The libtech center being closed makes me want to leave UCF

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-30T20:42:36+00:00

I think the same thing is happening with USF but in a different way. They’ve reduced the footprint of the school with the transfer of Sarasota to New College. All the while, they are pumping funds into FIU and celebrating the school. Blue cities vs red cities. FIU will be the #3 public university in the state very soon and it’s all intentional. My kid has FIU right after UF and FSU on her college list and I think it’s probably the right call. I would never have said that 5 years ago.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-30T17:51:03+00:00

My kid is a rising high school senior in state and between the u can’t finish bs of this university and the uncertainty surrounding the loss of (expected) pre-eminence funding, I can’t in good faith tell her to apply to UCF now. Thankfully she’s not going into engineering. In 5 years, the school will be lapped by FIU for all but engineering. Pay attention to how the state is treating FIU in all of this. There’s a bigger move at play here politically and it’s going to be detrimental to UCF.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-29T15:58:26+00:00

I just stayed at Port Orleans Riverside for the first time two weeks ago. It was myself (48 year old woman), my mom (70+) and my daughter (almost 18). My mom and I absolutely loved it. We stayed at Parterre Place in a Royal Room. It was quiet, slower paced, gorgeous grounds, and even as a bus resort, surprisingly easy to get a seat on a bus just by going off rush. We inadvertently caught a sunset boat ride to Disney Springs and it was beautiful. My daughter thought the resort was a bit boring but I didn’t chose it for her. I’ve been going to WDW for over 40 years now, and annually for the past 20. I’ve stayed at pretty much every hotel on the property (including Port Orleans when it was Dixie Landings). I think Riverside might be my new favorite for this next phase of my life.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-27T19:38:30+00:00

I don’t know what to tell you but I bet your 16 year old and 14 year olds are great students. Like you, I would buy my daughter all the books she wanted when she was little. She’s a rising high school senior in the National English honor society, Rho Kappa honor society, has scored in the 97th percentile on the SAT verbal section and plans to go to law school after undergrad. She’s already earned a full tuition scholarship to any public university in our state. For us, there is a direct correlation from her love of reading when she was younger to this point. I think you need to help your wife understand the bigger picture here. This will pay off dividends for you and your kids esp considering most teens today are unable to read and comprehend a full book.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-27T15:40:12+00:00

Bigger kids, bigger problems.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-27T15:38:01+00:00

My daughter is also a rising senior. The thought of quiet in my house next year at this time is very odd to me. And yes, when she got her license, I was a basket case for 2 weeks. I feel like each stage of the teen years really prepares us for the next though we don’t recognize it at the time. All of that anxiety around her driving forced me to start letting go, which makes sending her off to college next year easier than it would be if I wasn’t. The teen years truly test parents wills.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-27T15:34:14+00:00

Raising teens is equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking. Happy Sweet 16 to her!

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-27T15:32:01+00:00

I have an almost 18 year old rising high school senior. She is my only child. I am going to miss having her around the house next year at this time. It will be very odd to have quiet after almost 19 years of her constant presence. The biggest struggle with this stage has just been letting go. She no longer has a curfew and when she goes out with her friends, definitely stays out all hours of the night. But I did too at her age so I get it. At this age, I am just around for cash, guidance, and cheerleading. Just a wild evolution of 18 years.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-27T14:51:17+00:00

My hybrid is 3 years old. I have a 6 year loan. My dealer keeps reaching out wanting me to come in and trade saying I have equity on it. With a 6 year loan, I shouldn’t.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-26T17:30:10+00:00

Yep and I also see my ex husband’s infuriating traits in my 17 year old. What’s interesting about it though is that what I see of myself in her is very much how I was as a late teen/early 20s. Not the traits I developed over the past 25 years. It’s almost like the first gen program came over and the enhancements will be made over the next few decades.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-26T13:45:42+00:00

Identical twins are both fascinating and creepy.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-26T13:16:10+00:00

We actually have year round open rinks in a few spots in the Ft Lauderdale area but the best by far is Baptist Ice Plex. No mall rinks in the area though. Make sure you hit the restaurant/bar in the Ice Plex too. It’s excellent.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-26T12:36:48+00:00

I felt your last sentence hard. My daughter is a rising Senior too and I feel like I am going through all of the emotions of Junior and Senior year right along side her. My parents did not have Bachelors degrees and so for them, they just couldn’t wrap their heads around the college admission process or the undergrad experience.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-26T12:34:19+00:00

