<p>There was nothing on TV last night that I was interested in watching. I have avoided DWTS only because I want to avoid the addiction. I listen to this talk show on Sirius/XM called Broadminded and they follow all of the reality TV shows so I somewhat feel I know what is going on.
DoveMom - you have seen more movies! I am looking forward the DVD release of The Blind Side (I think it is today!). Busy week, so it may have to wait.
PackMom - can you believe the daffodils are a month later than usual? A lot of people are struggling with allergies around here. It is sunny today, but not that warm.</p>
<p>I always try to watch DTWS! I love dancing of all kinds and have done some folk dancing/performing in my day. (I can waltz too but that’s as ballroom-y as I get.) </p>
<p>I am amazed by what these “amateurs” can learn and perform in such a short time! And the judges’ comments are entertaining.</p>
<p>Hey there, Rom! How was that sleepover with the Eighth Graders? Yes, my hubby and I go to a lot of movies. It’s our way of doing something together and then we enjoy talking about what we thought. I’m fortunate that he can handle romantic (chick) movies and doesn’t have to see every action film out there. Oh, we also saw Valentine’s Day and the one with Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant about the Morgans. Regarding TV, I watch a lot of home design shows and I guess I am a Reality TV addict -The Bachelor, DWTS, Survivor, Top Chef, Project Runway are my favs. I also sometimes watch The Biggest Loser and American Idol. Reality TV has certainly changed TV and has come along way in a short time. At this point, I don’t really watch too much regular TV, but like The Good Wife and Castle. I used to watch Grey’s Anatomy, but found it wasn’t the same after the writer’s strike a couple of year’s ago. We’ve got gray overcast weather today, but our trees are beginning to leaf! Our school district has just lost a big chunk of State funding, so I’ll be off to a Board of Ed meeting tonight. Meanwhile, the torrential rains of a week ago have resulted in a family of mice making themselves at home in our finished basement. NADM! That is my own term, meaning Never A Dull Moment! Sending a Smile, DoveMom</p>
<p>I’m a Law & Order addict - love the reruns. We have recently become addicted to Criminal Minds reruns. </p>
<p>My mini-retreat was fun. Good group of kids (one of them happened to be mine). The only down side was I had to stay up until lights out - 12:30. But I’m all caught up on my sleep. Their baptism is Sunday. My parents were going to come up (9 hour drive), but I talked them out of it since we will see them the next weekend for Easter. I am happy that I will not have to “Mimi Clean” my house. Mimi is my mother - love her! - but she has forgotten what it is like to live with 2 teenagers. Our living area in our home is clean and neat. Their rooms on the other hand…UGH! It saves me a few headaches. </p>
<p>Our school board is also deciding where to cut. Our school system is huge 130K. Plenty of fluff unfortunately still exists.</p>
<p>Maybe you should borrow your neighbors cat for you visitors in the basement. Have a good day.</p>
<p>I also love Law & Order and am new to Criminal Minds. My other fav’s are Bones, CSI New York and NCIS. I wonder what makes me so intrigued by these crime shows?</p>
<p>I am the queen of mindless TV! lol My H and I just started watching Justified on FX. So far it’s been really good. A crime show that’s a little different.</p>
<p>Rom, I love that term - “Mimi Clean!” LOL! Company is a mixed blessing for me - it’s great the get the house really clean, but so much work! I’m learning to be a bit more relaxed than I used to. Ha! I may have to resort to that neighbor’s cat idea yet!</p>
<p>MomMusic, I’m also amazed at how much the dancers on DWTS improve week by week. I took ballet, tap, and creative dance as a kid, so I probably still have some rhythm in my feet, but I can’t imagine learning ballroom with a Professional and getting out in front of that audience!</p>
<p>Hi Kajon and Deb! I’m not sure why I never got into Law & Order or some of those other shows, but sometimes if you don’t start watching at the beginning, you never can get into it. I liked the concept of October Road (from last year and the year before), but they kept putting the show on hold and switching the time/day for the show. Don’t you hate it when they do that?</p>
<p>I missed American Idol last night because of the School Board Meeting I went to - three full hours long and counting - I left at 11PM! Tonight my hubby and I have the last of a small evening group we’ve been attending with some others from our church. In case anyone cares, Survivor will be on for two hours tonight, rather than tomorrow night, due to the NCAA tourney. Have a nice evening, Everyone!</p>
<p>New here to the parent cafe, but stumbled upon the mindless tv. I love DWTS – my favorite after one night, Chad Ocho… always love how the football players do on that show. My newest mindless show though is Cake Boss, my 12 year old and I watch it, love those cakes.</p>
<p>rom, it’s possible that we live in the same neck of the woods.</p>
<p>Dove, thanks for reminding me about Survivor…hmm…guess that means I’ll have to record America’s Next Top Model…sad but true, I love that show.<br>
I also love The Good Wife, still watch Grey’s Anatomy which has also gotten me hooked on Private Practice. Also hooked on So You Think You Can Dance and Amazing Race.<br>
Also watch way too much HGTV.</p>
<p>Hey, I’m an empty nester now, I’m due some slacker TV time,lol.</p>
<p>Welcome, freecycle. I like Cake Boss too. The family cracks me up with all the arguing.</p>
<p>Cake Boss is amazing. I’d love to know if the cakes taste as good as they look. I’d also wish they would show the invoice for those pieces of art.</p>
<p>Have to admit my biggest guilty pleasure on TV is Ghost Hunters - talk about mindless!</p>
<p>PackMom - you are allowed all the empty-nester-slacker-time you can get. I have a bit of time before I can claim that title.</p>
