@Mom2jl Here is an alternative to the tote-a-ton. It is less than $15.00, it is 58.4 total inches, it has wheels (but just a web handle on top handle to pull, no telescoping handle), you can find them at any Walmart, and when not in use it is collapsible - the two ends zip together so it is about 13in x 14in x 2in when not being used. We bought one to try before we purchase moreā¦and really like it. Each walmart prices them differently, so print out the online price (14.44) and the store will honor. I checked 3 walmarts and the price ranged from 14.44 - 17.99 I think.
@dyiu13 I hope your Dās health issues are easily resolved! Mine also lost her appetite in the weeks before moving in and it reappeared the day we landed in Nashville. Weāre chalking it up to stress that we didnāt recognize as stress. Sheās fine now as far as eating goes. Hope your D is going through the same and nothing more.
As far D communicating, she makes up for her brother, who stays with us when he is not on the road. He can be sitting in the same room and isnāt as communicative as his sisters! Iāve never been sure of what heās up to. And my older D has a schedule so different from mine (works nights, sleeps days) that I rarely hear from her, and she lives right down the road.
@mommdc yes, that is Dās strength. All of her scholarships were leadership based. No one ever realizes that sheās the youngest person in the room.
I want to send out virtual hugs to all of you going through the same angst that I had in the weeks before our move in. Every kid and family will handle it differently, but once the move in actually happens, it seems like the natural progression of things. At least, thatās how it was here. And there ARE bonuses: last night we fixed something D does not like for dinner, and tonight weāre going to a movie without having to worry about having to be somewhere to pick D up at a certain time. And H is enjoying not needing a bathrobe in the mornings.
Finally caught up with this thread! We were gone for a couple of weeks in July for vacation (was glorious!) and then I had a business trip right after. Missed out on a lot of the conversation on this thread - hard to believe some of the kids have already been moved in !
S moves next weekend. We finally went shopping yesterday and I think we got most of the stuff. Need to still pick up toiletries/medicines etc, but the big stuff is done. Heās so used to being in a boarding school environment where they had strict rules about what could/couldnāt be in the room that there wasnāt much to buy. Heās used to a minimalist lifestyle! We might end up making a last minute run after we see his room and figure out what he needs to organize the room better.
Rolling duffle bags - I mentioned them to S. He works at G.H.Bass - they had the one similar to the walmart one. Zips up to the size of a small backpack when not in use. Amazing - and with his associate discount, these bags were just 12$. Asked him to pick up a couple - we will use those to transport most of his clothes and he can just put them at the back of the closet or on a shelf after.
Had his physical today. Doc brought up the Meningiococal B vaccine - any one else here have a child get this? I thought he had been done with all the vaccinations. Apparently,this is two shots that need to be given a month apart - given that heās not back home again until thanksgiving, we are thinking of putting this off until then.
Last night I started fantasizing about all the meals I can now cook for myself after picky-eater D16ās move to college. Poised to make a return to my diet after an 18-year absence: lemon, lime, cilantro, parsley, black pepper, raw tomatoes, natural PB, salads, ratatouille, wellā¦so much! The foods of the world ā basically.
@arisamp, yes we got the Meningitis serogroup B shot last year before D left for college.
The meningitis shot that is required for middle school/high school attendance here in PA (and Pitt requires it if you live in dorm along with MMR), is the Meningitis conjugate vaccine and covers serogroups A, C, Y, W I think. That is the shot they get here at age 11 and booster at age 16.
The meningitis B shot is fairly new and covers serogroup B, which has been linked to some college outbreaks in recent years.
@me29034 hang in there! It will all come together. We also Leave 1 week from today. We have told DS we must be on the road by 4pm since that will give us the best chance of missing rush hour in 2 cities that are on the way. I much prefer to keep the on-the-road time to the minimum and want to arrive long before midnight. Wish me luck with that since DS would be fine with arriving about 2am!?!
My DD also lost her appetite and I see it as a sign of stress and also she is trying to look good in a swimsuit during mandatory swim test.
Our son bought us a spa certificate so both DD and I will bond over facials tomorrow. Also she has a second one of those Meningitis B vaccinations done today. We are leaving on Wednesday, but noting is packed and just piled in the office. We will try to fit everything in two bags and 3 carry-ons. The rest will have to be shipped to her.
I come to her room and hug her every time I see her. It is probably annoying for her but I canāt help it.
We will spend few days vacationing in MA and then she has a pre-orientation program starting in two weeks.
Ok, so do you have favorite things you do with your kids as a ālast hurrahā before they leave? My oldest loves movies, so we often wait to see a new release until he is home and then go the day before he leaves. D and I power watch Gilmore Girls when she is home. We also love to go hiking together. I can put on 3:10 to Yuma if I want Sās attention. He has also been watching the Olympics with me every night. We usually go out to eat the night before they leave, something we rarely ever do the rest of the year.
Weāre Rochester bound on Monday. S said today that he wanted us to come up for orientation. Iāll be loading up the car the night before (to me itās easier and less stressful), so weāre ready to go on Monday.
We told him weād take him out to dinner with up to three friends Monday night.
And, good news, and I think for everyone else, after about 10 days of being gone heās started to text more and share more of whatās happening. My wife and I promised that weād share texts from S for the next 4 years when he doesnāt text both of us so weāre both up on his goings on.
My mom and I are going out to lunch the week I leave which is made even more special that this will be the first time in almost a year because of medical dietary restrictions that have now been lifted.
Weāre coming off a rough weekend. We had to review our homemade version of the alcohol awareness courses. Although both kids know the serving sizes by heart, 1.5 oz spirts, 5 oz. wine, 12 oz beer, we felt a review was in order and we broke out the visual aids.
One tablespoon is 0.5 ounces. I poured 3 T. into a shot glass. This is one serving of hard liquor. A girl your size can probably have one of these per hour and not get drunk. The shot glass is not full. If itās full, thatās 2 ounces, and youāre already over one serving size.
Pour the 1.5 oz into a tall water glass. See? This is how much vodka you can have in a mixed drink at a party. It looks like nothing in the glass doesnāt it? There isnāt anybody at a college party that is going to serve you a mixed drink with this little booze in it! āOne drinkā may, in fact, have 2-4 servings of hard liquor in it!
We did the same thing with wine. 5 oz. doesnāt even fill 1/3 of a big balloon glass.
Got a super confusing email from my math professor. Like I barely understand what sheās saying something about codes and labs and online stuff. So I messaged an upperclassman friend of mine who is also taking the class, ālike what does this mean?ā
@readingclaygirl some of the math classes (and probably other subjects) out there use primarily online sites similar to Khan Academy for the bulk of the instruction (Dās does). You need a special access code to use them. They might have ālabā in the title of the program or there is ālab timeā assigned in addition to classroom instruction. Ask at the bookstore-they will be where you buy the code. Dās just got a little folder with the code-no textbook is needed as everything is in the online ālabā.
Oh makes sense @sseamom and I got an answer from the girl I texted. Sheās says the ālabā is the nickname for the Math Lab which is the name of the access code. And the code she sent was for the classroom management/portal system. Yay for older friends!!
Google around for clues about that math class message. It probably has to do with the assigned text book, the code for the book, weekly lab sessions, etc. Donāt worry, youāll get the info you need and hit the ground running. Just make sure to sign into the online system for that course by the deadline. Good luck!
@dyiu13 I already bought the book and access code. This was about something different which was explained by an upperclassmen- itās some class portal thing.
