EMPTY NEST SUPPORT THREAD-Part 2

[MissMarplesBloomers]

Part one lasted seven years! Thanks RustyBear for the great idea.

I have one DD off this year and another one starting Sixth form so will be here for a few years!

So how are all the DC's getting on with the lists/packing etc?

Hi missmarples. Thanks for starting part 2, DD3 is off in 12 days and she's well on her way with her packing. Our spare bedroom is rapidly filling up with boxes of stuff. Hope we can get it all in the car She's got a few more clothes to pack and needs to sort out all the documents she needs

DS is off on Saturday to Liverpool. He's away for a couple of days before that so has two afternoons to buy new shoes, rucksack, pots and pans, cutlery, crockery, towels, lamp, etc etc.

Oh yes, and to do online enrolment and buy Office for Mac.

I've made a start, bought his bathroom stuff and cleaning stuff. Am too busy stressing over shopping to worry about missing him yet

Do they need to take their GCSE certificates? I suspect DS's are in a crumpled mess under his bed among the empty beer cans

Don't think they need their GCSE certificates. But each uni is different so best to check. DD3 had to email a cool of all her certificates to Bolton when she applied so they've got all that. She's done her online enrollment.

Hallo , I've DS off to Uni , and DD starting 6th form .

DS is too laid back for words , and when asked to make a list of things to take , he tells me he has a list in his head < helpful >

I'm planning on sorting out the rough stuff form the back of the airing cupboard for bedding and towels .
He needs to sort out clothes to take , clothes to leave here and clothes to throw away .

He does need to take GCSE Certs , to prove he has English and Maths .

At the moment he is being argumentative , messy and demanding , and I sort of can't wait for him to leave !

I expect I'll miss him when he's not here ....

My DS is being far too cheery lately, I wish he would at least try to look less excited because i shall miss him horribly. We have started the packing with dry goods, because he will have a huge space under his bed that he can store stuff in. Past and rice and so on, because his accommodation is costing us a fortune as although we are an hour away they say we are too close to help with accommodation. it would have been nice if they could have told us that earlier on.
Tomorrow we are going shopping for bedding and laundry bsket and other room stuff and kitchen stuff. The list is a mile long and will take all day, I think.

Madeofkent don't take to much Kitchen stuff as other students will also bring stuff. DD3 is taking crockery and Cutlery but we are going to wait until we are there before getting other stuff. She has already packed several boxes and a couple of cases of stuff so don't really want to get her anything else before we go.

DS is going to warwick at the end of the month. All he's been able to do so far is upload a photo. He can't enrol till next week, we don't get the accomodation details till next week, and he can't buy any freshers tickets till next week.
Next week DH and I are on holiday in Italy.
So I have to trust he will do all this without me nagging my helpful reminders.

His packing to date consists of a crate with 2 saucepans, a frying pan, a jar of chilli salt and a bottle opener

All the essentials then

Just saw dd off this morning & feeling a bit glum.

Not an empty nester yet but one year away so I hope you don't mind me posting.
DS1 is very excited about the future, applying to unis etc. I hope he has no clue how sad I feel about it. It's as though I only have him for one more year, apart from holidays, the likelihood is that he will end up living in another part of the country once he graduates.

Is he your only child secret? The first one is tough in a different way to the last one, and I imagine you get that rolled into one with an only.

No ontheallotment I have DS2 just going into Year 11. Interestingly I found all the baby /toddler milestones harder with DS1 apart from the day I waved DS2 off to infant school

Is DD your youngest?

Just come back from Asda which was full of middle aged women with reluctant teenagers in the sauce pan aisle .

Overheard one mum explaining to her son how to use a cheese grater and he was saying patiently, yes, mum, I know.

I'll be dragging ds there tomorrow; it's his birthday today and I'm not quite cruel enough to take him towel shopping today

yes, secret she's the youngest, but ds is still here at the moment as he's still home for the summer for a few more weeks, so the house isn't totally quiet just yet. I think I'm feeling this worse than last time though as I haven't seen where she's gone (wasn't allowed time off work for the parents open day) and it's a different kind of course (apprenticeship not uni) rather outside my experience, and she's one of only a very few girls on the course.

I have DS1 going to Central Lancashire Uni in about week
DD1 who is my oldest was away for a year doing an apprentice but is based back at home.
DD2 is just starting Sixth Form College
DS2 is just going into year 8
I'm a bit away from a completely Empty Nest, but I am going to miss DS a lot, except for the constant fugg of aftershave he leaves in his wake!
Fortunately I have just started a full time course, so I will hopefully be too busy to miss him for too long!

