Wednesday's Ramble: Not all black men like sports, twin mamas really don't get sleep, and I spent a fortune at Costco...

[Ann.without.an.e]

I'm not at my house for about 12 hours a day Monday through Friday and I really don't want to bombard y'all with posts but y'all are keeping me sane here lol. 

But today was a little different. This morning for a few hours my mom helped DD since DS and I had dental appointments. A black man in his 30's? came in and I overheard the dental hygienist try to talk to him. She had been talking away about all sort of things to the man before him.

"So is Carolina playing tonight?" 

Man "No idea"

"Ah, so what about this last football season, how was that?"

"Don't really follow that much to be honest. I'm not really into sports."

She stayed quiet. I really don't think she could think of anything else to talk to him about. Idk why but I found this a mix of odd, humorous, and sad all at the same time. I was laying back in my chair thinking of a million things I would ask him. How about this weather? Are you able to enjoy it? Do you have summer plans? I could think of at least a dozen more with no effort. ETA: I think I mostly found this intriguing because we have a close friend who runs into this all the time. Everyone seems bewildered that he is a black man who isn't in to sports lol. 

Then we stopped by Costco. Y'all....$649.72 later. Do we want to talk about this?  Nothing larger than toilet paper and olive oil were bought. 

Finally, super kudos to all the twin mamas on here. I watch DD get so little sleep. They are pretty slow nursers right now. One nurses for 30 minutes, the next nurses for 30 minutes, then she pumps for 15-20 minutes. By the time she takes basic care of herself (grabs a snack or takes a potty break) if she lays down she gets about 30-60 minutes (90 max) of sleep before the cycle starts all over again.  

 

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Ann.without.an.e

[fraidycat]

$650 would be a cheap day at Costco for us. We'd celebrate it "only" being $650. Lol

But, there is usually clothing of some sort in the cart, and we only go every 2 or 3 months, so stock up when we do go.

[Indigo Blue]

25 minutes ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

I really don't want to bombard y'all with posts but y'all are keeping me sane here lol. 

Why not? It makes it more fun around here. Are you sick of my narcissism posts yet? Lol. These thoughts just occur and I feel compelled to post them. Please, post away!!!

Yeah, not everyone fits the stereotype. My younger ds never went to a sporting event while in college. He just rode his bike around the football field at night when the stadium was empty. His brother was perplexed. 🤷‍♀️Just do whatever floats your boat, right? 🙂

[Indigo Blue]

Oh, came back to say they are planning a new Costco on the Charlotte side of Lancaster, toward Indian Land.  Did you know that? I never go to Costco, but a new one there might cause me to try it out. I mean, I tried before, but that location in Matthews is not convenient. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

10 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Oh, came back to say they are planning a new Costco on the Charlotte side of Lancaster, toward Indian Land.  Did you know that? I never go to Costco, but a new one there might cause me to try it out. I mean, I tried before, but that location in Matthews is not convenient. 

 

wow, they never put anything my way 😭

But I’m truly happy for you 😊

I go to the one off Tryon.  Not too far from South Park. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

19 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Oh, came back to say they are planning a new Costco on the Charlotte side of Lancaster, toward Indian Land.  Did you know that? I never go to Costco, but a new one there might cause me to try it out. I mean, I tried before, but that location in Matthews is not convenient. 

Oh my gosh I just remembered to ask you. Have you been to southern olive?

My younger DD is obsessed with their macarons and she wants me to make the trip there for them. 

[KungFuPanda]

I have thoughts on all three subjects.  

1.  I think some people think all Real Men are into sports.  It's a conversation starter that must work for them often enough to keep doing it.  We were at a wedding and a friend's husband asked if dh was into sports. Nope.  He asked another guy at the table.  Again, nope.  Dh hit it off with the other guy because they both dabbled in bluegrass music.  Poor sportsball guy was left out.  Turns out, sportsball guy was a mathematician like Dh and they would have probably talked for days if they'd know that about each other at the time.  

