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

[KathyRN137]

... and so, I'm going to ask it!

Earlier today I blogged about how I'm keeping this trip under wraps... from Billy, anyway! He would never leave me alone if he discovered I was going to Disney without him!

Covert Ops, Code Name: DISNEY!
http://wdwadventuresinautism.blogspot.com/


What are you doing, gals? Telling the kiddos or not?


Kathy

 

[MRYPPNS]

... and so, I'm going to ask it!

Earlier today I blogged about how I'm keeping this trip under wraps... from Billy, anyway! He would never leave me alone if he discovered I was going to Disney without him!

Covert Ops, Code Name: DISNEY!
http://wdwadventuresinautism.blogspot.com/


What are you doing, gals? Telling the kiddos or not?


Kathy

I get off easy on this one.... Danica and Liam are so young that that they have no idea what it means to go to Disney. Now after our family vacation in March I think I'll be in trouble! Liam saw something in the house the other day that reminded him of our trip to Storyland this past September (Storyland is our local kids theme park) and he said "socks and shoes, car, go Storyland"!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Funny you should ask! (Great question!)

As you all know, I just went away on a girls weekend trip to Disney the first weekend in October. I told the kids about that trip a few weeks before and they weren't happy but took it OK. As it got closer, they got more upset about it. Around the time of the trip, Alex asked me, "The next time we go on a trip, we are all going, right?"

I replied, not wanting to lie, "Oh I dont' know honey... we'll see..." He didn't like that answer! So then he said "Well we're still all going together on February 24th, right?" I assured him that was the case and he seemed OK with my ambiguous answer to the first question.

So the answer is no, I haven't told the kids YET, but I will tell them sometime in January before the trip. I plan to present it to them as an opportunity for our family to contribute to a great book about Walt Disney World. I'll just leave out the part about how much fun I'll be having in the process!

Plus our trip will be only a month after the January trip - we'll probably start our countdown shortly after Christmas or the New Year!

Anxious to hear how the rest of you are dealing with it!

 

[KathyRN137]

I get off easy on this one.... Danica and Liam are so young that that they have no idea what it means to go to Disney. Now after our family vacation in March I think I'll be in trouble! Liam saw something in the house the other day that reminded him of our trip to Storyland this past September (Storyland is our local kids theme park) and he said "socks and shoes, car, go Storyland"!

Lucky!!

Billy still thinks all he needs to do is put his shoes on and we're ready for Disney!

Funny you should ask! (Great question!)

... our trip will be only a month after the January trip - we'll probably start our countdown shortly after Christmas or the New Year!

Anxious to hear how the rest of you are dealing with it!

The countdown calendar will be so helpful... makes their next trip very tangible and "real!"

Billy would never be able to wait until 12/11... he would drive me crazy!



Kathy

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Hey all I've been very mia from the DIS, but catching up right now on this rainy day, while I'm at work waiting on my next client.

Am I telling my kids, probably not, I still can't even bring myself to tell them I'm not going to be home for four days, they freak out when I'm gone all day for work. So it'll be an interesting weekend for my husband and parents while I'm gone. Today my two year old said "Mommy you are never going to work again." As he tends to do that at the end of any work week. And boy was he mad about it when I said I had to come into work today. I will obviously need to prepare them as we get closer to my departure date, but the details on where I'm going can be left out.

 

[irish dancer]

Yes, I've told my kids and they've all had different responses.

Mairead is 13yrs she was envious but fairly nonplussed.

Daniel, 10 doesn't really seem to care but he is a one day at a time kid and I don't think he really 'gets' it.

Deirdre, 9yrs is so green with envy it's funny. Every time the trip comes up she insists she's coming with me.

I've travelled a fair bit without my kids when I was teaching Irish dance so that will not be a big deal for them. We shall see once it gets closer though how it goes - you never know. We do have a trip planned for June so that makes it easier, if we didn't have that trip planned I think they'd have a much harder time with my solo trip.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hey all I've been very mia from the DIS, but catching up right now on this rainy day, while I'm at work waiting on my next client.

Am I telling my kids, probably not, I still can't even bring myself to tell them I'm not going to be home for four days, they freak out when I'm gone all day for work. So it'll be an interesting weekend for my husband and parents while I'm gone. Today my two year old said "Mommy you are never going to work again." As he tends to do that at the end of any work week. And boy was he mad about it when I said I had to come into work today. I will obviously need to prepare them as we get closer to my departure date, but the details on where I'm going can be left out.

I remember those days when leaving the house would cause two boys to go into meltdown mode!! Zach still has some separation anxiety, but it's so much better. Hopefully it will get better for you too!!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Yes, I've told my kids and they've all had different responses.

Mairead is 13yrs she was envious but fairly nonplussed.

Daniel, 10 doesn't really seem to care but he is a one day at a time kid and I don't think he really 'gets' it.

Deirdre, 9yrs is so green with envy it's funny. Every time the trip comes up she insists she's coming with me.

I've travelled a fair bit without my kids when I was teaching Irish dance so that will not be a big deal for them. We shall see once it gets closer though how it goes - you never know. We do have a trip planned for June so that makes it easier, if we didn't have that trip planned I think they'd have a much harder time with my solo trip.

Glad to hear your kids are handling it fairly well! You'd better check your luggage for Deirdre - you don't want to be taking any stow-aways along!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

I debated for awhile whether or not to tell Ariana and Demetri. Alex, my 15 year old, was the one I shared my excitement with as the trip was coming together and he is thrilled for me.

I didn't know how Demetri would handle it. He adores our trips and doesn't think there's anything different about Ariana. So for him to understand that I was going there with other Moms with children like her seemed like it would be a stretch for him and he'd be very upset I was leaving the family behind.

