Raising Eli & Zachary + a little Princess

On June 22nd my family left for our first vacation. Our destination was DisneyWorld and we had some advice given to us that really came through and I thought I would share with the masses (just in case you didn’t know).

The first thing you should know is that Disney supports Autism. They have a special needs pass that you can get at any guest relations desk at any of the theme parks that will allow you to SKIP THE LINES. Now, this of course can be abused by people so we had brought a note from Eli’s doctor showing his diagnoses and how standing on 60-75 minute lines would drive him (and us) crazy. I have to admit I was completely against getting this pass because I thought Eli could handle it, but I was wrong and this pass proved to be invaluable.

At almost every ride Disney has three lines: Regular, Fast Pass and an alternative entrance. If the line was long we simply showed our pass and our entire party was either put in the fast track line or moved to the alternative entrance. We waited literally at the longest 20 minutes to get on any ride. This was amazing. There were no meltdowns, no whining and no panic attacks. Eli simply enjoyed the day.

If you have a special needs child, Disney will help you survive the park and lines. All you have to do is ask for the help. As for the trip so far, we are on day 6 of 9 and Eli has been a roller coaster junkie. Nothing phases him, and it has been amazing. He has done all of the big rides and spent a day at Typhoon Lagoon. It is funny because at one point in his life he had such an aversion to being splashed or getting wet and now I couldn’t get him out of the wave pool and slides.

(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

There has been a lot of good news and bad news this week in the life of my family. Everything from my sister-in-law adopting a 1 year old dog from a rescue shelter to slamming and hurting my shoulder, neck and ribs playing hockey.

So let’s start with the dog. My sister-in-law and her family adopted a dog last week! It is a cute little dog, that they were told was a Cocker-Poo but looks more like a PVGB mix. The dog is cute, and will be a great family dog in time, but like all rescue dogs, it has its issues. Clearly the previous owner(s)[?] did not treat the dog well, and that causes issues that the new family has to deal with. Rescuing a dog is a hard thing to do, the first year of a dog’s life is the most critical. This dog “Magic” needs stern training, a lot of love, and most importantly a great deal of understanding by the family and patience. I know they can do it, and I am confident this dog will work for them, if they put out the effort. It will not be easy, but hell, you have to know that when you rescue a dog and not buy a puppy. I truly hope they don’t give up on the dog.

Switching to Hockey and my shoulder. I was racing for the puck to try to cut off a break out along the boards and I think I stepped on the opposing wingers stick, this sent me shoulder and neck first into the boards very hard. The game immediately stopped, I am not sure if the Referee thought I was dead or what but everyone came over to me. I was a bit stunned but got on my feet even though the ref was telling me that I broke my collar bone (which I didn’t). I played a few more shifts before I realized that I was really hurting and couldn’t hold the stick anymore and left the rink. The next morning, the doc took x-rays and said it was a contusion (thank god). A few days later now and I am still very sore and my shoulder is killing me. A few more days should be ok before I can lace them up again.

Eli and swimming, suddenly we can’t get him out of the pool. He is so proud of himself and it is really nice to see him want to be outdoors and playing so much. He actually accepts compliments and even compliments himself on his ability. What a difference a few weeks make! He is a different kid in the water now, and all Jodi and I can do is smile and give each other high fives! Yesterday, he swam with his cousins for HOURS and argued when we wanted leave the pool.

Other news, Jodi is T-6 weeks from giving birth to Ziggy. We are very excited and have a ton of mental and physical preparation to do. I love feeling Ziggy kick and I especially like when Eli hugs her belly and gives it kisses. He is going to be an awesome big brother.

That is all for now…it is 8am and the family is still asleep. I am thinking about my sister-in-law and her family, I know they had a rough night with the new dog and I can only hope they put their emotions in check and put the dog in perspective. It is a rescue in need of love and patience. I hope they do the right thing. No dog is easy work, especially at the beginning. It takes commitment, time, patience, money and love to make a rescue dog feel like a champion. I hope they do the right thing for the dog, and I hope that the dog is the right thing for them.

