@carolinamom2boys, our graduation is Thursday as well! But at 6pm in the evening. They do have to be there at 8:30 am for a rehearsal. I think there are a little less than 500 students in her senior class.
Most of our family is out of town, six hours away, and her older sister (my step-daughter) is in California with very little money or time to spare for flying home; so it’s just me, husband and my mother in attendance.
Then, Friday is the senior luncheon at a local banquet hall; Saturday night is prom (and she still has not bought shoes to go with her dress!), then Sunday, she packs for leaving town on Monday with my Mom. She’ll spend a few days with my Mom and visiting with cousins and other relatives; then they’re off to Florida for a week. I plan to pick her up in a couple of weeks.
@fretfulmother S16 will most likely have a sink in his room so he will have less to bring. He doesn’t use conditioner so just soap and shampoo. I’ve seen* the all in one products (shampoo and body wash in one) so maybe just one bottle.
*Confession: I have already purchased several bottles.
@sseamom D15 was working on a project that involved old photos so we were looking back through our files and found tons of video clips from our kids putting on shows and filming them. So fun to watch.
We haven’t started dorm shopping yet. We don’t have any extra space in our house so the dorm pile will just end up on the floor of D’s bedroom hopefully off to the side so it doesn’t get too messed up. We can probably pile some in the dining room too. I really don’t want to start that yet. I hate walking around piles. We will probably start shopping at the end of July.
Tomorrow is a big day here for D. She will get her cap and gown, they will have a graduation rehearsal, and then the evening is the senior dance. They have decided not to call the dance a prom, so that people wouldn’t feel obliged to spend money on fancy dresses, limos, hair, makeup, corsages etc. D is on the committee and they have been actively trying to discourage all that excess. Also, by having it after a busy day it seems more like a chance to just blow off steam. No one has time for hair appointments, etc.
It is really strange with one kid being done and the other still in school. S19 will finish on June 22. As I type this, D is still sleeping - she was out with her boyfriend until 12:30 last night. S, on the other hand, left the house at 6:20 this morning to catch the bus to school.
No extra space here, either! We won’t be shopping for dorm room things until late July, probably, knowing us! Anyway, she is consumed by getting out of high school at the moment.
The last assignment has been turned in, and after today, she is DONE with all schoolwork!
I thought I’d update on the job front since I posted about that before. D got a job at Wendy’s. She starts next week. They know she is going away to college and don’t care. They even say she can work when she comes home on breaks and next summer if she wants, too. She is quite happy about that.
Congratulations @me29034 That is an excellent news.
Graduation is next weekend. DD is extremely busy with finals (yes finals in all AP classes) and final projects. She is also very indecisive about housing choices and housing application deadline is approaching. She just got notified that she won $3000 scholarship from our credit union. Not much, but it all adds up.
S is getting his yearbook this morning. This afternoon he has his end of the season sports party. Tonight is senior night - informal dinner, activities and year book signing. Tomorrow morning he will get his cap and gown and then have graduation rehearsal. The only thing hanging over his head is that he decided to take the final in that calculus class (proud of him for that) and it is scheduled for 7:45am tomorrow, before the graduation rehearsal. I had him email the teacher several days ago to see if he could take it today (he is the only one taking it) so he would have it finished before tonight’s senior party and not have to get up early tomorrow. The teacher’s response? No, she can’t change the final time. Which is ridiculous since he is the only senior she has taking the final and he offered to take it early. Arghh! The woman is clueless in so many ways. And just generally a jerk. She does not like that we called her out on the problems with her tests and grading. In 24 hours he’ll be done with her.
My D arrives home on Friday and our big party is on Sunday. Graduation is Monday. S is still job hunting. Really looking forward to having my D home for a few days.
Re printers - D never had one in college. There were printers in many of the dorms and at the library. She rarely if ever needed a printer for assignments - the professors wanted most things submitted electronically. She sometimes printed articles assigned for reading but often they were so large she wouldn’t print them but read them on her laptop. We will not get a printer for S. If he thinks he needs one once at school, we’ll ship something to him from Amazon.
One more thought about those kids who are flying - consider getting them TSA Pre-check this summer. It is $85 for 5 years and makes the airport security routine go so much quicker. You apply online then go in with ID to get fingerprinted.
Dang. After a year of pretty much straight As in Pre-Calc DD makes a fatal mistake on the final (just one sign in an equation she mistook) and she got a C- on the test. Apparently the teacher will let her rework the equation after he clarified the symbol, which reportedly had been used to mean something else throughout the semester. (I have no idea. Beyond my ken.) So, she might ultimately nudge up the grade on the final. Well, I’m glad it wasn’t senioritis. While all finals testing is over and only commencement remains, there are these little straggling tasks. Must get the final transcript sent too.
Congratulations @me29034 and @BeeDAre ! All sources of funding are to be celebrated at this point. Wish my DS would find a job also. He could get by without the funds but I think he will soon be antsy since he is used to much less free time.
@me29034 Congrats to your D on finding a summer job. I’ve noticed my S becoming much more responsible now that he has a job to keep him busy, and they are giving him more of a supervisory role since he’s the oldest lifeguard at their pool right now. I think he likes being able to make his own $$ so that he can go out to eat whenever he wants :).
It is very strange having S16 home since last Wednesday, while our D18 still in school through the 17th for exams.I think it’s only going to get worse as the next few weeks go by!
@PAO2008 Thanks for the tip about TSA precheck. My DD hates the security line, maybe that would be nice having one less stressor flying all on her own. She’s going abroad with a group this weekend for the next few weeks, while she’s still with a group, this will be the first time we haven’t traveled together. I guess it’s good prep of letting go for us parents!
@dyiu13, and everyone–if you have the ability to check final transcripts/GPAs online, I’d do it. There was a mistake with DD’s GPA that we caught before she sent final transcripts out. I’m still half tempted to have her request an official copy for herself before she has it sent to the school, just to be sure everything’s correct. (This isn’t the first time we’ve caught a mistake.)
Boy do things change with the third kid. I haven’t done a thing to start Dorm Mountain yet. I’m sure I was half finished by now for the oldest. I wonder if older S’s shower caddy is around here somewhere? (Believe it or not, it would be in pristine condition as S1 is a clean freak.) The fridge is in the garage, ready for its third tour of duty. I’m starting to get in the mood so maybe I’ll start the toiletries and towel pile later…
D is one of those “cautionary tales” on CC. She picked the financial reach school. It will not change how much money my husband and I can contribute, just how much in loans we are willing to co-sign. She HAS to earn money over the summer. She has worked for a local chocolate company for years, but they can’t offer her more hours. It just so happens my company has a back-up of clerical work and our COO offered my D a summer job. I’m equal parts delighted and apprehensive.
A few weeks ago we were at the mall and D fell in love with a perfume. I was encouraging her to buy it for herself, and she decided against it. She said every dollar she spent on frivolous things was one less dollar for college expenses and therefore one more dollar in loans. The perfume wasn’t worth 10 years of loan interest. I’m glad she sees this, but I wonder if she had this realization BEFORE she rejected her financial safety….
*Epilogue: I bought her a mini-version of the perfume a week later – because – mom.
