You know the phrase "empty nest" - this is called soiling the nest. It makes the empty nest that much more attractive. :D

Thanks for the laugh!

Just agreeing with everybody else - $15 on a gift that fits the recipient trumps a $100 generic gift. Hope your dd enjoy's her time at N's party :)

Jenny - I love that you are doing two extremely different things for your ds as you did for your dd!

Here.

Said in my most Gollum-like voice "Don't feed the trolls, hobbitses"…and "don't click on their links!"

JFS - I wouldn't worry too much about whether you do announcements - maybe ask your ds what HE wants to do. If he'd like a party this year, next year, or not at all - I would follow his lead. In the whole scheme of things, the date on his diploma won't matter. That's WONDERFUL that his LAC will let him TA next year while he finishes up his upper level coursework. He'll graduate with some relevant work experience.

Very cool!! Thanks for posting Kareni.

A common graduation book is Dr. Seuss's book "Oh the Places You'll Go."

Addressing your question about homeschooling ONLY - Houston has better museums and fine arts opportunities. The best museums in the DFW area are in Ft. Worth. Homeschooling in Texas is easy regardless of where you live!

http://zitscomics.com/comics/march-2-2014/

I'm not seeing that, Jean but it's weird - and this is the OP's first post, as Starr pointed out above. I don't know that it's spam, but I would definitely avoid clicking on any links.

Ordinary Princess Because of Winn Dixie Where the Red Fern Grows Trumpet of the Swan The Hiding Place Anne of Green Gables series Betsy and Tacy series Anything by Arnold Lobel (Frog and Toad, etc.) and Russell Hoban (Frances) Narnia series

After babysitting way too much as a teenager, there were two games I said would never enter my house as a parent - Candy Land and Hi Ho Cherrio. My 22 yo dd still sarcastically jokes that she had a rotten childhood because she never played those games :D

I know you probably wouldn't think about going to a zoo without children, but the Sydney zoo is amazing. As an adult, I got to feed a carrot to a giraffe, my favorite animal. The docent demonstrations are amazing. And you have views of the Opera House in the distance! I've visited a lot of zoos around the US and the world, including many top-rated ones, and the Sydney zoo is the best by far.

If you find articles etc. online that you'd like to read, could you print them out and read them that way? Have you considered another way to read online (iPad or Kindle for example). Agree with Ethel about reading, knitting, sewing, maybe exercise...

Will he join any clubs that have dues? My dd spent last year at what I think is what you are calling the favorite university. She joined the CS Lewis Society, the meetings were a few pounds each week. Also she got her scout a gift at the end of each term - I think that's expected. Nothing big, just a gift card to a coffee shop etc. BTW the meals are incredibly affordable - formal hall in her college was about 2-3 pounds and was amazing.

This. Unless it's changed in the past few years, each student taking any subject tests will receive a book with all the tests in it. The day of the test, the student can change his/her mind on the actual tests to be taken, the order to be taken, and the number to be taken - if the change results in more tests than the student originally registered, the CB will bill you for the difference. I believe if the number decreases, CB won't refund the difference.

Never mind - I must have misunderstood the OP.

Eww I would definitely ask for your money back, and write an honest review on Trip Advisor or VRBO or wherever the place is listed. I might even take pictures and post them - the Trip Advisor site is great about that. The worst one I can think of is a place we rented to ski (maybe you jogged my memory - ha!) - the place hadn't been cleaned at all - but there was a washer and dryer so we did a quick load and it was pretty easy to clean the bathroom and kitchen - we got at least one night free, I can't remember whether we got our entire stay free.

Me three!! Whatever the fee, it would be a lot cheaper than travel expenses :D Or would you consider taking the conference further afield? That schedule looks fabulous.

I agree - I would find out ahead of time and make sure the chaperones know she is gf. That's great that some of the parents are gf - it will definitely make it more likely to be on their radar!

We researched this when College Girl wanted to get her ears pierced last year (at 21! while doing study abroad!). She went to a tattoo parlor, they required an appointment and lots of forms, but that might just be their business practice (I only mention that because you want to surprise your dd). A friend went with her when she had them done - she DID get a bit squeamish and thought she might faint but ended up doing fine. The tattooist explained things as he went along (huge deal for my dd) and was very sensitive to the fact this was new to HER - though he had lots of tattoos and body piercings himself, he recognized this was her first. One thing I appreciate is that her holes are evenly centered on both ears. They gave her a kit to clean the holes which she did. She has had no problems other than now she buys earrings like there's no tomorrow!!

College Girl cooks frequently, sometimes for her and a friend but mostly for herself. As mentioned above, she often cooks multiple servings on the weekend when she has more flexible time. Will your dd have a slow cooker? CG cooks fish a lot in a slow cooker a sweet family loaned her for this year. She also cooks a lot of "rice veg" - rice with chopped broccoli, carrots, etc. on the stovetop.