Post by rootbeerfloat on May 1, 2023 20:26:46 GMT -5
jinkies, can he pay the $320 (in installments to you if necessary), but you cover the extra $11/month since I assume you're paying for his phone/service anyway?
DS is also the only Samsung user in his friend group and gets annoyed by the teasing. I told him he can switch whenever we get around to upgrading our phones, but I think he likes Samsung, so we'll see.
Starting about a year ago, DD struggled badly with anxiety/OCD/depression. She has been getting incrementally better. One thing that's helped is that she started ice skating again. She was taking lessons before COVID, then our rink shut down for 3 YEARS. I don't even mind that I'm now spending hours in a crowded rink while she practices.
DS is a sophomore, so I'm also sad thinking about how little time we have left. Also, teaching a teenager to drive is not for the weak. H is too impatient and critical, so I'm in charge of this until driver's ed starts.
Post by rootbeerfloat on May 1, 2023 18:45:05 GMT -5
I went to college in LA, so would see actors out and about, but the most famous (at the time anyway) was Jerry Seinfeld outside a Banana Republic dressing room, where his girlfriend was trying on clothes.
When I was in line to board a plane at the Las Vegas airport, Ludacris cut through the line right in front of me. He was polite lol.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Apr 26, 2023 12:52:45 GMT -5
I enjoyed this book. I actually have a phobia of octopus/squid because I'm afraid they are actually smart enough to do the things Marcellus did plus kill you, but he was my favorite character. I also liked Tova and her friend group. Cameron did get annoying, though.
I read it on Kindle and don't remember having trouble keeping track of who narrated each chapter, but it's been awhile.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Apr 24, 2023 14:26:28 GMT -5
I borrowed my parents' cars. Senior year, I had pretty much full access to one (drove to school, after-school job etc) because my parents carpooled to work. When home from college, I remember having to get up early and drop them off if I wanted the car, which I usually did.
Between my sister and I, we totaled a car. (I crashed it, then a few years later, so did she.) So I also relate to not feeling like my kids are likely to be trustworthy drivers right away. DS (16) has his permit. H will probably get a new car next year, and maybe DS will inherit H's old car, which is as old as DS is.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Apr 19, 2023 12:41:14 GMT -5
DH had to do it twice. The first time he barely complained (and he whines about everything), but it didn't take so lol. The second time it was the typical 2-3 day recovery that others have mentioned.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Apr 3, 2023 13:35:33 GMT -5
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton - great, 4* The Winners (Beartown #3) by Frederik Backman - slow start, but good ending to the series, 4* Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman - the few tidbits about other actor/movies were not worth the slog through entries about random people I'd never heard of, 2.5* Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen - fine, 3* I'm Glad My Mother Died by Jennette McCurdy - sad and well-written memoir, 4*
Post by rootbeerfloat on Mar 28, 2023 13:15:39 GMT -5
DD (13) was prescribed fluoxetine for anxiety/depression, but refused to take it.
I want to share that we did end up taking her to the ER several months ago when things were really bad (self-harm, talk of suicide), and though it was difficult (and they ended up releasing her because she tested positive for COVID, ugh, and couldn't go to the adolescent treatment center), I don't regret doing so. It wasn't an immediate fix, but we all needed help.
The only negative I had for this book was there was a lot of 'foreshadowing' passages throughout, like this: "...because then everything that is going to happen would never have happened. If only someone had appeared now and stopped him from going home." It got kind of irritating after a while. But that's a small issue.
Yes, this bothered me, especially all the hints that a beloved character would die. It was sad enough. I didn't need to be sad prematurely.
I also thought it took a long time to introduce new characters (some, like the newspaper editor and her dad, weren't necessary to me at all), though I did eventually appreciate the parallels and connections with the original characters.
Those are minor complaints. I loved this series. I agree that Backman gets people and what motivates human behavior. Although my favorite characters are the young adults, Peter and Kira's marriage/parenting resonates (sometimes too much lol).
Post by rootbeerfloat on Feb 6, 2023 17:05:06 GMT -5
DS is 16. Most of his friends he's had from elementary school, and he's fairly introverted and sheltered by choice.
1. Do you require that an adult is home when hanging out with friends? How do you confirm if you don't know the parents? If I know the parents, then no (or really, I don't check). For a new friend, I would quiz him first to get a sense of the situation.
2. Are there any rules around hanging out with friends that you don't know? It would depend on the situation, I guess. He mentions friends from school that I haven't met, but hasn't asked to hang out with them outside of school yet.
3. Would you let your kid uber with friends? No, but we don't live somewhere this is likely to come up. I WISH he would grow enough independence to take the bus lol.
