Our Trip To Disney World

Our Disney Experience Please refer all ** marks to Disclosure statement at the bottom of my post, also feel free to visit my Disclosure Page on the bar on the right hand side of my blog. Links may be included in this post. Summary: Our trip to the wonderful world of Disney in a nutshell 😀 There are so many autism-related struggles from our trip, in my post I could not pinpoint them all in a specific section. For that reason, when I describe a struggle we had, I will underline it to make skimming the post easier. Traveling or vacationing with an autistic kiddo can be very challenging. I hope in my experience below, some of the strategies I used will help other parents of autistic kiddos also. Anticipation leading up to the big day: In the days leading up to our trip, I printed out a Disney countdown calendar, which was exciting for the boys because they could see how many days were left until our trip. If you are looking for one of your own, you can google search 'Disney countdown calendar' or buy one from Etsy. (If you plan to get more than one use out of it) I simply printed one out from the google search, enclosed it in a plastic page protector, and used a dry erase marker to mark how many days remain. This is a fairly cheap option compared to the fancy-dancy ones you can buy. Some examples are below: This is the one from Etsy, here is the link if you would like to purchase one yourself: here. Above is a printable from google search. This is not my work, here is the site if you would like one of these for yourself: here. Also, I showed the boys some YouTube videos of rides, the hotel we would be staying at, and the Disney World website to give them an idea of all the cool stuff we would be doing. They were really excited about it. And finally, I did some of my own research web surfing on things to know to make our trip a success. Hmm..maybe I will create a post on MY helpful tips. That's a great idea. The day before our trip Before we left, we decided it would be easier to meet up with Andy's mom (Liz) and brother (Paul), and to get the kids ready if we stayed at a hotel across from the airport. This one has a casino so everyone was all about it. We settled in to our room and went out for dinner. Afterward, we all had a dip in the pool. By then the kiddos were pretty tired so I took them back to the hotel room to get some sleep. I also turned in early. Everyone else partied at the casino for a while. We had to be up at 3 a.m., so I wanted to make sure the kids got some sleep. I had a hard time sleeping because I was also excited. Carter and Maddex in bed at the casino hotel before our big day. Flying in the sky That was a rough morning the next day, I was not ready to be up at 3 a.m., but the kids were. They were so excited it was easy to get them going. We arrived at the airport around 4:15 a.m., and the guest services desk opened at 5. We were first in line. The airport here is fairly small, around 10 flights on average, on one monitor, and that's all. Our flight left at I believe 7 a.m. As I am usually prepared for everything, along with Carter's meds, I put together a busy bag. I have done a YouTube video on this. If you would like to see it, I will include it below. In the busy bag, I packed some coloring books, puzzles, fidget toys, and crayons. Also some gum. This kept the boys busy during the flight. I had a book for myself, which I'll admit I did not even read because I got sick. Maddex and Andy also got sick. Maddex was terrified to fly, and Carter absolutely loved it. Taking off was his favorite part. I am okay once the plane is in the air, but take-off and turning give me anxiety. Once we reached our layover, we all took a little rest and those of us that didn't feel well took some **Dramamine. Luckily, they do make chewables for children, which Maddex was able to take. We had a short wait until our next flight which was good because there was time for the medicine to kick in. Click here to view the video on my busy bag. Waiting for takeoff on the plane!  Time to arrive & some time at Magic Kingdom Once we finally landed in Orlando, we worked our way through the airport, took a shuttle to the bussing area, and boarded a bus for a 45 minute ride to our hotel. We stayed at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This place was gorgeous! I absolutely loved it! I had never stayed in a five-star resort before, let alone any hotel with a pool boy serving drinks. Our bags were transported separate from our bus, and hadn't arrived yet when we checked into concierge. The man at the desk gave us our Magic Bands (which are also used as your room key, fast pass, and can be used to make charges to your credit card) and we went in search of food. At this time it was around 4 p.m. and the most we ate all day was a quick sandwich before our first flight and some crackers on the plane. We all sat down at the Grand Floridian Café, which would have been good for breakfast or brunch - it reminded me of a tea party café. They had doilies on the tables and fresh flowers. It was very cute. After we all indulged in some breakfast food, I was pretty tired. The boys (including Andy and his brother Paul) were ready to explore. They ventured out to Magic Kingdom while Andy's mom Liz and myself made our ways to our rooms to take a nap. Magic Kingdom is the closest park to the Grand Floridian, and the monorail will take you directly to it, or you can also take a boat from the GF dock. A half hour later our luggage arrived. Around 7 p.m. I met up with Liz and we met up with the boys for the fireworks show at Cinderella's Castle. Luckily the guys rented a stroller for the kids. (this is a good investment any time taking kiddos to Disney) The kids were so tired they fell asleep sitting up, waiting for the show. After that we carted the kiddos home and all got some sleep. Everyone was pretty tired, and the fireworks show was a good ending to our first day in the parks. We had passes to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Studios. Once we had the kids settled, Andy went out to locate some food, and we discovered the Gasparilla Island Grill - a counter service similar to a fast food restaurant. They also offered refrigerated snacks and beverages, along with bakery items and a soda machine. After our late-night snack, we turned in for the night. We decided to buy the Disney mugs they sell at the counter service, which run about $25 a piece, but offer free refills for 14 days from first use. The soda machine had a lot of down time during our stay, it kept breaking, but when it was working it was great. Since the counter service was open 24 hours, at any time of day or night you could get a free refill and didn't have to order it through a person. Being an introvert myself, I found this very nice. The food they offer varies by the time of day: mornings offer bacon, eggs, waffles, and breakfast sandwiches; lunch offered hot sandwiches, and dinner offered burgers, fish sandwiches, chicken tenders, and mac and cheese. Late-night they had pizzas. They also sold alcohol here, two servings per person was the maximum allowed per purchase. However, if you needed a refill on those, you could always go back and buy more. It was nice to have a beer and watch the fireworks show from their patio every couple nights. Even though Cinderella's castle is far from the resort, you can still see the fireworks. Cinderella's castle before the fireworks show. Epcot  The monorail did not go directly to this one and we had to take it to the Transportation Center before we could reach the park. (I THINK - one park we had to do this, I am pretty sure it was Epcot) Even with that, this park was cool to see. It was very futuristic, with lots of Space-themed rides. We split up for this one, Andy and Paul went with Carter on Space Ship Earth, while Liz and I took Maddex to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. This was a very slow ride, similar to Frozen. After the ride we explored the area which had aquariums and even a Manatee. It was really cool! Then we stopped in at Club Cool and tried all the different kinds of free **Coca-Cola from around the world. There