Finishing year 13 in 2017

I remember DD saying that Newcastle has some really nice new accommodation, I think she said it was the best she saw.

That's great namechange - so good when they've decided and chosen!
And Horsemad, great he's decided on Newcastle

Yay! DS1 logged onto UCAS Track and chose his firm and insurance choices. Did take about 150 prompts from me but at least he's done it!

teta - if you're still suffering with vertigo, look up the Epley manoeuvre. I was astonished how miraculous it was when the GP had to do it for me one time.

LittleHo, fingers crossed that it won't come to that

ono, I still get texts when DD skips classes to go to revise in the library - WTAF? They are 18 or almost!

Don't envy prom dress shopping - it was very stressful in Y11. DD does have some sort of end of sixthform do, but it's in a local club apparently, so only a clubbing sort of dress will be needed (of which she has many, but will no doubt need a new one...)
DS has a suit he had made in Vietnam last summer for his Y11 prom, but wants blue loafers to match it

Horse, is Newcastle nearish to you? DD discounted it once she realised it wasn't near Birmingham and it took bf 8+ hours on a coach to get there and back

Thank you Mirabelle.

As the whole of February, March and April got taken over with caring for Mum, planning the funeral and looking after Dad, the school have said that they will tell the exam board especially with regard to the formally assessed units that are due in this week.

I'm not sure how much difference this will make but the worst case scenario is that she will have to repeat the year.

We've bought a leavers ball gown from Monsoon.Dd has silver heels from the last one so we just need to have the gown shortened a bit.Luckily I spotted it online reduced and took a punt on it looking good on Dd.We need dd2 as a dresser though as it takes 20 minutes to tie her into it.It has super long ties that can be fastened in a multitude of ways and styles which I guess makes it adaptable.
I've spent the morning combing nit solution through Dd very long ,very thick hair.Caught from her younger sister watching Netflix in bed together.Oh the joys!

Hmm, DS needs a new suit for the Leavers' Ball. Need to get that organised soon.

He has decided (at long last!) to firm Newcastle. Hasn't looked at any accommodation options or started Student Finance. Hasn't even set up a current account yet

First exam on 16th...

It is all coming round very fast indeed.

Bugger. DD went shopping with a couple of friends for prom outfits yesterday, but they spent most of the time looking at suits (one of the other girls bought one). So today I've got to take her into town to try to find something appropriate. I'm fairly clueless tbh - she doesn't want anything OTT or skimpy, and being short but well-endowed really does need to try things on which means online shopping probably wouldn't work well. And she doesn't do heels, so suitable shoes also liable to be tricky.

It may be a loan, but that money still has to come from somewhere up front, and a heck of a lot of it will never be paid back. Even back in the day of full grants, there was means testing and a parental contribution (the numbers were all so much smaller then though!). Its a fairly weird system though.

BigTillyMint, yes if you don't have to apply for means testing then the process takes about 10 minutes (plus faffing about looking for passport numbers etc). I am not sure why they means test loans, after all he will be responsible for paying it back, not us.

Great news Mirabelle that your DD has got a place for Foundation Art! Well done to her.

We had a letter from school yesterday rollicking some of the Y13s who are not turning up for class. DS has gone in for most of his lessons as he says the revision lessons have been helpful but someone he knows who is doing sciences has decided not to go in for lessons ever again as they are just doing papers in class

Thanks BTM, she will be at home. Likes to do things in a different order my DD !

That's great Mirabelle - will she go away or live at home?

I'm very late but I am so sorry to read about your Mum Littleho

Thought about you all last night as was up at school for info evening for DS, they were talking about current Year 13 and what they are going on to do. A lot of them DD went to first and middle school with and I felt a touch emotional that there is so little time left for them and they are all grown up, I remember them tiny in the playground . Feel like I'm starting all over again with DS now it's all different !

