National Diabetes Awareness Month Day 26

Only 3 more days to vote! Would you mind taking four seconds to vote for us? It really makes a difference! Thanks to everyone who has voted and shared the link on their Facebook or Twitter accounts! I really appreciate all the help. 

http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/Top-25-Family-Blogs-By-Moms-2012#_

Have you ever wanted your child with diabetes to play with another child with diabetes? 

Robyn can help you! 

I wanted to let you all get an update about a friend of mine that I met through the amazing Diabetes Online Community! 

You might remember the post I did about the woman who helps kids with "Special Kids" navigate their way through a trip to Disney! If not, here it is again! 

Well, Robyn doesn't slow down in her quest to make Disney the most magical place on Earth for everybody! 

Her latest endeavor has been to create a trip where kids with diabetes and their families can visit Disneyworld during the same week! She provides opportunities for the families to come together and meet/share. It is powerful week where lifelong friendships are 

made! The best part is the way the kids relate to one another. Thanks Robyn for helping us all! 

Here are the details! 

Diabetic Mousketeers March 26 – April 4, 2013

Last year, I decided to create a trip just for  families with diabetes.  We all had a blast!  My son had an amazing time making new friends that were just like him. 

The Diabetic Mouseketeers trip is a time when families with diabetes can meet and enjoy each other’s company, while making magical family memories.  We will have optional activities scheduled.  You and your family can pick and choose as many or as little scheduled activities to attend.  This is your trip - you get to choose the dates, the resort, the tickets, and have the option to add adining plan.  I can help you with all of the planning - dining reservations, parks itinerary, BibbidiBobbidi Boutique, dinner shows, etc.  Your family is there to have a magical adventure, knowing that there are families like yours waiting to meet you!

The Walt Disney World property offers a wide selection of

resorts.  Let me know if there is a resort that you prefer.  If you need assistance choosing a resort, I will be happy to help.  Then I can help you with the ticket packages and optional dining package. Everything can be custom designed to your specifications. My goal is to not only arrange for families to meet, but also to help remove the stress and overwhleming feeling of planning a Disney vacation. 

The activities I am planning:

*Agent P's World showcase Adventure through the countries of Epcot

*Pin Trading - fun for all ages

*Chip and Dale's Campfire Sing-a-long at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort

*Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom - interactive adventure battlingthe Disney villians

*Animal Kingdom Safari Expedition

*Jedi Training Academy - the young jedis are trained to fight with a lightsaber and then get a chance to go against Darth Vader

*Boneyard play at Dinoland USA - a large dinosaur themed playground and dig site

*Tom Sawyer's Island - take a raft to a large outdoor playground

*Dole Whip Social - a chance for us all to sit and enjoy a Magic Kingdom

*Character meet and greets

Signing up for this event is very easy! Contact me if you are

interested! Just send me note with the dates you want with the number of adults and the ages of the children. Each package can be created just for your family.There is a $200 deposit and the final payment is not due until 45 prior to your arrival date.

I hope you all can come! It will be magical!

-- Robyn Adams Affiliated with Travel with the MagicTravel with the Magic1-800-670-4312 ext 125

Robyn@travelwiththemagic.com

Please also remember that Robyn knows Disney like the back of her hand! She helps all sorts of families (autism, down syndrome, wheelchair bound, severe allergies) . Even if your child doesn't have any of this, please feel free to forward this post to a friend who's child might. Your friend will thank you for caring (trust me!). 

A Special Disney Helper!

After I did my blog about Disney, I got a message from a Robyn at www.travelwiththemagic.com. I was at first super excited! Sometimes I live in a PollyAnna world and I thought maybe she was from Disney and wanted to offer me a free trip so that I could blog about my experience. Well, that didn't happen, but maybe one day!

 

Instead though, I discovered a person just as good! So, until I save up enough to get myself to the magical world of Disney, I will let you all know about her.

 

Her name is Robyn and she works for a company called Travel With The Magic. They are a travel agency that actually specializes in Disney. The twist is that her goal is to be the “Disney Whisperer” for "Special Kids".  Now I just made up that phrase for the sake of being "compassionately correct." (See, I just made up another one. I should write more at 2 am). Robyn knows Disneyworld and all the magic of the mystical land. But she knows it as it exists through the eyes of our special children. Our children that have Type 1 diabetes Type 2 diabetes,  autism, cerebral palsy, ADD, ADHD, allergies, etc...

 

When I spoke with her, I could feel the love and care she felt for every family she has helped over the years. She truly loves this specialized part of her job. She knows Disney is magical for families, but for families with special circumstances, it can also be intimidating!

 

Imagine that your child has a form of autism and is overwhelmed by a trip to the grocery store. A trip to Disneyworld would seem out of the question. But Robyn has been able to help such families navigate their way through their amazing Disneyworld week(s) with a lot less stress and anxiety. She knows the parts of Disney that are pleasing for an autistic mind.

 

She also knows the parts of Disneyworld that a parent of a Type 1 diabetic would appreciate.  This knowledge comes first hand, as her husband and son have Type 1 diabetes. However, her knowledge is not limited to autism or diabetes. She can help any child with a "specialty." (That one sounds good too!)