2. I don't think I've ever passed the $300 mark at Costco.  I would just pass out if I saw $600+.  It's likely we're buying the same stuff, but my Costco is less than 5 miles from me, so sometimes I'll run by just to get the rotisserie chicken and I feel like I'm gaming the system.  My next trip will be the renewal one, so that number will be bigger.

3.  I do not understand how mothers of multiples function.  Dd's baby is three weeks old now and they are not sleeping much at all.  She's just nursing and pumping and holding and it's a lot.  Do twin moms even know how they did it or is it all a blur once they get out of baby jail?  Apparently dgs sleeps great during the day as long as you never put him down.🤣 

Thanks for the break.  I'm actually at work and needed to goof off for a bit. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

13 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

I have thoughts on all three subjects.  

1.  I think some people think all Real Men are into sports.  It's a conversation starter that must work for them often enough to keep doing it.  We were at a wedding and a friend's husband asked if dh was into sports. Nope.  He asked another guy at the table.  Again, nope.  Dh hit it off with the other guy because they both dabbled in bluegrass music.  Poor sportsball guy was left out.  Turns out, sportsball guy was a mathematician like Dh and they would have probably talked for days if they'd know that about each other at the time.  

2. I don't think I've ever passed the $300 mark at Costco.  I would just pass out if I saw $600+.  It's likely we're buying the same stuff, but my Costco is less than 5 miles from me, so sometimes I'll run by just to get the rotisserie chicken and I feel like I'm gaming the system.  My next trip will be the renewal one, so that number will be bigger.

3.  I do not understand how mothers of multiples function.  Dd's baby is three weeks old now and they are not sleeping much at all.  She's just nursing and pumping and holding and it's a lot.  Do twin moms even know how they did it or is it all a blur once they get out of baby jail?  Apparently dgs sleeps great during the day as long as you never put him down.🤣 

Thanks for the break.  I'm actually at work and needed to goof off for a bit. 

Wow, you’re “rotisserie chicken for dinner” level of close to a Costco. I’m so jealous 🤣 If I lived closer to a Costco then I’m sure I could have a lower tally but more often. I live about 40 minutes and only make it every few weeks. So sad. 
 

Most twin moms I’ve talked to said the first year was a blur. Now I know why…they were too sleep deprived to store memories. 

[Indigo Blue]

40 minutes ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

Oh my gosh I just remembered to ask you. Have you been to southern olive?

My younger DD is obsessed with their macarons and she wants me to make the trip there for them. 

I think I may have been there once a very long time ago. Over by the Publix? I vaguely remember going in to check out their gluten free baked goods. I’ve never tried their macarons, I’m pretty sure. Bet they are good, though.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Just now, Indigo Blue said:

I think I may have been there once a very long time ago. Over by the Publix? I vaguely remember going in to check out their gluten free baked goods. I’ve never tried their macarons, I’m pretty sure. Bet they are good, though.

I’ve never been there personally but she says they have quite the collection of gf macarons. 
 

Are you still gf? You should try Burton’s if you haven’t. The best. 

[Indigo Blue]

2 minutes ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

I’ve never been there personally but she says they have quite the collection of gf macarons. 
 

Are you still gf? You should try Burton’s if you haven’t. The best. 

Thanks!!

[KungFuPanda]

10 minutes ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

Wow, you’re “rotisserie chicken for dinner” level of close to a Costco. I’m so jealous 🤣 If I lived closer to a Costco then I’m sure I could have a lower tally but more often. I live about 40 minutes and only make it every few weeks. So sad. 
 

Most twin moms I’ve talked to said the first year was a blur. Now I know why…they were too sleep deprived to store memories. 

I go about once a month.  If it was 40 minutes a way I would just never make it. I can walk to my closest grocery store, so I don't often get ALL the way out to Costco.  It shares a parking lot with Trader Joes and Aldi so I tend to hit all three when I'm going there, but I have to be in the right frame of mind to pull that off.  Mostly I try to con Dh into getting the chicken.  I've been leaning more into pick up and delivery options lately and Costco doesn't do that. 

