Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
17021

<p>We will be at Parents’ Weekend because it is a home football game weekend and we have season tickets. We will be on campus six weekends the first semester. DS2 says he’s looking forward to bringing his friends to our tailgate parties!</p>

<p>We did not go the DS1’s Parents Weekend his freshman (and only) year in school because of the cost of two airplane tickets, but opted instead to send DS2 to Siblings Weekend–his first solo airline flights. They had a blast and in hindsight, it was a great opportunity for them to bond before DS1 left school, got married and became a dad.</p>

17022

<p>OWM: I’m so glad to hear that your mother’s surgery went well. I hope she recovers quickly.</p>

<p>Proudmom: I understand how you feel about your older daughter. My daughter is spending the summer in her apartment in Philadelphia, and it feels wierd not to have her home for more than a few days at a time. It was very nice having her home this past weekend, but she’s already very stressed out about finding a job when she graduates next spring. I had to tell her to relax and try to enjoy the summer and her senior year!</p>

<p>Strawbridge: I agree that you daughter should add an easy class to her schedule. My D1 tried to knock out her core requirements the first two years. That was helpful while she picked a major.</p>

<p>Mamom: I’m glad to hear that your son is excited about his dorm, but sorry about the roommate issues. It will work out. </p>

<p>In terms of microwaves and fridges, I recommend considering renting them if you don’t live within driving distance of the school. They can be a pain in the neck to move and store each year. If the school offers suite or apartment housing for upperclassmen, your kid will only need them for a year or two. </p>

<p>We went to Parent’s Weekend my daughter’s first two years. Last year we had a conflict, so we visited her during Homecoming Weekend instead. Even though we don’t do many of the school sponsored events, she really likes us to come. I think that Parent’s weekend is a better time to bring siblings than move-in. It’s also a nice chance to meet some of your son’s or daughter’s friends and their families.</p>

17023

<p>Hi all – I was away for a week and had a lot of catching up to do. But I read every post and enjoyed all the news and wisdom that you have shared. </p>

<p>OWM – So glad about the outcome of your mom’s operation! </p>

<p>Congratulations to our newest graduates!</p>

<p>Mamom – Sorry about the room mate situation. </p>

<p>Mosb – Hope sb gets her voice back soon.</p>

<p>Shawbridge – I love reading about your wonderful kids and how you can start a paragraph describing your daughter with “not intellectually oriented so far” and end it with “She worked one summer as an intern in a university bio lab and did a summer science program (in bio) at another university.” - LOL A cosmetics scientist sounds like a fun job. </p>

<p>Liked the banking discussion. We didn’t decide what to do for our S, but from your posts I figured he would need an overdraft protection LOC or a savings account linked to the checking account. He is one of those kids that don’t spend a lot, but doesn’t keep track of how much money he spends. </p>

<p>DS is working on his first semester schedule. He was busy e-mailing professors and advisers at the U. His U allows only 4 classes the first semester, and I am happy beyond believe that they won’t break that rule. But it sounds like he might be able to enroll into a higher level Physics class. He looooves FL and will be taking the required freshmen seminar in French and hopes to spend a seminar in France at some point to perfect his language skills.</p>

17024

<p>keylimepie, thanks. You are right. Does sound funny. She’s not a big-picture intellect. She likes biology because she likes to work out the detailed mechanisms. Maybe she likes it more than she loves it. She hasn’t shown the intellectual curiousity of an academic – though it is possible and she’s bright enough if it hits her – but I think she would find a university lab science life didn’t fit her social style. Cosmetic scientist, if that is what it is called, well, the free samples might be really worth it.</p>

17025

<p>8th grade “graduation” tonight (sunny, hot) and HS tmw with 50% chance of showers (so pls people, the praying thing isn’t working, maybe move over to chanting or something? or pray harder?) Big party looms for Sun. pm and that forecast looks great! Besides a party to plan/cook/clean for (which seems like might be more like 80 people now - EEK), dd3 falls down the front steps on Sat. and might have broken her foot. I say might because our dingbat pediatrician didn’t want to refer me to an ortho (who has his own xray machine) but no, send me to an xray place that wanted me to wait a day for an appt, and then when said day comes up - oh, machine broke, “you will need to wait 2 more days” and pediatrician’s office grumbling about having to make a new referral for a different place and “why don’t you just wait?” - it is so frustrating to pay for this insurance - $1600/mo and get treated like I am on welfare or worse, that I am troubling them.</p>

