<p>Has anyone actually used Bed Bath & Beyond’s “ship to your college” option with any of your older Ss or Ds? That seems to be the best option for us since D is going so far away but I would hate to get there and find out that her stuff wasn’t there.</p>
<p>I know several people who have used the BB and B “ship to your college” option with great success. I considered it with D2, but my husband wants to take a road trip (8 hours) to Boston. </p>
<p>Any of you New Englanders have a suggestion of a fun place for us to stop for a few days after dropping our D off in Boston? We’re considering Newport.</p>
<p>At Cornell the beds we saw were adjustable in height, so you didn’t need separate risers. Even though we are driving, the car is small enough that we may ship some stuff to school. Still trying to decide on buying versus renting a mini-fridge because I don’t know if he’ll be able to find cheap storage for the summers.</p>
<p>On insurance, we will waive the school’s and use our own. The school raises the point of confidentiality – that there is a concern a student might not seek care for an “embarrassing” issue if they know the parents will find out about it through the insurance claims. But we really can’t justify the cost of separate insurance for him when we already have him covered!</p>
<p>My S has been my FB friend since he got his account, but I imagine/assume he will/does block me and other adult relative “friends” from seeing some stuff!</p>
<p>@momjr, what kinds of things are “fun” for you?</p>
<p>DS is also going to school in MA. We waived school’s medical insurance. I understand that the fee for the health center is included with all the other fees.</p>
<p>Re: FB - son will not friend me but gave me his password if I want to look. I haven’t, but will if I suspect a problem. Obviously he can change it at any time.</p>
<p>ShawWife was able to induce ShawD to go through the closet/room – tornados hadn’t hit our town but appear to have hit her room – but had to do it with her. We had an 18th birthday party for her with the two families with whom we’ve been celebrating all family birthdays and a number of Jewish holidays since before ShawD was born. I missed it as I was in Singapore. We did invite one additional family, whose D is friends with ShawD and whose son is friends with ShawSon. The four of them were going to travel together this summer in Eastern Europe (we told ShawD she could only go to Eastern Europe if her 6’5" 220 lb brother or some equivalent went). that trip didn’t work out. She is now in Paris for 10 days with one of the two families described above, whose son is in ShawD’s grade and they’ve been raised like cousins. </p>
<p>I noticed, FlMathMom and MaryOC, that ShawSon’s school also required an opt-out of health insurance and to provide a certificate of health insurance before they would waive the fee. You might want to check what is required to get the waiver. </p>
<p>I also had ShawSon sign a waiver to HIPPA and FERPA (I think this is the law that otherwise blocks schools from talking to you about grades, school problems or money problems). So far no problems in two years AFAIK, but I wouldn’t want them to fail to tell me if they knew of problems. I’ve thought about whether I should set up some kind of revocable trust or will for the kids, as they have some, very modest assets.</p>
<p>momjr, my favorite place in New England is Martha’s Vineyard. You can take a ferry there from Woods Hole or Falmouth. I am less of a fan of the Cape. </p>
<p>I’m also a fan of Concord (first battle of the American revolution started at North Bridge, Walden Pond, houses of Thoreau, Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Nathanial Hawthorne, etc.) At the Alcott’s house, you can get a tour from Louisa herself. And, for some reason, Sunday brunch at the Colonial Inn (Washington slept here and they haven’t changed the menu or the mattresses ever since) often includes poetry recitals from Emily Dickinson (not sure why she is in Concord and not Amherst where she belongs). Town center puts the Q in Quaint.</p>
<p>Other places? I like Providence (especially if the Water/Fire thing is on). I’ve only been to Newport twice. Definitely pretty, but somehow I wasn’t captivated. There are lots of places on the ocean if you are driving that way. I’ve hiked parts of the Appalachian trail on the MA/CT border. Kent, CT area is lovely.</p>
<p>You can PM me if you think I can be of assistance.</p>
<p>Does anyone know about/have pdf’s of generic FERPA and/or HIPAA waivers that could then be taken to a notary, or do we need an attorney? I looked on bluejr’s university website. I found regulations, but no forms (drat!). Under FERPA information it mentions that information is released to parents of dependent children. We will still claim him as a dependent but I’m not sure if this is what they were pointing to. </p>
<p>Perhaps I should let the graduation fog lift and tackle this in a few days. 
