tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61368225864789417392012-02-08T17:00:55.817-08:00Imagine life in a house with 6 kids - now imagine if 5 of those kids and their father have ADHD - that is our house! Welcome to an inside view of my life and our home dominated by ADHD...NEVER A DULL MOMENT HERE!Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.comBlogger811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-91531907995280180402012-01-23T00:01:00.000-08:002012-01-23T00:01:29.796-08:00

In our house we like to say that ADD/ADHD is a gift with a heavy price tag.  You have learn to manage that uniquely wired brain to unlock the gifts that come with it.  One of Mariah's ADD/ADHD gifts is definitely a quick whit, a wonderful sense of humor which she has developed and used to help her manage the frustrations of life.  It has benefited us all, bringing much needed comedic relief.  Of

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-83945743026272846262012-01-16T21:16:00.000-08:002012-01-16T21:19:40.354-08:00

We walked into the face to face teacher meeting and Hunter immediately announced that he was un-medicated.  I am not sure if it was an explanation or a warning to our home school supervising teacher.  He did, however, prove that it was probably both.  As he spouted random facts, stopped randomly and rubbed his head really hard, stood,  squatted on top the chair, vibrated,  marched his fingers in

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-21596973418759598922012-01-03T22:05:00.000-08:002012-01-03T22:05:29.163-08:00

I wish that they sold courage.  It is one thing that I find myself running short on quite frequently.  My kids and husband with ADD/ADHD don’t seem to have that problem.  I think that their impulsiveness works faster than they register fear.  By the time their fear registers they’re already half way through the action and it’s too late for it to dominate the day. I’ve really enjoyed writing the

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-19464449943540299412011-10-01T08:25:00.000-07:002011-10-01T08:25:00.981-07:00

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Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-52627572631745587482011-09-26T11:53:00.000-07:002011-09-26T11:53:27.680-07:00

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Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-33013898828682103322011-09-23T22:59:00.000-07:002011-09-23T22:59:30.234-07:00

For years I have been threatening to burn the plaque that hangs in our home that says, "Lack of planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on mine."  Maybe in a normal house that would work but I have not found it to be true at all. Sometimes I think the sign is laughing at me. Sure, I get the fact that sometimes we have to let our children suffer the consequences of their lack of

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-60154274641619147952011-09-23T06:14:00.000-07:002011-09-23T06:14:29.794-07:00

I was talking to a teacher, a new teacher to us and really a relatively new teacher altogether.  She was frustrating the heck out of me.  I have to admit, I was at whits end trying to communicate with her how ADHD  effected the way one of my children approached school. I finally stopped the conversation dead in its tracks.  Do any of your children have ADHD?  Does anyone you know have ADHD

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-79448099712521846582011-09-21T15:14:00.000-07:002011-09-21T15:54:47.355-07:00

We have embarked in a whole new phase of life in our house.  It has taken awhile for me to get my bearings as I have been stretched over this new schedule.  We have two in college.  Three in high school, at two different schools, and two still doing home school, but with two different supervising teachers. One still in an elementary and one in junior high. For the past four years we have had

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-18170504337852311422011-08-27T15:08:00.000-07:002011-08-27T15:15:42.549-07:00

Coping mechanisms are our friends.  At least that is what we try and teach our children.  We try to teach them to be honest with themselves about how their brain works.  We encourage them to develop techniques that work for them as individuals.  There is a lot of trial and error because you really have to try different things to see how they work.  Certainly, what works for one won't work for

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-2107707678062416952011-08-24T09:59:00.000-07:002011-08-24T09:59:12.742-07:00

The Aro family: making simple things hard since 1991 -  this has become our family mantra.  Ever since the post by the same name this little phrase seems to be coming up all the time. The kids have even requested that we get in engraved on a wooden plaque and hang it in the living room.  Maybe we could replace the "poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine" sign; since

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-23711740926921913472011-08-21T22:03:00.000-07:002011-08-21T22:04:29.690-07:00

Our summer has been BING! BANG! BOOM!  We packed, we moved, we registered for school and this week everyone started back to school.  I am not sure I have ever been so ready (not prepared, just ready) for school to start.  I don't want the hassle and anxiety of school; but, I am welcoming the end of our chaotic and nerve wracking summer. doing school at the desk This week was a barrage of