17026

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<p>I was thinking of buying on Amazon and having it delivered with free prime shipping. Have to work out the timing, but that seems easiest. I told S to tell his roommate that we are willing to buy a fridge for S, that they can both share, and then S will have it for future years. I don’t think they need a microwave in the room – there is one in the kitchen on the floor. But if they want one, they have to get a “microfridge” because the microwave automatically shuts off the fridge while it is running to avoid overloading the circuits. I’m not convinced that that is worth buying, so if they really want that, I guess we will split a rental unless the roommate wants to buy that and keep it for future years.</p>

17027

<p>Momjr - My college senior is feeling the same sense of panic already about what she will do after graduation. I’ve tried to tell her to relax and enjoy her last year but I do understand why they worry - we definitely know kids who have graduated and not found jobs right away.</p>

<p>Cooker - glad to hear that things are back to normal at your house!</p>

<p>Mamom - my understanding is that you can start order at BB&B anytime. When we went in to discuss with our local store, they said that they give you a scanner and you scan in all of the items that you want. The computer checks to confirm that those items are in stock at the store closest to your school while you’re still in your local store. Then the order is sent to the store by your school and they have 48 hours to take it out of stock, package it and put your name on it. Then it just waits for you to show up and pick it up.</p>

17028

<p>RE: BB&B – H called me at work the other day. “We got a 60% off coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond!” I was psyched – no one at CC has mentioned getting a coupon for that much! I get home, and he has proudly taped it to the kitchen cabinet. It is a postcard advertising a sale – “up to 60% off” – at…Crate & Barrel.</p>

<p>I don’t know – should I tell him? Or let him take it to BB&B and find out the hard way?</p>

17029

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I have one question…How would THEY survive without US?</p>

<p>OWM - glad to hear your mom is on the mend</p>

<p>Hugs and prayers flying out to SB</p>

<p>Shopping - I’ve made an obsessively detailed list of everything DS may have to bring to school. Anyone who wants a copy can PM me. It does not include a micro or fridge however b/c the school provides one for each room. What a bargain!</p>

<p>Cooker - so glad your home is back to normal</p>

<p>We are going to Family W/E in Oct. Glad we booked hotel in April. Just tried to add a day and they said they are sold out.</p>

17030

<p>OK, finally got 2nd referral (“we don’t fax it…you have to pick it up”) and new xray place has an actual working xray! Films get taken/developed but…“our radiologist has left for the day (@ 4 pm?) so it won’t be read until tmrw.” ARRRRRGHHHHH!!! Tech says hmmmm alot though which she said “could be something there…but I can’t say…” Oh puleeeeeze. Tell me if she shouldn’t be walking on it people - that is all I am asking. Give her a boot or some crutches and let me plan my son’s party in peace.</p>

17031

<p>argh AK how frustrating! Hope it turns out not to be broken after all this waiting!</p>

17032

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<p>Have a good one to add to that train of thought…</p>

<p>Recently got an automated call from AmEx “reminding” me to use my cash-back check. Hmmm wonder where it is…Come to find DH had the check stapled to the back of the bill–and filed in the paid March bills…the check was for nearly $900! Admittedly it looked like an advertisement, not a check.
So mentioning it to DH, I wonder outloud…what happened to last years check…?? Come to find t was attached to the bill…and it was for more than $1k!!!
Thankfully I was able to cash them both today! </p>

<p>On “other” news…we had a death in the family…a grandparent. It was sudden and unexpected. </p>

<p>I have been busy packing up and shipping old text books to book-buy-back vendors…Amazon, Abebooks, etc etc though between textbooks and other paperbacks, I have ALOT which need to be donated as I am not up for selling them myself online.</p>

<p>We are fully into summer schedule…</p>

17033

<p>AK - are you kidding me, no way would I wait a couple of days for an xray. Especially with kids. If it is broke, won’t the bones start to knit together, maybe incorrectly, while you are waiting? I am not a doc but I would force the issue. And isn’t she walking on the foot in the meantime possibly doing more damage? I have had to take my kids for plenty pf xrays and the doc usually refers us to to local hospital. It isn’t a hospital I would go to for big illnesses but good enough for an xray. It sounds like it is the office/front folks who are grumbling, I would talk to the doc. Good luck.</p>

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um, too funny. thanks for the laugh.</p>

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OMG. I was cleaning out a bunch of old laptop bags and carryons and found about $500 in two of them that H forgot about. Needless to say I forgot to tell him about the find!</p>

