Lisa Endlich's Blog, page 437

When My Son Decided Against College I Felt Like a Failure

Several years ago, as high school graduation loomed for my oldest child and only son, uncertainty hung in the air. Yes, he had been accepted to college, and yes, we had paid all required deposits. He had gotten his financial aid package and a few scholarships. He even had a roommate and a date for summer orientation.

But he didn’t want to go.

Two weeks before graduation, he told his father and me that he would be staying home, finding a job, and no, he didn’t want to enroll in the local comm...

9 Things High School Students Do That Drive Teachers Insane

The school year is (mercifully) coming to an end. It has been a good year, but, like most teachers, I’m ready for summer. My students are more than ready.

Still, before we start preparing for our final exam, I have come up with one more lesson – one that will hopefully serve all of us well come August. It’s called How Not to Annoy Your Teachers.

I admit, teachers sometimes get a little short on patience this time of year. So it might be tempting to assume that this lesson is merely the produ...

Parenting is Like a Lifelong Game of Dodgeball

On a sunny day years ago, I called my husband in hysterics, trying to relay to him what had just gone down (literally) on the driveway of our home. As I was unloading groceries from the car, my then-five-year-old daughter decided to buckle my two-year-old son into their toy jeep – whether she decided to “let it rip” or he pushed off, remains disputed to this day.

She screamed, I spotted the jeep upside down in the brush at the bottom of the hill, and my son emitted terrified cries. Panicked,...

MOM, take down that baby picture of me! I look terrible

Text: Mom, can you drop off my lunch? I didn’t have time to make it. Please! I am starving!

Text: Can you pick up some milk? We are out. And I am starving because there was no milk this morning for cereal. Daddy finished it last night. Who still eats cookies and milk at 50 years old, anyway?

Text: Did you see my Instagram? Go like it please!!!!! I have almost 200 likes!

Text: Do I have practice tonight? I have a ton of homework. I can’t go, if I have practice. Mom, why aren’t you answering m...

This College Mom’s Dorm Room Move Has Us Laughing

When McKenna Pilling’s mom decided to help her daughter move out of her dorm room at Utah State University she thought she would give her a surprise.

But the surprise was on Deanna Pilling.

“She came to surprise me from New York City to help clean out my dorm and apparently walked in the wrong dorm,” Pilling told BuzzFeed News. “No one was in there so she laid down for five minutes in the wrong bed and decided to send me a picture as a surprise.”

McKenna knew her mother was not in her dorm ro...

The Most Complete First Aid Kit For College Students, Ever!

A first aid kit is on every “dorm essentials” list and we recommend packing your own for a college-bound kid rather than buying a pre-made one off the shelf. This list, from a pharmacist and mom, has everything, and we mean EVERYTHING, they’ll need.

The pharmacist in me made up a First Aid Kit and supply list for my son which I will put in a plastic box for him to take to the dorm. It seems like a ton of stuff, but our son will be 11 hours from home. I will also include a sheet of instruction...

High School Graduation: 15 Things Moms Need to Know NOW

High School Graduation. Since the day your son or daughter donned their adorable size 5 cap and gown and marched down the cafeteria aisle to receive their kindergarten diploma and you wept at how old they suddenly were, you’ve anticipated the day with fear and trepidation. And somewhere along the way in the past 13 years you blinked, and here it is.

You’ve likely pondered it many times. How will you cope with the tsunami of emotions? Will you hyperventilate? Will you remain composed (and sob...

Flying to College: How to Save Money and Reduce Stress

If your high school senior is going to college flying distance away, it’s time to plan for moving day. While loading up the family car and driving to school is a monumental task, flying to college requires the logistical precision of a marching band.

Based on my experience of moving two daughters across country for college, here is what worked best for our family.

11 Tips for Flying to College 1. Book Flights and Hotels

There will be a couple of dates that are certain: move-in and Family Wee...

The Digital Dinner Table: How I Love Staying Connected

When my sons headed off to college one of the biggest changes in our lives was dinner. For twenty yearsI had turned myself inside out to get the five of us seated around the kitchen table as many evenings as possible. I didn’t do this because I believed it would earn them better grades or keep them out of trouble, but because spending some time together every day was what made us, us.

Where else could my family share the banal minutiae of our days with each other? Where else could my kids k...

The Digital Dinner Table

When my sons headed off to college one of the biggest changes in our lives was dinner. For twenty yearsI had turned myself inside out to get the five of us seated around the kitchen table as many evenings as possible. I didn’t do this because I believed it would earn them better grades or keep them out of trouble, but because spending some time together every day was what made us, us.

Where else could my family share the banal minutiae of our days with each other? Where else could my kids ki...