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-34289727900046089342011-07-12T23:23:00.000-07:002011-07-12T23:23:20.818-07:00

We're moving. Does that thought just make you tired?  Because the thought of loading up our household, our 7 kids, and 4 dogs makes me exhausted. It's not a planned move. We got notice the other day that the house we have been renting for over 3 years has been foreclosed on.   It's one of the reasons that I've been absent for a little while.  I had to process the thought, we had to make some

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-19169752201985549722011-07-11T21:12:00.000-07:002011-07-11T21:13:25.586-07:00

Interesting conversation over breakfast this morning.  Four or five of the kids were in the kitchen getting breakfast.  This is one of the times of day when we have the most interesting conversations in our home.  Mornings and evenings.  There are not filters on the brain because meds have not kicked in yet or they are long gone.  One of them will get on a subject and it just rolls forward from

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-81842877324430973242011-07-02T19:43:00.000-07:002011-07-02T20:10:31.705-07:00

As we are approaching the 4th of July I can't help but find myself pleading with Heaven that we don't repeat our Memorial Day mayhem.  The injury was not all that bad but the drama surrounding it wore me out. It all started with a little obsession.  Weed eating.  My son had made a deal with his father; a video game in exchange for weeding around the house.  This was a big deal.  Hunter became

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-60547484773938966202011-06-27T19:53:00.000-07:002011-06-27T20:10:28.542-07:00

 A couple of months ago one of my teenage daughters decided she needed an exercise boost.  I think she saw the third year hike and repelling coming up quickly at Girl's Camp and wanted to prepare.  She picked a walk video that is the equivalent of a 2 mile walk. She has been dedicated!  Everyday Leslie would enthusiastically enter our living room with her cast of walkers and, peppy as can be,

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-22154564978289637172011-06-23T22:00:00.000-07:002011-06-23T22:19:50.985-07:00

My daughter announced today that we have a way of making simple things hard... Well, that is true.  We do have that tendency. As illustrated by her younger brother who just an hour or so later pulled out the juicer, not the fancy powered kind the old fashioned hand juicer kind, and a bag of grapes.  As the pulled out a tiny grape and headed to the tip of the juicer he announce, "It's going to

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-83515614236389882592011-06-11T21:23:00.000-07:002011-06-11T22:29:48.327-07:00

Early this week Fernie came out of the back room where he had been working on his online classes.  I am not sure he even walked down the hall -- I think it was more that his excitement teleported him instantaneously down the hall and into the living room.  He could hardly speak. The gist was this.  Google launched a new Google image on their home page in honor of Les Paul, a fully playable 

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-18173311281803830952011-06-01T00:12:00.000-07:002011-06-01T00:12:19.850-07:00

Less than a week away from graduation and her teacher told her that he would not accept her physical education essays, they would have to be redone.  He had changed what he wanted last minute.  Now one of the essays had to be on a health related issue.  Little miss "I think I might have ODD" did not take this well at all. (see post: Mum, I Think I Might Have ODD)  As I reviewed the symptoms of

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-24657552198764618852011-05-30T15:34:00.000-07:002011-05-30T15:34:05.158-07:00

It's not like I haven't thought it a million times; but, I will have to say I was stunned when my daughter brought it up herself. We were talking about ADD/ADHD and all the many co-occurring conditions when she just put it out there, "Mum, I think I have ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder).  I can't help it!  If someone tells me to do something -- even if I want to do it -- the moment they tell

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-78228824306766698742011-05-24T19:39:00.000-07:002011-05-24T19:39:59.914-07:00

I am tired. I am tired from staying up late with kids who have insomnia, kids that are worried and need the world put back together.  I am tired of the emotions of not understanding social skills; both for them and for me.  I am tired of social skills stories to teach what comes innately to other kids.  Tired of emotional scales to register when life is overstimulating.  Situational scales. 

