Curious as to where you have been traveling to, with your little darlings recently....

Moved my youngest son into IL State in Bloomington, IL late last week and it went really smooth. Packed the SUV full, could have bought some items when we got there...oh well. We did discover that co-ed dorm now means same hall not just floor or building. His next door neighbors are all female.

Bloomington/Normal seem nice, about 2 hours from home.

Careful. This will turn into a competition of whose kids got into the better colllege.

For the first time in four years I didn't have to take a child back to college. My son, a recent Bucknell graduate, took his sister back for her senior year at Bucknell. Didn't mind the day free at all. Since my 4th child is looking for colleges, she's a high school senior, I'm going on trips to colleges anyway.

Bucknell is located in Lewisburg, PA. In Central PA. Lovely, lovely town and school.

this is a year away for me, so we're really starting to think about this...anybody have any input on Humboldt State in Northern California?

I'll be moving my daughter to Michigan State on Wednesday, which is about 90 minutes from home. Both my husband and I lived at home for college and she is our oldest, so the whole dorm thing is new to us. Around 7500 freshman will be moving in that day, so it will be crazy.

I leave in 2 weeks to drive son from Boston to Savannah - doing the trip alone since husband stays home to start younger kid in HS. Just went shopping with son this weekend for dorm stuff - he thinks all one needs for college is an iPod, 4 t-shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, and his computer. Mom thinks he needs a van full of stuff - I know his truth is more accurate than mine, but I'll never let on.

Upside is that I have never visited Savannah/Charleston area and now have 4 years to do so.

I'm watching people move their kids into UNC-Chapel Hill, and it makes me quite wistful -- not only for the days of moving DS into his college but also for my own. Now it's younger niecelets and nephoos. Wonderful to see Young Person A whoop and hollar and run to hug Young Person B, whom he/she hasn't seen since May -- and see Mom and Dad standing nearby feeling painfully extraneous.

We moved our oldest daughter into her dorm this past Saturday, at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. This is her third year, and we still miss her TREMENDOUSLY when she's gone. We've got a high school senior and a sophomore, too, so we'll be moving in two next year.

Pat: 7500...wow, we were 1/2 of that.

gail: I thought the same as your son about clothes, unfortunately my son thought 40 shirts was a better idea. Less laundry I guess or at least longer between.

It was kind of fun exceptfor the part when he couldn't wait for us to leave, that was hard on Mom.

Just returned from moving my son to Michigan Tech in Houghton. Drove close to 8 hours and didn't leave the state. Probably won't see him until Thanksgiving.

Flying cross country tomorrow for daughter starting school at Georgetown in Washington, D.C. We're taking 6+ large suitcases with us on top of the 5 boxes we already shipped to a relative in the area. Going to be tough having her so far away, but it is a great opportunity for her.

One of the most ingenious ideas I've come across was from a kid I'd interviewed about a dozen years ago who was graduating that year from the University of Pennsylvania. Starting in his freshman year he rented a U-haul (with Dad's help) and for a fee moved people from Philadelphia to points between his home. By the time he graduated, he was running multiple vans at the beginning and end of the year to as far away as Chicago and making a profit that covered his spending money for the year.

Not sure what became of this kid but no doubt he's been pretty successful.

The oldest son will leave next week for his senior year at Boston University while the youngest son will enter his freshman year at Fordham University in NYC on Sunday. This is a very sad time for mom
I fondly remember the remarks my oldest would make when I would insist he take this and that along with him - he would gently remind me that Boston does HAVE supermarkets!

As far as clothing goes - the only request they had was that they needed to take along 14 pairs of underwear and socks so that they could make it a week without doing laundry!

I owe you guys a big thank you. I've spent most of today being the resentful mother of a v. pi$$y 13 year old girl. I just gave her a huge hug.

LOL obxgirl
I am so happy that I am not doing this anymore because I too well remember that empty room and peace and quiet that shouted out to me, where are your babies??.
Good luck to all you parents and your children, off on their next Big Adventure
Scarlett

I'm glad you can't see me sobbing right now - it's pretty pathetic

Gosh me too!
Moved my baby to her dorm, only 2 hrs away (Orlando Fla). What a weird feeling...part of me is sooo sad. Even the cats seem to be moping around aimlessly. The house is so clean!

But my husband comes along and to cheer me up suggests:
we can now make really spicy dinners!
we can sit naked in front of the TV!
we can "christen" > their rooms! Now that is really going too far I tell him! But it does make me chuckle, and I love him for that!

Hang in there, parents! Pretty soon they'll be so educated and rich that they'll be treating US to luxurious vacations in faraway places!

Pat~
Ahhhhh Michigan State.....how I miss those halcyon days on the Red Cedar River.....
What dorm is your daughter in? I lived in Shaw Hall before moving off campus, of course, they have since totally revamped it.

I actually never finished my degree there, did a little too much "living", am looking to re-enroll in the near future & finish.

Congrats to your daughter, I am extremely jealous!

Soon the only babysitters that you will be interviewing will be for the Cat or Dog
Soon you and your husband can not only run around the house undressed, but you can watch tv that way-while eating ice cream and not have to share with the kids.
Soon you can just decide spur of the moment to eat out, go to a movie or whatever pops into your head and you don't have to deal with do they want to go, do they want to see it, etc..
It does take time though, mine took about 4 years each LOL

Goddaughter off to Wesleyan in Connecticut. We've packed her a hip bookbag full of all the treats we thought she might want and then some. It seems like yesterday I was walking the floor with her trying to cajole her out of a colicky eternity and only 5 minutes ago I baked her a "Hello Kitty" cake with gumdrop eyes for her 4th bday. Ah the swift and transient nature of life! We've already begun to plan our East Coast trip for next Fall which will include a visit to our "college girl". Hopefully, we'll not be those embarrassing old folks.