[gardenmom5]

Dh says Costco is our favorite store.   We spend more there than anywhere else.  (We are 20 minutes to three, and within 30-40minutes of another three.)

Maybe the hygienist is a big sports fan and would struggle to talk to anyone about something else. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by gardenmom5

[DawnM]

I don't think the Costco in Indian Land is a done deal yet and I am reading that if they do put one in they are a couple of years away from it at this point.

[DawnM]

6 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

I go about once a month.  If it was 40 minutes a way I would just never make it. I can walk to my closest grocery store, so I don't often get ALL the way out to Costco.  It shares a parking lot with Trader Joes and Aldi so I tend to hit all three when I'm going there, but I have to be in the right frame of mind to pull that off.  Mostly I try to con Dh into getting the chicken.  I've been leaning more into pick up and delivery options lately and Costco doesn't do that. 

Sam's does it!

[KungFuPanda]

2 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Sam's does it!

Sam's Club is 12 miles away!  They might as well be in another country.  I haven't been to Sam's since we moved from the town it's in.  It was about a half mile from us then.  😄

[Katy]

50 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

3.  I do not understand how mothers of multiples function.  Dd's baby is three weeks old now and they are not sleeping much at all.  She's just nursing and pumping and holding and it's a lot.  Do twin moms even know how they did it or is it all a blur once they get out of baby jail?  Apparently dgs sleeps great during the day as long as you never put him down.🤣 

Thanks for the break.  I'm actually at work and needed to goof off for a bit. 

I never spend that much at Costco either, but we’re frequently in the $200-300 range. Under $100 has only happened twice. 

I will say because of foster care we’ve had multiple infants several times, but only when I had a premature bio child at the same time did it feel extremely hard. Because she couldn’t nurse, so I was trying to exclusively pump. But I wasn’t getting enough sleep to produce much milk. I don’t exactly sleep train but I do follow that French advice of not going for the first few minutes of babbling in case the baby’s going right back to sleep. And that is SO much more likely to happen for a baby on formula. 

[Indigo Blue]

26 minutes ago, DawnM said:

I don't think the Costco in Indian Land is a done deal yet and I am reading that if they do put one in they are a couple of years away from it at this point.

Yes, it will be a long time. If it comes, it will surely bring a lot more traffic to that area.

[Jaybee]

2 hours ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

Finally, super kudos to all the twin mamas on here. I watch DD get so little sleep. They are pretty slow nursers right now. One nurses for 30 minutes, the next nurses for 30 minutes, then she pumps for 15-20 minutes. By the time she takes basic care of herself (grabs a snack or takes a potty break) if she lays down she gets about 30-60 minutes (90 max) of sleep before the cycle starts all over again.  

 

Well, I never pumped, so that makes a huge difference. Way back then, I think some women pumped some, but I never did; it wasn't near as big a thing. I'm sure that is a huge time and energy depleter. Mine were born at 36 weeks, but went home the 3rd day after birth. They nursed well, but they also weren't my first, so I had experience that helped too. I hope for her sake that things level out soon. Nursing them at the same time did increase my milk supply a good bit. I did that several times a day. 

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

3.  I do not understand how mothers of multiples function.  Dd's baby is three weeks old now and they are not sleeping much at all.  She's just nursing and pumping and holding and it's a lot.  Do twin moms even know how they did it or is it all a blur once they get out of baby jail?  Apparently dgs sleeps great during the day as long as you never put him down.🤣 

 

1 hour ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

Wow, you’re “rotisserie chicken for dinner” level of close to a Costco. I’m so jealous 🤣 If I lived closer to a Costco then I’m sure I could have a lower tally but more often. I live about 40 minutes and only make it every few weeks. So sad. 
 

Most twin moms I’ve talked to said the first year was a blur. Now I know why…they were too sleep deprived to store memories. 

