<p>Has anyone given thought to what your student will do re: giving gifts/cards to professors for Xmas? In high school, DS wrote personal notes accompanied by a gift card to each teacher and his bus driver at holiday time and the end of the year. Have no idea what is appropriate in college. Thoughts please.</p>
<p>Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!</p>
<p>No countdowns today. Enjoy the day with family and friends and those great kids that have been away for nearly 3 months or longer. It is wonderful to have them home, even if it is just for a long weekend. :)</p>
<p>Wow - this "new’ thread has now hit the 5,000 postings mark in just less than 5 months. At this rate, we may hit the 50,000 posting total by the time our kids graduate in May of 2015. :eek:</p>
<p>I’m with you, lacrossemom – it’s really wonderful to see D so happy with her school, and proud to be there. She brought a school sticker for the car and spent time with H carefully fixing it on the rear window. She is happy. She is learning. She has tons of friends. This is the goal of the college process. Compare this to the angst of this time last year…I am truly grateful.</p>
<p>I don’t read nor post often here any more, but just wanted to pop in and say Happy Thanksgiving to all! I SO agree with the sentiment expressed by Classof2015 and lacrossemom, that it is wonderful to see our kids so happy at their schools. My D’s school truly is the perfect school for her! </p>
<p>… and remembering Thanksgiving last year when my D was JUST STARTING her TEN applications, I am TRULY TRULY grateful for the expected relative calm of this holiday season!</p>
<p>My older child ShawSon didn’t send holiday cards to professors, FLMathMom, and he goes to a small LAC. </p>
<p>I spoke with ShawD tonight and she’s excited to be coming home. She’s disappointed that her brother will be heading back to school – lots of work plus he left a key textbook there plus (unstated) the lure of the GF. ShawD says she’s enjoying things, but she would not be one to share it if she were not.</p>
<p>ShawSon is having an absolute blast. OK freshman year. He said sophomore year was the best year of his life. He’s working very hard but enjoying classes and friends. Nice to see.</p>
<p>Good morning. Coffee and fresh fruit are ready for those of you up. </p>
<p>I am wondering how many are up to go to work and how many are up because they have been up all night shopping? I am in the go to work group, though h and both kids were out shopping at midnight last night. I hope D doesn’t sleep through her 10 am doctor appointment. I will be working and not able to be here to wake her up. She is the one that asked for the appointment, I will have to trust that at 18 she can handle these things alone.</p>
<p>D really surprised her bf when she showed up at his house Wednesday night. His mom and sister really kept the secret well. His whole family came over for pie yesterday and were still laughing about his reaction when he saw her come in on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Still full from yummy dinner with my parents and DH last night. Son was with best friend. We celebrated Thanksgiving with him and my parents last Monday. Boo hoo…DS leaves at 7pm tonite. Oh well. Price of using frequent flyer miles. He had a good balance of family and friend time and is looking forward to going back to school. He even finished his paper. Gotta go. Off to the gym.</p>
<p>Happy Black Friday to you all! I hope you all had a great day with family and friends. We had a great day, very relaxed since it’s just the four of us so no pressure to eat at a certain time. The girls both slept in and then had a little something to eat, knowing the big feast was coming in mid-afternoon. DD1 and I hit the T-giving sale @ Old Navy and bought her a few things plus a ton of things for the two little girls in the family we adopted @ work. She’s working today and DD2 and I are going out to snag some toys for those same two girls.</p>
<p>Can I just say that it’s nice to have them both home, sleeping in their own beds above me? I am feeling truly blessed and thankful as I know you all are also!</p>
<p>Morning All.
Enjoy the coffee. Right now my kids are sleeping.
DH and I are up, have made cappuchino and I reheated some muffins and some slices of a sweet breakfast bread my neighbor dropped by mid day yesterday.