is also a **Coca-Cola shop in there with lots of cool things to buy. I didn't get anything from there but it was cool to see it all. Right outside is a huge fountain, with some shade to cool off. We met up after that with the others and decided to have lunch at The Coral Reef Restaurant. It was a bit pricey, but the scenery was really pretty and it was ocean-like. There were even aquariums built into the walls. We saw lots of sharks and fish while we ate lunch. I had the Mahi Mahi and it was really good. After that, we went on Soarin', which was a bit scary for me and Maddex, but everyone else loved it. I have never been on a virtual reality ride before and I would highly recommend it. We took a tour boat on Living with the Land and got to see a large farm of various crops including banana trees. Never in my life before have I saw a banana tree. As we were running short on time, we didn't explore the World Showcase. The Mouse Gear shop was worth stopping in - I got some pink Disney pajamas, a few T-shirts, and a magnet. The kiddos opted for some candy and Andy picked up an Epcot shirt. This shop is really big and has loads of Disney stuff from numerous characters. I discovered this was one of the few places to get boys' mickey ears. The boys didn't care for them much, but we did find a souvenir stand nearby that sold mickey hats with ears which Maddex got for his birthday and baby Mickey and Goofy stuffed animals to share with Carter. I wish we would have had time to go on Frozen, but the line was very long, and we couldn't get a fast pass for it. (always book your fast passes as far in advance as you can, at least a few weeks). The Food & Wine festival wasn't scheduled to start for a few weeks after our visit so we didn't get to participate in that and I was really hoping I could so that was a bit of a bummer. During the end of the day, it started to rain and we purchased some ponchos. Liz and I were ready to take a rest so we left the kiddos with the guys for the remainder of the evening. They went on Space Mountain, a completely dark roller coaster and also Mission: Space which is inside the big Epcot Ball. Riding the monorail Andy, Maddex, Carter, and Paul relaxing in the shade Myself and Andy in front of Dinosaur Queue to Soarin' Maddex and a manatee Seahorse from one of the aquariums in the Nemo ride Disney Studios / Resort Day Andy, Paul, and Liz went to Disney Studios and rode the Rock 'n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. This park seemed to be more themed for adults so the kids and I stayed back at the resort this day to do laundry and just hang out. The laundry service was the same as any other laundromat, just in the hotel and only a few washers and dryers. I found it easier to just do laundry rather than pack more clothing - I do not enjoy hauling around loads of luggage. I stopped at the counter service, got them some lunch, and after we headed over to the Water Activity Pool which has a water play area and some slides. All the pools also have lawn chairs and umbrellas. Carter had a hard time here as the play area was small and there was not much for him to do. This resulted in one of the few meltdowns he had. After we were there for 10 minutes, he whined until I decided we would leave. This was not a huge deal, but it was not expected behavior. The remainder of the day Maddex and Carter watched Disney cartoons and I took a nap. Andy, Paul, and Liz This evening Andy stayed back with the kids while Liz, Paul, and I checked out Mizner's Lounge. There is a band that plays near it, but when we stopped in they were not playing. After some time in the lounge we decided to sit outside the counter service and just chat under the stars. With the heat in Florida, it wears you out. I was ready to call it a day. My boys outside of the hotel Animal Kingdom This day was probably the most humid day during our trip, and since this park is all covered by trees, there isn't much of a breeze. I would suggest going to this one either later in the evening or on a less humid day. We started out at Pandora. The whole area was surrounded by alien-like (or avatar themed) fake plants and lights. This was Andy's favorite. We waited in line for 3 hours to go on The Flight of Passage - which was really cool since it's a virtual reality ride, but also terrifying because you are flying in the sky on the back of a banshee. Maddex was absolutely shook and would not talk to any of us after this ride, he was very upset. I screamed my head off, I don't do heights. Even though it wasn't a real in the sky ride, it sure FELT like it. I was surprised how well Carter did waiting in line for this one. He was a little bit scared of it too. After that, we decided to get some lunch at Pizzafari, which was pretty good. They had paper straws, which are not really that great since they get soggy. Animal Kingdom did NOT have straws anywhere else so I tucked some extras in our park bag. Next we went on a safari-themed adventure. First to the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail and then Kilamanjaro Safari. As we were well though the day by then, we wanted a water ride. I was excited about this one, but it turned out to not be as great as I planned. We went on Kali River Rapids, which was pretty much a floating tube down a lazy river - nothing thrilling about it, and I didn't even get wet! The whole ride lasted only a few minutes. We waited in line for 2 hours and it was NOT worth it. Carter had a hard time here as he had a soda and did not want to carry it around, which led to a small meltdown. I would put the soda in my park bag, he would ask for it, and then I would put it back away. This went on for 15 minutes on and off before I finally told him to just hold onto it. Even though he was a bit whiney this could have been a lot worse. I think the heat was just getting to him. Luckily they did have water fountains (we call them bubblers in Wisconsin) in the waiting line. I don't remember where we stopped for supper, but we did get a Dole Whip on the way, and it was delicious. The extra straws came in handy here as they only gave us a spoon and these started to melt right away. While we waited for it to get dark, the guys and Carter went on Expedition Everest. This roller coaster is cool because at one point it goes backwards. This park was my favorite, probably just because of the Tree of Life which was really pretty, especially at night time. We saw the Rivers of Light which was a very cool light show in the evening, and it lasted quite a long time too. I will say, stroller parking for the Rivers of Light was a nightmare, after the show the park was closing and we eventually just abandoned our rented stroller since we couldn't find it - the park employees both told us two different areas our stroller would be and we just wanted to go back to the hotel. We took the shuttle bus back to the GF and called it a night. This was probably the longest day we had out in the parks. Myself and my Love ❤ Giraffes from the safari Elephant from the safari Don't remember what this animal is called but...safari Maddex, Carter, and Andy Alligators from the safari Mom and baby elephant from the safari Rivers of light More rivers of light Queue from Avatar More from Avatar queue The tree of light lit up after dark Magic Kingdom (again) As we didn't get to see everything we wanted to in this park, we decided to go back and check out a few things in Frontierland, Adventureland, and Liberty Square. We started out with the Haunted Mansion, which was a very cool "haunted" ride, not very scary, but it was worth seeing. The line wasn't that bad either. Next we went to Pirates of the Caribbean, which was one of my favorites. I liked that it was a water ride and on this one I did get pretty soaked. I was not expecting that! There were some tiki towers that misted and spouted out water, which was great because it was so humid out. I don't remember what these were called. We stopped for lunch at Peco Bill's, which had a taco bar and was really good. The gas afterward, not so much. This restaurant definitely gives you a good value for the price and has room for stroller parking inside the restaurant. After