 

I've never been to a Costco.  We don't have one nearby.  Ds1 has a membership and I'm jealous.  

My first year with twins was definitely a blur.  My oldest was 3 when they were born and one of my twins was sick all the time (including one hospital stay and a few ER visits).  My twins never slept at the same time and I had a very difficult time keeping my milk supply up for the first month or two because I was so exhausted (we did have to supplement for a short time and it made a huge difference).  I nursed and pumped all the time.  I had no help at all other than DH, who was working and had a pretty long commute.  When they were five months old, I was losing it from lack of sleep.  I felt so guilty because ds1 was an only child for three years and was the center of our world and then I suddenly turned into zombie mom.  

[Carol in Cal.]

Sports are usually an easy conversation for me.  I have absolutely no opinion about them except that I like my home teams to win whatever their highest game is.  But if I walk up to a little group of guys and say, “How about that game?” And kind of shake my head a little bit.  Then they take it from there, invariably.  I mean, I don’t even have to know what sport is in season or say anything else at all, and they will go away having had an immensely satisfying conversation, while I’ve been mentally planning my next knitting project or something.

[stephanier.1765]

I was just at Costco today and spent $153, which is a huge amount for us. It's twice the amount than I would normally pay for our once a month visit. I'm close enough to go more often (5 minutes) but I just don't like dealing with the crowds. I do go to the gas station anytime I'm near it no matter the amount of gas I have in my car. Well, if it's full, then I won't go. LOL Today it was $3.04, which is 25 cents cheaper than the gas station I could practically throw a baseball and hit, but I drive right by it for that Costco gas.

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Sam's Club is 12 miles away!  They might as well be in another country.  I haven't been to Sam's since we moved from the town it's in.  It was about a half mile from us then.  😄

The closest one is 10 miles from us.   But Costco is about 12 miles from us.   We go to both quite often.   

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

Yes, it will be a long time. If it comes, it will surely bring a lot more traffic to that area.

I was trying to figure out exactly where it would be.   It says near Possum Hollow Rd, which I do know because there is an awesome thrift store on that road.   So, somewhere over there.

[Indigo Blue]

8 minutes ago, DawnM said:

I was trying to figure out exactly where it would be.   It says near Possum Hollow Rd, which I do know because there is an awesome thrift store on that road.   So, somewhere over there.

Yes, I think that’s where it is supposed to be. I’ve never been down Possum Hollow. I’m think that goes into Van Wyke, but I’m not sure. 

[Clarita]

I'm "just grab a rotisserie chicken" close to a Costco (< 5miles) and I've never been able to just buy the rotisserie chicken and walk out of that place. It's like the walk from my car, through the store to the rotisserie chicken and back is so far that my body feels like I need more fuel than that and so I need to get more food for "the journey".

Your daughter is a super mom. In the newborn stage (of single babies) I had a box of snacks and a water bottle next to my bed, just to save myself precious time between feedings. I totally eat snacks while nursing.

[Ann.without.an.e]

8 minutes ago, Clarita said:

 

Your daughter is a super mom. In the newborn stage (of single babies) I had a box of snacks and a water bottle next to my bed, just to save myself precious time between feedings. I totally eat snacks while nursing.

It does feel like quite a journey just for a chicken doesn’t it 😂

 

I made a basket of snacks for her table and I bring her hydration drinks or smoothies all day long. 

[Indigo Blue]

10 minutes ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

I made a basket of snacks for her table and I bring her hydration drinks or smoothies all day long. 

You’re a good mom. 

[Kassia]

15 minutes ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

 

 

I made a basket of snacks for her table and I bring her hydration drinks or smoothies all day long. 

You really are a great mom.  Your dd will remember and appreciate this forever.  ❤️  

[gstharr]

I am not much of a sports fan. Can go a whole season without watching a single game. But, I've learned that I can have an hour long  meaningful conversation in some parts of the country ,on any subject,  without saying  anything more than how about the Boys, how bout those Eggles,  go War Eagles., and The University of Oklahoma.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Sam's Club is 12 miles away!  They might as well be in another country.  I haven't been to Sam's since we moved from the town it's in.  It was about a half mile from us then.  😄

You slay me! I was just down near your Costco today; I was at Hobby Lobby. 
 