Update: Turns out the dog when totally nuts last night, attacked my brother-in-law. They can’t afford the dog attacking the kids, and I can’t blame them. They are going to return the dog and look for a puppy. I know rescue dogs can be hard, and my sister-in-law and her family are just not in the position to do what is necessary to rescue this dog, that is nothing against them, because they do want what is best for the dog, but this dog really needs some special help, and with kids in the house, there is no room for taking chances.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

I usually do not take advantage of things like Fathers Day, but this year is different. I just didn’t want to be in the house all day so I declared, after receiving my wonderful gifts, that I wanted to go to the Children’s museum and then out for a late lunch to Kimi in Port Jefferson.

The plan was changed a bit because Jodi wanted me to do what I really wanted, which was to go to the Cradle of Aviation museum instead, but I think we were all secretly concerned that Eli would not have a good time. Turns out, we were wrong. All of us had a fantastic time. Here are some pictures!

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

I think I finally understand how to keep a house full of happiness. Don’t laugh but the simple cure for all problems seems to be exercise. Now, before all of you couch potatoes go screaming and whining (Matt) here is my thought process:

Dogs are a bored animal. They need to be challenged mentally and physically. The more you walk them and play with them, the happier they are and the less destructive they become. Every dog trainer in the world says the same thing….exercise your dog and your dog will reward you with great behavior.

Case in point, I have a 16 month old Bernese Mountain Dog. She will eat the house, literally if I don’t walk and play with her enough. What is enough? A brisk long walk in the morning, another at night with a catch play session somewhere in between. If I exercise her enough, she sleeps soundly the rest of the time. A tired dog is a happy dog.

Kids are just like dogs (oh lord, I can’t wait for the comments). If you let them watch TV all day or stay in the house doing nothing, then they become fat, and eventually destructive. Outdoor play wipes kids out. They stay healthy, they stay thin, they become active healthy adults. Lock a kid in the house all day and they get bored, destructive, unruly and become truant drug addicts. A tired kids is a well behaved kid.

A active wife who exercises is a happy wife. Guys, this does not mean doing all the chores, it means giving them an out that they enjoy. Maybe it playing soccer like my wife, or gardening like someone other than my wife. It is not about cleaning the house, but going outside to do something fun. This makes your wife more vibrant and less likely to cut your balls off in the middle of the night. A tired wife is a cranky Happy wife

You can’t be in the house all day either, but you can’t be out of it. Do some yard work, volunteer to do some yardwork. Fix the house, but it is more than that. Be active with your kids playing outside, go kayaking, golfing, join a sports league. Get off the sofa, put down the case of beer and get active.

Bottom line is simple, raising a healthy family is about becoming active. Drop the lazy, lethargic, TV watching habits and raise your energy level. You will notice, almost immediately that everything becomes…better (and easier)…especially with kids, families and dogs!

(2 votes, average: 2.50 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Eli was a real good sport tonight shopping for Mommy. In fear of giving away the gift to my wife, we started out by going to this store ______, checked out a few items of interest, before moving on to ______ store. We looked at each other and said…..nah…Mommy wouldn’t like that. We walked a bit further, made some turns (yes my wife knows the mall well enough to know how far I would dare venture in before giving up in frustration) and ended up at this one store.

Eli looked at me and said, “Mommy would love that and pointed. I looked at him and thought about it, and told him he was probably right, she would like ______ for her birthday. So we made the purchase!

The next step was the hardest, Eli wanted to get Jodi a card, and so did I. Unfortunately, Eli started pullilng card after card off the shelf, and would try to read them.  He was quite the distraction and actually caused me to be yelled at by the thirteen year old girl illegally working the register. I of course, had to apologize and let him know that pulling cards and throwing them on the floor was not acceptable. Geesh…four year olds.

We finally settled on a few cards and went and enjoyed a great dinner of Mac & Cheese, Fries and apple juice and I had Jack Daniels Chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies. Walking out hand and hand we felt like we had a great time and achieved our goals of getting mommy a great gift.

Happy Birthday Mommy (June 12th)

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...