<p>Congratulations Maryjay60!</p>
<p>Ditto – Congrats Maryjay!!</p>
<p>Include us in the category of parents with a son in the Class of 2014 (and another, S-2016) who are also grandparents – five grandchildren, who (alas) are on the opposite coast of the country from us.</p>
<p>Any tips for doing well on interviews? I’m a senior, and I have two coming up.</p>
<p>We won’t be empty-nesters for quite a few years after DS’14 leaves the nest. His younger brother is class of '21! But, boy, I’ll be so much wiser next go round! ;)</p>
<p>Congrats Maryjay60! That sound more fun than a puppy!</p>
<p>Due to the impending storm, DD’s school has been cancelled for tomorrow and Friday! Here’s to an extended Christmas vacation! And DD now has two extra days to do study guides in preparation for midterms - “sure, Mom”. And since she’s a senior, they don’t have to make up snow days!!! She’s hoping our town schools get cancelled and then she can go out to breakfast with all her hometown friends before the storm hits. I’m well supplied with milk (for kids) and wine (for me) so this should be a good storm! </p>
<p>On another note, DD posted on Facebook that in 2014 she will become a legal adult, graduate high school, go to college, and live in a different place for the first time in 17 years. She’s excited but that kind of brings it all home to me. We’re really going to miss her here!
Happy New Year!</p>
<p>entertainersmom boy you hit the nail right on the head for me. I was just the same and I realized I was working hard to help her leave. Just broke my heart a little. I’ve also been pushing hard for her to make up her mind on which college but that’s just me anxious to start adjusting to a new reality. I think it’s hard for everyone but this mom of one thing has it’s own special issues.</p>
<p>Great start to 2014 - all the apps are done! Let the waiting begin…</p>
<p>@jibler - dress well, get a manicure, bring your resume, do your research on the firms that you are interviewing with, be prepared to answer the dreaded “where do you see yourself in 5 years” question, go with questions about the company that show you know what they do. Shake hands firmly, look your interviewer in the eye and smile, and remember their name. Write a follow up note.</p>
<p>D finally hit submit on all the apps!!! She is watching TV now. Happy to see her all done and enjoying the rest of her time off. </p>
<p>2014 is going to be a big year for our kids graduating and for us! Hope that all of our kids thrive in the school they choose and have a great time away or at home in college! Happy New Year 2014!</p>
<p>Jibler, I am assuming you meant college interviews. Do what Moonmaid said. If you are like my D who doesn’t like talking about herself, think as if you are explaining a situation or a hobby or an activity. Also think about questions like what was your proudest moment or most difficult issue/situation and how you solved. </p>
<p>All the best!!!</p>
<p>I worked on FAFSA tonight. I put in my closest estimates for numbers I could come up with. I think it will be pretty accurate. I did print out the worksheet and if I did it right, wow, my EFC has gone down a lot. There’s one school my son really likes that only uses FAFSA. The others all use the Profile. That could be an advantage or a disadvantage for us, actually, since my ex-husband was unemployed most of last year and I have no equity in my house. I think he’s way under water. </p>
<p>My mom told me, when my kids were very young, that parenting is the hardest job in the world because if you do your job right, they leave you. Those words have stayed with me every step of the way as I worked to make them independent young adults. But she’s right, it is tough! At the same time, I think I have a good relationship with each of them and they will never really be “gone” because we enjoy each other. With my daughter, the anticipation of her being gone was worse than the actuality. She’s in touch a LOT. More than I expected. It changes, but they are still always “there”.</p>
<p>It is going to be hard for them to leave. My S doesn’t talk a whole lot, but there’s a comfortable silence between us - we’re both quiet people for the most part. Sometimes the little brother talks non-stop in the car and we both shush him! That’s the part that scares me. Will we keep in touch with both of us being the quiet type? I go weeks without talking to my mom sometimes.</p>
<p>I’ll miss doing things with him. We went bike riding today. And even though he runs off and leaves me in his dust, it’s fun spending time with him. Last night, his rock band played at a New Year’s Eve party … I’m really going to miss seeing his band play. Four of the members are seniors and will likely be spread all over. He plays bass guitar and I really hope he finds some college friends to play with wherever he lands.</p>
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<p>Congrats on the first grandchild. 
