<p>We’re with you guys. Never paid for a school-related care package. Mailed stuff (cookies or brownies) to ShawSon but then had to remind him to pick them up – when he’s focused on work, he forgets to pick up packages and then, poof, they become stale and/or moldy.</p>
<p>Sending food to ShawD in Canada will be tougher. We may find some store in the area that delivers. But, I think other forms for communicating love and support may be more important.</p>
<p>Pre-packaged care packages. I got these solicitations from my older kids schools and I did them a couple of times if the contents looked appealing, but I enjoyed picking up little things here and there and sending them so generally just ignored those “offers”. </p>
<p>And on a personal note…Saturday my husband and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary! We started the day off with a short motorcyle ride through the country to a diner. I love going out for breakfast but seldom get to do it. After breakfast we roused our sons and went to a family reunion in South Jersey. It was at one of my second or third cousins farms where they have a wonderful pond for swimming complete with a rope swing and a handmade wooden diving board and a pavillion with picnic tables. It was so nice seeing people that we don’t often see, and sharing good food. On the way back I let the guys discuss the economy while I read my book. When we got home, my husband and I sat on our back deck and read the papers and watched the birds at their feeders. An interesting combination of relaxing and busy, and IMHO, a perfect anniversary!</p>
<p>kathiep- Congratulations. (And sounds like a perfect day to me, too.)</p>
<p>congratulations on your anniversary – and on what sound like a fun day.</p>
<p>Congratulations Kathiep!!</p>
<p>Thanks for the heads-up about the hard sell care packages - haven’t gotten solicitations yet but I assume that would be just like that sheet offer that looked like it came from ds’ college but weren’t. Lots of people looking to make money out there huh? On a side note, I spent my jr yr in China and my “care packages” from home consisted of cookie and brownie mixes. I would bribe the post office to release them and then I would bribe the local hotel staff to let me into the kitchen so I could bake - there were no ovens except at the foreigners-hotel at the time. So my memories of care packages involve a bit of corruption and stealth too. Ah good times, good times…</p>
<p>AK–you always crack me up! Bribery and stealth–love it! I wonder what your DS’s packages will look like! 
</p>
<p>I’m not going for the ordered care packages. My DS can’t eat some of that stuff and I’m not paying for anything he can’t eat. I’ll send my own care packages. Isn’t the point to share them anyway, so if “everyone” gets them at the same time, where’s the fun? </p>
<p>I’m living vicariously through many of you. DS doesn’t even have his dorm assignment yet, and he can look at class schedules but they don’t actually register until they show up for the first week of school. It’s much less stressful this way, but we remain in the dark on many things.</p>
<p>Thanks for the birthday wishes for DS. I did the 18 for 18 and got mostly a variety of things for dorm and school. I did get him a lottery ticket (he won $10). He thanked me for stuff he says he’d never have thought of for school (hangars, scissors, etc). My husband says I’m corrupting him with gambling and drinking (we let him have a glass of champagne when he was accepted into his college). This is just him trying to not get blamed for his bad boy background potentially rubbing off on DS! </p>
<p>Kathie–Happy Anniversary! Our’s was last month and kind of overshadowed by graduation stuff.</p>
<p>Morning all. I took three days off CC and WOW!
Mommylaw - so sorry to hear your sad news; glad to hear D and BF are managing despite the situation. I love Slithey Tove’s suggestion.
Avon - congrats! KathieP - congrats to you too. Our 20th is on D’s MOVE IN DAY. What timing!
Regarding the “expense talk,” my H could not have any discussion about college without mentioning cost. Totally sucked the fun and excitement out of it all. D has worked hard and we have saved hard, so I asked him to stop, particularly around D. If not, I promised to mention the cost of the golf club membership (his indulgence) every single time he went off to play.<br>
D got in off the summer waitlist to a formerly favored school last week. I was half fearing this outcome and half hoping for it. D is happily sticking with the enrolled school. What a relief! Sound familiar, MOSB?<br>
No news on housing or roommates yet. They said “mid-July,” so D is eager to hear.
