<p>I left my GF at home (she is a senior at my HS), and I never thought of having her come and help me move in (220 miles away). It’s a parent-and-child thing.</p>
<p>D2’s school has a system where money is added on IDs and can be used when you swipe your card at cafeteria or small cafes, convenience/grocery store and coffee shops around campus. You can get fruit, cereal, bagels, smoothies, sandwiches almost anywhere. I think that is a nice option to have easy access when class schedules are so varied.</p>
<p>She left the bf at home. Never even asked about him coming on the move in day.</p>
<p>Modadunn! Inhale. Exhale. Do it again, but slower. Repeat as necessary. It will all be ok. I will send you a cyber margarita when it’s all over.</p>
<p>I finally spoke with D this morning. We said our official goodbyes Saturday morning and I promised to let her call first. I was going nuts, so I finally emailed her Monday and got a quick, happy reply. She called home yesterday and had a nice chat with H, as I was out. This has been a real test for me for not picking up the phone. We agreed before she left that we’d have a weekly regular talk, but, well it was orientation and everything. But she sounds happy and that’s the part I cared about.
Classes start today…</p>
<p>Spawn Skyped me last night; I was on the (cell) phone with another mom whose kid is at the same school (and just down the hall from spawn; the kids are friends from high school) when my computer rang. She was telling me her kid had Skyped her from my kid’s computer, and then my kid was in the room so she was talking to both of them, and then another kid came in (one the mom didn’t already know). </p>
<p>The other mom and I hung up so I could chat with spawn. The conversation was mostly questions from me with very short answers from kid, many of the answers one word. I heard “awful,” “boring,” and “bad” a lot. Also, “I hate it.” But about college in general? “I love it.”</p>
<p>As I thought he would! :)</p>
<p>He was very flat; reminded me a little of Joe Friday, except he was answering, not asking, the questions.</p>
<p>When we were done, I called the other mom back, and she told me alllll about the conversation she’d had with the three kids. At some point, they switched computers, running over to the girl’s dorm to use a different computer, one with a camera. She told me my kid was animated, looked really happy, was lively, etc. and so on. </p>
<p>I’m glad he was like that with someone, even if it wasn’t with me!</p>
<p>I checked out his Facebook page last night, and he has a new picture up. He has a new hairstyle: a long braid on either side! :eek: The other mom told me his hair was not in braids last night.</p>
<p>I’m getting that kid a camera for his computer; I don’t know whether HE really needs one, but <em>I</em> do!! :D</p>
<p>Having the camera is a great thing–D has been kind enough to post videos to my FB “proving” that she is still alive and her room is still in “move in condition”- i.e., Mom made the bed and helped put things away. </p>
<p>So glad to hear he’s enjoying school so far. I had to take a second look at your post to make sure I read it correctly- the part where you said your computer rang threw me for a loop! And I’ve already misread something on the web today once - don’t want to have a comedy of errors going on here!</p>
<p>TheAnalyst,
Yes, they should - and not make the kids pack it or bring their own container (as you mention, missypie). It’s one thing D & S1’s school does very well - box lunches, in veg and non-veg versions, can always be picked up from the dining hall for lunch. It counts as one meal. Seems like something worth fighting for at your S’s school.</p>
<p>owlice, I loved that report. </p>
<p>It’s nice to see so much good news here.</p>
<p>Check to make sure that the ability to make a sack lunch isn’t already available at your school cafeteria. It was at my D’s college.</p>
<p>Thanks for everybody’s feedback on food options. I didn’t talk to S2, just saw his email. It sounds like he probably has some options available that he hasn’t discovered yet. I expect he will figure it out soon since it sounds like this is a common situation.</p>
<p>I heard from D today – YEAH! Of course I was in the middle of dropping my car for service but she had a few minutes to talk so that was great. Got a chance to find out how orchestra was on Tuesday evening (repeats this evening). She generally liked it but wishes that she had a chance to play as first flute because one of the pieces they’re playing she played solo for her flute teacher at home. Unfortunately she’ll have to wait out the semester and put in her time. Also having a bit of a challenge in her CORE class. Her view on the assignments is different from many others. Anyway, suggested if that continues to go see Prof during his office hours. She is staying up with all the assignments which was one of my biggest concerns because of the intense science class which meets daily (and sometimes twice a day). She called before going to lunch and her first 3 hour lab and I’m sure I’ll hear about that tomorrow or on the weekend. As I reminded her several times, she’s done for the week at 1:15 tomorrow.</p>
<p>TheAnalyst, at my son’s school they had several additional places on campus to get food including one where they could pick up sack lunches (using a meal swipe) and several others where they could get bagels and sandwiches for cash.</p>
<p>Son texted that the one month old laptop is giving him “the blue screen of death.” He says he hasn’t abused it in any way. I guess it’s time to descend into HP Hell.</p>
<p>Just got off the phone with tech support…there was a “bad” Windows update on the 25th that is causing a lot of computers to crash. So I texted him the phone number of tech support and he can deal with it when he’s got time to wait on hold.</p>
