Getting a Driver's License

Haven't blogged about prosthesis in awhile. Haven't blogged much at all lately!  Not that life is so boring or anything, more like, I have to filter it so much there isn't much left.

My book stash might give you an idea about life:  "The Teen-age Brain- A Neuroscientist's survival guide to raising teens and adolescents " By Frances Jensen and Amy Ellis Nutt

The Road to Little Dribbling- The Adventures of an American in Britain  by Bill Bryson....
a cookbook entitled "Bake it Like You Mean It"

Oh and I'm halfway through a book called "Addicted to Life and Death"  written by a local paramedic, but I find her descriptions of things distasteful. Yeah we might talk about stuff after an ambulance call, but you don't need to write it in a book.

I might need help. Or maybe I need less screen time and more reading time?

I still like Qustodio if anyone is wondering, I didn't say my whole family likes Qustodio, but I do.

Anyway, back to getting a driver's license if your child wears bilateral (both legs) prosthesis,and has a  fist for his one hand... I couldn't find this stuff earlier when I did web searches, so maybe it will help someone.  When you go for your physical before you take your "knowledge test" (this is how we do it in PA) there are questions that refer to amputations, mental disabilities, or anything else that would make the patient have a problem driving safely.   Our doctor checked the boxes next to "amputations" and out next move was to take the knowledge test.
Taking a knowledge test is a very interesting event in our area. I have learned a long time ago, that I really do not enjoy taking my young children along because the wait is beyond their endurance. (What an understatement) I took some stitching with me,but found that the seating was so tight, I didn't want to run the risk of poking someone with a needle.  So I sat back and watched the people. I should have taken my tablet along and wrote some descriptive terms. People of all shapes and sizes, burly truck drivers renewing something on their commercial license, skinny little sixteen year olds nervously clutching papers, first-time-parents-of-sixteen-year-olds finding out they forgot the actual social security card, tiny little babies who cried, bored office workers trying to be patient.  The smells were interesting too.... I smelled garlic, onions, tobacco, pot, alcohol and other questionable scents.

Anyway, our hour of waiting was finally over and we made our way to the desk. "Joel" behind the desk was a relaxed man. He filled in the blanks that I had missed- height and social security number. Had Joseph sign his SS card. They looked over the form and realized that he needs a non-driver number. That information had to come from Harrisburg and of course those people were gone for the day.
Meanwhile, Joe took the questions and came back looking a bit upset. "The computer didn't work right! I selected one answer and it chose another, twice."  The supervisor told him that if he has trouble the next time he takes the questions, he needs to tell them right away and not try just go ahead.

No matter. I had to come back another day to get the proper numbers anyway.

We were able to get a "No Wait" ticket and were seen almost immediately the next day. He passed his questions and I got the "Learner's Permit". The trip home from DMV with this sixteen-year-old was not nearly as stressful as the first three times I did this trip.

Next step was to fill out a form from Office of Vocational Rehabilitaion (OVR), did you know that office existed? Neither did I.  Supposedly they can help us make this driver training stuff affordable. Having someone else teach your child to drive at $125 an hour (that was the lowest quote I've seen) is a bit over the budget. We are hoping to use Mumma's Driving School, but they've never worked with a person with three limbs affected and we may end up driving further for the evaluations.

Now we wait on an appointment with OVR and then they will send info to Mumma's and THEN maybe Joseph will sit behind a steering wheel.

Questions people have asked: "He walks so well, why can't he just drive?"  True he walks well, but prosthesis do not have ankle movement, try driving sometime without using your ankles. He also has no feeling in his "feet" and according to what I'm learning, you cannot use a prosthetic appliance to operate any part of the car.


QOTD: "Everyone is going to FL, but us! But we're the cool ones we don't have to pack." --brought to you by Shekinah     I know there were more quotables, but I can't remember.

Tomorrow I have a date with my hubby at lunch!

Shekinah--Unfiltered

I actually don't know if that is a good title, but we'll go with it. Life is spiced by that girl in so many ways.  Just recently:

We were scheduled to clean a section of out elementary school, so as soon as the students were out of there I hiked the girls in there and we started. The teachers were still roaming the halls and one of them found me scrubbing the toilets. She said, "we were talking out there, and wondered, did you name Shekinah before or after you met her? She is so aptly named!" Irascible? yes she is!


There is such intensity in this child, and one day she spouts, " I hate this family, I don't like anyone, I don't want my sisters!" sometimes she adds "I want to live somewhere else."   (Now this usually comes after one of those incidents where someone crossed purposes with her.)  Later the same day she will smile broadly and proclaim " I like this family."

On Saturday, Ben planned to bring his girlfriend (J) in the afternoon and she was staying for supper, energy ran high all day. Shekinah raced around cleaning and willingly cleaned "the big living room". If you know my house, you know that is quite a job, it needed a few touch-ups but she did great. At one point during the day I ended up in a bit of an argument (who me?) with one of the older children and she marched out to daddy in the garage and told him, "do you hear that!? Mama is in there dealing with that all by herself! I think you should check!"

Then finally the great moment! Poor (J) couldn't rid herself of Little Miss. To be fair this wasn't the first meeting so I'm not worried about attachment and all that, but somehow Shekinah sorta thought that Ben brought his friend over for her entertainment. Unfortunately, the funniest moment can't be blogged.

The other week my DIL saw the cutest sock owls on pinterest, so of course

since the looked so simple

we had to try them. They're not really simple.

Even Joe got in on the challenge...his remained wingless

as did some of Hope's. We still have more socks 

but somehow they aren't begging to make more.

Then we had a birthday...Fun times around the corner!

We are finding out exactly how easy or hard it is

to get driving license when you wear bilateral prosthesis.

I may need to do an informational post on that cause it isn't easy 

to find this information out there.

The other very cold Saturday we went bowling

" It was FUN mom!"

I didn't know the ball could roll that slowly and still manage to rattle all the pins.

She loved the shoes and thought we should get her some.

The boys/men were along,but somehow I don't have pictures of them, they had a lane beside ours

without gutter bumpers. They needed a challenge :)