Back to school readiness.
The teens go back to school on August 18th, so between now and then, I have to get everything in order.
Health physicals need to be done, eye exams, hearing tests etc.
Things like vision and hearing can be genetic, so it's important to get the teens tested every year for those problems.
Sebastian already wears glasses, so it's time for him to get another exam and a new prescription if it's needed.
Mark will need to be checked to see if his vision is still 20/20.
He has vision like a hawk.
He can read street signs several blocks away, people crossing the street on foot at night in dark clothes, great, great eyesight.
I hope it stays that way for him.
Both Sebastian and I have to wear vision correctors, Sebastian with his glasses, and me in my contacts.
Sebastian would like contacts, but he's very afraid of putting anything near or in his eyes still.
It takes awhile to work up the nerve to do it yourself that first time, and even the first few times.
I need to have their spines checked out too.
Their primary doctor can do the scoliosis exam as part of the physical, and I know how to check it as well.
You should always have your child stand facing you, not away from you, and have them bend forward like they are going to touch their toes.
From the front view, not only can you see if there is a rib hump, but any shoulder unevenness as well, because their fingertips will not be level if there is a curve.
I need to get them measured for correct shoe and clothing sizes, and then wait for the school to wait until the last possible minute to tell us what supplies they will need.
There is nothing more annoying than getting that list the first week of school.
The tax free shopping week is already over by then, so now everything we have to buy is at full price with no tax break discounts.
I usually do buy all the basics during that week though.
Pens, pencils, binders, folders, reams of paper, and the backpacks etc.
It's the specialty items that we never know about until later, and those are usually the most expensive and the ones we could really use the tax break on.
I really wish Sarasota County would force these teachers to have their lists ready for the tax free shopping week.
It's not fair that we have to wait to buy the $50 calculators and other expensive items that first week of school after just spending a ton of money on everything else.
And if we don't get the items they request that week, the kids lose points.
How fair is that?!
Comments
I swear, I think the government does this on purpose, in order to collect as much tax money as possible. Up here, they have the tax holiday weekend several weeks before school starts. School here lets out at the end of June, and they go back right after Labor Day.
At least up here, people often get around this by going up to tax-free-all-the-time New Hampshire to shop for school stuff. It's too bad you don't have such an option.
Posted by: Christine | July 7, 2008 6:46 PM
I think this year we need to team up and hit the stores hard!
Posted by: Mindy | July 7, 2008 9:50 PM
It's great that you are screening your child for scoliosis. Actually looking at your child from the back is a better position. The head, shoulders, shoulder blades, space between arm and body, and the hips are the areas you are looking for uneveness or asymmetries. You may also want to look from the side to see if there is a normal shape to the spine and rule out kyphosis, or lordosis. In the Adams forward bending postion, bending over like they are diving, you will often see one side of the spine rising higher than the other. In the upper part it is the ribs sticking up , and in the lower part it looks like the muscle popping up. If you'd like a brochure with illustrations about screening please email me.
**EDIT BY KAT**
Hi Joe,
I have scoliosis, I had a/p spine fusion in February 2006, from T3-S1, so I know scoliosis very well.
I was treated by Dr. Anthony Moreno, and he said the best possible way to do an early detection of scoli, especially in boys, is the front facing view.
Boys have more rounded shoulder naturally, so when they lean forward, any rib hump, even the slightest, will be more viewable from the front.
From the back view, the shoulder just look rounded, it's harder to detect the rib hump.
But I thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Posted by: Joe | July 8, 2008 8:39 AM