<p>Audiophile… sorry your daughter had a negative experience. What school is she at? My S’s at GW. Maybe they’re together??? I haven’t spoken to him since he got back from services… I saw him online around 9 PM, but I didn’t IM – trying not to be a cyber-stalking mom. He was really looking forward to the Shabbat dinner (he’s attended 2 of them already at school) & the service. I hope he wasn’t bummed, too. Yes, I do miss him now. Desperately. I didn’t think I would. I’m used to him being away… he’s been away 5-8 weeks every summer since he was 10. But this threw me for a loop!</p>
<p>I’m relieved to hear I’m not the only mom in the doldrums tonight. I bawled throughout services tonight, with one son away at school and the other one beside me for the last year before he heads off to college.</p>
<p>For interested parties, here’s my address. I love care packages!</p>
<p>Xiggi
LuckyU
Satville
USA</p>
<p>Worrywart, no you’re definitely not alone. What does it tell you that I’m spending the first night of holiday at my computer on the CC boards? Of course, H hasn’t gotten home yet (he starts the holiday when he “feels” like it – every year its later & later). I just picked my HS Soph S up from the part, where he was hanging out with his friends (all non-jews). He had strict instructions NOT TO WALK INTO A PIZZA PLACE, A DELI OR ANYPLACE WHERE HE MIGHT BE SEEN. I figure, there’s not intrinsically wrong with sitting on a park bench talking to his friends. And besides, if he dad can’t get home to start holiday on time, what kind of example is that setting for him?<br>
I spent the better part of today in tears. From 8 AM on… oftentimes uncontrollably… for no reason… just couldn’t stop myself. No matter what I did, I cried every time I thought about the fact that S wasn’t coming home. And then… truly… I called my husband’s office and spoke with his secretary, whose 24 yo son passed away this summer. And everything went into perspective. As I was starting to tell her how I missed my S… I realized how incredibly trite & pathetic I sounded. And I stopped myself.</p>
<pre><code>So lets remember, our children are happy, and we’ll see them soon. And we must have done something right if they were confident enough to stay & celebrate holiday as an adult.
</code></pre>
<p>It was a little hard this evening without our S (only child) taking most of the apples and hogging the honey, but we had just talked to him. He’d had a rough first few weeks and is sounding better and better on each call so we are just so relieved that he’s settling in. We don’t live close enough to come home but I think it’s better for him to stay on campus anyway. He’ll be going to Hillel services tomorrow morning. My dad was a Hillel director so I always went to the college services (major state university) - I didn’t even know what synagogue services were like til I was an adult! The Erev Rosh Hashona service was well attended since the Jewish students would all show up to check eachother out. My H grew up conservative and they never went to the evening service. So maybe there will be better attendance tomorrow, especially since it won’t mean missing classes.</p>
<p>And yes he cleaned out his room of nearly all childhood junk (I stole some of it and hid it away). It inspired us to go through all games, toys, and books in the house and we held a garage sale in the summer. Although we didn’t sell a ton of stuff, it was then easy to donate everything that had been gathered.</p>
<p>D is a freshman, but also went to boardings school, so I’ve been sending care packages for many years.</p>
<p>Her favs: M & Ms, jelly bellys, pez, boxes of herbal tea, maple syrup and maple candy, swedish fish, candy corn, candy necklaces, mardi gras masks, pocket dictionary and thesarus, photos, photo frames, lip balm, face moisturizers, socks, shower gel, new toothbrush, hair gels, gloves, scarves, silly cards for no occasion, and, of course, CASH!</p>
<p>I know she likes the cash, but with candy you might get a phone call!</p>
<p>Our dinner table just wasn’t the same without our daughters there…reduced demand for apples and honey and needless to say, we have lots of sponge and honey cake left over. It is hard to be without them, but great knowing they are happy and healthy with friends at school.</p>
<p>Wait…and idea…perhaps I’ll send a package of sponge/honey cake for Erev Yom Kippur! And. its a good idea now…but a year is a long way to wait…next year, a package with a few apples and individual serving packaged honey…hopefully, I’ll remember…</p>
<p>Wishing all a sweet and healthy New Year…L’Shanah Tovah!</p>
<p>I usually peruse the dollar shops for a silly gift or two that I like to tuck into the goody box. Since his campus has a CVS right there that takes campus cash along with other shops that sell every need in the world, I always feel funny sending the toiletries and othere things that he can easily pick up himself selecting the brands and types that he wants. He’s watching his diet so candies and cookies are a temptation he does not need (though I send him some anyways.). It’s hard finding something special to send.</p>
<p>I’ve pre-ordered some movies & books from Amazon that I know he’s been waiting for… and had them sent directly to him upon release . When he’s done, he can bring them home to share with us! I figured, why should he always be second now that he’s not living here anymore? My son too, watches his diet (though not as much as I’d like him to) so I don’t sent edible treats. There’s a CVS a couple of blocks from his dorm … and whenever I try to select his toiletries, I always pick the wrong brand, scent, flavor… so I’ve given up. There’s also a Staples within walking distance… so anything he can’t get in the campus store, he can get there, and use our family business Staples credit card… I recently sent him a book of stamps. He was very excited… lets see if he uses them!</p>
