We usually think of graduation, final exams and the impending joys of summer at this time of year, but it's also the start of the Great Migration season, as students and new grads start planning to move from home to dorms, from dorms to home or into first, second or third apartments. Packing boxes abound, wadded up newspaper and padding materials are strewn everywhere - and who the heck moves a trash can with the trash still in it? Um, your kid, that's who.

So whether you're madly trying to steer your kid in the right direction, or watching from afar, making soothing "there, there" noises, here are few extra resources that may help.

• First Apartment 101: A Parent Guide
• Finding That Apartment: Padmapper, Brokers & More
• The Pros & Cons of On-Campus vs. Off-Campus Living
• What's a Co-Signer, & Why Are You About To Be One?

Photo courtesy of Mateusz Stachowski, Stock.Xchng

Last weekend, we started talking about music conservatories - because when you've got a serious young musician, whether he's looking at undergrad or graduate programs, the types of schools you're looking at don't have marching bands. Or if they do, they have terrific pre-professional classical or jazz departments too. (Hello, Michigan!)

So last weekend the topic was the United States' top music conservatories. But there are plenty of conservatory-within-a-university options as well - and this list of the top music schools in the west is a great place to start. It spans the gamut from the glories of USC's Thornton School, which easily ranks among the country's best, to a state university whose colossal instrument museum is a treasure trove for would-be music historians.

Graduation parties are funny affairs - so festive, so wonderful and, depending on the venue, so very, very challenging. I've thrown senior recital receptions and graduation parties at sites where there was no refrigeration, no stove and no running water, other than what streamed from the restroom tap and it all worked out fine. We even had hot coffee and nice, bubbly artichoke-parmesan dip. The trick, of course, lies in planning ahead and having a few tricks of your own in your party-hosting arsenal.

Like: Don't rely on a restroom's amenities to fill an iced tea pitcher, lemonade carafe or coffee percolator. Those taps sit far too low in the sink. Either bring a 1- or 2-cup measure to transfer the water from tap to carafe - and yes, that's every bit as tedious as it sounds. Or better, bring water in gallon jugs. Restrooms are fine places to dump out leftover lemonade, not to make it in the first place. No refrigerator? No way to heat things? Got you covered on that too...

Related posts:

• How to Throw a Great Graduation Party
• Graduation Ceremony Survival Tips
• Recipe: Lavender Lemonade
• Recipe: Twists on Lemonade & Other Non-Boozy Party Drinks

I started playing with Wordle, this cool word cloud-generating website this weekend and pretty soon, I was churning out more wordy pencil cups than I knew what to do with! It's ridiculous fun and wildly addictive - and a perfect little activity to add to any graduation party or dorm craft party. You can customize it to suit, using music words, science words or college freshman lingo. You'll notice I made the word "study" really, really big. We moms can hope, right? :-)