<p>Puma, forgot to send congrats your way on those 3 acceptances. Nice going! I will check out Dominion…never heard of it, but we do like board games. Or at least we did, back when there was time…hoping to get back to that life soon! :)</p>
<p>UT, did the TFNGRIET hug this evening. D asked if I had been dipping into the rum-cake…</p>
<p>Hi, RenMom. Merry Christmas!</p>
<p>Eeeeesh, I need another week to get these last gifts, clean the house, buy food…why does it always seem like this? Next year, I will start at Halloween. Ds’ car died this am whilst he was running late to get to school, right in the middle of our street. Hopefully, the grandpa-car was just having second thoughts about being active in the cold blustery winds.</p>
<p>If I don’t post, it is because I promised 9 yr old a gingerbread house creation of a place by a lake we have rented in the Adirondacks, complete with dock and island and kayaks sitting in the water (which will be made of blue melted sugar). Wish me luck!</p>
<p>Merrry Christmas and/or Happy Winter Break to all my cc friends!!! :)</p>
<p>amanda, that sounds adorable!</p>
<p>madbean - I think the nicest thing about your recent experience is that your son felt powerful and capable and made a thoughtful decision. I understand the “pre-buyer’s remorse” idea. It’s great to have as few regrets as possible. It sounds like he’s very comfortable with his plan.</p>
<p>Lots of kids at my house - my 2 D’s, our exchange student, and usually 1-2 BFs. I like that; it’s been quiet around here for a while. I think we’re actually ready for a nice holiday. D2’s BF leaves Christmas night for about 10 days - I imagine in her loneliness she’ll be ripe to crank out a couple of apps. Right now I’m just glad she’s able to rest and have a little fun.</p>
<p>Have a great holiday, everyone.</p>
<p>UT – What an awful experience! I am glad no one was hurt. </p>
<p>Amandakayak – the gingerbread house sounds wonderful! Can you post a picture of it when it’s done?</p>
<p>Oh UT that sounds terrifying-as others have said at least no one was hurt.</p>
<p>amanda my S is not taking them again. He assures me he could study for Lit 100 years and not do better-he has this mental block I guess with poetry and since the test is half of that he’s kind of out of luck. We figured with his SAT CR score it would be a piece of cake-not! Math II scores are good enough I am told-not exceptional but not deal breakers. Chem he didn’t retake because he told me he wouldn’t be ready for that until the end of the year (like his Chem teacher told him beforehand but he needed a science one at the time-doesn’t need it anymore). So he’s done-and mulling over if he wants to submit the last two apps that require these tests. He did but now he’s not sure. He has classes today and a test so he really just needs a couple of days to sort that out.</p>
<p>Now what I would really like to talk to you about is that gingerbread house. I wished you lived closer so I could send my little D over to help-that’s not my thing but she would so love it!</p>
<p>Last minute shopping and then settling in my mother in her new (and I hope) long-term home. To those of you who know about this ordeal I can tell you Mom finally, after five months of us begging, was given the proper tests at the proper facility. She does have dementia and it is pretty far along. It came on so suddenly we had hoped it wasn’t this but at least now we know. That brings a certain peace-although I would be lying if I didn’t say I have cried a lot since I got the diagnosis yesterday.</p>
<p>Well to everyone here who celebrates it Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a great day and gets to spend it with the ones they love.</p>
<p>My 2012 daughter spent last school year in Quito as a Rotary Exchange student. While she was never robbed at gun point, she and other exchange students were threatened (not at gun point to my knowledge but she may have chosen not to share that with me) and robbed in some instances. I was pretty mad at her when I learned that she had refused to give up her belongings to someone she thought had a knife. She was walking across a park by herself. I was just grateful that nothing happened to her. I guess the lesson learned is to talk to your kids about what to do if confronted. That had never occurred to me. Glad your son is okay. Sorry about the glasses and contact lenses, especially. I couldn’t cope without mine.</p>
<p>Amanda, it feels this way every year because we, foolishly, are working with the real date of 12/25. I have a friend who INSISTS (ahead of time) that Christmas is 12/23, Christmas Eve is 12/22, etc. She and her house always look like Martha Stewart-ville on the real holidays because of the fake deadline. I’m moving toward that system myself, and it really works.</p>
<p>I wish I could help you and younger D with that gingerbread house, it sounds so fun! Or help you clean your house and wrap presents. Mine are all done. (See? It’s that fake deadline thing, it really works.)</p>
<p>EmmyBet, glad you have D1 home and a house full of kids. I know you’ll enjoy just soaking up time with all of them.</p>
<p>Pepper, I am so sorry to hear of your mom’s diagnosis, though I know this is what you suspected. Still, to hear that official conclusion must be so painful, especially because of how suddenly it came about. You are a wonderful daughter and have inspired and helped me in handling my own mother’s health issues this fall. I’m so grateful for that and I hope you can enjoy some fun, restful times with your kids and husband this holiday week.</p>
<p>To all you wonderful cc friends who celebrate Christmas, MERRY CHRISTMAS!</p>
<p>To all you wonderful cc friends who don’t, have a wonderful week of relaxing, peaceful, and fun times with your families!</p>
<p>Morning, all. Just though I’d report on this morning’s baking project: the pretzel-Rolo treats! This recipe is absurdly easy – it takes longer to unwrap the Rolos than to do the entire recipe. Next up is the ever-popular Chex mix.</p>
<p>We got an unexpected treat in the mail yesterday – DS’s acceptance to the local LAC where the soccer coach has written him three handwritten letters! The admissions counselor he interviewed with back in early Nov. said not to worry if he didn’t hear anything until January, but that if he heard something by Christmas, it would be a nice gift. Yesterday, I open the mailbox and there is a large envelope from the school’s Office of Admissions . . . I’m thinking “This must be IT!” And it was.</p>
<p>So now, DS has been accepted to First and Second Choice Schools, both with soccer, as well as a third financial and academic safety, also with soccer, but really not on his list. </p>
<p>It will be a nice Christmas knowing that he has his two favorites in the bag!</p>
<p>Best wishes to all in your travels over the next few days and I hope nobody is facing the horrible weather of mud slides and floods and icy roads.</p>
<p>cgpm, Santa came early!!! Congrats to your son on the wonderful news!</p>
<p>Nothing to report here - enjoying a few days off work (only checking the blackberry a couple of times a day) but wanted to check in to say:
UT - I am both horrified at your S’s experience, and impressed with how well he handled it. My D will be doing a 6 week summer service trip at some yet-to-be-determined Central or South American country. Equador is coming off her list.
