<p>Prom stories! S1 isn’t going, and S2 is just a soph. I want to hear about frills and bling!</p>
<p>Ahhh - I thought you were planning on making the most of your visits by taking up an old pastime! Now I’m just enjoying the picture of trying to interest your son in squeezing into my mom’s old, white figure skates. :D</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to the prom stories too. No frills here, with two boys. The dress descriptions were beautiful.</p>
<p>CountingDown: Congrats!</p>
<p>I think there are charitable organizations that recycle used prom dressed. I haven’t been able to get D to part with hers.</p>
<p>That gold dress sounded just beautiful.</p>
<p>Well, I have a prom dress story. As a soph D was invited to a senior prom by a boy she didn’t know well in a neighboring school district. She just wanted to get a fancy dress and go.</p>
<p>So, I had a negative altercation with La Stewart, that is Martha Stewart, in a little store in our town. She was beautiful, but she was also quite witchy.</p>
<p>DD was with me. I looked a mess. Ugly sweat shirt, frizzy hair, the works. So to console myself I took D into our cool little prom gown boutique and bought her the most incredible (and expensive) dress. Then she decided that the dress was too dramatic for the boy.</p>
<p>And so it has never gotten worn. If only I could wear a 4 I’d wear it myself. D is now a 0 - 2 so she can’t even wear it now. So, I am day dreaming that a miracle is going to happen and I will be able to wear size 4. Hm. D says she might wear it someday.</p>
<p>It’s black, strapless mermaid gown with pearls and beading around the “tail” – the train.</p>
<p>So sad.</p>
<p>Wow!!! The V-lounge has been busy during my absence!</p>
<p>I’m sorry it took me so long to slip back in with the update. All those good thoughts helped and H never did have his “talk” with D!!! While she was at prom, we went out with good friends (happens to be the one that told me about CC to begin with) and H went through all his angst and concerns with them. Thankfully, he really got it all out of his system with them and they really helped him to see how wrong his thinking was. Thanks to all the good advice I got, I somehow remained quiet for the most part…I can get really emotional and that never is very effective with H. </p>
<p>H also finally went on her school’s website and had a good look around…concluded that he was very impressed, especially with the program she would be in. I think he finally gets it. It won’t be easy for him, but he’s on board now. Thank you all for all your support, it helped!</p>
<p>As for prom, D had a great time. They even played a few techno songs at her request. She said she never sat down and danced the whole night. She looked amazing in the last minute dress…looked like it had been made especially for her, fit like a glove. She wanted an edgy European look, so that’s what she got…black strapless with an interesting skirtline. She wore these insane 4 inch heels and long chartruse feather earrings. Sounds crazy, but on her tall, thin frame it worked. </p>
<p>I ended up taking the easy way out and made chocolate chip pancakes with banana syrup for breakfast, but I must try these Frenchtoast casserole recipes, especially the one with cheesecake…OMG!</p>
<p>mountains, congratulations for Colby!!! I looked at their website after you mentioned it before and it looks wonderful.</p>
<p>CountingDown!!! Hooray U Chicago!!! I was rooting for him to pick this one all along. Although D is getting happier by the day with U Michigan, I think if she gets off the waitlist, there’s a good chance she would go for it. </p>
<p>Owlice, I’m so sorry for those parents. My heart goes out to them. One of the things I did tell my H was that our D lived and it was our responsibility to enable her to make the most out of her life. Stories like this remind me of how fortunate we are. When I think of those times we went through, it was so surreal and frightening.</p>
<p>For the student seeking advice, I’ll put in my vote for Brown if you’re not into the Greek scene. Both are great schools, but I’ve never heard of anyone regreting going to Brown.</p>
<p>Thanks moms (and dads-I can’t really tell gender on here)! I think you all are right- my head says Brown and my heart says Emory. Decisions, decisions… now which one should I listen too…?</p>
<p>fillintheblank, I sympathize with you and hope things become clear soon. mythmom, Martha Stewart?? Oh my. I hope your daughter does wear the dress sometime. It sounds beautiful. 2forcollege, whoo hoo! What wonderful news regarding your husband’s change in attitude. He sounds like a very loving dad, and it’s great he came around to realizing that meant letting her go. Her dress sounds striking. And I’m glad she survived the heels–I would fall and break my neck trying to walk, let alone dance, in heels that high.</p>
<p>2forcollege: Wow. What a great ending. And it sounds like your D looked truly beautiful.</p>
<p>My D wears those heels, too, Carrie Bradshaw style.</p>
<p>fillintheblank: If your heart really says Emory, go for it! Your head is there just to make sure you don’t make a bad decision. You can’t in this case. So you can follow your heart.</p>