4. If they want to walk or ride bikes, are there limits to how far you would allow them to go? He is lazy, so I can't imagine this. They mainly go to the park (from kids who live close) or the mall (from our house, which is close). In the situation you described, he would've noped out at the 4 miles and texted me for a ride.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Jan 31, 2023 13:14:23 GMT -5
We've been watching it. My kids watched the entire gameplay of the first game and are onto the second, so we know what to expect in terms of major plot points.
S3 was amazing.
And yes, the infected are disgusting, somehow worse than normal zombies lol.
$5 for the first; $1 for the rest. I lucked out with slow/late tooth-losers, because my 5th and 6th graders have both only lost 8 teeth each and now they know the truth about the fairy.
I had late tooth-losers, and they would straight up ask for cash when they lost one. DD would sometimes leave a lengthy note asking for $1,000 along with a carefully packaged tooth.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Oct 7, 2022 19:22:16 GMT -5
The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith - 3* The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Where There - 3.5* Soul Taken (Mercy Thompson *13) by Patricia Briggs - 3* The Bodyguard by Katherine Center - 3* Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan - 3.5* The Final Gambit (The Inheritance Games #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - 4*
Post by rootbeerfloat on Sept 27, 2022 15:13:52 GMT -5
Definitely stock up at Costco and Target in Kona. I was in Hilo last week, and the car rental employee recommended getting gas at Safeway, which offered a discount for cash/debit ($4xx/gallon vs $5xx gallon). Not sure if that's true on the Kona side, too, but we usually fill up at Costco anyway.
I'm from Hawaii, and the Big Island is my favorite to visit. Things that haven't been recommended: horseback riding in Waimea, Waipio Valley lookout (there's a good bakery/malasada place in nearby Hamakua), waterfalls in Hilo. Also, last week's trip was to visit a cow sanctuary, which was random, but interesting. (My mom loves cows lol.)
Post by rootbeerfloat on Sept 7, 2022 15:45:08 GMT -5
DS is a sophomore, taking honors/AP classes and getting good grades. He isn't an athlete or into any extracurriculars, though we keep encouraging him to join something since he wants to go to college. He has no idea what he wants to study (only what DOESN'T interest him lol), which makes it difficult to identify potential options.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Sept 1, 2022 18:10:57 GMT -5
I had to refresh my memory about what happened in this book. I was most interested in Mirella's story, even though I didn't particularly enjoy The Glass Hotel.
You could tell that this book was written during a pandemic because it seemed more real, while Station Eleven was more hypothetical.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Sept 1, 2022 18:05:50 GMT -5
Something Wilder by Christina Lauren - 3* The Hidden Palace (The Golem and the Jinni #2) by Helene Wecker - 4* What You Wish For by Katherine Center - 2.5* Out of the Corner by Jennifer Grey - 3* Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - 4*
Post by rootbeerfloat on Sept 1, 2022 14:43:17 GMT -5
I just finished Remarkably Bright Creatures, which lived up to the hype.
Before that I read Jennifer Grey's memoir, which was fine, but kind of made me like her less. Also, I usually keep track of these things, but I had no idea who she was married to.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Aug 31, 2022 16:31:27 GMT -5
My dad passed 3 weeks before their 50th anniversary, so it was soon enough that it was no worse than any other day that month for my mom. I can't remember what we did last year, but the anniversary is coming up again this weekend, and I will make a point to visit her.
The first birthday after he passed, we planted a tree. This year (the second one), we held a delayed funeral (postponed due to COVID).
I need to hear from people who have read Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I’m about 22% through and I don’t love it and kind of don’t “get” it. I’m assuming everything comes together as the book progresses. I loved All the Light We Cannot See by this author, but this is completely different.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Aug 25, 2022 15:31:34 GMT -5
DD is 12, 7th grade. She's gone through phases: baggy tee + leggings, then cropped top + jeans. The crop top phase over the summer coincided with her discovery of makeup, and she looked so grown! Her clothes are from AE and Target.
Her school has a required shirt, so she doesn't wear the cropped tops to school. It's school shirt, high-waisted jeans or black leggings, chunky cardigan (even in 90 degree weather), and platform Converse.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Aug 11, 2022 20:25:32 GMT -5
DS didn't lose a tooth until he was 8. He's 15 and only finished losing them in the past year. So slow! He is missing a couple of adult teeth, and we're keeping an eye on those, but no other issues (no cavities or braces needed).
Post by rootbeerfloat on Aug 1, 2022 12:54:55 GMT -5
Violeta by Isabel Allende - 3.5* Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez - 3.5* Hello, Molly: A Memoir by Molly Shannon - 4* The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa - 3* A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes #4) - 3* Book Lovers by Emily Henry - 3.5* Lover Arisen (BDB #20) by JR Ward - 3* The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn - 4* The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - 3* You Can't Be Serious by Kal Penn - 4*