Spectrum Moms Take on The World! Our Last Day...Multiple Posts!

[Minnie Mommy Mouse]

Can I join in on this thread/group? My name is Julie and I have 2 boys on the spectrum. My youngest, Aidan (10), was diagnosed at 2 1/2 w/moderate ASD. My oldest son, Josh (11), was diagnosed a year later at 4 1/2 w/aspergers. Both have significant ADHD as well, but significant progress has been made w/therapy, therapy, and more therapy. Our guilty pleasure is Disney! We are all mad about the mouse and WDW since our first family trip in the summer of 2003 shortly after diagnosis. Aidan was nonverbal at the time, GFCFSFEFYF etc., and we fell in LOVE w/WDW b/c everyone there made it a magical, wonderful, safe, and accommodating trip. Our 8th trip is scheduled 3/16-3/25/11 and our 9th for our first Star Wars Weekend 5/26-5/30/11. My husband, Brett, is WONDERFUL and my partner in crime for 18 years married. I would love to be able to discuss life w/ASD and our love of Disney w/like minded families. We live in STL, Missouri.

I saw a banner that linked to this thread in the Official March 2011 thread, so I thought I'd say hi & ask to play

 

[KathyRN137]

Can I join in on this thread/group? My name is Julie and I have 2 boys on the spectrum..... I would love to be able to discuss life w/ASD and our love of Disney w/like minded families. We live in STL, Missouri.

I saw a banner that linked to this thread in the Official March 2011 thread, so I thought I'd say hi & ask to play

Hey, Julie! You've come to the right place...jump right on in!


Kathy

 

[20thingamabobs]

HI Ladies! I'm loving your TR so far, it's so fun reading all the different points of view! Kidani looks awesome and I can't wait to hear about your night at DHS!

 

[jenjolt]

Zebra Domes are little pieces of heaven!! I finally had my first taste of them and believe me a trip to AKL will be in my future again for more!! SO YUMMY!!! Wonder if I could get someone to mail them to me LOL!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Today we received our Photopass CD! Here's a little sneak peek of what's to come...

 

[MEK]

Today we received our Photopass CD! Here's a little sneak peek of what's to come...

This is such a great picture of the 7 of you (despite the fact that you all look freezing). And the tiaras - I want one!!!!!

I can't wait to get a pic like this when I meet the East Meets West Meets South girls in May. I also love the picture of the five of you at the bus stop.

Lunch looks delish. I had that turkey ciabatta sandwich at the Mara and it was soooooo good. The flatbreads also look yummy.

 

[Poolrat]

Sitting outside by the pool with a group of friends eating good food sounds so wonderful right now.

Good for you for splashing in the kiddie pool.
And I'm glad to hear that there will be more 'silly' things' to come. That's what you are supposed to do on girl trips - be silly, be free, laugh loud and long. I love it!

And as for the zebra domes, I absolutely 'heart' them!

After the close to freezing,rainy day I had today,sitting outside by the AKL pool sounds heavenly.

With zebra domes, it would be perfect.

 

[Minnie Mommy Mouse]

Hey, Julie! You've come to the right place...jump right on in!


Kathy

Thank you! I know I have a lot of reading, but any pointers on getting up to speed appreciated! When is the May trip? My family is going to our first Star Wars Weekend 5/26-5/30, and I could possibly meet for a meal. STL has a nice ASD Community, but no one I know as mouse crazy as us

TIA!

 

[MeMom]

Can I join in on this thread/group? My name is Julie and I have 2 boys on the spectrum.
I saw a banner that linked to this thread in the Official March 2011 thread, so I thought I'd say hi & ask to play

I am not one of the 'Spectrum Moms', but I just wanted to say that I am so glad you found this and have hooked up with them. I know you will have a good support group among them. I teach at a school with two CBIP classes. (Not exactly sure what that stands for, but you guys might.) There are about 25 children with different degrees of autism. I see on a daily basis the time, energy, and efforts it takes for those teachers and assistants to care for their children, so I have a fraction of an idea what your families go through. I also have a higher ability autistic boy who integrates into my classroom for three hours each day. I know that you do great things with and for your kids to bring our their maximum potential and their best qualities, as we all do in our kids. I know that you have to go above and beyond all the time, even when you are weak and weary. I hope you find a home with these ladies. I love hearing about their kids. I also love seeing that they got to have such a fun time getting away from their daily routines just to have some fun and relaxation.

