Oct 30 2010 7 Night Western

[plutoluvsfifi]

Hello fellow cruisers. I hope everyone had a great holiday. I haven’t posted in a while, so welcome to all the families that have come aboard since I did.

Shannon, you’d think the school would look at a chance to visit other countries as an educational opportunity for your children. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[krisces]

We're getting to WDW the same day as YOU in November!! The kids wanted to trick or treat in our town, since they didn't in '08 because we were at WDW before the cruise. Hope we can arrange a meet- a year in advance of our cruise!!

And did I ask you- do you know the Weiss family in Montville?

Holy Cow!! We do know a Weiss family in Montville. The son, is in my daughters' 1st grade class. Mom is Elizabeth..... same family??? That would just be amazing!

We are going to WDW for NJ week this year, so yes, that would be very cool to meet at some point!

Wow, the world really is small!!! (and I just love that!)

 

[podsnel]

Holy Cow!! We do know a Weiss family in Montville. The son, is in my daughters' 1st grade class. Mom is Elizabeth..... same family??? That would just be amazing!

We are going to WDW for NJ week this year, so yes, that would be very cool to meet at some point!

Wow, the world really is small!!! (and I just love that!)

I'm pretty sure that's the family- I knew her sister Patti years ago in LBI- her family is wonderful, great parents. A LOT of fun! I think her family calls her Liz. Is her dad a builder? Then that's them. We had a great time at her sister Patti's wedding- if you see her, please tell her to say hi to Patti from Ellen & Pods!

Where are you staying in November? And I LOVE a small world, too!

 

[Grandma4ever]

Thank you so much for the help on deleting my old ticker!! Now, how to do I get a new one!! It has been so long since I made that one that I don't remember how to get started!

We couldn't believe how cheap it was for this cruise (especially what we had just paid for the Christmas cruise). I hope we are able to keep it because it would be a great trip since my little one...ours oops!! baby...DD4... is getting more fun with each cruise AND loves Halloween!

Shannon

I would recomend if you really want the school's blessing to make the trip educational. You can begin by coming up with a written project for each of your kids when they need to research on the ports you will visit. They should have something prepared to turn in and possible to present to their class. I wish you luck in getting permission for your kids to take the time off. It may also help if the kids complete the work they are going to miss prior to leaving. That means that the school and teachers will need to work with you. Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Thank you so much for the help on deleting my old ticker!! Now, how to do I get a new one!! It has been so long since I made that one that I don't remember how to get started!

We couldn't believe how cheap it was for this cruise (especially what we had just paid for the Christmas cruise). I hope we are able to keep it because it would be a great trip since my little one...ours oops!! baby...DD4... is getting more fun with each cruise AND loves Halloween!

Shannon

A lot of us have tickers in our signature. You can click on them and they should take you to a website where you can create a new ticker. Then you will need to copy and paste that URL to your signature in the same way that you deleted the old ticker.

I second the suggestion that you present the cruise as an educational opportunity. We always do an independent study for our vacations. We give the school the work that we did that was educational. For my kids, it's much different because of their disability. For example, on our 4 night cruise, we showed pictures of the kids at the Atlantis aquarium and feeding stingrays at Castaway Cay. We read information to the kids about the animals that we saw. In your case, you can have the kids do a report on a particular subject related to the cruise.

 

[krisces]

I'm pretty sure that's the family- I knew her sister Patti years ago in LBI- her family is wonderful, great parents. A LOT of fun! I think her family calls her Liz. Is her dad a builder? Then that's them. We had a great time at her sister Patti's wedding- if you see her, please tell her to say hi to Patti from Ellen & Pods!

Where are you staying in November? And I LOVE a small world, too!

yes, this is the same family!! How funny! I will definitely tell her about this next time I see her - probably the next birthday bash!

For November, we are staying at Orange Lake. I was going to stay on property but I had a time-share week I had to use. Also, we are traveling with another family, and I was able to exchage for a 3 bedroom condo! Where are you staying?

I just hope it is as nice as it looks on the web! We are arriving 11/1 and I am really looking forward to it. We have been cruising so much, that we haven't been to WDW in a few years.

The only thing I need now are my park tickets..... Hopefully, there will be a deal somewhere?!?!?!?

 

[podsnel]

yes, this is the same family!! How funny! I will definitely tell her about this next time I see her - probably the next birthday bash!

For November, we are staying at Orange Lake. I was going to stay on property but I had a time-share week I had to use. Also, we are traveling with another family, and I was able to exchage for a 3 bedroom condo! Where are you staying?

I just hope it is as nice as it looks on the web! We are arriving 11/1 and I am really looking forward to it. We have been cruising so much, that we haven't been to WDW in a few years.

The only thing I need now are my park tickets..... Hopefully, there will be a deal somewhere?!?!?!?

