<p>We're going to the K/MO parent's club thing tomorrow and they suggest bringing things to put together boodle boxes. This is my list so far -- most of it came from earlier posts -- any suggestions would be appreciated!</p>
<p>-baby powder (is this the same thing as gold bond? baby powder comes in little bottles as opposed to big gold bond)
-granola bars
-cheese&crackers
-PB&crackers
-chapstick w/ SPF
-jerky/pemican
-water bottle (see below)
-powdered flavoring (can't go in canteen? hence water bottle)
-raisins
-fruit leather
-goldfish
-power bars
-popcorn?
-cup o noodles? (really appropriate for summer time?)
-pretzels</p>
<p>Not all boodle, but needed items:</p>
<p>The above +
Beef jerkey
Febreeze
Juice boxes
Pop-top fruit
Spray sunscreen
Moleskin
Disposable lighter
Duct tape
Soft cloth (for shoes)
Small desk US flag to prevent Declaration of Mutiny by upperclassmen
Pre-stamped post cards</p>
<p>+
lint brush
tide on the spot
pledge grab-it dry cloths
"on the go" flavoring packets to add to bottled water
family photo</p>
<p>Plebes-to-be picnic tomorrow here too (and senator's meeting on Sunday)! My parents are the best people in the world. Even though there's a TON of stuff going on this month, especially next week, my mother will brave the two-day trip. She likes to smile and say (think Irish accent, because she is), "No matter how tough it gets up there, you'll never be as tough as me [or any other mother]." Hehe. So true. She also likes to say the convent is too tough for me too (that's my back-up plan deal with God). :)</p>
<p>My Goods Box
- White socks, underwear, bras, and round-neck t-shirts
- Small cloth
- Address book, stamps, envelopes with paper, pen
- White chalk
- Beef jerky, apple sauce, granola bars --- maybe, after all, don't they feed us?
- Water bottle (in case I find Gatorade powder)
- Leatherman/pocket knife (I know there's one around here somewhere...)</p>
<p>Wish List (things that I can't find/don't exist)
+ Gatorade powder -- any Rain flavor
+ Gatorade powder -- can't find any in the stores, just KoolAid and Crystal Lite</p>
<p>EDIT: Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like boodle boxes are cheating? I'm on the fence right now. I want no phone calls home, no letters from or to home, and no boxes from anywhere. I mean, I want to do it all by myself. I like to make things the hardest, rough it out, and feel great at the end for accomplishing something that was tough.</p>
<p>photos of family, friends, & pets
Clorox Bleach Pen
Shout Wipes
cash (after plebe summer)
Tide to Go pen
cash (see above)
plug-in air freshener
cash
homemade cookies/brownies
lint rollers (for dark uniforms in fall/winter)
cash (for movies, take-out, manicures)
small gold earring studs for females to wear with SDBs
cash
pearl earrings for females to wear with mess dress
gift certificate at Dooney & Bourke or Coach for suitable purse to match uniforms. While youre there, get some decent leather gloves too.
e-ticket home for Thanksgiving (MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL!)
Beautiful white cashmere scarf instead of that rag issued to wear with the raincoat (dont lose the raincoat its Gore-Tex and costly to replace!)
extra cell phone in case they lose it (mine only misplaced hers for a couple of days in a nav kit that looks like 1,000 others...)
e-ticket home for Christmas
cash
e-ticket home for Spring Break
iPod during Plebe Recognition Week in May for surviving a year of boot camp + academics+sports+professional knowledge...</p>
<p>Don't send any food during plebe summer that requires cooking, e.g., Cup O Noodles because plebes have no access to microwaves or time to prepare food in the summer. During the academic year my mid coveted premium fruit from California and EasyMac.</p>
<p>Question for midshipmen/mids parents:</p>
<p>Do mids HAVE to come home during Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, and summer leave? Or can they opt to stay at USNA? I was planning on just writing a nice card home. :)</p>
<p>Not all mids go home for Thanksgiving and other leave periods. Some go home with their friends who live nearby; others stay with their sponsor families. Many go home at Thanksgiving because it's really the first extended period in five months from I-day that they will have leave. My mid flew to Los Angeles for four days over Thanksgiving and for us it was fantastic! She went to I-day alone which was great too. Coming home for Thanksgiving was an extraordinary experience!</p>
<p>dictatoranna,
I like your attitude and I think you will have a successful plebe summer/year. I also think care packages can be a distraction sometimes. I always wonder if new recruits at Great Lakes or Camp Pendleton have the same experience. Do their parents take them to induction day?</p>
<p>You don't HAVE to do anything. As far as the military is concerned, you are an adult, able to make decisions on your own.
