<p>The care package party sounds great – I may see if I can round one up with my empty nest friends. D was bigtime down in the dumps the other day and decided (wisely, given her workload) to pass on coming home for Fall Break this weekend. I sent a care package with a homemade coffee cake and silly halloween stuff: a collection of scary stories, plastic spiders, orange and black ice cream sprinkles, etc. She was really happy about that.</p>
<p>Spawn leaves tonight, in the middle of the night at that; he’s taking a bus back to school. The good thing: he’ll sleep on the bus. The bad thing: he’s still sick. I’d best give him a new box of tissues and a trash bag for the bus! I’ll also be making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies today to send back with him. Snow (!!!) is in the forecast at his school; too bad he won’t be wearing his new snow boots back! I’ll take them up in a couple of weeks, when I go up for parents’ weekend. LL Bean is offering free shipping right now, so I will be ordering some rain boots and shirts, and maybe a sweater, for the kid and having it sent to school. </p>
<p>Love the care package party idea; I wish I knew enough people IRL to get together for one!</p>
<p>Wishing all sick and broken kids speedy recoveries!</p>
<h1>TM, I am SO happy that you (and son) are happy. S2 is in the air–I didn’t ge the 3:30 am phone call about logistics…maybe he’s growing up (maybe I don’t want to hear that…) He has a number of friends who are home until Tuesday, so I hope I get some time with him too–though we get him until Sat.</h1>
<p>S3 had 3 friends over, and his finger pain faded…especially as his best friend arrived with his fav. choc milkshake from our local chocolate store. </p>
<p>Happy weekend all!</p>
<p>oh and edit: S2 slept through his alarm and missed the shuttle, but there was enough buffer and he had the wherewithall to Google cab companies and get himself in one. $60 later and he’ll be here in 3 hours!</p>
<p>So my S has been in touch finally… to say would I mind not sending him a long weekly mail, and could I send 7 short mails instead. As he finds it intimidating to answer a long mail And to say he LOVES college, and is really happy. And to say he thinks the Americans have something different in their food because he goes to the loo (bathroom) a lot, and in order to deal with this problem he is now having a large plate of vegetables with each meal…(ahem which is no doubt adding to said problem), and to say thanks for the care package, but could I please send biltong (South African dried beef) next time, (not American beef jerky), and in case I do want to send this here is the web site and to say the Jamaican in their quad dorm is violating all rules of the dorm contract, so they have found another fellow for the Jamaican to swap with so that sanity can be restored. And that his GF is very cool, kind and caring, and that I am not to worry about him at all as he loves me more than anything else, and he cant wait to see us at Christmas when he flies home to Zimbabwe. And that he is coming first in two of his classes (which ones?) and that his mid term exams are going fine, and that it is incredibly cold and he doesnt have the right clothes, but that he will shop online and order what he needs, and they love going into Manhattan at the weekends, (and do what I wonder),oh and did I mention he LOVES college! I read somewhere the other day, that from the time our children are born its our job to prepare them to leave home, but I still miss him.</p>
<p>Zim, I enjoyed your post. SJTH, enjoy your son’s visit. My H is at a football game with our son this week-end, so it’s just me and the cat. I had GS cookie training this morning (am the service unit cookie manager), so have a sample box that I decided needed to be tested with a cup of tea, which will be followed by a nap, and then a good book.</p>
<p>Ooh - any new cookie varieties this year?</p>
<h1>theory - glad to hear your son is home safe and sound!</h1>
<p>At my church we have a “post high school ministry” that puts together care packages twice a year for our kids at college, military, etc.</p>
<p>^^sample a few for me, like the Thin Mints, and the one with coconut. 
</p>
<p>Zimcollegemom— sounds wonderful. In Manhattan they are likely going to a club, museum, show, club, shop…you name it. Manhattan has it all. I am happy for you that he is doing so well. Pat yourself on the back!</p>
<p>OK - on a noncollege note, today I started back in running!!! I did a 5K breast cancer walk in the AM with a friend (28 degrees outside, too!!!) and thought, this is it. I miss this!! So…this afternoon I did a run/walk - jogging intervals, fast walking intervals…to build it up. YAY!</p>
<p>The new flavor is called Berry Munch (has cranberries). I think I’ll stay with the Thin Mints. </p>
<p>S2’s school posts any midterm grades of D or F so the student can consider the option of dropping the class (last add/drop day is Oct. 30th). If the grade is a C or above, no grade is listed. He assured me that he doesn’t have anything lower than a B, so wasn’t going to check but he gave me his password and told me to feel free to look if I wanted. What mother could resist that? He was right–lovely blanks next to each course, but I did enjoy snooping around inside the system checking out career services and a bunch of other interesting stuff.</p>
<p>Berry Munch…any nuts? I like cranberries and nuts in cookies. Whole Foods makes a Jumble cookie that is to die for…Thin Mints I can plow through all too fast!!! They just go down so easily. Naughty Girl Scouts!!! :-)</p>
<p>
Yup, been there, done that, too! Anyone else out there done the Council President thing?</p>
<p>Still watching that stupid “Yes to the dress.” How long has this show been going on? Seems this marathon is going forever!! However, I am not completely wasting the day. H&I went for a really nice long walk and so I feel like I took advantage of the day somewhat. Got a letter from S’s High School saying they like to send all the new graduates/freshman a care package the first semester of school and just want to make sure they have a college address. It’s brilliant marketing from the alumni association! They end up keeping tabs on them, but it is true that they always have fun stuff going on for kids to reunite. Homecoming, which traditionally reunion time, they do a holiday party at the school over Christmas break where a ton of people come back and the teachers are all there etc. Anyway… they indoctrinate them early into “alumni” category, but it seems to work for everyone!</p>
<p>No sign of nuts, although I had to eat a couple more just to make sure and can now confirm that they go equally well with tea or wine.</p>
<p>^too funny. And too bad no nuts. Thank you for your very thorough evaluation of them. :-)</p>
<p>Found D2’s favorite granola bars at SAMs today…I feel a package coming…</p>
<p>zim, I’m so glad you finally got some real news. I’ll bet you’ve re-read it a number of times already!</p>
<p>S, who is a first semester freshman, told me he has been thinking about graduate schools. Huh? BTW, this is the same one who chose the full-pay prestigious school over the full-rides he turned down as a NMS recipient, knowing that meant that we would not be helping him with grad school. </p>
<p>I resisted the urge to strangle him through the phone.</p>
<p>awww Laxtaxi that is great news - encourage him (but remind him of his need to contribute)
Really how wonderful that he loves higher education so much</p>
<p>Zim - great to have (finally) a piece of communication you can sink your teeth into.
I get the same thing from my kid, who does not feel he needs the pressure of having to answer his dear mother’s mail - and you know, maybe he doesn’t need it. But what a relief to you to hear he is getting on so well. So hard to be so far away…</p>
<p>My S spent most of the day sleeping. Waiting now for Dad to get home from a wedding gig and eat Birthday cake and ice cream (not that I can partake - lactose intolerance that not even a pill can help) S is now chomping at the metaphorical bit - hurry up dad!</p>
<p>I also love Say Yes To The Dress. But it makes me nervous to think of the cost of a wedding. Hopefully it will be many years after college and the bride’s parents will not be expected to pay the whole bill…</p>
<p>Zimmom, there are many threads about winter clothing hereabouts. Have your son check Land’s End website among others. If he thinks “it is incredibly cold” now he’s in for a surprise in a couple of months ;)</p>