Bounce for Autism!

The Autism Society of America will be holding a "Pump it Up" fundraiser, being held on April 22. We all know how essential the support of organizations like Autism Society is, as they have been at the forefront of raising money for research, services and advocacy, long before our government took notice of this epidemic. Autism Society of America is a parent-driven organization with local chapters across the country. In New York, there is a chapter in Brooklyn.

Follow the links for more information on locations of the Pump it Up fundraiser, and on the mission and goals of the Autism Society of America.


New York Area Families ‘Bounce’ to Support Autism Awareness, Research


Pump It Up Locations in New York City Participate in Nationwide Fundraising Efforts to Benefit the Autism Society


NEW YORK, NY – On April 22, 2010, local families will bounce, slide, and jump at Pump It Up locations throughout New York City to raise funds for autism and celebrate National Autism Awareness Month. Pump It Up, the nation’s largest franchise of indoor, inflatable playgrounds, is taking part in the nationwide fundraising efforts on behalf of the Autism Society throughout the month of April. The New York facilities are part of more than 150 Pump It Up franchises across the country hosting ‘Bounce for Autism’ events. For a suggested donation to the Autism Society, families will enjoy open play time on the giant, inflatable structures that stand nearly two stories high. Pump It Up will also offer Puzzle Ribbon sponsor cards throughout the entire month of April with a recommended donation. All proceeds will benefit the Autism Society.


According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism (up from one in every 150 in 2007) and one in every 70 boys is affected. The Autism Society estimates that approximately 1.5 million Americans have an autism spectrum disorder, and according to the US Department of Education, it is growing at a rate of 10 – 17 percent per year. Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that typically appears during the first two years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum disorder” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.


For more information about Bounce for Autism, please visit http://www.bounceforautism.org/.


About Pump It Up


A clear leader in the active children’s party industry, Pump It Up is the nation’s largest franchise of indoor inflatable playgrounds specializing in private parties for birthdays, and other programs like corporate events, school outings, field trips and other events. Trained staff provides guests with supervision, food and beverage set-up, and clean-up services. Pump It Up is headquartered in Tempe, AZ with more than 160 locations across the country. For more information about Pump It Up, please visit http://www.pumpitupparty.com/.


About the Autism Society


The Autism Society is the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization and was founded by parents in 1965. The organization’s mission is to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy. For more information, visit http://www.autism-society.org/.

"You're Going to Disney?? Again??

Yes, we did. Again. Blame it on hubby, although I have stopped fighting him whenever he goes on one of his *I can't take my life anymore must plan a Disney trip* tangents. Three trips in four months, two of which involved driving 18 hours, each way. So, a quick recap of all trips in one, easy-to-read summary:


The obligatory medical crisis was had by none other than me, during trip two. An allergic reaction gone haywire necessitated a midnight call to 911 and a fun few hours in the ER. I must say, the EMT's and medical staff down there are just as nice as they are in Disney proper.


Trip one saw us having Christmas dinner at Shula's steakhouse in the Dolphin, hubby's favorite restaurant, where the now-infamous Battle of the French Fries occured. Son is extremely obsessive about his food, and will not eat anything on their menu. So fries were requested, and were denied. Father-in-law jumped into the fray and won the fries, as he wins most battles with service people. Shy, he is not.



Umm...hubby? There is no bus service from Fort Wilderness to the Magic Kingdom, and our waiting for 30 minutes for a bus did not change this fact.


Between all three trips, we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, the Boardwalk (both the Inn and the Villas), Bay Lake Tower and a private rented home. We are tired of moving.

The service at the ESPN Zone at the Boardwalk was terrible. So was the Mets game we watched there during trip three.

Sitting in the private lounge atop Bay Lake Towers during trip three, sipping a cocktail while the fireworks explode above us was definitely a highlight.

So was Jico, the restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge (trip three). Great steaks! Great zebratinis! Lots o' alcohol in them drinks...

The Osborne lights at Hollywood studios at Christmas (trip one) were amazing.

Beautiful daughter has now flown by herself for the first time during trip one. Brave girl!

