<p>I don’t know if anyone here is looking at Allegheny, but my son had registered for a vist over the summer but we had to cancel and he did cancel via email. Allegheny sent a Christmas card that had a handwritten note saying that they hope he can reschedule his visit. Honestly, it creeped me out a bit. But if that’s the level of attention they give to no shows, I can’t imagine how they treat actual students. But then maybe that’s a typical recruitment activity?</p>
<p>Checking in … Happy New Year to All.</p>
<p>Many good postings in the past 2 weeks. Thanks!</p>
<p>Good discussion going on here. I would love to re-visit Chicago!</p>
<p>ReeinAZ, Allegheny is on our list of schools we might want to check out. I guess it’s nice that they showed that they know who your son is. 
Elon is coming to our area and so I’m encouraging D to go and check that out in January. </p>
<p>Trying to decide on what college to look at on her free days in January: We could head north toward Bucknell or go to Salisbury/Washington College. Decisions, decisions.</p>
<p>Any big New Years plans? D will be attending a party, so it will be just Dh and our sons. We are thinking of Make Your Own Pizza and other yummy snacky type foods and a movie night. Maybe some Monster Mini Golf!</p>
<p>Happy NYE! </p>
<p>For the past several years, we’ve all gone to some friends’ house. The mom and I met through our kids’ middle school, and, thankfully, our older boys became good friends, too. She even took our boys college shopping together; the first time that he stepped foot on his current college campus was with them! Anyway, I love that at 19 ds1 still wants to spend it there with us – and a bunch of his friends. It’s a huge party, family friendly.</p>
<p>Be safe tonight, everyone.</p>
<p>Happy New Years! 2012 is sure to be an interesting and exciting year for all of us and our children.</p>
<p>Happy New Year to all! Welcome to 2012!!</p>
<p>Happy New Year! 2012 should be interesting for all of us.</p>
<p>Happy New Year all!</p>
<p>Feels funny that the Rose Bowl parade is today, so much college football will be played today, I have the day off and can watch it all and my poor sons are at school all day. I am not sure what the school board was thinking on this one. The absentee problem will be compunded by the fact that the local bowl game (about 4 miles from my house) will have two star players from S’13’s High School playing in that game. Former teamates, family members and friends all likely to skip school for the game.</p>
<p>Oops. Looks like I got my rant a little wrong. it’s an early release day, so S’13 will be home in time for the game, but S’18?? will not (Middle School gets out much later).</p>
<p>Put 2013 D on a train bound for Chicago and then Las Vegas, New Mexico where she attends boarding school - 36 hours total including layover in Chicago. A plane would have been so much easier and less nerve wracking for Mom and Dad but she really wanted to take the train… I’ll feel more comfortable when I get her text that she is on her way to New Mexico. </p>
<p>Then, later this morning I discovered that my 9 yo has head lice. Happy New Year to me! Ugh! I hope I caught it before anyone else was infected. She’s been combed, dipped in mouthwash and has her waist length hair in a bathing cap to suffocate any survivors. I am vacuuming like crazy, have bagged up the stuffed animals and washed all the bed linens. Any other ideas? I think I have some teatree oil left from an incident three years ago. I’d like to avoid putting pesticides on her head.</p>
<p>Apollo: I think the best thing is to be very vigilant with the lice comb.</p>
<p>D went back to school today.
