Annie

@Gladius You know what's the biggest turn on? Authenticity. Be yourself. A girl should like you for who you are. And of course you shouldn't stop keeping your eyes open for "the right one" but I guess it's like they say "the best contraceptive is trying to become pregnant" because (and this applies to everything in life) if you force it it makes everything more difficult and takes the fun out of it. From my own and many friends' experiences "the one" will cross your path in life when you least expect it.

@Falk Learn to love yourself first, everything else will fall into place. I know it sounds hard, I've been down that road myself (still am sometimes) but it works. Hermann Hesse put it to the point: “If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.” Think about it, I mean be honest to yourself and really analyze the situations when you feel jealous and see if it's true. If you can find your triggers (and there might be many different ones) you're on the right track. Only when you identify the core of the problem you can work on it.

@SMS_Kelesis I have had very positive experiences with chiropractors in the past so I can only recommend seeing one. If conventional medicine is doing more harm than good it's time to look into alternative possibilities.

@paul2016 I have been reading up on New Germanic Medicine for some time now and it makes so much sense! I have a chronic illness and since I understand the true source/trigger of this I am much better. Here's a quick explanation of NGM

@MissMiki How much faith to put into this? I'm not sure. But read up on New Germanic Medicine, it's extremely interesting. There's a thread on this forum about it as well

I guess mine is bone broth. What's yours?

@Siim Land How would you include algae into everyday cooking? I'm trying to come up with new meals for my kids, one of them is a very picky eater so I am trying to make meals as nutrient dense as possible. I use all of the other items you listed except MCT, I use coconut oil for cooking though.

Yes, sleep apnea can affect children as well. Is it life threatening? I don't think so but breathing pauses are a risky business and I'd get treatment if he really has this condition. You said he's overweight, that's one of the main things patients with sleep apnea have in common. So I'd work on his weight (either way). I don't know much about treatments but I know oxygen concentrators can be used for that (I used to sell them). But it all depends on how severe the condition is. But what makes the doctor think it's sleep apnea? Just because he is overweight and snores? Is he sure it's that? Does he really indeed have pauses between breathing? I'd get him checked thoroughly, perhaps get a second or third opinion from other doctors as well, and then see from there.

@Darrick First off: congrats! As a mother of two I can tell you for certain your life will change drastically. For the better. Words can't do justice to the immense and unconditional love you will experience starting from the first time you see, hold, hear, smell your baby boy. Until that moment of your first physical encounter hasn't come you won't fully understand. Just wait... But, in case this hasn't already happened, your bond can already begin now. Of course for mothers it's different but I already had a very strong bond to both my boys when they were still in utero. It's like you're one soul for some time. Hard to explain... But I don't want to be bullshitting you and tell you everything will always be fine and peachy. Parenthood is the best but hardest "job" in the world. There will be many sleepless nights, many cries which you first have to learn to decipher (babies don't cry just because, I highly recommend you at this point to read up "The Continuum Concept" by Jean Liedloff), etc. But always remember: even the hard times will pass. Maybe they'll pass like a kidneystone but they will pass. Will you still be able to continue doing what you're doing now? Well, yes and no. Personal life is a bit on standby when you have a newborn because everything will revolve around him, he decides when you sleep and when it's time to play/cuddle/eat. In the first year you can bet things will be out of whack. But you'll all establish a new routine which will work for everyone. However you have to make sure you're not forgetting about your own needs (I'm referring to both you and the mother because let's face it: she'll be the one with the major load of work here). As a parent your life will not only be about you anymore. You will want to strive, be a role model, spend time with your child. If you really want to be a hands on father (and I'm not talking diaper changes in the middle of the night although your girlfriend surely will appreciate that) you must accept you won't have as much time for "your stuff" anymore. The child will (should) be your priority. You come second. Well, that at least is how I look at things. I have decided to be a stay at home mother so I don't have to have someone else take care of my children, I want to see them grow up myself. I don't have kids so I can send them away but that's a whole different story. Enjoy life with your new family and everything will fall into place.

@Kazman I just wanted to give you a quick update on my B12 experiment. It does wonders for me! I take about 2000mcg a day and my energy levels are much much better. Therefore my overall mood is better, I'm less stressed and as a result of that I am having a lot less skin troubles.

@Tim Green What do you put in your smoothies?

Yes I do try to take it more serious. Problem is I'm a lazy cook...

Perhaps some of you have a few healthy ideas on what to feed my kids. Basically what I'm looking for is this: - breakfast which is quickly prepared - lunch which will include the main protein of the day - supper (perhaps with slow burning carbs?) Their snacks usually consist of nuts and fruit. One of them is a very picky eater so not only should the food be as nutrient dense as possible but also fun to eat. I try to stay away from grains and I use organic whenever possible. Thanks for your suggestions!

