Yikes! That would have been 13 weeks for me to keep at it! I lasted 3 days and it was such a huge relief when I decided to quit. Lol. My best friend nursed her twins for two years. I just wasn’t cut out for it.

Yes, but many moms do feel pressured to pump and breastfeed, so it is nice to hear that side too. I had triplets that I planned to pump for, but quickly realized I couldn’t deal with the time commitment. I would have hated to be encouraged to continue.

Would you share what country? Was it that or the program?

My boys go to an excellent Catholic high school in Tampa that I would definitely recommend. Pm me if you want.

Maybe have him talk with all the services? So he can compare? And look up the types of jobs and training he wants or that will lead him places. My dh did that for dss and he got into an amazing specialization in the AF. It was a bit of a wait (6mos-a year). It protects the kids, but can annoy recruiters- they just want bodies for whatever they need to fill. And they aren’t always looking out for the best interests of the kid.

Some thoughts. UGA- what do admission stats look like and how can he make himself competitive. AP classes instead of mom grades. Practice tests for the PSAT to strive for National Merit, and by default a good SAT as well. Dual enrollment classes. Teaching- what are the hiring requirements for your public and private schools? There is seriously such a shortage of teachers that requirements seem to have lessened and an education degree may not be a necessity. What subjects does he enjoy? I know you mentioned English and history. Does he enjoy math or science? I know in our area high schools cannot keep a computer science teacher. They can make way more money working in industry so these positions are always open. And the schools kind of don’t care whether the person willing to teach has a teaching background or not. They don’t even care whether they have a CS background or not, as long as they are willing to learn enough to teach the classes. Some psychology type courses may be helpful as well. So many personalities to deal with daily in schools.

Skimomma- I hope she takes the extra year. 18 credits a semester is rough with engineering.

I would have felt that way at my college too, but it was a smaller private one. Our engineering class had 110 kids and I graduated next to the kid I sat next to in Chem 1 first day of school. 🙂 Theirs would be a large state one and lots of kids do come in with AAs or many AP credits, so I’m not sure how that cohort factor works in that kind of environment. That will be worth finding out.

Good point

I agree. The scholarship will pay up to 10 semesters or until they complete their first Bachelor degree, whichever comes first. So some students finish most of it but just leave one class undone until they want to graduate. So if any issue popped up, it would be fairly easy to finish the degree.

So 4 years was always the standard in my mind. I struggled through an Electrical Engineering degree with minors in 4. But with less than stellar grades. So maybe it wasn’t the best way, but if I had a full ride on the line, like my kids will, it would have been horrendous. So I'm looking at my kids degree plan (STEM and Honors and some minors they’re interested in) and showing them how to be careful what courses to pair together, watch the number of credits etc, and it appears it would be much better to spread it over 4.5 -5 years. I want them to enjoy college, have time to be involved, and not be stressed. It may also give more time for internships and exploration. The scholarship will cover all expenses over 5 years and they’re going in with 45+ credits. So it’s a sweet deal, if they keep it. So what are the downsides? Will they just be antsy and sick of school? Will they relax and enjoy this period before working the rest of their lives? Is it looked down upon to take 5 years? Obviously, they’re starting in the workforce a year later, so a year less of earnings. Summer classes could be an option as well. Would you share your thoughts and experiences? For reference- I’m talking about taking 12-15 credits a semester (but most semesters just 12–13). And doing it especially for the first couple years to build that GPA up.

Yes, and I think many kids can benefit from that. I know I manage better when I feel prepared and knowledgeable.

No, at least not yet. the information is online somewhere, but there’s an applicant portal, a student portal, an honors portal, and so many places to look. I have noticed that another school they applied to has a much more straightforward system with good communication, and is easier to manage. And the first time they meet any advisors is at orientation when they are registering for classes. And it seems to be a very hurried, just take this kind of thing (standard classes that they may or not want or need). So it is advised by previous parents to go into orientation knowing what you want, with backups etc