If you have the kind of relationship with your parents and feel about your home in a way that you don't want to see them whenever possible, then cut them off. That's your perogative.
You don't HAVE to go to your mailbox, you don't HAVE to open the care packages, just pass them out to others who appreciate the effort . . .</p>
<p>Boot camp for enlisted is nothing like this. Or at least for Marines it isn't. I have an enlisted Marine and we dropped him off at a local hotel. We were not even allowed to go in the room during the swearing in. He was allowed absolutely no packages and bootcamp lasted 13 weeks. Actually 14 weeks for him because he got pneumonia and had to drop to a different company. It was very hard on us be we all survived.</p>
<p>Anna - I've seen Gatorade powder at Wal-Mart. I don't know which flavors. You could probably try KMart or Target, too.</p>
<p>turningsignal,
Do you think USNA candidates should be inducted like enlisted members?</p>
<p>No. I think it is an entirely different situation. In theory my older son could have been sent to Iraq within 9 months of being inducted. The break from us needed to be swift. The Marine Corp needed to become the sole source of necessities right away. He had to learn to rely on them immediately Plebes have 4 years of training ahead of them still. They have a long time to learn this.</p>
<p>
[quote]
EDIT: Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like boodle boxes are cheating? I'm on the fence right now. I want no phone calls home, no letters from or to home, and no boxes from anywhere. I mean, I want to do it all by myself. I like to make things the hardest, rough it out, and feel great at the end for accomplishing something that was tough.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I remember feeling that way the first time I left home for school- vowed not to have any contact until Thanksgiving- foolish, foolish!!!</p>
<p>You will have enough challenges without adding this to your list, and from what everyone has posted, chances that feeling of accomplishment you are seeking will be there for you with or without boodle boxes! Cheating? Don't think so- sometimes I think it is just as much for the parents as it is for the mids receiving them- makes us feel that we are helping in some small way and keeping a life-line open- knowing full well you must face this on your own-</p>
<p>hope you will keep just one box for a really bad day! Just in case!</p>
<p>ps...bleach pens: didn't someone post that they melt the uniforms????</p>
<p>bleach pens for white works and blue rim t-shirts (they're cotton). Hey, USNA just announced that next year, in 2008, Navy women's lacrosse will become a varsity team! Wow!</p>
<p>dictatoranna - navy2010 is right. I know how tough an Irish mother can be (I've got one, too) but I've found they're not so tough underneath. Just keep your contacts home short and sweet and keep your expectations low. It seems most mids say they need someone to call to vent every once in a while so pick the least reactive person in your family.</p>
<p>Let us know how the picnic and Senator events go.</p>
<p>The plebes-to-be picnic and senator's event were pretty awesome. It's nice to have a face behind some of those phone calls from the parents club. It was good for my parents too. Now they actually know something about the academy (they were really kinda in the fog during the whole admissions deal, just sign a form or two and they were done). They got a cool little handbook with all the information they'll need if they have any questions now. :)</p>
<p>I loved meeting all the plebes-to-be, of course! Most of them are so lively and excited to go (who isn't?!). It's nice to see a couple of guys from NASS or guys I've met before going into interviews get their acceptances. The parents are full of life-long advice and words of wisdom, so I'm going to keep it in mind. One mother has adopted me for I-Day and says she'll bring an extra bottle of water for me.</p>
<p>Now one thing remains left to answer: What will all those guys look like without their hair? (haha)</p>
<p>I also went to a plebe welcome picnic deal today and that was a great thing to do. It was hosted by the local parents club. It was fun to meet some of my future classmates and to get to know some of them a bit. Not to mention, it will be nice to see some other familiar faces running around the Hall during plebe year...it was neat because everyone seemed like genuinely nice, intelligent, and enthusiastic people (parents, mids, and plebes-to-be). I know we're all joining a great organization.</p>
<p>
[quote]
bleach pens for white works and blue rim t-shirts (they're cotton). Hey, USNA just announced that next year, in 2008, Navy women's lacrosse will become a varsity team! Wow!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Things usna09mom sent me that helped a lot ;)
granola bars
shout stain remover
cherry lip balm(!!!)
lint roller...
My roomie will be happy to hear she's going Varsity. <em>wait's for the pistol team's turn</em></p>
<p>parents</p>
<p>send</p>
<p>FEBREEZE</p>