<p>We just participated in a really neat activity. Stop the Hunger is a group out of Raleigh (I think). At our church we had 180 volunteers assemble 21,000 meals made of rice, soy protein, dried vegetables and a vitamin supplement. We measured the items, put them in bags, weighed them, sealed the bag, packed 36 in a box, taped them up and loaded them into a truck. They cost .25 a bag and we did it in an hour! They will be sent to areas of the world that are suffering from malnutrition. It was a lot of fun!</p>
<p>Greetings, Everyone! I keep missing my mindless TV! Tonight’s the third night in a row I have an evening meeting - this time, my book club. We’re discussing The Story of Edgar Sawtelle tonight and I haven’t finished reading it. That’s OK. I’m doing some skim-reading until I leave! Ha! Welcome, Freestyle, those cake decorating shows are amazing. PackMom, I didn’t even realize that another America’s Next Top Model was underway. Do you have a favorite? Rom, those meals your church packaged will feed many grateful, hungry people. That is wonderful! I missed Survivor last night, but we have FIOS and can watch it anytime with their free show replay program. My HS D filled us in and it sounds like it was quite the episode! OK, I’ve got to “read” that book! Have a great evening!</p>
<p>Good Morning, Everyone! It’s Saturday and a sunny, but cold day here! It’s been a busy week for me and the other night I was up until 3AM (had to be up at 6) finishing up on reservations for Boston next week - when we do our First Official College Campus Touring for my daughter who is a Junior in HS. She’s getting excited. We’ll be visiting Northeastern, Boston College, Suffolk University, and Boston University during our stay. It will be a whirlwind and a lot of walking, but it should be a lot of fun if the weather cooperates. It will be interesting to see her reaction to each school. Question: We cannot afford these schools without some financial help. My hubby is thinking we shouldn’t get her hopes up and should stick to more affordable schools. I understand, but guess I am thinking, we know there are other schools she will visit that are within our budget, but there are a few she should apply to to see if she gets some merit money and we won’t know that unless she tries. What do you guys think? Thanks, DoveMom</p>
<p>Hey DoveMom, I loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I couldn’t stop reading it.<br>
Did you skim through to the finish? It would be hard to do and get the whole story.</p>
<p>Hope the weather is good for your tour. You will be busy!</p>
<p>The common financial advice on CC over the years has always been…</p>
<p>Have the money talk up front with your kids. It’s best to have parameters.
Decide how much you can pay (or are willing to borrow/ have them borrow) and be honest with them about it.
If parents don’t give kids the cold hard truth up front, then kids go on the assumption that their parents will work it out to pay for wherever they want to go and are devastated when they fall in love/get accepted and the parents tell them it’s not going to happen.</p>
<p>Remember, most kids don’t truly understand the reality of paying back large loans. Most have never had to make a payment on anything. Show them some “real life” numbers, how interest adds up,etc.
Most need-based FA pkgs are a combo of merit and/or grants and loans.
If you don’t qualify for need-based FA and are hoping for merit, then the student needs to apply to schools where they are at least in the top 25% of the applicant pool. </p>
<p>The cardinal rule of CC is “LOVE THY SAFETY”. Some would say that your husband is right. It doesn’t matter if she visits schools that are in your budget unless they are ones she really likes and would be happy to attend if the $$$ for the “big dollar u.” doesn’t materialize.<br>
Many kids say they applied to their State u. as a safety but really don’t like it and wouldn’t want to go there. </p>
<p>It’s not a safety school just because they can get in and it fits the budget…they have to like it or it’s not a safety.</p>
<p>Many on CC emphasize that the safety school (one that she likes,can afford and knows she will be accepted) is the most important school to find. That is to say… build the list from the bottom up…find great safeties that will absolutely work if nothing else materializes. Find some matches that she’s likely to be accepted to with a decent chance of merit money. Then, if there are big reach schools that she wants to take a shot at…throw those in too.</p>
<p>Always have financial safeties, and NEVER let your daughter fall in love (as in there are no OTHER options) with a school you cannot afford. She needs to know that these are financial reaches, and you have to be very frank with this. You just don’t want to get backed into a corner with your D feeling there are no other options “for her” and falling for a school you can’t do if there is not financial aid. </p>
<p>Do the calculations on links that are available on CC. Figure out your EFC, but understand that not all schools will provide aid to reach the EFC. A few years ago when my oldest was about a sophomore, I learned that our EFC was so high that we would basically not qualify for any financial aid. While we visited LAC I graduated from (with FA and merit aid), turns out she wanted a big Division I school, and is at her first choice, a state flagship. Thank goodness. $200,000 for 4 years of college was not something we budgeted for. We did save and will be able to get her and her sister through undergrad and grad school at good state school with no parent or student loans. </p>
<p>Be honest with her. Let her apply knowing that they are financial reaches, and might end up being out of reach.</p>
<p>^^^Sunnyflorida…you sound like us. We don’t qualify for FA. We told our kids all along that we had an instate public u. budget. If they got merit money to take them elsewhere, that was fine but we were not willing to take out loans or have them take out big loans. We have good state schools (DH and I are state u. grads) and had no reservations about their choices. There was never any drama because they knew the deal from the start.
