Trying Not To Text Like Buddy The Elf

So it was difficult when my son moved into his college dorm a few years ago to not bombard him with all sorts of texts. 

Texts like: 

How were your classes?

Did you talk to a lot of people?

What did you eat today?

I had to remind myself to back off a bit. I had to wait until he came to me. And he did. Eventually. His form of communication is to text me pictures of what he's eating. Sometimes he'll tell me about a class. But it's mostly the food thing. 

Here was the brunch he ate the other day:

My daughter recently moved to her dorm. It's her first year, and again, I wanted to send her all sorts of texts.

How are you?

Do you still like your roommate?

Did you put all your clothes away?

What's your favorite class?

Who is your favorite professor so far?

Seriously, all these questions remind me of Buddy the Elf from the movie Elf. If you've never seen it, he basically asks questions one after the other. It can get irritating. 

This is who I feel like when I'm asking questions. Or who I am trying NOT to sound like. So I limit my questions to 2 per day. Sometimes 3 if it's pressing. (Did you get your meal plan to work at Chick-fil-A?)

Luckily my daughter texts me more often than my son. She let me know that her history professor is cool because he listens to Queen and she thinks her math professor might be German. Yes, her dorm room is nearly organized. 

And I did get a first day of college pic without asking!

I will always want to know more than my kids let on. But I have learned to relax a bit and wait until they come to me. I will never know everything. I will never know as much as I did when they lived here. 

But I'll know enough. 

(I hope.)

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

.....to have moved both kids into their dorms last week. The house is quiet. It's odd. But they'll be home this weekend for Labor Day. 

......to not be doing much for Labor Day weekend--just hang with my kids and see how their first week of classes went. Natalie and I have been watching This Is Us so she needs to see why I get so emotional when I see a Crock Pot.

.....to have finally checked out a Spirit Halloween. They always have the coolest things. And one is opening even closer to me next month so I will be back. I am annoyed that their coupon changed though. There used to be a 20% off sent in the mail for any one item. Now it's 20% off an animatronic. Boo. They do a 10% military discount at least.

.....to think what Felon 47 is doing with the White House is tacky. All the gold? Pulling out the rose garden and putting in a patio? Ick. 

......to have finished reading Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and loved it. If you like a book with bad ass women, this one is for you. Set in the 1980s, it's about Joan, who applies to the NASA space shuttle program when it is open to women. She gets in and meets the other women who made it. She meets men in the program--most who are nice, others who do not believe women belong in the program. And in between training, she falls in love. But can Joan have the relationship she wants AND be an astronaut? I was riveted by this book. Space has always intrigued me. I know I'm not smart enough to ever be in the program (math! Ugh!), but it was such an interesting to read what women went through in the 80s. It was between the time where women were still expected to pop out kids, so it wasn't easy for many of them. Pick this up!

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Why Moving Boys In A Dorm Is Easier Than Moving Girls

 We moved Natalie into her dorm over the weekend. 

Moving girls in is much different from moving boys in. I mean, I figured. Natalie has accessories. More clothes. Certain decor. Her stuffed animals that she "cannot leave at home because they'll miss her." 

Tommy?

Well, he just grabbed this inflatable palm tree and he was good to go.

I'm kidding. He had more stuff. But not nearly as much as his sister. 

I also made up Tommy's bed. Mind you, he is quite capable, but I don't know, there's something about setting up your child's room to make sure they will be comfortable. 

Natalie wanted to do it herself. And her bed isn't finished yet. She wants to add lights, flowers, etc. To make it pretty.

Natalie had more bags to carry in. But thankfully we got a close parking spot, so it only took 3 trips to lug it all inside.

With Tommy I was able to help him unpack more, but Natalie has specific ways of wanting to do things, so she said she'd do it herself. 

Leaving her felt a bit harder too. This is because she's tiny and sweet and I always worry someone is going to kidnap her. I know she'll be okay, but I watch way too many episodes of 20/20. I tend to get paranoid. 

She is settling in. Classes start Monday. She likes her roommate. 

And yes, she eventually plans to unpack her bags of clothes.