Second semester (gen discussion) - Title change

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I dropped off DS over the weekend and his second semester has commenced.  He's a bit stressed as he has one long day (8:15am -  ~8pm) which includes a 3.5 hour lab.  This day precedes the day on which one of his other instructors scheduled all of the course exams.  Of course, DS is looking at that schedule and anticipating the available study time for the exams.  

 

I don't think he'll be home again until June and by that time I should be on the trail so I don't know when I will see him.  It was strange dropping him off with all of the not knowing.  Depending on how my hike goes I might not see him again until next parent's weekend, nine months from now.  I am curious to see where our lives will take us between now and then.

 

--

DD's 5 year plan is still chugging along.  She's actually hoping to get it  down to 4.5 years.

 

Anybody else have second semester news?

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2016 by ScoutermominIL

[Jenny in Florida]

Wow, that is a lot of unknowns and a long time between visits.

 

My son is scheduled to go back to campus bright and early Friday morning. Classes don't start until the following Tuesday, but the choir he sang with last semester has a big performance Friday afternoon, and the director called everyone who already knows the music to be there for rehearsal that morning before the concert.

 

He then has a paid dance gig near campus on Saturday evening, followed by master classes Sunday afternoon and most of Monday.

 

Unfortunately, at the moment he is pretty sick. So, I'm starting to worry about how much energy he'll have to kick off the new semester, let alone all of the pre-semester committments. We had planned a family theme park outing this past Sunday, which was the last day he, his dad and I were all free to do something fun together, but my son woke up miserable and ended up spending the entire day trying to sleep through the fever and general ickiness. He felt a little better yesterday, but had a relapse this morning and is back on the couch.

 

It's rotten timing, in part because he was trying hard to put on a little weight over the break. He always loses a few pounds when he goes back to school, and he is already super slender (almost six feet tall and runs no more than 130 pounds). He had hoped to bulk up a bit and give himself a bit of padding with which to start the semester, but three days of not being able to eat are not helping him in that quest. I've made multiple grocery and health food store trips, trying to find things to tempt him, thus far withough a lot of success. We are going to try making a milkshare in a bit and see how that goes.

 

Hey, at least we got through the holidays without anyone being sick.

[creekland]

Youngest is in Greece.   Today Ancient Corinth and a couple of other spots were on the itinerary.  Tonight - er, now with the time difference - he'll be getting a lecture on the islands they are heading to.

 

Middle son has been getting his updated RA training.  New classes start tomorrow.

 

We're getting back into our "normal" life...

[G5052]

I dropped mine off this morning for his first class of the new semester. I went to the gym and then picked him up. He was melancholy about starting up again. This week he has one T/Th class, a F class, and an online class that started Monday. His other two classes don't start until February.

 

We got a letter yesterday that he had made the "President's List" for his 4.0.

 

Poor kid had surgery for an injury in the fall, and it's looking like he's headed for more surgery. He has an MRI this week. They didn't get the result they had hoped for. We may schedule that for Spring Break  :huh: .

[katilac]

I dropped off DS over the weekend and his second semester has commenced.  He's a bit stressed as he has one long day (8:15am -  ~8pm)  

 

 

Wow, that is one insanely long day! 

 

 

Unfortunately, at the moment he is pretty sick.  

 

My biggest worry about my kids being away from home! 

 

 

Youngest is in Greece.    

 

Nice! 

 

 

 

We got a letter yesterday that he had made the "President's List" for his 4.0.

 

Poor kid had surgery for an injury in the fall, and it's looking like he's headed for more surgery 

 

Yay, and boo! That won't make for a fun spring break, but hopefully it will solve the problem. 

 

I dropped dd off today for the first day of her last semester at the local uni for dual enrollment. Going away for full-time university in the fall now seems really, really close. 

[creekland]

I dropped mine off this morning for his first class of the new semester. I went to the gym and then picked him up. He was melancholy about starting up again. This week he has one T/Th class, a F class, and an online class that started Monday. His other two classes don't start until February.

 

We got a letter yesterday that he had made the "President's List" for his 4.0.

 

Poor kid had surgery for an injury in the fall, and it's looking like he's headed for more surgery. He has an MRI this week. They didn't get the result they had hoped for. We may schedule that for Spring Break  :huh: .