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-55028816873357632382011-05-13T12:12:00.000-07:002011-05-13T12:12:24.210-07:00

There is a new song ringing through the halls of our home.  A song of excitement, accomplishment, and pure joy!   Seventy five pounds, I am seventy five pounds! Seventy five pounds, I am seventy five pounds! Seventy -- seventy -- seventy five pounds...EX-ACT-LY! This should be compared to the 71.4 pounds he was just a couple of weeks ago.  Maybe he was right.  Maybe that gigantic Superior

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-47306181810284848272011-05-10T22:03:00.000-07:002011-05-10T22:03:44.126-07:00

My husband, Mark, asked Hannah to take notes during our family meeting this morning.  We have family meetings all the time as a way to handle issues or get organized and headed the same direction.  This one was special because the kids had planned to do a big Spring clean for Mother's Day.  Basically, at the end of the meeting he wanted there to be a list of jobs and assignments.   These

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-13218461415304805312011-05-09T22:46:00.000-07:002011-05-13T10:12:05.933-07:00

Thank you, Shonda Schilling, for your wonderful book about your experience raising your son!  In her book, The Best Kind of Different, one of the techniques she uses to teach appropriate levels of reaction to situations by rating situations and the appropriate reactions on a scale of one to five.  One being a casual almost non-reaction, five being an justifiably upset reaction to a serious

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-55154485164739400572011-05-03T22:37:00.000-07:002011-05-03T22:37:42.439-07:00

Texas Dirt Everyone else wanted Texas Jelly Beans, not J.J.  He wanted dirt, of course not just any dirt, Texas dirt.  He is our only Texas baby and when he heard that his dad was going to be in Texas he wanted some native soil.    He got even more excited when he found out that part of his dad's Houston WorldFest Film Festival experience was going to be a tour of NASA.   They had a heart to

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-77256788794695831072011-04-28T17:15:00.000-07:002011-04-28T17:15:59.306-07:00

Dear Dr. House, All the children have signed a petition.  They insist that it is time to give their youngest brother afternoon medicine.  In fact, this comes up just about everyday from around 5:00 pm until bedtime. It came up a lot this afternoon as he was riding his bike from the front to the back door.  He would pop his head in and laugh maniacally, slam the door, and then race to the other

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-49373295959143470922011-04-26T19:03:00.000-07:002011-04-26T19:06:07.268-07:00

When I heard the cries of anguish from the front yard I have to admit I thought she was being over dramatic. Rachel has always been  know as the highest ranking drama llama in our house.  As a young child we called her Sarah Heartburn.  She was always nigh unto death with some ailment or another.  Ironically, she's the healthiest kid of the bunch.  Rachel was ever trying to be the sickest and

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-52015407568910366482011-04-25T00:50:00.000-07:002011-04-25T05:48:50.195-07:00

I was sitting across the table from a teacher at my daughter's school.  He seemed more than a little shocked when I acknowledged so openly her complete lack of understanding of social skills.  I said to him, "Look, it is what it is.  How silly would it be for me to pretend that she doesn't have issues with social interactions?"  Still a little baffled, hesitantly he asked, "Does she know she has

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-14671719400502014522011-04-23T22:57:00.000-07:002011-04-23T23:08:17.419-07:00

Been a little busy the last few weeks.  My husband, Mark, has been working on a film for the last two and a half years, Finding Hope Now, in addition to his regular day job.  Most of that time he has spent working the day job then going straight to work on the film for another 8 to 10 hours at  ""the studio."    By the time he would finish working on the film at night there was no way he could

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-12905371495545911982011-04-23T08:13:00.000-07:002011-04-23T08:26:32.022-07:00

It seems like forever since the last post. I have to admit that I have been overwhelmed the last couple of weeks and while I have been writing and have lots to write about (too much really), I have not been finishing them or posting them.  It makes me feel guilty sometimes.  Mostly, because blogging has brought to the forefront of my mind what a perfectionist I am. Yep, that is right, a

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-8763718039152042102011-04-06T21:03:00.000-07:002011-04-06T21:03:55.804-07:00

Rachel sings as she works - the little woodland creatures have yet to come join her and help like they do in Disney movies but I guarantee you they can hear her.  She is a vocalist and boy does she have a set of lungs.  She insists that this helps her work but I am seeing more wandering, singing, and staging than working.  I keep asking her to take the volume down but clearly we define quieter

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-14380875960758956822011-03-25T22:40:00.000-07:002011-03-25T22:40:01.922-07:00

We often discuss whether something that has happened in the house is blog worthy.  Mark, my husband, gave me a standard to follow the other day.  He said, "if you laugh so hard that you cry, it is definitely blog worthy."  He said that as he was laughing and crying about the very stories you're about to read. Jaren is 10 years old now.  It seems impossible because I swear he was just a preemie

