<p>
</p>
<p>Yeah, it really is. But that’s what his laptop will fit in. I figure he’ll take one of his old HS backpacks for “every day” and use the NF if he wants to take his laptop anywhere and as an overnight bag for trips home.</p>
<p>We didn’t touch our older D’s bedroom when she left for college. She actually somewhat resented coming home and discovering we were “storing” things there. But, on the whole, we left it as “her room.” Now she’s going to grad school, and engaged, and I suggested I wanted to redecorate her room as a guestroom. She was fine with that, and even offered some suggestions.</p>
<p>This prompted my college bound D2 to ask, are you going to redecorate my room? I assured her we’d leave it untouched.</p>
<p>For some reason, it is very important to them that they come home and find their “space” as they left it. I can’t imagine redecorating the minute they walked out of the door, but I know people who have done it… Some kids are fine with it too. I just never wanted to inadvertently signal “you don’t have a place here anymore.”</p>
<p>We didn’t do anything with S’s room while he was in college. He’s now graduated and just moved his dresser. He doesn’t really care what we do but he still has some stuff left over (more than I would like) so we’re not doing anything with his room. </p>
<p>I’ll be happy if D finishes cleaning her room and sorting through her stuff.</p>
<p>And I’m very fortunate that my kids both think that anything over $20 is expensive and are quite happy searching through marshalls and tjmaxx racks for those designer bargains.</p>
<p>Yeah, there are those of us who race to the sales rack and brag about our finds and then those like my daughter who avoid the sales rack at all costs. But that is the beauty of TJMaxx and Marshalls - the regular prices are discounted so that my princess does not have to suffer the indignity of pawing through an actual sales rack. (She also adores Century 21 in NYC.)</p>
<p>Ohh, I love Century 21 – anyone from out of NYC sending a kid to the city has to try it.</p>
<p>Yeah, we also do Forever 21, Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx and Marshalls (although new Marshalls isn’t as good anymore). Best clearance racks ever are Bloomies! If you are a small size you can get great deals.</p>
<p>D2 will use her NF Surge for traveling with the team. She wanted it to hold her laptop and extra clothes and school books.</p>
<p>Thinking of getting her a broadband connection(??? is that what you call it???) so she can connect to internet on bus while she is traveling. Any one have the little thing you plug into computer? We have Verizon so I was thinking to get her that. This is out of my element so any help would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>Regarding back packs, I’ll just note here a vote of confidence in Columbia sportswear/products. D1 had a Columbia backpack throughout HS, and when the zipper gave way after several years, they replaced the backpack with the nearest equivalent (her model was no longer available). It happened to be one of their “cyberpacks,” with a laptop sleeve. I liked it so much, I got one for myself which I use when I travel.</p>
<p>Columbia also promptly honored a warranty on a pair of snowboots that D1 had. Though the boots were out of warranty, the customer service folks were extremely helpful, suggested that we send them in, and we actually got the boots replaced with new ones.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Do you actually mail in those warranty cards or save the warranty info and your receipt, or did you just complain to someone at Columbia? I’m terrible about remembering to use warranties on things other than cars or appliances.</p>
<p>In the case of the backpack, I wrote in 2008 re: a back we purchased in the fall of 2005. We didnt’ have the receipt or the card. I knew the purchase date either because that’s when D started HS, or H, who keeps impeccable records on Quicken, told me. </p>
<p>Actually, the boots didn’t have a warranty at all (I just found the email record of my conversation with Customer Service rep), but she said they should have held up longer than they did (the sole separated from the upper) and we should send them in and see what they’d do. They replaced them with new boots, and D still wears them.</p>
<p>That’s admirable. My husband does stuff like that. I’m usually too lazy.</p>
<p>Ooh, daughter not happy. There were 6 sections of chemistry scheduled for the fall at her school; but because the sections were too full, the school has added one to keep classes smaller (and that’s laudable). She’s one of the students who got moved – and she objects that she lost her slot in the 8:30 class! She wanted to be in the early class and early lab, not a class later in the day. Well, they invited students who have concerns about the change to let them know …so she may.</p>
<p>Zete, is there a facebook group for her school. Maybe she can go on looking for someone to switch. Someone may not want the 8:30, but ended up in it as it was all that was left.</p>
<p>There is a facebook group; I’ll tell her to check … </p>
<p>Also, they invited students to contact the chair of the department; and she and my H spent an hour with him on one of the visits, so he should remember her name, and she’s going to do that …</p>
<p>What she really objects to is the lab – Friday at 1:30; she has picked T at 8:30 …</p>
<p>Both my daughter’s didnt care what we did to their rooms, no resentment that one room is know my sewing, photo studio, escape to room. She has a bed and storage when she comes home, which isn’t very often. She thought it would be silly to let it just sit there.</p>
<p>D2 told me she doesn’t care what we do to her room, so long as I don’t get rid of any clothes or shoes she can’t take with her, or paint the room a primary or neon color</p>
<p>Long ago we got rid of old trophies, kid stuff, and their rooms were those of young adults.</p>
<p>They actually thought it was weird that parents kept rooms the same- they had one friend who had kept EVERYTHING, and mom didn’t just do a purge. It was odd what this girl kept. Plastic doll house. Old roller blades three sizes to small.</p>
<p>My daughter’s expect changes. I have always cleared stuff all along. We had a rule that every birthday, and Christmas, they needed to donate stuff to get new stuff. And they didn’t even notice the trophies were gone. And my husband, when we moved his box of dart and soccer trophies got “lost”. We moved oursevles!!! I actually put out on the street a desk he wanted to keep. after 5 months he asked where the desk was!!</p>
<p>My nephews are close to 40, married with kids, and my sister JUST redid their rooms! I think that’s because the day after she got married my grandfather came over and broke down the wall to her room nullifying her existence!</p>
<p>To Modandun who said: “PS… I am unsure if I’d rather have a daughter that I had to curtail the shopping or the son who refuses to go and then rejects half of what I buy him so I have to return it.”</p>
<p>I have a daughter who refuses to go then rejects most of what I buy!</p>
<p>Missypie: never heard of a Chi before. D has naturally curly curly curly hair and finally accepted it and stopped trying to straighten it years ago.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I do know about Chi and ghd straightners. D2 will be taking hers to school which means I have to buy one for myself this week. At $200 a pop I have been holding off.</p>
<p>Need some advice…</p>
<p>D has been a little blue about some of her friends not understanding that she is moving away. Some of them have been saying things like: “Don’t forget about us, keep in touch” However, as she reaches out to them, they are just not responding her texts, or emails. Some graduated with her, others are younger friends who are still in HS (Band mates). Some of those who graduated are not going on to college or leaving home (gap year or local community college) so that is what I have been telling her, that they are not in her same mind frame. This is very little consolation…any other insight?</p>
<p>Bandie - I think the mind frame is a lot of it. My D will be the first in her group of friends to leave, over a week before any of the others, since she has team training and orientation, and for the others I think they want to “stretch” out the last few weeks of break without the inevitable separations being in the front of their minds. It is hard to squeeze in all the activities and preparations in a shorter period of time too. We are having a big bonfire the night before she leaves for campus though - whoever can show up will, but those who can’t, it is understandable…</p>