Holidays and Resolutions...

Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t updated in a while! I’ve been busy with the holidays and such. And speaking of the holidays... Merry Christmas, happy birthday to me (today!), and have a Happy New Year! So I wanted to talk about New Year’s resolutions. What are you guys going to resolute to do? My new year’s resolutions are to read my Bible and talk to God more, wear my brace more, and be a better person. Recently I’ve made some pretty embarrassing mistakes that I won’t look back on too fondly. I think I need to think a little bit more before I do things. Always think of a role model; someone you really look up to, and think, “Would they be okay with me doing this?” Maybe you have a pastor or a grandparent or maybe it’s just a friend. Whatever you do, I hope we all make better choices this upcoming year! J

P.S. And for those of you who were wondering... Yes I did get an iPod for Christmas (duh!) but I also got an iPad Mini from my grandparents which I was totally not expecting! So you know what that means! Pictures soon to come! J

Ann Marie *>*

My Life...

So I was just going to tell you all that my life is a little different. And in that sense I’m saying I have a life outside of school. I dance a lot. 9 hours and 30 minutes to be exact each week. So I’m going to have my brace off probably a lot more than the normal person, so don’t be surprised if I say something that catches you off guard. ;) Also, feel free to take my quick little survey over there on the right hand side of the screen. Thanks!

Ann Marie *>*

Saturday Scoliosis Marathon...

And last but certainly not least, my Saturday time. 3 hours, 18 minutes, and 57 seconds! Congratulations everybody! You have successfully completed your first Scoliosis Marathon! (Cheering in the background!) Great job guys! Okay I’ve gotta confess, at the end, I might have slacked off once or twice but I always tried to pull myself together! Hey guys next time we do this, if you want, you can post your own times up and I’d be happy to post a comment and stuff like that, but with ALL of our times! Yeah... I like that idea! J

Ann Marie *>*

Friday Scoliosis Marathon...

Sorry guys I was meaning to put my times on the day of or after I got them but first I couldn’t find my phone, then it died and I couldn’t find my charger and I was really busy these past few days. So my Friday time was... 2 hours, 45 minutes and 11 seconds! Yay again!

Ann Marie *>*

Thursday Scoliosis Marathon...

Attention, attention ladies and gentleman. My Thursday times have just come in and they tally up to... Drumroll please... 3 hours, 29 minutes, and 50 seconds! Tonight was a late night. I had 2, 1 hour and 30 minute classes. Tonight is my worst night of the week because I have my Cecchetti class and my Pointe work. :/ Oh, and Cecchetti is the Italian form of ballet, created by Erico Cecchetti.

Ann Marie

Wednesday Scoliosis Marathon...

Okay so I’ve been having some really late nights lately. My 3 REALLY late nights are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So my total time for Wednesday was... 1 hour, 9 minutes and 29 seconds! Yay! Keep it up everybody! Just a few more days!

Ann Marie *>*

Tuesday Scoliosis Marathon...

Hey sorry I wasn’t able to update yesterday guys. I had 3 dance classes (1 subbing, 1 assisting, and 1 of my own classes) and I got home at about 10:00 P.M. So my time for yesterday was 3 hours 21 minutes and 28 seconds! Yay! (And remember this was with 3, 1 hour each dance classes.)

Ann Marie *>*

Monday Scoliosis Marathon...

It's time for my Monday Scoliosis Marathon times (hey, that rhymes kinda!)... Drumroll please... 38 minutes and 1 second! Yay! I stayed committed 2 days in a row! So proud! Only 5 more days to go! Let’s keep moving people!

Ann Marie *>*

Sunday Scoliosis Marathon...

So... My Sunday Scoliosis Marathon time (that is, the time I spent today out of my brace) was 34 minutes and 9 seconds! Yay! So proud of myself! Ugh, just wait for tomorrow though...

Ann Marie *>*

New Old Blog...

Alright guys, check this chick out! Just found her blog, though obviously by how many posts she has made, she’s been around a while...

http://scoliosis-braceyourself.blogspot.com/

I've also put all the links to all the blogs I've pretty much ever looked at on the bottom of my blog. So go check it out! :)

Ann Marie *>*

Scoliosis Marathon...

Okay well I’ve been thinking and I feel like I’m not wearing my brace enough (even though I probably am). So I’m going to try this thing that I’ve been thinking about for a while. I’m going to call it a Scoliosis Marathon.

Scoliosis Marathon

So what I’ve decided to do is the first week of every month; take my brace off as little as possible and try to keep it on as much as I can. I’m going to time myself every time I take it off to see actually how much time I’m out of it daily at the least, compared to how much I’m SUPPOSED to be out of it, and try to go a little past where you're supposed to be on your brace. I’m starting my Scoliosis Marathon tomorrow. Spread the word to all your buddies and we can make a BIG Scoliosis Marathon. If it’s just me, that’s okay too. J I’ll be updating about how I’m doing. I’ll try to update once every day to put on my times and stuff.