<p>Good night all. Teach first thing in the morning. Paradise Lost.</p>
<p>I had to feed my chick flick self, so I watched Dan in Real Life and look what I missed on the vigil lounge! The movie was quite heartwarming - I so needed it after looking at S’ baby pictures.</p>
<p>Congratulations, CountingDown - big whew. </p>
<p>mythmom - What lovely, lovely dresses. I, too, am a Jessica McClintock fan … but do wear something larger than a 4 (4 is now a distant memory). That’s amazing how your proms are put together. With my S - ha - he told me last week his friends and he are ALL going stag. We were near a tux rental store this weekend as we were getting new phones, and I suggested we stop by. His response, “One at a time, please, Mom?” So, no tux yet. H will take him (not).</p>
<p>fillintheblank: Go with your heart. I’d like to think that is the emotional intelligence in us and I tend to listen to it more than my head; that is, after I list pros and cons, of course, and I still don’t like the winner on the list.</p>
<p>Have a great day, everyone. I’m going to attempt to get rid of snow tires again today.</p>
<p>Great news, CountingDown. I’m so happy for your son (and you and your H, of course). Excellent school, by the way.</p>
<p>mythmom - it sounds like your D has great taste in dresses. My D didn’t look at any mermaid-style dresses - she was afraid they would draw attention to her lack of height…lol. The truth is, she was afraid to wear a long gown at all for that reason, but I persuaded her to give them a try, and she fell in love. She really fell madly in love with a princess-style dress with the full tulle skirt - but she had read in some teen magazine that boys didn’t seem to like those dresses, so she called her BF and asked him if he would rather she wear a pouffy dress or a sexy dress. Guess which he chose…lol. I told her that if she still wanted a pouffy dress, she could get one for her own prom in two years - but something tells me that her taste at almost 18 will be a little more sophisticated than her taste at almost 16.</p>
<p>2forgcollege - I’m happy things are working out for your daughter without involving much drama. Good news for you too.</p>
<p>Harriet - LOL - thanks for the imagery! </p>
<p>fillintheblank - good luck making your decision. Like I said earlier, you really can’t go wrong either way. They’re both great schools. </p>
<p>mountains - better luck getting rid of those snow tires today. Oh, and here’s hoping you won’t need them again once they’ve been switched!</p>
<p>To all moms of boys who are going to the prom:</p>
<p>We bought a wonderful, perfect tux at Syms for $60.00, whereas it cost $100.00 to rent. Not only was it cheaper, but it fit better – a Calvin Klein and slim cut for S’s absent bulk! Had an alteration been necessary we could have done it. We did have the pants shortened. Everything else was perfect.</p>
<p>I wanted to buy it because as a musician I knew he’d need it. He went to school without it, insisting he’d never need it (a seventeen year old is wise in his own head) and then we had to overnight it in panic. Well S was panicked because sometimes seventeen year olds aren’t so wise. But they have so much conviction!</p>
<p>Have a nice day. Off to the salt mines, but it’s raining. Nah, they won’t melt!</p>
<p>Oh and LIMOMOF2: My D is also short. But she’s a zero with a long neck so one who isn’t standing next to her can tell. And SHE can make any dress sexy without trying. Her black and white dress had her the talk of the prom pictures. Dads fell in love and were ready to arrange marriages for their sons. Especially the father of their classes golden boy. D’s dark, dark hair and very white porcelain skin had Indian fathers ready for arranged marriages.</p>
<p>D would never ask anyone’s opinion (well maybe mine) about a dress. Boyfriends are okay, but this is a DRESS. Again, think Carrie Bradshaw.</p>
<p>But I am sure your D made the wise choice and will look beautiful. A adoration of fashion is NOT good for a parent’s pocketbook. Thank goodness I introduced her to Ebay Express.</p>
<p>Congrats to all those with decisions being made and vigils ending. Don’t forget to post in the final decisions thread and the acceptances thread.</p>
<p>To those still waiting, keep the faith, it will all be over very soon. Good luck.</p>
<p>This morning D has a big smile on her face and is wearing her Trinity University T-shirt to school! We haven’t sent in the deposit yet, but I’m thinking that might happen tonight, after her choral concert. It’s such a relief to see her smiling–hopefully the decision has been made and the angst-ridden, decision-making process is behind her. These past few days have been hard to watch.</p>
<p>All this talk of prom dresses…I just have to share:</p>
<p>My 5’ 8" daughter wore a beautiful BCBG dress with a black satin pleated bustier top and an empire waisted, fitted, 4" above the knee, tan skirt with a sewn together black floral overlay (too solid to be considered lace–actually 3" black flowers randomly sewn together to cover 95% of the tan liner). She swept up the top of her shoulder length hair into a simple Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffanys poof at the crown and let the rest fall shiny and straight. Her black leather and patent leather peep toe shoes added another 4 1/2" to her height.</p>