lunch, we went to Splash Mountain, another one of my favorites. The line was very long, at least an hour and a half, but I feel like it was worth it. The ride lasted a little while and we got a picture from this one. Maddex was so scared he had an accident. After that, Andy, Paul, and Carter went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad while the rest of us hung out in a sitting area and rested in the shade. Before leaving for the day, we waited in line for the kids to meet Mickey. Maddex was so excited, but by the time it was his turn to see Mickey, he was scared. I don't think he realized how big the real-life Mickey would be. We couldn't get a good picture because he hid behind the curtain the whole time. This was a nice experience for Carter though. Definitely worth the wait. Since this was the last day we were visiting the parks, we decided to take a boat back to our hotel, this was the kids' first time on a boat and they loved it. Carter and Mickey Myself and the boys riding the boat back to the hotel Pirates of the Caribbean I don't know this character's name but Carter wanted a picture Splash Mountain (Maddex is terrified!) Myself and Cinderella's castle (love this one) Resort day Our last day we decided to just hang out at the pool and relax at our resort. I had already started packing up our things. We went to the Courtyard pool which also has a bar and some food. They offer free ice water and have bathrooms, along with towels and life vests for the kiddos. This was a really nice pool, we stayed here all day and all got sunburnt. Even with sunscreen, in the middle of the afternoon it seemed that it got really hot. I was sunburned for 2 weeks afterward. This was also Maddex's birthday and he got a free birthday cupcake from the counter service 👍 The bar was nice, and they had staff that would bring your drinks or food to you. I thought that was really nice. I had a few coolavas (coconut and strawberry flavored slushee with I believe vodka and rum). Andy picked up some lunch for us from the Gasparilla and we all ate around the pool. Since we had to be up early, we all turned in early for the night. Maddex enjoying the pool What a view! Poolside The housekeepers left this in our cleaned room, thought it was cool Before my sunburn relaxing at the pool Maddex's birthday cupcake Going Home Again, we had to be up super early since the Disney bus shuttled us from the GF to the airport. We checked in our bags at the bus station and they were shuttled to our plane. This was nice because we didn't have to lug them around with us. Nothing like some luggage to slow down two young boys. I was glad we didn't have to deal with that. We were a few hours early for our flight and had some McDonald's at the airport. Carter had a meltdown when he was told to eat his food instead of drink all his soda. This resulted in some crying and not being able to play with his toy (from the happy meal), but he did eventually comply and was content with the fake binoculars he got. Maddex had a rough time going home in general. I expected a little bit of this - what kid would want to go home, when they spent a whole week (including their birthday) at Disney World? He had another accident mid-flight and I swear everyone on the plane must have hated us. Smelling poop your whole trip home is not ideal. Since we didn't have our luggage, I couldn't change him either. Next time we fly, I'm including extra clothes and some plastic bags in our carry-on. For the remainder of our flight, the boys did well. They watched a movie and shared a pair of headphones. Once we were finally home, I could see the boys already missed Disney. This however was a really cool trip and we all have some great memories. I would love to go again, maybe in a few years when the boys have more stamina for walking around the parks all day. Watching movies on the way home What's been going on at home lately? First off, I'll admit this post is a LOT later than I intended, by 2 months. With all going on that I mentioned in my last post, I have some catching up to do. Also, with Halloween, parent-teacher conferences, and Andy getting sick, my time has been spent elsewhere. Halloween was good - the boys trick-or-treated for a good 2 hours, around our whole neighborhood. They both got a huge bucket of candy. Carter was a creeper from Minecraft and Maddex was a solider from Halo. And then the parent-teacher conferences. I always find these awkward because there are only 15 minutes to talk about progress for the whole quarter. At least this year I got a progress report from both teachers for all the things they forgot to mention. It was also nice to see the kids' school work and projects. I'm a proud mama ❤ Sickness around the house. So far only Andy has caught the flu - I anticipate the rest of us will probably get it, but fingers crossed that doesn't happen. Since he usually takes care of the kids in the morning, I've been doing that and checking in on him too. I haven't had time for much this week. Luckily yesterday I was able to get to the store when he was sleeping. Also, I am still struggling with too much sleep. I may have figured out why this is happening. Along with the new medication I am on, I believe I could be feeling some symptoms of depression. I have always been someone that enjoys working and keeping myself busy. Since I have been home the past half year, as I have mentioned before, I am sleeping up to 16 hours a day. I spent some time applying for jobs, and I received one call back from a temp agency. I will be able to work first shift as the boys really do not need me home. There hasn't been any issues with school so luckily I no longer need to make myself available to be home all day. With that, it's about time I get back to work and have a little bit of structure for myself. This would also help me get back in a gym routine, I haven't gone for the past two weeks. I've been reading.. This is a new section I am going to include in my blog as I do enjoy reading and always have a book at home I'm spending time with. I just thought it would be nice to include that for all those readers out there looking for something good to read! Currently I am reading Rebels of Eden by Joey Graceffa. This is the last book in the Eden Trilogy, set in a future time after the apocalypse has happened. In the books, Joey goes on to paint the picture of a post-fail world that was rebuilt by a scientist, and now the remaining survivors live in Eden and are controlled by the EcoPan. The plot of the story is the main character, Rowan, discovers a whole new world in Eden, outside of her home (which she is kept in due to laws of Eden), and discovers a community of individuals like herself. In the trilogy, she must save these individuals from their horrible fate. I have really enjoyed these books so far, and I am hoping this one has a good ending! Read it for yourself and find out! The first book is Children of Eden, next Elites of Eden, and finally Rebels of Eden. You can purchase the books from Amazon here. My closing thoughts Disney World was a great experience and I will never forget it. Even though Carter had a few meltdowns here and there, and Maddex had a very rough time, I was glad we could take the kids on this venture and would do it again. Thank you Liz for bringing us all with you, this was nice. I am glad to have some pictures to look back on, so I will never forget this experience. I know this post was late, but better late than never! I am still working on getting into a routine, and until then, my posts may be a bit sporadic. That's all for today. Follow me on social media to stay in the know how of my posts and vlogs. Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate your support! Have a great day 💓 **Disclosure: Reviews of products & referenced links are not sponsored by any affiliates and are solely the opinion of the Author; these are strictly opinions and honest advice, which should not be considered consumer or health guidelines. The Autism Soup and/or The Author are not responsible for any injuries or damage due to procedures listed above. Please consult with your doctor in regards to health concerns.