 

She can also help a family that has a child in a wheelchair. She knows the special passes that are available.  She knows the best months to go. She knows quiet places to eat and relax. She knows how to accommodate a 7-year-old with a stroller. She knows how to alert a chef when a child is allergic to the whole planet and only came out of his bubble to meet the big mouse! She really is the "go to" girl if your family has a child with special circumstances.

 

She knows that the cast members at Disney are ready and willing to help with any medical emergency. That is what makes them special.

 

She even has helped service dogs get into and navigate their way through the park! So she helps "special animals" too! She is heaven-sent.

 

In March, she hosts a Diabetic Mouseketeers trip, for families with diabetic children. It is a chance to enjoy the park knowing that there are other families dealing with the same issues at the same time. During this trip, she includes times when everyone can meet and mingle. We all know how it works when great minds collaborate!

 

Ok, now I know the cynical (I mean practical) ones out there are saying, "Great Shari, but Disney is expensive enough. I can’t afford a personal concierge too.” Fear not my worrisome friends! You should know me better than that by now. I come bearing gifts! Her service is free! She can even take over your existing reservation with no cost to you, adding the benefit of her special knowledge! She has not paid, bribed or threatened me to toot her horn. No! She is just a great lady and I couldn't keep such a golden nugget to myself!

If you do not have a "special kid" but you know someone who does, feel free to pass this blog post onto them. 

Also, if you do not have a "special kid", call her if you and your family are going to Disney. She helps everyone!!

 

If you would like to contact Robyn, you can email her at Robyn@travelwiththemagic.com or call her at800-680-4312 ext. 125. Tell her I sent you and she will be thrilled to give you extra special love!

Don't forget about us little people. Let us know how your trip goes! 

Disney Loves Kids with Diabetes!

Like almost every mother out there, I have always wanted to treat the boys to a trip to Disneyworld.

I went when I was four and I still remember It's A Small World, the way the fur on Pluto's suit felt when he hugged me for the picture and the way my 1970's polyester dress scratched my first degree sunburned shoulders. I also remember the magical world that is Disney.

As much as I think of the magic, every time I have considered a trip to Disneyworld over the past six years, there are other thoughts that entered my mind:

• Screaming infants on a delayed flight

• Portable cribs in a hotel room

• Heavy double stroller.

• Hot sweaty babies.

• Toddlers having tantrums

• Grumpy four year olds.

• Blood sugars rising because of tantalizing treats beautifully displayed.

• Blood sugars falling because of walking for hours.

• Heavy $5 bottles of water.

• Pumps being taken off and put back on because of pools and water parks.

• Security for twin toddlers.

• Packing all of the diabetes supplies.

• Spending at least $4,000 in five days.

• Heavy backpacks filled with kid stuff.

• My own healing heart as I troop through 90 degree weather with two toddlers and a husband who doesn't like crowds.

So, needless to say, we never went.  Anywhere.  Any consideration of a family vacation also brought up the same thoughts.

Until last Thanksgiving, when we went to Texas to visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their kids. You know what? It was awesome! The packing of the diabetes supplies wasn't bad at all. Blood sugars ran well. Family was awesome! And the boys LOVED their first flight!

This experience made me brave enough to research a Disney trip. We haven't booked it yet, but I was talking to my friend Amy about ripping the Band Aid off once and for all and she sent me this link:

http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-type-1-diabetes/

It is Disney's on-line parenting site. Much to my surprise, they have a separate tab about Type 1 Diabetes!  I have learned that Denise Jonas (diabetic Nick Jonas's mom) and Lilly Diabetes have teamed up with Disney to launch an area in the Disney world that is all about Type 1 diabetes!

Denise and Lilly also feature Coco the monkey, a new character that has Type 1 diabetes. Wow!! This is so exciting!  Click here for the details:

http://www.diabetesdaily.com/edelman/2011/07/meet-coco-1st-disney-character-with-diabetes/

Another "diabetes mom" friend told me that when you book on 1-800-Disney, all you have to say is that your child is diabetic.  Then, they start asking you his or her insulin regiment, insulin type, special dietary requirements and all sorts of other questions on taking care of your child! Wow! Thanks Nick and Denise Jonas and the folks at Lilly! I am less scared to go now!

Once I actually book the trip, I will blog the entire experience and keep you all in the loop on the pitfalls and exciting things that happen to us during the trip. Stand by...

Anyway, let me know if you order anything from Cindy or if you go or have gone to Disneyworld. I would love to hear about your experiences!

Here are three other wonderful websites I found that you may enjoy!

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/know-your-rights/discrimination/public-accommodations/air-travel-and-diabetes/

http://allears.net/pl/diabetes.html

http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/lifestyle/traveling_with_diabetes/disney_with_diabetes

Robyn at Travel with the magic travel agency says she knows everything there is to know about diabetes at the park! Her husband and her son both have Type 1 diabetes so she knows first hand the perks and pitfalls of traveling to Disney with diabetes. You can see her website at www.travelwiththemagic.com and you can reach out to her at Robyn@travelwiththemagic.com.
Tell her you got her name from www.everydayhighsandlows.com and she will treat you extra specially!

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/passengers-diabetes

http://childrenwithdiabetes.com/clinic/flying.html