Honestly, everyone kept giving me these weird looks, wondering how I haven't put on a ton of weight or why I’ve stayed so slim. I mean, seriously, you guys would not believe it—some of us actually stay fit even while pregnant! And just look at my little bump.
Hey, don't even sweat it! Try just making a joke out of it—that way you're still telling the truth, but it keeps things light. Seriously though, I had nose surgery because my profile was looking more like a baked potato than anything else, and I could barely breathe. Anyone else feel me? Honestly, if it were me, I’d totally react like 😬 They'll get used to it and forget all about it soon enough. 🙂
I haven't actually read the books, I just happened to catch the first movie, and honestly? It was so good! I got totally hooked and ended up watching the second one too... it was awesome..
But that third and final installment... oh man, what a disaster. I seriously wasn't expecting such a total letdown of an ending. Honestly, I would've preferred if they had just swapped the lead actors instead 😬
My two cents? For a group of about 80 people, I’d go pretty minimal with the decor—maybe just some simple floral arrangements around the ground floor and then a few larger statement pieces upstairs. And for the cake, definitely a Tiffani’s style, $400.
Lawrence Torres56 said:I wasn't even implying that you were personally trampling over Christmas two months ahead of time, I was talking more about the culture we live in... I was keeping it general.
And honestly, I just don't get it—why bother with the tree for "the vibe" or whatever if you aren't celebrating Christmas and don't believe in God? Fine, okay, whatever... but what happens one day when you actually have a little one running around asking why there's a tree in the house and why we do this specific stuff at this specific time? What are you gonna tell them? Just "because everyone else does"?
And let me ask you this, just thinking out loud here: what kind of message are we sending as parents if we don't give kids any foundation at all (in this case, regarding faith)? Aren't you worried that someday someone might take advantage of that lack of knowledge and steer them in a direction you definitely wouldn't approve of? From what I see when I'm meeting people, I get the impression that the most extreme religious fanatics are often the ones who knew absolutely nothing about God until just yesterday😁... maybe I'm wrong, who knows? But aren't you afraid that by saying "I don't want my kid learning about Jesus and the Virgin Mary," you're actually just creating the perfect breeding ground for exactly that kind of thing later on? I'm just asking as one parent to another, not trying to come for you.
I'm gonna ignore all of that for now and save my answer for when I'm actually ready to deal with it😁 I don't plan on answering those questions or teaching them anything. I'm not saying it's "right"... we'll just see how it goes😁
I’ve actually been avoiding your posts lately because I can see how hardcore you are about Christianity, and honestly, I wasn't asking for religious advice, nor am I really interested in that perspective.
But look, I’ve got an argument. Do you seriously believe the Holy Spirit impregnated the Virgin Mary? Like, you think that’s actually possible? And that Moses split the ocean right in half... c'mon now. I'm just not buying it.
edit: And before anyone starts, I’m not looking to get into a whole debate about whether I’m a believer or not. I’ve already made up my mind on that.
My point was strictly about those Christian songs they play in preschools and elementary schools.
Lawrence Torres56 said:First off, please don't take this the wrong way, but I am genuinely stumped here.😁
Why bother putting up a tree just for the atmosphere and the commercialism?... why go against your own gut and just follow the crowd like everyone else?
So, okay, you don't believe in God, and you don't want your kid knowing anything about religion one day... fine. But if that's the case, why push the tree and all that stuff tied to it if you aren't willing to commit to the bit? Why not just give them the chance to learn the basics of every faith so they can decide for themselves when they're older?🤷... I don't know, but personally, I feel like being aware of different religions today is actually an advantage, not a drawback. By learning about them, we see the common threads between people, and it means no one can ever sell us some nonsense story about a "bad" Catholic, or a bad Muslim... it'll just be about a bad person who's using faith as an excuse.
I'm Catholic myself, and I celebrate Christmas, but man, it drives me absolutely crazy when Christmas starts getting forced on us two months early by people who don't even care about the holiday. They don't understand the symbolism or the Catholic faith at all; they just want to push it harder and earlier every single year...
