Calendar of Events and Important Dates for UF
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:46:25+00:00Here is where you can find a list of events and important dates for students and parents of the University of Florida. We would love to list every event [...]
Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T17:02:17+00:00Sent With Love As far back as I can remember we always celebrated Valentine’s Day; it was a tradition I grew up with and continued when I became a mom. [...]
Orange and Blue Debut
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:53:25+00:00It's Gator time! Now that the Gators have a new football coach, the spring game will return to its Saturday tradition. The Orange & Blue Game is a f [...]
Sending A Package?
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:54:37+00:00Make Sure It Gets There There are many reasons that a student receives a package. Whether it is just their usual Amazon delivery or a care package for m [...]
Spring Break
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:57:12+00:00Letting Off Steam before Finals Mention Spring Break to most parents and immediate visions of lawless partying comes to mind. I get it. I grew up in For [...]
Making the Most of Summer B
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:51:57+00:00It can be the best season ever! Ask any older Gator what their favorite semester has been so far and, without a doubt, most (if not all), will tell you [...]
Get Involved
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:35:49+00:00Get Involved With an undergraduate enrollment of over 35,000, spanning over 2,000 acres, UF is huge. That massive size means that students should find a [...]
Finals Are A Bear – Send A Care Package!
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T14:28:42+00:00Send Help Now! Final exams can be some of the biggest stressors for your student. I typically do not get to speak to my daughter during exam weeks. My c [...]
Eating Healthy
Michelle Balaun2019-04-07T14:32:30+00:00OK To Be Eating...Healthy! As with other college campuses, the amount of burger, pizza, and fast food restaurants at UF and the surrounding campus is a [...]
Study Abroad UF
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:09:17+00:00Study Abroad? Not all classrooms have four walls. No place is this more evident than in the growing number of students that study abroad. This is one o [...]
Are U Ready For Some Football
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:45:38+00:00You can almost hear the crowd roar! Now may not yet seem like the time to talk football, but if you are planning on coming up for a game in the fall, y [...]
Birthright Israel – Hillel
Michelle Balaun2019-04-07T14:18:47+00:00Young Jewish students trip. Birthright Israel is the gift of a free, 10-day trip to Israel designed for young adults of Jewish heritage, aged 18–32. M [...]
Happy Birthday Care Packages
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:42:00+00:00Time to blow out the candles! When their birthday rolls around, it can be just one more reminder that you won’t be celebrating together so putting toge [...]
Spring Sports
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:57:22+00:00There is always more than football! Spring may not have football games but there are tons of other sports to enjoy! When people think of UF sports, the [...]
Staying Fit and Keeping Freshman 15 At Bay
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:57:54+00:00Freshman 15, Keeping Fit! Keeping fit counts, it helps mentally as well as physically. The phrase “Freshman 15” happens- it may not be 15, it may [...]
Gameday Outfits for UF Parents
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:34:14+00:00Show Your Team Spirit! I love going to college football games- there is nothing like game days but, TBH, I am not going to wear some of the outfits that [...]
Game Day Attire
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:33:58+00:00Try these great gameday outfits! Picture this- It is a beautiful Saturday, your roommates and you are getting ready for pregaming, there is not a cloud [...]
Retail Therapy
HUH Expert Parent2019-04-09T16:00:50+00:00A Little Retail Therapy You will find almost every major box store including Target, Walmart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Family Dollar Store, TJ [...]
Pets in School
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:57:39+00:00Take Your Dog (Or Cat) to College We have a cat who my daughter misses dearly. Her roommate has a dog that lives with them in a house but for those who [...]
Entertainment
HUH Expert Parent2019-04-07T14:32:57+00:00More than Football...Entertainment That's entertainment! Are you looking for more than the typical? If a movie night is what you are looking for, head t [...]
Namast’ ay with Yoga at UF
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:44:07+00:00Keeping Stress at Bay with Yoga I started doing yoga several years ago after being invited by friends. I never thought of myself as much of a yoga perso [...]
Homecoming at UF
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:43:03+00:00Gator Growl? Being part of a huge Gator Family (16 of us went to UF including my 90-year-old uncle when it was an all-boys school); I have been to my s [...]
Family Weekend
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T14:27:51+00:00Gator Time - Family Time As a Gator Alum as well as a Gator Parent, any time the opportunity presents itself to be able to share in some Gator football [...]
Wakey Wakey- Eggs and Bakey
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T17:03:04+00:00Best Breakfast & Brunch Restaurants 43rd Street Deli and Breakfast House- 2 locations, Williston and NW 25th place. Open for 35 years, this is more [...]
Just Desserts! Get Yours, In a Good Way…
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:45:18+00:00Just Desserts! In a good way… Getting your just desserts, where did that phrase come from? But desserts is our favorite meal! Sometimes, we think the be [...]