That's so cool! Is your friend the SIL? That didn't occur to me until just now- Patti's sister would remember us, not sure about her sil-

Anyway, I wanted to say I know several people who own at Orange Lakes, and they love it there! They say the resort is gorgeous. We're actually staying at AKV in Kidani- I think I read that they are really near each other, even though OL isn't in WDW. Sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

E

 

[Grandma4ever]

I second the suggestion that you present the cruise as an educational opportunity. We always do an independent study for our vacations. We give the school the work that we did that was educational. For my kids, it's much different because of their disability. For example, on our 4 night cruise, we showed pictures of the kids at the Atlantis aquarium and feeding stingrays at Castaway Cay. We read information to the kids about the animals that we saw. In your case, you can have the kids do a report on a particular subject related to the cruise.

So I am going to be nosey. I work for the Dept of Mental Health / Division of Deveolpmental Disabilities on the Missouri side. So I really want to know what Disabilities you are dealing with, with your children. That is if you don't mind sharing. If you do not want to share that is OK, I will respect that. Lois

 

[plutoluvsfifi]

We were on the Wonder a few years ago with some friends who took their kids out of school here in PA. For her school, their daughter did a study of the ship itself- from the art work to the architecture to the engineering and imagineering.. It was great and the crew was very helpful.

Speaking of the Wonder, has anyone else heard that it is distend to be permanently stationed on the west coast when the two new ships join the fleet? I’m REALLY hoping for an Hawaiian port of call!

 

[Nik's Mom]

So I am going to be nosey. I work for the Dept of Mental Health / Division of Deveolpmental Disabilities on the Missouri side. So I really want to know what Disabilities you are dealing with, with your children. That is if you don't mind sharing. If you do not want to share that is OK, I will respect that. Lois

I don't mind at all. I believe that the more we talk about it, the more attention it brings to the cause. Both of my boys are autistic. One of the big reasons why we moved to the Kansas City area was because the educational opportunities for them are so much better than back in California. We've been here for a year, and it has been the best decision we have ever made.

 

[Grandma4ever]

I don't mind at all. I believe that the more we talk about it, the more attention it brings to the cause. Both of my boys are autistic. One of the big reasons why we moved to the Kansas City area was because the educational opportunities for them are so much better than back in California. We've been here for a year, and it has been the best decision we have ever made.

I am very happy that it has worked out for you and your family. Autism is one of the fastest growing disabilities in our country. I really wish we could figure out what the cause is so we can correct it. I am very fearful that it will be discovered that it has to do with the pollution and toxins in our community, air and water. That just isn't something we have alot of individual control over.

I have Fribro and Chronic Fatigue and I know that my diet has a very strong impact on how well I feel. Thanks for sharing. Lois

 

[Nik's Mom]

Yeah, who knows what kind of junk is in the air and in our food. It's hard to know what is the right thing to do. We did try the gluten free diet, but we didn't really notice a difference in behavior with our boys. But I've noticed a huge difference since we've moved to Kansas. They boys have a para in their class and they get a lot of one on one time, so they have learned more in one year here than they have over the past several years in California. It's amazing.

Podsnel, I just finished reading your St. John trip report! It was outstanding! Great job. I noticed that you said you were speaking on autism for a group. Thanks for bringing awareness to the cause!

 

[podsnel]

Yeah, who knows what kind of junk is in the air and in our food. It's hard to know what is the right thing to do. We did try the gluten free diet, but we didn't really notice a difference in behavior with our boys. But I've noticed a huge difference since we've moved to Kansas. They boys have a para in their class and they get a lot of one on one time, so they have learned more in one year here than they have over the past several years in California. It's amazing.

Podsnel, I just finished reading your St. John trip report! It was outstanding! Great job. I noticed that you said you were speaking on autism for a group. Thanks for bringing awareness to the cause!

I have to- my oldest son Sean is autistic. He would not go on the cruise, he is not up for it, which makes me so sad, but what can you do? Must be so overwhelming with 2- are your boys similar in their needs?

Doesn't it suck we have more in common than the love of The Who & Disney? I am really surprised CA didn't have good services for autism! Our state (NJ) is filled with schools, programs and doctors for the autistic community. I had (I guess wrongly) assumed CA was even more so because of Bernard rimland being out there. Our stats in NJ are higher than the national avg- for boys, the statistic is 1 in 65. I am glad your sons are getting the services they need now and you are seeing improvement. We have tried almost everything (haven't tried chelation, but have done most everything else including HBOT & MB12) and nothing has had any astounding results. But I think my son's age is sadly part of the reason. He will be 15 in June. Here we are this past Sunday, Easter-

He is very, very bright, but his communication skills are too basic to do alot with his intelligence. He is very sweet and happy most of the time so I try to focus on that- I have alot of friends who are not so lucky.

Anyway, I'm glad you liked my STJ TR!! I'm not quite finished with it yet, though! Hope you'll come back and read the rest!

Ellen

 

[Nik's Mom]

[/B]

I have to- my oldest son Sean is autistic. He would not go on the cruise, he is not up for it, which makes me so sad, but what can you do? Must be so overwhelming with 2- are your boys similar in their needs?