A friend from work simplified it for me and basically just advised me to tell him that it was a special Mommy's trip after our family trip. I finally told him and he surprised me by being very happy for me and said that, "I didn't know that just Mommies could have fun together too."

Ariana, I am not telling. There would simply be no consoling her if she knew that I was going to Disney without her. She'd be crushed. I'm not even hinting that I'm going to the airport as she completely associates getting on a plane with going to Disney, so she'd know. I haven't decided specifically yet what terminology I'll use to explain my absence - I can't use the word 'trip' as again, that means Disney - so I still have to figure that part out.

 

[KathyRN137]

Am I telling my kids, probably not, I still can't even bring myself to tell them I'm not going to be home for four days, they freak out when I'm gone all day for work... I will obviously need to prepare them as we get closer to my departure date, but the details on where I'm going can be left out.

Agreed... it's best if the details can remain "fuzzy!"

We do have a trip planned for June so that makes it easier, if we didn't have that trip planned I think they'd have a much harder time with my solo trip.

Oh, that's good! I wish our trip wasn't so far off!

A friend from work simplified it for me and basically just advised me to tell him that it was a special Mommy's trip after our family trip. I finally told him and he surprised me by being very happy for me and said that, "I didn't know that just Mommies could have fun together too."

That's too cute!

Ariana, I am not telling. There would simply be no consoling her if she knew that I was going to Disney without her. She'd be crushed.... I haven't decided specifically yet what terminology I'll use to explain my absence - I can't use the word 'trip' as again, that means Disney - so I still have to figure that part out.

I'm in the same boat. I was going to call it a "business trip" but you're right, the word "trip" may be problematic.

Maybe "business weekend?"

It's hard because I don't travel for business and he knows it! Well, he is twelve. As I always say... he's autistic, not stupid!

In some ways things were a lot easier when my kids were toddlers!



Kathy

 

[MRYPPNS]

[In some ways things were a lot easier when my kids were toddlers!

Kathy[/COLOR][/SIZE]

Yup!

 

[MRYPPNS]

I do like to think of these sort of happenings as good learning experiences for both the kids and even DH. What if something happened to me and I was in the hospital out of the blue for a week, or something worst? Taking these trips without the family gives my DH and my kids the opportunity to know that they can handle things without me (at least for a short while).

 

[DisMomAmy]

I do like to think of these sort of happenings as good learning experiences for both the kids and even DH. What if something happened to me and I was in the hospital out of the blue for a week, or something worst? Taking these trips without the family gives my DH and my kids the opportunity to know that they can handle things without me (at least for a short while).

 

[mousescrapper]

... and so, I'm going to ask it!

Earlier today I blogged about how I'm keeping this trip under wraps... from Billy, anyway! He would never leave me alone if he discovered I was going to Disney without him!

Covert Ops, Code Name: DISNEY!
http://wdwadventuresinautism.blogspot.com/


What are you doing, gals? Telling the kiddos or not?


Kathy

Well I actually had to think about it...had I said anything so I just asked...pretty casual like...

"hey guys did I tell you that Daddy and I are going to Disney by ourselves in October?"

Rachel "no"

twins "yeah"

(Naomi-Ruth wasn't in the room)

then I proceed w/ "did I tell you I am going to Disney again in January, by myself?"

Rachel "no"

twins "yes and no"

"well how do you feel about that?"

Bekah "I want to go and be w/ the ladies"...typical reponse from her...she always wants to hang out w/ the ladies "but I understand" she says

Nathan "Mom, I think you deserve a vacation all by yourself and get away from us...we 4 kids can be like a Gorilla sometimes"....got to love that

so my answer....tell them, this way they know you are part of something special even if that don't really understand it. Mommies and Daddies of special kids sometimes need a break and this is a very special trip for us. Plus how could I go to Disney w/out them knowing and how could I ever not show them the pix and bring them a gift home w/ me....my older kids are too smart...they are happy for me to go...

now obviously I have to make sure Naomi-Ruth understands...but we'll deal w/ that when it's a little closer...too much for that little brain to think about

they are wrapping their brains around who's taking care of us and what are we doing when Matt and I will be gone overnight and then out of town the
1st two weekends in Dec.

I'm better w/ the real deal....I know it's hard to keep Disney from our Disney loving kids...but even though some of our kids can't truly understand or appreciate an honesty that they may percieve as hurt or unfair...it's better in the long run....

I think it helps, that we (my crew) are going to Disney in 4 days ...and I have had my fair share of mini weekend getaways...not to Disney...but it is healthy for our kids to be away from us...the love is so much stronger when you get back

Ok there is my two cents....now need to book it...to Nathan's group therapy and Bekah's private session....

J~

 

[JPFamilyMom]

For a trip with seven spectacular women coming from all over our great nation we picked and each took on a different hat in helping plan our trip together. I took on the role of putting a t-shirt design together (with the help of everyone's ideas).

In our plans we decided we would all like to have one matching shirt, something that represents our special time together. So the need for a special shirt design came about and transformed over the past few months. Everyone put in input and the design took shape.

Here are three complete designs...see if you can figure out which one we have decided we would be using.

And just for the sake of sharing, for any other moms with children on the spectrum here are the frames that were created if you would like to use them for your own disigns:

 

[Gabrielsbigtrip]

Aw, they are great. I like the last one the best, I think

 

[DisMomAmy]

I won't give away the surprise... but I wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work Jessica!!

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

Great designs, I really like the third one. So that is my guess.

 

[MRYPPNS]

For a trip with seven spectacular women coming from all over our great nation

...and Canada too!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

...and Canada too!

Thanks Heidi!

And thanks to Jessica too for the fabulous DISigns!