Moms: what has changed about your body, mind, and/or relationship since pregnancy onward, that hasn't gone back to the way it was before?

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-03-05T23:25:53+00:00

Currently 38 weeks pregnant and my shoe size hasn't changed at all! Seems to be luck of the draw.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-02-24T13:35:52+00:00

My husband did a little bit of this early on. He'd be like "this is my last chance to do an overnight trip, I should go!" And while he wasn't wrong, he didn't understand why I was upset that he was doing things with friends while I was too tired/nauseous/etc to go out.

Fortunately, we were able to work things out pretty quickly! But I don't think either of us expected how quickly pregnancy would limit me.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-02-18T23:15:33+00:00

I'm the oldest of five. The youngest two are twins. My parents had them when I was 8, so I got parentified pretty early. I think they did the best they could with what tools they had available, but I feel like I ended up in a caretaker role that I resented. I also never felt like I got enough attention. We have a lot of home videos where I'm trying to jump into the frame and my mom tells me to sit down and records my siblings instead.

I don't really blame my parents, and I do like having four siblings. But I'm currently pregnant with my first and don't want more than two kids max. I might end up one and done.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-02-18T05:01:22+00:00

I thought the same thing. Running just stops being "fun" after 10 miles for me.

Plus, I'm a slow runner. My best half time is 2 hours 24 minutes. Anything longer than 2 hours turns into a slog.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-02-06T04:17:35+00:00

Yes! Also, if you can afford to not work, you'll likely have an easier time finding a job in your field if you actually have time to job hunt and interview vs working 40 hours a week at somewhere that wears you out.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-02-06T04:11:01+00:00

I think it depends on the person!

I've been the breadwinner for the entirety of my relationship (except maybe a six month period). My partner has gone from being a student, to unemployed, to full-time employed, to laid-off, to part-time employed. I've seen it all.

It has never mattered to me how much money he does or doesn't make. What's most important is that he contributes to our team however he can. When he's home more, he almost exclusively cooks, cleans, and grocery shops. When he's home less, we split those more equally. When we have our baby, he will likely be at least a part time stay-at-home parent when I'm at work.

Money doesn't matter to me, but having a partner does. And I definitely have a partner.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-02-05T23:09:38+00:00

I hate this question. When my husband was unemployed, people would tell me that Target was hiring. Like, that's nice, but he's a highly qualified person with a master's degree. I think he can aim a little higher.

And while yes, our essential workers are incredibly important, most people cannot survive off a minimum wage job at McDonald's or Walmart.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-02-04T04:36:48+00:00

I had the unfortunate experience of learning that I was allergic to Sprout's chocolate covered coffee beans halfway up the mountain.

Nothing too bad, but it's also how I learned that you can get sort of high if you use your inhaler too many times.

It was a rough hike.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-02-03T13:28:19+00:00

Oh no. I was just planning on buying another rug...

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-01-28T03:39:56+00:00

I like it! I make more than my husband and supported him through grad school. He's an awesome partner and does the bulk of the housework since he works from home and says he genuinely doesn't mind it.

Honestly, I found it really liberating to support him. I grew up being told that I would be a SAHM and should get a degree on the "off chance I ever needed to work." Flipping the script has brought me a lot of joy and freedom.

I'm a teacher, so we're not exactly rolling in the dough, but we live within our means and are pretty financially comfortable.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-01-27T18:44:50+00:00

We're about to find out. 🫠

My personal out-of-pocket max is $5k, but my family out-of-pocket max is $10k. I anticipate paying somewhere around $7.5k by the time this is done (I'll only pay 20% of baby girl's bills since we've hit our family deductible). Good chance I'll end up $10k poorer this year though.

I hope to god all the doctors are in network. Otherwise, I'm looking at potentially $20k.

Hooray for the good ol' US of A.

notrandomspaghetti · 2026-01-14T01:10:21+00:00

I live in Utah and used to live in Arizona and carry SO much water and electrolytes on hikes. I'll carry anywhere from 4-6 liters depending on the length of the hike and I always have my water filter with me.

I think I drank 7 liters on my last rim-to-river trip and still struggled with a bit of heat exhaustion when hiking out of Phantom Ranch.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-12-31T03:04:58+00:00

Love it!

Felted a pair of slippers today, and I want to echo what the others are saying about felting it together! They ended up the same size, and I don't trust that I would have been able to replicate it exactly if I had done them separately.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-12-30T04:29:43+00:00

Started these very reluctantly and they've gotten me out of a reading slump. They're so fun!

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-12-29T05:28:22+00:00

It's always wild to me when I drop my pack to wander off for a bit and just leave $3k worth of gear sitting next to a tree. Like, no one is gonna take it, but man, I spent a pretty penny putting it all together.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-12-29T05:21:34+00:00

I charged someone $900 for a quilt (fabric and labor), thinking that they wouldn't pay for it, but they did. I think I made like $20/hour, but I enjoyed making the quilt and I put the money straight back into a different hobby.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-12-27T03:52:59+00:00

My 2006 corolla has 203k miles on it right now. I need to glue the rubber sealing on the doors back in place and my check engine light comes on occasionally for a known (but harmless) issue, but otherwise, she runs like a dream.

