<p>Favorite lines from D yesterday and today:</p>
<p>Mom, I wished you lived in my dorm, then I could see you every day. I wouldn’t have to actually talk to you, I’d just be happy to see you.</p>
<p>Mom, I’m REALLY glad you sent all my winter gear when I moved in. Do you know how cold it is at 5:45 am when we walk to morning swim practice? I wear my down coat and boots every morning.</p>
<p>We have loved having her here and will take her back tomorrow morning. 36 short hours!</p>
<p>Just returned from a week in Boston. Took the two youngest kids to see their big sis. We had a great time. DD had some school work to do, so we hit some fo the sights without her, but we had three dinners and a lunch with her, plus a whole day at the beach (cold and windy, but beautiful.) We planned the trip a while ago to break up her first semester away (she is on the other side of the country, so there are no weekends at home). She shows no signs of being homesick, but she was happy to see us. It was tough leaving because we won’t see her unti Christmas.</p>
<p>S was at home this weekend for his semester break. It was nice to see him and he seems to be doing fine, but he slept a TON. He was battling minor stuffiness when he arrived and the cold seemed to move to his chest after night one, so I’m glad he was home to just chill, see a few friends at nearby colleges, and sleep (and sleep and sleep). I sent him off with a homemade pound cake, a sandwich made to his specifications, and a big hug goodbye. I can’t help him study or do his homework but hopefully he got a chance to re-charge.</p>
<p>Fall break is an entire week for S. It’s great to have him home! He has some work to do (a paper to revise and a post-break midterm in history). One of his friends is home the first part of the week. Otherwise he’ll just relax!</p>
<p>glido, glad you could visit! Sounds like your D is doing well.</p>
<p>Had a reunion last night with the parents of S’s friends - we had done a group HS graduation party together. It was lots of fun to hear everyone’s move-in stories and other tales. Three of us have mailed tuxedos. </p>
<p>Received a text from S today letting us know he was okay, but had a late night/early morning visit to the ER. He has frequent nosebleeds and had one that wouldn’t stop. His RA became concerned after more than an hour and after some consultations they decided that was the best way to handle it, due to the timing and what options were available. They recommended he get a humidifier. Guess I’ll be looking online to see what’s available!</p>
<p>D related she got wound up on school work and stayed up until 6 am the other night. Always been a night owl, but that is a little too much since she has classes every day plus work and orchestra. Napping when she can. Hope a better routine is coming.</p>
<p>Wow SteveC you are not only a research wizard but have an amazing memory - you must still be young! Yes, my daughter was so upset with the teacher (she still is) but had the support of all her friends and had that teacher twice in her four years in high school.</p>
<p>We met with the head of housing on Friday and it was so easy! Husband and i just sat there while she presented the situation very diplomatically, not accusing anyone of anything just saying she enjoyed different things than her roommate and suitemates. The head of housing already had 3 possible rooms for her to move into - 2 singles; one in her current dorm but down a floor, one in a somewhat similar dorm, and a double that currently has only one girl in it in the same building but different suite than her friends are in. He was supposed to arrange a meeting with that girl last night or today. She can choose to move immediately or over break, if she waits until after break there’s a good chance more will be available. Unless she really connects with this girl she will probably wait until January - there’s only 5 weeks until she’s home and knowing she can move will probably get her through the rest of this term. She isn’t so keen on the singles but it wouldn’t be the end of the world since she already has her group of friends. If she waits until next term we can also move her during break which would be easier.
