<p>MomLive, good to know. My cousin’s D graduated from Elon in 2004 and was in a sorority, we never thought to ask her what rush was like.</p>
<p>D & her roommate have decided on a pink-and-orange color scheme. She and I are going to begin shopping soon… maybe tonight or tomorrow if rain cancels her work shift (she’s a lifeguard and swim instructor at the town pond.) They have decided to loft both of their beds, put their desks and dressers underneath and get a futon. I’m telling her she probably needs a clamp-on light for reading in bed, a bed-caddy that attaches to the side of the bed for an alarm clock, reading stuff, etc, and a backrest. She’s telling me she doesn’t read in bed. I’m telling her that me and her brother and every college student I’ve ever known did some reading/studying on our beds, and if she’s lofted up there she’s not gonna want to climb down every time she needs a pen or a highligher, etc. She’s not listening. I suspect she’ll get to college, and in a couple of weeks she’ll take a road trip to BB&B to buy a backrest and a bed caddy if she doesn’t bring them with her. S insisted he didn’t need a backrest, got to college and changed his mind - I ordered one online and had it shipped to him. He uses it a lot.</p>
<p>My son will be in a bunk bed loft (it can be lowered but not to the floor). I got him a clip-on light (with a cord) to use in bed. I made sure I got one that didn’t get hot (Target). I also got a clip-on shelf to hold is alarm, phone and stuff on the bunk (BB&B). Actually the first thing I got him was a bedside caddy that you slip under the bed and it hangs down but then I saw the mesh shelf. I can’t decide which would be best so I think we will take both and decide once we’re there. I’m thinking the shelf will win out - it even has a cup holder.</p>
<p>Son likes to sit in bed with his laptop, so I knew he would need a lamp up there. The backrest isn’t a bad idea. Need to think about that.</p>
<p>Kindredspirit - I like the idea of the wooden top - haven’t seen one of those. Son won’t need a night stand but a wooden top would make it more stable to put things on.</p>
<p>I’m struggling with not bringing too much. We plan to spend the night in a hotel after we drop him off because they have convocation late the next afternoon - so we could easily run out and get him things he needs that I didn’t bring.</p>
<p>When we contacted our insurance co. about coverage for dorm stuff, they told us that if S was living in a dorm room, his stuff would still be covered under our regular policy. If he gets an off-campus apt., then he needs a separate policy. Check with your ins. co.!</p>
<p>S2 got a kitchen cart from Ikea today. He wants to put his fridge on top and then will have a couple shelves of space below for other stuff. Since we have no idea how big his room will be, I’m reluctant to get the plastic storage drawers on wheels, though that would probably be the next thing I’d get. A comfy overstuffed folding chair would be cool, but Tufts is very strict on fabric flammability standards, so that may involve some hunting to find something with a tag indicating it meets code.</p>
<p>It was very clear today that S2 is thinking about sharing a house/apt. down the road!</p>
<p>BT- that is the true meaning of Blessed Twice! If your daughter has half the compassion that you have, she will be just fine!</p>
<p>I like classic clothes. Jeans and a black or white t-shirt with a black Donna Karen jacket is perfect. A few casual skirts and dresses, Coach bag and wristlet, good flats and heels- great! We are very lucky in the northeast to have so many outlets. I bought a skirt at Target on Sunday- it is in the ad- reg price- $14.99, on sale for $10.- it is the greatest t-shirty skirt- I highly recommend. I must confess that I have a family member who works at Target. I love the discount! Also- after the kids go to college, they put tons of stuff on deep discounts. Last year I got a set of sheets for $3.00! Maybe look for those extras in September and take them at parent’s weekend in October.</p>
<p>Another confessions- I do use an iron. On fabric- When I sew or quilt I need a flat edge. </p>
<p>I went to see my sister today. I picked up my mom in the pouring rain and got on 476, then saw a big flashing sign that said “Rt 76 CLOSED”. Then turned on the news to find that the highway was flooded. So my faithful GPS- we call her Gypsy- got me there another way- thank goodness for her! My Sis is so sick. They have this giant mask over her face attached to her head with stretchy velcro- so uncomfortable. But it is pushing oxygen into her. Without it she can’t breathe. But she can’t eat with it- so her levels go way down with the regular ox mask. Oy. She is getting so little food. SO I asked if she could have Boost or Ensure- the response- “oh that is a good idea”. Huh? Really? So they are giving it to her tomorrow. My mom tried to feed her lunch, but she wanted me, so I made her eat all her chicken and mashed potatoes, which really wasn’t much. I had to get back to pick up D and I felt so bad leaving. My S1 and his GF are there now. He is a good boy. Thanks for letting me vent about this here. Her D is 15 does not know how to deal with it. She is going to a soccer camp at a college next week, so that will be good for her to consentrate on something else. The nurse told me that the lungs are getting irreversable damage from the pushed oxygen. And if/when she goes home, she has to stay on it. So everyone will have to deal with it then.</p>
<p>On a high note, my D is amazing and read me a whole newspaper article getting every word right! I am trying to make a big deal out of the birthday week- something fun everyday. Tomorrow is ice cream for dinner. I figure I win with that one too!</p>
<p>sewemma, so sorry to hear about your sister, must be so very hard for all of you. if she cant eat or drink the ensure, they could put a feeding tube in, that way she would be getting her nutrition.</p>
<p>congrats to your daughter BT!!</p>
<p>counting down,my son wants an apt next year too.</p>
<p>He has to be in the dorms for two years, and then we’ll see what the housing lottery numbers look like. He wants to a semester abroad, and off-campus means paying summer rent as well (unless he can find a subletter), so we’ll have to see if the finances work.</p>