We are blessed with 4 with one more the way. They are now 5, 4, 3, and 2. This Christmas was quite the show with all of them in the house with our two olders kids (S-2011 and D-2014) who just love the little ones.</p>
<p>The best thing about grandchildren is that you can enjoy them and then send them home! :D</p>
<p>The January 1st midnight submission deadline for most CA schools is now in the past. We have now entered the official waiting period of approximately 3 months. :(</p>
<p>School is on here today. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. It will depend upon how much snow we get this evening/overnight. I’m hoping they just delay it tomorrow because we only have one more snow day allowed before they start adding to the end of the school year - including pushing back graduation for seniors. </p>
<p>It’s only the beginning of Jan. I’d rather not use our last snow day this early in the season!</p>
<p>We’re back today, too, Creekland. I know d would love a whole bunch of snow days because senior end of school and graduation do not change; only the underclassmen would have to keep going. </p>
<p>When are the rest of your seniors back? Seems weird to have this be the very last semester I’ll have to deal with the local public school. Ever. D picked up another class this semester, a dual credit history class that will transfer to the school she’ll be attending (and fulfill the history gen ed). Other than that, no changes. Can’t wait to see if her class rank moved up any after last semester. She’ll have to go see the gc to get that info, though. It’s no longer printed on the report cards.</p>
<p>It seems like there are quite a few of us “last timers” here this year. I discovered CC with my oldest, S1, now in his final year of law school. CC helped me so much; we were able to negotiate a higher FA package for him in college, which was worth about $20K in merit aid over 4 years - thank you, CC! And for my daughter, I learned a lot about the strange world of music school and auditions with CC. And this time around, it’s been comforting to know that so many others are feeling all of the same “this is the last time ever” conflicting emotions about sending our youngest ones out into the world. I know it is time for him to go, he is more than ready, and I will enjoy a lot of the perks that go along with that - more free time, rediscovering my own interests and talents - but at the same time I will miss the Friday night football games, awards dinners, even the concession stand work (well maybe not that too much), having my son’s friends dropping in and chatting with them, hosting dinners for 20 linemen (trust me, you haven’t lived until you have large male teenagers chowing down and thanking you every 5 minutes between mouthfuls), and all the rest. It has been a wonderful time, and for the last 10 years I have really enjoyed being a high school parent. I know from the other two that once they go off to college, it is really the first step in them living their own lives - a brief step, like training wheels, but something has changed in the dynamics. </p>
<p>S2 and I were very, very close when he was young, but probably because of that he has really asserted his own independence as a teenager. I get little views into his life, but he doesn’t talk a lot about it - I probably learn more from chatting with his friends when they come over. But that’s OK, I know that he will relax about that once he really feels secure as an adult. He is a great kid - I just feel like I need a boatload of good calm advice in the months to come to deal with all the college stuff. Not the “how to” advice, but more dealing-with-teenage-emotions advice. He is so set on his #1 pick, but I have real doubts about whether their FA package will be enough. I even have doubts about whether it will be the best place for him - he hasn’t even gone for a tour or overnight visit yet, but his brain is just set on it, even though he is doing the other applications. </p>
<p>I know it will all work out in the end, I just feel like I will need to eat my emotional Wheaties to deal with it all from now until May 1!</p>
<p>Our kids don’t go back until Monday anyway, but today would have definitely been a snow day if they were in school. It has been snowing for 36 hours straight and we have over 9 inches and I’m sick of it. Totally sick of it. We’ve shoveled a few times already but I’ll need to go out and do it again soon. It’s very light and fluffy for shoveling, but it’s getting really, really cold.</p>
<p>BarnardMom- I won’t tell you that yesterday I took a lovely walk along the beach to celebrate the new year out here in California. We woke up to weather in the 70’s. just beautiful. My son will return to the snow on Saturday when he flies back to school. Our DD is purposely looking for schools in the south away from the snow. Good luck with the snow. </p>
<p>For others who children tried to submit the Common App last niight- it crashed but they said that all CA colleges are extending to tonight. Some colleges like Columbia are even extending until Jan. 6.</p>
<p>^^^ I’ve been having visions of another FL visit trip… not that we need it, but it sure would be nice right about now. Or maybe that visit to the University of the Virgin Islands… However, there’s this little deal about the end of the semester (and we’re on block scheduling), middle son visiting from college (extra help shoveling!), and some medical stuff coming up. (sigh)</p>
<p>I did buy myself the National Geographic “Islands” calendar for this year, so I can look at the pics and drool. Perhaps next year…</p>
<p>I am reading about the snow storms with a touch of envy. Here in northern California we just ended our driest year on record-6.1 inches of rain total. I love a windy, rainy storm and we haven’t had a really good one in over a year. Our landscaping and fields are all brown and dry. Water conservation reminders are being issued. DS11 lugged home his snow gear for an overnight ski trip. But many resorts are not open,only a few that make their own snow.</p>