<p>D is in a “secret Santa” group with some girls she’s made friends with this year, each buying a gift for one other based on name drawing. They have a $20 limit for gifts they are getting. Another girl she knows is in a similar group, but their limit is $100. I told her there would be some rich girls at school.</p>
<p>Glad I am not in that group! I couldn’t afford that with a kid in school :)</p>
<p>$100 is a lot of money to spend on someone you’ve only known for a couple of months!</p>
<p>We don’t spend $100 per person in our family and never have… We’re just not the materialistic types with Christmas. Even Santa brought just one gift per boy when they were young and one larger gift for the three of them to share when they were older…</p>
<p>But thanks for the reminder that I really should spend some of today Christmas shopping and doing cards.</p>
<p>I can just imagine the response back in the day if someone suggested playing “secret santa” with a $100 limit. “A hundred dollars?!? Do you have any idea how much beer and pizza that would buy?”</p>
<p>I mentioned a while back that D was prepping for all-region band and for ACT with Duke TIP. She didn’t make all-region. They don’t take many saxes and she wasn’t one of the few. May have to get her started on clarinet for concert/contest season and sax for jazz and marching. Resume-padding strategery, ya know. 
I’m leaving to pick her up from the ACT in a bit. I expect better results, but won’t know until I see it in the mail because ACT won’t give an account to a 12-year-old even if her parent creates it for her. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>I can’t rep tex again. I repped one more person and tried and then a second person and tried, but to no avail.</p>
<p>wont let me give to you either Steve! There is some limit as to how many people need to be given in between. We are still trying to find that limit!</p>
<p>Is your D in 7th or 8th?</p>
<p>It hit me this morning that I am way behind on Christmas shopping… been burning up the internet this morning… </p>
<p>D had her first exam yesterday and thought it went pretty well. Two more and then she will be home. I can’t believe how quickly the first semester went by…</p>
<p>And wow on the $100 secret santa… that is really too much for college kids!</p>
<p>My daughter’s last day of class was yesterday. Next week is reading days and finals (and also due dates for final projects and papers). Monday of the next week is Expo when everyone presents.</p>
<p>Oldest actually called (that’s RARE!). He’s going to be home (with his fiancee) for New Year’s… That made my day since we so rarely hear from him. He’s doing well and has finals this coming week. I’m still waiting for middle son’s weekly phone call which could come today or tomorrow.</p>
<p>Meanwhile I’m supposed to be online Christmas shopping, but naturally, I’m checking out boards first. I missed the “loves shopping” gene somehow. I always find shopping (even for myself) to be a chore except for when I get to take each boy out shopping for their first time going away to college. Then it’s kind of exciting, but for different reasons I think.</p>
<p>Now it’s definitely more of a chore trying to figure out what they will like and aren’t expecting. I think I succeeded with middle son with one thing - a calligraphy set. He had one back from his middle school days that he absolutely loved and it got lost when he took it to some shindig his senior year. We looked for one in stores and couldn’t find it (remember, we live rural). Then it dropped out of my mind, but, youngest son’s birthday is next week and he’s getting a book I know he wants. When I bought that, highlighters came up as a suggestion to go with it and that spurred the calligraphy set idea again. Fortunately, that store had one - so it’s here now, waiting for Christmas. ;)</p>
<p>What else we’re getting for anyone remains a mystery yet. I need to look around at a few places (online). It was MUCH easier to buy for them when they were younger.</p>
<p>I hope the ACT went well, SteveC.</p>
<p>And I hope finals (and final projects) go well for those who are in the thick of them.</p>
<p>UST is going to the D-III football NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. GO TOMMIES!</p>
<p>Still poking at the black box. I’ve repped five people and still get the “spread it around” message when I try to rep one of the two I originally repped. Odd.</p>
<p>D is in 7th, texaspg. She reported confidence in the English (her best area) and science. She didn’t get much done on the last selection in reading. I’d already advised her not to be freaked out by math because she’d seen very little of the material in school. </p>
<p>I hope she does well, because she’s already come up short in two things her brother did at this age and a third could be problematic. I also like the Duke program for demonstrating to the kids in this region that they can be academically competitive on a state or national stage. Thanks, Creekland, for the well wishes.</p>
<p>ha, ha giterdone – I’m not sure my daughter remembers that UST has a football team. Not a sports person. :)</p>
<p>Oh, if she doesn’t know yet? She will this week. The “Purple Party on the Plaza” every Saturday? is a dead giveaway. DW and I attended 2 games and “pre game” festivities this year. The music and food is really cool! It is a rally point for the campus on game day. Sporty or not? You can’t miss it.</p>
<p>…success in athletics just adds to a schools reputation and student body pride. I admit its a one way equation, in that success adds to, but lack of success does not diminish, a schools reputation - the games are on TV (ESPN) and it raises the school profile. At D-III; sports admittedly (and purposely) isn’t the schools identity. But for some, it does contribute to school pride. And if kids feel good about where they go? they have a better attitude, which can translate to other functional (and relevant) parts of their experience.</p>
<p>Point is; if you’re gonna play? Winning is better than not winning!</p>
<p>GO TOMMIES! :D</p>
<p>D is excited about the upcoming bowl game!</p>
<p>SteveC I was able to rep you today… tried to do some yesterday and it would not let me…</p>
<p>stevec - I try to do that with my younger one and it does not seem to always work. May be as parents (especially those with engineering/techy backgrounds) we tend to try to use some metrics to see progress and get disappointed but the goalposts keep changing each year too. Older D made 650 in math and we visited Duke for the grand recognition but younger D had 610 while the goal post moved to 670 or 680. </p>
<p>My biggest problem at the moment is ECs. Younger one refuses to identify any interests while throwing any the older one was involved in as not acceptable since the older one did them!</p>
<p>giterdone, did you see this from the other day?: <a href=“The Most Over-Performing Colleges: US News And World Report | HuffPost College”>The Most Over-Performing Colleges: US News And World Report | HuffPost College; We’re overperforming and underrated! Woo hoo! 
My D sent me the link. Sports fan or no, she is crazy about UST.</p>
<p>Hi guys! I am counting down the days until DS comes home for break (10)! We finally heard from DS.
He not only skyped us today, he didn’t want to end our call (after an hour on the phone)! He has Finals on the brain and I think was using us for a study break. Anyway, he looks good and seems to be healthy and handling the stress. I am happy.</p>
<p>Nice to hear :)</p>
<p>I returned S to school today, still on antibiotics but feeling much better and ready to power through 3 days of finals. </p>
<p>Also, we are currently back and forth with an offer on our house…lots of changes coming soon, maybe…</p>
<p>@Mary13 - DD sent us the article as well. Very cool. Lots of “Tommie Pride” Hope you have a great holiday! Classes might get cancelled tomorrow due to the 10+" of snow! More study time for finals. :)</p>
<p>Lot’s of texting and emailing today between S and I. It is his birthday today. He is busy, busy just like all of your students, studying for finals!!</p>
<p>Ohmomof2–glad your S is on the mend. Good luck with the house buying!</p>