<p>We replaced our leach field (own septic system, own well) now I am yelling at the grass seed to grow before D’s graduation party-the rain has helped, some little blades of grass are started to poke through all the dirt… Tackled some bad “Clutter” because of this party-linen closet, piles of towels, old clothes (just throw them in the upstairs hall, good old mom will get to it) I couldn’t put away the crib sheets & hooded baby towels & bumper pads though I tried! I neatly organized them & put them on top shelf-LOL, none of my children are even married! I did throw away a lot of old sheets, pillowcases & towels, so I guess I should give myself points for that!</p>
<p>Zetesis, wonderful about the toe and the musical! Congratulations to your daughter!</p>
<p>missypie, geek_son almost didn’t invite his Aspie classmate because they’re not really close, we know that his mom will force him to attend, and we know he’s almost certain to be miserable the whole time he’s there. I guess we made the right choice, given your reaction to your son’s invites – but it’s so hard to know what to do.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE=NorthMinnesota]
we planned on food for 300
[/quote]
3:eek::eek:! The thought of 300 people tramping through my house in the span of a day – let alone what kind of food I could come up with for 300 – NMn, you are made of sturdier stuff than I!</p>
<p>downtoearth, I agree – sometimes it’s the everyday frustrations that grind us down. I hope you find time to take care of yourself today, and get the rest you need after your surgery.</p>
<h1>theorymom – A few pages back, you said my son is like yours… when I read that, I chuckled and thought, you don’t know the half of it! He finally finished a paper late last night that’s due in third hour this morning. Planned to make final edits during first and second hour (how he’s going to do that at the same time he’s presenting it to the two classes he TAs, I can’t tell you) before handing it in.</h1>
<p>He’s had the PowerPoint done since Monday, but put off the paper. Kept saying, This one will be so easy compared to the senior paper – This one will be easy!</p>
<p>So after a week of nagging, I tried so hard to hold my tongue last night. Finally at 8pm, after he’d gotten home, gone roller blading, and dozed off on the couch, I said, “Look kiddo – it may be easy, but it ain’t gonna write itself! You can’t get much closer to the 11th hour than this!”</p>
<p>I kid you not… He held up three fingers.</p>
<p>Time to buy hair coloring and margarita mix!</p>
<p>downtoearth - I hear ya. Sorry…
but it WILL pass, honest. Here’s to highlights and tequila!</p>
<p>geek-mom - hey thanks for the laugh, it is kinda funny when it is happening to someone else. But I KNOW how frustrating it is and you have my sympathy. Cheeky guy! So did he wait 3 more hours until eleven? Mine would have (did)</p>
<p>geek_mom…that’s why we hope there is no rain and it’s all in the back yard! 
Kids come and go over the 3-4 hours so the whole group isn’t here at one time.</p>
<p>I don’t drink but I am going to start!!! I had a dress by D never wore last year, she let someone at school borrow it. Without my knowledge. It was an EXPENSIVE dress, I wanted her to wear to to bacclaureate. “I’ll get it back” she says, “We all do this” YUP, that Tequila is really starting to appeal, how about I start now? Ok deep breath …</p>
<p>It’s always five o’clock somewhere, you know. </p>
<p>CountingDown, I think that may become my new mantra: Time to buy hair coloring and margarita mix. It covers a lot of territory.</p>
<p>I haven’t caught up on everything I’ve missed–too much work. It sounds like #TM is all set to graduate? Has anybody heard from Jolynn lately and her son?</p>
<p>S2’s last day of school was yesterday since he is exempt from all of his exams next week and today is “senior skip day”, so he left for a friend’s lake house and is fishing. We aren’t doing anything special for the yard. I even resisted getting any hanging baskets this year to save money. I will do massive cleaning this week-end, but not throwing anything away cleaning, just vacuuming, scrubbing, making beds, dusting type cleaning for relatives arriving on June 3. I have a business trip that day, so not sure how we will get them from the airport. S1 has a job for a restaurant linen service until he leaves for Brazil on June 27th so that gets him out of the house at 6:30 am every day and he doesn’t get home until 5:30. S2 and H also claim to be working that day, so it is going to be one of those issues of who has the most important job. I think S2 loses that one, but he doesn’t want to hear it.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE=#theorymom]
So did he wait 3 more hours until eleven?