Feel like we have hit the food coma part of the holiday. </p>
<p>Happy the tree is up and the wreaths etc…the creche, etc. </p>
<p>This time tom kiddo will be touching down at the airport for the connection. The first flight leaves at “oh-god-early” tom morning. Kiddo should be back in the dorm and unpacked before sun down. </p>
<p>It has been a quick week. Have learned a bit about what the day-to-day life looks like at the U and have also seen some changes in kiddo’s independence etc. Kiddo has a far more independent and more private life that we really don’t know anything about…</p>
<p>I recall when we knew what kiddo thought/felt and what the schedule looked like a year or two ago…( Gosh, a year ago we were just celebrating knowing that kiddo would attend the U.) Now most of that is all independent and private from mom/dad/homelife…Kiddo has really carved out an independent life apart from family/home.</p>
<p>Fog - Can’t believe you have tree up, wreaths up?? I just can’t think ahead yet, still in the turkey coma. </p>
<p>Thanksgiving was good, turkey was the best ever, for some reason, it came out tremendously super this year - think I got the probe in the actual correct spot for the thigh for once (am always rereading the butterball site for explanations) so that everything was spot on done - and not over done. Just had our gang plus my Dad but as all the cooks out there know, it might as well have been 20 guests because you still cook the same!</p>
<p>Ds has been mostly chilling with the sisters, spent a few hours out with friends and tonight is the big (rescheduled due to that october snowstorm) homecoming game and the crowning of the new king (which we all hope is the current drummajor all-around-good-guy). Ds is excited to do a cameo appearance with the band - since it is post season, they are just doing a pep-band kind of thing with no uniforms, and since a number of kids won’t be there due to out-of-town holiday plans. He’s hoping to conduct a bit. Right now, dd2 and dd3 and him are playing Wii after waking him up with breakfast in bed. </p>
<p>Hope you are all enjoying the holiday!</p>
<p>AK–
Since we are just 4, I pushed to get this all up this weekend. Advent starts Sunday. Kiddo heads back to college tom am and then is back mid Dec. I knew that it would be easier and more fun as four, than three…And this way when kiddo returns and kiddo2 has break–we are on break…except for last minute shopping/wrapping.
I do try to have a color scheme in the decor…this year its white/green. So white wrapping paper with various green ribbons/trims. Last year everything was wrapped in white paper with either silver or black felt flocking and gorgeous burgandy french wire ribbon…</p>
<p>There have been years it all didn’t get done til very late in Dec…and then there have been years I have been on top of my game, buying gifts starting in July. One year I had all shopping done by Thanksgiving and all of the cards addressed. Went to the post office in one trip and went into Dec very relaxed…enjoying baking/cookie exchanges and parties. </p>
<p>Not nearly that organized in recent years–it depends on travel, elderly parents etc. I am adamant that we aren’t traveling this year as we have traveled to the elderly parents etc the last 3. We need a break to be home adn with kiddo fnishing exams etc–we know the sleeping/decompression time to not be on schedule is going to be important.</p>
<p>Kiddo chose homemade foccacia (carmelized onion/rosemary) and spaghetti with homemade sauce and sausage. So the potatos for the foccacia are baking. And I started the sauce. I know tom after the early am airport run I will be tired and sad…so just enjoying the moments. :D</p>
<p>Kiddo’s friends had gotten together mid day yesterday–though we were dong other things so kiddo missed out (I am surprised that so many were available during the holiday as opposed to being with family/grandparents etc…) The group’s doing something tom…which is too late. Kiddo said that Christmas will offer more time to visit (true) and frankly I think kiddo is enjoyign hanging with younger sibling and not doing anything in particular.</p>
<p>The worst part about divorce all these years later is still splitting the kid for the holidays. S was with me Wednesday pm when he got in, and all day Thanksgiving…but went to his dad’s this am where he will be the rest of the weekend, and he’ll get to hang out with some of his high school friends too. Alas I wont get to see him before he leaves so its Christmas break for me. It was so nice just to sit next to him on the couch for a while last night…watching TV, lazing after the huge meal, him playing on his laptop. Ahh the little things we used to take for granted are now so huge. Theres a little hole in my heart again. Dang it.</p>
