Same here, nostalgic shopping for sure. But any saved money on utilities or food is put back into the college kitty.
It took me a while to get used to grocery shopping just for me. But it turned out to be very liberating, and I lost 20 pounds during my daughter’s freshman year just bringing my food into the house and cooking it.
I feel a little different from other CC members on this topic - my oldest is moving out in a couple of weeks. He is 21 years old, and works a regular job while he performs on the side. He didn’t go to college, which was nerve-wracking at first (he did get in though). He’s made me a believer. I’ve watched him work hard, and make some money performing, and save a great deal. He’s fun to have around. He’s responsible and careful. But he’s a risk taker too, in a good way.
I worry because he never did that transition phase of college. He won’t have a meal plan, or a built-in set of young people going through the same issues at the same time. It feels like I’m throwing him in to the deep end of the pool when he just barely learned to swim. I would prefer the little floaties on his arm to get started. 
When he leaves, I know it will be the end of an era. My youngest is a senior in high school (homeschooler) and he will be leaving next year - university to be determined. He is a STEM interested kid so college is going to happen.
We have homeschooled for the last 8.5 years, this has been my life. I’m looking forward to the next chapter, but I will miss this one too. It’s been a wild and crazy and great ride. Can’t believe it’s almost over. :’(
The country song “You’re Gonna Miss This” keeps going through my head.
I’m feeling perkier today . . . the dishes are done, a load of laundry is in and I’m looking forward to getting back to scratch and not just treading water with household stuff. I’m planning to dress up the last Freschetta frozen 4 cheese pizza with fresh basil, tomatoes and pancetta to get the teenage boy food out of the freezer. Last night we did fried potatoes and eggs. The boy went through a carton a week minimum and I got ahead with my buying. I eat an egg a day but there was no way I could eat through them fast enough at that pace and I don’t do boiled or pickled eggs under any circumstances.
I love your pizza plan. 
So true, I need someone to come clear my freezer from the random Eggo waffle, chicken nugget, etc. still left!
Planning to go visit both my D’s tomorrow - D1 happens to live in the same area that D2 is going to college! And they both will come home for the Labor Day weekend. So, good things in store. I am thankful to have them close enough for all of this. I know many don’t have these options.
My “little boy” is at this moment driving himself to his senior year of college multiple states away. It was kind of melancholy packing him up and him leaving. I’m hoping for no tickets in New Jersey
My younger son moved into an apartment near college at the beginning of August. They both start school Monday.
My step-daughter (also in college - yep, three at once) is visiting, and she she started last Monday.
Tomorrow we will be empty nesters again.
We’ve kind of gotten used to time with no kids, but this year feels a little different. Next May we should have 2 college grads, and we will be on to yet a new phase of life.
This is my second year with the empty nest. I managed the grocery store without crying. I had surgery a month ago and I am really struggling with recovery and though I own a business with hubby, I took a leave of absence.
It’s harder to think about moving on when I can’t do day to day things yet. I just learned a harsh lesson, a lot of my activities in started were physical, golfing, traveling, boating, etc. I need some bad weather, or not as physical activities for the next few months.
My kids went to the very north and very south from home. My daughter texts and calls all the time. My son is apparently in the cia doing black Ops missions.
Ha! Did you move houses yet? I’m sorry to hear about your slow recovery.
I am lucky to have a naturally communicative boy and there’s almost no level of standoffishness that can’t be broken down by facebook posts of the pets. I have considered getting the dog her own snap chat :o3
@eyemamom …that is funny what you wrote about your son!
We saw our son yesterday. We had to go down and get a book to return from him, take more clothes and I wanted to go over his syllabus with him. He has ADHD and has been totally overwhelmed this past week.
My help was not wanted yesterday and I could tell he was passive aggressive and just seemed in a really bad mood. He’s always welcomed any help from me, which he has needed, but he absolutely wanted me to back off yesterday…without saying it. Message received…he has to sink or swim on his own.
He said it was the longest week of his life. HE is scared to death of failing, he has to get a benchmark to stay in the program, and put in the time we told him he needed to do to be successful in college…which is 40 hours a week of class and study…just like a job. He did that, not because we told him to, but to keep up…he’s a slow reader and not a strong one. That is why I was concerned he would miss things in those syllabi, that look like books themselves.
