Finally getting to see the lights! Nov '11 Anniversary/Holiday/F&W PTR-New 11/4 p50

[DisMomAmy]

With August coming to an end. Let's take a look at my to-do list:

July/August:
To Buy:
• Order pins from ebay - DONE
• Order new Guide to the Magic for Alex - DONE
• Final payment due in August - DONE
• Buy Earplanes for the boys - DONE
• Buy outfits for photo session – DONE
• Buy sunscreen on sale – DONE
• Buy more Body Glide - DONE
• Buy pick-a-pearl setting – been looking – DONE
• Buy glow sticks - DONE
• New washable markers for the boys
• Sharpies - DONE
• Figure out MVMCP shirts/hats–buy there(can get at DTD X-mas shop)

To Make:
• Work on “rules”/Self Help cards – DONE
• Start working on kids ID cards – DONE
• Work on Touring Plans – DONE
• Work on packing Lists - DONE
• Plan surprise – Mostly DONE
• Create surprise/itinerary books – Mostly DONE
• Mousekeeping Envelopes (2 – day 4 tidy – Fri?) – DONE/DisneyCrafter
• Work on travel kits – Kids will pack own carry-ons

September:
• Buy allergy meds for Zach - DONE
• Update first aide & foot care supplies
• Organize trading pins
• Find ponchos – DONE
From July/August:
• New washable markers for the boys

So I think I'm doing really well!! I only had to move one thing from the summer list to September. I knew September would be busy with school starting, activities starting, PTO Back to School BBQ that I'm chairing, birthdays & a yard sale on 10/1, so I didn't plan much for the September to-do list. I suspect my free Disney time will be spent planning for April once the park hours come out mid-month.

Here are a few pictures of some of the things I made this month. New ID tags or the boys:

They are business cards that I laminated & punched a hole in the corner. We tie them to a large safety pin that we pin to the waistband of their shorts every day.

And some new cards I added to the the "helping me" cards for the boys:

Sorry they are hard to see... they are index card sized... The first one says:

Expected Behavior:Listen to Mom & Dad
Speak Respectfully to everyone
Be Kind to others
Appreciate what we are doing
Not compain or whine
Not talk back
Follow mom & dad's plans - they are the bosses!

Choices
Sometimes I will have choices
Sometimes I will have to go where mom & dad tell me to go
Sometimes I will have to do what mom & dad tell me to do
Sometimes it will be my brother's choice
I will not complain when I don't have a choice

Consequences
One: Warning
Two: Time Out
Three: I will have to skip a ride
Four: I will have to go back to the hotel

I'm sure that sounds a bit strict for vacation to some of you but on our last trip we were too lax & the boys' behavior got out of control... especially Alex. There was almost constant complaining & whining if we weren't doing what they wanted. It was very frustrating. Their autism definitely plays a big factor in that so hopefully by having more clear expectations, along with having the consequences outlined ahead of time will help. I'll try to find a link to pictures of the other cards on their key rings. Basically they are index cards that have coping strategies for ride closures, loud places, rain, heat, crowds, getting lost, and expected behavior on airplanes & in restaurants.

Not sure what's coming up next but I'm sure I'll be back soon with something fun.

 

[Colleen27]

You found me on TGM but I'm apparently slow... I just found your pre-trippie here! I'm not nearly caught up yet (okay, okay... I'm on page 3) but looking at your first-draft itinerary we'll be in the same places on a couple days. We're going to be at Studios for Fantasmic and the Osborne Lights on 11/10 and at the MK all day on 11/11. We're having dinner at 50s PT on the 10th too, but late. Our ADR is for right at park closing. We'll be easy to spot in the parks that day, because I think I'm making pink Pluto-poodle skirts for my girls at the 10yo's request.

Now, off to get caught up.

 

[DisMomAmy]

You found me on TGM but I'm apparently slow... I just found your pre-trippie here! I'm not nearly caught up yet (okay, okay... I'm on page 3) but looking at your first-draft itinerary we'll be in the same places on a couple days. We're going to be at Studios for Fantasmic and the Osborne Lights on 11/10 and at the MK all day on 11/11. We're having dinner at 50s PT on the 10th too, but late. Our ADR is for right at park closing. We'll be easy to spot in the parks that day, because I think I'm making pink Pluto-poodle skirts for my girls at the 10yo's request.

Now, off to get caught up.

Hi Colleen!! I'm so glad you found me. I'll be sure to look for the poodle skirts!

 

[Colleen27]

Hi Colleen!! I'm so glad you found me. I'll be sure to look for the poodle skirts!

I'll be posting pics of everything on my PTR as I finish each outfit... I'm afraid I've gone a little nuts with the outfits this trip. I think I'm going to have to start work on some nifty little plan cards like yours to lure me away from my sewing machine for a bit.

