SterlingSteph

regular · Sterling Ridge

Two kids, one dog, one husband who travels. Sterling Ridge.

Joined Dec 2020 · 30 posts

Carpool lane survivor

Recent posts

• Around the World Wine Festival at Lake Conroe experience?

  Thanks so much! That is super helpful (especially the warning about traffic on 105, honestly that road stresses me out on regular days). Did you guys feel like the festival activities were worth staying for a few hours, or is it mostly just tasting and leaving?

  10d ago

• Around the World Wine Festival at Lake Conroe experience?

  Has anyone taken a day trip up to Lake Conroe for the Around the World Wine Festival before? My husband is actually going to be in town next weekend for once (honestly a minor miracle with his travel schedule!) and we were thinking about driving up to Montgomery County for it. I know it features international wine selections and different festival activities around the lake, but I am curious about what the setup and crowd are normally like. Is it pretty easy to navigate or does traffic around the water get ridiculous?

  10d ago

• Halloween events and activities around town

  Honestly, we are so overwhelmed with options this year! (My husband is traveling for work that week so it is literally just me wrangling both kids and the dog). We usually try to hit the Halloween activities over by Rob Fleming Park in Sterling Ridge before we start walking our street for candy. I am attempting a group costume with the kids as characters from Super Mario, though honestly the dog is refusing to keep his Yoshi shell on!

  16d ago

• Anyone going to the Chevelle concert at the Pavilion on October 10th?

  Honestly I had no idea they were playing here! My husband used to blast The Red on repeat back when we were first dating. A Thursday night show is a little tough with two kids and school the next morning, but honestly we might have to grab lawn seats just for the nostalgia. Do lawn tickets usually sell out fast for mid-week rock shows?

  1mo ago

• Anyone planning to take their family to Boni's Nutcracker this year?

  Honestly, we try to go every couple of years! My husband travels a lot for work (he is out of town half the month) so the Saturday evening performance is honestly the only time slot that ever works for our crazy schedule. The kids love seeing the young dancers on stage. Just make sure you leave the house early because traffic in the area on a December Saturday night gets messy fast.

  1mo ago

• Weekend plans for Oct 5-11

  Honestly, I am looking for ideas for that exact week too. My husband will be traveling for work that week, so I need activities to keep my two kids from bouncing off the walls. An outdoor morning walk on the trails sounds like a great way to wear them out.

  1mo ago

• Is it actually normal to see roaches inside dining rooms here?

  Thank you Denise and DogDad, that honestly makes me feel so much better! It was definitely huge and dark brown, not small at all. Is there any quick way for a non-expert to tell them apart on the spot without getting up close to inspect dark stripes?

  1mo ago

• Is it actually normal to see roaches inside dining rooms here?

  Honestly I am still a little shaken up from dinner last night. We were sitting inside a dining room (husband is out of town so it was just me and the kids) and right near our booth this giant roach came crawling across the floor. I almost dumped my water everywhere. The server was super casual about it and said it just happens in East Texas when it gets hot, but honestly is that actually true? We moved to Sterling Ridge last year and I know we get bugs outside in the pine needles, but seeing one right by where we were eating felt so gross. Did I just run into a restaurant with awful sanitation standards or is this really a standard thing around here?

  1mo ago

• National Merit Commended Scholars at TWCA and high school academics

  Thank you Sam and CochransDogDad for the replies! Quick follow-up for anyone who has been through it (honestly the whole college prep timeline gives me anxiety), do the college counselors at TWCA start meeting with the students early in freshman year, or do they wait until junior year to start doing one-on-one planning?

  1mo ago

• Anyone gone to the fall fundraiser before? Saw Will Forte is coming Nov 1st

  Wait, MacGruber himself is coming here? Honestly, I would love a night out that does not involve driving kids to soccer practice! My husband is usually traveling for work, but I might try to grab a babysitter for November 1st if there are still single tickets left. I was wondering the same thing about whether it was private or open to anyone.

  1mo ago

• National Merit Commended Scholars at TWCA and high school academics

  I saw the news recently that The Woodlands Christian Academy had three high school students named National Merit Commended Scholars based on their PSAT scores. With my oldest getting closer to high school age (honestly I cannot believe how fast the time is flying), I am starting to look seriously at our options. For parents who currently have kids at TWCA, how has your experience been with the academic rigors and the college counseling program? We want to make sure the guidance team is really hands-on when it comes to high school planning.

  1mo ago

• Small ceiling water stain after the rain, looking for leak repair recs without an upsell

  Honestly, roof leaks give me so much anxiety (my husband was out of town the last time we had one so I was losing my mind). We had a stain in our top hallway last year and I was terrified we would need a whole new roof. We ended up calling 1st Choice Roofing after seeing their sign down the street in Sterling Ridge. The guy showed up on time, climbed up there, and told me right away it was just cracked flashing around a vent pipe. He did not try to sell me a full replacement at all. Fixed it right then and there and charged us a super fair repair price. I was so relieved.

  1mo ago

• Recommendations for a good male barber in Panther Creek or near the Mall area?

  Honestly, my husband uses 18|8 right by Whole Foods over in Hughes Landing (which is super close to the Mall, not actually inside Panther Creek village, just so you do not get lost looking for it in the Panther Creek shopping center). He travels constantly for work so getting him an appointment before a trip is always a mad rush, but he has seen two different guys there and both did a fantastic job. It is definitely on the pricier side compared to a basic chain cut, but he swears by the hot towel wrap thing they do.

  1mo ago

• Cooking oil spill truck fire on I-45 earlier today

  Honestly it was complete chaos earlier! I was trying to get back from an errand (and my husband is traveling this week so I had no backup for afternoon carpool) and I ended up sitting on the feeder for what felt like an eternity. Emergency crews did a great job getting it cleaned up though. All lanes on I-45 near The Woodlands have officially reopened now! Traffic on the main lanes is flowing normally again, honestly just a tiny bit of lingering slowing near the entrance ramps.

  1mo ago

• Worth driving over to Spring or Tomball for brisket?

  Thanks for the breakdown Andy and Carl! That helps a lot. Is 3rd Coast BBQ open every day, or do they close early like CorkScrew when they run out?

  1mo ago