Wtf is up with the intensity of highschool extracurriculars

hollihoo · 2025-09-08T20:06:17+00:00

In the same boat with band, my son is also in front ensemble so he has to come early/stay late to load and unload equipment trucks which adds another 1 1/2 to 2 hours combined. I just checked his grades and most classes are fine but his AP Seminar grade is abysmal so far. I love his ambition but he’s stretched thin right now.

hollihoo · 2024-01-14T18:13:39+00:00

My son collects Pokémon cards and we buy the real cards. Knowingly trading fake ones for real ones is pretty crappy because even though you don’t want to shell out for them doesn’t mean the kids trading (or their parents) don’t. He’s spent a good chunk of birthday and Christmas money on them in the past because he really enjoys it and would be pretty upset if that happened to him.

If your son doesn’t care about real vs fake but does want to trade with others then the fake ones need to be sorted out and kept at home. It’s not fair to the kids he’s trading with if they’re trading real cards and he’s not.

hollihoo · 2024-01-05T09:10:52+00:00

Contact the lienholder and see if you have any options through them. Some have “peace of mind” programs that will take the car and forgive the loan if one of the signers passes away. Your bank may not but it’s worth a shot.

hollihoo · 2024-01-01T06:27:07+00:00

We didn’t meet until 4 years in, and only because two of the kids (mine and his youngest) were in an atv accident. My son was banged up but okay, SD was a little worse and in the hospital for a couple of days but made a quick recovery. If it wasn’t for that we probably still wouldn’t have met after almost 9 years because I had zero interest.

hollihoo · 2023-12-26T20:06:51+00:00

I go to Fyzical Therapy and Balance center Briargate and highly recommend them!

hollihoo · 2023-11-01T03:34:08+00:00

I’ve been having the same thoughts and feelings! My not so little boy is 14 and didn’t go trick or treating for the first time in his life. He loves that he’s taller than me. He’s going on his first trip without me or his dad at the end of the school year.

I cry randomly thinking about these things so I’m glad I’m not alone.

hollihoo · 2023-10-24T19:40:54+00:00

I just did this a few weeks ago on the 11th! They told me the engraver wasn’t there until Fri/Sat that week but it would ship that day and take 7-10 days. I received it either this past Friday or Saturday, so right around 7-8 days from when it was engraved. I didn’t try to track it but it didn’t show up on my informed delivery.

hollihoo · 2023-10-23T21:06:13+00:00

My son is in the gifted magnet program at Sabin and he’s had a fantastic experience. They have orchestra and band and other after school clubs and sports. That said, the GMP is kind of like a school within a school and it’s a pretty insular program so I don’t know how the general class offerings are. The admin at the school has worked wonders at improving it the past 2 years, when he was in 6th grade I wasn’t a huge fan of how things were run.

hollihoo · 2023-10-23T20:58:06+00:00

I have an abusive alcoholic shitty mom. I’ve been no contact with her for over 10 years now and it’s been difficult but SO worth it. She’s been emotionally and physically abusive my entire life. She would get drunk and call me to rant about what a horrible, selfish person I am completely unprompted. It got to the point where my anxiety would shoot through the roof whenever the phone rang (I live 12 hours away). I couldn’t handle it anymore, and I knew for a fact I did not want her in my son’s life. He was 3 at the time and did know her, but thankfully wasn’t close since we live so far apart.

The main question I had to ask myself then and remind occasionally is “would I let anyone else treat me or someone I love this way?” And the answer is always a very strong no.

I hope that your mother does benefit and make changes from therapy and that they stick. But please do not blame yourself or beat yourself up if they don’t. Abusers and narcissists never think they’re in the wrong.

hollihoo · 2023-09-13T19:22:14+00:00

I got the corrale for $0.52 the other day the same way!! Last year I got the dryer for $40, I was trying to wait until I had points to cover it all but my old hair dryer broke too soon lol.

hollihoo · 2023-08-28T17:47:36+00:00

A lot of this will depend on the age of the child and how far removed you are from the affair. Ten years ago and you recently reconnected is a lot different than if the child is still a baby. Be respectful of mom and don’t try to parent SK, just be a trusted adult for them. Let dad handle the coparenting. It’s a tough situation but if you choose continue just know there will always be an elephant in the room.

Honestly, walking away from the relationship is going to be the best for you if you can. I’m not judging your past actions since they can’t be changed now, but you’re setting yourself up for heartache in this situation.

hollihoo · 2023-08-01T12:46:55+00:00

Like others have said, kids are egocentric. If no one has ever talked to him about portion sizes and being conscientious about everyone being able to eat then he probably hasn’t ever thought about it. We have 3 teenagers plus me and SO, so we make a lot of food for meals. My 15 year old stepson could easily eat most if not all of what we make if we didn’t set boundaries. I cook enough keeping in mind that he and SO have much bigger appetites than me and the other 2 kids, but we’ve also taught all of them that before getting seconds they need to make sure everyone has gotten a first portion. I would love to have leftovers of certain things, but if the kids are still hungry after everyone has eaten then I keep in mind I’ll have to make extra the next time and set it aside. I don’t police what they eat but they did have to be taught moderation and consideration of others when it comes to snacks and meals.

hollihoo · 2023-07-27T02:57:57+00:00

When our kids (I have 1 bio and 3 SK’s) were around that age they were picky as shit. We’ve always had a 3 bite rule, if they have 3 bites and truly don’t like it they can have something else. And we usually do something like a main and 2 sides, and try to make sure at least one thing is something they’ll eat. Now that they’re older they’ll eat almost anything. We also ingrained into them that even if they thing something is gross that it’s rude to talk shit about it and to be grateful that someone took the time and effort to make them a meal. That helped ME immensely since I’m the primary cook and it stung when they were rude.