She is finally getting her PSAT results this week. She is not expecting exceptional scores, but is hoping to use these results as a springboard for the March SAT. Information for senior scheduling is also being distributed this week. Did I just say senior? Yes, we are pushing closer and closer to senior year folks! Scary! The agony of my S’s 2009 debacle is still too fresh in my mind. Things are working out for him now, though, and I am reasonably sure my D will be fine. Thus far here, junior year has been as advertised…stressful. One month to go until the end of the first semester and a fresh start in the new one. D has been in the unusual position of teetering on the edge in a couple classes. Here’s to hoping she pulls all of them out by the end of the month!</p>
<p>Apollo…my sympathies about the lice. We had a bad run with them when D was in middle school. The whole family had them before we were done. I found the lice were completely impervious to the chemicals – I swear they laughed and did the backstroke in the foam. The main problem is they outran the comb and my fingers. But the internet saved me…I got a really really good comb–metal, thin but with long tines. Then I used Suave Coconut conditioner (or any really cheap, really thick conditioner). Wash hair, comb in shower or tub and then put on the goop with shower cap. Wait one hour. This really slows those guys down so they are easy to catch in the comb. Rinse off of the comb into bowl of really hot water. Then get as many eggs as you can and do this for two days. Take a break for one day and repeat for two days. The little baby lice are too small to catch or comb out but they also can’t lay eggs. You have to get them when they are youth (4-6 days of life) and stop the cycle by getting the eggs out. There is little need to vacuum. Lice dont survive long away from the food source (unlike bed bugs) so if you wash the bedclothes, bag the hair brushes/combs/pins you don’t need to go crazy with the vacuuming…save your energy for nit picking that must be done with fingers. If hair is super fine and there are little eggs near scalp, just cut the hairs with the nits on them. Much easier than trying to scrape them off with your fingers. Good luck!</p>
<p>My son went back to school yesterday. It was a full day, including tennis practice. He got home about 4pm and then had to go back at 5:30 pm for drama. The rest of the family had a great time watching football. The counseling department changed their minds and are now going to give the PSAT back in the english classes. His english teacher is a complete flake so I am skeptical that he will ever get them back!</p>
<p>Hi all! Happy 2012! D2 returns to school later this week. Rising seniors will be getting ready to register very soon. Hard to imagine. I was updating my work calendar yesterday and entered her school calendar dates for the next academic year; I will admit that I had an emotional moment when I put in the date for her graduation.</p>
<p>I need to get serious about planning our spring trips. They’re pretty set but I have to book flights & let relatives know we’ll be visiting. </p>
<p>Apollo: so sorry about the lice. I’ve (thankfully) never had to deal with it although there were a few times in elementary school that it came close. My deepest sympathies!</p>
<p>I’m jealous that y’all know your graduation date already. Our school calendar for next year hasn’t even been set.</p>
<p>Ds went to soccer practice today, even though school doesn’t start until Thursday. In good news, he made varsity. I guess all those early-morning cross-country runs paid off. While he was gone, dh took it upon himself to “defrag” ds’s closet. Oh, the things he found …</p>
<p>S2 heads back to school tomorrow but he’s had play rehearsals since last week, so he’s been busy. January and February are filled with a couple shows at school, auditions for various summer programs, a trip to All State Choir, and a couple voice competitions. I will be glad for Spring Break. I get so nervous for S2 when he’s competing, but he’s cool as a cucumber. Not fair!</p>
<p>Happy New Year all! I have had a wonderful vacation from reality and am just now jumping back to the college search with D in tow. PSATs are back. D had a big improvement from last time. Certainly not NM levels but for D we are happy. Especially since her prep was to sharpen a couple pencils. S who is a freshman also took and did much better then D. Sigh…the drama. Our college focus for the next round will be on financial safeties with a heavy focus on New York state schools. We have learned that D may qualify for free in state tuition. She isn’t happy but I cannot ignore this. </p>
<p>Welcome to all the new folks.</p>
<p>Youdon’tsay, soccer is a fall sport around here! We don’t have a calendar for next year either. Starting to have those senior schedule discussions here also. D is not sure what she wants to take in addition to her 5 core classes in English, science, math, social studies and language. I am suggesting something fun but not too much work since she has a fall sport and college applications to do. She is thinking another AP science or social studies!</p>
<p>Good luck, everyone, with spring college visits. I wish we could take D on some but I’m not sure how she’d do it since her boarding school is so far away. She did make it back to school alright on Amtrack and loved it. She said it was much more comfortable than flying because the seats are bigger and she could get up and walk around. She didn’t care how long it took. I am surviving the issue with youngest daughter but I am paranoid every time I have an itch.</p>