<p>Holliesue -So sorry for your loss.</p>
<p>Holliesue: so sorry for your loss…</p>
<p>Holliesue, sorry to read about your loss.</p>
<p>I love the “Now, that’s an option” response. I will definitely use it on relatives with older kids who are borrowing way too money for their kids in college and are trying to give us advice. </p>
<p>Submitted ACT, SAT and SAT 2 scores to all schools today. ACT timed out on my once which was very frustrating. All systems go, we are on our way. Yeah!!!</p>
<p>S is in final stages of essay and suppliments. He seems really motivated to gets things in. Another yeah! (although I may feel differently next week if he misses a deadline.)</p>
<p>Not sure I mentioned here but Father was scammed out of 3K a couple of weeks ago, with the “I am your grandkid in jail and need 3K to get out” phone call. Father thought it was my S in Cananda in Jail and promptly sent 3K via Western Union. We were able to recover the money and moved most of his money out of his checking into a savings account I control so if it happens again damage is limited. Later that same night he gave out his SSN to someone he claimed was from Western Union. URGGGHHHH. I had to go to his house and make calls to the various credit reporting agencies to put fraud alerts on. </p>
<p>This week, as I was walking off a plane for work travel I got a call from my brother that he just got a call from a State Trooper in a neighboring state that my Father rear ended another car and was confused. My poor 10yo DD was not happy that she had to wait another day to see Mom again. Although the car was badly damaged, no one was hurt. My Father was taken to the local ER for tests and observation. My Brother and I drove up and retrieved both that night. We decided to take my Fathers car away with the ER Docs approval. How could we live with ourselves if he killed someone. Luckly I was able to get my BIL to agree to go over to drive my Father where ever he needs/wants to go for a few hours M-F. BIL needs the extra money and I need my Dad to feel like he has some independance. His neighbors are helping out and so far my Father is not complaining too much. Poor guy, loses control of most of his money one week and his car the next. </p>
<p>House is a mess. Winter stuff is lying all over the place to be either put or given away. Summer stuff is lying all over the place awaiting the same fate. Because my VPN for work would not work at the hotel I was staying at I am way behind at work. All I can do is what I can do. oh well. </p>
<p>We usually go skiing during xmas break, I really hope we can go someplace warm and relaxing this year instead. I know I will be so ready for a rest by then. </p>
<p>Happy Sunday night to all!</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts!</p>
<p>holliesue, sorry to hear about your family member.</p>
<p>mamom, sounds like a tough situation, but unfortunately one which many of us will face if we haven’t already. Good luck.</p>
<p>We try to go someplace warm at Christmas vacation and skiing in March in Western Canada. I get tired of Massachusetts weather and I like to warm up my soul.</p>
<p>ShawD wants to go back to Park City with her joined-at-the hip best friend in March (We’ll be going to different colleges next year and we won’t ever see each other ever again). Friend’s family has graciously invited her each year to their place despite the fact that Friend is the captain of the undefeated state championship ski team and ShawD is a tentative skier due to vision problems she had earlier in life.</p>
<p>Mamon, what a lousy week or two for your dad (and you)!</p>
<p>Tough call on when they need to give up the car, but I think you made the right decision. GREAT that your BIL can help transport him. The saddest thing is when losing the car-keys translates into being homebound.</p>
<p>Hope all things settle down for your dad and that he is content.</p>
<p>Morning All</p>
<p>Holliesue, so very sorry to hear your news. Praying that you and your family feel the support and comfort of Him, your family and friends.</p>
<p>MAMom, that is really tough, both the bank accts and car. Very tough to handle the difficult choices with an aging parent. </p>
<p>Saw this item and given all of our birthing analogies, thought it fun [Mom</a> Brain Grows After Childbirth - Technorati Women](<a href=“http://technorati.com/women/article/mom-brain-grows-after-childbirth/]Mom”>http://technorati.com/women/article/mom-brain-grows-after-childbirth/)</p>
<p>Hello all -</p>
<p>hollie, my condolences. Best wishes to your family.</p>
<p>I think someday we’re all going to need an “Aging Parents Confidential” website! I can feel a million issues coming from mine. Luckily Dad (they’re divorced) is already in a multi-service retirement community. Mom needs at least one more transition, and pretty soon; I wouldn’t say she’s teetering yet, but it’s on the horizon.</p>
<p>Yesterday D slept until noon, had music rehearsal in the afternoon, and we left at 4 for dinner and a great play as her post-ACT treat. She and BF loved it. This morning she’s back in the saddle, and we already did the college app check-in. After school we’ll do all of the rest of the busywork on the non-CA apps and finalize the recommendation stuff - she has done her job with the teachers, and at least one written rec is in the GC’s hand. I wouldn’t say she was jumping for joy at this idea (it was 7 a.m., after all) but she knows it’s coming. I didn’t mention the “e” word, but she knows that’s next on the list. She also knows I had to talk to her this morning about it, so I don’t get the 3:00 text saying she’ll be at so-and-so’s house until music rehearsal and not home until 9. </p>
<p>I said as cheerily as I could that a good week of work, and this will not be hanging over our lives any more! She knows … but I could sense some dread and a basic I-don’t-wanna feeling. Of course she’d rather have fun! But as we all know, a deadline is a very good thing, and she’ll be glad in the long run.</p>
<p>@holliesue: zichrona l’vracha. I am so sorry for your loss. I am glad that you can keep your perspective on everything and that your D is okay.</p>
<p>Here at home, we learned a very important lesson last week re: how important it is to follow up on document tracking, etc. S is a hs senior and we are in the midst of applying (duh), but I also have an OD who is transferring colleges. First choice school is rolling admission with a 9/15 deadline. We thought everything was in order, having ordered transcripts from prior college six weeks ago. I have mentioned to both kids that it is incumbent upon the student to make sure that the school gets the info it needs…not the other way around (seller’s market, anyone?). She finally called the school and it turns out that transcripts were sent to the wrong school. We are now officially six weeks behind other qualified applicants…not good, as transfer slots are limited.