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-1148334750358994792011-03-22T23:59:00.000-07:002011-03-23T00:43:39.582-07:00

When my husband called and told me that the last day to work on "the film" (Finding Hope Now) before the latest version was sent off to be screened at the Houston WorldFest International Film Festival was the 23rd of March I laughed out loud.  How very fitting that our 20th wedding anniversary would be the day before probably one of the most significant deadlines of my husband's career. Fitting,

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-79479866261789974202011-03-09T00:58:00.000-08:002011-03-09T15:01:52.254-08:00

It is no secret that waiting is generally not the strong suit of people with ADHD.  I am personally not a huge fan of it either but I usually enjoy the forced break that comes with it.  To my children and husband it is torture.  Unfortunately, life is a whole lot of waiting. Because we live in the country and all our doctors are in the city, about an hour away, we rarely "go to town" for just

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-84535129277283167082011-03-04T23:59:00.000-08:002011-03-04T23:59:47.829-08:00

Someone said to me the other night that they saw the picture of my kids bahooties on Facebook - they wanted to make sure I knew about it.  I know about it -- I put it there.  Actually, I told the person, it was on Facebook because I was letting people know that I had a new blog post up.  I tried to explain the purpose of the blog but I think it wasn't really clicking. I suppose that might seem a

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-52212283971747707472011-03-04T10:04:00.000-08:002011-03-04T10:04:36.052-08:00

Rachel was about 10 or 11 years old, she came screaming  down the stairs in a full panic.  It scared the living daylights out of me - I was sure that someone was badly injured. When I finally got her calmed down enough to speak, the story came pouring out.  They had made a make believe pool in their bedroom with blankets on the floor.  Rachel was freaked out, Mary wouldn't listen to her - Mary

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-15575782061475504402011-02-27T23:47:00.000-08:002011-02-28T00:15:58.403-08:00

We have a way of raising eyebrows and inciting laughter all at the same time. Our shear numbers can be shocking.  Add to that a bunch ADHD and a lack of inhibition and we are pure entertainment.  It might make some people uncomfortable but for the most part people seem amused.  Sometimes they even laugh or comment on what fun we are obviously having.  That was certainly the case the other night

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-46081260982491637912011-02-26T01:44:00.000-08:002011-02-26T11:11:49.169-08:00

"Hi, this is Mary.  She is going to be in your class this year.  Believe it or not she is medicated, on the highest dose allowed by the FDA of two ADHD medications.  You can't really tell but trust me there is a big difference.  You should know that she is also dyslexic, she only sees out of one eye, she has a speech problem - you can't really understand a word she says.  She reads like she

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-61745042819138514722011-02-23T23:55:00.000-08:002011-02-23T23:55:25.478-08:00

My dad is a safety fanatic, truly obsessed.  So when I was a kid our dart board was Velcro.  The "darts" were ping pong balls with little strips of the scratchy side of Velcro.  The dart board itself was soft material.  You had to throw that dart-ball just right; because, if you didn't the smooth side of the ball would bounce right off the board. The more I experienced ADHD with my husband and

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-5199948551699288862011-02-18T02:09:00.000-08:002011-02-18T08:39:10.588-08:00

She slid around the corner of the bread isle in Vons - one hand on her hip, one straight up in the air, rock star style. In her self proclaimed over exaggerated, deep, sweaty, Bon Jovi voice she belted out, "Cause I'm wanted...wante-e-ed...dead or alive!" She is 17. Everybody turned to look, froze, and stared.  The butcher almost dropped his meat. A man with his young son in the cart, eyes

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-84956104562583449372011-02-16T13:19:00.000-08:002011-02-16T13:19:16.045-08:00

Those who know me - especially my family - know that I do love to be right.  The other night when my sister sent me a link to an article about ADHD and creativity I have to tell you I felt justified, proven right. The article was reporting on a study which found that people with ADHD are more "creative" than their non-ADHD counterparts.  Creativity has always been a hard one to define and has

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-54574981414354650892011-02-07T19:11:00.000-08:002011-02-07T19:12:57.697-08:00

I was listening to one of my kids tied in knots with anxiety the other night.  He had hit maximum overload and was starting to unravel. The list was long and came out at an amazing pace.  It reminded me of those old TV commercials with the speed talkers. "I can't stay still, even when I sleep, I can't stop moving. There are no games I can play on the internet because of our internet limits. I