Today, I am going to figure out the logistics of paying. I got a mailing from Tuition Management Systems. I need to determine if I am using their service and how to get it from the 529 to the school correctly. Has anyone else sorted through this process yet?</p>
<p>**I have taken the first and last move-in dates for this countdown from the list on this thread. To try and list all of them would be overkill to say the least.</p>
<p>First move-in is now the University of Georgia on August 9th. (Excludes cadet training at West Point)
Move-in day in 28 days.</p>
<p>Last move-in is University of Southern Oregon on September 22nd<br>
Move-in day in 72 days.**</p>
<p>If there are earlier or later move-in dates, please post them so that I can pick them up and adjust the countdown postings.</p>
<p>Happy Anniersary Kathiep! Sounds like you had a great day.</p>
<p>mnmomof2- Yes I just did the 529 withdrawal. I saw a decent article on the ins and outs of withdrawing. (It was on “saving for college” website and called “Avoid these 529 withdrawal traps”). For my state I was able to handle it all online. Because D’s tuition is not due until Aug 1, and the expenses were definitely qualified as tuiton/ room and board, I had the money sent to the college directly. Next time around I will have the reimbursement sent to us and use our AmEx card so to accrue cash back/ points towards purchases on certain websites under the promotions plan on the card.</p>
<p>ETA if you add dot com to the name listed above you will find the right website or use google to find the article. Thought posting the link might violate CC TOS.</p>
<p>Hello people! I have been away for several days and have eagerly been catching up on posts.</p>
<p>First, my condolences to mommylaw and her family and friends. I cannot begin to imagine that experience and I feel for all of you.</p>
<p>Best wishes to everyone else - the birthdays (including the actual birth), the anniversaries, the college planning. What a time!</p>
<p>While I was away, my D came back from her orientation and only this morning am I getting the report. She had a GREAT time. She set up her classes: I am glad she chose to stick with the basics, no electives, this semester, and she is very happy this way. She’s a little sorry she has to wait until 2nd semester for the freshman writing class (in the Honors College; no one places out with APs), but it’s apparently very common because of scheduling. We agreed that it’s nice that she can have some hope of enjoying some ECs and won’t be crazed with work while also dealing with her homework, reading, and especially the theatre demands. I have no problem with her starting a little slower - D1 got squeezed out of first semester Bio her freshman fall and enjoyed a quiet beginning, never felt behind.</p>
<p>She didn’t see her room, but she did meet one roommate (the sophomore/theatre major/O-aide), whom she says is “very nice.” She met lots and lots of other kids and made a lot of new FB friends. In general it just went wonderfully. She remarked that some kids didn’t seem to get as much out of it - some were shy, or maybe didn’t try to connect for some other reason, and some were a little abrasive, perhaps trying too hard or coming off as arrogant out of insecurity. She understands how some people can react that way; she’s been to many camps and has had her insecure moments, too. </p>
<p>Overall she said it just made her really excited to go and get started. I’m glad there weren’t parent sessions, although she did have the full gamut of travel problems - after the crazy cab experience on Tuesday, she had trouble getting into the dorm, which was NOT open from 6-9 as promised, and then Friday night all flights were delayed for several hours. We had some worry she would have to stay overnight, but fortunately she got home, although very late. She even got to go to the Renaissance Faire on Saturday as planned.</p>
<p>We have a long list now of things she needs for the theatre program - lots of black clothes and loads of plays she needs to read. The dorm stuff will also have to be taken care of, but it doesn’t seem too onerous. We’ll also have to talk more with her suitemates because of the whole triple thing. As I’ve said before, D is much more focused on books and posters for the time being … but clothes storage might be something of an issue.</p>
<p>OK, off to do a round of errands, etc. Last week was a turning point for us - now we’re in the thick of summer planning and chores. Seven weeks will go by pretty quickly, I’m guessing.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>mommylaw - tragic loss. My condolences to your family and your D’s BF’s family. My S has asthma (hasn’t had an attack in several years though) - but we did have one scary incident when he was 1 1/2. Fortunately, our pedi (who sadly enough lost his 10 yr old to asthma) recognized the signs and had me take S to the ER right away.</p>
