Snazzy Pink Socks!-And They Feel Great, Too!

I am going to have to start a section in my blog called "People I Met Through Twitter."

Maybe, it will be on the new blog site I am currently slaving away on day and night. If you haven't read Momentous Decision, click here to read it. It talks about my idea to start a new blog. The end result is not exactly like I posted, but it outlines the spark that ignited my dream of new bloggie directions.

But this post is about a wonderful company I befriended on Twitter called Smart Knit Kids. Actually, the company is called Therawear and one of their products is called Smart Knit Kids. Their Twitter name is @smartknitkids.

Twitter is a great invention and businesses are getting on everyday. I think that is wonderful, but if you are not willing to do what @smartknitkids did, come to the front of the classroom, listen and learn.

First, even though there was a logo (everyone wants to tell you to put a face; not necessary), the person tweeting came across as real. They laughed (LOL!) email-style, they conversed and then presented a product I might be interested in. They explained the benefits to me; how it was a product specifically made for my children's sensory needs.

Next, they said, "We would be happy to send you a sample."

Hello? Something FREE? Yes, we love that. So, we exchanged information through a DM.

I was expecting a pair of socks. In less than a week, I got five. Two for each child and one pink pair for me. (Now, pink is not my favorite color, but I was intrigued.) The package came by UPS and included an handwritten note.

Okay, that blew me away.

But, what was better, was that their product lived up to what they said.

Instant integrity.

My oldest, who has Aperger's immediately put them on. Lately, he has a thing for socks and I am always looking for good ones. My youngest son, who has all manner of podiatric problems and is always complaining of ill-fitting socks and hurting feet, tried on the Large, but really needed the Xtra Large. That fit perfectly.

Well, you know I have to have customer feedback. The exchange went something like this:

"I think the large is too small." - young son
"Well, more for me, then." - oldest son
"Hey!!" - young son
"Here is the xtra large for you. How is that?" - ever-vigilant Mom
"Oh, that is much better. Perfect." - young son
"So...how do they feel?" - worried Mom, who is accustomed to rejection.
"They are fine." - young son
"Yea, just fine." - oldest son

Now, that may not sound like music to anyone's ears, but in my house, that is a rave review! Neither one of them gave them back or took them off. In fact, three hours later as I write this, they still have them on.

Success!!!


SmartKnitKids Socks 001
Originally uploaded by judielise

Next, I visited their site. I was a little shocked. It was your corporate-looking website with an online store that I have probably Google-searched passed many times. But, I knew someone in here. Her name is Rose. She sent me a note with her name on it, so I was comfortable. I found the socks, priced them and prepared to place our first order. And, their socks are value-priced compared to other specialty sockwear!

Now, some may say, well, Judi, of course, you write a good review because they sent you FIVE pairs of FREE socks.

Okay, you are missing it. They didn't have to do that, I didn't have to even talk to them online and this whole thing could not have happened. I could be blogging about something else, but I am not.

I am blogging about a company that wasn't afraid to get to know me, the customer, before they sold me a product. Then, their product lived up to their word. In other words, there was a connection. One of honesty and friendship, and a sale.

In my new blog, I want to write and discuss all about these kinds of connections. Big and small. Online and off.

And, Therawear/Smart Knit Kids will be in there.

Thanks for not spamming me and thanks for making a quality product. And, this is the only time you will see a posted picture of me in pink socks! Only you could get me to do it!


SmartKnitKids Socks 002
Originally uploaded by judielise

And, of course, Mom has to clean up.


Empty Box
Originally uploaded by judielise

All pictures are publicly available on Flickr

Updates, Updates Part 5

Two for one.

I don't often post two times in one day. Even, though I may often have more things to say, I try to keep the posts down to one a day. And, they have gotten shorter and more to the point (I hope!).

But, today, I had two things to say. One was announced in the post below this one. The other is to finally finish a series of posts regarding my family. This post makes Updates, Updates, Part 5. I finally have to talk about myself.

Sometimes, this is very easy. I feel I could talk about myself all day. Not sure you want to hear it, but some days I am so in touch with who and what I am, I could go on and on. Other days, I question my reasons for being, my motives, my ever changing and unenlightening emotions, etc. Basically, some days, I don't know who the heck I am or what the heck is going on.