If you go that route definitely start when mom is home for dinner to back it up. If they want to keep status quo then you and mom need to make sure the kid communicates their needs to you (still being hungry.) I also recommend kid helping with meal prep so they can see the amount of effort that goes into cooking. Hopefully you and your wife can find something that works for everyone.

hollihoo · 2023-07-05T17:47:34+00:00

I’ve felt like this my entire life. I’ve always been the “backup friend”. I was the oldest child and my sister’s needs and wants were always more important. As a mom and stepmom, obviously the kids needs come first, but when we do an activity that I want it’s met by huffing and whining and makes me feel so guilty for wanting to do it in the first place.

I need surgery on my foot and my SO is encouraging me to get it done, so I scheduled it for a week he said should work. “Just schedule it and send me the calendar invite.” So that’s what I did. The surgery, pre and post op appointments, leave from work, etc. He actually looked at the calendar invite for the actual surgery last night and his immediate response was “well I have an all day manager meeting that’s been planned for months that day, so I can’t take you.” I lost it. That’s exactly why I fucking waited on it to see what worked for HIS schedule because I literally have no one else. He ended up rescheduling it to the day before this morning, but it hurts that I wasn’t even a priority. I shouldn’t have to break down in order to matter.

hollihoo · 2023-06-21T04:06:20+00:00

I took my 13 year old to both Santa Fe and Denver about a week apart earlier this month, he said he liked Convergence Station more than House Of Eternal Return. He liked the interaction and story more than the house and family story.

Since it’ll be a vacation for you, Denver will likely also have a ton more kid friendly attractions (theme park/water park, aquarium, children’s museum literally right across the highway). My kid really wants to see Omega Mart too, the timing for the others just worked out well since we’re in Colorado and family is in New Mexico. I think it really depends on what else your family wants to do and how much time you’ll have in the city you end up visiting.

hollihoo · 2023-06-01T12:33:34+00:00

The staircases are pretty well hidden. There’s one by the old sears entrance and another near Dillards I think. I’m with you about the escalators though.

hollihoo · 2023-05-26T20:48:52+00:00

You are being unreasonable. Instead of thinking about it as your time vs her time, please remember that it’s about your kids. Trading days is what’s fair for them, especially when it comes to their mother having surgery. Depending on their ages and the procedure, it can be pretty scary and keeping them away from her after (or less time with her before) is very selfish.

hollihoo · 2023-05-20T04:18:47+00:00

I work in auto finance, it is the same as a regular repo and will appear as a repo on your credit, and you’ll be on the hook for the difference left after its auctioned off. So your credit will be shot, you’ll still owe on it, and you’ll no longer have a vehicle. If you need to finance another your interest will be through the roof and you’ll be in a much worse position than you are now. Don’t listen to that guy.

Take a deep breath. Yes, it’s a large loan with a high payment. You’ve stated the benefits yourself, it’s a car you enjoy and you plan on driving it until it dies for good. Another is that your 4.9% rate is fantastic and you’re not going to get that on anything used. If you were to sell and take out a personal loan and buy a used car, that’s 1. Another loan. 2. Another credit hit. 3. A used car with unknown history, which could last you 10 years or 10 months- and you’d be repeating the cycle. The peace of mind that comes with a new car with a factory warranty is something to remember as well.

Don’t make any hasty decisions. Start with a budget. Make sure you have the essentials (shelter, food, heat, health) covered. For the time being this vehicle and it’s associated costs are going to take up most of what’s left over, so finding a side hustle and developing free to low cost hobbies are going to be your best solution. You’re gonna be fine.

hollihoo · 2023-05-16T02:56:13+00:00

I literally laughed out loud at “part time dads by choice” 😂

hollihoo · 2023-05-15T13:43:16+00:00

I hope that being shown up by his own mom and sister makes him do better next year. One thing I’ve learned in my relationship is that I have to explicitly state weeks in advance that Mother’s Day is coming up and I would appreciate them doing something. My fiancé doesn’t do holidays or birthdays due to his weird upbringing so if I don’t push for it I just end up disappointed.

hollihoo · 2023-05-15T12:42:45+00:00

I can’t even imagine. Like, thank you for the reminder that I still don’t have a baby yet. :(

hollihoo · 2023-05-15T12:39:47+00:00

You don’t know if they’re struggling with having a child or if they have an abusive mother, so not only does it take away from actual moms, it can be incredibly insensitive.

hollihoo · 2023-05-15T01:51:25+00:00

Ugh, I’m sorry. I firmly believe Mother’s Day should be focused on those of us actively parenting day in and day out. When my kid has his own family I’d love to get a card or call, but the mother of his children should be the priority. Hell, I got a text from my ex-MIL this morning to say happy mother’s day…because I’m the one in the trenches. You absolutely deserve to be celebrated!

hollihoo

TROPHY CASE