 

I wanted to add a like after reading the bolded.  I couldn't after reading the end.  So in this post you get a  :party: and  :grouphug: .  I hope all goes well.

[Sunshine State Sue]

Ds returned to school Dec 26.  The NCAA requires basketball players to have 7 days off for Christmas, and so they did.  :closedeyes: School starts tomorrow.  Dh is visiting right now.  Ds told him that he is ready for classes to start.  With nothing else to do but basketball, I think he's bored and he and his 3 teammate housemates are getting on each other's nerves.  :rofl:

 

Last year, he came home for a weekend a few weeks after spring break (he had a few days off school for what he called a drunkfest), then in May for a week after classes finished.  We don't know when he'll be back next.  Basketball usually goes through spring break.  Drunkfest won't bother him this year because he's off campus. He has a summer field class to take.  We are having a family reunion in CO in July, so I know I'll see him then.  I just don't know if I'll see him before then.  I was surprised at how disappointed I was that he wouldn't be back during drunkfest.  :eek:

 

This is for all the other posters.  :grouphug:

 

ETA:  I will admit that hearing that ds is ready for classes to start is like music to my ears.  In his homeschool days, video games readily filled every available moment to my great chagrin.  I used to say that I was the only obstacle between ds and a life of leisure.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Sue in St Pete

[FaithManor]

Ds dropped a class in his minor after the first two days because the instructor was having personal problems - spent two full lecture periods talking about his recent, bitter divorce. Very sad. He already identified another professor who will be teaching it in the May/June crash course semester so plans taking it then.

 

He is already enjoying his music, writing, literature, and German classes so other than the hiccup with the professor of comp sci who appears to need counseling, I think it has been a good start. He is managing the pain in his leg well, and his confidence is high enough about his health that he is moving to an apartment near campus. Sniff, snifc, I am going to miss him so very much, but I am also thrilled for him because this is one huge step in moving on past the accident.

[Gwen in VA]

Dd is a bit nervous about this semester -- she is entering several competitions and has several concerts (or parts of concerts) on her schedule. And one of the concerts means that she will have to miss a day of school. I did point out out to her that she is at an arts school, so they had BETTER be sympathetic about the need to do this concert!

 

She broke up with her BF right before break, so she needs to adjust to life on campus without that special someone. At least she'll be busy!

 

And she has to take a philosophy course that she is dreading..... The reading list looks dreadful, and the prof doesn't look great either.

[FaithManor]

Jenny, have him checked for mono. P,our seventeen year old, got sick with the yuck that was going around here in November and ended up with mono. Lost lots of weight - 6 ft even and landed at 110 lbs before going back up, and he has only managed to gain eight. His spleen is still not totally normal. He is hoping to be cleared to ski by Mid-February. Fingers crossed!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

<snip?

 

Unfortunately, at the moment he is pretty sick.  <snip>

 

It's rotten timing, in part because he was trying hard to put on a little weight over the break. He always loses a few pounds when he goes back to school, and he is already super slender (almost six feet tall and runs no more than 130 pounds). He had hoped to bulk up a bit and give himself a bit of padding with which to start the semester, but three days of not being able to eat are not helping him in that quest. I've made multiple grocery and health food store trips, trying to find things to tempt him, thus far withough a lot of success. We are going to try making a milkshare in a bit and see how that goes.

 

Hey, at least we got through the holidays without anyone being sick.

I'm sorry your DS is ill.  I hope he recovers quickly.  

 

My DS has put on weight.  I definitely think he hit the freshman 10/15. 

[regentrude]

DD has been back at school since the 4th, she is starting her 2nd week. She has a huge class load: standard is four, but she petitioned for, and was granted, permission to add a 5th class, which thankfully is an independent study. On top of that, she will be a TA - as a sophomore! Not to mention her other commitments.

She sounds upbeat, and things have been going well so far.

 

One of her classes is taught by a prof who received truly horrible evaluations last semester. She was proactive and started studying from the textbook over break. So far, he has only shown to be incompetent, but at least not mean.

Edited January 12, 2016 by regentrude

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I dropped off DS over the weekend and his second semester has commenced.  He's a bit stressed as he has one long day (8:15am -  ~8pm) which includes a 3.5 hour lab.  This day precedes the day on which one of his other instructors scheduled all of the course exams.  Of course, DS is looking at that schedule and anticipating the available study time for the exams.  