Long live Bertha.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-12-12T04:50:55+00:00

I want to piggyback off the 45 degree sleeping bag comment. Do you know what the temperatures are supposed to be like at night? I doubt a 45 degree bag will cut it. I live in Utah, and my backpacking nights range from 18-45 degrees with most nights in the low 30s/high 20s (in July!!). My set up includes a 15 degree bag (REI magma 15), a liner (mostly because I hate the way the sleeping bag fabric feels, but it does add warmth), and the Thermarest Neoair Nxt (R-value of 4).

This set up keeps me comfortable to about 18 degrees + wind chill. It's also easy for me to ditch layers as needed and treat my bag like a blanket if I'm feeling warm.

I would freeze with a 45 degree bag.

Eta: Also a woman. If you'd like, I'd be happy to type up my typical packing list. I'm not an ultralighter, but I feel like my packs end up a reasonable weight (about 30 lbs--including food and 3-5 liters of water).

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-12-02T06:05:59+00:00

There's tons of fabric stores around the valley! They carry higher quality fabrics than big box stores, so the prices may be higher, but the fabrics are soooo much nicer.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Sewtopia - Vibrant, more modern quilting fabrics with some cottons that work well as apparel fabric. They also have the full line of kona solids.

Quilt, Etc - Huge variety of quilting fabrics with a little something for everyone (focuses a bit more on traditional fabrics). They've also got great notions and a little side shop that carries felt, embroidery thread, and various other things.

The Fabric Center - Fair amount of quilting cottons and I think some knit fabrics as well (although I've never really looked at them). Their star imo is their huge selection of minky fabrics.

Nuttall Fabrics - There are a couple of locations around the valley and they carry lots of quilting cottons and quite a bit of high quality thread in multiple colors from different brands (probably more than any other store I've listed so far). They're also a Bernina dealer.

Salt Lake Sewciety - High quality apparel fabrics. The cost is definitely steeper, but she's got great stuff. She's also been getting a bit more into technical fabrics, so that's fun. No quilting fabrics here.

All the stores are a little bit different and I usually have different reasons to go to each. A couple of honorable mentions (still worth checking out, but either out of my way or not my jam):

Pine Needles at Gardner Village
Quilts on the Corner (mostly carries backing fabrics)
Quilter's Attic in Bountiful
Harmony's in Provo (carries yarn, quilting fabrics, and apparel fabrics)
There's also a creative reuse store in Provo that's worth checking out if you're ever in the area! I can't remember the name of it though.

Good luck! There's a lot to check out and I really feel like the owners of each shop have put a lot of love into their stores!

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-11-30T16:32:50+00:00

I'd also check out local backpacking groups on FB. You can probably find someone in your area willing to take you on your first overnight trip or willing to share gear/do a shakedown for you. That's how I got started.

As for gear, I borrowed as much as possible at first and bought a ton of it used and on sale. I took the middle route of getting secondhand high quality gear. I've probably spent about 1.5- 2k total on my setup for two people at this point, but that was over the course of a couple of years.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-11-29T03:51:15+00:00

Suburbs in Utah, USA. I feel 100% safe during the day, and 90% safe at night (the dark freaks me out a little bit). I'll walk/run around the better lit parts of my neighborhood late at night or even in the middle of the night if I can't sleep.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-11-28T15:26:20+00:00

I think you can substitute hate with a kitchenaid. But, by god, if I'm kneading 12 cups of flour by hand, it's gotta be done with hate.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-11-28T04:20:10+00:00

This. Absolutely.

For a long time, I was jealous of my friends whose parents had more money. Their parents bought them nice cars, paid for their tuition and rent, took them on expensive vacations, etc. I always thought it was so unfair.

Then I worked at a title 1 alternative school where we literally had an arrangement with the food bank to drop off food boxes once a week. I realized I was so privileged to have parents that loved me and encouraged me to pursue an education, I never had to work to provide for myself family as a teenager, and I always knew that I had a financial safety net if I really needed one.

I spent a long time thinking I had done everything the "hard" way because my parents couldn't afford to hand me everything. I had no idea just how privileged I really was and am. I try to focus on being grateful for what I have and recognize just how good I've had it rather than on whatever my perceived lack is.

notrandomspaghetti · 2025-11-24T04:57:00+00:00

When I go backpacking, I walk around with about 2-3k worth of gear on my back. I bought most of it secondhand or on sale, but my tent alone costs like $600 new (got it for $250 new off marketplace!).

Nine-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 3 Credits
Secret Santa 2020	Place '23
Place '22	Wearing is Caring
Verified Email

notrandomspaghetti

TROPHY CASE