<p>Fog - my condolences on the deaath in your family. </p>

<p>I will be selling S’s HS tectbooks soon. Right now I am trying to get 11yo D’s summer clothes listed on craigs list.</p>

17034

<p>fogfog - so sorry to hear of your sad news</p>

<p>Amex cash back - I have mine applied to my credit card account once a year. No need to worry about checks being misplaced. That $2K must be coming in handy about now. I do a similar thing with BAC rewards. When the rewards reach a certain level, they are applied to credit card balance. Found $$$.</p>

17035

<p>fogfog - good scholarship find!
Ok, whilst at dd2s 8th grad “graduation” ceremony, ds goes to neighbors as instructed to borrow kid crutches, dd3 tries them out, but they are missing the bottom piece so she skids out across the floor and onto her butt. Now her butt hurts. Can’t make up stuff like this.</p>

17036

<p>fogfog - I read your post too quickly (bad bad me) and I am so sorry to hear of the death in your family. Sudden and unexpected are the worst. Though it might be the best for those who leave us, it sure does hurt those left behind. I’m sorry.</p>

17037

<p>Milmom, hope you are feeling better</p>

<p>owm, glad to hear your mom’s surgery went well. My mom had a similar surgery about 10 years ago and hasn’t had any issues.</p>

<p>EmmyBet, I can send you some kids and/or dogs if your house is too empty!</p>

<p>Keeping my fingers crossed for sb’s voice – can’t remember if the performance is over and done or not.</p>

<p>Owm, with us in CO and in-laws in St. Louis, I’d love it if we could just fold the k-state up edge to edge instead of drive across it! I always the signs for Mizzou when we drive all the way to St. Louis and next time I will “know” someone there.</p>

<p>On girls and sports (or Sports Illustrated!) – I hope girls can get over feeling weird about ANY “boys’ club” activities. I’ve been the lone woman in IT dept’s from time to time and am glad that’s getting very rare. I have to admit I know nothing about sports (I think the games move too fast for my brain), but I say GO SPORTS (AND SPORTS REPORTING) GIRRRLZ! [while I stand over here to avoid getting hit in the face by a ball].</p>

<p>Proudmom, I think the 15-hour to stay in honors seems a bit much. It could definitely encourage a kid to bite off more than they can chew. Isn’t 12 hours usually considered full-time? At my daughter’s U, they have to maintain a 3.3 GPA, but I don’t think there’s any course load requirement. I would definitely advise your daughter to make sure she has an easy class! [and first apt for college grad – yikes, don’t want to even think about that!]</p>

<p>shawbridge, your daughter sounds kind of like mine (well, apart from the tall, muscular, make-up wearing bit!) I would think she might want to wait on French until she has a better idea how the levels stack up in Canada and the US. Seems odd they don’t have anything in between “beginner” and “3 years previous study!” Too bad dance is not an option – that will be daughter’s easy class. My vote is for psychology. The lower level psych classes are usually interesting, fun, and relatively easy. Very cool that she has a career path mapped out that fits her so well!</p>

<p>fogfog, condolences to you and your family.</p>

<p>Regarding parents weekend: well at least that’s an easy call when the U is 15 minutes from one’s house!</p>

<p>Amandak, I think we need to add your doc (and probably your insurance company/HMO/whoever’s in charge) to the growing list of folks who could benefit from judicious application of a frying pan to their head! I hope your medical care will go in a more rational direction on this injury and all future medical problems. What is WRONG with people?!</p>

<p>Wait, why did I come here? Oh, right, I wanted to rant about my daughter. I was so happy, she was being so reasonable with her 15 hour schedule and she was only going to take one outside dance class. So today she suddenly decides that 3 dance classes a week (2 at the U and 1 outside) isn’t nearly enough for her FIRST SEMESTER EVER AT COLLEGE. She needs to take an additional two classes a week, which are off-campus. She has plenty of time to study for all her classes and take the bus to these three off-campus activities. Maybe this doesn’t sound so bad, but I think she is going to be in for a shock. She went to a high school with great teachers and excellent classes, but no AP’s, no IB’s, no honors, and perhaps most importantly NO TESTS. Okay, rant over. She knows that if she drops below a 3.0, the dance money is GONE.</p>

17038

<p>Aria, I’ve appreciated all your supportive comments on sb’s vocal events and challenges. One musician parent to another: Thank You!</p>

<p>Snoozn, thanks for the good thoughts. Opening Night is this Friday. Update: the silent treatment has worked very well. She said last night her tone and vibrato were great, even though she was singing on half-power, as she will again tonight (very supportive Director and Vocal Director).</p>