 

I don't think he'll be home again until June and by that time I should be on the trail so I don't know when I will see him.  It was strange dropping him off with all of the not knowing.  Depending on how my hike goes I might not see him again until next parent's weekend, nine months from now.  I am curious to see where our lives will take us between now and then.

 

--

DD's 5 year plan is still chugging along.  She's actually hoping to get it  down to 4.5 years.

 

Anybody else have second semester news?

 

Maybe he could visit with you at one of the stops on your hike.  Don't most people come off for food pick ups and such?

[Lori D.]

We took DS back Jan. 3, and classes started Jan. 4. One big surprise that he's having to adjust to -- he has a roommate this semester. DS (a senior) has an extra partial scholarship this year for being part of dorm leadership and his suite mates are the floor's RA (a senior) and the RA's friend (a junior), and he had a great time having no one else in his actual bedroom, so this will be a transition, esp. as the new roomie is a new freshman. Fortunately, he's quiet and a bit older -- 20yo, as he delayed starting college, so I'm sure they'll work out the bumps… ;)

 

Everything else is going GREAT for him. He has 4 classes: 1 online, and the other 3 on Tues/Thurs, so he's very happy to have so much time that he can schedule as he pleases. He *will* be home for Spring Break, unless he lands a paid summer internship with Compassion International, which would likely schedule the required missions trip at Spring Break. He applied for it last year and competition was very stiff -- he did make it past the first round of interviews, but not the second -- so we're hoping, but not expecting for this year… If he does get it, he'll be home after graduating for about 4 weeks, and then would head to CO for the 10-week internship… We'll see! :)

 

One other thing DS is looking forward to this semester -- signing up again for the intramural Ultimate Frisbee league -- last year his team had the best record AND were the final tournament champions!  :hurray:

 

It's been a SUPER experience for DS at this college, and the time has flown by. He also needs to start a list now of places to start applying to during Spring Break for career jobs… Yikes!

 

Wishing everyone a wonderful spring semester! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Lori D.

[MariaT]

DS19 is still home. (he just turned 19!!) Classes don't start until Jan. 21! He is super-excited about his classes, especially the one with a Nabokov prof he admires and interviewed for the school paper last fall. All his classes this semester will have 9 a.m. start times--he is a night owl so this will be interesting. Last semester he said a sophomore had advised him to aim for 1 a.m. bedtime, knowing that you probably won't get to bed until 2 a.m.!!!!! :svengo:  Wise fool, indeed. Oh, and he has a twinge in one of his knees that gets worse when it's cold; he thinks it is overuse from running on concrete to stay in shape for rugby. First organized sport the kid is in since first-grade soccer, and he gets an injury. "This is why we don't do sports!" DD13 chided him. Heh. 

Dorms will open next Tuesday, and he wants to be there as early as possible. He misses his friends, but is glad for the time at home.

Maria

[TechWife]

DS went back Friday. He has been in student health twice for a couple of issues. The PA called me yesterday (at his request) to ask some family history questions and to let me know what is going on. She had two different ideas and has ordered a bunch of blood work. We are waiting for the results to come back.  She doesn't want him to take any Advil until the results are back. He says he is doing okay today. I'm trying not to dwell on it too much. 

 

He had an appointment with the director of the program that he is enrolling in to have assistance with his executive function issues. He told me it went "fine." I hope I can get more details out of him when we Skype later this week.  He did say he's going to try to rent a locker in the design building so that he can leave his art supplies there and not have to remember them everyday. He can get to them anytime if he needs them to do an assignment. I think most of his Materials & Processes assignments are going to have to be done in the workshop there - they don't exactly have table saws and such in the dorms! 

 

He has a really good schedule again - his earliest class is at 11:00 am and he has no classes on Friday. This should work out well for him. 

 

I have to send a package to him tomorrow. Today he told me via text message that he forgot his winter coat, of all things. It's going down to 14 degrees tonight and tomorrow's high is 32 degrees. It looks like they will have snow starting on Saturday.   :eek:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2016 by TechWife

[TechWife]

 Oh, and he has a twinge in one of his knees that gets worse when it's cold; he thinks it is overuse from running on concrete to stay in shape for rugby. First organized sport the kid is in since first-grade soccer, and he gets an injury. 