Ann Marie *>*

Much Ado About Updating...

Alright guys, life’s been a little busy for me. I will try to update when I can, but it will probably end up being on Mondays because those are the only days that I don’t have dance (if you can believe it). So... Yeah...

Ann Marie *>*

For Starters...

Alright guys, well sometimes I forget some of us are newer at this whole brace thing. So I’m gonna go over some of the basics with y’all.

Underneath

When I got my brace, Brian (my brace guy) gave me these shirts called Boston T’s to go under my brace. As comfy as they are, they’re really not that fashionable, though I do wear them at night. So during the day, I use tanks tops. You can make them match with your shirt but really, no one sees camis anyway. I usually get my under-the-brace camis from places like Justice and American Eagle. There are thick and thin ones. Under the brace I like the thick ones which usually come from Justice.

 

At Home

At home I usually leave the brace untucked from my pants. It’s easier if I have to go to the bathroom and things like that. For out in public, I’ll tuck it in. You’ll find your own little tricks as you go along. I personally believe it all depends on what you like best. I can only make suggestions.

 

Itching

I remember the first few weeks randomly I would go into a spaz attack because all of a sudden my brace would start to make me REALLY itchy! I finally tried putting baby powder all over my torso (or where the brace was) and this helped TREMENDOUSLY! Don’t worry; this will go away after a while. It’s just your body getting used to the brace.

 

I will be uploading pictures after Christmas. Let's just say I "accidentally" went looking for Christmas presents and “accidentally” found out that my parents are getting me an iPod Touch! It will take better pictures than the ones I've tried to take with my regular phone.

 

Ann Marie *>*

Sites to See...

Alrighty, so I put together a list of ALL the sites I have ever used to help me with fashion and my own blog. I know there’s a lot, but here goes;

http://ateenagersguideonhowtocopewithscoliosis.moonfruit.com/#/blog/4545708244

http://www.grantwoodortho.com/brace-fashion-tips.html

http://www.curvygirlsscoliosis.com/

http://embracingscoliosis.blogspot.com/

http://www.freewebs.com/urnotalone/index.htm

http://www.hopescloset.com/

http://scoliosisandadhd.blogspot.com//

http://myscoiliosislife.blogspot.com/

http://plasticarmor.blogspot.com/

http://plastic-corset.blogspot.com/

http://kathryn-kathrynrocks.blogspot.com/

http://scoliosisclothes.webs.com/

http://scoliosis-fashion-help.blogspot.com/

http://thebracekase.blogspot.com/

http://timesthroughscoliosis.blogspot.com/

http://backbracestyle.webs.com/

http://www.iscoliosis.com/articles-fashion.html

Aww... I just LOVE how many sites I’ve found! It means we’re all helping each other out! Oh yeah, and they’re in alphabetical order because I’m a neat freak... ;)

Ann Marie *>*

Connecting the Dots...

Hello again!

I know I just created my blog today but I just had the most miraculous connection! So on Wednesday my family and I were scheduled to go to Atlanta to be with my cousins for Thanksgiving! It was going to be so much fun! Two hours into the ride I got carsick and as I desperately reached for the bag my mom told me to get, I threw up over my parents and my suitcase. So we had to go back and stay here for Thanksgiving. It wasn’t bad but you know, it would’ve been nice to be with my cousins. I never did throw up again; I think it was just carsickness even though I’ve never had carsickness before.

Afterwards my mom told me that God makes everything happen for a reason. I don’t care if you believe in God or not but the point is, EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON GUYS! This is all part of the plan for your life! Maybe it’s to make you tougher or get you interested in fashion. But whatever it is, THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! There are no mistakes! Just keep chugging, in the end, this will all have been worth it!

Jeremiah 29:11-“For I know the plans I have for you,” Declares the LORD, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Ann Marie *>*

Introduction...

Hi Everybody!

My name is Ann Marie. I’m 13 years old, and I’m creating this blog to help girls like me with their scoliosis back brace. I was told in about November-December 2011 that I would have to get a back brace to avoid surgery later in life. I know it stinks but it’s better than surgery (plus you won’t have the brace forever). Anyway, I have had my brace for 8 months and 16 days, but who’s counting? J It’s felt like YEARS! My help could be anything from tips on going to the bathroom with it on (a little odd but it does need to be covered) to fashion help with pictures. If you really want me to go over any topics, just comment and I’d be happy to help you out in any way that I possibly can! Remember, everything happens for a reason!

Ann Marie *>*