<p>bajamm fingers crossed for your husband. :)</p>
<p>My son seems to enjoy doing the laundry-he even wants to do it when he is home. We have the front loader and it takes forever to go through a wash-the machines have to be perfectly balanced before they spin out so an hour cycle never takes an hour-more like two! The clothes dry very fast though-and they are very efficient.</p>
<p>Best wishes to bajamm’s H on his upcoming interview. Been there and done that over the years. Not much fun to have the pressure on you.</p>
<p>S seems to do his laundry every week or two but manages to bring home a 50 pound dufflebag full of dirty stuff on his breaks. He will enter the housing lottery for sophomores for next year with his roommate. While they are not the closest of friends, they have very similar schedules and habits and get along quite will, including a few dining hall dinners together during the week. This is one area where he won’t be stressed out this year.</p>
<p>Re laundry in the UK. I can understand your son’s issue. Laundrettes are not that common in the UK, and neither are wash and fold services. </p>
<p>Washers and dryers are front loading. BUT, they are a fraction of the size. The cycles take a lot longer but the clothes come out really clean! My H loves when we go " home " in the summer. His white t’s are so much whiter than I can get in the US.</p>
<p>My h traveled all our married life. On more than one occasion, he was stuck in London with a difficult client. He would buy clean underwear and shirts at Marks and Spencers rather than have them cleaned using the hotel service- worked out cheaper.</p>
<p>bajamm - good luck to your H. My H has been in this situation a few times over the past few years and it is draining.</p>
<p>HH - great to hear that D might have a boyfriend. I keep asking/nudging D - so far, no BF on the horizon. She has friends that are boys - but no interest in a boyfriend just as yet. Ah, maybe for the best…</p>
<p>So, I need some opinions on S’ high school search. He has received admission into a local parochial school. Cost is very reasonable. School has a good reputation - smaller than our high school. More focused on the kids, will help the kid through high school and will be more efficient at guiding him through the college application process. Academics are supposed to be good. Classes offered are more or less on par with our high school - a couple of minor differences. S is not too happy that they don’t seem to have strong band/drama programs - our high school is known for these and they are his two main ECs.</p>
<p>H and I have talked to several other parents - most of them rave about the private school. Most of the kids were good students who could have fallen through the cracks at larger public schools. H and I are a bit concerned that this school might not be any more challenging than the local high school for S. D went to the local high school, had a big group of friends, all in the honors/AP classes and they pushed each other to do well. The local high school is much bigger, but if you can advocate for yourself and work hard, you can do very well [ as D and her friends proved]. </p>
<p>So, what would you do in this situation? We are attending a admitted students event at the private high school this week and have also scheduled a meeting with his potential GC at the local high school. Unfortunately, he needs to decide on the private school by the end of the week. To complicate matters, he has applications out to two other schools (much more high end schools) - but won’t hear from them until mid march. His chances of getting in those schools is slim, but still…</p>
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<p>My two cents here is (academics being equal) to leave him at the school with the more developed EC’s he’s interested in. A stronger program will probably mean a higher number of participants, a larger group of people from whom to choose as friends, possibly more opportunities to diversify within the music/drama areas, and possibly broader acceptance and support by the school community (both administration and students). </p>
<p>Use the money you save paying tuition to hire a private college counselor at the outset of freshman year, so they are on board with all the options, course selections, etc. and let him/her get to know your son well over the years so that college selection is not stressful.</p>
<p>Best of luck!!</p>
<p>Arisamp: I agree with yalemom’s assessment, especially if your son prefers the public school.</p>
<p>Bajamm: Good luck to your H with the interview. These situations are tough on the whole family.</p>
<p>My Ds lived for their music/drama ECs. If academics are similar, I couldn’t see them having given that up. When D2 decided against private school, we buffered her life with extras at a fraction of the tuition cost. If you have a truly better academic option, that would be different - and he could do music/drama on the side fairly cheaply, I’d guess.</p>
<p>Bajamm - I send my best wishes, too.</p>
<p>Arisamp: I guess I would ask what you are looking for in a new school? What attracted you to the parochial school in the first place? How invested is your son in moving from public to private? You don’t sound really enthused about this school, but something made you apply. I agree with the others that if music and drama are what energize your son and this school doesn’t provide that, he should not enroll. But if you really don’t see him in the local public school and the deposit is not too much, you might use this as a safety while you wait for March 10.