Absolute best moment of all trips: The moment we drove onto the grounds, first day of trip three, our amazing son points at direction sign and says "Hollywood Studios!" A bit garbled due to his articulation issues but omg!! Unprompted, spontaneous speech! We nearly cried. This is why we go to Disney so often.

Till next time!

Mets Fans as Masochists

The good news... Today is the first day of actual baseball at Mets spring training. The bad news, see previous.

Back in October, I was talking World Series with a co-worker and our supervisor. Both are Yankee fans (of course!) and when I expressed my pain at the whole event they both looked at me with equal parts horror and pity. Oh dear, a Mets fan! My supervisor, a most brilliant clinician and renowned therapist, immediately offered up this nugget: Are Mets fans masochists? Cause why else would you root for a team that always loses?

Good question. Why do we do it?

A quick survey of the Mets blogosphere and twitterworld reveals this fact: Most of us were born this way. We were taught that rooting for the Mets was what one did as a baseball fan. Our parents (well, fathers, mostly) were fans; our uncles, our favorite teacher, the guy down the street. Yankee fans were probably brought up the same way (except those that jumped on the WS bandwagon). We're adults now, however. Why not switch allegiances? Wouldn't it be easier? As @HappyRecap puts it, "Why I remain (a Mets fan) is still a question". Are we addicted to the agony of being disappointed year after year?

A masochist is defined as someone who "chooses people and situations that lead to disappointment, failure and/or mistreatment..." Hmmm, sound familiar? We could debate this endlessly, and in fact, it may be a good subject for a research paper (are you listening, professional student and published scholar brother of mine?) "The Sociological Masochism of Mets Fans". Has academic potential, don't you think?

OK. So whatever the reason, here we are again. Spring is around the corner, baseball is under way, and we are once again filled with hope, despite all logic. My consolation thought is this:

We could be Cubs fans.

Till next time!

You Can Take The Girl Out Of NY...

As the Super Bowl gets underway, I am reminded of a moment which occurred three weeks ago on my solo trip to New Orleans. I fell in love with the city the moment I stepped off the plane, and was thrilled to meet up with my brother, sister-in-law and mom (and baby Caia!). My foodie sister-in-law insisted that one of our first stops be at the famous Cafe Du Monde for French pastries. She warned me ahead of time that they do not sell tea (I am a snobbish tea drinker and do not drink coffee) but that the hot chocolate was excellent.

So off we went. The place is open 24 hours and is always jammed. We got an order to go, and as sister-in-law handed me a beignet I exclaimed "Oh! It's a zeppole! Like the ones we used to get at Pizza Town!" She looked horrified, while my brother laughed.

Raise your hand if you grew up in Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island and know what a zeppole is.

Let's Go Saints!

Been Such a Long Time...

How time flies! I can't believe it's been nearly three months since my last post. Poor little blog, I apologize. So a recap of our latest happenings...

So much went on in that time, beginning with Thanksgiving, which was, as usual, held at our house. Every year the number of guests grows. This year I fed 23. Yikes! I am by no stretch a good cook (a black sheep of the family, especially since I am related to these guys - imagine having a NY Times-profiled foodie at your table??) but, by assigning out some dishes to others, I managed. Cooking stress aside, it's always great to have family over. Seeing the little ones that we don't often get to, hearing the same old funny stories. Never gets old.

It was then off on a whirlwind X-mas season, shortened for us as we were heading down to Orlando for 10 days of Mickey. This meant that all gifts had to be purchased, wrapped and delivered by the 18th. Gifts for Chris' teachers and other staff, which always take precedence and which constitute a large chunk of my budget each year, were easily completed with gift cards and candy. I am a firm believer of treating his professionals as well as I can afford to, as they are underpaid, overworked and, in the case of his particular team, worth their weight in gold.

Our kids' gifts were small, as we were taking them to Disney, for heaven's sake. Enough is enough! We celebrated X-mas with my family on the 11th, as we were all scattering for the holiday. No seeing our new neice for her first x-mas! So sad. Hubs' parents did come down with us, though, and we met up with some family members who live in that area. Fun!