He said he didn’t understand why everyone else says their classes are so easy and they don’t have anything to do…they just play around. Hubble told him not to worry about everyone else…some kids don’t have to put in as much work, some kids are goofing off and will pay for it, and some kids you just don’t know when they are studying…to just do what he needs to do to get through it. He seemed overwhelmed, which made us feel bad of.
The empty rooms aren’t bothering me as much this weekend as last, but the quiet house still bothers us just as much. I find DH and I take more walks to get out of it.
Conmama…my son is dyslexic. He chose to not register with the disabilities office at college because his tests were all out of date. The up side was their writing department gave a lot of support. I was really disappointed that a music class he took required 30 to 60 pages of reading per class which was too much for him. He went to the professor who just pushed him off to the disabilities office. Since he wasn’t official they wouldn’t offer any assistance. He chose to drop as he couldn’t let an elective take over the semester. Long story short, register with the disability office even if he thinks right now he doesn’t need it.
His testing was in 7th grade. He was also one who elected to not have accommodations in HS. I mentioned the disabilities office to him yesterday and he just looked at me. How can we register if testing is outdated? He doesn’t like to talk about his Add, but will take his meds.
I might just give them a call and talk to them. He had one class with 30 pages to read, and that is tough for him.
Conmama, maybe do a search on your S’s college website of all the tutoring type services available, send them to him in an email or text just as a point of reference and then let him call the shots.
Being honest, though it’s hard to see, him being stressed and accountable might be a very good thing right now - he is not ignoring the work and wanting to succeed at it. Trust me, there is a fair % of those kids who seem to be having lots of “playing around” time right now, who will be shocked and saddened come that first big test or grade period.
College freshman come in all shapes and sizes mentally. There are ALWAYS the group that tries to look “too cool for school” when they really, really aren’t!
Give your S a little space right now - which is sounds like you intend to do.
“My son is apparently in the cia doing black Ops missions.”
Eyemamom, thanks for the heads-up. So THAT’S what my son’s been doing the past few years!
This comment made me spit out my coffee. Thanks for my laugh of the day!
The CIA must be recruiting many a college freshman these days, as parents of my daughter’s friends and I can attest based on the communication level.
You are all so wonderfully supportive. The CIA comment is hilarious. I am grateful for technology like Skype and have been lucky enough to hear from my daughter daily. We are liking the text part of Skype. Her excitement is infectious and because I have horrible jet lag, we have been able to chat when I can’t sleep (like now!), and chatting with her has made the sleeplessness during the wee hours more tolerable. She loves to learn like no one else I have ever known, and she has just dug right in. My husband and I are still pinching ourselves that she got such a good scholarship because the school would have been way over budget otherwise, and it has turned out to be the right place for her.
To those who have dyslexic and/or ADHD, etc. children - I would urge them or you to contact the disability office asap, regardless of how old their testing is or whether they used accommodations in HS. I know some students, especially boys, do not want to do this or want to “try it alone”. Unfortunately they get overwhelmed with the reading load and organization needed. The disabilities office would be a great first step in seeing how to get current testing done, if necessary.
D is doing well and I can’t say enough for her disabilities office. I know her stress is going up as the reading load increases. She is reaching out to try to stay ahead and I am thankful. Unfortunately, S2 is in some extensive, months long training and he is struggling mightily right now. I could be doing ok with this empty nest if both were doing well (I was a MESS with S1–he was also a member of the CIA black ops communication team).
Does anyone else have 3 kids and think there is never a time where everyone is in a happy, good place at the same time??
Only have one kid, was pregnancy impaired and was lucky that she actually made it. But, years ago I was told this once by a friend who had way more than one, “one is none, two is twenty, and after that it is zone defense.” My mother assures me that even when your kids are adults, there are issues, always issues.
One is not none!
My D has a language-based learning disability, reads very slowly and generally would rather be doing many, many other things than read (so unlike me). She said she has much more reading than she thought she would already. She’s plowed through it for the one class she has in her major, but I fear is procrastinating on some of the less-interesting books. She is signed up with the disabilities office, and I’ve asked her several times to go and see about getting the books on computer so they can be read aloud while she follows along, but she’s dragging her feet on that. I don’t know if it’s a pride thing or what. Just one more thing to worry about while wandering the rooms of my empty nest.
The disabilities office did loan her one of those electronic pens that she can use with special paper to take notes. The pen records the lecture and then will go to part of the recording she needs when she touches the pen to that point in her notes. If it works for her, they said she should buy one of her own next semester. She is at a small LAC, and working with the disabilities office there is light years simpler than in her large public school system.