I'm glad to know that Disney World is an incredible place for your family, too. It sure is for mine!

Zebra Domes are little pieces of heaven!! I finally had my first taste of them and believe me a trip to AKL will be in my future again for more!! SO YUMMY!!! Wonder if I could get someone to mail them to me LOL!!

Jill and I once had the unfortunate experience of trying to save ours for later, only we didn't have a fridge to keep them in, since we were leaving WDW. We left them in the car to make one last jaunt through DTD. When we returned, we found, much to our dismay, that our zebra domes had suffered a cruel and horrific demise. It was not pretty at all. The moral of the story is - be a pig and eat them all right away, or be sure to put them in an 'icebox'.

You look like a bunch of teenagers (with more common sense than teenagers, of course) out having a good time!

You also look a little cold.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Thank you! I know I have a lot of reading, but any pointers on getting up to speed appreciated! When is the May trip? My family is going to our first Star Wars Weekend 5/26-5/30, and I could possibly meet for a meal. STL has a nice ASD Community, but no one I know as mouse crazy as us

TIA!

Welcome aboard! I actually just saw you over on the March 2011 thread too.

Unfortunately the Spectrum Moms aren't lucky enough to be going back so soon but there's another group of DIS ladies who we all cross paths with on PTRs & TRs. You'll see some of them here & they have links in their signatures. It's the East meets West meets South trip or something like that.

What are your March dates? I'll be back down there with my family 2/24 - 3/6 (Disney 2/27 - 3/6).

 

[DisMomAmy]

This is such a great picture of the 7 of you (despite the fact that you all look freezing). And the tiaras - I want one!!!!!

I can't wait to get a pic like this when I meet the East Meets West Meets South girls in May. I also love the picture of the five of you at the bus stop.

Lunch looks delish. I had that turkey ciabatta sandwich at the Mara and it was soooooo good. The flatbreads also look yummy.

Thanks!! We had fun with the tiaras - we all started out the evening wearing them but as you can see, some of the moms ditched them for various reasons as the night went on.

After the close to freezing,rainy day I had today,sitting outside by the AKL pool sounds heavenly.

With zebra domes, it would be perfect.

I'm with you there... I can't wait to escape this freezing cold weather again!

I am not one of the 'Spectrum Moms', but I just wanted to say that I am so glad you found this and have hooked up with them. I know you will have a good support group among them. I teach at a school with two CBIP classes. (Not exactly sure what that stands for, but you guys might.) There are about 25 children with different degrees of autism. I see on a daily basis the time, energy, and efforts it takes for those teachers and assistants to care for their children, so I have a fraction of an idea what your families go through. I also have a higher ability autistic boy who integrates into my classroom for three hours each day. I know that you do great things with and for your kids to bring our their maximum potential and their best qualities, as we all do in our kids. I know that you have to go above and beyond all the time, even when you are weak and weary. I hope you find a home with these ladies. I love hearing about their kids. I also love seeing that they got to have such a fun time getting away from their daily routines just to have some fun and relaxation.

I'm glad to know that Disney World is an incredible place for your family, too. It sure is for mine!


Jill and I once had the unfortunate experience of trying to save ours for later, only we didn't have a fridge to keep them in, since we were leaving WDW. We left them in the car to make one last jaunt through DTD. When we returned, we found, much to our dismay, that our zebra domes had suffered a cruel and horrific demise. It was not pretty at all. The moral of the story is - be a pig and eat them all right away, or be sure to put them in an 'icebox'.


You look like a bunch of teenagers (with more common sense than teenagers, of course) out having a good time!

You also look a little cold.

Thanks MeMom! I think we were all able to let loose during the trip. Speaking only for myself, I was more relaxed than I have been on any other Disney trip! Which is so strange since I had only ever met Heidi a couple times in person & talked on the phone with Julie a handful of times.

 

[Hedy]

I love the scarves!

 

[Gabrielsbigtrip]

I love the scarves!

