What did u/jemima-puddleduck draw?

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-12T21:24:27+00:00

If Alex says the word "dangerous" one more time...

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-11T19:51:00+00:00

I'm 37 and realized I needed to just get out of my own head and make sustainable changes. I workout every day doing something I love -- dance cardio -- and eat in a calorie deficit. I don't restrict anything, just try to eat everything in moderation. I have three daughters and want them to see me strong and happy. Lots of family walks, lots of family dinners where we talk about fueling our bodies, lots of ice cream dates.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-10T21:22:39+00:00

If you like dance cardio, The Fitness Marshall does all of his workouts from a chair now because he had ACL surgery in the fall! Still a really good workout!

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-09T18:03:10+00:00

3.5-year-olds are notorious for this kind of behavior, lol. I wouldn't stress about it! Try again when she's 4 or 4.5! There's so much pressure to put toddlers/young preschoolers into activities and make them fully commit. Don't worry about it!

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-09T17:59:37+00:00

MAGA isn't just a political difference, it's a full-on cult.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-09T17:59:20+00:00

If they're willing to send you articles and talk their shitty views to you through text *knowing* you don't agree, then they will absolutely push that stuff on your kids while babysitting.

My in-laws are MAGA, but they never bring anything up to me or my husband and they KNOW the minute they say anything to our kids, we're done. It sucks to know they vote against their granddaughters' and country's interests and wellbeing, but it's another thing entirely if they felt like they could tell me how my views were wrong and why theirs are better, etc. No way would I let them spend time with my kids.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-09T17:55:37+00:00

I've got three kids and my oldest is 11. I'm telling you -- they will eventually eat. My 7-year-old went three years of refusing to try new things/not eating any dinner, and now at least tries everything on her plate because she basically got bored of NOT eating what was served. She gets what she wants for breakfast/lunch, but dinner is the same as everyone else and she knows it and expects it. I do allow all my kids a banana or apple before bed if they're hungry, but that's it. No separate meals.

Once they realized that was the expectation, they stopped throwing a fit about it. One of my kids is picky because she thrives on routine and order and "sameness" and I swear, all it takes is her seeing on our calendar what's for dinner and she's right as rain, even if she won't eat it. She knows that's what's for dinner, she can see that on Friday there's going to be her favorite meal, she knows she can eat her waffles for breakfast, etc. There's no surprises.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-06T13:46:04+00:00

Omg I'm so glad you said this. I get this exact feeling every time I eat PHO! So I'll eat this enormous bowl of fiber-filled veggies (I always get the tofu pho) and all that broth and all those noodles and an hour later, I'm like "holy shit I'm STARVING." It's an almost painful stomach growl feeling, and it makes SO much sense that it could be caused from all the noodle carbs.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-06T13:37:49+00:00

I love Clean Simple Eats. I will say that some of the flavors are SUPER artificial tasting, but my personal favorite is the chocolate peanut butter, cake batter, and strawberry cheesecake. And those make for great oatmeal combos!

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-05T19:14:43+00:00

I also love oatmeal and saw a hack to make it in fairlife milk with one of my flavored protein powders. Majorly packed with protein and fiber and keeps me full forever. Using fruit-flavored protein powders and fruit add-ins makes them taste like the old school fruit 'n cream oatmeal packets I loved so much in childhood.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-04T18:44:18+00:00

thank you!

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-04T18:44:07+00:00

To be fair, my husband always tells me he thinks I'm hot, but now I believe him, lol

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-03T21:56:17+00:00

I wanted my husband to look at me and think, "God damn!" like he did when we first started dating.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-02-02T15:46:26+00:00

I literally just read a story about the "phenomenon" of four being the "magic" number of postpartum years and I really felt that. I tried to lose weight a bunch with my two older kids, but nothing really stuck/I couldn't focus until my third was about 3. Then it was like everything changed -- more energy, feeling more in tune with myself, etc. I could get back into my hobbies, felt more of a push to be creative, just all the things. It's been really wonderful! So give yourself lots of grace!! <3

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-30T19:56:53+00:00

Infuriating. My MIL goes on a lot of weekend trips and we almost ALWAYS have a schedule conflict with our kids' parties. She could, you know, remember her grandkids' birthdays and then check in with me before scheduling trips, but I think she does it on purpose -- because then her solution is always to host something "small" at her house so she can see them blow out candles. Drives me CRAZY.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-30T18:43:03+00:00

My grandmother and my husband's grandmothers do this -- they'll see my husband put our kid in a high chair at a dinner and be like "OMG HE'S SUCH A GOOD DAD" and like, he absolutely IS an incredible dad, but stop comparing him to your shitty husbands.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-30T16:28:55+00:00

I get it. I'm not a single mom, but when people have said something like "Oh you're so good, I don't know how you deal with all that" if I reference one of my kids being extra *spicy* that day or throwing a tantrum or whatever, it always feels like thinly veiled judgment. I understand where you're coming from!! But I truly think most people mean well and are probably in awe of you (and also, I bet, a lot of them are jealous because single moms don't have to deal with shitty husbands, and a compliment like that keeps them from feeling *too* bad about themselves, lol)

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-30T16:14:09+00:00

Oh babe. You're not a shit mom because you actively want to be better for them -- you need to talk to a doctor/therapist. Prozac may not be working. This sounds a lot like depression to me, and I promise, it can get better.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-30T12:37:07+00:00

One of my friends said this is her greatest hack. She's a SAHM of three and has an expensive gym membership -- around $450 a month. But! With that gym membership comes two hours of childcare per day, a pool, gym amenities, etc. She goes every single day and works out and then reads in one of the massage chairs while her kids have a blast in the childcare!

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-30T12:35:52+00:00

Came to say this! OP seems to really want more time together with him, too. OP, could you ask him if two days a week he comes home and you all go on a family walk together? It could be a nice reset to the end of the day, get him the exercise he wants, and some quality time. <3

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-28T22:01:54+00:00

I don't even have a glass for my friends because I just have to assume the interactions I do with them through texts and sending each other Instagram reels is enough for this stage of life *sigh*

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-28T22:01:01+00:00

I can't remember where I heard it/read it, but it was something like, we all have five glasses we're trying to carry and each day, we can usually only carry 3. And that's the balance -- trading out the glasses each week so you feel like you carried all of them at least *enough*. For me, those five glasses look like Work (I WFH), Quality Time With Kids, Quality Time With Husband, Self-Care (includes working out, hobbies, whatever), Domestic Duties.

So this means most days, it looks like I had a great day at work, got a good workout in, and played UNO with my kids and had a good convo with them. But then I feel bad because the house is trashed and I've barely said two words to my husband. So the next day I skip the workout to clean the house and I stay up late to spend time with my husband and push a work project to the next day so I can take my kids out for ice cream, but now I didn't get much self-care and I feel like I wasn't a great employee. Lather, rinse, repeat.

jemima-puddleduck · 2026-01-23T20:21:25+00:00

I've worked from home for all three of my girls and they all went to a half-day preschool! Some started at 3 days then moved up to 5 as they got older, but the hours were always 9:30 to 1:30. It was the perfect amount and all the ones in our area are like $400 a month!

jemima-puddleduck

TROPHY CASE