<p>She’s doing 4-hrs of rehearsal and 20 hrs of silence every day now thru Sunday’s performance. So far, so good, but please keep those prayers and positive thoughts coming our way. Crazy, I know, but somehow I DO think it helps! </p>

<p>Pepper, Tech Week is the week before a show opens. The actors/singers, usually for the first time (after weeks of rehearsing in studios or “rehearsal space”) now are actually in the venue they’ll be performing in. Usually there’s load-in on Sunday (all set pieces, costumes, and props are delivered to the venue). Set construction/painting/installation is completed, and on Monday, for 4 nights, full technical/dress rehearsals are run, with full costumes, hair, and make-up.</p>

<p>The pit orchestra is there (for the first time), the lighting and sound technicians work their magic, special-effects guys try out their fog machines and what-have-you on-cue,and these are full-scale rehearsals exactly as the show will be run that weekend.</p>

<p>Except they never are! Other performer-Moms here will join me in telling you all manner of tragic and funny things happen during Tech. Power goes out. Leading ladies lose their voices (ahem). The wig-guy shows up with the wigs for South Pacific. Except you’re doing Sound of Music. Oh, it’s lots of fun!</p>

<p>Many parent volunteers consider doubling up on their blood pressure meds as Friday’s Opening Night approaches. Directors scream, conductors flail their arms wildly…oh, it can be more entertaining than the real show. Because I work on sets, I’ve had the pleasure of observing many Tech Weeks, and every one has been memorable in some way.</p>

<p>Once, when sb was Dorothy in Wizard, we had failed to sew the velcro tight enough across the instep of her Ruby Red Slippers. As she linked arms with Scarecrow and Tinman and launched in to “We’re off to see the Wizard…” one of the slippers went flying off her foot, up and out across the pit, and into the lap of a cellist. Who without missing a beat tossed it back up onstage. Lots of fun! :)</p>

<p>ProudMom, had to gulp at your description of moving D into her first apt, and your realization that this was her home now. Boy, what a moment. You must be very proud of her, but I probably would’ve had a teary moment or two.</p>

<p>Definitely going to Parents’ Weekend in October. Wouldn’t miss it. Already booked my room.</p>

<p>Amandak, that’s ridiculous and unbelievable! What are these people thinking? “Um, yeah, what with your machine breakage and busy schedules, why don’t we just bring her in next month, would that be ok?”</p>

<p>Ok. Just read on…now apparently she will need a butt xray. Perhaps sometime in September would fit their schedules?</p>

<p>Fog, very sorry to hear of the death in your family. Sending my sympathies.</p>

17039

<p>fogfog – so sorry for your loss</p>

<p>soozn – I’ve heard several times that kids who work 8-12 hours per week tend to do better in their classes than kids who don’t because they are forced to plan their time out more explicitly. So… why not 8-12 hours of dancing, especially if it’s exercising a passion and could be some kind of “refuge” for her. (Assuming she’s not <em>also</em> working) I’m thinking it could be a really nice mental health break. My kids had no tests through middle school and adjusted easily for high school. Hopefully your D will have an easy time with that adjustment as well!</p>

<p>momofsb – that’s why they <em>have</em> tech week! Hope her voice is in top form by showtime! </p>

<p>parents’ weekend: I gave H the job of booking us a hotel, but he hasn’t done it yet, which is a bad thing – I’m sure we won’t be staying anywhere convenient. :-/</p>

<p>sheets: I know everyone likes BB&B but I got a good deal on sheets for S at overstock.com and they just arrived here – I’m very pleased with how soft they are. [Horizons</a> 300 Thread Count Printed Sheet Set | Overstock.com](<a href=“Overstock.com: Online Shopping - Bedding, Furniture, Electronics, Jewelry, Clothing & more”>Overstock.com: Online Shopping - Bedding, Furniture, Electronics, Jewelry, Clothing & more) in case anyone else is interested. </p>

<p>S left for camp yesterday. He’ll work there until the day before freshman orientation starts, so he’ll have one day at home to launder and repack most of his clothes! Packing other stuff before leaving was a bit scattered. We’ll be assembling some stuff for him, and I guess we can bring him everything he forgets when we go back for parents’ weekend ;-)</p>

17040

<p>I’m a new parent here so hello
to everyone. This group caught my attention obviously because of the topic. I also admit to laughing about the coupon story posted by Classof2015. Pretty funny.</p>