 

He might want to do some of his running on a treadmill - it's easier on the joints. DH has just had to start switching between the two. 

 

[Lolly]

Dd23 went back last week for work. She has been preparing meals for the freezer. Hopefully this last semester will be an easy one for her. The only thing she is worried about is a business law class that she has to make up for herself (independent study). She is having trouble finding anyone in the community who will contact her back.

Dd21a starts back Monday. Should be a routine semester for her. She has a family who has expressed interest in her babysitting/nannying for them starting next month. (The kids are on the swim team she coaches.) We'll see how that complicates things for her...

Dd21b has a ton of hours next semester (21). She is taking 3 of them over Christmas. The teacher is not forthcoming with returning assignments. The last essay is due Friday. it is an extension of an essay she turned in over a week ago. She hasn't received it back to be able to start adding to it...At least he seems to grade pretty easy...? Two of her classes will be online for the regular semester. That is a new one for her. In addition, she is looking at doing some intramural sports stuff... She is going to be very busy...

Ds18 is in his last trimester at tech school. Hopefully, he will be finding out about employment sometime soon. Technically, he only has to pass one more thing to receive his diploma. At that point, the school usually helps them find a job and they go ahead and start working (at a lower pay) during school hours (kind of like dual enrollment) until the end of the semester. He has several friends who graduated before Christmas who are doing really well out in the real world. He is looking forward to it. We will be setting up IRAs and such with/for him with a portion of the money we had set aside for his college expenses soon. It is interesting to have one going on a noncollege path. Right now, it is looking like a sound decision on his part. Time will tell.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Lolly

[GailV]

 Dd drove back to school Sunday to start classes on Monday.  On the way she spun out (the roads were a bit icy) and ended up in the median.  A patrol car happened by soon after, and helped her get a tow truck to get her out and on her way.  Not a great start to the semester.  

 

Since she was in England last semester the car was loaded down with everything that needed to be moved into her dorm room, including a microwave oven, all the miscellaneous reference books, etc.

 

Over break she was Technical Director for Wizard of Oz, doing set (mostly built in our garage and basement), lights, and props. It was a very intense experience.  She said she was really looking forward to getting back to school, which, in spite of 20 credit hours in engineering and theater this semester, should be less stressful.

[elegantlion]

We start back next week. Ds is spending a few days at my mom's this week - they are buddies. We bought textbooks Monday and she said he spent about an hour reading his Trig book the other night. 

 

He's taking a science class from an instructor that I had a bad experience with last year. Nothing specific, just the class organization, everyone in the class struggled. I noticed he switched textbooks and so he won't be using that lab portion (which was a lot of the problem for me and I let him know in my review). I think ds will click much better with this professor than I did because it's ds's field of strength. So I'm interested to see his experience in that class.

 

He also starting German, so this will be his first language class at school. 

[creekland]

DS went back Friday. He has been in student health twice for a couple of issues. The PA called me yesterday (at his request) to ask some family history questions and to let me know what is going on. She had two different ideas and has ordered a bunch of blood work. We are waiting for the results to come back.  She doesn't want him to take any Advil until the results are back. He says he is doing okay today. I'm trying not to dwell on it too much. 

 

I hope it all goes well.   :grouphug:

 

 Dd drove back to school Sunday to start classes on Monday.  On the way she spun out (the roads were a bit icy) and ended up in the median.  A patrol car happened by soon after, and helped her get a tow truck to get her out and on her way.  Not a great start to the semester.  

 

Glad she was ok!  Scary times... Did her stuff survive?  (Glad none came up and hit her...)

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Maybe he could visit with you at one of the stops on your hike.  Don't most people come off for food pick ups and such?

Yes, there are Town Days. We're going to see how it works out.  My original schedule had me near his college town right after spring finals.  He was going to pick me up and help me slack pack a couple of days.  Now, he'll be out of the country and i have had to change my start date to help him pay for his trip.  He's thinking about a summer job in Alaska and if that works out there is no way he can come meet me. 

 

We'll just have to see how everything plays out.