DD looked very surprised when she realised she was going to get to vote and doing a postal vote as away then. Still waiting to hear back from one college about Foundation Art but having a place takes pressure off.

ono, re finances, DD thinks she has done hers but it only took 10mins so I'm not convinced! She won't qualify for any means-testing so does that make it quicker?

DD has been championing Corbyn again and telling us if we don't vote Labour she will disown us She is so upset to not be able to vote this time!

We've had that conversation too Ono.Dh also tried to tell me and dd how to vote .

Thank you for the drug advice .I'm not nauseous luckily but still dizzy.If it carries on I will see the gp .Though 12 years of being a drug rep and a coming from a family of doctors mean I endeavour never to set foot in a surgery .

Lol teta, we had a row about UK politics and tactical voting! Damn you Teresa May and your general election! Still it is good to see young people passionate about voting.

Teta, if you have vertigo (Meniere's) you need to see the GP and get betahistine. If you are feeling sick/nauseous then prochlorperazine (Buccastem - you can buy this over the counter) will help. I am a pharmacist so I am on home turf here, I know more about this than politics

I feel less tired having been out on a little last day of the hols outing to the local park and cafe with DS and girlfriend - in between the showers
So perhaps it wasn't so much tiredness as maybe boredom!
It can be nice to get a bit of fresh air 😊

Errol sadly not too much gin.
It's quite interesting feeling totally spaced out though.Even turning over in bed makes me feel dizzy.Its called Vertigo apparently, after much googling and can come and go.But I have a heavy head and headache so I assume its probably a bug.All I've done today is make soup,crawl back to sofa.Marinade the chicken,crawl back to sofa!
I hope you all get a good nights sleep tonight and feel less tired tomorrow.Ono, I sympathise mine does that too and then fights with me over something minor and stomps off leaving me too weary for words.

Hi Juggling, I am feeling tired too. DS likes to tell me all about what he is revising (usually at 11pm). I shall soon be an expert on Tudors and US politics! I have to say, as a scientist, none of it makes sense to me but I just nod and ask dumb questions.

Teta, I hope you feel better and well done to your DD for getting two offers.

Did anyone see that programme last week about junior doctors? Made me glad that DS isn't applying for medicine. It looked like they were all really stressed by not being able to spend the time they needed with patients and many were planning to leave the NHS. Mind you, I visited the GP with DS2 who needs metal pins removing from his arm and she told me to find a surgeon by looking up their reviews on Google!

Meanwhile, we (I) have sorted student finance and DS has completed and returned the declaration. As he is eligible for only the minimum maintenance loan it was quite easy to do. Accommodation has been chosen and applied for (the most expensive halls obviously as we are paying). So, just a small matter of 7 exams and we are done. Eek...

I'm feeling really tired too teta, last day of the Easter hols for my two. The Easter break seems to have gone on for ages, and being a revision companion is exhausting even if I do leave most of it to DD. She mostly gets on with it quite sensibly but she likes to talk through what she's been doing with me from time to time. It's probably knowing they are important to what she does next and her being my first to go through it all makes it stressful. Anyway I hope I find it easier when we do it all again with DS in 3 years time!
Hope you're feeling better soon, and able to enjoy your first day of rest from them all!

hope you feel better soon, teta. Presumably not actually too much gin.

Yes,it was Errol .Dd was so thrilled.I thought she might get an offer after being on the waiting list for a while.Juggling the grades are high I guess.But it's concentrating her mind and she is working very intensively, doing lots of past papers.
I am exhausted!
A week and a half of visitors plus two kids trying to revise has given me dizziness.Every time I sit or get up I'm dizzy.I presume I have a bug affecting my inner ear .I've taken to my bed today as it's the first day of school for all 4 kids.And I'm so glad to relinquish partial responsibility of ds1 and his exams to his school .

Fantastic, that offer is a good birthday present from Surrey.

Yey, great to have an insurance too teta

(Though those grades still looking high to me!)

Glad she's been having a nice birthday

Tera excellent news on all fronts