<p>Sounds like everyone had a fab Thansgiving. Ours was lovely except for the jamming my big toe part when I tripped over vacuum cord (should stuck with only swiffering) and re-jammed it later when I was serving tea after dinner and the bamboo handle on my teapot broke and I lunged to prevent teapot from falling to the floor and smashing into bits. By this morning - after a horrible nights sleep trying to get comfy - big toe was as big as a blimp, so before I had time for a second cup of coffee I was off to the drs. The good news is it’s not broken - which would have entailed a trip today to ortho and crutches for 3 to 4 weeks. The doctor gave me a boot wear and a script for Tramadol, which I can take along with Naproxan - so I am doped up, on the couch, with leg elevated and foot on ice. Not the way I wanted to be spending the holiday weekend. :(</p>
<p>ps - I think Fogfog is Martha Stewart. ;)</p>
<p>Popping in for a few seconds to say hello! Emilybe, so sorry about the toe 
Also proudmomofS, sorry to hear about your sad heart, but glad to hear the time you were able to spend with your son was special.</p>
<p>Non stop craziness here. Our house was always the gathering spot in high school and that concept has been resurrected as we have had a revolving door of familiar faces parading in and out. So great to see these kids and the amazing maturing transformation they’ve all experienced after a few months on their own.</p>
<p>I feel like I went from zero to 60 in the food preparation deptartment. I literally can’t keep enough soups, chili, nachos, popcorn, sodas, etc in the house, I’m out of shape! Love the buzz and energy, even our dog appears exhausted with all this increased activity:) One more night and it all comes to a screeching halt as everyone returns to their respective campuses. </p>
<p>Did get the Christmas card photo shot yesterday, it came out great! :D</p>
<p>p.s. fogfog, I am not familiar with a focaccia recipe that uses potatoes, how does that work?</p>
<p>Happy Black Friday everyone. Glad to hear all the wonderful Thanksgiving days stories. We had a wonderful day, and it sure is fun to hear all the stories from school from DS. He’s not much for talking on the phone so we have to catch up in person. He’s been too busy to skype much, so we are making up for lost time.</p>
<p>Proudmom–sorry for your sad heart. Focus on the good and I’m sure you are counting the days until his next visit.</p>
<p>Emily–OUCH! Hope the ice and drugs help! </p>
<p>DS2 was in another parade today! Weather was beautiful and he had fun. Then we did a bit of shopping and had a fun day while DS1 was hanging with his friends.</p>
<p>Well d was home for 48 hours before I managed to p*ss her off so much that she is barely speaking to me. Oh well…I did have 48 hours 
Just makes it easier to say goodbye on Sunday! Hopefully she will be talking to me before then…</p>
<p>Holliesue - so sorry. Hugs.</p>
<p>D1 and D2 (it was her 3rd time seeing the movie, but wanted to go with D1) went to see Breaking Dawn tonight, and I managed to have a few hours free and did some Black Friday shopping after I dropped them off. I bought the traditional Christmas pj’s at Old Navy, went to B&N, bought a Starbucks and sat and read a book to kill time. The lines were not so bad, and the clerks were all so helpful and chipper. </p>
<p>I attempted to get a GPS for H at Best Buy, but by 5PM, they seemed to be sold out, and the line was huge. After dinner, I went on line and bought him one with free shipping. So much easier than battling the crowds. Drove by the mall, and it seemed to be crazy, so we decided to forgo mall shopping.</p>
<p>D1 is also enjoying time with the family. Her best friend from HS decided to stay in NYC this weekend to watch the Macy’s parade. She had no interest in seeing anyone else from HS. </p>
<p>D1 is going back to school tomorrow, since she does have some work to do for Monday.</p>
<p>from holliesue:
</p>
<p>I’m not alone! First thing I said on seeing her: “You look great! You look healthy!”</p>
<p>She turns to H: “Mom thinks I look fat.”</p>
<p>Then I smoothly segued to “birth control doesn’t protect against STDs”.</p>
<p>Her response: “I’m not stupid.”</p>
<p>So I’m 2 for 2.</p>
<p>Holliesue, classof2015…this too shall pass…freshman year Txsgiving is always interesting ( kind word) with girls…</p>
<p>While I haven’t ****ed off D2, D1 who is a college senior gave me the “tude” starting around yesterday…some things never change…</p>