<p>So glad to hear the great stories about kids being home, and all the activities that came back with them :)</p>
<p>Sending Hugs to all in need ;)</p>
<p>Waving to all lurkers :p</p>
<p>Good morning all. Coffee’s on, help yourself. :)</p>
<p>We are relaunching Bluejr today. It’s bittersweet as I know he’s ready to be back with his friends and finish out the semester. The whole family will go down for the big in-state football rivalry game today, so tailgating, etc. We’ll drop Bluejr and his roommate off at the dorm and say our goodbye’s, then meet up with family friends. He has many friends at the rival school and both teams are playing for a spot in the ACC championship today so it will be very fun (whoever wins goes)!! So, while I’m not looking forward to sending him off again, it will be a fun day.</p>
<p>I am thinking of everyone as we relaunch our kids until the longer winter break. As 2edu appropriately puts it…hugs to all in need. Have a great day.</p>
<p>Good morning everyone!</p>
<p>I am trying to get my d her “big” gift for Christmas and am having a hard time. What does one get an 18 yo girl who got everything last Christmas, last birthday, or for graduation? She has her computer, her phone, her ipod, she doesn’t want a kindle or nook. I have no clue what to get her…</p>
<p>bajamm- Does your daughter like to attend concerts or theater? Maybe you can get tickets to a show for when she is home over Winter break, or even to see a show for when she is at school?</p>
<p>Gift idea - tickets to go visit a friend during Spring break?</p>
<p>ShawD is back. Had to scurry around for ADHD meds for the two kids while they were/are here. Ritalin and Adderall seemed to have a nation-wide shortage. How is that possible? Was able to find the two main prescriptions so that ShawSon would have his before he returned to school yesterday (he’d forgotten a textbook and had two problem sets due Monday). ShawD arrived last night at around 10. She’s up for a haircut this morning. She’s desperate for fresh fruit, fish (we had cedar-plank smoked salmon last night), and turkey. She had her own pretty sad Thanksgiving meal with a girl from Vermont yesterday – they went to the supermarket and got roast chicken, microwavable squash, microwavable mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce etc. that they prepared in the dorm kitchen. Apparently, it was pretty dismal.</p>
<p>bajamm, things my kids like, with the hope there may be alignment in terms of tastes. ShawSon (a subscription to [Download</a> Audio Books with Audible.com Online Digital Audio Book Store](<a href=“http://www.audible.com%5DDownload”>http://www.audible.com) to listen to audiobooks, noise-canceling headphones – I recdently purchased a set from Groupon for him for Chanukah). ShawD (clothes like the little black cocktail dress we purchased for her at the beginning of the year, makeup and facial care products (fancy stuff that has various apparently wonderful effects), trip some place). ShawD is quite happy with gift cards to Forever 21, Sephora, H&M, etc. She’d also be delighted with kitchen appliances that she could use a) this year to avoid eating in the cafeteria; and b) next year in her apartment kitchen. Both would like concert tickets per gsmomma.</p>
<p>The gift idea is an interesting one. D has no idea what she wants - and she admits that she is very lucky. D1 always seemed to need some next electronic thing, but I guess times have changed, and D2 is all set. Really what D2 wants is cash for theatre tickets - she has done amazingly well at getting discounts, rarely spends more than $20/ticket, has seen at least 10-12 shows this fall (and she got a slow start!). But she feels weird just asking for cash. We plan to get her a binder for her Playbill collection … </p>
<p>D1 is at a different phase and is outfitting her new adult kitchen. This year she gets her first set of “good” knives. It is hard with these younger kids who don’t need anything for their life (or lack of it) at home, just got a mountain of stuff for their dorm, etc. Their real life really consists of just what they have on their backs, in their backpack, or out on the town, eh?</p>
<p>H burned out the motor on his 18-year-old Kitchenaid mixer making bread, so I guess he’s getting a new mixer for Christmas!</p>
<p>We had a very nice Thanksgiving with H’s family, and D has had some nice time with friends. No real friction with her, amazingly, but at times there’s been a low simmer. I’m pleased with how she’s handling these transitions.</p>
<p>I learned something interesting from her yesterday - we were walking past somewhere that I could smell a strong beer-like aroma. I asked her if she was really used to that smell, and she said, “No, we have a completely dry campus.” Apparently this policy is well-enforced and well-respected. Yes, kids party, but they go off-campus (lots of kids live around there, go to frats, maybe go over to other colleges - she wouldn’t know) or they keep it very mum. She agreed it’s nice not to be where drunk kids are yelling in the quads at 2 a.m. and puking in the stairwells (since she grew up near a school where this is rampant). </p>
<p>I’m guessing this adds to the emptiness on weekends, if the partyers all leave, as well as the kids who leave for other reasons. But D has found the kids who do what she likes to do, and her weekends are not lonely or boring (see above comment about theatre tickets; she also has found plenty of gaming buddies for when they stay home).</p>
<p>Good morning all. Thought I had better check in before I get labelled as a lurker!</p>
<p>D came home last Sunday and immediately got sick. I shouldn’t be surprised, as this has been her pattern for several years. Take away stress and she collapses. Poor baby! But it means she has spent most of her time at home, which has been nice for us.</p>