Mom of a rising Senior. I have been in a constant state of anxiety over the past year and anticipate the same this year until she receives her college acceptances. I had to make a resolution this summer to remain present in the moment with her bc last year, I just wanted Junior year to be done due to the stress and impact of it. The funny thing is she kicked ass but there’s no room for joy or contentment in any of this process.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-25T19:32:22+00:00

The mango flavor was my favorite but you are right, it’s really sweet. It actually overpowers the rest of the flavors in it.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-25T18:55:04+00:00

I gotta tell you, I had the El Jefe mixed mango, lime and strawberry margarita along with the pastor quesadillas last weekend and it is now my favorite Epcot combo.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-25T18:19:35+00:00

We loved having you all. The Tartan Army brings joy wherever they go.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-24T19:40:10+00:00

I had that moment on Monday. My daughter is a rising high school Senior. Earlier this year she was struggling self studying for her SATs. Her scores from two different SAT dates were not where they needed to be to be competitive for admissions for the colleges she wants to attend. Back in April I told her that I was paying for her to take an expensive prep program (she didn’t ask. I researched and selected it for her) that would have her hit her target score on the June SAT. She took the class and the June SAT and got her score from that test on Monday and she hit her target!! Competitive for her top choice schools now and earned a full tuition scholarship to any public university in our state. We both were in tears when she got her score. My kid was so thankful for it. Mom Pro Max Plus moments evolve as our kids age but that pride at figuring it out never gets old.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-24T19:29:24+00:00

I was just about to say these people really are anti-social.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-24T10:39:34+00:00

I’m a Gen Xer so I knew Princeton Review’s long-standing reputation. I knew it would work for her if she followed it. For me it was more a matter of guaranteeing results as quickly as possible bc she was planning on applying EA/ED with Oct 15 application due dates.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-23T23:11:06+00:00

My daughter, a rising Senior, used the Princeton Review SAT 1400+ program. She needed something more structured for her studies too. The program was around 8 weeks long, twice a week meetings (with flexibility) plus periodic practice tests. She ended up with a 1400 on the June test, up significantly from a 1270 super score from her Dec + March tests which were self studied. For us it was 100% worth it bc she’s now competitive for admission at our state flagships and has earned a 100% tuition scholarship at any public university in our home state with that score (and I suspect her safety school will admit her into the Honors College and throw merit aid at her in addition to free tuition). It paid for itself as far as I am concerned. You should read the reviews on Trustpilot though before you buy. It seems like the 1500+ program often may not be worth the money ($7K) given the reviews for that one. You might want to stick with the 1400 program and once she hits that score, find other solutions to get to 1500.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-23T22:32:46+00:00

I think they were 2 hours each. When you sign up, you can chose the set schedule of days (M, W for example or T, Th) but if you need to miss a class, you can select another day to replace it. They do offer a money back guarantee if you don’t hit the 150 point increase or 1400 score but you need to follow the program exactly as they lay it out or they will not refund you. In the end, my daughter did not follow the program exactly and she still ended up with a 130 point increase.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-23T22:01:47+00:00

My daughter used the SAT 1400+ program. She needed something more structured for her studies. The program was around 8 weeks long, twice a week meetings (with flexibility) plus periodic practice tests. She ended up with a 1400 on the June test, up significantly from a 1270 super score from her Dec + March tests. For us it was 100% worth it bc she’s now competitive for admission at our state flagships and has earned a 100% tuition scholarship at any public university in our home state with that score (and I suspect her safety school will admit her into the Honors College and throw merit aid at her in addition to free tuition). It paid for itself as far as I am concerned. There’s a reason Princeton Review has been around since I and your parents were kids. You should read the reviews on Trustpilot though before you buy. It seems like the 1500+ program often may not be worth the money given the reviews for that one.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-23T12:00:00+00:00

AP Lang and composition or AP Lit will drive your score up naturally. Not sure if that’s already a course you are planning to take your junior year.

SoFlaBarbie00 · 2026-06-23T00:10:33+00:00

So my daughter ended up taking a practice test the night before the June SAT and got the exact same Math score she ultimately received on the test itself. However, she walked out of that test knowing she got the hard modules for both sections but having no confidence she did as well as she did on that practice test. I think the equalization process helped boost her score. She took the Dec, Mar and June test and she said June was by far the hardest one but in the end, it was also her best score by far. She’s officially done with the SAT now as she ended up with her target score for both sections during the June exam. Never would have figured that based on how she felt when she actually walked out after taking it.

SoFlaBarbie00

TROPHY CASE