I'm Baaaack! What happened?? Let me tell you all about it.

Where the heck have I been? Please refer all ** marks to Disclosure statement at the bottom of my post, also feel free to visit my Disclosure Page on the bar on the right hand side of my blog. Links may be included in this post. Summary: Just an update on why I've been offline the past few months, and content I'm working on now. There is not a specific autism-related topic in my post today. Hello again! I know, It's been a couple months since I've posted anything, even a vlog on YouTube. But why? I'll get into all that below, but first, here is what I'm working on for the time being: Pictures and stories from our vacation at Disney World! 😀 I've decided to start a weight-loss regime, and I'm going to share all about it. 👍 Maddex has a diagnosis, it's about time! A couple random experiences I've had in the past few months, and those are worth sharing also. An editorial calendar! Wouldn't that be nice? 👀 And finally, I would like to create a new background or color scheme for my blog - just not sure what yet. But I'm brainstorming on it. Okay, here's what happened: My doctor prescribed me a different medication due to some side effects I had with the previous medication. The new medication caused extreme fatigue and I was sleeping for about 12 hours a night, along with a 3 hour nap during the afternoon. I barely had time to keep up with daily chores around the house. Who cares about a clean house anyway, right? The kiddos are always my #1 priority, and after taking care of them all day, I was exhausted. I did what I had to do as a mom, and rested as much as I could. After a month of being tired all the time, Andy pointed out that I had a terrible cough; I really didn't notice it since I have allergies anyway, which includes pollen and dust. Once I developed some pain in my ribs while coughing, I decided to see the doctor. I'll admit, once I realized how serious my cough was, I did get scared. The doctor tested me for mono along with pneumonia, which I (luckily) did not have. After a full physical exam, 2 blood panels, and a chest x-ray, she determined I had a severe sinus infection. I was dumbfounded. I've had sinus infections before, and this one was different. I didn't have any sinus pressure in my face - and it just did NOT feel like a head cold. It felt like severe allergies. I could not believe this! She prescribed some antibiotics, and after I finished them the cough and allergy-like symptoms were gone. I am really not sure how I even got the sinus infection. It could have been from the airplane ride home from Florida, or from an old bottle of Flonase I used for my allergies. I threw it away, and will not reuse allergy medication if it's been sitting for a while, just to be safe from now on. As I said, I was extremely fatigued, which led to skipping the gym. That, along with all the food we ate in Disney World (which was not at all healthy to eat burgers and stuff for a whole week) caused some weight gain. Also, the new medication I am on caused some weight gain - every week I was putting on at least one pound. And as I was already feeling pretty crappy about myself, I had a few too many drive thru trips to Culvers. As of the beginning of October, I've started a new weight-loss regime, and so far I'm not losing any weight, but I'm not putting on extra pounds either. I heard sometimes it takes quite a while for the pounds to drop, so I'm just being patient, hoping things start to change soon. (Fingers crossed!) Also I started taking caffeine pills to keep me awake during the day, and Melatonin during the evening to help me sleep. Andy suggested I try it, and even though I've given the kids Melatonin for sleep, I never thought to try it myself. Sometimes I'm so silly. I still sleep sometimes 12 hours a night, but I am no longer napping, and I'm looking into some ideas on how to wake up earlier. Even with alarms on my phone, or our wind up alarm clock with the huge bells on it, I'll wake up, and then fall back asleep! For a while it was very frustrating. Now I've accepted that for whatever reason, my body wants more sleep, and I'm going to keep researching until I find something that works. I cannot stress enough how important self-care is. I neglected my body which in turn led to depressing thoughts, and it all became a sad cycle of binge-eating junk food. I will be posting on my weight-loss regime soon, I don't want to spill the tea already. I am getting back into a self-care routine, and there is no longer a black cloud lingering over me wherever I go.  What's going on with us this week? I really like including this section in each post. It keeps you all updated on my family life, and I really enjoy sharing what we have been up to! Since I haven't posted an update for a while, I'll start with the end of August and go from there. And then we are all caught up. August: Went to Disney World, that's a whole post in itself. Attended open houses for school. These always go so quick and are so crazy! Honestly I was glad to go home that day, it was hectic in both of the boys' schools! Went to a water park with the kids and Maddex learned that he cannot go down the water slides on his own. I told him he was not tall enough, and being a little curious boy, of course he didn't listen, and the lifeguard had to rescue him as he cannot swim. He learned his lesson, and now knows he must go with a trusted adult, and to listen to his mother. 😉  September: IEP meetings for both kiddos - they went well. Both schools use Google Docs and email frequently, which is more convenient in my opinion, and I love the option to print the doc if need be for doctor appointments or family curious on how the boys are doing. It's easy to stay in the loop and makes communicating a lot easier. I didn't get to see Andy much in September. 😟 One of his co-workers had a baby (Congrats Drew and Shannon! She's so adorable!), so Andy picked up a few shifts a week to cover for him. As his co-worker was off work for 6 weeks of paternity leave, this was quite a long time to not see each other much. At the time he only had one day a week off, which we both enjoyed together to the fullest. I love Andy so much. My mother and I took Carter to a petting zoo which was very short-lived. Carter developed some stomach cramps, so we got him some Pepto Bismol and they cleared up. He had been having some problems with bowel movements lately, and on a hunch I bought him some fiber one bars. I started sending them along with him for a school snack each day, and he's been much better. October so far: Bought the kid's Halloween costumes - Carter is going to be a creeper from Minecraft and Maddex is going to be a warrior dude from Halo. They both loved these and I cant wait to take them trick-or-treating 🙆 Started my weight-loss regime. I've mentioned this already but it's an update. Went to a fall festival with my mother, sister, nephew, Andy, and Carter. We all had a great time and Carter even won a gift card to Jimmy John's. Maddex finally has been diagnosed, which I will include in another future post. And finally, I'm back on here, with a new blog post. I plan to post a vlog soon, just not sure for what yet. I'll figure it out.. My closing thoughts It's good to be back. I was a bit nervous to come back on, I thought I would lose my followers on twitter and one subscriber I had on YouTube; actually, I have more followers now, and another subscriber! I just want to take a moment to thank you all for your support, I am glad I have my blog and channel, and I will be posting more often from here on out. Self-care is important, with my post today you can see why it's necessary for wellness. That's all for today. Follow me on social media to stay in the know how of my posts and vlogs. Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate your support! Have a great day 💓 **Disclosure: Reviews of products & referenced links are not sponsored by any affiliates and are solely the opinion of the Author; these are strictly opinions and honest advice, which should not be considered consumer or health guidelines. The Autism Soup and/or The Author are not responsible for any injuries or damage due to procedures listed above. Please consult with your doctor in regards to health concerns.

Our Structure Plans For July

Summer Structure Please refer all ** marks to Disclosure statement at the bottom of my post, also feel free to visit my Disclosure Page on the bar on the right hand side of my blog. Links may be included in this post. Summary: Below I have included some pictures and a video of Carter, also what I have planned for July in regards to structure, and of course, what is going on at home this week. To skip to the autism related topic "July's Structured Schedule." Carter is finally on my blog & vlog! Finally, Carter's father has signed my consent form so I can feature him here! 😀 He is very excited to be included in both, we did record a video together with some Q & A's on him so you all can get to know him better. I am including some pictures and videos of him below I feel you would enjoy: July's Structured Schedule Summer School: Both kiddos start summer school the week of the 8th. Since they will be attending that for at least an hour each, I need to get my butt back to the gym. I swear, I look at a cookie and put on two pounds 😂  I really hope it goes well for them and will be a good prep session for next school year. Center for Carter: He has started this last month and developed a friendship with another kiddo at his skill level. They also are on the same baseball team! We are through the honeymoon phase and are now seeing the typical behaviors we saw during the school year. I am working with my parenting coach to learn how she is approaching these situations and how to better process with him. Baseball for Carter: Baseball has been going well so far. The kiddos like to play at the park next to the baseball diamond afterward, and if their behavior meets my expectations, we sometimes get ice cream on the way home. As these games are in the evening, it wears the kiddos down so I'm glad they are at that time. It makes for an easy transition to bedtime. Activities for Maddex: While Carter is at the center in the late morning, Maddex gets some one on one time with me and we do outdoor activities and socialization. A nice thing about summer at parks here is the city offers the kiddos free lunch. Maddex really enjoys this as my mother did this with him last summer. This also gives him a chance for some pool play and park play to tire him out. As he is starting to nap less, he becomes crabby in the afternoon. "Getting the beans out" or wiggles out or however you may call it, is good for him. All kiddos need some time to run around and just be kids! Academics at Home: We are continuing with our school work books and it's going okay so far. I am guessing this is because it's new; by the end of July I expect to see behaviors and more defiance with completing these tasks. I am making notes on their score sheets (they come with the work books) for IEP's in the fall. This way, I can provide examples of the results of what I see, and how I have approached the situation. As I mentioned in my vlog, I am including the alligator song and picture I discussed. Here it is: I do not take credit for this picture and song, to see the site, click here and here. This is not my work. Also, see my disclaimer at the bottom of the page, and my Disclosure page, here. Posting the Chore Chart: This has been going well so far. The boys enjoy going to the pool as their prize activity. For more information on this, read my post on them under Visuals To Reinforce Good Behavior, in 'Bridging the Summer Gap', click here. It's going to be a busy month! And, fingers crossed, very productive. What's going on with us this week? As I have stated above, videos and pictures of carter! I am so excited that I can finally share with you my charming little boy, I hope you enjoy seeing and watching him. Check out my YouTube channel for our first official video together here. Of course, like and subscribe to never miss another video. If you do subscribe, click the bell to turn on notifications. Leave us some comments and let me know anything else you would like to know about Carter. The Fourth of July! Yikes. I am not a fan of fireworks. This year, Andy is working the night of the holiday - I may catch up with a friend and see if she is taking her kids to see the fireworks; if not, we may just watch them on the tv. I do have noise cancelling headphones just in case we would need them. Prepping for our trip to Florida next month. As I have previously mentioned, we are going to Disney. The kiddos are so excited! With Carter's autism, I need to get in contact with his psychiatrist to get a doctor's note; I am hoping to reach out to the amusement parks, air lines, and hotel to see what accommodations they can make if we need them for Carter. I am so glad I bought an all-in-one printer with a fax in it. This makes sending the doctor's notes so much easier. That all sounds like a headache, I have a lot of work to do! My closing thoughts I am so happy I can finally introduce Carter to you, I hope you are too. Structure is important even in the summer months. I hope you enjoyed my post, don't forget to check out my YouTube channel to see my vlog on this post with some conversations with Carter also. Check out our Q & A video also to learn a bit about Carter. Follow me on social media to stay in the know how of my posts and vlogs. Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate your support! Have a great day 💓 **Disclosure: Reviews of products & referenced links are not sponsored by any affiliates and are solely the opinion of the Author; these are strictly opinions and honest advice, which should not be considered consumer or health guidelines. The Autism Soup and/or The Author are not responsible for any injuries or damage due to procedures listed above. Please consult with your doctor in regards to health concerns.