The Costco I go to is 25 minutes west; I generally only go once a month. But my total is usually below $300. I went yesterday. They had a whole spring lamb in the Halal section. I’ve never seen that before. Actually, I think they only just put the Halal section in that Costco.
 

I bought the Chilean Sea Bass on a whim. We had it tonight with lemon caper pan sauce. It was pretty good!  

[KungFuPanda]

29 minutes ago, Quill said:

You slay me! I was just down near your Costco today; I was at Hobby Lobby. 
 

The Costco I go to is 25 minutes west; I generally only go once a month. But my total is usually below $300. I went yesterday. They had a whole spring lamb in the Halal section. I’ve never seen that before. Actually, I think they only just put the Halal section in that Costco.
 

I bought the Chilean Sea Bass on a whim. We had it tonight with lemon caper pan sauce. It was pretty good!  

Costco and Hobby Lobby are too far apart to shop in the same day. That’s crazy!  (It’s two miles) I try to pick ONE parking lot and do all the damage I can without moving my car, then do a different parking lot on on other day. I put a lot of emotional energy into avoiding shopping and driving. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Costco could easily be a $800 trip for us (it has been, a few times, for just food) but I usually plan carefully and spend only $400. 
 

My most recent trip: a package of ground beef, a package of chicken thighs, a flat of papertowels, and a box of lactose free milk was over $100 here just for that. I bow in awe for those of you who can make it out for under $100.

[gardenmom5]

15 hours ago, stephanier.1765 said:

I'm close enough to go more often (5 minutes) but I just don't like dealing with the crowds. I do go to the gas station anytime I'm near it no matter the amount of gas I have in my car. 

I found the middle of the day, after the lunch rush and before school gets out. 

Or early week evening after 7:30

There have been times it's downright quiet. 

[SKL]

I hear you on the twin mama thing.  Even though I didn't take custody until mine were 9 & 12mos ("virtual twins"), my feet were sore all the time.

Funny:  I initially thought I was gonna give each baby individual quality time.  Like have them nap at different times so the awake kid could have my full attention.  That literally almost killed me.  Baby naps aren't just for the babies, LOL.

The nice thing is that they will always have each other.  In some ways two is more work, but in other ways, it is less work.

[Paige]

18 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

3.  I do not understand how mothers of multiples function.  Dd's baby is three weeks old now and they are not sleeping much at all.  She's just nursing and pumping and holding and it's a lot.  Do twin moms even know how they did it or is it all a blur once they get out of baby jail?  Apparently dgs sleeps great during the day as long as you never put him down.🤣 

Definitely a blur. I remember that I stopped cleaning spit up off the floor. That kind of tired. LOL. Y'all are going to think we were nasty but it was self preservation. 

[Elizabeth86]

On 3/8/2023 at 1:08 PM, Ann.without.an.e said:

I'm not at my house for about 12 hours a day Monday through Friday and I really don't want to bombard y'all with posts but y'all are keeping me sane here lol. 

But today was a little different. This morning for a few hours my mom helped DD since DS and I had dental appointments. A black man in his 30's? came in and I overheard the dental hygienist try to talk to him. She had been talking away about all sort of things to the man before him.

"So is Carolina playing tonight?" 

Man "No idea"

"Ah, so what about this last football season, how was that?"

"Don't really follow that much to be honest. I'm not really into sports."

She stayed quiet. I really don't think she could think of anything else to talk to him about. Idk why but I found this a mix of odd, humorous, and sad all at the same time. I was laying back in my chair thinking of a million things I would ask him. How about this weather? Are you able to enjoy it? Do you have summer plans? I could think of at least a dozen more with no effort. ETA: I think I mostly found this intriguing because we have a close friend who runs into this all the time. Everyone seems bewildered that he is a black man who isn't in to sports lol. 