ME TOOOOOO!!!!!

Julie - did you make those???? I would love to buy one I have a puzzle piece lanyard but noone really notices it so much. The scarf would be an awesome awareness piece!

ETA - I just Googled for them and found them AND a hair scrunchie! Gonna buy both! We are doing the ROAR Bike ride in early May and the hair scruchie will be great!

 

[Minnie Mommy Mouse]

Welcome aboard! I actually just saw you over on the March 2011 thread too.

Unfortunately the Spectrum Moms aren't lucky enough to be going back so soon but there's another group of DIS ladies who we all cross paths with on PTRs & TRs. You'll see some of them here & they have links in their signatures. It's the East meets West meets South trip or something like that.

What are your March dates? I'll be back down there with my family 2/24 - 3/6 (Disney 2/27 - 3/6).

We will be there 3/16-3/26/11. Unfortunately our flight out is in the AM, so 3/25 is our last day. That is my actual 40th Birthday, so we planned to spend the day at MK (our favorite park). We have breakfast at Chef Mickey's & dinner at Tony's scheduled, but if your family is at MK we could meet & say hello. We are staying at POR for the first time & that is exciting. We have taken up resort hopping each new trip. On 3/24 we have breakfast at Akerhaus, then from there it is a flex day (either Epcot or DHS or subject to weather maybe a water park).

Your banner is how I found this thread. I'm super excited about our March trip since it is our longest stay & we have tons of great ADRs, PL, BBB knight package, etc. We had original planned to bring my 4 year old niece (therefore BBB was a must). We bought the boys a Prince Phillip costume (Aidan) & Prince Edward from Enchanted (Josh) for BBB & CRT, so there is no way out of BBB. I'm going to have to get myself dolled up in my niece's spot. I feel like a big dork, but my inner child secretly loves it LOL.

I hope your March trip is magical too & hopefully we can say hello IRL, but I know how scheduling goes

 

[KathyRN137]

"Getting Settled"

Thursday
Jan 20
Arrival Day
Jambo House/Kidani Village




When I left off, six of the seven Moms (Kathy, Heidi, Amy, Anne Marie, Julie, and Jessica) were finishing our late lunch at the Mara. Conversation flowed easily and as we relaxed alongside the little pool, I found myself letting go of my usual cares and worries as quickly as I had shed my sweatshirt.

We decided to hop the bus back to Kidani so Jess (and eventually Tracy) could drop off their carry ons and the rest of us could either change clothes, continue to unpack, or both. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it before, but our food from Garden Grocer had been delivered by Bell Services before we had left for lunch. It was reassuring to know that we could stay out late that night at DHS and not have to worry about unpacking when we returned after park closing.

That being said, I have to admit that I was starting to feel a bit sluggish. A big meal, coupled with fatigue from having such little sleep the night before was beginning to catch up to me. Nevertheless, once we returned to the villa my energy returned as we fluttered around getting ourselves ready for an afternoon/evening at the Studios.

My notes are a bit sketchy, but this was when Mickey_Mom (Tracy) arrived at the villa...

[ETA: No, it wasn't!! See her post, below!]

Naturally, being DIS-ers, everyone had brought along gifts and for a few minutes it felt like Christmas! We had autism awareness ribbons, pins, magnets and bracelets, as well as another be-ribboned bag tag with a Spectrum Moms logo. We each now had a personalized trip journal and a home made Mickey photo-holder. And you've already seen pictures of those awesome scarves! Heidi gave us "certificates" good for a Dole Whip! Having never had one before, I was especially happy to realize that I would soon be crossing that little item from my Must-Do List.


In addition all of this, the Moms had chipped in and gave me a thank-you gift of a Disney picture frame and a generous Disney gift certificate... MouseGear, here I come! Thank you!


Hopefully someone else took pictures of "the loot." I did think to get a shot of our "personalized" refrigerator!

​

...and a shot of Anne Marie and Jessica on our balcony

Is everybody all neat and pretty? Okay, Moms! Heidi's sounding the five-minute warning! Lets get a move on! We're off to the Studios!!