Doesn't it suck we have more in common than the love of The Who & Disney? I am really surprised CA didn't have good services for autism! Our state (NJ) is filled with schools, programs and doctors for the autistic community. I had (I guess wrongly) assumed CA was even more so because of Bernard rimland being out there. Our stats in NJ are higher than the national avg- for boys, the statistic is 1 in 65. I am glad your sons are getting the services they need now and you are seeing improvement. We have tried almost everything (haven't tried chelation, but have done most everything else including HBOT & MB12) and nothing has had any astounding results. But I think my son's age is sadly part of the reason. He will be 15 in June. Here we are this past Sunday, Easter-

He is very, very bright, but his communication skills are too basic to do alot with his intelligence. He is very sweet and happy most of the time so I try to focus on that- I have alot of friends who are not so lucky.

Anyway, I'm glad you liked my STJ TR!! I'm not quite finished with it yet, though! Hope you'll come back and read the rest!

Ellen

I didn't know you had an autistic child. We do have a lot in common. My sons are at the same level. DS 9 has really improved on his speech, but he struggles with his social skills and attention span. DS 6 is improving on his speech, but he has a long way to go. And he has some of the clasic autistic symptoms (hand flapping, rocking, etc), but he is getting better in our new environment.

You know, the problem with California is that there are too many children and not enough funds to provide a good education. There are no para's available at most schools, so they usually have a special ed class with one teacher and maybe one teachers aid. So, the kids do not get one on one care. We were so lucky that dh's job relocated us here last year. Plus, we're a little closer to WDW!

I'm sorry to hear that your son won't go on the cruise. I know how that is. When we moved here, our youngest ds was traumatized by a fire alarm. He wouldn't go to school for weeks. He wouldn't even go into a store because he was so afraid to hear an alarm. Plus, we aren't used to tornado sirens, so he had to hear those go off once a month too. We finally had to pay $$$ for an autism specialist to help him overcome some of those fears. Even with the treatment, he is still very nervous and wanted to wear noise reducing headphones while we were at WDW last month.

It is hard having 2 autistic children, but at the same time I feel so lucky. My boys are so loving and are the sweetest things. They are extremely close to each other too. And they probably know way more than I realize. Just yesterday, my 9 year old got annoyed with me because I was trying to get him to eat more of his dinner. Without blinking, he said "you are getting all section 8 on me, Mom." I have no idea what he meant, so I am trying to google it to see what he was trying to say. Was he trying to call me crazy?

Ok, this is my way of saying that it is hard, but my sons do bring such joy into our home.

 

[Nik's Mom]

By the way, here are my boys on the teacup ride last month. OMG! I just googled section 8 and it's a military term that means discharge due to mental illness. Note to self. DS needs to watch less documentaries. That must be where he heard it from.

 

[Pudo]

just googled section 8 and it's a military term that means discharge due to mental illness. Note to self. DS needs to watch less documentaries. That must be where he heard it from.

I was a fan of MASH; section 8 was the reason why Klinger always "dressed up". He was trying to get out of Army based on mental illness although many thought he was more sane than most.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I was a fan of MASH; section 8 was the reason why Klinger always "dressed up". He was trying to get out of Army based on mental illness although many thought he was more sane than most.

LOL. I didn't even think of Mash. I forgot about that. I wonder where ds heard that term? He does love documentaries, so I guess it could have been from that.

How is everyone doing? It's rainy here. Since I'm stuck in doors, I'm on the Dis.

 

[Pudo]

How is everyone doing? It's rainy here. Since I'm stuck in doors, I'm on the Dis.

It is a beautiful day in central NJ; blue sky, sunshine, and approaching 70 degrees.

Looks like a good day to work on Missy's Hunny Do list. Sarah has a friend coming over to play outside and jump on the trampoline.

I guess I have a fun day of cutting the grass and cleaning up the yard. Not complaining, it is finally gorgeous so it is just nice to be outside soaking up the sun. Can you tell I am not a cold weather fan?


Have a great weekend everybody.

 

[gometros]

I don't mind at all. I believe that the more we talk about it, the more attention it brings to the cause. Both of my boys are autistic. One of the big reasons why we moved to the Kansas City area was because the educational opportunities for them are so much better than back in California. We've been here for a year, and it has been the best decision we have ever made.

My daughter is in her third year at American University and baby sits an autistic child in DC. She has been so affected by her relationship with him, that is has set her career path. She is a psych major and she plans to specialize in this area. She is pursuing some clinical opportunities and is now beginning to research graduate options. She was looking at Georgetown, but they only accept four students a year to their program. She may end up staying at AU and going for her SciD.

 

[gometros]

By the way, here are my boys on the teacup ride last month. OMG! I just googled section 8 and it's a military term that means discharge due to mental illness. Note to self. DS needs to watch less documentaries. That must be where he heard it from.

Either that or he has been watching M*A*S*H reruns on TV Land*

*For those unaware of M*A*S*H there was a character, Corporal Klinger, who was always trying to get out of the army on a Section 8. He would typically dress in women's clothes and would pull all sorts of outrageous stunts.

(Okay, I should have read ahead. I should have realized somebody else would have made the M*A*S*H connection)