<p>Funny story. She walked in last Sunday morning and S HS '14 (who has been adamant that he doesn’t miss her AT ALL) came bounding down the stairs. HighD: “HighSon, when did you last take a shower?” Mumble, mumble. I go to pour coffee, followed by D and H. And realize that I am hearing running water from the upstairs bathroom. Maybe all he needs is a girlfriend!</p>
<p>Anyway, D visited her old HS on Monday and most people didn’t even recognize her at first (the HS only has @200 students). She enjoyed talking with former teachers and some friends who are now juniors and seniors, but also said it felt like she had moved so far from there that it was hard to believe it was still going on. She made some plans to see people over Christmas break, but seems to have made a clean emotional break from the past, which is good.</p>
<p>The rest of the week has been cooking, eating, hanging out with the cat, watching TV, sleeping. I hope she can shake this cold before she goes back, since she has her first final on Friday and 4 more before she comes home again in 18 days. I missed her so much in the first few weeks she was gone in August/September, but now I feel like I will barely have time to turn around (and clean up the trail of stuff she sheds behind her) before she is back again!</p>
<p>@EmmyBet: Don’t do it! Get the old KitchenAid repaired if you can. Those old ones were made by Hobart and are wonderful machines. The new ones are made overseas, have lightweight motors, and burn out in no time, especially if you are working with heavy doughs like bread. Several of my friends have been through this and they are all heartbroken that they bought new rather than finding someone to fix the old machine.</p>
<p>S has been out of the house more than home but that was expected. He arrived home on Wednesday evening, dropped off duffle and laundry, changed, ate a home cooked meal and was off to see friends. He spent all day on Thursday with the family and then headed out with GF late Thursday evening for shopping but was back around 1 AM and said he was tired and didn’t need anything bad enough for the hassle of the crowds. Got a good night’s sleep and hung at home Friday. </p>
<p>Had plans to go to the HS playoff football game (state semi-finals) Friday night and meet his friends there. He said there must have been half of his HS class there (251 class size) as this was a huge game and over 6,000 attended. It was also quite sad as the opposing team had lost a 16 year old player to a car accident on Thanksgiving Day but the team decided to play the game in his memory. In the end, our local HS team won the game and will be playing in the state D-2 finals next Friday night. It is all very exciting.</p>
<p>No black Friday shopping here other that a quick trip to a very crowded but well staffed and organized Apple store for their annual 1 day sale. I finally broke down and bought an iPad for myself and AvonMom to share and picked up some on-sale accessories for DS and DD for Christmas gifts.</p>
<p>Today we take advantage of our last 60 degree November day, put up lights and complete a final bit of yard work. Then its off to a neighborhood party for the annual Ohio State - Michigan game.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, DS has to fly out around noon tomorrow morning but it was good to see him relaxed and decompressing at home. He said he saw a couple of his friends that are seniors this year and all he heard about was complaints about college apps and essays and the GC’s at school that were about worthless when it came to helping them with their app process. We are SO glad that is behind us. As stated several times on this thread, how much nicer this year is over last year.</p>
<p>Too much rambling. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and the time your kiddos are still home. The Christmas/winter break is only 3 weeks or so from now and that time will go fairly fast. A holiday break countdown is being debated. Right now it is only 21 days until December 17th - a reasonably good date to use as a target for the winter break.</p>
<p>Thanks, HighHead! I had wondered if we could repair it. H had to hand-knead his last batch (2 loaves’ worth) and remembered that he used to use bread-making as stress relief. He says he never could have kneaded the whole amount (4X the recipe; very big family) - I guess he’s out of shape. I’m just bummed right now because I was actually going to bake something today and now have no mixer. D1 took the hand mixer when she moved this fall. Ah, well.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the gift ideas. I am not sure yet what we will end up getting her, though you have given good starting points.</p>
<p>D’s BF is a jr. french horn player in Iowa State’s marching band, so I am following the game online. ISU upset Oklahoma State last week to become bowl eligible. The are 4 TD underdogs today against Oklahoma and are leading 6-3 in the 1st. Is it to early to think about another upset?</p>
<p>Tree is up; the decorations will go on in shifts as DD1 is working all day and DD2 is off at an Ohio State-Michigan party. At least it’s up and we’ll have it decorated by the end of the weekend.</p>
<p>EmilyBee - sorry to hear about your toe! I did something similar years ago and I know it hurts like the dickens. I hope the ice and meds provide some relief.</p>
<p>ProudmomofS - I’m glad your time with DS was special but so sorry that you are dealing with reduced time with him.</p>
<p>HollieSue & Classof2015 - I had to laugh when I read your posts. As I was logging in, I was wondering if anyone else had irritated their offspring yet (or vice versa). DD2 came home with a new speech pattern (hard to describe but trust me, it’s irritating). She doesn’t even realize what she’s doing so got mad when I made a couple of comments about it.</p>