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-69213567732523368972011-02-03T23:07:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:07:13.024-08:00

It is time to move on and get back to blogging.  Here are some of my favorite happenings and quotes from the last couple months. I called home from the store, "How big is the turkey in the refrigerator?" Fernie, "About as big as Mark's head." Me..."I meant how many pounds!?" "It's the 12 days of Christmas...Oooooon the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-44396351283192459992010-12-04T11:40:00.000-08:002010-12-04T11:40:51.181-08:00

My kids complain every time they go to the psychiatrist.  Not about the psychiatrist - they love him.  They complain because there is an eyelash on the white matte around a picture in his office. They obsess over it.  They bring it up every time we go for a visit, which is fairly frequently.  They are baffled that he has not had that picture re-framed. He said, no one has ever brought it up but

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-22743713259456891712010-10-26T22:59:00.000-07:002010-10-27T08:36:44.082-07:00

My husband says I have a hard time committing to anything.  I think it is a learned behavior.  Like a lab rat that gets zinged by pressing the lever I know that if I commit to a plan and it doesn’t work out the very gates of hell will open up.  The weeping and wailing of many voices, all belonging to me, will cry unto me unceasingly. That may be a bit dramatic.   But those of you who have ADHD

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-1582311373352867042010-10-20T00:26:00.000-07:002010-10-26T23:09:12.142-07:00

Mariah got caught texting at school.  Well, actually she was emailing her little brother from her phone.  None the less, she could have gotten her phone taken away, but she didn’t.  Instead the teacher that caught her ended up walking off a little dumb founded leaving Mariah to her email. She goes to a very small charter school that offers an online curriculum.  Most of the students attend

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-20913909857774148662010-10-10T19:00:00.000-07:002010-10-10T19:03:50.719-07:00

There needs to be a change of perception about ADHD in our communities, one that I believe will only take place as knowledge and understanding are shared.  One that I believe can only take place by learning about the experience of having ADHD not just the symptoms.    ADHD has to get beyond the annoying kid that can’t sit still, that blurts out answers, acts impulsively, and can’t focus.  How

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-23246643316623153772010-10-09T04:11:00.000-07:002010-10-09T05:19:38.811-07:00

It started when Mark and I were first married.  I had this silly notion that we would run on a similar schedule.  In our newlywed bliss we would get up at the same time and retire at the same time.  This would have worked perfectly except my sweet new husband didn’t go to bed until two or three in the morning.  Regardless of when he fell asleep he was up at five or six in the morning. I couldn’t

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-40574412837373048192010-10-04T12:55:00.000-07:002010-10-04T18:01:53.914-07:00

I heard a friend talking about our neighborhood once.  He said, “That’s the only place I know where people build fences to keep the cows out instead of in.” It is the truth.  We live in a neighborhood with free range horses and cattle. We have lived there for several years now.  Up until this last year the cows seemed to leave us alone.  Then something changed, it has been war ever since

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-28253207726867824222010-09-28T20:18:00.000-07:002010-09-28T20:32:07.461-07:00

What a summer!  I think I made a tactical error some where between the hectic end of school and the beginning of summer.  I said, “I wish it would all just stop so I could just catch my breath.” Boy did it stop!  I do not believe I will ever beg the world to stop again. It started with the water pump on the van deciding that it also wanted to stop, stop holding water that is.  I would put fluid

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-4948450707895407882010-06-19T15:31:00.000-07:002010-06-19T15:38:36.230-07:00

As school was drawing to a close this year and life was proving more complicated we reintroduced Mariah to journal writing.  We have encouraged the kids to write in journals on and off during their lives, mostly to have a record of their experiences at different ages. Now we encourage them to write as a means of sorting out their feelings and some of life's tougher issues. Mariah has some great

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-51450149798916600982010-06-16T09:51:00.000-07:002010-06-16T10:23:14.284-07:00

Rachel would throw her sidewalk chalk in the basket on her bike, hop on, and pedal as hard as she could up our driveway.  She was about 7 years old at the time, she would push and push up the steep driveway until she was going so slow that her bike would fall over sideways.  Then she would pick herself up, grab the chalk and draw a long line across the pavement, hop back on the bike and ride

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-5135946318508267022010-06-02T10:12:00.000-07:002010-06-02T10:27:26.186-07:00