Then we stopped by Costco. Y'all....$649.72 later. Do we want to talk about this?  Nothing larger than toilet paper and olive oil were bought. 

Finally, super kudos to all the twin mamas on here. I watch DD get so little sleep. They are pretty slow nursers right now. One nurses for 30 minutes, the next nurses for 30 minutes, then she pumps for 15-20 minutes. By the time she takes basic care of herself (grabs a snack or takes a potty break) if she lays down she gets about 30-60 minutes (90 max) of sleep before the cycle starts all over again.  

 

 

I’m not sure if it’s a black thing honestly. I see strangers often try to relate to dh with “man stuff” and he is never into that and then they never know what to say. We just played mini golf for ds birthday and the lady was saying they were putting together a driving range for dads and dh said he never plays golf. I remember nurses at the hospital when our first ds was born kept asking dh if he was disappointed he was missing the first day of deer season or whatever it was. He was like um…not at all! Even so, how could this compare.

Not Costco, but we went grocery shopping at Walmart and spent $700 something. It actually exceeded Walmart’s limit for debit cards, so we had to have 2 transactions. Yikes!!

 

Twins seem so hard. My maternal grandmother was a twin, so each time I’m pregnant, my family points out twins “run in our family” I can only imagine one at a time. I think twins would be a LOT of work. 

[Elizabeth86]

3 hours ago, Paige said:

Definitely a blur. I remember that I stopped cleaning spit up off the floor. That kind of tired. LOL. Y'all are going to think we were nasty but it was self preservation. 

So many things left undone that’s kind of gross around here too with just 1 new baby. I know we will be through this stage in a minute, so I choose baby snuggles!

[sweet2ndchance]

22 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Sam's Club is 12 miles away!  They might as well be in another country.  I haven't been to Sam's since we moved from the town it's in.  It was about a half mile from us then.  😄

It always cracks me up when I hear people say things like this. It's 3 miles just to get to town and ds's bus stop from our house. 5 miles to Walmart and McDonalds. 10 miles to ds's school which I pick him up 4 days a week because he has afterschool activities. 90+ miles to Sam's Club, Lowe's Home Depot, Target and bigger Walmarts than our local one. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's is almost 150 miles away. I think there might be a Costco there, I don't remember. We usually only go to that city for medical appointments and emergencies. You know you live way out in the country when routine medical appointments require at least an hour drive and specialists require an overnight hotel stay lol.

[Kassia]

4 hours ago, Paige said:

Definitely a blur. I remember that I stopped cleaning spit up off the floor. That kind of tired. LOL. Y'all are going to think we were nasty but it was self preservation. 

I did that too.  My kids all spit up a lot and I just didn't have the energy to keep wiping it up or changing my clothes or washing it out of my hair...  

[Renai]

4 hours ago, Paige said:

Definitely a blur. I remember that I stopped cleaning spit up off the floor. That kind of tired. LOL. Y'all are going to think we were nasty but it was self preservation. 

I think I must have been on autopilot one day, because I'm pretty sure I walked into Walmart with my nursing bra open and one side exposed one day.

[Elizabeth86]

9 hours ago, sweet2ndchance said:

It always cracks me up when I hear people say things like this. It's 3 miles just to get to town and ds's bus stop from our house. 5 miles to Walmart and McDonalds. 10 miles to ds's school which I pick him up 4 days a week because he has afterschool activities. 90+ miles to Sam's Club, Lowe's Home Depot, Target and bigger Walmarts than our local one. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's is almost 150 miles away. I think there might be a Costco there, I don't remember. We usually only go to that city for medical appointments and emergencies. You know you live way out in the country when routine medical appointments require at least an hour drive and specialists require an overnight hotel stay lol.

