Tara’s
Takes
Acouple weeks ago I wrote about how I wasn’t proofing the papers because I was moving Ben. This week, being Box Car Days week, I will not be missing to move a child. Instead, we did that on Sunday. After moving Olivia to a dorm her first year, Brady to the dorm for two years and then Ben to his dorm a couple years ago, I was starting to feel like I have this dorm moving thing down.
So, of course, Brady had to throw me for a loop and get an apartment with three other guys this year. Yep, four college guys crammed into a two-bedroom apartment.
“Crammed” isn’t the correct word. Their bedrooms are similiar in size to their dorms. A little smaller, but very doable.
In addition, they have a kitchen area that I think is supposed to have other seating in it, as well as a bathroom shared by four boys instead of a floor of guys and, most importantly, a closet with a washer and dryer!
That’s right, they have laundry in their aparment. This may be the biggest advantage.
However, with this change has come another change: food. None of the guys are having a meal plan. They plan to just cook at home.
So to be prepared, I started planning ahead. I went through my cupboards to send extras to their apartment. An extra set of knives. Extra measuring cups and spoons. Extra Cooking utensils. Extra pans.
And then move-in day came and I was reminded that these are four college guys and not a mom who has been cooking for four for years.
They were very excited about the extra set of knives. They weren’t as impressed with the measuring cups and spoons. I can’t blame them. How much “cooking” will they be doing?
I did get them a doublebasket air fryer that can bascially cook anything. I even splurged for the silicon baskets to make cleaning easier.
After unpacking, we made a list and went off for the annual Target haul that always accompanies moving.
The list included very important things such as a pizza cutter, a can opener, some kitchen towels in case they had to dry a dish.
A top food purchase, a couple of mega boxes of cereal. He had also shopped the store of mom before we moved and took the mac and cheese cups, the canned fruit, the rice pouches and a few cans of stuff from the pantry, like mom’s salsa and some beets from his great grandma.
We didn’t purchase anything perishable as Brady was coming back here through Box Car Days since he doesn’t start class until Sept. 8. We’ll send the perishable food up Monday.
That cooler will contain essentials such as milk, bread and eggs. It will also include the staples of any college guy’s diet: Hot Pockets, yogurt, pizza rolls and probably some corn dogs to balance it out.
We may even sneak in some fruit.
I am curious how this year will go with the new living arrangement. But I also think it will be his best year yet. I think he will enjoy not being in the dorms and having more independence. I think he’ll learn to cook more, and I am positive he will really appreciate anything mom cooks.
Mainly, it is another step closer to the next chapter for him. By the time Natalie graduates high school, Brady will be done with college and on to another adventure. And so will I.
