A plan for ADHD

Mommy and Aria <3

Now that I have two young girls I have just been to exhausted to be as strict in my scheduling as I was when it was just Aria. Now that it looks like Aria has ADHD like Gabe does I really feel like I need to tighten up ship and get proactive about getting her the tools to be successful as she grows up. Unfortunately this is a lot more work for me and I am feeling quite overwhelmed. 


Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that robs children of their ability to focus and pay attention. Kids with ADHD are fidgety and easily distracted. This makes it difficult to stay "on task," whether it's listening to a teacher or finishing a chore. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates 3% to 5% of kids have ADHD, but some experts believe that figure could be as high as 10%.


I know that I do not want her on traditional medication because of seeing friends growing up that were and how the drugs affected them. So we are going to really work with natural alternatives, changes in diet, and a regular structured routine.  


I'm working on a new scheduled to help her learn to be organized, stay on track, and to develop good habits because this is going to be more difficult for her than it would be for the average child. My schedule is going to include specific times for waking up, eating, playtime, chores, activities, bedtimes, and learning. I am nervous about this because we have as a family picked up some lazy habits recently and this is going to be just as hard for Gabe as it will be for me. Sometimes it feels as though it's me against the world but that is a bit dramatic :)


Aria is already on a high protein diet and is getting an Omega 3 vitamin but I'm going to do some more research into this.  She doesn't like meat but she does like some fish, nuts, and she loves eggs. We could also use some more whole grains I just don't like them myself lol. I also need to pay more attention to red and yellow food coloring which seems to be in everything these day I already steer clear of MSG and aspartame. 


We are also really going to cut the TV watching down to a minimum. 


The biggest chore is going to be organizing my home so that there is a specific place for everything. This is to help Aria's organizational skills develop plus it's something that needs doing anyway. This is the most overwhelming because I'm going to be the only one doing the organizing and Gabe and the children tend to undo everything I get done.


Anyway this is my plan and we'll see how it goes. We started this morning a little bit and so far so good.