Same! Everything is at least 12 miles away.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Elizabeth86

[Renai]

On 3/8/2023 at 11:08 AM, Ann.without.an.e said:

I'm not at my house for about 12 hours a day Monday through Friday and I really don't want to bombard y'all with posts but y'all are keeping me sane here lol. 

But today was a little different. This morning for a few hours my mom helped DD since DS and I had dental appointments. A black man in his 30's? came in and I overheard the dental hygienist try to talk to him. She had been talking away about all sort of things to the man before him.

"So is Carolina playing tonight?" 

Man "No idea"

"Ah, so what about this last football season, how was that?"

"Don't really follow that much to be honest. I'm not really into sports."

She stayed quiet. I really don't think she could think of anything else to talk to him about. Idk why but I found this a mix of odd, humorous, and sad all at the same time. I was laying back in my chair thinking of a million things I would ask him. How about this weather? Are you able to enjoy it? Do you have summer plans? I could think of at least a dozen more with no effort. ETA: I think I mostly found this intriguing because we have a close friend who runs into this all the time. Everyone seems bewildered that he is a black man who isn't in to sports lol. 

1 hour ago, Elizabeth86 said:

I’m not sure if it’s a black thing honestly. I see strangers often try to relate to dh with “man stuff” and he is never into that and then they never know what to say. We just played mini golf for ds birthday and the lady was saying they were putting together a driving range for dads and dh said he never plays golf. I remember nurses at the hospital when our first ds was born kept asking dh if he was disappointed he was missing the first day of deer season or whatever it was. He was like um…not at all! Even so, how could this compare.

 

It can be a black thing, to a point, and I'm female. When I moved to my current city (20+ years ago), there were just not a lot of us around (still aren't). No, I don't watch basketball; I really don't know about that artist because I don't listen to that music; no, I don't know how to dance; actually that's not my political persuasion. People really didn't know what else to talk to me about, and assumed who I was based on stereotypes. 😅 I felt sorry for them and bailed them out - Is the weather always like this at this time of year? etc.

[Rosie_0801]

19 hours ago, Quill said:

The Costco I go to is 25 minutes west; I generally only go once a month. But my total is usually below $300. I went yesterday. They had a whole spring lamb in the Halal section. I’ve never seen that before. Actually, I think they only just put the Halal section in that Costco.

People are beginning their pre-Ramadan cooking.

[NorthernBeth]

I do think the sports talk can just be how some people view all men.   We live in the north which is hockey territory.  People will often try to start a conversation with my husband about last night's hockey game, and don't quite know what to say when he says he hasn't watched it. You can kind of just see them baffled.... what Canadian man doesn't watch hockey?????     But he is originally from Texas and when he gets a chance, he mostly watches American football.   He absolutely loves poetry and music, but no one ever tries to start a conversation with him about poetry!!!   ( Note:  he also loves older wrestling, but because he is used to hanging out with artsy types who have no use for wrestling, he would never think to bring up wrestling as a conversation starter!)  

 

My nearest Costco is a plane ride and a 5 hour car drive after that, so I can't help you there.   We definitely spend 600 up here for groceries if we are trying to stock up.

 

[LucyStoner]

1. My (white) husband isn’t into sports.  This has been confusing for some people at times. I’m super into baseball and women’s basketball but no one ever tries to make small talk with me about it except for one of my co-workers.  I know it’s dialed up for black men though because my brother gets that a lot.  He’s only into sports as a fair weather fan and he likes winning streaks (significantly more income for him at one of his jobs) but it does seem to be the main way a lot of white people try to relate to him.  
 

2. Costco is a $500-600 trip for us at least 1/month.  We leave with these huge carts and the receipt checker is always like “that will last awhile” and I’m like “six teenagers, I’ll be back sooner than you know it!”

3. Breastfeeding newborn twins is two full-time jobs.  My hat is off to your daughter.  For me the sleep loss was 100% the hardest thing about parenting and I never had twins.  
 

