My kid wants to bring some. They are thinking about heating leftovers or making tea in their room. We also bought 2 dish dry mats for the dorm. One for the dish shelf and one to put their tolietry bag on to dry after showers. They plan to wash any dishes in the hall sinks.
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Nope. He takes meds, but the only accommodations he had in high school were extra time - which he never used for tests and only used for homework. To his detriment, I think, because then he never felt like he had to do stuff on time.
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We did a couple melamine bowls and 2 sets of silverware for each of our kids. They all had access to a kitchen/kitchenette area in their freshman dorms and having some way to hold food in the dorms is nice. Pretty easy to clean up and store without sending a whole kitchen.
We also bought them a travel mug to carry coffee as well as a room mug (ceramic) as they all prefer to drink out of a ceramic mug.
You can also grab a 3-pack of the lidded glass food storage containers instead if your child wants to be able to store/microwave leftovers.
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We just got back from Ikea and bought 2 bowls, 2 cups and 2 plates. 49 cents each. He can wash in kitchen. I know not great to microwave food in plastic, but they are microwave-safe and he wants to be able to heat things up if needed. We plan to buy cheap, washable plastic utensils.
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I picked up a single knife, fork, and spoon for my kid at Walmart to keep in her room (honestly, they seem better quality than our everyday silverware lol), but then also realized she can probably âborrowâ pieces from the community kitchen in her dorm or from her job in the dining hall if she ever really needed them! 
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Same! Picked up a single fork, knife and spoon at Target and I was like âhmmmm do I need new silverware?â (No, I do not. But I really liked the weight and feel.)
We also got a plate and two bowls (why two? Because he found a beautiful wooden bowl he had to have - never mind that I have no idea what for and it canât go in the microwave.). And we have five million mugs already so we are giving him one of our larger mugs.
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When S23 lived in the dorm, he had a plate and bowl (some sort of plastic/melamine) and a single fork, knife and spoon (stainless). Iâm sending them with S25 but I doubt theyâll be used. Iâm also sending a pack of disposable plastic utensils. I donât think heâll do much cooking outside of the occasional ramen that comes in its own bowl that can be eaten out of, and frankly, while I hate the waste, his housekeeping skills leave something to be desired, so disposable it is!
I had to laugh a little at this because we have had a perpetual shortage of utensils (and Tupperware!! And cups!!! And travel mugs!! ) in our house ever since C25 started high school. When they inherited my car it only got worse. Something missing? Look in their car. The thought of them holding onto ONE set of utensils and dishes for an entire month (much less a year) is laughable 
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We also sent kids with some paper plates and disposable silverware for the âordering in pizza with friendsâ type of nights.
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Oh I feel you, mama. I want to reply more fully, but we moved S25 into his dorm today, and I am exhausted and emotionally spent.
We have similar dilemmas here â we pay a crazy amount for oldestâs college, so D26 thinks that as long as hers comes even a smidge under that amount, sheâs good. Which, how can we dispute that really? And yet she could go to school for free with national merit, but she isnât interested in the schools that offer that.
S25âs school is really affordable, so weâve transferred the bulk of his 529 to pay for D22âs school, which I feel a lot of guilt about â but shouldnât, because theyâre different kids with different needs, and weâve agreed to pay for everyoneâs college education. Plus the amount weâve spent on his various therapies since birth probably far exceed anything we could spend for college, lol.
We also have two with ADHD. One is twice exceptional, and I am constantly second guessing what sheâs really capable of, and whether Iâm pushing her too hard or not hard enough?
Itâs nuanced, these parenting decisions. And itâs easy to make yourself crazy with it!
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Yes, we bought a cup and bowl and some cutlery, and Iâm also sending a paring knife (with cover) and a few mugs from home.
Thank you for posting that. S25 likes to cook for himself A LOT, but doesnât have access to more than a small communal kitchen. We debated sending a paring knife so he could do some prep in his room, but we couldnât find out from the student handbook if this is even allowed. Guessing it is?
For three generations, my family has had a âdonât ask, donât tellâ policy about food prep in dorm rooms. Maybe four generations. I remember saying, âGrandma, Iâm pretty sure you canât send me a microwave for my dorm room,â and she did it anyway. But I doubt a paring knife is a problem anywhere..?
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Iâve usually seen âno knives with blades longer than 3 inchesâ as guidance. Seems like most schools know kids need paring knives! Send without worry.
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So we are more than halfway to MD to drop off S25 at early orientation at SJC. He forgot his bath robe and magic cards. I was changing the batteries on S23âs safe, planning to hand it down to S25 and I left it in the kitchen table. 
Good times.
Iâve hit 3 stores looking for the same one (because I know how it works) to no avail. So any recommendations? I was trying to get this one, which I like for size and option of using key or combo.
Drop-off depression hitting hard here tonight. I bought tickets for orientation week events (Aug. 22-24; drop-off on the 25th) and the reality is setting in. It helps to share in this community, as I know weâre all feeling this way. Trying to stay busy and not think about the next weeks. . .
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One thing that helped me with freshman drop-off was to think about how excited I was (long ago) when I started college, how ready I felt, etc. These thoughts helped me to feel excited for my kids rather than sad about my emptying nest (which FWIW Iâve learned to enjoy).
Best wishes to all parents and students!
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When it rains it pours ⌠(Please excuse my off-topic venting)
In the last week,
- our 10yo dog developed a tumor on his paw that had to be removed ASAP (probably cancer, wonât know result until next week). Surgery went ok. Now in recovery mode.
- S31 has a cold (or something) for the past 3 weeks, that just wonât quit - sitting at Dr as a I type, waiting for a chest X-ray
As a result, both dog and S31 are indoors and supposed to be in a ârestful environmentâ. Our house is anything but restful these days.
Dog is a 120lb guardian for our chicken flock. Meaning, indoors is not his fave place to be. Especially because a fox has realized that said dog is out of commission and has been helping himself to the new, all-you-can-eat chicken buffet outdoors. Dog can hear the carnage when it happens and gets so (understandably) upset. So now we have semi-sedated yet somehow frantic 120 lb pony-dog in a very small house
We are also gerbil-sitting for my sister. Because apparently we need more animals in our menagerie.
C25âs summer job is done, meaning they are ALSO in small house all day. Where I am also supposed to be working from home, except my living room aka circus is not work friendly these days. They have not started packing and is more focused on spending as much time w friends as possible but at some point there needs to be list-making, purchasing and packing!!!
End of rant, thanks for listening
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Well, weâre back from the last vacation (this one for a relativeâs wedding) of our crazy travel summer, and C25 moves into the dorm in precisely two weeks.
I guess itâs time to actually start getting ready for that, eh?
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