I haven’t posted in a a while (more than three months) and for that I’m sorry. Today is pi day (3/14). This is the day when MIT announces it application decisions. Congratulations to all of the prefrosh!

Speaking of pies, you may, or may not, know this, but I enjoy baking. I baked a lot in high school – I even kept a baking blog (please do not try to find it). Since being home, I have started baking again. However, baking is not always easy with my limited fine motor coordination. That’s why I love this simple device that allow med to crack  eggs with one hand. It’s called the “clever cracker” and my dad found it at the dollar store many years ago. (He actually bought it as a gag gift.)  Whatever the reason, I’m glad I have it now. It’s an extremely useful tool for me in the kitchen.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of posting this earlier  (probably because I am currently living in sunny southern California.) For those of you who live in colder regions, and struggle with fasteners like I do, I encourage you to check out the MagZip jacket line at Under Armour.

When I was preparing to return to Boston last year, I was very worried that I would be unable to wear heavy jackets and coats, due to the fasteners associated with them. I own a nice peacoat, but it has buttons that I couldn’t affix. I also have great difficulty with ordinary zippers. I discussed this problem with my OT at the time, and together we stumbled upon the MagZip by Under Armor. It was advertised as a one handed zipper, which would have been perfect. In reality, it took two hands and a lot of time.But, I could now wear a warm, winter jacket!

The way the MagZip works is instead of having to insert the tiny metal part into the bigger metal part on the other side of the jacket, one has to align the magnets. I found this easier  then a traditional zipper. However,  as with so many other things, this was not a simple solution.

I still had to paint the magnets with nail polish to make it easier to distinguish what needs to line up with what. I also spent a lot of time practicing.  I found that my success with the jacket depended a lot on my mood. If I was in a good mood, I could zip the jacket in under five minutes. If I was in a bad mood, it could take upwards of an hour. I developed a rigid series of steps, to be performed sequentially to optimize success. First, I had to make sure the pull was at the bottom. Then, I had to line up  the magnets, making sure that the teeth were not bent at odd angles. I  usually did this as a table, using the hard surface to ensure the magnets were on the same plane. Once I was sure that the magnets were locked properly, I held the magnets together with my right hand( my dominant hand) and pulled the zipper pull with my left (my weak hand). If I did not hold them together, the magnets would separate as soon as I pulled up.  I only had to zip a few teeth, so that the jacket was securely fastened. After that, I could straighten out the jacket and zip it the rest of the way up using my dominant hand.

You can find MagZip  jackets online, at the Under Armour website. I did not have any luck finding them in stores. I bought a youth large, and it fits well. I hope you found this helpful, and in time for the winter months.

Hello everyone! I have said in previous posts that I have difficulty with fine motor coordination. This makes many tasks difficult, including wearing bras. Those tiny hooks can feel impossible to fasten. Fortunately, there is a solution: the bralette .

A bralette  is kind of like a sports bra, except that where a sports bra is designed to holster your puppies while you exercise, a bralette  functions like a regular bra.  Like  regular bras, bralettes come in a variety of options. You can buy push-up bralettes, T-shirt bralettes, lacy bralettes-  even  strapless bralettes.

They sell bralettes  practically everywhere, due to their recent rise in popularity. Bralettes are the new fad. Aerie, the lingerie line by American Eagle, has a large selection. You can also find them at most department stores ( Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Kohl’s, etc.). Victoria’s Secret’s sells them as well.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have a below average bust size. I simply don’t know if a bralette would provide enough support for large breasts.I have also stopped wearing bralettes. About two or three months ago I switch to regular bras. I can fasten the clasps now.  But, I’m glad bralettes existed for the year two when I use them.

I truly hope that you have found this post helpful.

You may or may not know this, but fine motor skills are difficult for me. I have difficulty with buttons and zippers. This means that I can’t wear a lot of different types of clothing. One thing that I have trouble with is regular pants, like jeans. I can only really wear pants with elastic waistbands, such as sweatpants. Obviously, this limits wardrobe– Or so I thought.

UNIQLOIs a clothing brand, kind of like Forever 21.UNIQLO has a whole selection of  leggings that look like regular pants, but that actually have no zipper and a fake button. They called them legging pants. The selection includes jeggings, in a variety of colors, but also corduroys, among other types. The store also has work pants with an elastic waistband.

So basically, UNIQLO sells fake pants that look like real pants. I buy most of my pants from UNIQLO. I recommend them if you have the same motor difficulties that I do, But still want to wear regular looking pants.

One of my goals,  in creating this section of the site, is to provide a catalog of tools that have helped me achieve independence. My  hope is that other people, in similar situations, and occupational therapist with patients like myself, find this information helpful and can put it into practice. Most, if not all, of these tools were items I just happened to stumbled upon; no therapist told me about them. Often a friend or family member saw a problem and knew of a solution. That is what happened with my flosser.

At Craig, I wasn’t able to brush or floss my own teeth. So, either my father or my brother had to do it for me. My aunt found out, and suggested that they use a flosser instead of  cramming their hands into my mouth to floss the old-fashioned way.

A “flosser”  is basically a stick with a piece of floss suspended at one end. I use a flosser made by Reach. To find your own, look in the oral hygiene aisle of your local drugstore or Google “flosser.”

When I began brushing my own teeth, I continued to use the flosser because it allowed me to floss with only one hand. I still use my flosser today, and  I have found my it to be an essential tool in the bathroom.

Testing. Testing. Is this thing on?