t in place, I feel as if I’m not in MY place: my happy, calm and peaceful place, that is.

(As I’m typing this and walking through in my mind how I organize, I realize my heart flutters a bit more and races when my house is not in order. Anxiety over disorder? I suspect so!)

So it’s inevitable that during the Christmas and New Year season you will find me reorganizing shelves, taking everything out of drawers or closets and making it all look nice again. Maybe even re-doing something I just did so it fits better!

In order to be successful and get into the “mood of organizing,” the following are a few steps I take to begin (and stay on) any organizing task!

1. Set the Mood / Atmosphere!

What’s my atmosphere, you may ask?

A cup of hot green tea, TV (hardly even watch it, just listen) or Alexa playing music in the background. Or maybe I listen to a podcast… depends on the location of the room and the length of the task.

2. Tools, Glorious Tools!

I always, always, ALWAYS ensure I have all the tools I need before I even begin my organizing.

Tools? Yes, tools. People with ADHD often start in the middle of a project without thinking through what they’ll need to complete the task at hand.

And when the tools are not in place, the ADHD brain shuts down because the task at hand is too hard and long and they don’t know where to begin. (True? Lightbulb moment here? Did you just have an “A-HA” moment?)

Therefore, offices have even more piles on them, kitchens are aghast with containers covering the countertop, and closets are jammed and crammed, with nowhere to throw anything accept on top of the heaping pile of clothes already there! (I won’t even address playrooms!)

The result: very little gets accomplished when it needs to.

So in order to begin a project, you must think through ALL you’ll need to complete the project.

Things like: Plastic bags for trash, files, folders, tabs, pens, pencils, hangers, paper, boxes, containers, stamps, iron, folding table, tape, etc.

And yes, that may mean you need to take a quick run to Staples or Walmart or Target or The Container Store (my bff!) for supplies! But do not let that deter you! Once all the tools are in place, you will be good to go and you won’t have an excuse to not get it done!

3. Break it down!

Some organizing tasks take time and can be overwhelming. Things like your dining room covered with bills needing to be sorted and filed and left there for days on end. Or a kitchen that has all the plastic containers out of the drawers because you cannot find the lids!!!

To tackle these tasks, break them down and take small piles at a time. Set reasonable and attainable stopping points so you don’t become weary and not complete all the filing. Use timers if you have to!

Figure out what is YOUR way to best accomplish the task from beginning to end!

4. The End Game!

Taking the mindset that for everything there is a beginning, a middle and an end — what is your end game?

Maybe you just want to organize your papers and put them in piles. Maybe the end game is to put all the papers away in a file cabinet. Maybe your end game is to just hang clothing instead of folding them. Know your end game and this will make the task at hand attainable!

Bonus: 5 Questions About Stuff in Your Space

Often one of the things that stop us from successfully organizing our SPACE is feeling overwhelmed with what to do with all the STUFF.

Now if you signed up for my Holiday Survival Guide last month, you know I break my thought process down into questions and bullet points as this is how my mind functions.

So, in staying with true Kelly fashion, when I organize, I look at the whole space and ask myself a few questions:

What is used most often? (think accessibility)

What will fit here the best? (think best use of space)

Can I condense something? (think add more space)

What is the best use of this drawer, cabinet and shelf? (think functionality)

How much time am I committing to this and what can I reasonably get accomplished? (think succeed and complete project)

If you’d like to know more about me and keep up with me on Social Media, here is where you can find me and become a member of my community:

IG: @lovinggradditude

FB: @lovingradditude

Here’s to a Happy Organizing New Year!

Kelly

ADHD Life Coach, CALC

Happy New Decade!!

WOW! Can you believe? A new decade has begun! Thank you for “ringing it in” with me! So, what now? Do you make resolutions? Are you a goal setter? Or is the New Year just another day in the life?

I’m doing something I’ve never done before! I’m challenging myself to share #somethinggood2020 every day for 365 days!

“What? Are you crazy?” you ask.

Yep, I’m going to share something in my life each day that is Good. With you.

Have you ever committed to something for an entire year? Aside from eating, sleeping, breathing and taking care of my personal needs, I cannot raise my hand on this one, but that’s about to change!

What have you done each day every day for one year?

Well, here’s your chance to join me! 5 minutes or LESS is what I will be spending on my “good” each day. No excuses! Make it easy! We ALL have 5 minutes to share and maybe make someone’s day, right????

I could walk around my house and list 365 things that are good to me right now! Don’t you think I’m not going to be sharing appliances! Where would I be without the ease of slow cookers! (Oh dear, I just gave you one of my “goods”!)

Join me – it’s easy! Here are the steps:

Post on social media and use #somethinggood2020

FOLLOW The hashtag #somethinggood2020 (just like you would follow a person)

Tag @LovingGrADDitude in your posts so I can see what you share

Follow #LovingGrADDitude

Can’t we ALL use a little good each day?

Here’s to finding your #somethinggood2020,

Kelly

Want to see if Coaching would be a good fit for you?

FOLLOW ME

RECENT POSTS

WORK WITH ME