As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Thanks everyone for the advice and for just listening. Evan has been doing well.
Right around Thanksgiving he actually went to the principal's office because his behavior had gotten so bad. He was grounded and lost all screen time - no TV, computer, video games, Kindle, DVD's – NOTHING!!! I told him if that ever happens again he will lose every toy in the house until he can earn them back. That includes his beloved Lego. That seemed to work.
I had a conference with the staff and we came up with some strategies which appear to be working. Evan has a chance to earn 5 check marks a day. He is averaging 4 out of 5. If he gets at least 3 out of 5 he gets a "good" day. He needs a total of 12 good days to get a reward. Right now he is at 11 and has 4 days left this week so I'm confident he will hit his goal.
I have a list of outside counselors that I need to call to see if I can get him in to see someone after the first of the year and his teacher has come up with some tricks to help him during transitions and calming down after lunch/recess. Over all I think things are going well right now - I've been sticking to a stricter bedtime routine too.
Happy Holidays everyone - will post again after the first of the year and when he is back from his winter break.
Well done Holly. Sounds like you found the right consequence which it the real key. I bet he gets into the swing of things really soon. Hopefully the Christmas break won't mess things up too much, but you might have some new items to add to the "time out" list.
Sounds like things are heading in the right direction. I found check marks or sticker charts work wonders for my son. He's only 3 1/2 though. Either way I think kids like working towards a reward so I hope it continues to work for your son!
Sounds like the behavioral plan is working. One thing I found very effective was keeping my kids on their regular schedule during vacations/breaks/weekends. For my kids late bedtimes because there wasn't school the next da were not helpful-it took too long to get them back on schedule. I would also keep up the chek sstem at home.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Things are going OK with Evan at the moment. He really enjoyed the snow day yesterday. I did have another phone conference with his teacher. We have been tracking his behavior and his sleep/eat patterns and haven't found any consistency with his acting out. It really does seem to just be a self-control/maturity issue. It makes me feel good in a way that there isn't anything physically or mentally "wrong" with him and gives me hope he should eventually outgrow this. But it also makes me feel bad because he is struggling and I can't fix it for him. I have hopefully found a counselor and we have been playing some phone tag but with the holidays over and some slightly calmer weather predicted we will hopefully connect soon.
Thanks for checking in - hope your new year is off to a great start. I'll keep you posted on any progress.
BTW If Evan gets 4 or 5 stars out of 5 on his chart today I'm rewarding him by letting him stay up a little late because he wants to watch Cloud9 on the Disney Channel and it doesn't start until 8:30pm. (Who made that schedule up I have no idea)
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I agree with so many people. Could be learning disability issues. I worked as homebound teacher with a 4th grader who was kicked out of school for behavior issues. He clearly had dyslexia on top of ADHD. He and his English teacher did not get on, but he had dyslexia! He had the hardest time putting his letters on the lines, and she was adamant that points should be taken off if the letters were not on the line. I was getting PO'd with her, and I was a former classroom teacher. Jeesh!
Could be maturity issues. I may be in the minority, but I think it is horrible how young we push children into school setting. This article points out how detrimental it can be to push children into school setting too early.
Children are expected to sit still far too long. Recess, gym, and the arts are being taken away--these are all outlets for high-energy kids.
Often, teachers are expected by their principals to keep order, which means the naturally energetic, goofy behavior of many children is punished. My principal marched down my hall to chastize me (it was my first year teaching) because my fully engaged students were too loud while working in groups. She could hear us in the rotunda while on her way to another teacher's classroom. *gasp* There is definitely a desire on part of admin for teachers to run a tight ship and brook no misbehavior. You should be able to reign in their energy, but you shouldn't crush their spirits. Just my opinion.
Hang in there. Know that you are not alone. You are not a bad mom. Far from it. I can tell you stories . . . but I won't.
Edit: Just saw that he is doing better. Hope things continue to improve!
About This Page: 
Holly: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
for continued success!!
Linear Mode