<p>Just got off the plane from taking S2. It was…fine. I miss him, but he’s going to be fine. He knows a lot of kids, especially in jazz, so at one point DH and I thought he couldn’t care less if we were around. he, when he found out we were leaving the next day, he did get the “deer in headlights” look. I was very worried he wouldn’t figure out the schedule–meeting with the advisor, registering for classes, signing up for auditions etc…but I just have to have faith in him…and I do. Did I mention I miss him?</p>
<p>My D posted a video on FB the night before she went on her sdventure, everyone comments how happy she looked. i hope her trip was fun and I look forward to hearing from her tomorrow.</p>
<p>Dad chiming in again. Launch day + 8 for college frosh S, - 2 for HS jr D @ boarding school. </p>
<p>All is great with S. He is appropriately but not excessively communicative. He loves school. Classes began on Monday.</p>
<p>D is ready to go back on Saturday and is being pleasant and cheerful in the meantime. It helps that this is her 2d year. </p>
<p>W is happy and comfortable knowing S is where he should be and D is going back to a wonderful BS. W is looking forward to reclaiming her house and some peace. </p>
<p>Which leaves me with the gaping hole. I feel it all day long. I am getting through my workday, doing what I need to do but enshrouded in fog. I feel ready to “move on” but I can’t envision how. Family is what kept me from being one-dimensional (ie vs work). What now? I thought I was prepared. </p>
<p>Ill try day-at-a-time. W wants to see a couple movies this weekend. Ill reconnect with some friends next week whom I’ve neglected over the summer. Ill try to invent a couple projects around the house. </p>
<p>I have a supportive W which helps a lot.</p>
<p>Daughter is launched! </p>
<p>She left last Thursday (flew alone to college) for a pre-orientation backpack; she had a great time; a great way to make friends and get to know the college a bit too.</p>
<p>We came in on Tuesday night, helped shop/move on Wednesday and today – and then had to say goodbye. It was much easier to take her to the airport last Thursday; really hard to say goodbye tonight.</p>
<p>All three of us (H, D and I) were fighting back tears, not very successfully. I mostly held it together till we made it to the car …</p>
<p>But she’s moved in, has made lots of friends, has a “good enough” roommate, and will do fine. </p>
<p>We’re back at the B&B wishing we could get a flight out tonight, but of course it’s too late …</p>
<p>Believe me, I’m not going in her room when I get home; that’ll be easy enough, as both girls rooms are upstairs, and I just don’t have to go up.</p>
<p>Sigh.</p>
<p>A big hug and congrats to you Zetesis!</p>
<p>A bit of an unexpected update on my 2013er. She was just offered a volunteer position that comes with some very nice perks–free tutoring if she needs/wants it, some possible travel, and it will look great on an eventual resume. She didn’t really seek it out, but she was offered the position by someone she knows at the university. I hesitate to say too much more about it as it might identify her. (trying to be very conscious of that) She’ll find out more about it tomorrow, but it’s a pretty neat opportunity. We’re very excited for her.</p>
<p>On your advise I read this book. First I read the chapter on the son going to college. It was sweet but not overwhelming. I read some random chapters, still not overwhelmed, then decided to read from page one. In the end, I found the book quite profound. The whole point of the book is that there is no one right way to raise your children, and also, that we live in very different situations which can have profound effects on how we raise our children. Reading all the different stories really made me think -about all sorts of motherhood (and daughterhood) issues. Well worth the read, especially when you’re facing a big change, like an empty nest.</p>
<p>BACK HOME! The day went amazingly well. Packed the small subaru last night (and here I AM bragging 
) that included a large amp, guitar, and 2.5 frig!!!) and 40 shirts, 21 days of underwear, etc. But it all fit in the room (which actually surprised me). The day was way too long for parents with much too much time in between events. Otherwise, S likes his roomate, is “worried” about his teacher’s seriousness (and has her for 2 classes). He pretty much ignored us but that was OK. I use to fly 3,000 miles to see D at college and learned that if they are happy and fine they have very little time to spend with you.
We do go back tomorrow for a few hours. S want another amp and his skateboard. He looks and acts tired. My H and I feel that he is so so so ready to be on his own that it is hard to feel sad. I did become the queen of texting (LG DARE has a full keyboard) and he tells me more that way than he ever did verbally.
More after tomorrow and hope everyone is hanging in there.</p>
<p>Just got home from moving D into NYC dorm!! Came home to three very happy dogs. that made coming home to the empty house okay.</p>
<p>D was very happy. I forgot to leave my note and little present, so will mail tomorrow with my first batch of cookies, and other items left behind. </p>
<p>Thought I bought plenty of those wall sticky things, but she needs more. Desk all set up, just needs room for books, forgot about that.</p>
<p>Her quilt I made looks great and there is a giant tree outside her window. Pretty view. It was cute in the Cafeteria, all these famlies eating their last meal together for awhile. Amazing how good that food tasted.</p>
<p>Brought home empty suitcases, all packed inside one another like those russion dolls. Staying up a little bit until dogs settle down. So hanging out at CC. Time change, so exhausted.</p>
<p>THink the void will hit me tomorrow.</p>
<p>S started classes yesterday, so I sent him an email asking how things went. Knowing he would just reply, “OK”, I added the following: “For every word you write in response, you will receive one cookie. If you write one word, you get one cookie, etc”. It worked! I now owe him 193 cookies!</p>