Fridge Talk Part 2 - Craig Christens our New Fridge With A Grocery Haul

Hi everyone. Here is part two about our new fridge. We are done talking fridge safety and see Craig christen the fridge as well as share why this model is much more wheelchair user friendly as well as a couple surprises at the end. If you haven't seen Part One click here.

Walking Way Overrated: (Video) Fridge Talk - Food Safety . Being Fridge-less . Access To It- Part #1

We take a lot of things for granted these days. Refrigeration indoors is one of those things. A couple weeks ago, we noticed some funky food doors emanating from our Kitchenmaid fridge that was fifteen years old. Clearly, the freezer wasn't going to temperature at safe levels. To confirm that, we took our outside thermometer and used it to check the fridge and freezer. Sure enough, both sides were ten degrees (in Celsius) too low.

Confirmed by our trusted Fridge Doctor,(really, that is his company name), we ordered an inexpensive, discontinued Fridgidaire. Craig is the one who accesses the fridge so the question was, should we get one with the side by side, like we had but clearly had difficulties accessing areas when using a wheelchair. Or, do we get the traditional upper freezer, with lower fridge or vice versa? Years ago I  had an accessible apartment with the side by side and assumed that was the more accessible type refrigerator. But after having our own for fifteen years, we concluded that because of the vertical divide, the shelves are narrow and deeply inset, making it harder to reach more areas.

The Bottom freezer idea would mean not being able to reach down and in deep enough, limiting access. And not being able to access the upper most fridge shelves.

Top Freezer, or the Old fashioned style would work best.  Ideally, if you require an accessible fridge, if you can, please go to a store and try reaching and getting to all the parts you need to, to help make your decision. This is just our opinion....

Watch Part One Of Our Fridge-less AdventureBelow!
We will show more in the video part 2 shortly.

HOW A HELMET SAVED MORE THAN JUST MY LIFE

Here are some great You TubeChannels that have been produced by fellow wheel chair users. It is wonderful that there are so many folks sharing their wisdom and life experience in hope that, just as Walking, Way Overrated's hope, is to encourage and assist others who are living with or know loved ones living with physical challenges.
Most of the links are created by persons living with spinal cord injuries. Unlike us, my disorder was acquired before birth and Craig's too, but he did,'t face using a wheelchair until about thirty years later. Either way, the information is beneficial whether you are facing a sudden life altering challenge or are use to things the way they are. We never know what we may learn from others! So thank you to all these great folks sharing their wisdom!

Be encouraged, learn and grow!
Here are just a few channels for now, just click the name to go directly to their channel to see more....

Channel  #1 RueTo You- 
Spinal Cord Injury - Spasms

I Have Jesus Testimony

How To Transfer Without A Board

Channel  #2  Paralyzed Living - "Get Busy Living,or Get Busy Dying."
How A Helmet Saved More Than Just My Life

Bladder  Management After Spinal Cord Injury 

Channel #3 Jonathan Merchant
Jonathan Working Hard

Channel # Spinal Cord Injuries AU

Techniques and Technology To Protect Your Shoulders

RECENT SHOOTINGS IN THE USA: Make It Home Arrive Home Alive

Coffey Anderson has produced an excellent educational video giving great advice to anyone when  being pulled over by the police, what to do and how to do it safely and respectfully prepare for their arrival to the driver's door. His heart is or the police sand parties involved to get home safely. He addresses stereotypes and what we can learn from each other.
Click here to watch Coffey's video

From My HeArtfully Creating Blog/Vlog: A Balmy Adventure

When I am not trying to work on wheelchair repairs and all the communication that can go with that, I am creating, blogging and making videos for those articles. Just wanted to share my newest

Me, when I painted after I thought I couldn't anymore!

article on my creativity blog called HeArtfully Creating. As an artist, it is what I have always known. To not create, leaves me feel out of sorts. I know I talked about this before, but even when you live with a muscle wasting disorder/disability like I have or any other type that suddenly or slowly result in you physical abilities changing. It doesn't mean you can not do what you love to do. I know for me, there are definitely things I would love to do that I just have to accept that I can't. Doesn't mean, I have to lay around staring at a screen all day, there is always some how, some way to do something you love. So I focus on what I can

Cruising on my own legs, sort of.

do. If you aren't familiar with the disability I was born with, it is called Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 3.