My S goes to a private in the same market you are looking at, so feel free to pm me if you want opinions on specific institutions.</p>
<p>thanks, everyone, for the well wishes for H’s interview on Wednesday. I really appreciate it! And, really need him to get a job soon!</p>
<p>ohiomom - my older DD is also less than 2 hours away so that’s why she can just save those last few loads up; younger DD travels light when she flies home so must fend for herself. I had to laugh at your story of the friend’s mom having to give instructions over the phone - I’ve had to do that with laundry, various recipes, etc. Not going to win any mother of the year awards here!</p>
<p>Sunnyday - I’m sorry to hear of your DH’s employment trouble; it truly is a difficult time. I will send prayer & positive thoughts his way.</p>
<p>I’ve also given up numerous phone upgrades over the years but am standing my ground and getting my own Iphone later this spring. I have a (hand-me-down) Droid but it freezes and is generally cantankerous. </p>
<p>My DD will not be living with her current suitemates next year. The whole group that she runs with will be living in some on-campus apartments so it will be nice. This seems to be a good group of kids who were drawn together mainly when most of them joined a local church. D has even found her first “real” boyfriend in the group so it appears to have everything she needs!</p>
<p>One of my favorite stories from when I was in college was when I tried to go into our small dorm laundry room, just two washers and two driers. The room was L shaped with the driers right by the door and then around the corner was two washers. </p>
<p>I went to the room and tried to enter, just to see a rear end sticking out of the drier right by the door. I asked the guy what was wrong with the drier, he said this isn’t the drier, it is the washer, and I can’t figure out where the water comes from. Now, mind you, I had been doing laundry since I was 12 and I knew what a washer looked like. It took me several minutes to convince him that really was the drier and not the washer. I proceeded to teach someone else’s kid how to do laundry.</p>
<p>I vowed then that no kid of mine was going to go to college without knowing how to do laundry, let alone not knowing the difference between the two machines.</p>
<p>My D gets along so well with her roommates this year! They even share shampoo and body wash if you can believe that! And they are really sweet nice girls. They are all going to room together next year in an off campus apt. 4 bedroom, 4 bath! How crazy is that! Shared kitchen and living room and their own washer dryer. Sounds fabulous to me!</p>
<p>Of course, we had to be the wet blankets and not let D sign the lease yet due to her less than stellar grades 1st semester. If she does not show serious improvement she’ll be home in the fall at community college. She did the application and put down the deposit but won’t be signing on the dotted line until we see those grades in May. The other 3 girls were able to sign so I think that D knows we are really serious. We hope this provides additional motivation to do better this semester.</p>
<p>Happy Valentines Day! I sent S cookies last week, but nothing for valentines day. Kinda feel guilty now.</p>
<p>Happy Valentines Day all, sent my kids Valentine cards with Starbucks gift cards. They always like that and complain when I send sweets!</p>
<p>Sunnyday fun, will add you to the prayer/positive thoughts list that your husband finds a great job…soon! Can only imagine how stressful it must be both economically and emotionally!<br>
HH and Scoutmom, Oh well no wedding to be invited to, but I am sure in the course of the four years our kiddos will run into each other and never know their moms “know” each other! I actually met Fogfog on a college tour a few years ago, we talked, kids talked and actually exchanged numbers (my son was doing same major and sport as hers). We both lost each others addresses! (LOL was that on purpose Fogfog???) and a year or so later I got a PM from Fogfog, saying…"When I was on a tour at school X I met a woman who…is this you? Sure enough it was and then our kids ended up at same school, in the same residential college, with the same FroCo and are friends, definitely a small world-its strange how things work out!</p>
<p>Bajamm love the laundry story, here is mine but it involves my husband… When we were young and charming my H said to me I need X washed. I walked over and said “let me introduce you to a machine, its called a Washer” He laughed and said, “Ok I get the message” I asked if he knew how to use it and he said “Of course” So I headed out for a few hours. When I returned home, hubby was on the floor in front of the washer with tools laying all about and the machine was taken apart. I asked “what happened” He said, “its broken, can’t get it to start, gonna have to call a repairman, I tried but can’t fix it” I told him there was nothing wrong and could he just put it back together, so he did, I walked over to the machine, Turned it on and magically SHUT THE LID and amazingly it started up. My husband just stood there shaking his head! I just laughed, I have gotten lots of mileage out of that story but needless to say made sure the kids knew how to do laundry and that you had to shut the lid to make it work!</p>