I’m on a forum where the parents say ‘they’re an adult! Let them do it! ” And then the next post is about how much allowance do you give your college kid. 🤦‍♀️ This college, as I’m sure many do, has thousands of web pages. My kids do not have the time for that during senior year to read through and figure out what is needed for next year. So I’m doing some legwork and working with them. It is time-consuming. Class requirements, codes for classes, prerequisites, teacher ratings, credits required to keep scholarship and all the rest of the rules, honors college requirements, residency paperwork, immunization and health forms to complete before signing up for orientation, housing deposits, enrollment deposits, housing selection dates, updating 1st semester grades, sending final transcripts, checking that AP credits have been received, checking for holds, getting holds lifted, scheduling advisor appointments, and so much more to figure out. It’s just all nitty gritty details and paperwork. How do they even expect kids to find out all this stuff? I find out from parent pages. I don’t want them drowning. There are adults that aren’t that organized to keep up with it all. A big state university just keeps cranking. You need to follow the rules and program or be out of luck. Smaller, private schools likely have more flexibility and gentleness.

My daughter wore this to homecoming and it was very flattering on her. (Much more flattering and nice in person than it appears on the model). She was trying to find something more modest than a lot out there. The higher neckline and straps were a plus for her. And the length was decent. No risk of butt cheeks hanging out. https://www.macys.com/shop/product/bcx-juniors-asymmetrical-hem-rhinestone-dress?ID=10364925&CategoryID=5449&swatchColor=Black

I love Dobi Pads. They scour great tour but without damage. And can go in dishwasher.

All this helps confirm what I’m encouraging my kids to do, at the risk of being of helicopter mom. We are printing out the 4 year flowcharts for their majors and plotting out each semester in a spreadsheet. Researching professors and taking notes on courses and teachers. And then trying to make some schedules that pair any harder classes with some easy A and fun type classes. And also watching the number of credits. They realize things will likely shift depending on available courses/teachers, but at least they won’t do what I did as an engineering major. (Complete overload of credits and so many hard courses 🙄) I’m hoping a deliberate schedule will help ease the transition. I’m trying to have them build up their GPA early so they may have less stress about it to keep their scholarship. We’ll see.

Mine is via YNAB. It is so easy to set a monthly savings of $5-$15 a month. It doesn’t seem like anything when I throw money there versus say the mortgage. And it grows.

Will you be outside much? Or inside? If inside and temps are decent, then I think 3 sweaters is too much. A cardigan is good. Maybe a lightweight fleece or 1/4 zip. Comfy/cozy pjs and laying about clothes. We live in Florida and just spent a week in MA. I dressed nearly the same indoors. Though I did bring slippers.

How did you install it? Where did you run pipes from? It looks complicated (to me)

This one is fantastic and so easy to install. And inexpensive. $150 and lasts for up to 5 years (depending on water usage)

The budgeting part for me comes in with assigning dollars to each category. I have targets for everything- whether it’s a target amount to spend by the end of the month (mortgage, utilities, gas for cars, groceries), or a target savings amount each month (savings for a new roof/car/Christmas/clothing). Virtually no category is without a target. It may be just $5 a month toward dog toys/supplies, but it still has a target. Then when I spend money, chances are that I have enough in that category. It will take time to build up, so don’t worry about ‘wamming’ (I think that’s what it called when you have to move money in to cover an expense). If you frequently do that, then increase your target. It is truly amazing. I think we’re on the 3rd or 4th year and I will be gifting this to my young adults. My husband was in an accident recently that totaled his car, but our car savings category has enough money in it from saving each month for years that it’s okay.

Love it. Give it a good 1-3 months- it can be tough to reconcile accounts at first. But the overall savings are amazing. As is the peace of mind for having the money when needed. Start with basic categories, and then add as needed. mine doesn’t download from the banks over the weekend so it can be a pain to wait for the transactions, but otherwise I reconcile daily if possible . Reconcile more frequently vs less frequently. Much easier to find any mistakes or missing transactions.

I don’t know. It’s part of the package. Maybe to be able to deal with the accounts at the college? Or their scholarships? Because otherwise, I do t think parents can talk to anyone at college.

Are these the forms we need? Kids are turning 18, and we have a vacation coming up. Want to get them done. Anything else? Thanks. Package Includes Health Power of Attorney Documents Finance Power of Attorney Documents Includes HIPAA release & FERPA Free App for Scanning & Storing Forms