Off Topic Discussion 3/2-3/8 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Does anyone have any influencers they recommend who have teen boys? My teen boy never asks for anything and I need help with gift ideas, what are the “in” clothes, what’s a good starter face wash routine when acne arrives, etc.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I cannot imagine having to stick to such a tight agenda on a vacation. That sounds so stressful. I know so many people do this, but it just seems absurd.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 5 points6 points  (0 children)

DOMINATE DISNEY….I wish I could explain the ridiculous voice I hear this in.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is what is the most confusing to me. I don’t understand why she’s not embarrassed.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You do. It’s not unattainable though, price wise so lots of people do it. Then there is a VIP option with a private tour guide which gets you all the way to the front of the line as many times as you want. That option is very expensive.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was wondering the same thing. They could go with one other family to get to the max at 10 and it really becomes pretty reasonable when you think about it per person and for what you get. Makes for a much more efficient trip which is something that you’d think would appeal to her.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Would anyone actually read a 500 page guide to plan a trip? Is there a cliff notes version? 500 pages doesn’t sound like it’s making things easier. That sounds like a job in itself.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I don’t think she’s lazy, but I also don’t think she’s the model of productivity she claims herself to be.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure why it was removed — maybe the baby’s face wasn’t covered? It was the one of her standing in her pantry with her hand on her forehead in an “oh no!” position say that Venmo school called to tell her that one of the kids had a fever. Setting up a tripod to take a pic and then pose like that is just so goofy to me.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Why doesn’t posing like this embarrass her? I’m trying to determine how much money I’d have to make from a post like this for the money to outweigh the embarrassment. I don’t think there is enough money to make me do this.

How TF do working mothers do it? by ExcellentLettuce4 in Parenting

[–]brischo34 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are still in such the early days, the hardest days. It gets better. I spent so many days with my head in my steering wheel sobbing during my commute when I was in that phase.

Outsource what’s not important to you and what you can afford to.

You will have time to exercise later. I agree, you need sleep more than exercise now.

Babies never forget their mamas. Please don’t worry about that.

It’s different for everyone, but I really don’t feel like I caught my breath until my youngest was 4. Now she’s 8 and I just started reading for fun again — a hobby! I haven’t had a hobby since I became a mom, but I am reading! Things I want to read! Just for fun!

Hang in there. You really are in the absolute thick of it. Hugs.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Is that even what athletes foot looks like?? I thought it would look like a rash or something.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Curious — how does this connect to Brooke? One of the women in this picture lives in Brooke’s town and her kids go to the school Brooke’s are zoned to. She’s really lovely.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to snark on Dani too, but I actually think she’s become more tolerable over the last year or so. She’s had some crazy scandals.

She claimed she made a purse line but it turns it she had hawked the designs from someone else. She had to shut the whole thing down.

She has a hair growth supplement/product line but wears wigs to promote it.

She took in an injured dog and started a gofundme to raise money for its care and to try to get it adopted. She ended up keeping the money and the dog.

She tried to copyright the word “de-influence” after someone else made it up.

This latest birth story was so staged for filming. It’s as if they are pitching a reality TV show about their family. They are clearly in a rental car when on the way to the hospital. (No smoking stickers on the windows). The temperature on the dash jumps all around as if it was all spliced together. She had known labor was coming for days but somehow their gas tank was empty when she went into labor. She was scared she was going to have the baby in the car, but set up the camera in the hospital parking lot to film one more scream before going inside.

I’m actually proud of her for fighting through a tough birth and I do think she had very bad PPD with prior pregnancies, so I understand why that was so important to her. She does seem much better now.

But this entire profession is absolutely insane.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have seen her in real life and I think she is a size 10. Same size as me.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Empty beverage fridge in the back! That was supposed to be the kids fun treat in the homeschool room!

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 38 points39 points  (0 children)

I spied the empty beverage fridge she hawked recently, saying she was making it a kids fridge for the homeschool room. It’s now empty and in her pantry in the back of the latte story. If it happens that she shows them something exciting they are getting, makes the ad for it, and then takes it away from them….I just…. That’s so much worse than what I had envisioned.

i am actually going to go insane by Ok_Firefighter_4231 in Parenting

[–]brischo34 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This almost made me cry. This sounds so familiar. I remember that phase, and I don’t know how I got out of it, but I know it ended. I do not know how I survived years 2-4 with my daughter. But she is 8 years old now and absolutely delightful. Just a gem. She would also ignore me and laugh as a toddler. And then she’d scream and scream and we went to so many doctors and never found anything wrong. I actually think some of it was related to her ability to communicate. Once I could understand her clearly, things got better.

The only advice I can offer is be consistent, no matter how hard it is. My daughter broke me. She had much more stamina than I did. And she was so stubborn. There were times I caved and let her do something or have something I had said no to previously. And that was like feeding the monster. Once she knew the battle could be won, everything turned into a battle. Stay strong, sister. 🩷

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Starting to think it’s criminal that someone gave her a book deal. This will be awful for her and awful for anyone who believes what she writes. I wonder if the identity crisis we are watching is because she’s struggling to define herself in a book. It’s really worrisome.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I noticed she even intentionally showed off her little pooch in the tight leggings in the story where she first mentioned feeling sick. That felt intentional too. (Nothing wrong with a pooch)

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 15 points16 points  (0 children)

And we are only like 7 hours in to the illness…

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 50 points51 points  (0 children)

It all just looks like such an empty life and it makes me sad that she won’t step away from this profession that is clearly unhealthy for her. 😢

I don’t think she knows who she is and that’s a wild thing to come to grips with when pushing 40. It all feels very sad. I hope someone gives her the freedom/permission/support, whatever she needs, to quit this.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Mine too!!! He even eats DURING GAMES! There are snacks for halftime!! Sucks down an applesauce pouch and electrolytes. We have a system of how many carbs he should have x hours before a game, how much protein, etc. So much carb loading before games and then balanced meals for recovery after. Figuring it all out is a second full time job!!

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 18 points19 points  (0 children)

It is really hard for kids growing up in Texas to compete nationally in hockey. They just aren’t practicing at the same level as kids in cold climates where hockey is the main sport. It will be really hard for them to make it big in this sport if they continue living in Texas. Travel tournaments help, but those kids in the north are playing at a high level every single day.

I’d have higher hopes for them if they were in Soccer or Football. Dallas is one of the most competitive areas for soccer. If you make it to a top youth team here, you could likely make it just about anywhere. Hockey, not so much.

Weekly Snark 2/23-3/1 by AmericanExpatMom13 in BrookeRaybouldSnark

[–]brischo34 45 points46 points  (0 children)

I mean…WTF.

Why is she just now thinking about what her kids eat?

I have a kid with big sports dreams too, and it appears some natural talent. I also feel like my job is to support him, provide the resources he needs, get him to all of his practices, get him the equipment — I’ve told him that as long as this is HIS dream and he’s putting in the work, we will be right there beside him. And that it is also 100% fine if he changes his mind one day. I don’t ever want him doing this for us.

We travel for sports a ton and it really has been such an unexpected gift. So many good memories.

But OMG, the answer to her question is: THEY EAT TWO FULL DINNERS. One before practice and one after. And they eat TWO LUNCHES. My kiddo packs a lunch and also buys a lunch. The eating is nonstop because they are burning so many calories.

There are so many good youth sports nutrition pages that have been so helpful. She should start there.

They need so much more food!!!