I love the photo shoot idea! If my brother ends up joining us on our trip I think I'm going to look into that as a Christmas gift for my mother, since we'll have the whole family in one place.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm sure that sounds a bit strict for vacation to some of you

Nope! Not at all! While Henry is only 3 (almost 4!) and we have to obviously have some wiggle room there, that is what we expect out of him as well, and there are consequences just like at home. It's a good thing, IMO!

Love all your plans and the awesome touring cards! I'm so impressed by your list-you've gotten a TON done.

I'm looking forward to how you decide on doing the surprise!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

How cool that Zach got to announce the players!

Aww, the first day of school! I think it is still sad even after all these years. Do you? The boys look like they are ready to go.

Love your cards! You are so organized. I wish I could do half of that.

 

[mindyd]

The boys look adorable on the first day of school my younger daughter also started 5th grade. That is so neat that he got to announce all the players and sit up in the booth. We leave Oct 29th and I haven't even made a to do list between 100 activities and other things I haven't even thought about it.

 

[skier_pete]

Did you get any flooding in Buffalo? Vermont got hammered! We were lucky the storm went west or that would have been us!

No flooding in Buffalo. We are typically too far west for the coastal storms. The only time we get occasional tropical/hurricane rain are the ones that come in through the gulf (like Katrina), we usually get a little rain from it a few days later.

Expected Behavior:Listen to Mom & Dad
Speak Respectfully to everyone
Be Kind to others
Appreciate what we are doing
Not compain or whine
Not talk back
Follow mom & dad's plans - they are the bosses!

Choices
Sometimes I will have choices
Sometimes I will have to go where mom & dad tell me to go
Sometimes I will have to do what mom & dad tell me to do
Sometimes it will be my brother's choice
I will not complain when I don't have a choice

Consequences
One: Warning
Two: Time Out
Three: I will have to skip a ride
Four: I will have to go back to the hotel

I'm sure that sounds a bit strict for vacation to some of you but on our last trip we were too lax & the boys' behavior got out of control...

No, no, this sounds great to me! I would assume with the boys' autism that it would even more necessary to spell it out like that, but I think this would be a good idea for our DD. One of the problems with having an only child is they DON'T have to share their choices with others a lot of the time. However, she is used to at Disney after all these trips that you can't always do it NOW. I may borrow/steal some or all of what you wrote here though, rules to go over with DD before the trip starts.

 

[mousescrapper]

very cool about the ballgame...what a great way to end the summer and I love the behavior cards...great job! I truly hope they help w/ the issues that caused some stress during the last trip...

 

[eandesmom]

I don't think the cards are too strict at all, they are very reasonable (though sadly if you have to excersise the go back to the hotel option, a punishment for everyone or the parent that has to take them back as well). I really love the "choices" card and am impressed the boys don't fight you on the ID card pinning daily.

Everything looks really good, am so happy to hear you made it through Irene mostly unscathed.

 

[MeMom]

Anyways... during the game Zach wanted to take a walk & a few minutes later a lady comes up and asks Zach if he could do her a favor & go up to the announcers booth & announce the players! It was sooo cool!! Then he got to go to the booth next door & talk live on the air with the radio announcer.

Those boys love their baseball games, don't they???

What a fun experience to get to sit in the booth! Was Alex okay with Zach getting to do that?

Any excuse to go by a Disney Store is good. As for us, we'd have to go well over 100 miles out of our way to get to one, but we keep hoping they'll bring one back to one of our malls someday.

Hope the boys have a great school year!

One of my students I mentioned earlier (that I said I might ask you about) has a Lego book he is 'fixated' on. I am using that to help him get his work finished. He does the work, then he gets the book. Immediate gratification. So far, it is working well, and it has also drawn some friends to him, because a couple of the other boys think it's such a cool book, too. He has something to talk with them about, thus helping his social skills, because at first he was either staying to himself of aggravating others to get attention.

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'll be posting pics of everything on my PTR as I finish each outfit... I'm afraid I've gone a little nuts with the outfits this trip. I think I'm going to have to start work on some nifty little plan cards like yours to lure me away from my sewing machine for a bit.

I love the photo shoot idea! If my brother ends up joining us on our trip I think I'm going to look into that as a Christmas gift for my mother, since we'll have the whole family in one place.

The outfits I've seen so far are beautiful! I can't wait to see more. I'm hoping the photo shoot will get us some nice pictures. I've heard mixed reviews that some of the photographers aren't great... but I've also heard they changed things recently & don't use the photopass photographers anymore & they are all professional.

Nope! Not at all! While Henry is only 3 (almost 4!) and we have to obviously have some wiggle room there, that is what we expect out of him as well, and there are consequences just like at home. It's a good thing, IMO!

