<p>Thank you for that link, SlitheyTove. I was just thinking there ought to be a site like that around, and hoping to get a recommendation :)</p>
<p>I just got nervous and ordered a mini-fridge site-to-store to the Walmart near DS’s school. He and his roommate haven’t decided whether they want to rent a microfridge or not, but DS is leaning toward “letting” me buy him one that he can share with RM this year and then have for himself going forward, unless his roomie really cares a lot about the microwave. I still have to confirm that the one I ordered (GE 3.1 cu ft 2-door model) actually conforms to the dorm’s power requirements. But I figured if it doesn’t or if they don’t want it, it will be easy to return (or just cancel the order, if they decide soon enough) and (a) I was afraid they’d go out of stock again, and (b) the site-to-store shipping estimate is already getting close to move-in day, and I didn’t want to leave it much later…</p>
<p>I have a question regarding textbooks. Several of you mentioned buying middle school and high school books. In my Ds public school in MA, the textbooks were provided to the kids to use each year. At the end of the year, they turned them back to the school. We never had to pay (except for our real estate taxes!).</p>
<p>Is having the school provide books unusual, or did most of your children attend provate schools?</p>
<p>gsmomma our school (public) provides almost all of the books. There was one time when they used a workbook that we may have had to pay a few dollars for, but other than that, like you said, it is included in our taxes.</p>
<p>We’ve never paid for public school textbooks but I know of a couple of people that got used ones for really cheap on e-bay so their kids could have one at home so they wouldn’t have to lug it back and forth. I know that all of the schools around here and in our last two PA school districts also provided textbooks. I think that’s a national norm.</p>
<p>My son is not going to know who is roommate is until after Aug. 11th so no mini-fridge decisions here. There’s a common microwave provided for the house. I figure that if he doesn’t have one at move in, it’s not the end of the world. We can get one on-line or we can bring one up at parents weekend.</p>
<p>gsmomma - my kids ahve always attended private. Public schools in MA do provide textbooks for the students to use. Here are some of the sites I have used in the past to find books</p>
<p>2education - Thanks for the advise on the books! It makes me feel better hearing it from someone who has BTDT at the same school.</p>
<p>Bluejr has been doing his own laundry for a couple of years due to a blow up with Bluedad over getting things to the laundry room. I didn’t intervene knowing he would be better off to learn to do it himself. He has been one of those kids who has piles of clean laundry in front of his dresser…then the dirty clothes on the floor around the empty laundry basket. OY! Somehow he figures it out, gets his clothes washed, ironed when necessary, and looks nice, so I’m not too concerned. He’ll have to learn to keep the dirty clothes in the basket at school as a roommate won’t put up with it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the kind words of support yesterday. We all downloaded oovoo yesterday and did a test drive. Bluejr wasn’t too sure about being able to videochat with both Bluedad and I at the same time. Bluedad pointed out we can record video messages and send them ala Howlers in Harry Potter and thought that was terribly funny. We are now guaranteed that Bluejr will never open one! He’s already recorded several and sent them to me this morning…even I’m ignoring them already! :rolleyes:</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 new student move-in is the University of Georgia on August 9th.
Move-in day in 8 days. Just a week from tomorrow! :eek:</p>
<p>Last new student move-in is the University of Southern Oregon on September 22nd<br>
Move-in day in 52 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>Wow! Mamom This is great info right there.Today is buy books day so Thank you :)</p>
<p>Owm~Sounds as you had a magic time with your son, those are great memories to cherish.
Love the bit about the double rainbow before the sunset.M…I what??