[/quote]
Nooooo… at certain times of the month, my “I am so going to kill you” look is pretty effective. 
He was done with it by 11, and only nodded off once or twice while he was writing. He’s lucky that particular teacher seems to think he hung the moon; God only knows how the last page or so is going to read.</p>
<p>The thing that really got to me is, he turned in his senior paper a couple of days ago. Most of his classmates have been staying home throughout the week, madly working on their papers which are due today (no paper, no diploma). Because he had turned in a couple of drafts a few weeks early (with much prompting, nagging, and pestering from yours truly, plus the threat of not going on the senior trip without a draft), he will receive extra credit on his paper. For the past couple of days, he’s been gloating over how, unlike most of his class, he got extra points because he didn’t procrastinate. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>As his grad present, I thought about buying him a little statue of Jiminy Cricket, engraved, “Just Get It Done Already!!” – since I won’t be there to be his Conscience at Mudd. He and I were joking about how I might be able to earn some money next year by offering a Personal Nagging Service. Forget that sissy ‘90s “life coach” stuff. Parents of college kids in my area would pay me and tell me their kids’ names, phone numbers, schedules, and major assignment deadlines… and I’d ride their hides until their work was done! The plan’s only flaw is that nobody could pay me enough to take on that job! I hate doing it with my own kid. :p</p>
<p>He has two more projects to (start and) finish this weekend, then two final exams next week, and That Is All. Thank God.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This made me grin. Is it for an exotic cocktail? Or do you do the first more efficiently with the latter? Whatever, we need something for these roller coaster days!</p>
<p>Congrats to the the successful musical and the tests and the proms and the grad parties! You are all so busy and sound so sane still. I noticed noone wants to trade S’s with me for the summer. I could pay. He has been a bear to live with. He mentioned last night that because he transferred he is out of sequence and in classes with other than seniors. While the seniors are done except for finals he is still doing homework. He needs a copy of his SScard (we can’t find his) and has not stopped at the office that is on his way home. He has not filled out his room and board app. or picked out his colloquium class. If I ask he says, “don’t start mom”. Whenever he is stressed it is me he focuses on. However when he was sick the other day he was sooo sweet, until he felt better. AND then I get a phone message from an old GF who I have not heard from in 6 years or seen for 22. I really did not want to keep up with them for a number of reasons but I never left feeling good when we had contact. She and H are RVing our way and want to park in the drive. It took me a week and 3 stress headaches but I just called today and said D and I do not want to renew the friendship–many nice memories–etc. She mentioned that they only wanted to stop by (hmmm–but stay in the drive way??). Anyway, I feel terrible but the alternative was worse.