Love all your plans and the awesome touring cards! I'm so impressed by your list-you've gotten a TON done.

I'm looking forward to how you decide on doing the surprise!

Managing behavior (especially for Alex) is a constant battle for us - one that we often feel we are losing! And with him we really need to spell things out.

How cool that Zach got to announce the players!

Aww, the first day of school! I think it is still sad even after all these years. Do you? The boys look like they are ready to go.

Love your cards! You are so organized. I wish I could do half of that.

Announcing the players was such a fun surprise for Zach! I am definitely not sad on the first day of school! Yes, it's a little sad that they are growing up but by the end of summer I am sooo ready for them to go back! As me again next year after Alex starts middle school & I might have a different answer - I'm scared to death for that transition!

The boys look adorable on the first day of school my younger daughter also started 5th grade. That is so neat that he got to announce all the players and sit up in the booth. We leave Oct 29th and I haven't even made a to do list between 100 activities and other things I haven't even thought about it.

It's the 100 activities & other things that have me worried. I knew Sept/Oct would be crazy so I wanted to get as much finished as possible over the summer. I still can't believe I have kids in 5th & 2nd grades!

No flooding in Buffalo. We are typically too far west for the coastal storms. The only time we get occasional tropical/hurricane rain are the ones that come in through the gulf (like Katrina), we usually get a little rain from it a few days later.

I'm glad to hear you made out OK, I know Vermont got nailed but I didn't know how far west it went.

No, no, this sounds great to me! I would assume with the boys' autism that it would even more necessary to spell it out like that, but I think this would be a good idea for our DD. One of the problems with having an only child is they DON'T have to share their choices with others a lot of the time. However, she is used to at Disney after all these trips that you can't always do it NOW. I may borrow/steal some or all of what you wrote here though, rules to go over with DD before the trip starts.

You are exactly right - we really have to spell it out for our boys. I can see how having an only child could present it's own challenges.

very cool about the ballgame...what a great way to end the summer and I love the behavior cards...great job! I truly hope they help w/ the issues that caused some stress during the last trip...

I hope so too Julie! We can't have a repeat of our last trip.

I don't think the cards are too strict at all, they are very reasonable (though sadly if you have to excersise the go back to the hotel option, a punishment for everyone or the parent that has to take them back as well). I really love the "choices" card and am impressed the boys don't fight you on the ID card pinning daily.

Everything looks really good, am so happy to hear you made it through Irene mostly unscathed.

We've already planned to build in a time to have to drag Alex back to the hotel on day one! We figure if we send a strong message on day one, the whole week will be much smoother for all of us! I may use it as my chance to get unpacked a bit, unless Tim is dying to get back into the AC!

The boys have worn those ID tags for so long that they don't question it!

Those boys love their baseball games, don't they???

What a fun experience to get to sit in the booth! Was Alex okay with Zach getting to do that?

Any excuse to go by a Disney Store is good. As for us, we'd have to go well over 100 miles out of our way to get to one, but we keep hoping they'll bring one back to one of our malls someday.

Hope the boys have a great school year!

One of my students I mentioned earlier (that I said I might ask you about) has a Lego book he is 'fixated' on. I am using that to help him get his work finished. He does the work, then he gets the book. Immediate gratification. So far, it is working well, and it has also drawn some friends to him, because a couple of the other boys think it's such a cool book, too. He has something to talk with them about, thus helping his social skills, because at first he was either staying to himself of aggravating others to get attention.

I was VERY surprised that Alex was OK about Zach getting to announce the players. First of all, they didn't hear him since I could get Tim's attention. And when we returned, Alex acted a little annoyed. I asked him if he would have really wanted to do it if given the chance & he said no because he likes to keep score of the game & gets very upset if he misses any of it.

What you are doing at school with that little boy & his Lego book is perfect! We've always used a First/Then approach. Both of my boys have fixations! At the moment it's baseball! Which is great because it's an age appropriate interest that they can share with friends. Over the years, Alex has had some interests that are not at all age appropriate. He's been obsessed with various preschool shows, collecting the action figures & playing with them a lot. He will still watch an old favorite from time to time but it's not contstant anymore. He's also been fixated on things like game shows. He keeps books with all of the statistics. It has helped his computer skills though - he puts everything into excel spreadsheets!

Zach's fixations have generally been age appropriate but he gets so fixated he doesn't want to do anything else & thinks his friends don't like him or don't want to play with him if they don't want to do exactly what he wants.

 

[irish dancer]

Hi Amy! Have to confess that I fell very behind in your report. August was a crazy busy month but now that we're fully into school things are getting back to a routine.

~love the surprise books, too cute!

