How ADHD Almost Turned My Kitchen Into a Barbecue Pit
ADHD hyperfocus while cooking is how “I’m just making dinner” turns into smoke, a screaming fire alarm, and you standing in the kitchen holding a spatula like you’ve been personally betrayed. You didn’t forget dinner. Your brain just temporarily removed the kitchen from existence.
😳 “I JUST WENT OUTSIDE FOR ONE SECOND…”
When I moved to Tampa, I wasn’t exactly auditioning for:
👉 Mother of the Year: Kitchen Edition
Back in Vegas?
👉 takeout
👉 buffets
👉 someone else cooking
Cooking was NOT my lane.
👩🍳 THE PLAN (VERY WHOLESOME… VERY WRONG)
I thought:
👉 “Time to step up”
👉 “Time to cook”
👉 “Time to be THAT mom”
So I decided:
👉 I’m making catfish
In my head?
✨ warm family moment
✨ kids nearby
✨ soft music
Reality?
🎬 low-budget disaster movie starring:
👉 me
👉 hot oil
👉 untreated ADHD chaos
🎬 THE MOMENT EVERYTHING WENT TO HECK
I pour oil in the pan.
Turn on the heat.
Wait for it to get hot.
Then—
👀 I hear my kids outside fighting.
Not cute fighting.
👉 full WWE audition
So I step outside.
👉 break it up
👉 give the “life lesson speech”
👉 feel like a responsible adult
Then I glance through the window.
💀 SOUL LEFT MY BODY
🔥 THE KITCHEN WAS ON FIRE
Not:
👉 “hmm something smells weird”
Not:
👉 “maybe turn it down”
👉 FULL. FIRE. 🔥
Flames:
👉 above the cabinets
👉 aggressive
👉 disrespectful
Like:
👉 Satan signed a lease on my stovetop
🚨 REAL QUICK (BEFORE YOU FORGET WHY YOU’RE HERE 😏)
If this feels familiar:
👉 getting distracted mid-task
👉 underestimating EVERYTHING
👉 things escalating… FAST
👉 Take the Time Blindness Quiz
🏃♀️ WHAT HAPPENED NEXT (PURE CHAOS)
I yell to my kids:
👉 “GO TO JENNY’S. NOW.”
No discussion.
No shoes.
No debate.
I run to the garage.
Grab the fire extinguisher.
Run back.
👉 squeeze handle
Nothing.
👉 stare at it
Still nothing.
So now I’m:
👉 holding a fire extinguisher
👉 during an active fire
👉 contributing ZERO to the situation
Meanwhile flames are like:
👉 “we’re expanding.”
🏃♀️ PANIC SPRINTS BEGIN
Me:
👉 runs outside — “HELP!!”
👉 runs inside — tries again
👉 runs outside — “HELP!!”
Basically cardio sponsored by poor decisions.
🦸♀️ ENTER: JENNY
I yell:
👉 “THE KITCHEN’S ON FIRE!”
She grabs the extinguisher.
We struggle.
For one terrifying second?
👉 we were about to lose to a red metal can
Then—
👉 CLICK
👉 SPRAY
🔥 fire OUT
😅 THE AFTERMATH
👉 kitchen destroyed
👉 smoke damage everywhere
👉 living in hotels for weeks
So not only did I fail at catfish…
👉 I accidentally booked us a surprise vacation
🧠 WHAT MY PSYCHIATRIST SAID
I told him the story.
He laughed.
That very specific laugh that says:
👉 “Oh… I know EXACTLY what this is.”
Then said:
👉 “This is classic ADHD.”
💥 THE PART PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND
I didn’t almost burn my house down because:
❌ I was lazy
❌ I didn’t care
❌ I was irresponsible
👉 I did it because my brain got pulled in 10 directions
Here’s what actually happened:
👉 thinking about oil
👉 hear kids fighting
👉 switch to safety mode
👉 break up argument
👉 forget original task
👉 and just like that… fire
🧠 THAT’S ADHD IN REAL LIFE
Not always loud.
Not always obvious.
Sometimes it’s:
👉 trying your best
👉 handling multiple things
👉 missing ONE critical step
👉 and that one step becomes chaos
🕒 FIX THIS BEFORE YOUR NEXT “WHY IS THIS ON FIRE?!” MOMENT
👉 Get the Time Blindness Tracker
💥 This helps you:
✔ keep tasks visible
✔ reduce “walk away and forget” moments
✔ track time in real life
✔ prevent small mistakes → big disasters
👉 your brain finally has backup
🎬 MIC DROP
I didn’t almost burn my house down because I didn’t care.
👉 I did it because my brain switched tasks… and never switched back.
🚨 HOLD UP — BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Let me guess…
👉 you’ve left something cooking
👉 you walked away “for a second”
👉 it escalated REAL fast
💀 same.
🧠 THIS ISN’T A YOU PROBLEM
Your brain:
👉 prioritizes urgency
👉 forgets original tasks
👉 reacts in real time
Life says:
👉 “just stay focused”
Your brain says:
👉 “WE WERE… THEN SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENED.”
🔥 YOU DON’T NEED MORE DISCIPLINE
You need systems that catch what your brain drops.
👉 Get it before your next “kitchen fire” moment
👀 DON’T LEAVE YET (PICK YOUR NEXT CHAOS 😏)
Start here 👇
👉 More chaos you’ll relate to
👉 Get Push IT — free on Google Play
👉 New here? Start with What Is Time Blindness?
👉 how a cracked sink became a whole bathroom remodel
👉 ADHD hunger — fine until you see food
👉 Take the Time Blindness Quiz