Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
17001

<p>Only a few days left for this scholarship. You may have to try for next year.</p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.safetyscholars.com/]safetyscholars.com[/url”&gt;http://www.safetyscholars.com/]safetyscholars.com[/url</a>]</p>

<p>2011 Safety Scholars Contest Extended!
The fifth annual Bridgestone Safety Scholars Video Contest has been extended, and YOU could be this year’s $10,000 scholarship winner! This year, we’ve expanded our contest to include all drivers ages 16-21 in the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec).</p>

<p>To enter, simply create a 25- OR 55-second video about driver safety and upload it to our site by June 24th. We’ll narrow it down, and the top 10 videos will be posted on the site, where it is up to the public to vote on their favorite. The grand prize winner will take home a $10,000 scholarship, and second and third place each get a $5,000 scholarship!</p>

17002

<p>MMom, whenever I think I’m having a crazy summer, I think of you! Best wishes to your D on her trip. My D will be flying alone in a couple of weeks, too. </p>

<p>OWM - thinking of your mom. Sounds really tough.</p>

<p>Good luck to songbird as opening night approaches!</p>

<p>My D has been playing 3DS Ocarina of Time straight since Sunday morning. Can you spell G-E-E-K? My H went out at 7 a.m. on Father’s Day and got it for her (lucky, too - our Walmart only had 4 copies and he and another old fart were standing in line when it opened). </p>

<p>But she has a productive plan, too, starts her internship work tomorrow. Japanese D has been organizing her stuff all day. I see a trip to UPS in our near future … She leaves one week from today. </p>

<p>My house is going to get emptier, as snoozn’s gets fuller!</p>

<p>D1 posted a picture of a coqui frog on her blog, with a link to their song. They are cute, only half as long as her finger. The other day she and her team had to quit work - the rain was so loud in the forest that they couldn’t hear each other enough to record their measurements accurately. But apparently El Yunque is not officially a rainforest, only a “wet forest;” not enough rain falls there to qualify, interestingly enough.</p>

17003

<p>We heard/saw the coqui frogs in Hawaii. We enjoyed them, though most of the natives hated the noise. ;-)</p>

17004

<p>Thanks for the prayers and thoughts. The initial report from the surgeon is that he was able to get all the cancerous cells and get to a “clear” margin. He also didn’t need as much skin for a graft as he expected, so instead of harvesting it from Mom’s hip (where she had two harvesting scars already), he used cadaver skin. Sounds gross but we can tell her that part of her face is now that of a much younger woman! (No clue if that’s true but it makes a good story!) </p>

<p>Tomorrow, my niece (her granddaugher) has her nursing school rounds on that floor and gets to care for her grandmother all day. That should be the best therapy of all.</p>

17005

<p>OWM - So glad to hear the good news!!! I have been thinking about you and your Mom, so glad that they were able to give such promising news so quickly.</p>

<p>Snoozn - love the description of the prisoner exchange - maybe I won’t need to ups the girls out to Kinderny or Kathiep - we could meet halfway…hmmmm, that’s a thought. Dd2 is giving me the preteen crap this weekend, and I have no intention of taking it.</p>

<p>mosb - Hope d is feeling better!!!</p>

17006

<p>good news, OWM. Hope she recovers quickly from the surgery!</p>

17007

<p>I’m also looking forward to our new thread starting on July 1. I say the first one up that morning (one of our East Coast friends?) starts it and the rest of us quickly head on over.</p>

<p>OWM, glad to hear the good report on your mom. Please keep us posted.</p>

<p>Snoozn, had to laugh at the Kansas Prisoner Exchange. Too funny.</p>

<p>Thanks for keeping your fingers crossed for sb’s voice. I sit (right now!) in the parking lot outside the theatre waiting for her to come out of her first night of Tech, after missing the last 2 rehearsals of last week. Hard to say how her voice is because she’s been literally silent for the past 5 days. I don’t know how she did it…it was if she’d taken a vow of silence, although we wrote and typed notes furiously to each other. It drove me nuts not to be able to talk “with” her (foreshadows of next year???).</p>

<p>She seems better (God know she’s on every med and treatment under the sun), but until she actually sings, we don’t know, and she didn’t want to warm up until she got to the theatre. I’ll tell you, after over a decade of this, my nerves sometimes feel about shot. </p>

<p>Shaw, thanks for your thoughts last weekend. She does yoga, but not meditation/relaxation. We do know from conclusive (and repeated) medical testing that she definitely is allergic to lots of specific things. But you make a good point: it’s possible that, as is true of many medical conditions, stress makes it worse. Thanks for that thought. I’m going to explore it.</p>