Time to buy hair coloring and margarita mix!</p>
<p>and every extra credit on his on line grades is blank. I am caught in a Zits cartoon.</p>
<p>I think my D’s senioritis has spread to me and I haven’t been checking these boards as faithfully as I used to. I’m glad to see others are drumming their fingers about parties. D announced she wanted to have a graduation party. We haven’t had a party for her at the house since 4th grade. I’m kinda thinking I should plan something other than chicken fingers, mac & cheese, and crafts making leprechauns. And the guest list? Well, she handed out invitations to about 40 people then decided to put it on Facebook. I have no idea what that means in terms of how many people know about it (and might crash – scary), nor do I know how many people might actually come (she’s afraid people won’t actuallly show up). So am I ordering sandwich platters for 30 or 80 people? If it rains, what the heck are people going to do in the house? Are my friends (I was allowed to invite some) going to freak out if alcohol isn’t flowing freely (well it will flow, but discretely as I’m not one of those “fun” parents). My plan is that my family will understand if “dinner” for the following 3 days is queso & chips, and sandwich wraps, and that the sheet cake will certainly freeze.</p>
<p>Oregon101, I’m in for the exchange, as our sons sound like they’re cut from the same cloth, right down to the “don’t start mom” (although the quote in our house is “don’t worry about it”). My S has been difficult all year, but it seems to have calmed down a little. I absolutely relate to your comment that he focuses on you when things are rough, as I’ve been living that scenario for his HS life.</p>
<p>Some bright news - we got a letter from his school that S has an award coming to him, and we should come to the awards event for seniors! Mine hasn’t participated in any EC’s, so it’s not that, struggled with his grades, so it’s not that, but I assume it’s his NM Commended status that will get the award. We’ll all be there to celebrate, but I WILL first check with the school to ensure there’s an award waiting for him.</p>
<p>Can you believe we’ve successfully guided our children all the way through high school?</p>
<p>Bacclaureate tonight , it was lovely/ D was crying it all hit her tonight. Found the dress. Looked nice. graduation tomorrow. more tears. thanks foryour help all.</p>
<p>cpeltz–congrats on s’s award, way to go 
it is hard to believe we’ve gotten our kids to this point</p>
<p>downtoearth–enjoy tomorrow’s graduation, congrats</p>
<p>bbl–interesting idea, contagious senioritis–I couldn’t concentrate for the couple weeks leading up to my d’s grad</p>
<p>oregon–my s last year was also a bear before leaving for college and he couldn’t be more sweet and fun to talk with from college these days…gets better. frozen margaritas anyone? its hot down here in south florida ;)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>need I say it…</p>
<p>same here</p>
<p>Ok–I have to offer for trade for the summer one S
high points: can clean a bathroom well but does expect $$ in return
polite to anyone besides mom and dad
good driver
well now that is something isn’t it? gotta hang on to the what is…
Ok well that’s a start</p>
<p>see how hard I am trying to look at the positives!
I have lost my happy face symble cheat sheet --does anyone remember where it was posted?</p>
<p>downtoearth–congrats to your D and glad she found the dress! sure wish S was grad this weekend but it is at least next. Just a family dinner here with D flying in for the weekend. After prom was enough for awhile. S’s X box broke and we went head to head but I won(!) and he cannot replace it until there is $2000 in his account and that is for his spending $$ next year. He’s frantic but stopped arguing. He is very fortunate because the grad $ gifts along with what I have forced him to save up to now will probably bail him out soon. He does not understand what he could possibly need $$ for next year. It’s sad he has such a dumb mom …</p>
<p>oregon101 - here you go <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/misc.php?do=showsmilies[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/misc.php?do=showsmilies</a> I’m sorry that your S has such a <em>dumb</em> mom!</p>
<p>downtoearth - glad it all worked out - I can definitely feel you pain! Especially the room cleaning, losing things (see below) and writing thank you notes.</p>
<p>Zetesis - hooray for your D and a great show (and painless toes!)</p>
<p>bbl - Oy! Sounds like you have a good plan, I would definitely include your friends and some stashed alcohol just for the adults. You deserve it!</p>
<p>cpeltz - congrats on S’s award! </p>
<p>Remember my D who wrote that lovely column about her parents? Well, she has lost my camera. She thought she might find it when she did the archeological dig…excuse me, cleaned her room…but it didn’t turn up. Her party is today, graduation tomorrow and I have NO CAMERA!! When I started to lose it last night, she smiled sweetly and said “maybe you should go read my column again.”</p>
<p>Oh, yeah, and the dress she was going to wear for graduation (it has be to light colored under a white robe) doesn’t fit. Hmmm…and if she had tried it on two weeks ago when I first suggested it instead of yesterday we might have had time to get something else. :eek:</p>