Bridging The Summer Gap

Summer Structure Please refer all ** marks to Disclosure statement at the bottom of my post, also feel free to visit my Disclosure Page page on the bar on the right hand side of my blog. Links may be included in this post. Summary: I have listed some ideas on how to keep your kiddo's skills fresh during the summer below. Also, I have included a bit about my family life for the week. To skip to the autism related topic "Visuals to Reinforce Good Behavior" & "How To Keep up on academics & structure during the summer". How To Keep up on academics & structure during the summer: Often times during the summer, it can be hard to "bridge the gap" of academics and structure, which is what this post is all about. Keeping a consistent schedule and brushing up on your kiddo's learning is important during summer break to prep them for the next school year. So, how do we do that? I have details on that below: For this summer, this list is what I plan to set in place and work on with my kiddos this summer: Creating & Maintaining a learning schedule: I recently picked up some work books for the kiddos for the grade they will be in next school year. I will be working with Maddex on the general curriculum of Kindergarten, and for Carter, reading and math. I found these workbooks at a local school store; however, you can also find them at **Walmart among other places such as **Barnes & Noble or online. I have displayed these in my vlog also if you would like to see an example. Planning some fun activities: These can be used as a motivator for the learning piece of the summer. Also, this will tie into the visual chart for behaviors in the next point. Posting a visual chart for reinforcing good behavior: This is listed below in the next section, I also have displayed an example of this on my vlog; I will expand on this in the next section. Keeping a Routine: Routine is always important to stay consistent as kiddos respond best to that. Having an awkward schedule that always changes may be confusing for your child and is not productive. However, these things happen, staying as routine and consistent as you can is key. Summer Programming: Skill building and socialization is important. In the summer, some of us autism parents do have lots of play dates for our kiddos, however, some of us do not. Children need to interact with their peers to work on their social skills, and incorporating in skill building is a good idea. Whether it's going to the library for a reading activity geared around a group of kiddos, or stopping in to a local autism center for ideas. If you are able to find a summer program (there are plenty throught the **YMCA and state), I encourage you to take advantage of that. If you are unsure where to start, you can reach out to your state agency's waiver program, usually they appoint a worker to you and can then provide resources. For example, Carter was referred to an autism center for 4 hours a week working with two personnel at the center for behaviors. He will also be attending summer school in July. If you have questions on summer programming, feel free to contact me via social media and I will respond as soon as I can. 😊 Self-care for myself: As I have mentioned in my post relating to self-care, keeping up on this is important. The better you take care of yourself, the more you can do for your kiddos. To read my post on self-care, 'Self care for the autism mommas', click here. The easiest way I find to coordinate all of this, as it can be overwhelming, is to make a list and go from there. Once I have my list, I can then get more information on each section, including dates / times of events and programming. Once I have all that information, I then can put together a schedule and create some visuals. The visuals are important as most young kiddos do not understand abstract thinking; if they can see what is going on for the day, they are less likely to be confused. (well, until the schedule becomes routine, anyway) Visuals to Reinforce Good Behavior: The chart I use, I refer to as a "chore chart", however, it is a behavior chart, I have just labeled it as something else. In this system, kiddos earn points for the expected good behavior. This process does work, but being consistent is very important. Make sure when you do introduce a visual like this, your rules & expectations are understood before going forward. Below are mine: Choose behaviors you want changed, for the better: I deem the most important behaviors more points as a motivator for my kiddos to work hard on changing them. For example, I will give 10 points to either kiddo if they "Use toilet always, no bed wetting or accidents". Sometimes these cannot be avoided, due to anxiety with one of my children, or a long line in the grocery store - mid-checkout, and one of them has to go and could not hold it. In that type of situation, if they did well with potty training the remainder of the day, I would still give points. List a reasonable reward for accruing points: I have learned using a toy as a prize is NOT a good idea. I use activities, more points for bigger activities. Taking a trip to the park for a picnic may be 20 points, while going to the pool may be 50 points. As I stated in Bridging the Gap, fun activities are great motivators. (and there are plenty of free ones for summer. If you need ideas, try searching online for 'kid-friendly no cost summer activities) Points can only be given, not removed: I tally up the points on the bottom of the chart, and they do not get removed for not following the rules & expectations. Make sure to mention this to your kiddo also. If they do not have the positive reinforcement and are not able to be held responsible for the points they do have, this whole process is then counter productive. You do not want your kiddo to dislike the chore chart. The goal is to make them want to follow your directions, not to force them. In time, they will understand they are responsible for their behavior, and they will not get anything, even negative points for not owning up to their behavior.  Change the chart as goals are met: Once your kiddo has met one of the goals on your chore chart consistently, such as potty training, it then can be removed. Replace these goals for behavior as necessary. One day, you will be able to fade away from the chore chart, and may not need it. Also, you may experience a tough time and need to reintroduce the chore chart later.  Schedule a time for tallying: It is important for your kiddo to see you tallying up their points. This way they can see what they have accomplished. Also, reading through all the goals and explaining if they have met the goal for the day with amount of points rewarded is necessary. This way, your kiddo understands how this chart works. If they did not meet a goal, you could mention when and why, along with what to do next time. Processing is just a part of everything with learning, and your kiddo may have lots of questions. That is okay, just make sure to follow your rules and keep your expectations reasonable. Give prizes only once a week: Once you have counted all the tallies for a whole 7 days, then the prize can be given if the amount of points are accrued. The prize points are subtracted from the points your kiddo has. Changing the prize is fun and adds variety, as your kiddo may get bored going to the pool every single week. (not in my house! But it could happen I guess..) At this point, the tallies are then cleared for the week and the new chart starts fresh. Don't give up: As this is a new process for yourself and your kiddo, do not get discouraged; this may take some time to get the hang of it, but I find it very beneficial and I hope you do as well. What's going on with us this week? As the end of June is approaching, we are preparing for Carter's summer school. Tuesday I plan to start working with the kids on academics - we will see how that goes; I am hoping I can work on their behaviors with school work as well. For myself, I am in the process of looking for legal counsel as I did hear back from the equal rights division on my FMLA complaint. I can't say much right now, but it looks like I may be able to get something out of this. That would be nice, I do not feel it was very fair the way my past employer treated me. Enough about that. I need to get back on track with my diet and exercise routine! Since I am now feeling better (we all are for the most part), I need to get back in to the gym. My trainer kicked my butt on Friday and I'm still feeling it. 