<p>Have a great day!</p>
<p>I am lucky. My husband ‘does the laundry’. Which means that he puts the clothes in the washing machine, and then in the dryer, but leaves the clean clothes in laundry baskets to get wrinkled all over again. My theory is that washers and dryers are just large power tools, so he likes to listen to the sound of them. It can take him all weekend to do the laundry. When I do the laundry, I can have it all washed, dried, folded and put away in far less time than he can. But, it is one less thing I need to deal with weekly.</p>
<p>arisamp why are you looking at alternatives? There must be something you feel is missing at the local HS. </p>
<p>We have stayed in the local HS and it worked out very well for my son. We are in freshman year with our daughter and I am keeping a close eye on budget cuts but I know now that she can take classes at the CC if the school can’t accommodate what she needs at the HS. My son had a great bunch of kids in his class and so does she-she is way ahead of him socially so I think she will do just fine there.</p>
<p>You don’t need to hire a private college counselor-you have CC!</p>
<p>Hey all- is everything neat and tidy here? No dirty laundry hanging out? Seems someone with a very familiar screen name just popped up as a new poster in D’s college forum here on CC. Am guessing that this thread may be perused in the near future as D has been hearing about my “imaginary friends” for over a year.</p>
<p>Oh goodness, kinder! Good thing we keep it real over here!! Welcome KinderD! :D</p>
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<p>Pepper - you have that right! S told me that D’s advice to him was to go to the local high school and not to worry about guidance - mom would take care of that thanks to CC :)</p>
<p>Good question on what’s missing at the high school. We felt that the high school was not challenging enough for D and we think the same will be true for S. Hence the search for a different school. I talked to a colleague of mine who had a D go to the same private school (although close to 8 years ago). Her D graduated at the top of her class and my colleague did say that the school academics are very challenging. Will be rigorous. I guess it will boil down to what S feels like when he attends the event later this week - if he feels like the school is a good fit for him, despite their weaker music/drama programs. This feels a little bit like last year again! S is stressed out - can tell by the fact that he is very quiet for the past few days!</p>
<p>Funny laundry stories! Wish I had one! </p>
<p>Happy Valentine’s day all…</p>
<p>S2 is a new fresh transfer this spring. I suppose he knows people now, but hasn’t made any real “friends.” Room selection is coming up and they are supposed to submit where they want to live along with roommate choices. </p>
<p>He’d like to be in the “apartments” that are on campus and school owned, rather than the traditional dorms. The apartments are usually for 4 students.</p>
<p>I don’t know what my question really is here…I know he needs to approach the few people he knows and outright ask them about roommate selection, but it doesn’t seem to be something he will do. I guess he doesn’t want to look like a loser, in that he has nobody to live with.</p>
<p>He can enter the selection as an individual. I don’t know if they would then put him with other individuals or to fill a spot in a group that isn’t full or what. I can’t help but wonder how many of the individuals will be transfers like him “normal” or if they will be the people that nobody WANTS to room with. The smelly one, the unstable one, you know they are out there…</p>
<p>I wonder if he is better off figuring which traditional dorm is the nicest and taking a chance on a single random roommate. I know he’d really like the apartment with kitchenette and living area much better though.</p>
<p>They use a lottery system with randomly assigned numbers. Seniors go first, then juniors, etc. Here is what it says about individuals “Individual students will be assigned appointment times within the round for their class. A proportion of spaces will be reserved in each building for students selecting as individuals”</p>
<p>I know there is no “answer” to this. I will make sure he understands the process. Spring break is March 9 and they start submitting their preferences when they get back from break.</p>