I got to hear something rare as well… The account from someone that lived with someone with ADHD (her ex husband suffered with it)… And as we spoke and she told me how impossible it was I kinda started to realize how bad I am.

Last night I couldn’t sleep so I started dealing with invoices and forms that I needed to fill up and send back (my bed was covered with them), and was scanning documents to send to a PR agency, and was having 3 unrelated conversations on skype, twitter and MSN as well as having a half written media pack open on corel and 6 tabs on the other monitor as twitter rolled on my main account in the other monitor and music played in my laptop where I had a half written blog post I never seem to be able to finish…

She told me her ex husband described it once as being like a TV with the remote control constantly set on browse… at the end of the day he would get home and collapse with tiredness… Well that and ADHD is often accompanied by other disorders like Depression and BPD.

Sometimes for me is like having a crowd talking in my head, all of them speaking at the same time about different things… It can be exhausting… Incredibly frustrating… But I think he has it worse than I do… I was 18 when I was diagnosed. I can’t say I have it totally nailed just yet… but I’ve learned to live with it, and to a certain point to control it… most of the time.

It’s not all bad tho, people that suffers from ADHD usually have very elevated IQ/Multiple Intelligence Coefficients… And if you learn how to channel all the ‘voices in our head’ and teach them to talk to each other instead of over each other and about different subjects you can be incredibly good at what you do…

Mozart, Richard Bransom, Malcolm Forbes, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Christopher Columbus, Robin Williams, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein… What did they all have in common? You have one guess..

Creativity and innovation are hallmarks of people with ADHD. For example, if Edison didn’t have ADHD, we might be reading by brighter candle light. So there definitely is a silver lining here…

I know it’s not easy… but there are a few things you can do if you find that you, or your kid, partner or a friend has ADHD:

First of them TALK to someone… try and explain how you feel… what you feel… If you think you might suffer from it talk to your GP and try to get tested for it. If you do, having an ADHD Coach is a good start (Bear in mind that some traditional methods of coaching might not work as true ADHD is usually neurological)

Second, STOP denigrating yourself, and start celebrating yourself. ADHD is inherited and you don’t have a choice over your genetics. “will power” alone has little chance against genetics so you might as well be happy about that. Creativity, “out-of-the-box” thinking, and intuition are also a genetic traits frequently linked to ADHD. Learn more about your unique positive traits, and learn to focus on harnessing and leveraging your unique creativity and positive points.

Third, Educate yourself, There are many good ADHD books, websites and support groups out there. For example, “Driven to Distraction,” “The Davinci Nation Method” and “You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?” are a few awesome books you can read. Also, CHADD.org has a list of support groups, self-help tips and resources.

Help yourself or your kid/partner/friend with ADHD accept that they have a need for stimulation. This need fuels their creativity and allows them to be highly effective in high-risk/stress situations. Select activities where the ADHD trait can have a positive impact on your agenda.

Also… A nutritionist specializing in ADHD can also help you eliminate other foods you may be sensitive to from your diets, and recommend specific nutrient supplements… Bear that in mind… you are what you eat.

And at least but not last… HAVE FUN!!!!! Travel, workout, find a hobby that will harness your attention… this is how I got started in photography… Remember that because you have a mental health problem it doesn’t mean that your life is over… there are many more pros than cons and there is NOTHING stopping you from living life in full!

Meditation, Running, Swimming, focus exercises… it all helps too… when you actually do it… you see… I stopped running in 2003… went from doing it every morning to full stop within weeks… I haven’t been swimming for a while… Focus exercises and meditation… well… I haven’t had time for it lately… so… when I find myself awake at 4AM staring at 2 computer screens, with a laptop on my lap and paperwork scattered over my bed I think I know something needs to be done… right?!

Oh gosh… look at the size of this post!!!! lol

I hope it helps… It definitely helped ME to realize I have a lot to do…

Carpe Diem!

LAURA WEIGHT!!!!!

Congrats Laura, The guys at HugMail shall be in touch with you soon to get you started with 5 tokens for their awesome postcard service.

Now comes the hard bit… to select what photos you will be sending to your grandparents (yeah… I know you got some awesome ones there! )

And stay tuned to UrbanVox.Net… we got some more awesome stuff coming up soon!