Lesson: There is no harm in following up with your HS to be sure documents were sent. If your app does not read complete within a 3 to 4 weeks, you may want to follow up with a phone call.</p>
<p>So sorry about your loss, Holliesue.</p>
<p>I’ve never been hesitant to discuss my kids’ choices because all applications have been to good but not highly selective schools that were safeties or pretty close to it…we’re all about the “most merit money at the best school.” I am extremely generous with info among the other parents at school because so many of us are in the same boat … not rich *by any means * but too high of an income to qualify for need based aid. With guidance from the GC’s office being next to non-existent, I sort of see it as my mission to tell parents in my financial boat that there are alternatives to either state school or debt.</p>
<p>Hollie…sorry about what your family is going through…(((hugs)))</p>
<p>On a college note…WHOOOO HOOOOO! She has FINALLY hit “submit” on her most important (in her mind) application. It is the financial & academic safety, and a <em>specific</em> honors program is her dream, reach…what ever you want to call it. So it was really a package deal and it is DONE. </p>
<p>She had a bounce in her step this morning and she says it feels like the valve on the pressure cooker has been released. In the next 24 hours she will receive an additional supplement from the honors program but word of mouth says it is just a personal statement and an upload of her resume which she already has completed! She needs to have this done by Friday to meet the priority rolling admissions date of November 1, 2010. But the hard part is done and I, personally am so relieved!</p>
<p>Such timely posts about aging parents. I’m meeting with mine today to get them (mostly dad) to allow for oversight control and online access to bank accounts and credit cards. Dad has recently stopped driving after a series of fender benders; mom is slowly letting go. Fortunately they live in a place that has great bus and car service as we are 40 minutes away and my husband is our only driver. We will be getting their old, low mileage, dinged up car to replace our older, high mileage, very dinged up car.</p>
<p>Holliesue–my condolences to your family. </p>
<p>Thanks to all who’ve given advice. My daughter has finally submitted her first college application and just completed her fourth scholarship application! It is such a relief to get that first application in, and now that she has done so, the others should go faster. </p>
<p>Keep the stories and advice coming!</p>
<p>Holliesue - I’m sorry for your loss.</p>
<p>My husband and I are also dealing with aging parents. We are definitely the sandwich generation.</p>
<p>We had a very productive week here and my daughter has submitted 5 applications. She has one honors ap due by December 1st, and then will be done until she hears from her ED school. Now she’s stressing about whether all her paper work has been receivied. She submitted supplements to two common ap schools, but hasn’t gotten comfirmation from the schools yet. How long does this process usually take?</p>
<p>@holliesue - so sorry for your loss. Hugs and best wishes to your family.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone for your condolences. While my uncles passing was very sad, we take comfort in the memories and knowing that he lived a full wonderful lifetime and are relieved that his suffering has ended.</p>
<p>Regarding aging parents–I suggested to my widowed mother that when she flies to my state for my daughter’s high school graduation, it might be a good idea to look at an assisted living place nearby, so when the time comes, she will have an option. She was receptive, fortunately. I want her to be able to stay in her own home as long as possible, but the longer it is, the more her friends will have passed away or be in poor health themselves. </p>
<p>My mother’s mother-in-law (my grandmother) refused to consider moving to my parent’s state when she needed additional help. The result was that my father had a difficult time helping her when she needed it. I think this experience makes my mother more receptive than she might otherwise be to considering such a drastic step.</p>
<p>momjr - while some schools posted status within a week, most have taken about 2-3 weeks to notify reciept of the applications/amaterials. If you used the common app, you cans see the date when the college downloads the app into their system.</p>
<p>Sorry for your loss holliesue. mamom -a couple of hard weeks for you and your dad. Good luck -as much as you hate to admit it, the parents are getting older and are less likely to manage on their own.</p>
<p>We had a good, but incredibly busy weekend with the fundraiser that D was chair for. She was incredibly busy all weekend, starting right after school on Friday. She had the ACTs on Saturday morning, more prep for the fundraiser in the afternoon and a Halloween dance on Sat night. All day yesterday was spent at the fundraiser - by the time we came home at 8pm, she could barely walk/talk. She somehow got through her homework and hit the bed around 10pm. Of course, nothing got done on the apps front. Am hoping she can focus and get some of this stuff completed before Nov 1st! The fundraiser was amazing, went off really well. Some of the adults involved with this came up to me and said they were amazed at the energy D had and the drive in putting this together in a short span of 3 weeks.</p>