~touring cards look great too, will have to have Heidi send me the template for our June trip

~the behavior cards are such a great idea, that is something that would help Daniel too. We too use the threat of going back to the room and used it only once, we had only made it to the bus stop before he wandered away so up I went back to the room with him. The rest of the trip was much better with both him and his sisters, they knew we were serious.

~I know all about fixations, for Daniel currently it is an online game Wizards 101. For a long time it was Star Wars. It does help when their fixations are age appropriate, his Social Worker at school hooked him up with some other boys that were Star Wars fans so now he has a small group of friends with similar interests.

~congrats on the 'to-do list', must feel good to have so much of it done before the busy back to school season.

~so glad you guys survived the storm with minimal dammage.

Now that I'm all caught up I'm hoping to stay that way. I'm off to catch up on everyone else's pre-trippies now...

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Hi Amy! I didn't realize how behind I was here

What a great memory to have at the ball game! The behavior cards are great and definately reasonable. I'm going to steal the expected behavior one for Demetri.

The touring cards look great and I'm impressed with your not-much-left to do list!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Amy! Have to confess that I fell very behind in your report. August was a crazy busy month but now that we're fully into school things are getting back to a routine.

~love the surprise books, too cute!

~touring cards look great too, will have to have Heidi send me the template for our June trip

~the behavior cards are such a great idea, that is something that would help Daniel too. We too use the threat of going back to the room and used it only once, we had only made it to the bus stop before he wandered away so up I went back to the room with him. The rest of the trip was much better with both him and his sisters, they knew we were serious.

~I know all about fixations, for Daniel currently it is an online game Wizards 101. For a long time it was Star Wars. It does help when their fixations are age appropriate, his Social Worker at school hooked him up with some other boys that were Star Wars fans so now he has a small group of friends with similar interests.

~congrats on the 'to-do list', must feel good to have so much of it done before the busy back to school season.

~so glad you guys survived the storm with minimal dammage.

Now that I'm all caught up I'm hoping to stay that way. I'm off to catch up on everyone else's pre-trippies now...

It's nice to know there are others in the same boat... I think dragging Alex back to the villa on day one will send a strong message that we mean business. Staying onsite makes it actually possible... staying offsite would have meant leaving with Alex then returning to pick up Zach & the other parent! I'm glad it worked for you guys!

Thanks for finding the time to stop by & get caught up. I'm guessing the start of school craziness is calming down a bit?

Hi Amy! I didn't realize how behind I was here

What a great memory to have at the ball game! The behavior cards are great and definately reasonable. I'm going to steal the expected behavior one for Demetri.

The touring cards look great and I'm impressed with your not-much-left to do list!

Hi Tracy! Feel free to "steal" my cards! Glad they can help you.

I'm feeling good about my to do list!

 

[DisMomAmy]

This morning the next batch of dates were opened for Southwest. Unfortunately it was only through 4/9 but now I know that the rest of April will open up on 10/3. I was up early to check out the prices & they aren't too bad. If I were booking the last week of March, I'd be able to get $129 flights down to Tampa and $179 flights home from MCO. So we'll see... hopefully they won't be too much higher for the last week in April.

My next issue was to figure out how to consolidate our 8 travel credits from when our November flights went down in price & I rebooked. We each had a $63 credit and a $8.70 credit. I'm proud to say that I have consolidated the credits & will be able to use all of them, except for $2, when I book our April flights in October!

Here's what I did:

There are four of us & we each had two credits ($63 & $8.70 each). I searched for flights that would be just under $71.70. I found $59 flights that came to $69.70 with fees & taxes and booked myself with Zach using our four credits. That left us each with a $2 credit from the original $8.70 credits. I then did the same thing with Tim & Alex. Now all four of us have $2 credits left over. I then cancelled these four flights. I now have four cancelled tickets, which work differently than the credits. I can use all four of the cancelled tickets when I rebook. (I did a test run & was able to use our four cancelled tickets, plus 3 of the $2 credits along with a credit card - which I didn't enter since it was just a test.) So in the end, I will be able to book our April flights using up all of our credits except for one of the $2 credits. This will save us $284.80! Hopefully I'll only have to shell out $1000!

Does that make sense?

I feel like a Southwest Master!!

 

[beebeeryan]

OH my, next time I have Southwest issues I'm getting your help to figure it all out, credits, rewards, cancellations, modifications....OH MY!

 

[DisMomAmy]

OH my, next time I have Southwest issues I'm getting your help to figure it all out, credits, rewards, cancellations, modifications....OH MY!

I've been researching for months! I was so nervous to book & cancel a fake flight, but it worked perfectly!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

When I updated my title, I just realized that we are leaving for Florida in TWO MONTHS!!!

 

[skier_pete]

You ARE the Southwest Master!

Now tell me how I can use the $250 worth of credits I've gathered from this trip, when we are NOT flying again until after they expire in May...

Congats on two months!