<p>i’m trying to convince mine to stay in dorms (he has an apartment style already with a full kitchen) because his scholarship covers housing. if he leaves campus he loses that part of the scholarship</p>
<p>sewemma, I’m sending hugs and prayers to you, your sister, and your whole family. I saw on the local news that 76 had been closed due to flooding - I’m so glad you had Gypsy to guide you!</p>
<p>sewemma, sending good thoughts your way for your sister - and you.</p>
<p>MomLive, where in BB&B was the clip on shelf? That’s what D’s talking about wanting, it would work well for her alarm clock. We rushed thru BB&B so fast this afternoon she didn’t even look at stuff. We filled a cart with bedding and towels, then D announced she was “done” for the day. I was rather disappointed. Note to self: don’t take D shopping when the BF is coming over in an hour.</p>
<p>edit - never mind MomLive, I found it online. Looks perfect! Now we’ll have to hunt it down in the store when we go back.</p>
<p>I’m flying out w/the foot locker. On SW, you can fly it free as long as it’s no bigger than 62" H+W+L (ds’s is 61") and weighs less than 50 pounds. Will require careful packing to avoid exceeding the weight limit.</p>
<p>OMG, dh cried harder than me at TS3! I told him he can NOT do that when we drop ds off.</p>
<p>BT, what a wonderful story! Congratulations to your daughter. BTW I edited the man up, it usually has a more, ummm colorful adjective inserted. It was the crew team motto. </p>
<p>sewemma, your poor sister, hoping for better news soon.</p>
<p>I spent a good part of the day ironing and I am still not done, I’m still doing laundry! I am leaving for NC tomorrow night, I am thinking of staying at least 4 weeks so I wanted to leave S and H ahead of the game. they’ll come down to visit of course but I have left them with plenty of supplies and clean and ironed clothing!</p>
<p>My poor son…S1’s back has been bothering him since the high school baseball season. We thought it was a muscle and did the physical therapy thing. He tried swinging a bat this week and the intense pain came back. After an MRI and CT scan, the orthopedic doctor has determined that he has Spondylolysis which is a crack in the bone that somehow connects to the vertebrae in the lumbar area. The good news is that it should be repairable, the bad news is that he has to wear some sort of plastic back brace for at least 3 months. S1 is extremely active and is beside himself. No one wants to begin their freshman year having to wear a brace for 23 hours a day and this means no ice hockey or any contact sport. He never came out and said so, but I believe his main reason for choosing his college is so that he could play club hockey. </p>
<p>He will get through this, but now I have to worry that he won’t be wearing the brace which will set him up for potential back pain his entire life. With kids, if it is not one thing its another.</p>
<p>My good news of the day is that all bedding and towels are purchased and have taken up residence in the corner of my dining room. I went with gray and black and for his 3rd pillow I got a red pillow case. (Though I still haven’t resolved my foam mattress topper dilemma) I wonder if getting 2 super thick mattress pads would do the trick?</p>
<p>Now I am all jacked up about getting some sort of foot locker with a locking device.</p>
<p>With “props” to musicmom, I wanted to alert the parents of this thread to a good deal that Amazon is promoting. They are offering one free year of Amazon Prime to college students. This entitles the student to free two day shipping for a year. (Normally, Prime costs $79 a year.) You have to register with an .edu email and provide a little other info.
Just google Amazon Prime student if you are interested.</p>
<p>Kajon, so sorry to hear about your son’s diagnosis.</p>
<p>sewemma-I hope the doctors come up with a workable solution to help your sister. Continued thoughts and prayers for her.</p>
<p>sewemma - I will continue to keep your S in my thoughts and prayers. So glad she has you and your family to watch over her. And Happy Birthday to your sweet D!!</p>
<p>Kajon - Sorry to hear about your S’s diagnosis. I hope he will follow the doctor’s orders about the brace.</p>
<p>Congrats to all on their shopping successes.</p>
<p>Kajon, that stinks. big time. BTDT at our house.</p>
<p>S2 had the same thing happen when he was playing football soph yr in HS. He had two breaks in the spurs on L4. It is a common injury among linemen, gymnasts and kids who had large growth spurts. (S had two of three, most definitely NOT a gymnast!) He was sore for a while, thought he had pulled something, and then the first cool night they had a football game (he dressed for varsity but mostly played JV then), his back froze up and we were at the ER the next AM instead of playing JV that day. </p>
<p>He did some PT, took Flexeril for a few weeks at bedtime, did not have to wear a brace, and was OK for weight training second semester. Played football the next two years of HS and has not had any issues since. Got his Black Belt in April, plans on playing intramural floor hockey this winter.</p>
<p>The ortho here told us that getting excellent core strength will help prevent future injuries.</p>
<p>Kajon sorry to hear about your son but would suggest you get the type of mattress topper you are considering now and have son sleep on it…with back problems he may need to try a few mattresses to see if they aggravate his back pain…sometimes firm helps low back pain, other times it doesnt… he may also need a body pillow if he finds he sleeps best on his side now with the body pillow between his knees to prevent the top leg from flopping over and twisting his spine, arm also rests on the pillow to keep his straight, or if a back sleeper, try a pillow under knees…for awhile he will wake up with the pillow gone, but persist at it as it again will keep the spine better aligned.</p>
<p>eta the reason i say get now, is you would hate to go to that expense etc, and then when he goes to college, he has more pain from that particular topper…he still has time to try it out now and see what helps.</p>
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