Posts by granitewolf20

Way past the limit.
I'm guessing somewhere around 8,000-$3.00
Everything's needed.

Hey there!

I'm on the hunt for some desktop recommendations. Most of my heavy lifting will be in AutoCAD (plus a few custom add-ons I use). I’m also going to need a massive amount of memory because my library of saved sketches and files is getting out of hand.

Where should I shop around, who's actually worth talking to, and what specific specs should I be obsessing over?

Thanks!

rowdypanther12 said:I don't think so—I actually know they're talking about it because my daughter passed the conversations along to me.

I’m with you on this one.
I already wrote a whole other page about this exact thing.

Look, it’s not the same thing every single day.
One day someone’s gonna laugh at them for being a target, and the next, they’ll just head home and break down in tears.
At the end of the day, parents can't just manufacture a kid's personality for them. 🤷
And what am I supposed to tell her? That hell isn't real? Telling her that doesn't exactly guarantee she won't feel insulted or hurt by what happened.

Susan James said:Well, the goal isn't to upset him,
but rather to have him experience something positive during religion class so he actually asks his parents to sign him up! 😉

I get what they were trying to pull, I really do. I’m just saying, the bigger deal is that my kid actually caught on.
(Knowing my daughter, she’d probably spend the next ten days grilling me about which animals didn't make it onto Noah's Ark.)

She was already coming home from preschool talking about heaven, hell, sin, and all that stuff. Then at night, right before bed—total anxiety.

But honestly, it’s not even the teacher's fault. Now that it's been a while since communion season, these little kids just pass along everything they hear from their older siblings.

And what am I supposed to do? I tried explaining to her that believing in God is kind of like believing in Santa Claus. I've told her from day one that Santa isn't real, but her mom insists he is. At the end of the day, the kid just wants the presents. 😛

Richard Perez3 said:Nah, I just found out last night. And yeah, that was literally yesterday. Nobody said a word, and there wasn't even a hint of a paper trail to follow.
If I’d had any idea, you really think I’d be sitting here typing this out?

I missed the two or three messages right before mine.😉

What kind of "consent" are we even talking about here? My kid doesn't start school until the fall, so I'm totally out of the loop on how things work.😁

Honestly, I wouldn't make a huge deal out of it. The little guy isn't traumatized, nothing bad actually happened to him, so what's the big issue?🤷
Just pull the teacher aside once school starts in the fall and let them know you don't want a repeat of this situation.

So, did you actually know they were gonna push it back to that hour, or what?

It looks like we’re going to have a bigger group of first graders opting out of religious ed this year, while everyone else stays in class together. 🤣

Here is my actual reasoning for why I don't want my kid sitting through those classes:

1. Atheists can't be good people and they aren't going to heaven.

2. Yoga is basically just an invitation for the devil.

3. The girls in our local parish aren't allowed to be altar servers because we have plenty of boys interested already.

These are the exact same things that rubbed me the wrong way back in the day twenty years ago, and honestly, nothing has changed—not even the teachers. There's a whole list of stuff about the church that gets to me too (like that whole thing about sacrificing the firstborn son, all the talk about Sodom and Gomorrah, or how daughters are supposedly supposed to sleep with their fathers to preserve the bloodline, etc.).

At the end of the day, we all know our own kids best. Mine hears one thing at preschool and comes home with a hundred questions, terrified of some imaginary threat. Other kids? They just let it go in one ear and out the other.

And if you think it’s just two hours a week—it isn't. By third grade, you've got those two hours at school, plus an hour at the church, plus whatever daily activity they schedule, plus mandatory Sunday mass. At least around here.

coppermarlin14 said:You might be being a bit naive here, but 🤣
There is just no way they are going to discuss that... ☕
At least our own poor situation won't be brought up...

Hey!

coppermarlin14, I checked "no" too—so if you haven't moved away (not since you had 😉 ), mine isn't going anywhere either

tina, don't let this get under your skin.
just imagine if he actually showed up to the wedding and started causing a scene, ruining everything. things are better off this way 😉

and honestly, why do you even need him in your life if he's just going to stress you out constantly? one of these days, you’re gonna have to make a clean break. cut out anyone who makes you feel like crap—even if they happen to be your own father. just because you share his DNA doesn't mean you have to put up with his bullshit.