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<p>The Facebook is a hard call. That seems so odd to me, but my kids are fb friends with their dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc, we have passwords, and there’s no blocking going on (nor are there alt accts). It’s not how they operate. That said, kids, relationships, strengths, are all different. One size does not fit all. I’d hate for someone to judge me/my kids based on their perceived ‘touchy points’ (oh, they ARE there!!!) so who am I to say what Facebook relationship status between parent/kid is right! The one that works…</p>
<p>MOSB brought up a really good point that relationships are so hugely dependent and interrelated to those that are in the house…it’s exponential. My relationship with bluejr isn’t just one-on-one…there’s his relationship with his dad, mine with bluedad, two brothers with him…well, you get it. Even when it’s just the two if us it’s very crowded with other people. Good, bad, or indifferent, it’s not the same as a single parent/child relationship. I love that we are all so varied here in experiences, background, location, where are kids are going, studying, some empty nesters, some with kids still in primary school. IMHO it makes this a much better place and helps give me a broader view then my own backyard, which admittedly can be limiting. I learn a lot from you guys!! :)</p>
<p>Avondad - You party sounds awesome! I had to look up the corn game (google is my friend!). It sounds like a lovely lawn game even I could play 
And you’re right, those drinks will probably last you through the summer!</p>
<p>I have to point out the best grad gift bluejr got was from my mom. She made him a quilt for the dorm with the boarder in his school colors. In each corner are blocks of eyes…literally the fabric has tiny sets of eyes watching him!! I cracked up! 
She said when he was studying he could think of her watching. I had to point out this was on his dorm bed and that studying wasn’t a concern. Go mom!! He loved the quilt, btw.</p>
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<p>I have done my work here well. :D<br>
Honestly, I have not exaggerated anything that has happened at the school so I appreciate the horror/sympathy/distaste.</p>
<p>(Standard addendum here. 
)</p>
<p>^ I’m totally on board with this!!</p>
<p>(My son has graduated, kinder’s dd has not, and I still hate her school. )</p>
<p>Oh if anyone is interested in innovative education models they could check out this website.<br>
[Tech</a> Valley High School](<a href=“http://techvalleyhigh.org/]Tech”>http://techvalleyhigh.org/)</p>
<p>There is a particularly good article from the Business Review down in the scrollable list of articles that profiles the graduation class of the school. There is one girl in the middle of the picture that kind of looks like an alien (meant in a good way) among the rest of the classmates. Enjoy.</p>
<p>shawbridge - I’m meeting with my atty to change our trust, wills, etc now that son is >18 and doesn’t need a guardian. I’m going to have a power of atty, living will and all that legal stuff drawn up for him too now that he legally is an adult.</p>
<p>FlMathMom, ask him/her about a pour-over will [I think that is what it is called but I’m not an attorney] if your son has any assets or how the documents would handle the kid’s assets if he were to predecease you.</p>
<p>blueiguana, I just drafted an affidavit to the school from my son saying that he approved the school’s providing any information regarding his grades and academic performance, medical or financial issues, had my son sign it with a notary, and sent it to the dean. ShawSon’s college provided a HIPAA waiver. He signed it and returned it to the health service. If you’d like, I could send you both if you’d like – I’d just have to take out names.</p>
<p>Here is a link to a standard FERPA form Blue - [Model</a> Form for Disclosure to Parents of Dependent Students - FERPA](<a href=“http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/safeschools/modelform.html]Model”>http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/safeschools/modelform.html) And here’s a link for a HIPPA one <a href=“http://www.caring.com/forms/hipaa-release-form/free-hipaa-release-form.pdf[/url]”>http://www.caring.com/forms/hipaa-release-form/free-hipaa-release-form.pdf</a></p>
<p>Thanks for your offer Shawbridge, I really appreciate it. I’ll look at the links kathie sent and see if that covers what we need. You guys are the greatest!! :)</p>
<p>For the 3 (4?) of us that STILL have students left to graduate, I just had a cute idea. I’ve decided to change my FB profile pic everyday leading up to G-day with photos’ of my son. Today’s picture is of him rolling his eyes at the SAT shower curtain I got him for Christmas a couple of years ago.</p>
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<p>I have been known to say something similar–“He’ll miss me when he’s gone” referring to my son who seems to forget everything and expect me to bring it to school, remind him of due dates, yet roll his eyes when I do so! 