<p>And thanks to FlMM for putting me onto another potentially helpful path. You all are the best resources!</p>

<p>Speaking of which…I signed up on BB+B as somebody recommended and got the 20 pct off one item coupon (which I promptly spent on the quilt she wanted). Are they going to send me more, or do I need to shop on their website to get more? There’s lots more stuff we need, but I held off because I want more coupons. Advice?</p>

17008

<p>OWM: So glad to hear the good news about your mom! I’ll keep her in my prayers as she recovers from this round of surgery.</p>

<p>MOSB: I signed up for BB&B, too, but have gotten only one coupon via email so far. In the past, I’ve collected my BB&B coupons and given them to friends with kids heading off to college. I’ve collected some over the past few months, but may hit on my friends for any extras they want to pass along to me.</p>

<p>FLMM: Thanks for the tip about Macy’s! I went on Saturday and came home with pillows, towels, and a sheet set. I was especially happy to get a set of XL twin sheets for a little over $20! That felt like a real deal!</p>

<p>AK: No connection to the weather gods, here, but I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for good weather for you!</p>

<p>kinderny: Whew! It’s over. Both a blessing and a relief, in your case! It was nice that they acknowledged the trust that parents had placed in the school, but it would be even nicer if the administration would now ask you for constructive criticism. </p>

<p>Sports Illustrated Magazine: For anyone who is interested, I received an email offering discounted Sports Illustrated subscriptions – $20 for one year (56 issues). I subscribed to SI for my oldest son when he started his freshman year and he has loved getting it in his mailbox every week. The best part – not having to share with his brothers! He says, that he was quite popular as a freshman and his new friends would come to hang out in his room so that they could read the new issue. If anyone wants the link to the discounted price, PM me. I’m planning to order it for S2, but need to time it right as his school said that his mailbox will not be available to him until Aug 7 and they’ll discard anything that comes before that.</p>

<p>CONGRATS to all our new grads! We’re happy you’re on the “other side” with us!</p>

17009

<p>ohiomom: I’ll bet your son was particularly popular with his SI subscription in mid-February when the swimsuit issue comes out! I started my SI subscription in college at a great rate and have had it continuously since 1974. Great writing, great photography.</p>

<p>mosb: sending thoughts and prayers for songbird’s voice. As I went outside this morning, I burst into “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” and thought about her.</p>

<p>snoozn: About the prisoner exchange. It is being made in kansas (no upper case k.) kansas is neither a proper place nor a proper name, therefore we do not capitalize here in the Show-Me State.</p>

<p>Part of me hopes my mom gets to go home today, part of me hopes they keep her in the hospital for another day to recover from the anesthesia. </p>

<p>We go to Summer Welcome at Mizzou Thursday and Friday, leaving Wednesday night since it’s a 3-hour drive and we have to register at 8 a.m. DS2 had such fun last night making his wish list of classes. Struggling to find a Physics lab that doesn’t conflict with Honors Calculus II but he kept saying “that’s what the advisor is for, Mom.” Excited about an Honors College discussion class (1 hour credit) in The Science Wars. Honors Physics, Bio, Chem majors discussing the similarities and differences in their chosen fields. Hoping all the classes on his wish list are still available Friday morning!</p>

17010

<p>ohiomom - I PMed you about the SI offer.</p>

<p>I am thinking about getting it for my D. She loves all sports and since she wants to be sports reporter thinking that may be a good thing but do you think they will think that’s kinda weird for a girl?</p>

17011

<p>gamom: I PM’d you the link. I don’t think it’s weird at all. I have to fight the guys at my house to get my hands on it, but I read every issue. Not only do I enjoy reading it, I love being able to “talk sports” with them. </p>

<p>OWM: Hmmmmm…no mention of the swimsuit issue!</p>

17012

<p>gamom: Not weird at all. I was the first female sports editor of a daily paper in Missouri in 1979. I have taught my husband more about sports than he ever knew before we met.</p>

<p>Plus, the writing in SI is first-rate. And much of it is about college sports so at a school like UGa, she will read lots of stuff that she can talk about with smart, cute, sports-minded boys.</p>

17013

<p>OWM ~ Great new about your mother! Keeping her in my prayers…
Impressive about you having been a female sport editor!</p>

<p>MOSB ~ Hope your D’s voice returns to normal soon. I really feel for you, as the mother of a musician myself.</p>