Hasta la Vista!!!

This weeks photos are particularly awesome…

I need to start of course with Luschka’s (from Diary of a First Child) Pregnancy shoot!

It was great to seeing them all again – and long overdue – and K’s smile as she said “Hi Uncle Yuri!” and gave me a hug was just priceless! I can’t wait for Squiggly to be around and we’re planning for me to do a New Born Shoot as well so watch this space.

It was LOADS of fun for everyone and the result was just spectacular (and I am forgetting all modesty here… hehehe). I’ll dedicate a whole blog post to the shoot later, but I just think t least a couple of the photos should be included this week

Next in the list of awesome was Big Monkey’s Spontaneous Combustion snap.

Don’t be alarmed… I did not cover him in petrol and light a match on him… hehehehe…

Little Monkey found a glow stick and brought it to the bath with him… Big saw it and when it was his turn for bath time he brought another 2 with him and asked me to turn the lights off… now THAT gave me an idea… I lowered my shutter speed and clicked away… the result is what you see… AWESOME OR WHAT???

And then… FROM fire to ICE…

Well… Snow… And Snow Troopers (LEGO!!!)…  And Birds… And fruits… and Slush…

And under special Request even a Tauntaun!!!!!

So… That’s it for this week’s 366 Project photos… I hope you enjoyed them… Stay tuned for more next week… and Carpe Diem… Every Diem!!!!

Hehehehe… i am suuuuuch a big child!

PS: Thanks for the Challenge @_katie_Bailey ! Mischief Managed!

And the good news for the less organised amongst us… you can order before 9pm for Next Day Delivery service. If you still need more choice, you can see a further selection of dresses and shoes to make the perfect Valentine’s outfit on Next.co.uk

They do all the hard work so you can play it cool and get the cookie points for being a Good Valentine… Next did their part… now you go on and do yours…

Have fun! But don’t do anything I wouldn’t, kiddo (I know that’s not a lot… but hey)!

]]> http://urbanvox.net/wordpress/2012/02/one-for-the-useless-cupids-amongst-us/feed/ 3 http://urbanvox.net/wordpress/2012/02/one-for-the-useless-cupids-amongst-us/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/urbanvox/~3/Wziq5c8iRD4/ http://urbanvox.net/wordpress/2012/02/and-the-winner-of-the-experience-days-comp-is/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:47:01 +0000 UrbanVox http://urbanvox.net/wordpress/?p=4471

But it is something I am having to learn to do… I’ve realised that I am stretching myself too thin… Which would be great if I was actually getting thinner… but I ain’t… so there…

Focus is my keyword for 2012… so NO is a word I am having to learn… Can’t be that hard can it? I mean… it is Little Monkey’s favourite word… Even he means to say yes…. so… how hard can it be????????

So much harder than saying yes!!!!!! :-/

But I’ll get there… So… Ladies and gents… today’s word is NO!!! (Thanks @ramble818 !!!! )

Now… what’s tomorrows word?

Carpe Diem!

I have no shame to say that if it depends on me to send Christmas cards to family and friends for example none of them will ever get any… Unless I am being bullied like it happened last year… (yes… I am talking to you Livi).

Happily, I got to find out about this awesome service where you can send REAL postcards made out of your favourite photos at the click of a link either on your desktop computer or via your smart phone to anywhere in the world for just £1.45 per postcard (awesome for when you are on holidays and what to share the moment right there and then!!!)

A lot of older people end up missing out on news from family because they don’t own smartphones and aren’t on Facebook or email.

That’s where Hugmail comes in, the message service that starts on the screen and ends on the mantlepiece.

And to use it is quite easy.

Step One: Log into their website (LOOK!!! They called me lovely! they know me sooo well… hehehe )

Step 2: Choose the photo you want to send from your computer (or smart phone), Facebook (which will soon be available of if you don’t have one, simply click on I don’t have a photo and they will find a random one for you to use from their database.

Step 3: Edit your photo… not a lot of functions but you get to zoom in and out, rotate and position the photo you want to use on the postcard.