But in Updates, Updates, I usually focus on the reason each member is a part of this Unique Family. When it comes to me, I am a member, because, well, I was the one who heard the phrase in my head, that fateful morning, when I didn't think I could go on anymore. I heard "You have a Unique Family." And, it was I who had to place myself in the Unique Family first and then bring the rest.

Without sounding too psychological, I had to see myself as part of something unique and wonderful, even when, on the surface, it didn't look that way.

I certainly didn't feel like I wanted to be included. Certainly didn't feel like I would write about it, either. And yet, both of those things happened. So, I will try to write about myself and what I face every day. I have struggled with some limitations from early on and others surfaced as I got older.

For all I can find out, I was born visually and partially hearing impaired.

I didn't find out until I was 37 that I have degenerative myopia. That is a fancy way of saying my vision never stops changing. I usually have to change my glasses every year or so. It is at the point now that I have to use assistive technology to get things done - CCTV, large 22” monitor on my computer, large text and icons, text readers and speech to text synthesizers, etc. There are other items I would like to purchase, like an Optelec Farview. This would help me outside of the house. I still have a driver's license, but I don't drive much, and never on the highway. My life and the lives of others are too precious to me.

I have also learned that my hearing loss is not just about being partially deaf. I have permanent nerve damage in my inner ear, which has caused vertigo to be a permanent part of my life. I had a few episodes of it as a child, but after 2006, it decided to show up every day. There is therapy, and I may try it, but for now, three different meds keep the world from shimmying, and the nausea and migraines at bay.

I have mobility impairments (herniated discs - 5 in all) as well, but most days this is hardly noticeable. After being practically bed-bound for a year, I had back surgery in 2005, that returned me to the land of the walking, but, no hikes, long walks or drives for me. I can drive 20 minutes one way, but the return trip, I will pay for it. Anything longer, someone else is doing it, and even then, I will stiffly get out of the car.

I have an allergy to dust mites that I didn't know about until last year. Due to this allergy being untreated all of my life; I also suffer with multiple chemical sensitivities and a weakened immune system. I am getting stronger (I made it through this whole winter without one cold, flu-like episode or bout of sinusitis! Not even a runny nose!), but I still can have violent reactions to fragrances, everyday cleaning supplies and chemicals, and dust that can halt my activities in a second. I don't need an epipen, but I will always have Benadryl, Zyrtec or Allergan handy.

I continue to battle diabetes through diet (vegetarian/vegan) and herbal supplements, but have had to start taking meds for hypertension.

Since I have been treating my allergy and the inner ear problem, I have not suffered much with bruxism, TMJ or trigeminal neuralgia (TN).

I have survived and overcome Bell’s Palsy, RSD/CRPS, optic neuritis, and a 40% disability in my lower left leg (due to a fractured tibia that went undiagnosed for 3 weeks). I have had seizures, multiple faints and chronic fatigue syndrome-like symptoms since my late 20s.

To look at me, you wouldn’t be able to tell all of that. In fact, if I go back to wearing contact lenses, you won’t even be able to tell I have a vision issue. I am truly a person with invisible disabilities.

If you read the post on "Learning to Be Less Than Perfect," you know that during my childhood, most of this went untreated. As an adult, I didn't really acknowledge my weak state of health even as I was staring disability in the face. I continued to work and ignore my health needs, trying to be stoic like my parents. Even after receiving disability, I continued to try to work; at home and in temp jobs. I only stopped in 2006, after the bout with Bell's Palsy left me shaken, broken and scared. I had to pay attention or no one knew what would happen next.

I thank God, today, for that life-altering experience. I would not be writing today, starting an online business, making the friends I have, if I had not faced one of the most difficult periods of my life.

Here I go again, making a really long post. Sorry.

So, now you know a little about the final member of the Unique Family. The one God chose to bring these stories to you. Perhaps this is one of my purposes in life. I hope it makes a difference in yours.


P.S. While looking for a pic for this post, I came across this quote from The Jungle of Life:

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. - Edmund Hillary

Updates, Updates Part 4

Wow.

Life seems to have change 180 degrees since I last posted in this series of updates. I am still saving myself for last. This one will be on my sister.

Background? Okay.

My sister is 10 years younger than me. She used to be the "popular" one. You can tell I am an introvert and she was an extrovert, because when we were younger, people would say, "I didn't know you had an older sister."

I didn't go out much, loved to stay home, read and draw. She was the opposite. Ballet lessons, movies with friends, playdates, sleepovers. You name it, if it was an event, she was there and probably knew half of the people.