These last couple weeks have been so crazy that I transitioned from regular taxi-mom to long-distance charter bus driver.  So crazy that I have developed a repetitive stress injury in my hands from gripping the steering wheel for 8 hours of driving on some week days.  I have had quite a year so far. I know I keep saying that, but I am telling you I have driven more in the last year than in my

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-35533504212217322322010-05-27T22:58:00.000-07:002010-05-27T22:58:02.751-07:00

      164.    Go waddling with penguins, do the really tap dance, hmmm? 166.  Wear Ozzy Osbourne glasses and go around in a purple trench coat talking loudly in a British accent all day170.  Sit in a giant bowl of cereal and soy milk and eat it174.  Ride a llama (Napoleon Dynamite quotes are a must)175.  Wear glass slippers177.  Make an igloo179.  Go for a joy ride in a golf cart184.  Go

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-2182717273580474742010-05-24T23:24:00.000-07:002010-05-24T23:35:51.046-07:00

Immobility and hyperactivity are not a good mix.  Rachel’s prom night injury has left her with a ruptured ligament in her ankle. Now she has a big fancy black walking boot that makes her look even more like an anime character than normal. She is in the boot “until further notice.” Which may be a long time, she still falls at least once a day because of the crutches.  Or, like the other day, gets

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-8680577560941139162010-04-28T22:10:00.000-07:002010-04-28T22:10:29.304-07:00

It was a magical day and night as the three oldest girls prepared for the prom, almost like time and trials paused to lean towards a perfect memory.  Like the fairy godmother had waved her magic wand over my three daughters as they sashayed their way to the Hanford Stake center, now a Fairy Forest Prom. They left reality behind as they crossed the arched footbridge over a sparkling river that

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-48893149863086625202010-04-22T23:26:00.000-07:002010-04-27T18:45:46.621-07:00

Have you ever noticed that when you try and pull out onto a road with cross traffic that it takes forever! The cars space out evenly, so it's impossible to dart out onto the road.  Like some sort of traffic conspiracy.  I was driving some young ladies from church one evening when we were stuck in such a spot. From the back of the car, one of the young ladies piped up, “Close the gate, Richard!”

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-62725904330297675272010-04-11T20:41:00.001-07:002010-04-11T20:41:54.457-07:00

I was talking to my friend Steffani on Monday – her husband, Don, usually handles our car repairs – but it was Easter weekend and there were too many obligations.  She said to me, “Lisa, something is wrong.  I don’t think it is ever taken Don 3 hours to do your brakes, much less 3 days.” We were talking about our family’s 15 passenger van…the “monster” van.  It was so named by our kids seven

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-28149061516950147272010-04-07T12:55:00.000-07:002010-04-07T13:00:20.725-07:00

I was having a great conversation with my sister-in-law a few months ago.  As we were talking I could not help but think about how great she always looks.  She is an artist to the core – trained in fashion and interior design – and it shows in her ‘look.’  Like her house, it is totally her own and truly beautiful.  As I was leaving I thought that anyone who met her and found out what she does

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-74300351931231205982010-03-31T22:01:00.000-07:002010-04-01T08:49:03.822-07:00

I have had quite a month or two - it seems like I have done nothing but run and run and RUN!  Mingled with a couple of bouts with the flu and other injuries and accidents.  WOW! It is amazing I am not rocking back and forth under a table somewhere! In the mean time, I have had all these little things that I have wanted to address but, just haven't had time to. FIRST AND FOREMOST I just want to

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-33992506776419473482010-03-27T08:13:00.000-07:002010-03-27T08:13:47.451-07:00

When the kids were really small, especially these older kids, and we were getting our feet wet with discipline we decided to use the standing in the corner or putting your nose on the wall as a form of punishment.  It has worked really well for us over the years - so well that with these younger kids I only have to mention "the wall" and compliance is nearly immediate.  I think it is because

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-82003528458644411762010-03-17T12:07:00.000-07:002010-03-17T12:07:53.954-07:00

I believe that my daughter's powerfully creative mind has allowed her to create an alternate reality where the kitchen is actually clean and her job is done. The problem is in my reality it is not done...it is not close to done.  Our realities are in deep and eternal conflict. A conflict that might find her walking into her bedroom today and discovering the greasy griddle waiting for her on her