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by LucyStoner

[Ann.without.an.e]

21 hours ago, Renai said:

It can be a black thing, to a point, and I'm female. When I moved to my current city (20+ years ago), there were just not a lot of us around (still aren't). No, I don't watch basketball; I really don't know about that artist because I don't listen to that music; no, I don't know how to dance; actually that's not my political persuasion. People really didn't know what else to talk to me about, and assumed who I was based on stereotypes. 😅 I felt sorry for them and bailed them out - Is the weather always like this at this time of year? etc.

 

3 hours ago, NorthernBeth said:

I do think the sports talk can just be how some people view all men.   We live in the north which is hockey territory.  People will often try to start a conversation with my husband about last night's hockey game, and don't quite know what to say when he says he hasn't watched it. You can kind of just see them baffled.... what Canadian man doesn't watch hockey?????     But he is originally from Texas and when he gets a chance, he mostly watches American football.   He absolutely loves poetry and music, but no one ever tries to start a conversation with him about poetry!!!   ( Note:  he also loves older wrestling, but because he is used to hanging out with artsy types who have no use for wrestling, he would never think to bring up wrestling as a conversation starter!)  

 

My nearest Costco is a plane ride and a 5 hour car drive after that, so I can't help you there.   We definitely spend 600 up here for groceries if we are trying to stock up.

 

 

2 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

1. My (white) husband isn’t into sports.  This has been confusing for some people at times. I’m super into baseball and women’s basketball but no one ever tries to make small talk with me about it except for one of my co-workers.  I know it’s dialed up for black men though because my brother gets that a lot.  He’s only into sports as a fair weather fan and he likes winning streaks (significantly more income for him at one of his jobs) but it does seem to be the main way a lot of people try to relate to him.  
 

2. Costco is a $500-600 trip for us at least 1/month.  We leave with these huge carts and the receipt checker is always like “that will last awhile” and I’m like “six teenagers, I’ll be back sooner than you know it!”

3. Breastfeeding newborn twins is two full-time jobs.  My hat is off to your daughter.  For me the sleep loss was 100% the hardest thing about parenting and I never had twins.  
 

 

 

It definitely can be a man thing for sure. My white husband isn't into sports but people seem to have stronger reactions to our dear friend not being into sports than my husband. This is just my experience and may not be true universally of course. Our friend has tried to gently say "not all black men love basketball and that's just fine" to some people when they act like he has two heads lol

Edited March 10, 2023 by Ann.without.an.e

[LucyStoner]

The only time I spent less than $150 at Costco is when I was running in and out to get a single Christmas present which was a voucher for two nice baseball tickets for $60.  I thought I was going to spend $60 but I spent $140 something because I figured I’d get two vouchers and I spotted gloves which my dad needed.  Costco is an expensive habit.  I don’t think it really saves me money so much as time since I can get large packs and don’t have to go to the store as often.  

[BlsdMama]

On 3/8/2023 at 1:31 PM, KungFuPanda said:

 

2. I don't think I've ever passed the $300 mark at Costco.  I would just pass out if I saw $600+.  

3.  I do not understand how mothers of multiples function.  

People make assumptions about football even when it’s not men. I distinctly remember being at Mayo and wearing a U of Iowa sweatshirt and being asked about Big Ten football by more than one person, but one fella in particular was flabbergasted that I attended the college but wasn’t into football. Really? 👀 

We spend $500-$800 biweekly at Costco. Sometimes we’ve hit $$$$ in one trip. There’s rumor of one being built this year very close to me. I can’t even tell you how much I’d love it. Life would be so much easier. 
 

11 single babies not so bad. I never ever wished for twins. I just can’t fathom the lack of sleep!

[Ann.without.an.e]

As far as the sports talk… 
 

DD went to Duke and never once went to a basketball game. She flabbergasts people when they find out. Even non sports people would go to one game 😂

She held a place in line for someone once. It was with a group of friends and she enjoyed just hanging out with them and then left before the game. 

@BlsdMama

Edited March 10, 2023 by Ann.without.an.e