It honestly drives me nuts how everyone feels the need to lecture you about getting enough sleep while you still can. It’s constant. Whether it’s coming from a woman who just gave birth a month ago or some teenager 😠
it's always the same thing. Easy for them to say, but they don't realize that my wife ☕
is dealing with the same exhaustion.

Michael Barrett11 said:There's this local carpenter I know who runs his own shop, and I'd almost feel bad buying mass-produced stuff from a big-box store when I know he could make something much better, custom-fit to exactly what we want.
But man, it’s a massive undertaking. We'd have to turn one room into two, which means building a wall, cutting out space for another door, and adding skylights since the roof slopes down quite a bit in that section.
It isn't some minor project; it's going to take a lot of time and a significant amount of money.
I guess I'd have more patience for the whole process if my uncle would just stop talking long enough.

Hehehe... so what's this uncle rambling about? 🙂

Why split one room into two anyway? You really hate the whole open-concept kitchen and living room vibe that much? 🤔

Michael Barrett11 said:Personally, I also prefer the idea of us building things on our own, but at the same time, I want a functional kitchen in my house. I don't want to be forced to head out into the yard in the middle of winter just to grab a sandwich or make some tea.
I understand his perspective—I'm not being irrational—but when I hit my breaking point and I'm feeling angry or overwhelmed, I just want everything to be sorted out all at once.
I am fully aware that it's their money, and I have never pressured my partner to ask them for anything. We handle our own daily expenses, and we buy all the baby gear ourselves.
When I'm upset, I know I can be a bit unreasonable.

Man, I totally feel you... sometimes I think it would be so much easier if we just asked my parents or my mother-in-law for help with certain things. But it’s just not an option for us.
We bought almost everything and nearly all the equipment on our own. The "only" thing the grandmas chipped in for was the crib and the dresser, and my mom even covered half the cost of the stroller.
She wanted to pay for everything, but we wouldn't let her 🤷

edit: try looking for a used kitchen somewhere, or check the sales at Lowe's right now.
Just aim for a small speaker, a fridge, and a freezer. It doesn't have to be a massive investment. You can find plenty of cheap stuff.
Same goes for the bathroom. You don't need a full renovation. Just throw down some floor tiles, use washable paint on the walls, put in a basic shower kit, and call it a day.

unknown

Michael Barrett11 said:It’s honestly pathetic. His uncles, who we actually live with, have so much money they don't even know what to do with it. They could easily cover a kitchen remodel or a bathroom renovation for us without breaking a sweat, but my partner insists on doing everything himself and paying for it all solo.
I was honestly on the verge of a nervous breakdown today. Everything just piled up at once, and when it finally started coming to a head, I was nearly in tears.
If he really wants to be self-sufficient, he can always take out a loan. I simply cannot deal with living under someone else's thumb, being told what to eat and how to live—I mean that literally.
I hit a breaking point today so hard that I actually had to ask my mom to come pick me up. She told me to calm down first (honestly, I could barely speak through the crying), then suggested I sit down and talk things through with him (since I stormed out right in the middle of lunch without eating a bite), and then I should give her a call back.

Sorry, but I'm actually on the same page as Edward Rodriguez4.
Look, I get it. She’s pissed off and stressed out, but seriously, just scroll up and read what those girls actually wrote. Just because someone isn't out there making a scene about being broke doesn't mean they aren't dealing with money issues. And even if they are? That's their business. It's their money, and they can do whatever the hell they want with it.
Even if they came to me with an offer on a silver platter, there is absolutely no way I'd ever agree to that. 🤷

unknown

Anthony Watson35 said:So, a friend of mine—she’s further along in her pregnancy than I am—was just venting about how everyone is driving her absolutely insane. It doesn't matter if it's a coworker, her own mother, or the neighbor's husband; they all just swoop in and start grabbing at her stomach. 👎 Honestly? Gross. What is wrong with people? Since when did it become okay to just jump on a woman and start "petting" her? It's her body, for crying out loud. If you have such a desperate need to be that intimate with someone, can you at least ask permission first?! Seriously, some people are just sick... My bump isn't even showing yet, but if anyone tries that kind of thing with me in a month or two, they’re gonna lose a hand...😠

Interesting. Honestly, almost nobody touches my stomach. Especially not some random stranger on the street. 🤷

wanderinghawk said:this:

pure human envy...