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-36488388899846335182010-03-12T09:08:00.000-08:002010-03-12T09:08:12.402-08:00

It is late! Like really late or REALLY early - I should be sleeping because I have to drive people places in just a few hours BUT I can’t seem to sleep.  So here I sit…typing. We had a fairly normal Wednesday today - no late night trips to the ER this Wednesday!  Yeah!  Just the normal amount of chaos getting ready for cub scouts, scouts, and young women’s activities.  As fate would have it I

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-26610193398585316082010-03-10T09:50:00.000-08:002010-03-10T09:50:12.259-08:00

When Mariah announced that her health teacher asked them to write a list of 10 responses to peer pressure to drink alcohol I knew it would be post worthy.  After all, I knew that even if Mariah started out with normal answers she would not be able to resist the open invitation to be  - well, Mariah. 1. No thanks, I don't like not having control. 2. No thanks, I have to study. 3. No thanks, I

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-74345345886448250602010-03-07T20:46:00.001-08:002010-03-07T22:58:56.326-08:00

A muffled scream came rolling out from Mary’s room the other night; it sounded a lot like the Peanut’s cartoon teacher in a hysterical panic.  It is not unusual for me to not understand Mary when she gets worked up, when she is muffled, upset, and crying.  In fact, only recently can I understand her on a regular basis.  Mary has always had co-occurring conditions weaving their way in and out of

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-90646938384994187422010-03-06T23:08:00.001-08:002010-03-06T23:08:58.571-08:00

I was driving the other day and came up behind a truck with this saying plastered to the back window, “Life used to be so simple.”  WOW!  This was very profound and especially hit home this week which seemed to be the explosive culmination of several crazy weeks in which life seemed to go completely sideways.  So here is why I have not posted in such an intolerably L O N G time.  It started

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-80387437375713891652010-03-03T15:54:00.000-08:002010-03-03T15:54:04.291-08:00

Sometimes life just seems to go a little sideways - that has certainly been the last couple of weeks.  It seems like forever since I have posted but I have it all headed the right direction again and will have a post up by tonight or tomorrow morning.   I almost said that I had it all back together again but that would insinuate that I had it together in the first place...ha ha ha...not really!

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-50817596281253631122010-02-16T18:59:00.000-08:002010-02-17T22:16:42.889-08:00

It has been an interesting year and a half.  You know that they say you never realize what you have until it’s gone.  This last year and a half we have been deep in pre-production, then production and now post-production of a feature film and Mark has been mostly GONE. Boy have we learned some stuff in his absence.During production everyone got to help.  It was a family affair as our 3 oldest

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-4547508049100718562010-02-15T16:58:00.000-08:002010-02-16T11:32:01.797-08:00

Over the years we as a family have found that we have our own definitions and terms we use all the time – our own family language.  Take for example the term nesting. Nesting:  When someone refuses to put anything away in its place and insists on having their belongs piled around a central spot like their favorite place to sit or their bed.  Creating a nest of stuff, where everything is mostly

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-49780230028778680062010-02-10T01:11:00.000-08:002010-02-16T20:06:41.279-08:00

Well time did not come to a screeching halt.  We were on the eve of Rachel’s most dreaded 18th birthday and last night she said family prayer,  in it she slipped in a little personal request, “God if thou will please stop time for me.”  Thinking about our oldest becoming a legal adult started me thinking about her life.  As the oldest there is no doubt she is the child we learned on, our guinea

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-26051597837592791702010-02-08T12:22:00.000-08:002010-02-08T21:42:06.738-08:00

A strange phenomenon occurs shortly after we all get loaded in the car and the engine starts.  Like clock work Hannah (14 yrs old) speaks out loud and clearly, “Can we turn the radio on?”  This is significant for many reasons not the least of which is that Hannah, when she speaks, which is not that often, is usually too quiet to hear.  Mariah almost pummeled a young man at church who asked her,

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-16820590193551928062010-02-04T20:39:00.000-08:002010-02-05T23:58:00.319-08:00

 OVER THE HILL Is it wrong to have a over the hill party for a young woman turning 18?  Our oldest, Rachel, is about to turn eighteen.  For most young people this would be an exciting landmark birthday.  Not for Rachel.  She has been torturing us with this impending birthday for years, escalating daily now as we approach what surely constitutes the end of the world. "I'm running out of time!" has

