Discount for Disney Visa Cardholders

A Walt Disney World^® Resort offer that's sure to bring the most magical memories.

Book Now! Kids 3-9 stay and play FREE when you purchase a 4-night/4-day Magic Your Way Package!

Disney Rewards^® Visa^® Credit and Debit Cardmembers, don't miss out on this Walt Disney World^® Resort advance booking offer! Purchase a 4-night, 4-day Magic Your Way Vacation Package that includes room and Theme Park tickets, and children age 3-9 can stay and get a 4-day Theme Park admission ticket FREE. Your offer is available for stays most nights February 17-April 16, April 28-June 14, and August 14-October 1, 2011. Hurry and book today before this offer becomes available to the general public!

And when you stay at a Disney Resort Hotel, not only will you be in the middle of the magic, you'll also experience special magic, like:

• Extra time in a Theme Park each day so you can enjoy more rides on select attractions with your family…and more Disney time together! (Valid Theme Park admission required.)
• Complimentary transportation to and from Orlando International Airport AND throughout Walt Disney World^® Resort. It makes getting around as hassle free as can be!
• Fun for everyone whether you're splashing down Resort pool slides, watching movies under the stars or hitting the links with complimentary golf club rental (at select Disney Golf Courses).

*The number of packages available at this rate is limited. Child must stay in room with adult. Tickets are for one Theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. Maximum of four Guests per room.

Cardmembers, book now for the best availability!

*To book this great offer, contact me at missy.smith@3dtravelcompany.com for your free, no-obligation quote.  Make sure you tell me you want the Disney Visa discount!*



Magical Memory

Mondays

____________________________

Time for another great Magical Memory Monday!  This week, I'm going to focus a bit more on the Aspie side of things.  As you know, our 13 year old, Sarah, has Asperger's Syndrome.  Because of this, she has a tendency to think like a younger child at times...not a bad thing...it's just the way she is.  Not all Aspie's are like this...just like typically-developing kids, they're all a little different.  Anyways, on the last full day of our trip, Sarah had something special she especially wanted to do--she wanted to see the new Playhouse Disney Live at Disney's Hollywood Studios!  It's not often that Sarah specifically tells us something she wants to do while we're at Disney, so if she wanted to do this, by golly, we were going to do it!  When we arrived, there were still a few minutes until the next show; lo, and behold, Handy Manny was nearby for pictures and autographs!  Handy Manny is one of Sarah's FAVORITE Disney characters!  So, off we went to take her picture with Handy Manny!



Then, it was off to Playhouse Disney!  As you can see, Sarah was very excited about finally getting to see her show (she had waited a long time to do this!) 

Allison, on the other hand, was PRAYING that no one she knew would find out that she went to Playhouse Disney Live!  After all, she is 9!

 Secretly, we think she enjoyed the show, too, but we won't tell her friends at school!  Shhh!

I know the days of even Sarah enjoying Playhouse Disney Live and of either of our girls "liking" the attractions geared for younger kids are probably coming to an end soon.  My girls are growing up, like they should, but it is still tough for a mommy to see her girls getting "too big" for some of the attractions.   This day will definitely hold a special place in my heart...just one more of my Magical Memories to cherish for a lifetime!

Magical Memory Monday!



Magical Memory

Mondays

____________________________

Dinner at Spirit of Aloha

Breakfast at Cinderella Castle

This past September, my girls and I made some truly Magical Memories!  We spent a week at Disney World with their Grandmommy, my mom.  My mom has wanted to take a vacation at Disney World for a long time, but my dad wasn't really into a Disney vacation.  Alan has gone to Disney with us every time, but he's not as keen on a long Disney vacation as the girls and I are.  Solution?  Take Grandmommy with us for a week, and then Alan would join us for the second week!  I was SO excited to call her and ask her if she'd like to join me and the girls for a week at Disney World, but nearly as excited as she was to get the call from me!  She took a couple of days to discuss it with my dad, and then called me back and said it was a go!  We met her at MCO (the airport in Orlando)...I was crying before we even saw her waiting for us...I couldn't believe all the memories my girls were going to get to make with their Grandma this week (and vice-versa).  I had planned an awesome trip for us (ok, really for her!), complete with visits to each park, character meals (including breakfast at Cinderella Castle), other intriguing dining experiences, and a stay at the beautiful Beach Club!  My mother spent the week with us trying attractions she never would have imagined going on, which amazed her...it was a great time of her learning to trust me that I would not take her on anything frightening or let anything bad happen to her.  Did she try everything?  Nope, but I wasn't expecting her to.  But she tried things she never thought she would, and enjoyed most of them!  She was able to repay me when Sarah got sick one day.  My mother was there for me, offering a shoulder for me to cry on when I was afraid we would all end up sick.  Fortunately, it was a one-day thing, and no one else ever got sick!  We had a fabulous time together that week!  Are we going to do it again?  You bet!  We're already making plans for next year's trip!

Goofing off at Cape May

Mom's first character interaction of the trip!

