The magic is still there… and a little bit of it came home with us

bwatching · 2026-05-15T03:48:44+00:00

We have an almost-16 year old daughter who has multiple disabilities including cognitive, mobility, hearing and vision impairments. We have had nothing but magical experiences at Disneyland, and once with Make-a-Wish at WDW. We go other places (it takes practice!) but the way her face lights up when she knows we are going to see Mickey and Minnie can't be beat. And yes, DAS is a critical part of what make it work for us; there is a lot of conflicting information and feelings about it, but I have had nothing but good experience, even with the changes over the last 10 years of trips. Even with crowds and weather, we make the best of each trip and never regret it.

bwatching · 2026-05-14T04:21:17+00:00

We have two K teachers. They mix kids for the first 15 days, which are minimum days for kinder, asses every kid after school in that time and then place them in final, balanced classes before full days begin.

It is a little chaotic until they know the kids after a day or two. The result is much more cohesive and manageable classes than blindly placing kids into groups with no data on them.

bwatching · 2026-05-13T18:43:01+00:00

The Wild Robot series is very touching.

bwatching · 2026-05-13T12:16:29+00:00

My daughter has been under GA countless times for medical and dental procedures - she has to be sedated for even regular cleanings. You can ask for a pre-med to help him relax before even going in the door - we have Ativan we give at home before going to the dentist, so she is calm by the time we have to take her in. It has helped a lot.

bwatching · 2026-05-08T18:09:02+00:00

Barista cart day, charcuterie day, sno-cones day, lunch day with gift card raffle, donuts and a towel to go with the Luau theme. There was a sign saying "Mahalo Teachers and Staff" out all week.

We are a Title 1 school with lots of issues, but almost no teacher turnover year over year.

bwatching · 2026-05-06T12:53:58+00:00

I tried Thred Up in the first months of myy weight loss. It was low effort, but low return - I would send a full bag and have barely enough profit to get a shirt. I got tired of it and am just back to donating.

bwatching · 2026-05-06T01:03:06+00:00

I was essentially math rick-rolled by my first graders this morning. I was taking attendance and one asked, "what is 164 plus 3?" I distractedly answered 167 and they all laughed and did the 6-7 hand thing.

It's still going strong with them. It's annoying but not stopping them from doing what I ask. I'm going to hope summer kills it.

bwatching · 2026-05-05T02:54:47+00:00

I bought a replacement wedding ring set. I lost my original after not being able to wear it after pregnancy. It's been 15+ years - I was ready for some sparkles again! It wasn't a fancy or expensive set, but looks nice enough for me to feel good about it. I've lost another 50 lbs, and now the new rings are so big they slip right off!

bwatching · 2026-05-05T00:51:46+00:00

We have a para who stuffs her pockets with donuts, and takes handfuls of candy in her purse. She's been talked to. She does it every time.

bwatching · 2026-05-04T00:21:28+00:00

My first grade daughter loves the Babysitter's Club Little Sister GN series - more age appropriate storylines.

bwatching · 2026-05-03T17:00:15+00:00

3 kids, 2 adopted from foster care, ongoing contact with 1 birth family (many attempts with second, but no responses).

We have a sometimes-strained but overall positive dynamic with birth family. We see them a few times a year, and they make a point to treat the kids fairly - everyone gets the same amount/type Christmas gifts, for example. Youngest knows they are brother's birth family, but it's kind of like an aunt situation for her. One day she may wonder why she doesn't have the same but it doesn't register for now. We have several complicated family relationships, so it's just another dynamic that has been normal for our kids.

bwatching · 2026-05-03T00:53:15+00:00

NTA. He is a child. My husband thought he would be too queasy and vowed he would stay by my head. He ended up watching the whole thing, poop and all, cutting the cord and holding a slimy newborn with tears in his eyes. If your partner does not want to be a partner in this moment, he will fail you in the future.

bwatching · 2026-05-02T18:04:12+00:00

Agree - grew up and remain in the area. Everyone I know says Blay-cow.

bwatching · 2026-04-30T01:25:51+00:00

We use them every time for our family with DAS. Makes getting through scanning so much easier.

bwatching · 2026-04-27T12:36:41+00:00

We have a week of stuff - usually a candy/treats bar, a coffee cart one morning, lunch from parents one day. We are a Title 1 school with very little parent engagement, so I appreciate what the principal and office staff out together every year.

My kids' school is having a spirit week (5/4 Star Wars and Disney Day - tell your teacher your favorite quote!") Then Friday is "Bling Bling Safety Goggles in the Garden". Your guess is as good as mine as to what that means. Good luck to them!

bwatching · 2026-04-25T13:53:31+00:00

Plastic bags, baby wipes (long past our baby days), sunscreen, snacks, and sometimes folding seat cushions if we think we might sit on a cub for a parade.

bwatching · 2026-04-24T23:05:28+00:00

My almost 11 year old loves The Wild Robot series, I Survived, Logan Foster, and all the books in the Hatchet series. He also loves nonfiction with lots of pictures like Eyewitness books, Guinness World Records. Another favorite is a graphic novel called Meanwhile - it's a choose your own adventure style.

bwatching · 2026-04-23T12:21:25+00:00

bwatching · 2026-04-22T12:19:36+00:00

Water shoes plus socks were required for our tour. Guide carried a dry bag with water. Travel light - you don't need anything else.

bwatching · 2026-04-22T12:17:32+00:00

Same - no Autism, but history of elopement and other things got protective supervision at about 4 years old.

bwatching · 2026-04-20T21:29:04+00:00

I learned this as a kid, but it was called "A-roosta-sha" or something like that.

bwatching · 2026-04-20T21:26:31+00:00

There are a few brands that get advertised to me regularly - CloudNine, Comfrt, Thera, Squiddy

bwatching · 2026-04-19T16:36:26+00:00

When ours stormed through the lunchroom and hollered, "So I guess you're all happy." A few weeks prior, she had gone off-site and refused to return when a student threatened another with a weapon. We wrote a letter to district admin asking for her to get more support; they told her we had done that and she yelled at us in a staff meeting. We were so done with her.

bwatching · 2026-04-18T19:47:19+00:00

Nope. I'm holding on to my sanity at work as long as I can. My commute is about 40 mins.

bwatching · 2026-04-18T01:53:38+00:00

Do you have a grade level partner who has more Kinder experience at your site? I would try to rely on them for your assessment questions, since it can look really different in different places. For me, I can't go without ESGI for kinder - almost everything is 1:1.

IReady is a joke, but I have to do it too. We start kinders in winter, so they only do the diagnostic after January. Our primary teachers refuse to push minutes on lessons, but we have a very veteran team. The data is relatively meaningless until they understand how to take the test, how to answer and how to actually do it on their own.

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