Things Your Child Should Know Before Going To College

Both of my children are in college. My son is a senior and my daughter is a freshman. There are some basic things I feel like everyone should know before heading off to college to make life easier. Not only for the kids, but for the parents as well so a bunch of frantic texts don't come in at once. 

Have proper personal hygiene. You'd be surprised how many older teenagers seem confused by this. Deodorant is your friend. Apply it more than once per day when needed. Shower frequently. I repeat: shower frequently. 

Understand consent. No means no. No means NO. No one ever owes anyone ANYTHING. 

How to do laundry. I explained this to each of my kids. Mind you, it can be tricky because you never know what washing machine and dryers will be on campus. But I taught them the basics. I made it easy and just said to wash everything in cold so there isn't an accidental pink clothes outcome. 

Understanding health insurance. I explained what they'd do if they ever had to see a doctor or go to the ER. I showed them the insurance number and all that fun stuff. 

Cleaning. This goes along with hygiene, kinda, but some kids were never taught how to clean their spaces properly. I went over Windex, Lysol, etc...my son has a bathroom he shares with one other guy, and he keeps it clean. My daughter has a communal bathroom so it's cleaned for her, but she still does a wipe down before showering. She trusts no one. Both know to wipe down their rooms weekly. Mind you, my daughter isn't the neatest of people as her crap is usually everywhere at home, but in college she says everything has its spot. 

Writing down or memorizing important phone numbers should their phones run out of battery. Let's be honest, college kids will sometimes walk out with their phone at 5% and assume it's okay. And then if an emergency happens and they don't have certain numbers memorized, well, they're in trouble. So have them at least write down a few numbers down and have it in their wallet. Just in case. 

How to budget. My daughter, she tends to spend money as soon as she has it. But my son budgets. I give them a set amount per month in college and if they spend it within the first week, oh well. Both have a meal plan, so I know they will not starve. My daughter is getting better with saving at least. I mean, she did keep $20 going for 2 weeks, which is a record for her. She'll get there. But don't be afraid to tell your kids no. 

It's okay to say no to alcohol (or any other substance.) It's college. Many people around will be underage drinking. But it's okay to decline and stick to soda or water. If anyone mocks you for doing this, they aren't anyone you need in your life. And if you do say yes, do not go overboard. And always, ALWAYS keep an eye on any drink you have. 

There are so many lessons I could teach like not putting too much of your trust in a person and do not let people borrow money, especially college students, because odds are you'll never see it again. But I didn't want to overwhelm my offspring with too much knowledge. They know they can contact me whenever--day, night, 3 AM--I'll always be here to answer. 

Tony's Town Square In Magic Kingdom Review

Who else loves the movie Lady & The Tramp? I know I always swoon when the Tramp pushes the meatball over to Lady with his snout and they share a noodle and have their first kiss.

At Walt Disney World they have a restaurant based on the one in the movie called Tony's Town Square. It's located right when you enter Magic Kingdom and is absolutely adorable inside. 

The decor is naturally Lady & The Tramp. Natalie was pretending to be like Lady.

Everywhere you look, you'll find movie scenes.

If you've seen the movie, you know Tony's Town Square is an Italian place. 

We started off with their famous garlic bread. It's toasted ciabatta with roasted garlic butter and parmesan fonduta. We loved this! Fresh and scrumptious.

I got the Rigatoni alla Vodka which was rigatoni tossed in a classic tomato vodka sauce topped with citrus herb breadcrumbs:

Tommy got the famous spaghetti and meatballs. I had a bite and everything tasted fresh. The meatball weren't dry at all. I could picture the Tramp nudging it over to Lady with his snout:

Finally, Natalie got the fettuccine Alfredo. Another winner! 

This place gets a lot of flack for the food not being that good, but we liked what we ordered. Was it the best pasta in the world? No. But it certainly wasn't the worst. I'd put it at Olive Garden quality. 

It has a charming atmosphere:

And even better, you can book a time where you can sit outside and catch either the afternoon parade or the new Disney Starlight nighttime parade while dining:

Would we return? Absolutely. We enjoyed all the food, the cast members were kind, and it truly felt like we stepped into Tony's Town Square from Lady & The Tramp. 

Affordable Five Nights At Freddy's Merch

Both of my kids have played Five Nights At Freddy's. It's a video game where animatronics kill you, which yikes, after I typed that out, sounds horrifying. I could never play the video game because they have "jump scares" where the character essentially jumps out of you. My nerves could not take it. No wonder why my daughter screams whenever she plays the game. There are so many different versions of it and I never know exactly which ones they are playing. 

Anyhow, they made a movie based of the game and both of my kids enjoyed it. (You can watch on Peacock.) 

The sequel comes out December 5th and of course they will be going to see it. I said I'd go too. The first movie was pretty entertaining with good actors. 

Since the movie is coming out this year, it seems more merch has been released. If you have a family member or friend who are fans of the franchise, I managed to find some things. A few will be stocking stuffers for Christmas, others my kids bought themselves. 

First up are these Five Nights at Freddys' Squishmallows. I found these at Five Below at $7 each. (Don't get me started how the squishmallows there used to be $5 and larger. Ugh.) Anyhow, they had Freddy, Foxy, Chicca, and Bonnie: 

Five Below also had keychains. My duaghter's favorite is Bonnie, so she bought this one for $5. 

There are in expensive Funko Pops of the characters. Natalie picked Balloon Bonnie up on Amazon for under $10. You can find Funko Pops at most stores as well. 

Spirit Halloween had a little Five Nights At Freddy's section and my daughter found this Freddy for $14.99. She has it set up in her college dorm. 

Walmart has Freddy, Foxy, and Bonnie light up blow molds for $19.99. This will be added to the Halloween decor. We always decorate for spooky season and Bonnie will be a fantastic addition:

Finally, I was at the grocery store and found this Freddy Fanta for a little over $2. Natalie drank the Fanta and kept the bottle to display. She's going to fill it with orange tissue paper. 

So there you have it! A bunch of affordable Five Nights At Freddy's items. Both my kids are freaking out that there is a Five Nights at Freddy's house at Halloween Horror Nights in California. 

Do you have someone in your life who is a fan of the game and movie?