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-26175539488215272752010-02-01T17:21:00.000-08:002010-02-01T17:35:47.860-08:00

This weekend has given me more material for this blog than I really care to admit.  After all, do I want the world to know that my 11 1/2 year old son, Hunter, tried to flavor his bath water with lollipops.   For that matter do I want the world to know that the summation of the experience was that he thought he really needed more lollipops to make it successful. Ironically, Mark and I had been

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-15052421733763956632010-01-28T17:48:00.000-08:002010-01-29T16:15:17.190-08:00

Darth Breader?  Is he white or wheat?  Was he wheat and then came back to the white side? Ahhh the early morning wanderings of the ADHD brain!  A family passion for Star Wars and a long standing debate over white and wheat bread had meshed together, the kids were riding the morning ADHD wave.  Most of the time I am not as amused by the distractions. The time between when everyone gets up and

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-14435689333668761542010-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:002010-01-27T11:08:06.648-08:00

How does one receive a 0% on an non-graded assignment?  That is what Mariah wondered about her Math Lab post that many of you have read (if not see She Turned it in But Will They Post It).  She was sure that she was going to have to submit her rather plain alternative, "My name is Mariah and I am afraid of math."  When she finally got a hold of her math teacher and was able to ask her about the

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-19325646026653473242010-01-24T19:14:00.000-08:002010-01-26T18:03:35.941-08:00

There are few things that I hate more than dealing with cars.  One, I hate spending money and cars have a tendency to make me bleed money.  Two, I know little about them.  I know where to put in the gas.  I know where to check the oil and to put oil in but I rarely do it until the car will no longer stay on.   It is a matter of principle, an in your face to my birth father who not only owns and

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-70372964132921746912010-01-20T09:25:00.000-08:002010-01-26T01:22:18.686-08:00

Mariah (16) was required to make an introductory post to the Math Tutor Lab website as an assignment for her Geometry class...this was her post. Hopelessness...despair...darkness...confusion...nightmare-ish visions reenacting my most dear childhood memories only to find that my face has been replaced by large numbers and postulates and all of my friends are polygons...wetting the bed…

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-77308019870671304712010-01-18T09:11:00.000-08:002010-01-19T19:53:20.782-08:00

Sometimes I get really sick of hearing my own voice!  Especially when I am saying the same things over and over...and over again.  I know that every family hears some of these same things uttered and reiterated, but I am not sure that every family spends hours accomplishing one or two simple tasks.  Consider an ADHD home:  I am sure that some of you KNOW what I am talking about.   We start

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-42674860567791267352010-01-15T00:21:00.000-08:002010-01-15T09:53:18.484-08:00

Not to claim to have heard it all but my daughter laid one on me this evening that really took me by surprise. That is not easy… especially with this daughter. I had been gone all day at a doctor’s appointment for myself, Remicade, for an Auto-Imune disease (Ankylosing Spondylitis). When I returned home I got the normal barrage of updates about the day as I made my way back to my room where

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-29306005710939025182010-01-11T18:12:00.000-08:002010-01-11T19:58:11.170-08:00

Here are my boys, Hunter and Jaren! They are a couple years apart in age and about the same size in stature. They are often confused for twins. Some people ask me HOW to tell them apart. I tell them it is easy Jaren always looks very put together and Hunter always looks disheveled, like he just walked out of a tornado. I couldn’t help but think about how individual ADHD can be when I looked

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-60681950594859871942010-01-05T09:23:00.000-08:002010-02-17T08:24:08.202-08:00

Mariah - the source of inspiration for the 'Oh yes she did just say that" has always had a terrible time communicating - you wouldn't know that now so much but she did. In fact, I am sure that some of her extreme humor and quick wit is to deflect what she really has a hard time expressing. When she was smaller she really could not communicate at all and she was a tightly wound ball of extreme

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6136822586478941739.post-88586954578088961202010-01-04T12:34:00.000-08:002010-01-08T07:04:49.389-08:00

Jaren just asked me what ADHD stands for? Hmmm... How do I answer that question? The first thing that came to mind was not Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The first thing that came to mind was CHAOS! Maybe it is because I always feel like I am swimming up stream trying to get all my ducks in a row and headed the SAME direction - something that is a constant battle and rarely

Lisa Arohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06350263135912416474noreply@blogger.com9