Step 4: write the message you want to send on the back of the postcard. and the address of the person you want to send it to… Another awesome feature is that you can save the details of who you sent the card to in an address book, this way this time you don’t need to fill up all the forms again (I HATE filling up forms!)

Now all you gotta do is check the front and back of the postcard,

verify the details and send your HugMail… Voila… Instant real postcard for that very special person to frame and put on the mantel piece etc etc etc…

A pretty straight forward service for us that hate queuing up at the post office (specially when out on holidays or always on the go) that I can definitely recommend. I’ll soon be trying the App as well (as soon as I can have my iPhone back (cries a little)… and will let you know how it works from there.

Right now, I have 5 tokens to give away so one of my lucky readers can send real postcards to family and friends via HugMail.

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what is their PERFECT postcard photo and I will be selecting one commentator to receive the 5 tokens to try HugMail out on Sunday (05/02).

Well… let’s get busy!!!

I was waking on Bluewater the other day and Big Monkey saw a photography stand… They ahd a product there that was basically you go and choose images from a catalog… each of them resembles a leter… and you can form words from the letters you choose and frame them to give as gifts.

I thought it was such an awesome idea! And so did Tommy… he looked at me and said: “Daddy, you are a photographer, right? I think you should do that!”…

My eldest son is a GENIUS!

So basically… I shall be adding that to my list photography services… Only … I shall be doing it differently… instead of having a catalog of I will be doing bespoke artworks to fit the words and what the client wants to transmit with them message… and instead of simply framing it I will use some very intelligently awesome suppliers I have found… so watch this space…

This week I am going to put my creativity to the test: All of my 366Project posts will be fashioned like the one on top… LIFE… is a good beginning huh?!?!?!

And there is more… every night I will ask my Twitter followers what is the word I should work on the next day… I am not allowed to use photograph letters… Only forms and objects I find throughout my day… I am allowed to photograph street signs… as a last resort.

And THAT is my challenge for the rest of the week… And you are invited to participate… so… dictionaries in hands ladies and gents!!!! I will once again be taking requests… just… this time I won’t be photographing my belly!!!!

Carpe Diem!!!

Saturday started with an incredible and VERY rare lie in until 9am followed by a delicious breakfast composed mainly of… well… Hotwheels cars (followed by a proper brekie because I was still hungry after so much iron in my diet… )

The rest of the day was spent crashing the same cars agains each other or playing “Fight For The Ball” (our little version of rugby… or something like that… brutal… but awesome way to burn energy) with the big monkey…

Next… We started a Little LEGO project…

Still a prototype… but our Terranova Mobile Headquarters is starting to look good… Still need to solve the problem with the tracks tho… as in… they keep falling off… but The Big Monkey is happy with the result so far. He better be… it was bloody 1am by the time it was “done”. He fell asleep… I was left awake to finish it off so he could play with it in the morning… The things we don’t do for out kiddos huh?!?!?! lol

Another LEGO Started this morning before we were ready to go pick the Littlest Monkey up for Triple Monkey time.

LEGO Viking Chess! (I’m the redo ones… this is gonna be a long game! )

Triple Monkey Time!!!!!

Little was incredibly excited screaming and bouncing and saying “my baby” hugging Littlest  and stroking his head. Big was happy to see him and they both flanked him and my mum (she was holding him)… At 1st he looked at them and smiled as usual… Promptly it was all a bit too much and we had tears and crying… A few cuddles later and a change in scenery (and a with a little help from Little as he took his dummy off and put it on Littlest mouth… yeah… kids come up with the simplest solutions… and damn it if they work!!!) and we were all happy and giggling again.

I even managed a rare photo (using the phone camera) of the 3 of them that Im able to publish here!!!!

LOVE IT!!!!!! Yes I do ! I do I do I do!!! 3 little monkeys… ALWAYS on the move!!!!

Talking about moving…

I should have posted the one of Little One trying to teach my mum how to ride a scooter… but you know what? I kinda sorta really LOVE that one… 5 more sleeps until I see the Monkey Trio again!

As usual at the end of Monkey Weekends… I am exhausted beyond belief… but happy as well… And bring on the week ahead!

Carpe Diem!!