On this day last year, whilst I was in Lapland, I decided to start writing a blog and wrote my first post.
One hundred and ninety two posts, and a very fast passing year later, here I am!
Looking back, a lot has happened in the last year. After years of trying, my son finally got his EHC Plan. This enabled me to go through the big fight to get him into specialist high school. I won that fight and he started at his new school in September. He has now completed his first term at a specialist high school and it’s going well.
Initially I was just going to blog about days out, holidays, restaurants and places to stay. I was going to add information about taking children with ASD and that is what I have been doing. Then when my son started at High School and was so much happier, it gave me a chance to look back on what he had been through in mainstream primary. I decided I also wanted to write posts that would raise awareness of Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder. I wanted to show what children like mine go through at school and why. I figured that if I could get through to at least one person, I could change the lives of children like mine.
So I wrote what turned out to be my most viewed post all year, Non Uniform Day. This was closely followed by Play Time. Between them they have been read and shared on Facebook over sixteen thousand times.
I started a section on my blog for Autism Specific Posts which appeal both to parents and educators of Autistic children. I have headteachers sharing my posts with their teachers and parents messaging me for advice. I am so pleased to be making even a small difference.
Over the last year I have taken my children on many adventures. We have been to Lapland, where we fished on a frozen lake in -34 degrees and rode horses through the snow. We met Father Christmas and saw the Northern lights whilst driving Huskies!
We have been to Wales, Disneyland Paris, Ibiza, Portugal, Butlins, Skegness, Las Vegas, a Caravan in the Lakes and Roo’s Ranch in Orlando.
We have hiked the narrows at Zion national park, visited a Ghost town and explored the Valley of Fire. We have been to Disney World, Legoland and Gullivers World.
We’ve searched for Dolphins and Alligators in Florida and been on a quest to find aliens at Area 51.
We went fishing deep at sea and Boating on Windermere. We have been to some great waterparks and some not so great water parks.
We watched the eclipse from the top of the Orlando Eye, shrank to the size of an ant in a giant glowing garden at Illuminasia, Blackpool and stole a famous diamond from a bank in Russia at Lurcado.
We watched the World Firework Championships in the rain, learnt to cook at Chef Nite Orlando and attended a Medieval Banquet in London. We tried Indoor Skydiving, became zookeepers for a day and had fun at a ski lesson.
We went on The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood studios, the day before it closed and have been amazed by the exhibits at Ripley’s Believe it or Not. We have driven Monster Trucks, explored a Castle and bounced in the Treetops.
We have experienced a Lush party, had fun at dinner shows like the Cirque Magique, been to Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party and travelled to Happily ever after on a magic bus.
We have met Spongebob at a Character breakfast, eaten Afternoon tea and been out for many meals. Our favourite restaurants have been Sapporo Teppanyaki and The Rainforest Cafe. Our favourite buffet was at Golden Corral.
Our top two hotels were The Pearl hotel in Peterborough and the Lee Marston Hotel in Sutton Coldfield. Our worst place to stay and eat was The Wishing Well in Selby and our best value hotel was Travelodge Newcastle central.
Looking back, we have done so much in a year. It’s had its highs and its lows but I am so pleased that I have been able to share our adventures, good and bad, with you all. I have enjoyed this year of blogging and made some lovely blogger friends along the way.
I find it incredible that I have readers from 100 countries around the world, and I would like to thank all of you from my 26000 readers in the UK to my 1 reader from Brunei!
I am grateful to all my followers and those who have found me on WordPress, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter (@kidsontour1) and taken the time to read my posts. Thank you for your continuing support, lovely comments, retweets, likes, shares and messages.
Here is to another year of adventures! I hope you will join us!
Everyone has the right to go to school, enjoy life as much as possible. Your children are lucky to have you! I think your children, done so much compare to my childhood, haha. Kudos to you!
Wow. I guess you and your kids had an awesome 2017. Despite some setbacks, I am sure the year that passed was a really memorable and learning-filled year. You are a great mom and I am sure your kids treasure everything you do for them.
A massive congratulations on taking that plunge to create your first blog post this time last year and be passionate about raising awareness of autism. Look how far you have come since, autism is something that we should all understand and be open to learning more about as it is important that we are all treated as individuals regardless of whether we have a learning disability. Equality for all!
Delighted that you have done so well with your blog in such a short space of time. Autism is something that needs to be highlighted more and in a positive way. You are doing that admirably and I hope you continue into 2018. Well done!
First of all I really like the title of the post “One year of Kids on Tour – Autism without Limits!” I think the words ‘Autism without limit’ could even make as a hashtag or as a name of the non profit organisation that raise awareness of Autism. You have an amazing journey both in blogging and in real life. A big congratulation for your blogging progress and for your son.
I am glad that your blog is doing well in a short space of time. Autism offers a chance for us to glimpse an awe-filled vision of the world that might otherwise pass us by.
Oh wow, what an amazing year youvand had. Love that you’ve gotten to do and see so much in a year.
You are amazing! you seems to be strong and a never quit person, that is just all your kid needs to succeed in life. Hope this 2018 bring you even more opportunities to enjoy life next to him!