[Mom22ns]

Ds will head back to school Sunday or Monday. Second semester starts Tuesday. I has been a long break and he is looking forward to getting "home". 

 

This week is a bit challenging as dd is back in CC classes and ds is just hanging around. I think it's making them both crabby to see what the other is doing.

 

I've enjoyed having ds home more than I can say for the last 6 weeks. It will be hard to let go once again. He has a heavier load this semester and I'm expecting some new and different challenges. So far we both love his school and are happy he is there though.

[MBM]

We had to deal with ex-girlfriend drama over break when she contacted him on New Year's Eve splitting open his wounds. It wasn't good. She is dating, ds  was (is) still pining for her. He does not get over girlfriends easily. I was all ready to pack my bags and head to that deserted island where we go to escape our kids' dating drama.

 

Like some of your kids, my son's second quarter is very busy and I am not sure he is managing his time well. He has five classes which is heavy for a quarter system. Two labs. Mondays go from 9:30 to 8:00 but with a break from 2:00-6:00. Still, getting up at 9:30 nowadays is the equivalent of getting up at 5:30 back when he used to live here at home. Times have changed.

 

One of his math profs didn't bother to show up for the first class. No explanation. No apologies. No rescheduled class. This makes me :mad:. Ds says the guy is very dry and not interested in teaching. The class so far has been slides of pages from the book.

 

His social life is alive and well now that he's an official brother at his frat. I saw the photo of his initiation and his suit jacket is way too small! He wore it with khakis that are a bit tight around the calf so it looks like he's off to ride horses. LOL. Time to get a new suit jacket. Anyway, they spent a week wining and dining the new guys at *really great places* meaning Chipotle, burger joints and chicken wing shacks. Chicken wings and beer... Life is good. The frat likes to party but they have an excellent record and do a lot of social work. Next year he plans to live in the frat house and then rush for the business fraternity which is really a club, I guess, and not residential. It's hard to get in, though.

 

Right now, he is in the thick of interviewing for internships and finding out about summer research opportunities in math.  He thinks he'd like to do an internship with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange but he'll have to see if he gets accepted. I like the idea of him waking up and going to work at normal hours. I like that very much actually!

 

Good luck to all your kids this semester/quarter!  

 

[clementine]

We brought dd back to school on Sunday & classes started yesterday.  She was happy to get back & start new classes.  

 

Her roommate had a harder time coming back, so dd felt bad for her & had to tiptoe for a couple of days, but things seem to be getting better.  I think the roommates parents make it harder than they should - they make a big deal about missing her & for days before she leaves they talk a lot about her leaving and how sad it will be, etc.  I hate seeing dd leave too, but I never show it.  I try to show my excitement for her and tell her how proud we are.  Oh well, different strokes....

 

I think dd will be home for spring break, but I am unsure of her practice schedule, so it'll be a wait and see.  

 

She did make the Dean's List for fall semester, so that was a pleasant surprise.   :hurray:

[Jenny in Florida]

Well, my son is up on his feet today, which is promising. His girlfriend is performing at an open mic event tonight, and he is supposed to be playing piano as her backup. (She sprained her thumb a few days ago and can't accompany herself as usual. He tried learning the chords on one of her ukeleles, but they decided that the piano music would be easier for him to pick up quickly.) So, he managed to get up and out the door to rehease this afternoon.

 

He's still not really eating. I will have to try again to tempt him tomorrow.

[J-rap]

Oh gosh, now I am so curious about your hiking adventure!  Just checked out your blog!  That's pretty incredible.

 

Last year we had four in college, now we're down to 2 1/2.  My oldest dd is done with coursework, but has to return to her university in Central American for two weeks later this month to present her dissertation, first to a panel and then to the public.  Then she'll be officially done!

 

Son begins his last semester next week.  Thank goodness!  It's been a long haul and he's so ready to be done.

 

Youngest dd was dropped off at school on Sunday, and said it felt really good to be back, which warmed my heart.  (It's a new school this year for her and we weren't quite sure how it would go.)  Monday is her long day:  4 classes, including a once/week night class.  But that makes her Tuesdays/Thursdays very light.  She likes her classes and is upbeat about her semester.