It was as easy as we said it would be and yet she needed us there to force the issue. Oh, and he also said that there have been about a dozen kids who have already moved.</p>
<p>Overall, we had a great time. Thanks for all your listening.</p>
<p>Just back from Parents Weekend in San Diego. I spent the weekend wondering why I went to college in the frozen wilds of Wisconsin when this city was out there all the time, lol. We toured San Diego State for the little brother, which was interesting. He liked it alot while it cemented big sis’ decision that a small school was for her. She’s so happy-- it was great to see her. We had dinner with roomie and her parents on the beach at the Hotel del Coronado and had such a good time-- dads are planning all sorts of future hijinks already.</p>
<p>Skyped with D1 yesterday. She had watery eyes and a very red nose! She says “everyone” has a cold. She reported that the el-cheapo tea kettle we got her leaks. Her suitemate tried fix it with duct tape, but that didn’t work. I reminded her that Amazon prime can ship her a replacement in two days. In the meantime she can microwave tea water in the suite kitchen.</p>
<p>jaylynn - glad you had a good time at parents weekend. We had great weather for it here! I moved to San Diego more than 30 years ago to attend San Diego State. It is a great town to attend college. Fall here is always a wonderful time of year as most tourists are gone, but our beach weather is still great.</p>
<p>amtc - glad to see it is working out for your D. Sounds like everyone thinks they are the only one with a problem and suffer silently until they meet the housing folks! :p</p>
<p>We just got back from parents weekend at our son’s school last night. We had a perfect weekend; weather was great, our DS was extremely happy and we got to meet and eat with lots of his new friends and their parents. As my husband said, what more could we want? That is the question that I am pondering today. I’m more sad than happy today and there is no good reason. This is our last child so we are in the empty nest and since we dropped him off, we have been making good time with our new life situation. Doing new things, a little travel, getting caught up on all the things we didn’t do this past summer and just enjoying our new found freedom. As irrational as this sounds, I think I was disappointed to see how happy our son was and that he didn’t need me like he use to. So I’m feeling a little sorry for myself today, not to mention a little hormonal 
and this anonymous forum is the best place to vent. Is there anyone who can relate?</p>
<p>laserp I have seen my S 3-4 times since I dropped him off in mid August (his college is 45 minutes away) and I still feel sad every time he goes back to school. Life for his younger D and for me has changed. S won’t ever be my little boy again and that makes me proud and sad at the same time.</p>
<p>I understand :)</p>
<p>D has a full week. Biggest insights so far. She has become a huge football fan (in absence of soccer channels she has adopted the lessor game ). We hung out yesterday through all 3 games.</p>
<p>Classes are going well and she is very happy. She is clearly at the right place for her.</p>
<p>During the game we say a political ad and she said “Back home we see ads for X”. She then paused and goes “you know what I mean”.</p>
<p>Exactly OHMomof2! Having raised two daughters who made it to the other side and we are close again, sons are different and I wonder if we’ll ever be as close again. Also, I had an extremely easy drop off to college. Hardly any tears. Now I’m making up for it But,
I feel better already!</p>
<p>amtc–I’m glad the meeting went well and that there are so many options for switching rooms! This must be such a relief.</p>
<p>mihcal1 wrote:
If you’ve ever attempted to fix a tea kettle with duct tape, you might be a redneck! :)</p>
<p>amtc – I think the reason that story stuck in my mind was that I thought the director’s behavior (destroying the costumes) was borderline emotional abuse, not to mention just plain odd. Sounds like all’s well that ends well. Congratulations to you all.</p>
<p>amtc - thanks for reporting back, I’m so glad good solutions are on the table now!</p>
<p>laserp - I am right there with you and this big ole’ empty nest. My S came home for a visit and I really did feel depressed after he left on Sunday. My D is already gone and doing well and I could see that my S was working hard and was going to make it (as a college student), so now I feel like my 19 years of life’s work is done. Whump. Just like that. I didn’t talk to H too much yet as I just want to sulk a little on my own first.</p>
<p>Sure, they’ll still need us, but do they really look forward to our texts or phone calls right now? </p>
<p>I guess my job this semester is to peel myself off the couch and continue to look for ways to enjoy life as myself and as an adult more than as a mom. Drat … I was supposed to plan for this.</p>
<p>SnowflakeVT and laserp - part of the conversation this weekend was my daughter figuring out what I do all day. I do a few new things - Mah Jongg is big for me now, I have a game most Mondays, teach Mah Jongg to Seniors (women and men) with another woman on Tuesdays and a regular game on Friday nights (much to my husbands dismay). And I am still purging like there’s no tomorrow, I just got rid of all the old college materials from all the schools younger daughter rejected and will be donating the cabinet to the Nursery School tag sale and am working on tossing old magazines to make room for more books. Haven’t begun the photo albums yet though, that’s a really big project. </p>
<p>But the truth is, I’m not sure how I fill my days, I just know they’re filled. Some days I’m a bit sad but not too often. Thanksgiving is the worst because the kids are just home long enough for them to stop being a “guest” and then it’s time for them to leave again. But it’s a short time until Winter break and then you can’t wait for them to leave, they are home too long!</p>