Getting ready to send them off!

[Maggiethecat]

Have been doing lists of things to be done before Dd goes off but must admit there's a bit of burying head in sand going on.

What are you doing to help prepare Dc/yourself ahead of the move (practical/logistics or indeed emotional preparation )

Not doing anything at all until after results day on Thursday! It just seems too presumptuous right now and I don’t think DS wants to be reminded of it.

Same here.

DD2 is busy planning her move into his room though (she's drawn a floor plan and everything!) and I've had more than one little cry when in bed at night.

Im really going to miss him.

Dd2 has been planning the move into Dd1's room for over a year (was very put out when Dd1 took a gap year 😂)

I am going to miss DS BUT that sad feeling is smaller than the happy one that he is happily going away (again, this will be after Thurs, not before!), that he is confident and ready to do so. I am also v happy that terms are so short so kind of thinking of it as part time leaving home which has to be the best of both worlds.

My ds has a confirmed place at Manchester (has been travelling this year).

He has his accommodation all confirmed so knows his flat (Manchester only allocates accommodation once place confirmed) and has found another person in his flat on some app thing.

as far as what we’ve done nothing really - we went on a trip to IKEA and bought a mattress topper, bedding, crockery etc etc.

We’ve had a chat about stuff he needs to do - change bank account into a student one, get some photos taken for his bus pass etc.

other then that I will drive him up there and help unload his stuff - I’ve asked him if he’d like us all to go out for lunch together or whether we should just make ourselves scarce - he’s not sure so we will play it by ear. He’s been given a moving in day - not sure if everyone has the same day or not.

Hes still waiting on some information from Uni but they’ve said that won’t come out until after results day as most people don’t currently have confirmed places.

Good luck to those dc waiting on results - hope Thursday brings much happiness.

@KittyMcKitty - Would like to be able to do a shop with her for essentials and take with us but it's quite far for us so won't drive her down. Will go shopping when there.

Yes, good luck to everyone for Thursday!

@Maggiethecat I know the feeling- it’s about 3.5 hrs to Manchester from us - it’ll be a long day!! Where’s your dd off to?

Thank you @Maggiethecat glad you've started this thread . Nothing ahead of Thursday but have for a while been trying to get my ahead that DD may actually be going off to Uni. A strange mix at the moment and a lot of nerves and tension and then after Thursday we can press go- so excited for her but going to miss her soo much !

Ohhh I like that " part time leaving at home !"

@Maggiethecat We had a couple of bits prior to results, but did the main essentials shop after results day. We first bought storage boxes, (3 plastic 3 drawer cabinet) and popped them in the car with an empty suitcase to see how they would fit.
Then we planned around that.
2 boxes for kitchenware
1 box for stationery
3 boxes for bedroom
1 box for bathroom

Shes now about to start 3rd year of uni, and since then shes accumulated a lot more stuff, so we cant take it back home in one hit (and its 2 and a half hours away). Like for example shes taken up baking and has got more things for that. So we now use her cities storage facility.

@KittyMcKitty - we're in Scotland and she's off to Bristol.

@doubleshotcappuccino - I've managed to keep a bit detached/matter of fact about the planning (she has a confirmed place as she had a gap year so we know she's going) but know this will all change the closer we get to her leaving!

@sammyjoanne - that sounds very good planning!

@Maggiethecat.. I think detached is a good objective, I need to do a bit (a lot) more of that !

Dont know if this is useful to anyone but I found these bags to be really good last year.

www.rexlondon.com/jumbo-storage-and-laundry-bags

They’ll be back in no time 🙂

@Maggiethecat for very long car journeys like yours a lot of parents do drive but book a hotel or airbnb for one or two nights and travel down the day before. Lots of moving in videos on youtube showing stop offs.

We also have those Rex laundry bags as linked above by Long they are very good quality and hold a lot of stuff.

@sammyjoanne that is a really good idea, if it doesn't fit in the box it can't go in the car.

Good luck to you all and your children for results day.

Our local main library had a selection of these in its shop. They had sold out the last time I looked, though, so I got DD some of the (different) version sold in Poundstrencher.

We've got those big blue ikea bags .. they're so helpful and roll up to v small .. perhaps not the aesthetic I grant you but they're useful as a back up..

Be aware that shops local to the unis are very busy on moving in week. The kitchen supplies areas looked like locusts had been through! Maybe do a ‘click and collect’ if you want to reserve some essentials.

@Finawelesca - it is tempting to drive but we’d all get very grumpy and it might end up counterproductive.

@MatildaJayne - I thought about that. I’ve noticed that with Edinburgh shops in September!

May go into our local John Lewis with her to choose what she likes then do a click/collect order. Thanks for this suggestion!

@Maggiethecat was just thinking of logistics when you get there and transporting it all from the shops to her room etc. Don't underestimate how much stuff she will need even as essentials. You could also see it as a mini break, either in Bristol or somewhere nearby as you have driven so far.

Also if she pisses you off on the car journey you might feel less sad about leaving her

@doubleshotcappuccino we also use the blue IKEA bags as well but they are less structured so tend to allow things to spread.

Bags with shoulder straps are brilliant for having hands free to open doors.

Regarding being able to get stuff in shops we went to our local Ikea a couple of days after results day last year and the shelves were empty of anything students may possibly need. We went early this year as a result - chatting to the check out assistant (who was also off to Uni) she said that everything sells out really early.

@Finawelesca - she’s the least likely to piss me off, it’s the other family members who would probably come along (naming no one!)

That’s why I’m thinking of essentials all from JL and then we can get a cab back to her room.

@KittyMcKitty @Finawelesca good points! Never thought that IKEA would run low and also @Maggiethecat didn't think of JL for essentials

We actually found the supermarkets better for kitchen essentials than Ikea. Although the annual Ikea run has become a bit of a pre-university tradition!

@haggisaggis agreed Sainsburys was great for Kitchen stuff (and Argos for plastic drawer things).

we got bedding / mattress topper / towels and some kitchen stuff from ikea and we also went cos it’s ikea and my children still have some deep
rooted affection for visiting it and having lunch there 😂

We have quite a lot already as we are also waiting for completion on our new house and working full time (including DS)

We did an IKEA run a couple of weeks ago as we needed some bits ourselves, so we have a couple of boxes neatly stacked amongst the other (far more numerous) boxes.

DS is mostly chilled about the move but despite his protests is now noticeably twitchy about tomorrow. I'm somewhat in denial as he is an only child. DH left school at 14 so is mystified by the whole process.

I'm also slightly aggrieved that two of the biggest life events have managed to fall within three weeks or so of each other, when ideally I could have strung the chaos out over several months 😆