I grew up in the Catholic faith and I know it well, but I have no intention of teaching my child those things. I took religious ed and I've had all the sacraments, which is exactly why I don't want my kid believing in that stuff.
And I'm definitely not forcing Christmas two months early; I don't even have decorations up right now. I might put up a tree just for the atmosphere. If I want it for the vibes, then that's that! I've got nothing against snowmen, ornaments, reindeer, or Santa Claus... I don't want to live in a bubble. But I'm not teaching my kid about the Virgin Mary or Jesus.
If they want to choose for themselves one day, let them.
silentcanyon12 said:I figured preschools in big cities were basically totally secular... you know, atheist style. If Santa Claus is gonna be an issue for you, though, I don't even know what country you'd actually want to live in.
I honestly don't mind Santa Claus at all! 😁 I mean, let's be real—that's not even a religious thing! 😬
Jacob Lewis5 said:Kudos to the atheists if they actually pull off forcing their worldview on everyone else and blocking 85% of kids from taking religion classes. Honestly, learning about Moses and having actual conversations about love and friendship is way more important in school than just mindlessly memorizing facts without understanding a thing, which is how most other subjects go anyway.
I honestly don't get it—what on earth does talking about love have to do with Moses? Honestly, you don't even need Moses to have a deep conversation about friendship and love! You could even draw parallels from classic friendships, like Mickey and Minnie, or Winnie the Pooh and his buddy Eeyore... things like that!
I don't have kids yet, but I definitely want them one day. 😁
My nephew just came home from preschool talking about all their holiday stuff, and now I’m sitting here wondering... honestly, I need some input. With the holiday season kicking off, how should I even handle this? Look, at my place, we’ll put up a tree and all that, but let’s be real—it’s mostly just for the vibes and because everything is so commercialized. We actually have two different faiths represented in our household, and I have zero intention of forcing any specific religion on my future kid. I'm not planning on preaching about God, Jesus, or anything like that. My nephew came home singing "Joy to the World," and it got me thinking... I get that he's just a kid and Christianity is a huge part of American culture, but I really don't want my child being taught songs about when Jesus was born, or about Muhammad either.
When it comes to school, I can choose religious education or not, and I’m definitely opting out of the religious classes. But what do I do about all this other stuff?
I ended up making 26 pounds of dessert for 80 guests, and I still had about 6 pounds left over! I didn't skimp at all on the music or the catering. But when it came to those little extra things that don't really matter? Yeah, I definitely saved some cash there. My goal was to have the best food in town and some seriously delicious treats. I skipped the fancy crepe stations, the yard decorations, picking everything up from my place, and all that other fluff. Honestly, nobody even notices that stuff anyway!
Honestly, Vesnin’s treats are hands down the best in my neck of the woods. I’d grabbed them so many times before the wedding that there wasn't even a question about it! $27/lb. Anyway, $30
I'm just wondering, roughly how many days does it take for the cash from a COD package to actually hit my account? Like, starting from the exact moment the recipient gets the box in their hands.
I’m still totally stuck on what shape this cake should even be... I’ve got all the flavors picked out, but the actual structure? Zero clue. Maybe something super simple, I don't know... Does anyone have any cool ideas or suggestions? It’ll basically be two tiers, and I want the top one to stay completely plain since I’m doing a special decoration for it later.
For the color palette, I'm thinking beige, baby blue, gray... something along those lines.
Unfortunately, it wasn't 😁 It’s a bit pricey since she handles everything from scratch—even the desserts. She doesn't just buy pre-made crusts or anything like that 😬 I even managed to snag a little discount 😬 A pound of treats is $30. And honestly, I'm not about to gamble with dessert from some random town far away...
The other options were pretty mediocre and $5.00 cheaper... so whatever, most people at my weddings end up inhaling sweets like crazy anyway 🤣 That's why I cut corners on the silly stuff, but when it comes to the food? Not a chance.
Man, I’m telling you, my cake is massive—enough to feed like 80 people! It’s two whole tiers and costs $333 😲, and honestly? It’s nothing even special.