Speaking of which, what a great and magical trip! We are made fun of by our friends due to our frequent trips there, and our refusal to vacation anywhere else. Fact is, there is nowhere else that our son would rather be. He is treated with respect and kindness by the staff, other guests and especially, Mickey himself. It is no secret among the autism community that Disney is the place to be for as stress-free a vacation as is possible, with good reason. Love you, Mickey! And love you, dear hubby, for your hard work in making all these wonderful trips possible. He does all the planning, right down to the dinner reservations.

Since then it's been business as usual. I seem to be making a name for myself as a therapist, and am being specifically requested by new clients. Needless to say, my supervisors are pleased. Wish they were pleased enough to give me a raise, though. And our beloved Jets have made it into the playoffs. Wow. And as of four hours ago, won their first game. What's this? A welcome celebration after three years of extreme Mets disappointments.

So much more to tell, but sleep is needed. Till next time!

XOXO

OK, I'll Play Along... An Interesting Meme

Being fairly new to non-sports blogging, I find myself drawn to the idea of passing around questions. I read many blogs that are written by people who lead very different lives than I do; it is all part of the master plan to live outside autism! It is interesting to note that there are some commonalities among us despite our differences.
Recently I found myself in the midst of a particularly bad day. Nothing terrible had happened, I was just cranky and tired. So to push myself through the rest of the day without seriously pissing anybody off with my attitude (such as hubby) I began to think about the little things that make me happy. Nothing expensive or difficult to obtain, just events/moments that put a smile on our face. So here is my meme; those I have tagged will appear at the end:

10 Little Things That Make You Happy

10. A Venti Awake tea from Starbucks

9. Watching the Richmondtown ducks cross the road, and stopping traffic in the process

8. An evening out with my favorite MACs (mothers of autistic children)

7. My daughter's excitement over a great test grade

6. A Mets win

5. My son's giggle

4. An hour-long phone conversation with an old friend

3. An unexpected babysitting offer

2. My husband's ability to make me laugh

1. Watching my kids play together

So, to JGIWC, Soup to Nuts, Sunshine in the City, Tara's Blog and Ms. Private, tag! (If you've already done something similar, my apologies...but do it anyway! :)

Love,
Jo

New York, New York...

It finally happened! Our long-awaited anniversary getaway to Manhattan. Not such a big deal, when you consider that we live fifteen miles away from Times Square, but it may as well be a different world. I'm shocked that we never thought of doing this before, as it keeps us in close proximity to the kids and eases the nagging worry we suffer from whenever we go away without them. Plus we get to play the role of Superior Native to all those tourists who stand in the middle of Broadway and gawk at all the big buildings and bright lights (that's one reason why we love Disney so much; everyone's a tourist). A quick summary of the weekend:


1. My husband and I, being Superior Natives of NYC, are genetically incapable of strolling. The sterotypical city dweller, who has Important Places to go and must get there NOW; well, that's us. Even while walking the 8th Ave street fair, with no time frame or particular place to be, we walked quickly. Next time, we'll do our best to stop and smell the roses.

2. After more than 20 years in law enforcement, my husband has lost none of his cop-senses. As I leaned forward to examine a table full of David Yurman knock-off jewelery (why yes, I did buy a necklace!) my pocketbook gaped open and the lovely lady behind me was verrry interested in what was inside. My quick-thinking man elbowed her aside and pressed himself next to me and my inviting bag. He told me later he briefly thought of allowing her to reach in, then "taking her down" but the thought of all the ensuing bureaucratic drama that accompanies an arrest changed his mind. And yes, I did get scolded for not closing my bag properly.

3. Being a fantasy geek, I thoroughly enjoyed Radio City's screening of The Lord of the Rings (1st movie) accompanied by a full, live orchestra, vocalists and all. Our friends were also suitably impressed, and agreed that Tolkein's saga is the greatest story ever written (it may be that the bottles of wine we had consumed helped that opinion along)

4. After 21 years of marriage, my husband can still make me laugh so hard I am gasping. Can you buy me a scarf, baby?

So happy anniversary, love. I am looking forward to the next 21 years!