 

Edited January 14, 2016 by J-rap

[MerryAtHope]

My ds started back this week, and already decided to switch a class. (Intro to film--it's not the "history of cinema" type of class my dh and I remember taking at our schools 30 years ago, and judging by the first film, it's not going to be his cup of tea!) But, better he see that now than try to make it work, and it's a good opportunity for my "hates change" son to see that change isn't so bad sometimes!

[klmama]

Oldest doesn't start classes until next week, but has started reading the texts we bought on Amazon to get a head start on the material.  I take that as a good sign for the upcoming semester. 

[plansrme]

I've enjoyed reading the variety of experiences everyone's kiddos are having.  Well, I haven't enjoyed reading about those who are sick and spinning out their cars, but you know what I mean.

 

I'm going to play in both this thread and the "acceptance" thread, since my daughter is in full-time DE at the school where she'll enter as a "freshman" in the fall, albeit a freshman with junior standing.  This semester, she has three math classes and the second English (she gets AP credit for the first).  One of her professors last semester told her she could skip one of these math classes, Foundations of Proofs, even though it is required for her major, because she knows the material already.  She didn't because she is out of classes she can take as a DE student, but she's found that he was right.  Still, she approached the professor after a class to ask him more about a theorem he mentioned in the lecture and ended up going back to his office to talk about it for an hour.  Then she stopped in to chat with a post-doc she knows to ask her what to wear to a math conference she's attending on Saturday.  Another professor recommended she attend this seminar because it will be good for her to meet the other attendees so she can get into a good Ph.D. program.  She's technically still in high school, and she's positioning herself for a good Ph.D. program???  

 

Some of you with a better memory for board members than me will remember that she had a career-ending injury just over a year ago and had to give up her sport, which she'd hoped to pursue in college.  She's clearly replaced it with math.  It's not as much fun from a parental standpoint:  "Go, Baby!  Prove that theorem!"  See?  But she dove right in and is doing a fine job.  I'm also saving a ton of money on medical bills--hard to hurt yourself sitting at a desk.

 

 

[creekland]

Youngest shared a pic this morning (from Greece) that I really like:

 

 

The kid loves his critters.  You get to figure out which one is the "kid."

 

They're out on the islands now and meeting with locals in the area.  He's loving it.

 

I love having raised world citizens.

 

I'll also admit to a tad bit of jealousy... ;)  I'd love being with him!

[Granny_Weatherwax]

DS did not get an invitation to a frat.  He says he doesn't mind and I hope that he is being sincere.  Frats are the basis for socialization at this school and I hope he isn't excluded now that he remains independent.  Tonight is the first big Frat party night with all of the new pledges and DS has nothing to do.  He's in his dorm room watching Netflix. My momma's heart is sad and I am fretting knowing that I can't fix this.

 

 I hope he finds a peer group this term.  I really do. He loves the academic opportunities but being alone for four years will be miserable.  Honestly, there are times I think he should have taken the full ride to the tier three state uni. but it had a big frat and party scene as well.

[creekland]

DS did not get an invitation to a frat.  He says he doesn't mind and I hope that he is being sincere.  Frats are the basis for socialization at this school and I hope he isn't excluded now that he remains independent.  Tonight is the first big Frat party night with all of the new pledges and DS has nothing to do.  He's in his dorm room watching Netflix. My momma's heart is sad and I am fretting knowing that I can't fix this.

 

 I hope he finds a peer group this term.  I really do. He loves the academic opportunities but being alone for four years will be miserable.  Honestly, there are times I think he should have taken the full ride to the tier three state uni. but it had a big frat and party scene as well.

 

Are there any others in his boat?  Can he reach out to try to find any?  If so, even one or two can provide some awesome support as they watch a movie together...

 

Youngest goes to a party school.  It took a little while, but he eventually was able to find others like him who don't party.  It's not the majority at the school, but it's enough that he feels he has his own tribe and enjoys it there.

 

Are there other clubs he can go to?  Religious groups?  Labs?

 

Usually there are others out there also looking for friends... they just have to find each other.

 

Best wishes for him - and  :grouphug: to you 'cause I know how much it can hurt mama when we see these things happening.

[MysteryJen]

Ds1 heads back today. Praying for an uneventful drive. He had a fun semester lined up (well, he thinks it will be fun-I think it will be lots of work). But I have resigned as his academic advisor, so my opinion counts for little! He did well last semester, hope he can keep it going.