17014

<p>OWM good to hear it went well for your mother.
MOSB that is awful she has to deal with losing her voice-what is TECH?
FLMath still working on those scholarships? I might have my son check that one out-he loves videos! He could do a goofy one in Spanish. :slight_smile:
gamom I think it would be a great gift and not strange at all for a girl. I had a subscription to SI from a very young age and am a sports junkie-sounds like a great gift.</p>

17015

<p>OWM - sending prayers and good thoughts for your mom’s recovery! I’m glad to hear that the surgeon thought it went so well.</p>

<p>Snoozn - DD has to take at least 15 hours per semester to remain active in the honors program @ her school. That’s actually the one requirement that concerns me; if she registers for that many hours and ends up dropping something (which certainly does happen), she’s going to be in trouble. She’s been emailing with her advisor and I am recommending that she take at least one class that will be “easy”. As Shawbridge says, they will have soooo many things to deal with this first semester, I don’t want her to be overloaded and start off on the wrong foot, grade-wise.</p>

<p>Kinder - I’m so glad that graduation went as well as it did! And now you are FREE of that place!</p>

<p>MM - sorry to hear that your physical woes continue - take care of yourself!</p>

<p>MOSB - SB is doing all of the things I would have recommended so I can only add my prayers that her voice will come back strong for performances.</p>

<p>I spent yesterday moving my college senior into her first apartment. Talk about your “moments”… we moved her stuff in and then went to Walmart to stock her up on essentials. It was a long day and we left her happily figuring out where to put everything… I could tell she wanted to do that herself… Anyway, it just struck me that she no longer lives here in our home. She will go from this apartment to wherever the rest of her life leads her and, at this point, it doesn’t look like that will be in our city. I’m just not sure I’m ready for this!</p>

17016

<p>Well the tree is off my house, the floors are finished,and my D, S (and dog) are all back home. All is well with the world again! At least for now - we only have about a week to be together before D’s departure for South America next week; so much yet to do, and so little time to get it done. Work has been really busy, so I have to count on D to take care of lots of the details herself. I figure that the timing is right - this will be good preparation for her to be taking primary responsibility for things when she’s off at college. Several of her friends will be leaving for their colleges shortly after she returns, so she’s trying to fit some time in with them now in addition for travel preparation, so our dinner table will be full for the next week. I am going to miss having her friends around as well. </p>

<p>MOSB - I hope your D’s rehearsal went well and “the silent treatment” was effective. Fingers crossed.</p>

<p>OWM - Glad to see good news about your mom.</p>

<p>New graduates - Sounds like everyone’s experience exceeded expectations - especially kinderny! Congratulations to all.</p>

17017

<p>I put some grad pictures up on the shutterfly site! Looking forward to seeing KinderNY’s!</p>

<p>OWM - Good to hear the good news about your Mom’s grafts and glad to hear that she is cooperating with the hospital staff.</p>

<p>My son got his schedule for his fall classes and entered them into his phone. Looks like a good balance of challenging and easy. Great for first semester. We’ve decided to do a summer bucket list that will include things to do (fun), things to learn (tying a tie, laundry) as well as things that need doing (thank you notes, cleaning up room). We’re having a goodbye/graduation party in August.</p>

17018

<p>proudmomof2, I’m trying to help ShawD do the same. She has to take Biology, Chemistry and Math (Calculus). They strongly recommend but don’t require Physics, which is not her strength, and there is nothing about adding Physics to a schedule that makes it easier. She’s not a math whiz, though once she started taking Ritalin to deal with ADHD, her grades in the not highest track math courses went from B+/A- to the highest A. So, I’d imagine after calculus, she should look for statistics courses. </p>

<p>So, she’s got two courses to add. Here are my questions:</p>

<p>She wants photography, but I can’t find it anywhere in the catalog. They have a painting/drawing class. She’s pretty good at this, but loves photography.</p>

<p>Language. Not required. She has taken French for several years and they have French for beginners, French for kids with 3 years of HS French and French for kids with 5 years. She’s taken three years in HS (and two in middle school) but didn’t take it in senior year and also was never good at grammar. Speaks well. A concern is that French in Canadian high schools would be more demanding than French in US high schools. So she could take French for beginners or French for kids with 3 years of HS French. Beginners would probably be a bit boring, but she would pick up grammar, and it would be easy. French for 3 years – not clear if it would be too hard or too easy or whether her deficits in grammar would hurt her. They give a placement test in the first week but could adjust.</p>

<p>Alternatively, she could take beginning Hebrew. She doesn’t speak it but knows how to sound out the alphabet. She’d probably meet Jews in the course (which is one of the reasons she chose this school over the other one), though she could find that others are taking beginning language even though they do have language knowledge.</p>