In case it hasn't been seen...helpful list

Not biggin it up because I started another thread it but before anyone goes rushing off to buy loads it's a useful read!

JGBMum

ontheallotment If you are into hugs

We did buy a lot of stuff today, because he has been reading forums and seeing how much gets wrecked or goes missing, he wants much of his kept under his bed for spares. He is going to keep a kettle in his room, too for when he doesn't feel sociable. It was really tiring, we started off in Argos and spent £60 on bits and bobs, then poundland and managed to spend £50 in there. That's a first for me. Then off to poundstretcher where another £80 disappeared, with a final £100 in Wilkinson's. The girl on the counter said that yesterday was her first day, and she nearly cried because they were short-staffed and one uni-going family came in and spent £300 and used four trolleys!

MIL sent him money to spend on kitting out his flat, thank heavens. It was quite hard to stop him from buying rolling pin, whisks etc. but I managed to convince him that a beer bottle and a fork would do for now.

At least he has condescended to meet us on my birthday for a meal, a couple of weeks after he starts. I think he thought he was going to be missing out on something if he came, so was a bit evasive. I could have cried, but stayed calm.

I have a friend in the village in the same position. We are going to meet up and hit the bottle when we feel down. In a very genteel way of course. With cupcakes. Or olives.

madeofkent make sure he is allowed a kettle in his room before he goes DD3 is not allowed one. We have bought bits and pieces but going to get anything else she needs when we take her up to Bolton. She helps with the 4 to 7 year olds group at church and was given q gift by the team leader, She had a shoe box full of useful stuff like a 100 tea bags.hot chocolate soup. baked beans,stationary. tea towel and a big bag of maltesers which are her favorite chocolates.
She is our youngest and I'll miss her lots when she goes.

For anyone who hasn't gone shopping yet, I just went for the first part in Wilkinsons at lunchtime.

got:

v nice lamp with thick glass bottom and red shade £14
double duvet cover in cream with dark red trim £14
pillow protector £2.50
mattress protector £7.50
cotton sheet £6.40
dark red fleece throw for bed £4
2 dark red cushions £10
aqua bath mat £7.50
aqua towels 2 for £8
aqua facecloths 2 for £1
griddle pan £8

altogether £87.77

Which I think is fantastic!

Have agreed with ds that he'll buy a set of pans, crockery, cutlery and glasses tomorrow and then I think we're sorted

Also don't forget there are shops in the towns around the Unis?!

We are taking the bare minimum due to lack of funds from her bastard father space in the car & DD2 wanting to come too. But we have just all 3 of us plus dog crammed in for a break away & we manawged so I'm sure we'll cope.

I am taking a box of " just in case's" which I'm happy to take away if there are duplicates eg toasters kettle etc.

Warwick don't allow kitchen appliances in rooms either but then of they only provide one for a kitchen of 8 she might need my spare.

Will know more after she gets her accomodation allocated next week, as she can check what's provided then.

We have had to go for private halls and it doesn't seem to be a problem there, to have a kettle in the room. I know there are lots of shops but we are on a really tight budget as a result of his stupidly expensive accommodation, so I would rather buy what I can as he was talking about going into the BHS in the Cambridge Grafton centre and buying things there. I am going to google all the cheap shops in cambridge and tell him where they are, rather than let him just wander across the road into the shopping precinct, otherwise he will starve through sheer laziness. I have already found a chinese supermarket just a few minutes away, so that should be a help.

Unfortunately we haven't got room in the car to buy lots of stuff here, There's already a huge and growing pile of essentials DD3 ( well to het anyway) wants to take including her keyboard. Bolton does have a lot of cheap shops not to far away from her uni including a home bargains type shop,

Made quite a lot of progress today .

Sorted through the airing cupboard and found 2 large and 2 small towels , 3 single duvet covers , 3 single duvets , 1 single sheet and loads of pillowcases

I wondered why the airing cupboard was overflowing

Found a pint glass and a bottle opener

Went to Matalan and bought a washing basket , an undersheet , a peeler, whisk , plastic spoon and kitchen tongs . He also needed socks

He can't decide about crockery , and a blanket , I think he wants to see what everyone else has .

Then Tesco , for a frying pan , a saucepan , a new sheet and 2 pairs of pyjamas .

I said to him that we'd pick up some cleaning stuff when we get some groceries when he moves in .
He doesn't think he'll need cleaning stuff ...

He's got a haircut booked for tomorrow , then he'll have a load of passport photos done

There's a lot crossed off the list now .

Arg, washing basket, forgot about that.