I won't go into detail here, but I am now almost 50 years old, yay! It is an exciting

Grade 4, I used a wheelchair as needed.

milestone that I look forward to. These days, my hands are  the only part of my body, aside from my mind, and mouth (darn, say my family members, ha ha) are the remaining abilities I have. Which means, with my husband's assistance, I am able to work on creating, such as in this instance, my own Lip Balm and solid perfume. 

Yes,  I know a DIY doesn't necessarily fit into the purpose of the

Emily being my "arms" to assist me.

Walking. Way Overrated blog intent, I wanted to explain why sharing this part of me does fit in here. I want to encourage others who may believe that because their arms, legs, hands, body in general, don't function or cooperate, it doesn't mean you can't do what you love. If you love creating in any way shape or form, there always is a way you can. Daily, I depend on others to be my "arms

Without others, going to and get out of bed would not be possible.

and legs," without them, I wouldn't be sitting up in my chair writing this blog, creating what I create. 
You would be amazed at the many times, I believe God has provided me either direct into my mind, or through the advice of others, ways to problem solve how I would be able to do something I thought I couldn't do anymore. So pray, ask for help, always. Life for me, wouldn't exist as glorious as it is, a part from Christ. I did it without Him, and never would have survived if I continued living that way. You got nothing to lose!
Be encouraged with this creative, fun diversion.
I did it, I tried...reusing EOS containers but for me...well, take look...

HeArtfully Creating: A Balmy Adventure: Alright, I did it. I did make the DIY lip balm and since the base is the same, as a bonus, I also made some solid perfumes. It all starte...

Bedpans, And Toilets, And Catheters Oh My!

We All Gotta Do It!
From the moment we are born, it isn't a secret that we are always in need of waste elimination. From poopy diapers, to potty training trials, training pants, bed wetting, and graduation day, being able to control it all as needed.

The Bottom Of the Matter!
Until recently, I never considered talking about the physical challenges bowel/bladder issues that can arise when you have a physical disability. After all,  poop talk isn't exactly a socially acceptable topic for casual discussion. But you know what?  It is a hard core reality. And it makes life a heck of a lot easier, when you can ask questions and seek advice on any topic that is crucial to life. After all, if we don't eliminate waste products, we can get pretty ill and even die. So it is serious enough to not be be embarrassed by. Jonathan Merchant isn't embarrassed about it all. In fact, it is why I am writing this post, to share his very personal and "family friendly" video, dealing with his particular disability (spinal cord injury), and his bowel care routine. Craig and I, stumbled upon his video a while ago, and thought how brave he was to share such a personal aspect of life. After watching him, it was impossible to feel embarrassed about bathroom "stuff," ever again. As you will see in Jonathan's video, he is discussing how you can be independent regarding bowel care. We don't all have the same physical abilities, so his method is appropriate for others with the same type of mobility and strength. Look how amazingly flexible he is!
You will notice that he has something attached to his right leg. He doesn't talk about it, but it is called a "leg bag." That is a bag that collects urine which runs through tubing. For males, the tubing is attached to a condom catheter. Females who use this method, use indwelling catheters. I can go into more detail on all that another time.
Watch Jonathan's video if you want and then we will talk some more.

We always learned to call suppositories, the "bullet" method! Depending on muscle tone, strength, whether we have spinal cord damage, or can not feel anything, or lack muscle control, or whatever the case may be, our bowel eliminating methods can vary.  Jonathan's routine is one method that is used routinely, when persons are not able to push out waste material or for those of us who just use suppositories as needed.  Such as, when having very hard stool issues or constipation. Don't' get me started on how much that can hurt! Some need to use suppositories regularly and some require then as needed.

If you have had your own experiences that may help someone in your position. Please leave questions and comments below. I hope to delve into more detail on this very personal issue soon. 

Doing Laundry Sitting Down!

When you sit down, doing laundry can be difficult using a top loading washer. Here is how we do it using the perfect adaptive aid, a front loading washing machine.

Original  Illustration by Anita Berglund - Copyright November 2014 Can not be copied without permission.

I Just finished a new "cartoon" illustration of Craig doing laundry. Was so happy with how it turned out, I am reposting our older "Craig does laundry video." Hope it is informative and fun in one!
Watch the "Craig Does Laundry" video below!