<p>Psychology. I think she’d enjoy psychology and there is a link to biology that could be very interesting as neuroscience is one of the two most interesting areas in academia at the moment (from my perspective). </p>

<p>ShawD is interesting. A wonderful kid. Smart but not intellectually oriented so far. The only subjects she’s liked in school were biology, statistics, art and art history. Hated English, history. Will probably like Chemistry (she took it before Ritalin) and Biochemistry. Very, very social. Always has lots of friends – has lots of male friends but no boyfriends. Loves make-up and fashion. Watches make-up how-to videos on youtube. Is tall, thin, muscular and gets asked if she wants to model. Loves kids and helping people. I thought she would want to be a pediatrician (but I’m not sure she’d like the stress of medical school admissions/medical school), but I think I’ve found the ultimate job for her. Being a scientist (biologist/chemist) at a cosmetics company. [In concept, she loves the idea – plus the possible perks]. They are really incorporating real science into formulating make-up. She’d probably be the only 5’9" model-looking make-up aficionado to want to work in the R&D lab at a cosmetics company. [One of my firm’s clients is a major cosmetics company and my partner who works with them says he’ll be happy to introduce her to the right people, so internship not unlikely for a summer at least]. This career path, if she liked it, would probably cause her to get a biology PhD. She worked one summer as an intern in a university bio lab and did a summer science program (in bio) at another university.</p>

<p>Any thoughts? Other subjects she should consider? Unfortunately, most Canadian schools, including this one, don’t offer courses in dance, so that will just be an EC. She’ll probably want to teach a yoga class (after finishing her yoga teacher training this summer), but that will also be an EC.</p>

17019

<p>arrgggghhh - just wrote a very long personalized post and lost it. duh…I can’t do it again. sorry. We all seem to be moving forward, won’t be long before we make a list of when kids leave for the fall semester. </p>

<p>Congrats to our last few graduates
6/21 : VaMom2015’s S
6/23: SlitheyTove’s D
6/24-26: Holliesue’s D
6/27: aria2000’s S</p>

<p>Fingers crossed for great weather, great speakers and happy times!</p>

<p>Made a list of stuff S will need at school. Because his assigned room mate has requested to be moved to another dorm the room mate does not want to plan anything with S regarding the big stuff like refrig and microwave. The head of housing mentioned when I was out there last week that the school over enrolled by almost 200 kids and it is unlikely there will be any movement between dorms, but assigned room mate is adament he wants out of the all male dorm. S is now very excited about it. The all male dorm has a basketball court and a “man cave” (ie dining center turned into big activity room) with a huge tv, gaming consoles pool tables, etc. . The thing that stinks about the room mate situation is the beds have to bunked or one bed needs to be lofted (not enough room to loft both, desks are fixed). So S is assuming the beds will be bunked in case who ever his future room mate is doesn’t want to do the loft thing (which cost money). I don’t mind paying to loft S’s bed, but would hate to spend the $180 and find out he isn’t using it. </p>

<p>H & I decided we will hold off on the microwave and refrig and buy them once H brings him out to school for move in day. or do you think they will have a hard time finding them in mid August and we should at least order it earlier? And how soon can we start buying stuff at BB&B for pickup at one near school? I wonder if it would be better to buy stuff from Target instead because S will also need a bunch of office supplies,snacks stuff and misc and it might be easier to do the one trip thing out at school rather than hit several stores. </p>

<p>We originally thought about having the whole family fly out a few days before orientation. 11yo D hasn’t seen the school or the area and we thought it would be a nice last hurrah. But now we are thinking of all flying out there for family weekend at the end of Sept. Anyone else going out for the family weekend most schools hold?</p>

17020

<p>I think it’s a good idea to just buy the fridge and/or microwave once you get to the college town mamom. They take up a lot of space. </p>

<p>I am definitely going to the family weekend in October at my son’s college. Don’t know yet whether my husband is going to join me, if I’ll talk a friend into accompanying me or going alone, but I booked the hotel the week after son decided he was attending his college. It’s different at each college but I’ve found that at small LAC’s, it’s very popular for families to go to them. I did it for the first two years at my older son’s college, skipped junior year because he was abroad and senior year because we were going down for graduation and we only visit once a year. With our daughter we went for her freshman year only because we went out for a comedy improv thing she was doing sophomore year and then she was abroad junior year. Senior year, again, was the grad visit. I love seeing the kids settled, happy and like to meet the people they’ve been talking about.</p>

<p>gamom - I was thinking of sending son’s subscription to PC gamers magazine to him at college!</p>