♥ Allison and Grandmommy at Minnie's House ♥

Magical Memory Monday--Nov. 1, 2010



Magical Memory

Mondays

____________________________

It's Magical Memory Monday again!!!  I hope you enjoyed watching my family's Magical Memories...I know I enjoyed reminiscing about them!  Well, I can't post Sarah's first Disney video without also posting Allison's first Disney video--we wouldn't want her feelings to be hurt--so, today's Magical Memory is her video!  This one is a little different than last week's, but I hope you enjoy it just as much. Here is Allison's Disney Video, courtesy of Alan!  Let me know what you think...  Hope everyone has a Magical Day!

Magical Memory Monday

Magical Memory

Mondays

____________________________



Today is Magical Memory Monday!!!  When I was trying to figure out which Memory would be the best one to post, I spent time thinking through our different trips, and the many memories we had made on each trip.  Should I post about meeting a particular character, something that happened at a meal, a first time on an attraction?  I decided, though, that our best memories of our trips are our girls' first trips to Walt Disney World!  Your child's first trip is full of great memories!   So, without further ado...here is Sarah's first trip to Disney World!

What's For Dinner?

As I was scouring the grocery store last night, I was thinking about this next entry.  I was trying to find something for dinner that my whole family would eat, yet something different, something we’re not tired of eating—quite the challenge!  We're kind of stuck in a rut of eating the same 5 or 6 meals every week.  You see, one of my kids’ biggest “spectrum issues” is that they are REALLY PICKY eaters!  If it looks or smells “funny,” they’re not going to eat it.  Too many times, I’ve spent an hour or two fixing dinner, to have everyone sit down and have the girls look at their plate and say, “What’s this?  It looks yucky!”  I say, “Try it, you might like it.  You never know!”  A half-bite later—“I tried it…I don’t like it.”  Grrrr!  It doesn’t help when I look over at Alan, my husband, and he’s just picking at his food, too (the picky eating comes from HIS genes!).  So…let’s segue into the “Disney part” of my blog entry today.



Chef Mickey's!



One of the things I really enjoy doing when planning my Disney trips is deciding where we’re going to eat.  Disney has so many fantastic restaurants to eat at, making it hard to choose!  The biggest deciding factor for us, though, in choosing which restaurants to eat at is figuring out which ones have menu items that Sarah and Allison will eat.  One of the characteristics of kids on the Spectrum is that they are often (but not always) picky eaters.  Many of these kids are SO picky, that they eat the same foods EVERY SINGLE DAY!  This can make eating out a daunting task for parents.  Not to fear, though, parents!  Generally, I have found Disney to do a great job of providing a pretty good variety of “kid-friendly” menu items at the restaurants where you order off of a menu.   Your best bet, however, is the buffets!  We have found that most of the buffets usually offer some sort of chicken nuggets, pasta, macaroni and cheese, and maybe, pizza on the kids’ portion of the buffet, but kids are more than welcome to get food off of the “adult” part of the buffet, too.  This will give kids a lot more to choose from, which generally makes for happier kids (and happier parents)!  If you go to a Disney table-service restaurant, and your child can’t find ANYTHING to eat on the menu, ask to speak to the chef.  It’s Disney!  Often, once you explain your child’s situation, the chef will try to come up with something your child will be happy eating!  Many times, they can leave off sauces, extra seasonings, etc.  Your best bet, though, is to check the menus ahead of time.  You can check many of the menus at disneyfoodblog.com.  If you know that there will be specific food issues, such as a gluten-free, casein-free diet, you can call 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463) prior to your trip, so that the restaurants you are eating at will be able to accommodate your child.  My kids’ favorite table service restaurants at Disney?  Chef Mickey’s, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, and Crystal Palace.  Feel free to try new, unfamiliar places, too, if you think your child can handle it (only you know your child).  Maybe even give them a chance to help select where you can eat.  We tried Les Chefs de France this year, and my girls surprisingly enjoyed it!   They even tasted some new foods, too (only a bite, but it’s a step in the right direction)!  There may be hope yet!

Oh, yes, dinner last night?  Spaghetti  (again!)—but we branched out…we used egg noodles instead of angel hair! 



Lunch with Grandmommy at Sci-Fi Dine In Theater





Visiting with Pooh at Crystal Palace




Introduction

Hi!  Welcome to Magic and Me and ASD!   What is my blog about?  Well, the Me is, well, me!  Missy.  I'm a homeschool mom to a 13 year old daughter and a 9 year old, who is still in public school.  When I'm not busy on the computer, you can usually find me at the dance studio with my girls (they dance A LOT) or hanging out with friends.  For those of you who don't know, ASD stands for Autism Spectrum Disorder.  My 13 year old, Sarah, has Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism, and my 9 year old, Allison, exhibits her own little "spectrum issues," too, at times, so a lot of stuff in my blog will have to do with Autism Spectrum Disorders (specifically Asperger's) and how it can affect my family's life and yours.  So, what does the Magic stand for?  DISNEY!!!  Not only am I a homeschool mom, I also work as a travel agent for a company called 3D Travel Company, which specializes in Disney travel!  If you can't tell yet, I LOVE DISNEY!!!  Therefore, this is the perfect job for me!  Anyways, a lot of what I write will be about handling autism spectrum disorders at Disney, as well as some posts just about autism spectrum disorders or some posts just about Disney that I think people might be interested in.  I hope you enjoy the ride!