 

Good luck to everyone!

[Mom22ns]

Ds is planning to head back tonight, but in a turn of events, his sister was rear ended while stopped at a stop light this week (not hurt) and her car is out of commission for a couple of weeks. Ds is going to have her drive him back to school (less than an hour away) and then let her keep his car for a couple of weeks.There always has to be a complication right?

[BlsdMama]

We all (myself, DD, DS) return to classes on Tuesday.

 

DD is officially a junior this semester and now that she's pretty much through some pre-reqs and gen ed courses, gets to take some she's pretty excited about: Psychology of Language, Intro to Speech and Hearing, etc.  Last semester two of her courses morphed into discussions and readings she truly despised so I'm happy for her that it's over.

 

DS is just taking dual enrollment classes as a high schooler - Residential & Commercial Construction (building a "tiny house,") Reading Architectural Plans and Specs, Comp II.  He's a little disappointed he won't have his teacher from last semester but a few of the kids in his class are homeschooled and one is also in Mock Trial so he's eager to get back to classes.

 

Myself - Not excited about a single thing I have to take this semester with one exception.  I found a Photography class that will actually fulfill my Fine Arts requirement, so it starts on Tuesday  and now  I have a plausible reason to play with my camera.  :D

 

I suspect this is going to be a long semester where we are simply waiting for summer.  I hope I'm wrong.  DD needs to start thinking about the GRE!

 

 

[Jenny in Florida]

My son made it back to school on Friday as planned, although he was still pretty out of it when I dropped him at his dorm. It didn't help that it was pouring and there was a multi-car accident that slowed traffic down to about 14 MPH for the last 20 miles of the drive.

 

His choir director took one look at him and told him to go away. I believe the exact quote was to "Stay the hell away from my singers!" So, he ended up not doing the concert. Another time, he might have been bummed, but he was still so tired that I think he was mostly relieved to have another day to rest.

 

We had a little panic after I started texting him to check in at about 4:00 p.m. on Friday and still hadn't heard from him by 10:00 on Saturday morning. His phone went straight to voicemail, and he didn't respond to Facebook messages. As the hours passed, I got more nervous, realizing that, since classes don't actually start  until Tuesday, it was entirely possible he could be in his room alone getting sicker and there would be no one to notice. I fought the "quit being a helicopter mom" fight until mid-morning on Saturday, when, after trying to reach out to the RAs and discovering that the dorms would also not be staffed until later in the weekend, my husband finally got in the car to make the drive. (On a good day, it's less than 90 minutes.) 

 

Fortunately, he woke up, plugged in the phone that he had let run out of battery because he was too tired to dig out the charger, found our messages and called home.

 

So, all is (mostly) well. He did get a (fairly restrained and brief) lecture about not worrying him mommy.

 

With the help of a ton of sleep and a delivery of fruits, veggies, hummus and junk food, he rallied in time for his dance gig on Saturday night. I seem to have come down with a milder version of the same ick that kept him on the couch all of last week and had gone to bed by the time he called last night. However, my husband talked to him and says he had a great time and got good feedback about his performance, along with suggestions that there may be more gigs in the future.

 

I'm hoping that, now that he seems to have turned the corner and be on the mend, he'll be ready to get into gear for the actual beginning of the semester on Tuesday.

[Starr]

Ds got news that 3 kids were found dead in off campus housing. No details yet, but rumors say it was a disgruntled ex-boyfriend and two were girls' basketball and hockey players.

 

This is so sad. Police are giving a report this afternoon. :(

[TechWife]

Ds got news that 3 kids were found dead in off campus housing. No details yet, but rumors say it was a disgruntled ex-boyfriend and two were girls' basketball and hockey players.

 

I am so sorry to hear this. How is your son weathering the news? The other students? Have there been any arrests? 

[regentrude]

I am so sorry to hear this. How is your son weathering the news? The other students? Have there been any arrests? 

 

If this is the school I am thinking of: no arrest necessary. The killer is one of the three dead; he took his own life.

 

Very tragic.

 

[TechWife]

If this is the school I am thinking of: no arrest necessary. The killer is one of the three dead; he took his own life.

 

Very tragic.

 

 

I just read that on the news. It is a tragedy, indeed. 