Kathy

 

[MRYPPNS]

Jill and I once had the unfortunate experience of trying to save ours for later, only we didn't have a fridge to keep them in, since we were leaving WDW. We left them in the car to make one last jaunt through DTD. When we returned, we found, much to our dismay, that our zebra domes had suffered a cruel and horrific demise. It was not pretty at all. The moral of the story is - be a pig and eat them all right away, or be sure to put them in an 'icebox'.

I actually managed to get 2 home from this trip! When I left the Villa in the morning of the last day I put them in a zip lock bag and then inside my refillable mug. With the lower than normal temps that weekend they survived! I needed to put them back in the fridge at home before eating them. Boy were they good with all by other Disney junk food that I brought back home!!

 

[MEK]

Nice update Kathy! Fun logo for the refrigerator. How cool to be showered with so many fun gifts on arrival.

 

[MRYPPNS]

Kathy wrote:

That being said, I have to admit that I was starting to feel a bit sluggish. A big meal, coupled with fatigue from having such little sleep the night before was beginning to catch up to me. Nevertheless, once we returned to the villa my energy returned as we fluttered around getting ourselves ready for an afternoon/evening at the Studios.

My notes are a bit sketchy, but this was when Mickey_Mom (Tracy) arrived at the villa and we had another round of hugs and greetings. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

Your notes are way sketchy because Tracy never meet us at the Villa before going to DHS. There was some missing texts back and forth with Tracy so she had no idea that we were waiting for her at the Villa, so she went straight to DHS to meet us which was the original plan if she didn't arrive in time to make the 2pm bus stop time. I remember that because I make a bee line for her when I got off the DHS bus because I felt so back about the mis-communication.

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Your notes are way sketchy because Tracy never meet us at the Villa before going to DHS.

Yup, Heidi's right. I've been waiting to update so Jessica could pop in with her airport story but here's my arrival after the DME bus was finally ready to go........


My ME bus had finally arrived and I’d been at the front of the AKV line, but they loaded people waiting for CBR and Pop first. Darn it! I’d been standing there all that time thinking I’d get that front seat so I could get that wonderful welcome picture! I’d texted Kathy that I was about to head out and she replied with a cheer and let me know everyone was there and they were headed to Mara (Jambo) for lunch. The villa was ready and all the groceries had arrived and were put away. Yippee! So all that was missing was…. me! The plan was for me to meet everyone as close to 2pm as possible at the buses to head over to our first park. If I arrived after 2pm, I’d meet up with the ladies at the park.


Watching the new beginning to the ME video – the Let the Memories Begin promotion where the kids are being surprised with trips and they show the different reveals – made me tear up. Those commercials get me everytime!

Welcome pictures! It wasn't too bad after all, I just strategically leaned into the aisle making sure I wasn't blocking anyone behind me trying to do the same thing.

First stop…. CBR! It was just about the time I was supposed to have arrived at AKV and I texted Kathy again to let her know I was still en route.

This looks like a really nice place to stay. I have a few other resorts to knock off my list first though....

First load of guests headed off and I jumped to the now vacant front seat. ME movie now done, Donald entertained us while we moved on to Pop.

I love the Pop!

Next up…. Jambo! A few "oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh" may have been murmered under my breath!

One last text to say “I’m here!” and I made my way inside to find everyone. It was oddly deserted inside....

.... and assuming the ladies had moved to the bus area, I left my carry on at Bell Services and headed down to the buses.


CONTINUED......

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Hmmmm, no one here either.


It was about a half hour after we should have left for the park and I hadn’t heard back from Kathy yet so thinking her phone may have gone dead, I texted Amy to find out if they were on their way to the park. No word. Hmmm, maybe her phone was dead too?

The bus arrived so I hopped on and then sent a message off to Julie that I was on my way to DHS. Hopefully I’d hear back from someone soon and we could all connect.

About halfway through the bus ride my cell phone rings and its Amy wondering where I am. Turns out I’d not received a crucial text from Kathy letting me know they’d gone back to the villa to wait for me there and they hadn’t received my texts because their phones were charging. They ran out to the super conveniently located bus stop outside the room and hopped onto the next DHS bus to meet me. Once their bus pulled up, it was fabulous to hug my hellos to each of the ladies – we were all here!

Let’s get this show on the road!!!