Continuing Year 13: January 2016

Bucking good news about your DD's recall, hope it goes well. Be interested to find out what snail ice cream is like.

DS has 30" waist & 37" leg. He doesn't wear jeans just smart trousers for school & otherwise joggers. I've found M&S 'big & tall' the best - got some of their grey trousers new on ebay for school. Their sizes are generous so find 35" long joggers fit him, might be the same for jeans. I suppose M&S jeans aren't very trendy if you're a teenager though. It is frustrating that there's so little available for tall people.

Asked him what he wanted to do for his 18th & he said 'Go to Berlin'.

Ha ha, before you know it they'll be 21 ...........

Did your DD choose her earrings, or have you chosen for her?

Wow thank you knickers that is crystal clear. And motivating! How busy you are with your kids at big stages! You must be made of stern stuff. V stressful I imagine.

Leeds, I got earrings for DD, sophisticated rather than bling. Had to lie down for ages after purchasing them as went v lightheaded. Son has much asked for sword coming his way.

Im taking dd to the theater too, and DS to Derren Brown and that's their lot. My DP and I have taken a pledge together: no more expensive birthdays!

I think we will go for jewellery, Morvah, but I feel a bit as though I should come up with something a bit more unusual, if that is the right word. I have done a lot of thinking but just not come up with anything!

I have suggested the spa day, most definitely with friends and not me!, but she doesn't want to do that because she did it last year.

OK, off to options evening with DS3. Last night was college interview with DS2 (who has ASD.) No end in sight in this house. And DS1 is only 5' 11", how have you all bred these giants?

DS is 18 next week. He is not a big party person, so he's having various separate events. A dinner at a very smart restaurant with us and one set of grandparents (but not the snail ice cream restaurant!) a meal out with a gang of his mates, and a gastro pub lunch with DH's side of the family.

The present bit has been tricky. Leeds2 I thought girls would be easier because you can always get a nice piece of jewellery but perhaps not! Would she like a spa day with a friend? Or you - even better!

We are getting DS two things; an iPhone 6 which he desperately wanted, and then there will be a sum of money set aside so that at some stage during the year he can buy something more permanent to remind him of his coming of age - hopefully a painting or a sculpture or something like that. We are usually quite financially restrained when it comes to presents in our family, but we're pushing the boat out on this occasion!

Well done to Bucking's DD for the drama recall. Fingers crossed.

Here you go, bucking

www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/apply-and-track/track-your-application/replying-your-offers

bucking, once you've received all your offers (or rejections) you have a set amount of time in which to make two preferences, 1st and 2nd choice. Ideally second choice should be a lower offer as you'll get your 1st choice if you make the grades (or sometimes if you are very close) but if you don't your 2nd choice will come into play. You can't keep all 5 offers. The dates to make your decision are on the UCAS website.

If anyone has any imaginative was of celebrating an 18th, or gifts to give to your 18 year old daughter, they would be gratefully received!

I hope your DC like the posh foodie restaurant, frolics.

Talking of 18th birthdays, we are taking ours to a posh foodie restaurant for the first and last time in our lives, I do think it's immoral to pay so much for food, to be honest, but I cannot think of anything else that they haven't done and might like! So it's a good helping of extortionate butter nut and aubergine foam, porridge tuilles and snail icecream for us, later in February.

Needmoresleep - only two more terms you are so right I hadn't thought of it that way - and one of those isn't even a 'real' term.

Squirrels, when you find those jeans can you let me know? I've been stuffing DS with chips and biscuits but he's still skinny as a rake!

Uhtred, my DD is the person I get on best with in the world. When she came home with her first proper boyfriend I sobbed for days... a unique feeling, so poignantly painful that she "loves"/shares with/enjoys the company of/wants to be with, someone other than her mum. But I'm over it now. As she said, I'm still the mum she loves best :)

Just use your Viking sailing powers to hug the coastline of your DD and don't let her sail too far into the unknown!

So glad to have found this continuation thread!

What is this 'reserve' you folks are talking about? Is this more than just a personal 'I'll go here if I get that grade... and there if I don't?' Or is it an actual choice that must be made on UCAS?

My DS tells me nothing! He's had 5 offers, so should I now be suggesting he does something on the UCAS site?

My DD has had a recall to a drama school, after her rejection at the first audition at Central. She's going back to Guildford hoo-blooming-ray because it has bucked her up no end (and she has RADA next week gulp).

Mocks? They have mocks? you would not know it from the work being done by the little Frolicks.

My DD1 is only 5'3". but she is bigger than me so it doesn't seem like she is too small to leave home - I do worry she is too gentle though. And just, you know, young. But she's a way off 18 yet, also, which probably has something to do with it. It's going to be awful when she isn't here, even though we have 2 other DCs. We are very close and we are the only people in the world who really 'get' each other. The other two get aspects of me, but are also at sea with other aspects. DH is at sea with all of us, really! I'm dreading it, to be honest.

Mine's 6'3" and 18 in a couple of weeks. We do seem to have some giant DC. Any tips for where to buy 30" waist 36" leg skinny jeans?

My 6'4" and a little bit DS1 was 18 yesterday and its really struck home he will be off in September!

Off to sixth form information evening for DD tonight though. Will still be busy.

Another not looking forward to September when the house will be empty. I've only just got used to adjusting the cooking quantities when DS1 comes and goes back to uni.

I am also feeling a bit Septemberish . . . . DS is 6 ft 1 and whilst he can inevitably be a stroppy bugger on occasions, we share an identical sense of humour and he is a very kind and affectionate boy. He's also an only child so it will be very quiet when he goes and very odd just to be the DH and me again.

The food bill will be a lot less though!

Thanks for that link Ellen, interesting reading. mygrandchildren with my brother being 6ft 6 I think my baby may still grow some more inches. Think I need to follow Needmoresleep's example & plan something exciting for next autumn.

DS back at Imperial today.

I've no idea how accurate it is, but I just posted each town into this website
www.accommodationforstudents.com/searchresults.asp?city=Leamington+Spa&lookingfor=any&searchtype=city&numberofbedrooms=&cost=
and looked at a rough average of weekly costs. Exeter looked like about £120-£130 per week and Brum £90-£100. It may not be particularly scientific but I guess you can get a feel for a rough comparison.

Just looking at train fares and accommodation costs in the private sector to get a feel for how much this will cost DS1. He'll get the full loan, but will need a job as I can't support him on my earnings. I'm hoping exH will cough up something, but their relationship isn't wonderful. It looks like Exeter private lets are quite expensive compared to Southampton, Brum and Warwick. That might put DS off a bit, but he really doesn't have much concept of how poor he'll be.

Bethankate my baby DS is also well over 6ft but probably an inch shorter than yours. I too have found myself welling up at odd moments over the fact he won't be here next year. It's when we're chatting at bedtime, I'm usually in bed and he pops in for a quick chat, or when we're having dinner and I find myself thinking 'this time next year'...

Needmoresleep hope your DD does well in her other 3 interviews - she has done very well to get this far.