😭  My best friend has vacation all week so I'm hoping we can get a mani / pedi together sometime. That is well deserved. The weather has been somewhat hot, 75 degrees, so I'll be taking the kids to the pool often. Andy had his annual golf outing at his work and his team won which is cool. Tonight he is making me steak 😍 Which is one of my favorites. Sadly, my trainer wants me to cut down on the gluten so I will be having mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes..and no, they do NOT taste the same at all! Along with almond milk instead of regular milk. We just got back from my mother's house, the kids enjoyed playing in her kiddie pool and running around. (they needed that) So they are pretty pooped. Should be an easy night. Since the kids were gone this weekend, I was able to deep clean their room. (and yes, I did find poop) I am still backed up on laundry but hey, I can't do it all in one day! Tomorrow there will be a lot of free kids events going on hosted by our Mayor, so we are going to make a whole day of that. I plan to take the kids to the library to meet the **If You Give A Mouse A Cookie mouse. If you have not read that book to your kiddo, I would recommend it. Just not before bed because the book is pretty funny and my kids always get riled up about it. Carter has a baseball game this week. I was able to get ahold of his dad, hopefully he will reconsider the disclosure form so I can finally feature the kids in my blog and vlog. That's about all we have going on. My closing thoughts Implementing a new process can be hard to start; be patient not only with your kiddo, but with yourself also. I find the chore chart to be very helpful, and I hope you do too. Setting up some structure during the summer is important, and it gives you a chance to pinpoint any behaviors or struggles that school may have missed or forgot to inform you about. I hope you enjoyed my post, don't forget to check out my YouTube channel to see my vlog on this post with those visuals. Follow me on social media to stay in the know how of my posts and vlogs. Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate your support! Have a great day 💓 **Disclosure: Reviews of products & referenced links are not sponsored by any affiliates and are solely the opinion of the Author; these are strictly opinions and honest advice, which should not be considered consumer or health guidelines. The Autism Soup and/or The Author are not responsible for any injuries or damage due to procedures listed above. Please consult with your doctor in regards to health concerns.

Is This Beyond My Control?

How do I get my kiddo to stop doing that? Please refer all ** marks to Disclosure statement at the bottom of my post, also feel free to visit my Disclosure Page page on the bar on the right hand side of my blog. Links may be included in this post. Summary: Below I have described a situation in which I had to put a halt to certain behaviors at home. I also have listed some strategies that may also help you, along with details on how things are going at home this week. To skip to the autism related topic "What you can do to improve situations such as this". Can't you just control your child? Any other special needs parents out there here that line? 😡 Yeah me too. Special needs kiddos cannot just be redirected and then all is well again. I mean, they can be redirected, but, working on behavioral changes takes time, sometimes even years. I recently posted on how society perceives some autistic families, including those who do not understand our day to day struggle. And on top of that, the criticism we often face and try to manage without melting down ourselves. I am sure a few of you out there know where I'm coming from.  Whether your kiddo has a meltdown in the grocery store, is unbuckling the seat belt constantly on the high way, screaming on a plane, or running in circles at the DMV, please understand you are not alone. It may seem that way at the time, but somewhere out there, another autistic parent is going through something similar and also wants to rip their hair out. I'll fill you in on my experience and after provide some suggestions to help dissolve these situations, or at least get them going in a better direction. Noisy Neighbor - how dare you!! Sometimes I have my days where I am tired, cereal for supper and skipping the bath is not going to be the end of the world. Carter has adapted to change in routine so we no longer see meltdowns over this. Last week I, for whatever reason thought it was a good idea to shower mid-day instead of after the kiddos went to bed. Big mistake! This resulted in the boys running all over the house, fighting, yelling, and I was upset myself. Just a shower, that's all I wanted! It's been a crazy week. So going forward, even if I want to change the routine, because I am tired, or whatever the reason, I just can't do that until behaviors at home improve. They will, in time. Due to it being summer, the boys are constantly fighting and I haven't had much time away from playing referee over here.  As summer break is just starting, it throws off the kiddos' bedtime and morning routines. Lately they have been waking up at 4 a.m. Our apartment complex does not allow the boys to play outside - I find this ridiculous. The grass already looks yellow and dried up, not like they could do much more damage to it. I apologize, I am very cranky today due to some circumstances going on at home. Let's talk about that for a second. A few days ago, we received a warning letter from the apartment manager which stated we have five days to reduce the amount of "excessive noise" at home or we will be evicted. Again, relating back to my post on Dealing With Society & Autism - if you have not read it, please take a look and then continue on here. For those of you who have read it, remember the new neighbor who had the audacity to stand in my doorway and tell me how to control Carter while he was mid-meltdown? Well, she wasn't done. This lady is really working my last nerve. I have decided to take the high road and just not answer the door when she knocks. As you may recall, I did not handle our last conversation well. Since she could not reach me, she contacted the regional apartment manager, and we then received our warning letter from the local apartment manager. (he lives in the building next to ours onsite) She is complaining that the kiddos are up at 4 am running, stomping, and banging on things. She also said throughout the day this is happening. Again, I reached out to the apartment manager, reminded him -again- that Carter has autism and some noise is inevitable when he has a meltdown. What does this lady expect, me to restrain my child? I would never. So, here we are, trying to work on keeping things quieter.  