<p>Avon - congratulations on the new grandson. I bet that never gets old !!</p>
<p>We were in Boston this weekend and D spotted a North Face store. Went in and picked up the Surge backpack she had researched. She tried S’s laptop in it (15.6inch) and it is a very tight fit. She wants to make sure she buys a laptop that’s less than that now H was having fits - you don’t buy a laptop to fit a bag, you buy a bag to fit the laptop!! But since he’s the one who hasn’t done the research yet for the laptop purchase, the conversation between the two of them was funny!</p>
<p>Hoping to do most of the shopping next week. D and I will be alone at home and think it will be the perfect thing to do.</p>
<p>Missypie - D is at orientation Wed-Fri. She said a few of the kids are trying to see if they can get together and go for the Harry Potter screening on Thursday night. She’s bummed at the timing - all her friends out here are going for the midnight screening. S is planning to go with friends on Friday. I might have to go see it alone :(</p>
<p>I am still lost with all the bedding conversations. The school provides a mattress - we buy a mattress topper, then the sheets and the comforter? Do we need anything else? I think the recommendations are against the egg crate foam topper - so, we buy the quilted mattress topper? What’s a mattress pad? I haven’t looked to see if D’s school had any bed bugs - ewww, gross. I am not sure I want to know! S is heading to Skidmore College for a three week camp and he needs XL twin sheets! So, I have to head out and buy him a set now…</p>
<p>From what I understand on the bedding:</p>
<ul>
<li>mattress encasement for bedbugs</li>
<li>memory foam topper to compensate for a lousy mattress</li>
<li>mattress pad (can be heavily padded to provide extra loft or very basic to simply provide a covering for the mattress before you put the sheets on)</li>
<li>sheets</li>
<li>comforter, duvet, or quilt</li>
<li>blanket</li>
<li>pillows</li>
</ul>
<p>Some people do all of the above. Some just do the mattress cover/pad, sheets, comforter, and pillow as you would at home.</p>
<p>blueiguana, you forgot the mint under the pillow. 
Hey, that gives me a great idea for a care package. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Love this!</p>
<p>I knew I forgot something ST! :)</p>
<p>Regarding $ popping up in every conversation…I starting referring to DHs motorcycle as ‘one year’s tuition simply taking space in our already overrun driveway’ (three teenage drivers, four cars, one motorcycle, and we are not allowed to park on the street). I also asked for a cease and desist in front of Bluejr, who has never asked for a stinking thing. He’s worked full time two summers to save for books and spending money, is going to an instate school, and doesn’t deserve to hear the chatter.</p>
<p>Am I the only one with “move-in anxiety”? </p>
<p>D has what sounds like about 2-3 hours to move into her dorm at Emory before she goes to XC camp with the team. We roamed Container Store yesterday trying to figure out what she should bring/buy/order, but without seeing the room or knowing how much underbed storage she has, it’s hard. Since she’s a girl, she is assuming whatever closet/dresser storage she has will not be enough!</p>
<p>@ Co’2015 - Do you have access to a floorplan based on which dorm she was assigned? We know the floorplan, type of bed, closet configuration, etc. We’ve never been in the dorm, but have a pretty good idea of where to start based on the information we do have. Despite this, yes…I have move-in anxiety. :o</p>
<p>^^if you really want to know, call Emory reslife and ask EXACTLY what is in the room and measurements etc…</p>
<p>Q to ask: Bed lofting or no? if yes, storage drawers (from BBB or container) fit under the bed</p>
<p>how many drawers are in the dresser? is it a high or low type?</p>
<p>Closet: width etc; there are doublers in both BBB and container that are priceless and adjustable…</p>
<p>lots and lots of hooks; preferably the removeable kind (not the nail-in type)…</p>
<p>No idea where you live but as stated earlier, Container Stores have college nights with 20% discounts and they will send the stuff to the store near your D’s school (if there is one in Atlanta?)</p>
<p>and like others, I am having move-in anxiety but I have a good reason; I have done this before with my older daughter and I am still recovering (class of 2008)</p>
<p>my mantra: “it’s only one day…”</p>
<p>rodney, blueiguana – thank you both. So fast, so smart! Another parent on the Emory forum actually sent me the floor plan, so I will start measuring and planning.</p>
<p>And I think I will call Emory and get dimensions for storage, etc. </p>
<p>My other safety valve plan is: go down for parent’s weekend in october and help her get anything she missed on the initial move in.</p>
<p>^^that works too…</p>