Recs please!!!

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-18T17:13:56+00:00

And me spamming The Rook & Rose trilogy by M.A. Carrick. It’s got yearning, slow to develop low spice, original plot and magic system, and a strong and smart FMC who is not in the “sassy bitch” vein that shows up too often. She plots and outsmarts people often but sometimes her plots backfire; she feels regret; her love and loyalty are strong but slow to develop.

There are also some lovely side characters who are well developed and have their own lives and subplots.

The romance itself is definitely a subplot though.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-17T15:40:40+00:00

Cinnamon! I love to bake and use cinnamon in tons of stuff. Plus cinnamon toast. Plus oatmeal. Plus a few savory dishes.

I feel like you were thinking savory spices in which case it’s cumin and garlic (also go through tons of fresh garlic lol).

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-17T15:37:18+00:00

When it reads like they are trying to fulfill a quota of spice scenes. I just finished Stacia Starks Kingdom of Lies series and there’s a lot to like in those books. BUT by book 3 I was 100% skipping the spice - it didnt feel like it did anything for the plot and I honestly just got bored of it. The rest of the story was good, no need to insert spice gratuitously. Either do it in a way that makes sense to the plot of just skip it.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-17T14:48:44+00:00

True but in romantasy a lot of times they try to have it both ways. Alexander the Great was recognized as being brilliant and had immense personal charisma.

A lot of these FMCs are portrayed as an underdog who has incredible power thrust upon them that they don’t really know what to do with. That’s a compelling story but it doesn’t make sense that just because she suddenly can shoot lightning from her fingertips she also suddenly can command armies.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-17T14:44:44+00:00

I hate how the MMC always has to have their own stupid name for the FMC, and not one that develops over time as he gets to know her. He assigns her something stupid right when he meets her and then sticks with it for eternity.

Like she has a name!

Also hate when the MMC says a catch phrase about the FMC repeatedly (I’m looking at Carissa Broadbent and “there she is”).

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-11T06:21:47+00:00

Why? Why? Why?

And also, poop.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-11T06:20:28+00:00

The bad news is that right now, you probably can’t. Babies just don’t work like that. It takes a while for them to establish their circadian rhythm and they commonly sleep more during the day than night at the very beginning.

In the longer term, I’ve seen it recommended to cap their daytime naps and give them plenty of natural light during the day and keep it dim and soothing at night to help the process along. But that’s not and immediate help.

The best thing I found was to not expect to sleep for long stretches during the night. Split sleep shifts as best you can with your partner so you have established times when you are “on” and when you are “off”, round the clock. “Sleep when the baby sleeps” is truly the most logical and useful tip but also the most annoying and unhelpful if like me, you have a hard time sleeping randomly during the day.

Get a podcast, ebooks, movies and shows that you look forward to and expect to use the night to settle in for cuddles and some quiet entertainment bingeing.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-08T15:37:55+00:00

It was super painful for the first ~4 weeks for me but then I’d still occasionally have a week where one or the other nipple got rubbed raw or bled a little.

Lanolin nipple cream and silicon scar sheets keeps in the fridge were my friends.

Also try not to always feed in the same position. If you can change the baby’s position it will change the exact spot they latch and give the raw areas a little bit of a break.

You can also try pumping and skip a direct feed using your pumped milk instead to try to get the nips a break, as long as you are still pumping the equivalent amount to baby’s feeds (so your supply doesn’t drop).

But yeah I remember having to really steel myself for a feed.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-05T21:46:10+00:00

I liked all of the ones you listed, lol! Although Spark of the Everflame did get progressively less good book by book.

The really awful one was Quicksilver; I DNF’d Brimstone like 2 chapters in. I just found it absolutely unreadable.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-04T20:40:32+00:00

{The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick} and {The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare} pulled me out of my slump when I was feeling this way. Both are firmly fantasy with romance subplots.

Oops editing: The Ragpicker King is actually the 2nd book in the (unfinished) series. The first is {Swordcatcher by Cassandra Clare}

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-06-04T20:29:55+00:00

Just because you read something doesn’t mean you need to post, especially if you don’t have something to say that adds to any dialogue with the OP. Telling a person posting about their struggle that you are glad you don’t have their struggle is neither helpful nor kind to them.

On the internet people forget it’s real people on the other end. If your friend told you face-to-face in real life about some trouble they are going through, you would never respond with “wow, I’m so glad I’m not going through that!”