I believe each one of our kids are going where they ought to be.Making the most of it, is up to them :)</p>
<p>We attended S2’s school send off party (at an alumni home). It was a wonderful night of chatting, celebrating, and cheering our lucky kids on.The regional representative reminded us of how competitive the process had been :eek: Moms talked shopping, hotels, restaurants,some were totally ready to go, some did not start shopping ;)</p>
<p>The kids were all standing in one side of the yard, chatting, laughing, and just sharing how they can not wait for move-in day… </p>
<p>As Dh and I stood there,I felt melancholic but the sight of those kids and the journey they are about to embark on just warm my heart. I can not wait to see who they become.</p>
<p>Blue~You are welcome! We Oovoo with S1 all the time. I love when I can see him :)</p>
<p>Wow - the last day of July!! I am feeling for people whose move-ins are right on the horizon.</p>
<p>We’re in the typical date window, leaving here 8/26. Today H, D and I go fridge shopping, and make a final decision on mattress pads. She’s just about done otherwise. She’s had great contact not only with her roommates but also with the theatre major mentors she’s been assigned, so she has lots of advice on what works and what doesn’t. </p>
<p>We’ve enjoyed Skype with D1 so I’m also curious if oovoo is better.</p>
<p>I agree, 2ed, and all of you sentimental folks - this is a really big deal. It’s wonderful seeing these kids start this amazing process, but it is a little sad to lose the day-to-day contact with a kid I’m really close to. I do think much of the enjoyment will stay, though; we tend to swap stories, trivia, movie quotes, etc., and that can be very fun via texts, FB, etc. </p>
<p>We have other news - D1 got a fall internship near DC, so she’ll move from Puerto Rico to Maryland in September. She’s so excited! And she’ll be a $50 RT bus ride from her sister, so they’re already planning a rendezvous. Also for the first time since she started college she’ll take a car with her and have a chance to get out and about (she’ll be at a pretty remote research station, so no subway like she had in Boston).</p>
<p>And I’m checking my credit card points and figuring out how I can visit both of them this fall somehow. Not having a kid in school is going to make a world of difference in my life.</p>
<p>I’m hoping to have the same trash bags and bins that many of you have generated, very soon. D2 claims the room purge is first on her list. Maybe by the time I get back from visiting D1 in Puerto Rico a week from Tuesday she’ll be done (she definitely will be if H steps in…but that won’t be pretty).</p>
<p>RED LETTER DAY! DS made a firm decision about something! He decide since he is in a triple he would rather not worry about a fridge until one of the roomies move out and then we can get one/make plans. </p>
<p>On the laundry front, DS has been doing laundry for a few years. In our house everybody throws in a load once in a while. Usually DS does it when he needs a work uniform.</p>
<p>My husband keeps joking that he is going to go get DS on alternate weekends to come home and help with yardwork in the spring.</p>
<p>Wesleyan is offering a great scholarship opportunity ([Freeman</a> Asian Scholars Program, Admission - Wesleyan University](<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/international_students/freeman.html#generalinfo]Freeman”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/international_students/freeman.html#generalinfo)) to those who meet certain qualifications. Since some of you have had exchange students living with you or are military families, I’d thought I’d pass this along. Must be citizens or permanent residents of one of these eleven countries or regions: People’s Republic of China, SAR, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, R.O.C., Thailand, or Vietnam. Preference will be given to those currently living in one of these eleven countries or regions and to those who would otherwise be unable to study in the United States. Individuals with dual U.S. citizenship or who are permanent U.S. residents are not eligible. </p>
<p>I just remembered this while I was on my walk this morning: On move in day put your kid’s roommates and suitemates cell phone numbers in your cellphone. You’ll probably never need them, but if your child’s phone is lost or stolen or if there is some other reason your child is separated from his/her phone for an extended period of time you’ll want to reach the closest person to him/her and that’s usually the roommate. Freshman year first semester can be a crazy time, and especially for kids who are plane rides away from home, 4 or 5 hours of not being able to reach them and not having a backup number to call can be torture. Also probably wouldn’t hurt to pop in the RA’s number as well.</p>
<p>I take back the red letter day comment. Evidently we are now buying a TV for the room. He was contacted by one of the 2 other roommates. AARGGHHH I asked who was bringing the fridge. (The third is bringing a microwave.) Evidently a) I am not allowed to ask and b) it will all work out on move in day (according to DS) and c) I have no idea what c is because I was too busy formulating my rebuttal but I do know there was a c in there somewhere.</p>
<p>H bought D1 a 19" combo TV/DVD player that served her very well. In fact, now that she’s graduated, we’ve decided to take it back for D2 since it was so perfect in size and features for a dorm room. We might as well help D1 buy a bigger TV that’s more appropriate for an apartment. She says she’s going to buy a blue-ray player anyway (D1’s collection is all regular DVDs). Newer TVs are so much lighter and more compact! At least you can be sure of finding space for them in the room.</p>
<p>I’m starting to feel melancholy too…D has been away all summer, comes back Aug 13 and we head out on the 17th for school. I’m really missing her and, yet, I know I only get to spend a few days with her before she’ll be across the country.</p>
<p>That’s an amazing list of alternative places to buy textbooks! My D’s attend(ed) a private school where we have to buy books each year and we’ve always just put the ISBN number into google and found what we thought to be the best deals. The reminder about retailmenot.com is great (I use it for purchases frequently) but can anyone tell me if they found it easier to use/found better deals through any of the sites above?</p>
<p>Lastly, I love skype and it made my transition with D1 so much easier…I too want to know what oovoo is and if it has advantages over skype. I do find skype freezes up on us with some frequency but, honestly, I’m so in awe over the technology, it wouldn’t occur to me to be critical!</p>
<p>Momofzach—I can totally relate! My DS is exactly the same. The guys all seem to think that magically when they see their dorm room that some decorating fairy will wave a magic wand and all these things will appear (poof!). I get grumbled at when I ask too. So I’ve given up, and will order a walmart fridge that will be delivered to store close to school and if they don’t want it, then it gets returned without ever leaving the store. They are on their own for anything else. My DS has been thankful for the personal stuff I’ve pulled together, but he doesn’t want to discuss coordinating much with the roommates (probably not cool or something).</p>
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