First off, it's going okay so far. We only have two days left until the warning letter expires, which will be Sunday evening. Am I the only parent out there in general that cannot no matter how hard you try, wake up at 4 a.m.? I tried. Two mornings in a row after this happened. I failed. I would love to be one of those 'sleepless elite' parents that only need 4 -5 hours of sleep to survive. Between myself and my SO, we also started sleeping on the couch to put them back to bed in the wee morning hours. It has been working, hopefully that continues. The thing is, with two little boys, full of energy, not allowed to play outside, and the closest park 30 minutes away, we don't get around to getting all that energy out every single day. I am just not sure what this lady expects. I do not understand it at all. She lives in a lower apartment, there is always noise. Logically one would think, "Hmm..I would like a quiet apartment, is a lower unit really a good idea?". Or maybe ask some questions before signing the lease, such as, 'Do the people above me have children or people over all the time?'. I am drawing the conclusion that she has never been a parent or just does not care for children at all. I really do not like this lady, if that has not been clear enough already 😂 BUT again, I am tired! Even with that, I cannot give up. I have to try to get the boys to slow down, drive to that park every other day, and set some better ground rules for morning activities. I am also wondering if she's going to complain about the cat running back and forth, too. (Our cat Bella is only 2 years old so she's pretty wild, especially late night / early morning. Duh, she's a cat.) This is driving me crazy! I can handle redirecting a little bit every day, but this is all day long.  Let me share with you how I'm managing this 'noisy problem' (jeez this is ridiculous): Limiting screen time: One hour of tablet time per day, no tv until myself or Andy are up in the morning. This is an incentive to keep reinforcing good behavior. We have worked on adding in a few extra minutes if they go back to bed until 7 a.m. Visualizing demands: phrases such as 'walking feet please', 'where do you need to be until 7 a.m.?', 'slow down like a snail'. These help the boys picture what we are asking them to do, which is simpler for a young kiddo in general to understand rather than abstract conversations. For example, Maddex's dad told him to "respect other people in the building", come on now, he's not even 5 years old yet. 😒 Setting an example: We both model the behavior we expect, if they do not understand what we are asking them to do. I had to stand both kiddos next to me, demonstrate how to slowly walk through the house, and coaching them through it. Yes, we really had to do that. I still have to a few times a day. Using a quiet voice: Your kiddo will usually mirror your voice when you speak in a whisper or a quiet voice. I also just hand signals when they are yelling. This is a visual reminder and most times works immediately. Choose to turn it around or miss out: "If you choose to run/other not acceptable behavior, then you will not be able to have tablet time/other preferred activity. This works well. If all else fails, we call Grandma. That always works. And that better be the end of this! What can you do to improve situations such as this No worries, these things happen. It can always be turned around with some creativity and patience. These may help improve behaviors or fizzle down meltdowns: Stay calm: The more calm you are, the better you can think, and this models the behavior you want to see. Again, visuals rather than abstract demands. Find the trigger/cause of behavior: If you can, avoid that trigger. If not, ask the 'wh' questions and investigate what's going on. Process the situation: If you can have a conversation with your kiddo about what's going on, what you expect, and how to get there, have that conversation. If you cannot, I would encourage you to still speak to your kiddo, and look for physical cues that they understand what you are saying (eye contact, nodding head). If this does not work, you may need to get creative - draw out a story, or tell one, turn it into a game, or see if a family member or friend can help you brainstorm on more ideas. (Yes that's right, I don't have all the answers) Before & After: This also ties into the processing, just observing and making mental notes of what happened before, and after, how to prevent it, and what could be done better next time.  Stay consistent: Keep your expectations the same every time. Patience is key here. Do not give up - things will turn around in time. Once your kiddo sees that you will not budge, they will eventually make a change. Our week at home As usual, just a bit of how things are coming along at home. I have not had much time for anything due to the constant monitoring and redirecting. I meant to already have this post done, on Wednesday, and due to Carter's baseball and programming, that did not happen. We also had a few appointments this week. We all still have a cold, it is getting better, just a lot of runny noses.  Carter started his programming for summer at one of the autism centers in our area. He only goes for 4 hours a week, but this is good for him to get some programming and keep some sort of consistency. I have my computer fully set up, and am still figuring out the webcam. I did a few test videos and should be able to get something posted on my channel next week. I know I know, I keep saying that...it's hard to just record a video when I can only do that when the kiddos are sleeping. As I have stated before, due to legal reasons, my children cannot be featured in any of my content, including vlogs.  With the crazy lady down stairs, we are looking to move. So far we saw one apartment, an upper, a block from home. At first I was apprehensive, but we discovered there is a small office room (perfect for blogging and recording), the apartment is above garages (no downstairs neighbors), there are only 5 other people in the building, and it's a little bit bigger than what we have now. The leasing agent said they are waiting for some paperwork from someone else, but still encouraged us to apply. At this point, if we can find something within Carter's school district, that accepts cats, I cannot complain. The next one we are going to see is outside of Carter's school district, and from the pictures looks like it only has coin-op laundry (we have a washer / dryer in our apartment, and so does the one we looked at today). Hopefully we find something nice soon. We finally told the kids about our upcoming vacation. They were so thrilled! We looked at pictures of Disney World and the hotel we will be staying at. They are so excited! I mean, Andy and myself, we are too, even though we are adults 😀 But hey it should be a good time, last birthday in my 20's. My coding template is not working properly so I've been manually coding half of this post, which is very time-consuming.. My closing thoughts Again, I apologize this post is so late. I just want some time to relax. I am hoping things turn around here and we find a place that isn't so pesky about Carter's behavior. Some things I can only control so much. I am so tired. I hope my strategies have helped at least one autism parent or caregiver in a similar situation. Again, patience is key. Follow me on social media for updates on new posts. **Disclosure: Reviews of products & referenced links are not sponsored by any affiliates and are solely the opinion of the Author; these are strictly opinions and honest advice, which should not be considered consumer or health guidelines. The Autism Soup and/or The Author are not responsible for any injuries or damage due to procedures listed above. Please consult with your doctor in regards to health concerns.