<p>DD loves, loves, LOVES to get packages. We’ve sent her everything from sourdough bread (homemade) and Tollhouse cookies to her favorite childhood bear, Rolling Stone magazines, books, CDs, movies, Halloween directions, stickers, etc. The “silly” item I send is a little plastic toy giraffe that she and I have been passing back and forth for the quite a while. For the last year or so, she would slip this little giraffe under my pillow, or I might find it on my car steering wheel, in the refrigerator, atop my computer or in my purse. We’ve passed it back and forth, so I thought it would be fun to include it in a care package. For those of near Target stores, they have some wonderful $1 racks with lots of cute things that would be perfect for a care package.</p>
<p>Speaking of magazines, I have gotten my son a couple of subscriptions that are delivered to him at school so that he has some light enjoyable reading to balance out the textbooks. He seems to enjoy them.</p>
<p>I just finished packing a Halloween care package for DD and her room mate. Even when she was away at camp for just a week, I used to send a little surprise package. She loves getting them as much as I love shopping for the silly little things to put in them. Target has some fun things in its One Spot (although they do have some 2 for $5 stuff too) and it’s even better when they go on sale for 50% off. We got DD a subscription to our little town weekly rag. By the time it gets there, the “news” is 2 weeks old, but she enjoys flipping through it and it means that at least once a week, she gets mail.</p>
<p>The last package I sent included the local paper and his new Year Book that just arrived.<br>
Being at a Service Academy, S is very limited as to what he can keep in his room. A parent of an older cadet suggested packing goodies in large plastic storage tubs that stack. This also helps keep things organized. When room inspections are done, EVERYTHING has a place and that place had better be right. 
My S truely appreciated the Rubbermade Rough Totes.</p>
<p>Last year on the $1 bargain racks, Target had some small cloth totes for trick or treating that were round like a Chinese lantern but then could be folded flat. They were decorated as pumpkins, Frankenstein, and ghosts–for only $1 each! I bought five of the ghosts for the girls in my D’s house and then put their names on them in glitter paint. They loved them!</p>
<p>momof3boys-
Do you use the Rubbermade tote as the mailing container or do you pack it then put it in a box? I’m always searching for a box just the right size, so if you’ve had success mailing just the tote, that would be fabulous!</p>
<p>Now that DS has a car, packages are less frequent and less stuffed full of silly stuff. He does enjoy packages of the Biscoff cookies ( the kind that you often get in pks of 2 on airplanes), home made banana bread, and the individual pkgs of laundry detergent from either Tide (if/when you can find it) or Sears. It beats hauling a big box or bottle of detergent to the laundry room, and the little individual plastic wrapped ones from Sears are a real conversation piece, because they tend to look like something your drug dealer would send :)</p>
<p>I used to send all the silly stuff when they went to camp. I haven’t thought of sending the tons of leftover stuff I have here to him (water balloons, glow sticks, tops that have colorful LED’s when they spin, etc) but its a thought. Now that he’s a junior, I don’t know if it’d be appreciated… Any thoughts?</p>
<p>RE: mailing the plastic tote, </p>
<p>I had our local Postnet store (similar to Mail Boxes Etc.) box and ship the plastic totes. I actually filled one tote and shipped the second tote so that S would have more storage for other items. The box the store used was HUGE. They used the empty tote tipped on it’s side to keep the filled tote from shifting. His packages are sent to a Package Business at the Academy. Once they recieve the package, they put a note in his P.O. Box letting him know he has a package (it did not fit in the 6" x 4" box 
). I told my S to open the package and place the filled tote into the empty one. I sent the second lid as well. </p>
<p>The upper class cadets in his squadron paid him a visit that evening. S doesn’t mind if I send food items he doesn’t like. He said it is like “currency” in his squadron.</p>
<p>One thing I have done in the past that is a lot of fun is to use a 2 or 3 liter pop bottle as the container. Remove the label, clean it well, cut a flap (3 of the 4 sides) in the side of the bottle, stuff it with your items (adding some colorful confetti or shredded paper adds to the visual appeal), then tape it closed with clear package tape. Tape your shipping label over the flap and most kids can’t figure out how you got the “stuff” in there. Be sure you tighten the lid well. Our post office has never had a problem putting the postage on the bottle and accepting it for mailing.</p>
<p>Cute idea! I’m going to try that one :)</p>
<p>:eek: I want care packages 
I get the occasional book I didn’t realise I’d need, but that’s about it in the post :(</p>
<p>My parents did drop by today on their way to visit relatives about an hour away and brought somet stuff I hadn’t had time to pack when I moved. Mum slipped in a couple of big apple crumbles to share around the flat - brilliant!Last year, I went home once in the first semester, and she baked some of my favourites for me to take back with me. Mum’s home cooking is heavenly and she should definitely mail me lots more!</p>