Laundry, Craig Style

Is doing laundry when wheels are your "legs," a challenge? The answer is, it can be. The resurgence of the front loading washing machine has been a blessing, many may take for granted. You'll see how awesome it is as you watch, (click this:  "Laundry, Craig Style.")

Ancient Laundry Methods, Survivor Style?

Some love it, others deem it a necessary evil and yet others, have the means to hire a laundry service! All this talk about laundry brings to mind one memorable, "laundry" moment....We are big fans of Survivor. No matter where on the planet the contestants are, they must outwit, outlast, and outplay each other. Something else they must do, is their laundry. Imagine thirty nine days with same undergarments...on second thought, don't.
Over the past twenty five seasons, we the viewers, have witnessed many laundering occasions using the oldest methods we can imagine, scrubbing clothing with water and sand or rubbing them on a rock. No smelly soap, just grit and water and then the good old fashioned hanging them up to dry method! Oh and as you'll see at about minute number 7:49, in the video above, the boiling water method. This clip is worth a view, because in this setting, a colourful and very unique survivor, named Tarzan, a plastic surgeon, mortifies fellow female survivors, as he seeks to drop his clearly, "spotted" underwear into a boiling pot of their laundry! Watch him defend his skivvies. Only on Survivor.

We can only imagine how thankful the ladies, must have been, knowing that laundry machines awaited them back home.
Back to "Laundry, Craig Style."

Aside from the pointers you will see in this video, I want to add a few things...Craig is the laundry guy, but most of the time, I have the great young ladies that I get to hire, to act as my "arms and legs," and have them fold and/or hang it all up according to how we would like it done. It works well for us for us.
If you have a top loading machine, back in my apartment days, with coin operated machines, I used a metal hanger, stretched out into long hook so I could pull out the clothing out,  I couldn't reach. A reacher is also another great device.
Laundry Hints
1. Directions: For best results, follow the directions on your laundry products.
2. Detergent Matters: Caution, use High Efficiency Laundry Soap for Front end loading washing machines. It really matters. We found out years after that using regular detergent can shorten the longevity of your machine.
3. Mildew?: For front loading washers only, please always leave the door ajar a little once the load is removed. Again, we learned the hard way. After smelling mildew or mould in the laundry room, we were informed that a slight puddle of water always remains under the drum which therefore, smells bad!
4. Keeping Bright and White: Separate clothing. To keep whites, white and bright colours true, do not mix darks with brights or whites.
5. Water Temperatures: Cold water wash with cold rinse is what we use most of the time. It saves on energy and keeps colours from fading or running. However, we do like to wash things like sheets and other items that can be soiled more, like towels- use warm wash, cold rinse. It is a matter of opinion. We are sure Martha Stewart has much better advice than we do!
6. Stains?: Stains can only be removed when they are fresh. Once a stained item is washed and dried, the stain is set. Shout, Stain Away and other Oxy type stain removers seem to work well. But follow directions.
7. Avoid Fuzz Balls: Wash towels separately. We have learned through experience that washing clothing with terry cloth produces those annoying little fuzz balls a.k.a. pilling.
8. Washer to Dryer: Always shake out wet items before you put them into the dryer. This helps to shorten dry time, and because the items are opened up and not in a ball, the wrinkles will be less. (We avoid ironing at all times.)
9. De-Lint: Always clean the lint filter before drying clothing.
10. Dryer Setting: Depending on the size of your load and what it is, you need to select the appropriate setting.
11. All Balled Up: Sheets always tumble into a big giant ball, usually with other wet clothes inside. We find that for best results, you should pause the cycle after about fifteen minutes and toss the sheets. Bring what is inside, outside. Sometimes we do it two to three times, it helps everything to dry properly and avoid severe wrinkles.
12. Ironing Underwear?: Just kidding, we don't iron anything. But, it is true, there are devoted Martha types who do iron socks, under wear and sheets! You decide.
13. Once Dry: If you leave clothing in the dryer too long, you will be faced with a lot of wrinkles. Best way, shake out all dry clothing and lay them out on a surface until you can fold them up. Or fold right away. We always fold the clothing first because it doesn't matter to us if rags, towels and such are wrinkled.
14. Share the Load: If you love laundry great then do it your self. But if your loved one prefers folding, then let them fold and you can wash....

Cone Making, Craig Style!

Craig makes the perfect cone. Learn how!