Man, 🤦just

I’m not even gonna keep going because I don't want to get sucked into some endless debate. But honestly, by making more money, you just end up paying higher taxes, losing out on child tax credits, and whatnot. It's ridiculous.

At this rate, the most profitable thing to do in America will be to just stay unemployed.😠

I’m putting in my request for a stroller 😠

Man, this has been such a headache... I am seriously over how much stuff I have to obsess over. When I first found out I was pregnant, I honestly thought this part would be easy.
I mean, I’m not even asking for anything crazy... just a four-wheel stroller where the safety rating isn't total garbage (if I’m forced to buy them as a bundle) and the colors aren't eye-searingly ugly.
The weight and how they fold aren't even my main dealbreakers, but whatever happens, there's always something that bugs me. 😵

Look, I know there are people out there who’ll act all high and mighty about this, but honestly? I couldn't care less what they think. They wouldn't even want to be around once the baby hits six months anyway. They'd just show up to spout some nonsense and gossip about my life. ☕

The only thing that actually sucks is knowing I have to turn away certain friends and my aunt. They mean the world to me, and I hate the idea of being a mess in front of them, but I can't deal with the hypocrisy. I can't have double standards. 🤷

Kimmy, I wouldn't give her a single stitch of my clothes, period. You’ve been complaining about her forever, so honestly, what did she expect? The absolute most she could do is hand over those $100 for the baby shower and grab a box of Pampers.
As for the cloth diapers? No way in hell am I giving those to anyone. Sorry, not sorry, but that’s just gross to me...

And this whole thing about sleeping poorly? Please. Every single person who has ever stayed at my place, or even just run into me at the grocery store or caught me on the phone, has told me the exact same thing.
For crying out loud, can you guys come up with something else to talk about for once? 😲

Bryan Diaz said:Honestly, that really gets under my skin too—the implication that you can somehow "stock up" on sleep beforehand. It’s just not how it works.

That's just not true, though. I've mentioned this on the forums before; my sister actually ended up missing out on those tiny little outfits because she listened to everyone else. She simply couldn't keep up with the laundry and drying. It might be true that babies don't wear certain sizes for very long, but you still need plenty of pieces because of constant changes and washing. And you certainly don't get those newborn-sized items handed to you during the initial visit period.

I don't know if we're even on the same page here... I'm actually agreeing with you, and honestly, comments like yours are exactly what get under my skin. That's why I went ahead and bought everything myself.

As for gifts...
my mom and my mother-in-law already coordinated so they'd grab the crib and the changing pad with the sheets.
We'll handle the rest ourselves.

Edward Rodriguez4 said:I honestly can't stand it when people start giving me that condescending crap, acting like buying stuff for my baby is some kind of stupid waste of money or totally unnecessary! ☕
"Oh, just let me lend you some clothes, and then you can pay me back later..." Give me a break. I am really not in the mood to be playing borrower, especially when I have to stress about whether I'm actually fooling anyone or if things are going to get messy down the road... Like, if I can't even cover the absolute essentials, then I'm basically screwed!

And another one for the pile: 😂

"What's the point of buying all that? The kid will outgrow it in a week, and you won't even have time to do the laundry anyway..."
"Why bother? You know how much free stuff you'll get once the baby arrives, right?" etc., etc.

Yeah, sure. Like I'm expecting someone to drop off size 2-month-old outfits during those first few weeks. Honestly, I'm barely planning on letting anyone through my front door for the first month anyway. ☕