<p>Thanks confetti247: I often wonder where kids get time to post or read through these forums. I know my DD would never post in a forum. She barely has enough time with HW, volunteer stuff, Ec’s, piano and her sport. And she is very private. But that makes sense. I am pretty new to this site so I just wondered what kind of people are we??? LOL!!!</p>
<p>I on the other hand love this forum because I feel like I have met people that I can relate to as far as the whole college experience.</p>
<p>drmom123 - I am sorry that your dd is going through the girl drama. My dd has had the same issues - facebook makes it so much worse because I think some kids just post pictures of everything and then others feel like “everyone is going to parties except me”. And as adults we know that is not true but it hurts when you are a teenager. </p>
<p>We have had the discussion of “if you never invite you shouldn’t expect to be invited”. I don’t know if that is appropriate for your dd but it seemed to help with my daughter and I will remind her when she goes away to college too. Maybe you can encourage your daughter to invite a couple girls to do something next weekend. </p>
<p>Hugs to your dd!</p>
<p>Drmom–mean girl social drama, ugh!! Makes me wince just thinkin’ about it. I gotta’ be honest, it’s moments like you described that makes me glad I had boys.</p>
<p>How did the Vandy interview go, galaxy?</p>
<p>Critter–i agree with confetti about that thread. Interestingly, DS is never on CC, is intensely private (does not care for facebook at all) and is a little annoyed that I stay on here so much mentioning him even though I have convinced him he shall be forever anonymous.</p>
<p>Funny thing though, he has asked on a couple of recent occasions what I have read “on CC” about certain schools or programs…maybe he sees some value in it after all…</p>
<p>Drmom123 - I second the girl thing. They can just be nasty. I obviously have 3 boys and at this stage of life at least, I am glad! However, you will have a girl and hopefully a best friend forever and that momma/girl relationship cannot be replicated!! 
I feel very bad for her and want to give her a hug and invite her over to our non-partying house… I can’t imagine how bad Facebook could’ve made me feel in high school…</p>
<p>kelijake - it’s funny how some things sink in… ever so slightly. Through my mentionings of CC, my DS has learned the term HMFR! When I relayed to him the story of how I got an infraction for using a spanish term referring to the reproductive organs in bulls (as in - "When you go ED, the school’s financial aid department has you by the ********!) he immediately commented how we use the term HMFR all the time, and it is never censored or reprimanded! ;D</p>
<p>Drmom–I guess I would tell my DD to stop helping with the homework. It’s not worth being used like that. In college she will have the chance to reinvent herself and will probably find more kids like her then the mean girls. I’m glad our kids don’t get invited to the big parties. Typically that means a lot of drinking or worse. They have a great circle of friends that they hang out with and don’t feel the pressure to drink or worse. Your DD can hang out with them and they don’t need help with homework :D.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add to the high mileage car posts. I had a 1997 car that I finally got rid of in 2008. It had about 221k miles on it. We gave it to one of my hubby’s nieces who drove it for another 4 yrs. when she was buying a new car, obviously the dealer did not want to take it as a trade-in but she gave it to hem anyway and they put it out in front of the dealership as an example of how many miles an be put on these cars.</p>
<p>Confusedmom–re: high mileage…I am the QUEEN of high mileage! I believe in buying good used cars, paying them off just as quickly as possible, then driving that sucker into the ground. My last one had roughly 260,000 when I had an accident and totaled it.</p>
<p>In fact, other than helping get my son through college, my other long-term goal in life is to have a car make it to 300,000 miles. We shall see which happens first. ;)</p>
<p>DH’s 4Runner is doing great at 270,000. In fact, he saw his former 4Runner recently (sold it to a co-worker quite a few years ago) and is guessing it must have 400,000 on it by now.</p>
<p>If anyone has time to kill (LIKE WHILE WAITING FOR THOSE DANG EA DECISIONS THAT JUST ARE NOT COMING), here’s the first in a series of videos of a Top Gear episode in which they try to kill a Toyota truck–very entertaining: [Killing</a> a Toyota part 1 - Top Gear - BBC - YouTube](<a href=“Killing a Toyota Part 1 | Top Gear | BBC - YouTube”>Killing a Toyota Part 1 | Top Gear | BBC - YouTube)</p>
<p>Mylb—I DON’T have time to kill, should be baking, cleaning, wrapping, etc., watched video anyway. One word–hilarious! It kind of reminds me of how rough I am on my vehicles (maybe not quite that rough) and why I get so attached to my good used high mileage cars.</p>
<p>Good Morning! I hope everyone is doing well. I love the morning time when everyone is still asleep and it is just me, a cup of coffee, and the dogs. It is windy as heck outside today! Great day to be in and baking, which is the plan of the day for me. I’m going to send DH to battle the crowds at Costco later on, to get the fixings for Christmas dinner. What do you all serve? We are having 8 adults and five kids, and I will be serving appetizers (crudite, artichoke and prosciutto crostini, shrimp), Salad, Beef Tenderloin, Crab Cakes, asparagus, and potatoes. Then of course dessert (whiskey cake, pecan pie, bread pudding) and coffee. I want to hear your menus!</p>
<p>All the shopping is done, some wrapping is done (to be completed this weekend, hopefully) and out of town guests arriving tomorrow.