It will be interesting to see if he tells us all the things he forgets the first year!</p>
<p>We were given the option to opt out of student insurance, which we did also. I’m planning on getting the waivers signed also, hopefully.</p>
<p>We got the physical done last week. Has anyone else run into needing a booster for the meningitis vaccine? DS needed one per his school and the shot clinic didn’t want to give it to him because they had never heard of the booster–they always assumed that one was enough. They finally found it in the big book from the CDC with details on all vaccines. I’d never heard of it either.</p>
<p>We are one of the late graduations here. Seems like it will never end, but we are just over a week away from graduation. Prom is next Friday, and the 8th grade dance is the same night (planned that way by schools). DS2 has a “date” to the 8th grade dance, and the girls seem to think it is their version of prom and want to be asked like the HS girls. So he is going to get a rose to ask her. He’s already ordered the corsage–flower shop was aware of this phenom, and even had great suggestions for more modest options for 8th graders. DS1 never went thru this, so this is all new territory with DS2.</p>
<p>Yes…meningitis booster was given to S1 in April. I believe it was not only recommended by clinician… but also required by college.</p>
<p>Kathiep - Thanks for the forms. One more thing off my TO DO list. YIPPEE.</p>
<p>VAMom - Son got booster for meningitus…chicken pox too. <a href=“http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/who/teens/downloads/parent-version-schedule-7-18yrs.pdf[/url]”>http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/who/teens/downloads/parent-version-schedule-7-18yrs.pdf</a></p>
<p>Two days of no husband and no children has been fun and frustrating. Went to the Princes Diana exhibit in Kansas City with the mom of DS2’s prom date from 2010. It was a lovely day. The exhibit shows Diana childhood with letters to her parents, photo albums that look just like yours and mine, funny home movies. The display of dresses is wonderful. But I think my favorite part was the multiple drafts of the eulogy that her brother gave at the funeral. As I writer, I was intrigued by his thought process and his struggle to balance propriety with his resentment of the royal family.</p>
<p>Today was supposed to be my sit-by-the-pool day but the temperature didn’t get 72. So I decided to mow the lawn but the mower died on me three times. I got about 3/4 of the way done. So instead, I cleaned DS2’s room. Three trash bags later, it looks pretty good. I did not throw away a single Lego, I found 5 dozen Nerf darts and I put anything that looked like he might want to keep it in a box for him to handle when he returns. And he has enough unsharpened #2 pencils to last through graduate school!</p>
<p>Sweetest part of the clean and purge was finding all the notes and cards I sent him at “nerd camp” in the summers before 8th and 9th grade. I had a little cry over those.</p>
<p>kathiep: Thanks for the links to the forms!</p>
<p>Re shots – S2 had the meningitis booster, but now needs the updated version of the tetanus booster as the nurse explained that the version that he got 5 years ago didn’t include pertussis and pertussis is on the rise. He also needs an additional Hep A. Won’t he be excited to find out that I’ve scheduled him to get these taken care of on Saturday – his day off??</p>