Both had opportunities to choose otherwise through scholarships (one kid merit,one kid athletic) but did not really consider them as both really were happy to attend one of our big state u’s. S1 ('09 grad) got a full-ride so has money left over for his post-grad. plans. S2, a soph, is full-pay but will graduate debt free also.</p>
<p>Every family is different. It does pay to lay all the cards on the table in advance no matter what your situation.</p>
<p>Thanks, PackMom and Sunny! We have told her we cannot afford these schools unless she gets some scholarship/grant money, but as you said, PM, that doesn’t mean she really believes what we are saying or understands the financial picture. You have good suggestions about making that more real for her. The safety idea is important and we’re working on a list of those, too. I have to figure out how to do that EFC calculation and hope we’re not on a “fool’s errand” showing her these Boston schools. I agree it is not wise to have her “fall in love” with a school she cannot attend. Next Friday, we’ll be going to Rutger’s (a possible safety school). We have open houses coming up at two other possible safety schools in April and May. I do feel like we’re pulling the cart backwards, but it is a matter of when we can get away, etc.</p>
<p>PM, our book discussion went really well the other night. I fortunately, had read many of the key passages I needed to to understand the ending. That was quite an ending! I do plan to finish reading it for real. Next month our book is “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett. I’ve already read that one.</p>
<p>Oh, DoveMom…Pillars of the Earth is one of my all time favorites.<br>
Have you read World Without End? It’s Follett’s sequel to Pillars. It is every bit as good.</p>
<p>and yes, the ending to Edgar Sawtelle was quite unexpected.</p>
<p>Dovemom - good luck next week on your tour. I am from the Boston area and I am curious to what you think about each school. I also have a junior in HS and we have already toured these schools as well as some OOS public universities and an OOS large private. Only one of the schools you will be visiting next week made my daughter’s short list…can’t wait to see what you think.</p>
<p>PackMom, I agree Pillars of the Earth is a wonderful read - Tom the Builder is unforgettable. I haven’t read the sequel yet. Regarding Edgar Sawtelle, I found it a slow read with bursts of action that had me mesmerized. I definitely saw the Hamlet correlations, ghosts and all! Considering the superior use of sign language between the family and the dogs, I found it frustrating that they didn’t communicate about the ultimately most important things - Gar never telling Trudy about Claude’s evil ways and Edgar never telling his mom what he knew about his uncle. BTW, we had a “reality check” talk tonight with our HS daughter about these Boston schools that resulted in tears and anger, but I’d rather burst the bubble now and let her go there knowing the deal.</p>
<p>Hi Archie! My hubby was born in Cambridge, but grew up in Michican - he actually proposed to me in Boston. I also used to visit Boston once a year on business and love the city. After we return from our trip, I’ll let you know my daughter’s reaction and we can compare notes!</p>
<p>DoveMom, I think you did well to have the “reality” conversation before the trip. You are right in that it’s better for her to be a little disappointed/disgruntled before getting all emotionally invested in any particular college. Not to say there won’t be more disgruntlement (is that a word?) down the road but at least she can’t say “you never told me…” or “why did you even take me there if you weren’t going to pay for it?” </p>
<p>Tell her to think of it as a shopping trip, not a buying trip…like going to the Mall. It’s fun to look at the most expensive shoes to get ideas and even try them on, knowing that you prob. won’t buy them.
But at least you get to see whether you like that style and the fit. Then you start shopping for more shoes in a similiar style that fit your budget. Find some in your budget that fit and look/feel good and you’d be happy to wear.<br>
Then if the expensive ones end up going on a mega sale…voila… they become another option. And if not, it’s ok because you’ve already got your cute comfy budget fitting shoes that you really do like. Sometimes the prettiest shoes are the ones that end up hurting your feet!</p>