She was always battling with her weight. With diabetes heavy in my family, battling weight is not a good thing. I do, too, but her battle outstripped mine. But something else bothered me, but I could never put my finger on it.

I won't go into the hard years, even though I know they shaped who she is. Those skeletons can rattle, but I'm not touching them. Suffice it to say, by the time, she reached Baltimore with me in 2004, she was over 300 lbs, sick and barely working.

I won't pretend I know all of what is going on. For years, I begged parents and then my brother (who received guardianship over her once my parents were too ill to care for her) that someone have her tested. For anything. Something was wrong. She could barely hold down a job, only lived on her own once for a year and didn't have a car.

Did anyone listen? Of course, not. Judi is that flaky, weird, out there sibling who talks too much, thinks she knows everything and is always trying to get someone looked at.

In 2004, she came to Baltimore, having worn out my brother. She was nearly 30. I hit the ground running with her. Here are some doctors. Here is where to get a job or job training. You can stay with me until you get on your feet. Get to know a circle of friends who will be there for you. Get to know Baltimore.

Two years later, she was still with me, working part-time and had seen not ONE doctor.

I hit the roof. I was about to remarry, give up my little townhome and she had no where to go. This is painful to write, but my sister ended up in the system of homelessness for nearly nine months. I can barely write about that either. A sore spot for only God and I.

We had one good talk before she left in which I told her an old line from old folks who knew better. "God didn't make junk. You are worth something, even if you don't think you are. And, he didn't put you in this family to fail." She cried and it was then, I realized, my sister suffered from depression. Not the light dysthimic type, but full-blown clinical depression.

I again suggested help. And, let her go through that horrible process of homelessness.

It actually helped. She emerged more focused, healthier and motivated. She got a job as a live-in companion for developmentally disabled adults. She bought a car and started taking care of herself. So, I thought.

I noticed her falling asleep everywhere. I mean, sitting up, falling asleep. I pleaded. Get tested. This was after my young son's diagnosis of sleep apnea, and I was on high alert. So, she actually went. Yep, sleep apnea. She had over 40 apneas that night and stopped breathing for nearly 40 seconds. (!!!!) They put her on a CPAP machine and asked her to lose weight. It helped at first, with me insisting on strict usage. She became more alert and could focus better. But, that was not to be the end of her health trials.

July of 2008. I will never forget the month. Trying to get my family into some "culture," I took us all to the Myerhoff Symphony Theater to hear some video game music, played by a full orchestra and 30 voice accompaniment (in my house, you have to think outside the box all the time). The whole family went. But, that beautiful night that saw my aspie son enjoy his first concert, despite the crowds and noise, saw my chronically ill son walk the whole night WITHOUT using the wheelchair, saw my husband sit still and actually enjoy something other than tv, saw us also end up sitting anxiously in the hospital.

On our way out, I heard my sister call my name and as I turned, I watched her fall over and drop to the floor. She laid there for about 15 minutes and then said, I am okay and got up.

She was not okay.

*Sigh* This is hard to write.

The scans showed she had suffered a mild stroke. In fact, before the weekend was out, we would find out that she had suffered one before and three more while in the hospital. Five in total. She is 33.

Her blood sugar was in the 500s.

The doctors looked at her and said, if you don't change, you will die.

There was actually some good news. Each stroke was tiny and left no physical mark. But her memory and cognitive functions have deteriorated.

That was the beginning of change. This is long, so I can't go into everything, but today, she is learning to handle her diabetes. She is on several pills for blood thinning, diabetes and cholesterol. She uses that CPAP, even though the napping has returned after the strokes. She has lost over 30 pounds and is on the good side of 300. She is holding down her job and bought a car. Unfortunately, she still is not treating the depression like it should and is technically homeless as she either works or spends her weekends with us. Her things are still in storage five years later.

I don't know what I want people to take away from this post. This is so hard to write. I continue to stress to everyone, go to doctors. Don't like one, get another one. Treat all of your life, including your emotional one. Be proactive about your health. My sister will always be in danger of a massive stroke that could kill or paralyze her.

But in the end, I think I want to emphasize that depression and possible cognitive disabilities can go undiagnosed and untreated for a person's lifetime. That is what I believe is truly going on with my sister. I stress early intervention for children, so that help can be given early.

And, at the end of the day, we are still taking care of her. She is unmarried with no children. Another member of my little unique family.