<p>The best part: She has lost 47 pounds since August when she wore a size 14. Her prom dress is a 6. Does she ever look gorgeous! I’m so proud of her (and thankful for Weight Watchers)! I’m also glad she’s chosen the hilly campus of Berkeley to study at next year.</p>
<p>2for college - so glad things worked out, sounds like she looked so beautiful for prom</p>
<p>CountingDown - it’s going to snow in Chicago today…those skates will be used year round I guess! </p>
<p>My boys both went to their proms, though they had sworn many times that there was no way, and my D went with a friend. In the end I think that the angst (personal and wardrobe!) was worth it for all. Great memories. Now you have wonderful graduations to look forward to.</p>
<p>But it goes by really fast. I tried to book reservations for graduation (college) last night and the one hotel we always stay at is full, even though they said they wouldn’t take reservations until a year in advance…oy! Hard to believe that in one short year (and it goes by really quickly), I will be the proud mom of 2 college graduates…time flies far too quickly.</p>
<p>And I cast a vote for keeping the Lounge open…S1 tells me he’s applying to law school/grad school double degree programs next year. Will definitely need baked goods!</p>
<p>All these talk of prom dresses - I wish we tried for a second one, maybe a girl. :: slaps self to go back to reality :: Never mind. I’m not going through the college app process again. I’ll just head over to Macy’s and admire the prom dresses.</p>
<p>acme - We are also waiting for waitlist although talking about that college seems to be dwindling. </p>
<p>mythmom - We don’t have a Syms locally. I’ll check where we can find one close enough to be worth the drive. I know I paid $120 last year for the tux. I’d rather pay $60.</p>
<p>Congratulations to everyone; the vigils seem to be wrapping up.</p>
<p>Jumping on the prom bandwagon - my D went to prom her Sophomore year and borrowed a dress. Junior year bought herself a relatively inexpensive dress. This year she found THE dress, it is silk and was quite expensive, but she loves it. It’s deep royal blue, strapless. Pleated top, a band just under the bust, and then falls straight down. Fairly narrow. There is a panel, like a train in the front and back. Hard to describe, but really elegant and striking. Prom is this Saturday. We’re still looking for jewelry.</p>
<p>On the college decision front, as if things weren’t stressful enough, I am now in financial aid limbo because of how the colleges figure how many we have in college. So the aid packages may change. I found this out on Friday, when I checked my email and saw that the FAFSA had changed. This morning I contacted them to tell them I didn’t make any changes, and found that one of the colleges changed our FAFSA, from three in college next year to two in college next year. So I don’t know what’s going to happen to our aid packages, and I may need to request an extension to sending in the deposit until we have a definite number.</p>
<p>Oh, and one college has lost some of the financial stuff I’d faxed them at the beginning of April, but didn’t bother to tell me until I was IN THEIR OFFICE on Friday. Excellent.</p>
<p>jude_36, that’s terrible of one of the colleges to go in and change your FAFSA at this point in the decision-making process!!! And also terrible for the college that lost your paperwork to not even bother to let you know!!! We’re here for you and I think requests for extensions are definitely in order.</p>
<p>runnersmom, I also vote for keeping the lounge open! Like mountains, my D is on a waitlist for a school she just can’t let go of, though she’s moving forward and making plans for the one she picked. And once we’re done with all the waitlist drama, we have the vigil before they leave home, return for visits, etc. And yes, then there’s grad/law/medical school to get through, not to mention study abroad, internships, etc. My older D who will be a second year next year wants me to start looking for either study abroad or 3/4 yr masters/law programs she could start at the beginning of her 3rd year. </p>
<p>Schoomcgoo (interesting handle!), your D is so inspiring! I’m a WW, too, and to be able to have that kind of a weight loss during high school is amazing!!! Yes, I’m sure she’ll get lots of exercise at Berkley with all those hills…fantastic choice of college, she will love it! Also, that prom dress and ensemble sound out of this world! </p>
<p>In fact all these prom stories have been so great, especially the run in with Martha Stewert! It’s so interesting how they end up expressing their personal style. My D’s look was definitely unique from the others, more like the cover of Vogue than prom, but she loved her get-up, so what more do you want?</p>
<p>Congratulations also to Martharap on her D’s choice!</p>
<p>My son lost about 50 pounds during Jr year too. At first his Dr. was worried it could be an eating disorder, but no–he was just eating differently and exercising more. He loves his new look and the “lighter” feeling.</p>
<p>I agree that the VL just has to stay. We’ve barely started to discuss shopping lists!</p>