It seems like our group has been getting almost nothing but really great acceptance news which is just wonderful to hear. What a way to brighten the holidays Still no news here, but of course you have to SUBMIT an application to get a response to one.
I probably won’t be checking in for the next couple of days, but wanted to wish all of you who celebrate it a very Merry Christmas, and hope everyone enjoys time relaxing and sharing time with family and friends.
Extra hugs to Pepper.</p>
<p>I cannot believe I am typing these words - We are DONE. My son finally submitted his last two apps today. What a relief. Still tons of scholarship, honors college, and other things to do like finalizing his EE that was supposed to have been finished in July. Right now I am just enjoying this momentary feeling of elation and joy.</p>
<p>cgpm - Congrats on all your good news.</p>
<p>Merry Christmas to all my cc buddies out there. We don’t celebrate the holiday but do celebrate my hubby’s birthday on Christmas Eve. Last year we had a big party to celebrate the big SIX-FIVE. This year, just Chinese dinner with family, his favorite!</p>
<p>Hello, I am new to the forum. My D had an interview this morning for Columbia and the interviewer was rude and very unfriendly. He told my D that he doesn;t know anything about my daughter, her background and scores, etc and absolutely don;t care. My D asked if he cares to read her resume she had in her hands. He said, “Didn;t I said that I dont care…” My D said that he never smiled once except when he talked about himself. What a miserable person!! In retrospect, I thought it was kind of comical, but my D thought otherwise. Maybe he had a bad childhood, who knows…</p>
<p>Dosn’t that make a super impression!! You should keep the name and report them to admissions after the process is over. Were they just an alum?</p>
<p>Forest - When I graduated from college and was interviewing for accounting jobs, I came across a similar type of interviewer. At the time, some of my friends told me that he was conducting a stress interview and wanted to see how I would react. </p>
<p>Perhaps your daughter’s situation was similar or the guy was a jerk or he just found out his wife was leaving him for his best friend. Doubtful your daughter will ever know. Doubtful it will be her last similar situation so perhaps it can be used a learning experience altho it sounds like she handled it very well. I ditto Amanda’s suggestion.</p>
<p>Amanda and FIMath- I am talking to others about this weird expierce and they said the same thing. Personally, if it was me, I would set him straight but then it’s my 17 yr. old D who really wants to go to Columbia and afraid to offend some some shot alum. I think this can go down to her book as a learning experience of how to handle difficult people and unexpected situations. Thanks for your input.</p>
<p>I just err on the side that admissions probably doesn’t know some idiot is giving people an impression that might not prove favorable to their task (to secure a paying client, I mean “student”) - or, maybe they want to conduct a stress interview because they are “all that”? I did alum interviews for many yrs and I had some students that were rude…but not me, I was on my best behavior. I remember when I was 17 and went to an alum interview that sold me on my undergrad and it was simply because those alums made me feel like I was a really interesting person and that an interesting person like myself, would love to be at their school.</p>
<p>A great day at the Puma House - I finally pushed the submit button on the CSS Profile. Hurray! Now only the FAFSA left and mom’s job is done until the dust settles and decision time is nigh. It is nice to not have the job of doing the profile hanging over the holidays.
S also received a merit aid notice today that finally made him do the happy dance.
Happy Holidays or Happy Family Time or Happy Friday - Whatever you are celebrating, the Puma family wishes you a good one :)</p>
<p>Congrats to cgpm, puma and anyone else whose gotten good news the past few days. Good luck to those whose kids are finishing their applications.</p>
<p>My older daughter came from school very sick, and it turns out she has Mono. Fortunately, she had finished her finals and can recuperate over the break. </p>
<p>Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating the holiday. We will be watching movies and eating Chinese food tomorrow.</p>
<p>FlMathMom-congrats on being done!!!</p>
<p>momjr - wishing a quick recovery to your daughter. For any of you, children and adults, who have not gotten your flu shots yet, you might make the time to do so. Almost all the chain drug stores can give them which beats waiting in a doctor’s office full of sick people. The flu is spreading like wildfire here. Hopefully winter break will give the sick kids time to recuperate.</p>