<p>Bajamm - I just gave in and asked my girls to give me a list of what they wanted or needed. DD1 (college senior, getting ready for grad assistant interviews) wanted to upgrade her wardrobe from college casual so that’s what we’ve been buying. DD2 (college freshman, has everything she really needs) also wanted mainly clothes but also wants a “sizable” gift card to Walmart, where she does her shopping while @ school. Pretty boring stuff but this is what they wanted. It’s interesting to watch them mature, even in this way… </p>
<p>Highhead - I hear the same thing from DD2; she already feels very removed from HS and from most of the kids, whether they are still in HS or college freshmen. She is still very close to a handful of friends but really has no interest in seeing anyone else. I hope your DD is feeling better and will be well when she goes back for finals.</p>
<p>AvonHSDd - congrats to your school’s FB team! I can’t believe that the season is still going on but that is very exciting. As for the countdown, I think my kids are out of synch with many others - DD1 is home already (long break @ OU between fall and winter quarters) and DD2 comes home on December 9th so I will only have to wait 13 days before our nest is completely full again.</p>
<p>Taking DS back down to school tomorrow. Busy three days at home for him–trying to tidy up Gramps’s laptop (conclusion, with some eyerolling: “you really need to move whatever you want to keep onto your external HD and do a clean reinstall”), getting his hair cut (makes him look even older, oh dear me), texting his high school friends (I’m actually pretty sure he can do this from school just as easily, but what do I know), foraging for snacks, and today we are buying some new pants (holes in the knees), some measuring spoons and cups (so he can cook in the dorm kitchen), and please oh please another set of sheets because although he says he does laundry I just don’t know so I may insist even though I know he will resist.</p>
<p>Love to hear about everyone’s Thanksgiving reunions; it is amazing how much these kids can grow in the short time since they left for school.</p>
<p>Chiming in to report a good visit; we went to him instead of vice versa. Definite pros/cons to that. Pros: he avoided travel hassle as he had class Weds eve (!), we got to see him at school…which leads to Cons: he definitely felt that we were invading his space, we saw the mess in which he lives!! He says it’s cozy. Yikes!<br>
Overall impression - he looks great except that he has clearly lost weight - says he sleeps through breakfast when he can and “doesn’t bother” to walk over for late-night snacks. So we stocked him up on some Annie’s mac n’cheese, hot chocolate, etc. Refused our help in cleaning his room - I even offered to do laundry if only to get those sheets changed. He said he could handle it - I know he CAN, but WILL he??<br>
CHS2011Mom - DS has two sets of sheets - doesn’t help! We think he needs a GF who will make him clean up!
Yes, there were definitely some “grrrr…” moments on both sides. But some great laughs and long discussions on what he considered to be safe topics - which was politics! We got a glimpse into his life there and came away happy that he is content and thriving. And very happy that he will be home for a month.
AvonHSDad - thank you again for the countdowns which I love.<br>
All of these transitions are a challenge, yes? - but part of the process for all of us.
Have a great week, everyone!</p>
<p>Good to hear from everyone and that the break has gone well. Kiddo flew back early this am…I was up at 4am…sooo sleepy now. Should be arriving on campus soon. </p>
<p>My sweet DH put a countdown clock on my phone as kiddo returns is 18 days…not that I am counting… :D</p>
<p>Yalemom… foccacia, like gnocchi can be made with a combo of wheat flour and potatos which yields a lighter fluffier texture. The foccacia I make uses a recipe from a dear friend. She is a transplanted Italian. A very good cook. In a pinch you can microwave the potatos–though baking them (a starchy russet) makes for fluffier and less gummy dough.</p>
<p>Cooking for me is a pleasure. I bought my first “real” cookbook at 17–the New New York Times cookbook - after reading a recipe with quail and fois gras.
My first attempt at cooking for DH (while we were dating- was chicken in a sauce of white wine and mustard…carrots, mushrooms, shallots…served with tiny new potatos.)</p>
<p>I am still full from the last several days…I might need to fast this week–just to feel better…Tonight everyone is having leftovers…</p>
<p>fogfog:
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<p>emilybee nailed it:
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<p>siemom–I lost the sheet argument anyway. He insists he does laundry. Also, did not find pants; that will have to wait until the semester break, I guess. Did get measuring spoons and a liquid measure, and a couple of t-shirts, so it wasn’t a total loss, and we stopped for a coffee together, which was nice.</p>
<p>ShawD came in last night and chatted for a couple of delightful hours. She’s beyond fun to chat with. This AM, she went for a previously requested haircut, talked with relatives until one of her close HS friends came over. They hung out for a bit and then decided to go into Harvard Square, where I’m sure they’ll meet other friends. I’m supposed to help her on her applications, but we’ll see if she has time for the help.</p>
<p>FogFog, I’m heading over for foie gras. My favorite (artery-clogging) good. If you like it, check out Restaurant Domaine Lintillac when you are in Paris, which pretty much specializes in foie gras. Here’s their online menu: [url=<a href=“Domaine de Lintillac – Home Upgrade Place”>Domaine de Lintillac – Home Upgrade Place]Domaine</a> de Lintillac, restaurant, sud-ouest, perigord, paris, boutique, foie gras, canard, plats cuisines, pat</p>