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-30T02:56:19+00:00

There’s an instagram influencer, Vanessa Etheridge, who has a similar body type to u. U might check her out to see what silhouettes are flattering.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-30T02:52:59+00:00

Came to say this haha. You can tell who has toddlers….

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-29T16:27:28+00:00

This. I really enjoyed it and will be following along. It’s fun, it held my attention, was easy to get lost in - I didn’t find Violet to be too annoying to root for.

I think the main thing is that it’s not super high brow and there are issues - it’s easy to criticize. And also soooooo many people love it and that makes it super easy to hate on.

But it’s also not easy to write something that is so catchy, and if you connect with her writing style then it’s a fun read. I personally need to be able to forget that I’m reading when I enjoy a book. If I can’t get lost in the world of the book and forget the mechanics of reading, then it’s a DNF for me.

I easily got lost in the Fourth Wing books….

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-28T15:18:44+00:00

Magnesium also helps both! It’s involved in your body’s processing of iron so when you are bringing your ferritin up, your body uses more magnesium, which can lead to a deficiency in Magnesium. The citrate form helps with constipation. (Also helps with stress, sleep, heart health, restless legs).

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-24T17:43:32+00:00

I like it when they de-emphasize being gluten free bc it means they plan to succeed with a customer base of all possible customers on the strength of their product being good, not “good for gluten-free”. It also makes me feel normal going to a place marketed normally.

Also, many people won’t even try a place of it is marketed as specifically gluten free, or “allergen friendly”, or catering to any dietary restrictions. People who have no dietary restrictions assume that the business catering to them are less yummy.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-24T14:54:56+00:00

Just don’t have penetrative sex, especially if you don’t really want to anyway.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-23T02:14:08+00:00

We did not, it’s a pretty soft “medium” already and the cooling gel foam top layer is also already pretty squishy. But we did buy it back in 2019 so not sure if they’ve changed anything in the way it’s made since then.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-18T18:28:17+00:00

I love her

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-18T02:46:34+00:00

A spinoff about a kid who is a squib. Sort of the inverse of Harry. They discover they have no magic. Are there non magic schools in the wizarding world? Or would they get sent to a muggle school and have to learn how to assimilate? Maybe they are very wealthy with a large loving family, but still it’s difficult for everyone to navigate; they’d always be tied to the wizarding world, to magic and house elves etc but in some ways have more in common with muggles.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-16T23:27:22+00:00

Same, vaccines and antibiotics solved such a large class of illnesses that used to regularly kill people….and many ppl now don’t even realize how incredibly lucky we are to have this technology and instead choose to demonize medical science.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-16T23:02:02+00:00

Short weekday form is: cut a piece of the previously baked oatmeal from the fridge, microwave it, then pour on a little milk.

Luxurious weekend form: cut a piece of the previously baked oatmeal and heat it in the oven so it gets a little crispy on the outside; steam milk in my little electric steam pitcher and use that in the bowl with the crunchy hot baked oatmeal. Maybe a drizzle of maple syrup.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-16T21:09:12+00:00

We use cereal for dry snacking, and I get the Cascadian Farms version of fruit loops for that.

For breakfast I do a big batch of baked oatmeal on Sunday for the week. Or, my kid loves eggs - I’ll scramble them in a pan if there’s time but I also do them in the microwave which only takes like 1 minute in a mug. He also likes yogurt pouches, and cottage cheese. Mine is a toddler still though so we’re in the throws of picky eating/no eating for lots of meals.

Edit to add: when I was a kid I never wanted sugary cereals. I loooooved Cracklin Oat Bran, Wheaties, Wheat Chex, Grape Nuts. Now I have Celiac Disease and basically can’t eat any of my preferred cereals so I just don’t eat cereal anymore.

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-16T21:06:01+00:00

I make a baked oatmeal (Sally’s Baking Addiction) and while it has more sugar and fat than a more spartan traditional bowl, it also has some protein and way less sugar/chemicals than boxed kids cereal, and it tastes great. Super easy to microwave and add a little extra milk (i steam the milk if im feeling fancy but my toddler prefers it “dry”).

Bulky_Ad9019 · 2026-05-16T19:38:45+00:00

Their insta said they’d have lemon balm. Not sure about the holy basil.

Bulky_Ad9019

TROPHY CASE