[hopskipjump]

If this is the school I am thinking of: no arrest necessary. The killer is one of the three dead; he took his own life.

 

Very tragic.

 

 

So tragic, heartbreaking, and terrifying. :(

[gingersmom]

My daughter flew back East today early to attend an Honors retreat this weekend. Turns out to be a good thing because they are expecting a major snowstorm Saturday which was the original day she had booked to fly back. The school is opening dorms early Friday to all students so they can get moved back in ahead of snowstorm.

 

She is excited and nervous at the same time for her classes. She added Spanish (ended with Spanish 5 in high school) which she is excited for. She hopes to do semester in Spain and be bilingual by the time she graduates (or pretty close)

 

She was home for like 6 weeks so the house is super quiet!

[klmama]

Dc has learned the first important lesson of the second semester:  don't upgrade your operating system the night before classes start.  :banghead:   Glitches, of course.  Dc can't get into Blackboard to see assignments and syllabi now.  I'm hoping the campus computer tech support people have dealt with this one before and can get it straightened out quickly. 

[Pegasus]

DD just started back at her CC yesterday.  This is the first semester that she will be driving herself.  She headed out 25 minutes before her class for what is normally a 7 minute drive.  With extra first day traffic, hunting for a parking spot, and trekking across campus to her class, she arrived 10 minutes late.  Oops.  Now she knows to allow even more time than she thinks she'll need since she isn't getting dropped off at the door!

 

Today would be her second day but campus was closed due to snow. 

[Mom22ns]

DD just started back at her CC yesterday.  This is the first semester that she will be driving herself.  She headed out 25 minutes before her class for what is normally a 7 minute drive.  With extra first day traffic, hunting for a parking spot, and trekking across campus to her class, she arrived 10 minutes late.  Oops.  Now she knows to allow even more time than she thinks she'll need since she isn't getting dropped off at the door!

 

Today would be her second day but campus was closed due to snow. 

 

If your CC is like ours, after about 2 weeks, enough students drop for parking to get much easier. The first day of class is a nightmare, but it gets better every day after.

[G5052]

Update on mine.

 

He's going to have to have another surgery, unfortunately two hours away through heavy traffic. We decided to go with a superstar this time. We had actually considered this surgeon for a different issue for my 11th grader, but he recommended waiting longer. So at least we knew him and the office already. Unfortunately he was out of the country when DS was injured. DS's first surgery was an emergency and our options were very limited. The first surgeon fixed the main issue, but his technique was so-so in other areas. The original doctor also should have pulled him from PT after about six weeks and fixed the problem. Sigh. 

 

Thankfully this surgery will only be 45 minutes, and he'll be in PT the next day. AND it's his spring break. That was the "first available" with this guy, and thankfully no issues with waiting.

 

The PT will be 45 minutes away this time. Surgeon #2 was fine with picking one closer to home but wanted a particular therapist. He doesn't feel like any of the ones close to home are right for this particular case.
 

So my oldest will be juggling classes and driving back-and-forth to therapy and rechecks for about a month. Challenges!

[Jenny in Florida]

Thankfully this surgery will only be 45 minutes, and he'll be in PT the next day. AND it's his spring break. That was the "first available" with this guy, and thankfully no issues with waiting.

 

Wow, that sounds like a really "fun" way to spend spring break.

 

One of my son's local buddies had long-delayed surgery just a couple of days before Christmas while he was home on break. They timed it so that he could have the maximum amount of time to recover before heading back to campus, but it did require him to have a fairly quiet holiday.

 

All went well, though. I hope your son's experience goes as smoothly!

[G5052]

Wow, that sounds like a really "fun" way to spend spring break.

 

One of my son's local buddies had long-delayed surgery just a couple of days before Christmas while he was home on break. They timed it so that he could have the maximum amount of time to recover before heading back to campus, but it did require him to have a fairly quiet holiday.

 

All went well, though. I hope your son's experience goes as smoothly!

 

Yes, he's unhappy that it ended up that way, but at least he has the week of surgery and the first two PT appointments with no school to worry about!

[creekland]

Yes, he's unhappy that it ended up that way, but at least he has the week of surgery and the first two PT appointments with no school to worry about!

 

Definitely not the best spring break story, but best wishes that it all goes well!