Busy time and best to keep my mind off of college for a bit!</p>
<p>Walker, I wanted to send a special hug to you. It is hard to be in that place of being happy for one kid while trying to shore up another kid and not make them feel badly. Big hugs to you!</p>
<p>Congrats on further acceptances!</p>
<p>I should be doing all of that too kelijake1987 but I just don’t want to :D.</p>
<p>And I thought we had high mileage cars! Yeesh!
We have a Hyundai that D is driving- it has 150k, then my Honda Odyssey has 111k. Lucky DH has the Toyota Camry with on 40k- it’s still a baby!</p>
<p>Not sure what this says about me as a person but I could hardly watch that video- I felt so sorry for the poor truck!</p>
<p>My car has 120k…I hope it lasts 200k+ because I just put $4k in it. :/</p>
<p>Vandy…your menu sound similar to my Christmas Eve meal…except my veggie is creamed spinach, and I do crab stuffed mushrooms instead of crab cakes, and dessert is cranberry-apple crisp a la mode.</p>
<p>My family has brunch (ham, egg casserole, waffles, Danish, fruit, etc.). DH’s family does traditional turkey/stuffing dinner. </p>
<p>Drmom…sorry about the girl drama again. </p>
<p>MyLb…no thanks…I see way more top gear than I care to around here!</p>
<p>Vandygrad, for Christmas dinner it will just be H and I and the two kids, so just a small celebration. We had a prime rib roast for H’s birthday last week, so we’ll have a turkey, with chestnut dressing, cranberry sauce and a salad called “Four star slaw”. We don’t usually have hors d’oeuvres if it’s just the four of us, but yours sound lovely! Traditionally we have a Christmas pudding with brandy butter and then the kids fill up on tarts, cookies, etc. if they have any room left! btw, I always freeze the turkey leftovers so we don’t become too tired of it! We’re planning duck with a cherry glaze and sauce for New Year’s Day!</p>
<p>MommyDearest, the crab stuffed mushrooms sound really good!</p>
<p>Since we’re headed to NOLA on Christmas Day, we’re going to my mother’s for our “Christmas” dinner tonight. The kids got to request their favorites so we’re having chicken and dressing, mashed potatoes (double starch), and red velvet cake. I’m sure there will be some sort of green vegetable, but no one has requested a favorite. D is going to make a new appetizer for us - some sort of jalapeno dip. </p>
<p>Our other big meal is Christmas Eve after all the church services - traditional Texas. Tamales, chili (no beans), queso, guacamole, Shiner beer and pecan pie (from our own pecan trees!). I can feel myself gaining 5 pounds just writing it down.</p>
<p>Oh my GOSH, your meals all sound soooooo good! </p>
<p>Are crab cakes traditional fare in parts of the US for Christmas, I mean, other than New Orleans?</p>
<p>We typically go to my dad and stepmom’s house on Christmas and have brunch, typically some kind of egg casserole, bacon, biscuits, gravy, fruit salad, etc. Later, we go to my mom and stepdad’s, where mom will have turkey and dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, etc., but I am usually too full to enjoy.</p>
<p>First Christmas w/o grandma. Miss her. Miss those days long ago when she baked chocolate pecan pies and baked homemade yeast rolls, along with all the traditional deep south specialties like collard greens and fried okra.</p>
<p>Good morning to my CC buddies!</p>
<p>Mean girls S U C K. And I hate that word, so you know how I feel about that.</p>
<p>We try to keep our cars for a good length of time…our newest car is a 2003 VW wagon we bought from our neighbor when she could no longer drive…50K miles!! DH’s new drive. Our three other cars are a 1991 that D’13 drives (Grandma’s former car), my 2002 wagon and our 2000 Expedition. All over 100K miles.</p>
<p>Christmas dinner is at our house, and is actually brunch at 10 am. I make sausage/egg bake casserole, monkey bread and overnight french toast - all are made the day before and you just put them in the oven to bake, then serve. Fresh fruit, too. We have sandwiches and potato salad for dinner. Cookies for dessert. Easy meals, so we can visit. There are usually ten or so immediate family members. I’m looking forward to it!!</p>
<p>Congrats for more acceptances and BIG hugs to DD13b after hearing about her program.</p>
<p>Good morning! We were up at 5 AM again sending DS off to another weekend of sailing. </p>
<p>Christmas Eve we will go to my SIL’s and have a traditional meal. We host Christmas breakfast for 10 and then Christmas dinner for 18. For breakfast
we do an egg dish, lots of muffins, cinnamon rolls etc… And then for dinner my sister always makes enchiladas. (I host, she cooks). We will have mimosas in the morning and are trying to think of a festive cocktail to serve for dinner. </p>
<p>I have a lot yet to do so I better get moving.</p>