My name is Frieda and I am hearing impaired. Here, you will find stories of my life growing up and what it is like for me to be a wife, a mom of two boys, and hearing impaired.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Sleeping with My FitBit






What is a FitBit?

It is a wireless activity and sleep tracker.  I have heard a lot of great things about this gadget, and when I saw it at Costco, I knew I had to try it.  With Costco's great 90 return policy, there was no risk involved.

I first got it as I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which explained my 10 hours of sleeping and extreme fatigue.  I also gained about 30 pounds, so I was interested in a program that would help me keep track of my exercise, food, and sleep.

I have only had it for a few days, and I have already found my FAVORITE feature!

It has a silent sleep alarm.

Yep, you heard me right.

For years, my sweet hubby has been waking me up, giving me my hearing aid, and I put it on, hoping that I will hear my alarm.

I logged into my FitBit account and set the timer. (FitBit has an app, so you can access your info on your smartphone.)

Tapped the FitBit several times before I went to sleep to turn on the sleep mode.

Bzzzzzzzz.  Bzzzzzzz.  

It worked!  Tap the FitBit and the buzzing stopped.

It even kept track of how WELL I was sleeping.

How many times did I wake up?

How many minutes was I restless?

How long did I sleep?

According to FitBit, here are my sleeping results:

12:49 Fell asleep.  (Yes, I'm a late night person)
Time to fall asleep: 6 min
Tines awakened: 11
You were in bed for 7hrs 11min
Actual sleep time: 6 hrs 48 min
Sleep Efficiency: 96%




Yay!

 What do YOU use to wake up?


Thursday, March 15, 2012

A Second Chance



A Face Book friend posted this today. 

I got a little chuckle out of it, because it is somewhat true for me.

I say, "What?" because I didn't hear you.

But you still get a second chance to change what you said, make it better, clearer, and more understandable.

Lucky you!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

A Teacher's Apology

In high school, seniors were given the opportunity to be a TA (teacher's assistant) for class credit.  It was considered an "easy A," and it sounded like something that would be fun to do.  I was a librarian assistant in 7th grade, so how hard could it be?


I asked one of my favorite English teachers if I could be her assistant, and was thrilled when she said, "yes," and signed my new class schedule.  I don't remember much of my duties, other than correcting papers and filing.  There was a common area next to all of the English classes and I would pull in a desk to correct papers in that area.

As I came into my English class one day, my teacher pulled me aside to speak to me privately.  She seemed quite embarrassed, but continued to say, "I need to apologize to you."

Apologize for what? I responded, genuinely puzzled. 

"Remember when I spoke to you earlier today?"

My mind flashed back to my TA period ~ I was sitting at a desk, grading papers.  My English teacher had come up to me and asked me a question about something.

Yeah, I do.

"Well, before I came up to you, I called out your name a few times and said, 'Are you deaf or what?'  I am so sorry for saying that to you."

To be honest, I didn't hear you say that. 

She breathed a sigh of relief.  "I forget that you can't hear.  You look like every other student and I need to remind myself..."


Thank you.  I appreciate that.  


Her sincere apology made me love her even more.  She was more than just a teacher, she was a human being, with feelings....

Our conversation got me thinking.  How many times have I not heard something that was meant to be hurtful?  A rude comment.  Name calling.  

How many times have I been spared, just because I didn't hear it? 

I consider myself pretty lucky.