Being Thrifty
Michelle Balaun2019-04-07T14:17:51+00:00When You Need to Stay on Budget Being a college student, it can be stressful to be thrifty and stay on budget throughout the semester. There can be inte [...]
Nature vs Nurture
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:52:41+00:00Nature vs Nurture When my oldest daughter was accepted to the University of Florida, during her high school graduation party, a relative who attended U [...]
Sports
HUH Expert Parent2019-04-09T16:56:20+00:00...Football Did U know...UF students get in FREE to all Gator athletic events, other than football, with their Gator1 ID Card. Regular season events fo [...]
What to Get Dad on a Limited Budget
Michelle Balaun2018-08-02T16:38:26+00:00Don't Forget About Deal Old Dad! My sister and I are daddy’s girls but not in the way you would think. We grew up playing sports and having him as our [...]
Safety Tips For Using Rideshare
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:02:04+00:00Important Reminders I remember when I first heard about Uber and thought it was a brilliant concept for so many reasons; one of which was that it shoul [...]
Father Daughter – Father Son Weekend
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T14:28:08+00:00The Best Things to Do With Your Dad at UF As a college student at the University of Florida, leaving home was exciting; however, as the months passed by [...]
Midterm Blues Care Package
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:47:48+00:00Surprise Them With a Box of Love! Midterm and final exams can be some of the biggest stressors for your student. I typically do not get to speak to my d [...]
Where to Pregame at UF
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T17:03:50+00:00All Part of the Gameday Football Tradition Football season is upon us and other than making sure you will be properly attired in orange and blue and hav [...]
Celebrate Easter or Passover
Michelle Balaun2019-04-17T12:01:57+00:00Where To Go To Celebrate One of the more difficult moments of having our college kids away at school is missing them on the holidays. With Easter and P [...]
Mother – Daughter Time
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:50:15+00:00First-Timer I remember my first mother-daughter weekend in Gainesville. Although it was a sorority event, we did not participate in all of the planned a [...]
UF Gator Bucket List
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T17:07:19+00:00Check out these Gator things to do! If you have committed to becoming a Gator, there are a few things that you might want to check out over your next fo [...]
The David Project
Michelle Balaun2018-08-02T16:45:32+00:00Israel, however, is not just for Jews It’s true that Birthright is a fabulous (and free) program for Jewish individuals from 18 to 28 to visit Israel. I [...]
Rushing Her Way
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:01:37+00:00To Sorority or Not? Rushing In... Are you rushing in? For parents of incoming freshman, you probably are starting to hear whispers about sorority rush. [...]
Sorority Girl
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:56:02+00:00So They’ve Joined a Sorority Congratulations if your daughter has found a place to call home. Being in a sorority opens the door to so many wonderful ex [...]
Rushing His Way
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:01:53+00:00Is It Really an Animal House? Going back to 1978 with the release of “Animal House”, which became one of the most successful comedies of all time, to 20 [...]
21 and Oh So Fun
Michelle Balaun2019-04-07T13:53:36+00:00An official adult now! My daughter turned 21 in October of her junior year at UF as do many students. At UF, many girls who turn 21 have what is called [...]
So your student wants to be a Gator?
Michelle Balaun2019-04-15T12:48:07+00:00So your student wants to be a Gator? That is understandable; Time Magazine ranked UF as the best school in Florida. UF is a great university right down [...]
Radio and TV Stations
HUH Expert Parent2019-04-09T15:58:50+00:00For students coming from larger cities who are accustomed to nationally syndicated stations, rest assured, there are plenty of radio stations in Gainesv [...]
Trick or Treat
Michelle Balaun2018-10-22T09:54:07+00:00Halloween, the most fun time! Trick or Treat That Was Then… I would race home from school so my mom could put together some sort of costume for me then [...]
Send a Little Halloween Love…
Michelle Balaun2018-10-01T17:27:43+00:00Have Some Halloween Fun! When my daughter left for college, I sent her a Halloween care package. It was nothing fancy; just some dollar store decoratio [...]
Staying at UF for Thanksgiving
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:57:32+00:00Make it a Friendsgiving Although UF is officially closed from November 22nd-25th, 2018, not all students will be going home for the holiday. Flights can [...]
Thanksgiving
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T16:59:37+00:00It's Thanksgiving and They’re Back... Thanksgiving break is the first official long break when students come home I do not know about you but after two [...]
Dance Marathon
Michelle Balaun2019-04-09T15:12:35+00:00You Can Dance If You Want To Perhaps you have seen the Facebook posts from your student or friends’ kids that say #FTK or #ForTheKids. Maybe even fundra [...]