Thanks for your input @InfinitePotential Nothing wrong with eggs and bacon but I like to have the main amount of protein at lunch. And we'll try not to consume cooked protein after 2pm anymore (so the body has enough time to digest everything properly before bedtime) therefore dinner can't be the same as lunch. 90% of the time I don't use processed snacks or anything processed at all. Yes, slow cookers are great! I'm lazy that way

Has anyone here tried Manuka honey? Is it really as good as they say? What did you treat with it? It's a bit expensive so I want to know if it's worth it. Thank you!

@Vanish Have you treated your children for anything in particular with it? Or do you only give it as a precautionary measure? I'm thinking of getting my hands on manuka particularly for my children since they don't like to take "normal" medicine in case they're sick.

@STC I can't say I was or wasn't attracted to men of my country of origin. We just met one day and fell in love, it just happened. To me nationality/race/culture isn't important as long as we get along. I don't think there are more differences in opinions than in any other relationship (however I do know of couples with different cultures who do have issues with that, it all depends on the personalities I guess). Absolutely agree with @clytaemnestra! Who cares what others think as long as you're happy.

Bad. Involuntary. The first time I actually agreed to have sex was weird but good, considering how nervous I was. He was very patient, respectful and careful and I am forever grateful for that.

Anyone knows about homoeopathy here?

@Hotdog In a different post you mentioned you have skin problems, because of the months you mentioned (the amount of time of your skin problems and how long you've been married) I believe this issue right here has a lot to do with this, this might be your psychological problem in relation to that. Or at least in part. I'm telling you, skin problems are always related to the gut and the psyche. I bet you if you resolve this problem your skin will get better, too.

@Hotdog Well, perhaps you want to get your spine checked then. Yes, I suppose it has to do with blocking energy or something like that, I can't make any other sense out of it. Does your husband know about your cheating? What's his stand on all of this? Do you talk about your problems and how does he react? A good communication between the two of you is very important. I guess the sex itself isn't really the main problem here, it's more like a "side effect". Books by David Schnarch are a good read by the way. Intimacy is THE key and vital to a good relationship in my opinion. In order to love someone else you need to love yourself first. Unconditionally. It is scary at first, yes, and it's not fixed over night but regardless of your marriage you need to face this problem not for your marriage's sake but simply because you have to spend the rest of your life with yourself!

@Hotdog I understand you far better than I could express with words. My low libido increased by taking maca and - as crazy as this sounds - cracking my back (I don't understand it myself but I had my spine fixed after some vertabrae went out of place and once they were back in it's like a switch was moved and my libido increased, crazy, I know) and trying to find new intimacy with my husband. How long have you been married? I've been married for 14 years now and after a while it just simply and honestly gets boring. You being interested in strangers is because those other men are new and interesting. You already know pretty much everything there is to know about your husband. Can you speak openly about this to him? Tell him what turns you on and try new things. A big game changer for me was when we began to look into each others eyes during sex. After you orgasm just "hang on in there" and let your husband continue, you'll climax again after a little while so the wait meanwhile is well worth it.

@Kazman I just stumbled upon this myself recently. I had some blood tests done almost 2 years post partum because I felt physically and mentally exhausted and wanted to know why and it turned out my B12 levels were completely down the drain so I got myself a supplement and started treatment yesterday. I am sure it'll help my overall mood and energy levels which tend to go down towards the afternoon. I've read somewhere you should find out when your levels go down and take your supplement about 6 hours before but I don't know if there's anything to it.

@Kazman Changes in your diet alone won't cut it. Everyone reacts different to certain foods so one can't generalize. Therefore I'd suggest you start a food-skin-diary. After a little while you'll find out what triggers worse skin. Of course change in your diet and your environment might help but understand that skin problems are always related to the gut and the psyche. You might have noticed your skin conditions worsen when stressed? Mood (and therefore stress levels) might be affected by a deficiency of vitamins for example B12 which is produced naturally in your gut but if your gut doesn't work properly you might have a deficiency. And taking some probiotics as well can't possibly do any harm. Try to eliminate other toxins from your day to day life: try using only cotton clothes and bed sheets instead of "plastic", check that your creams and lotions don't contain perfume, perhaps cut back on "regular" soap and use something milder instead, don't use dryer sheets, etc. will also help your skin.

@Gladius Yes it is difficult to deal with the psychological stuff but it is crucial that you understand and try to solve your issues. Of course it won't happen over night but awareness is key, everything else will follow. @Hotdog The thing with fruit and veg is also there could be a problem with pesticides being used on them. Of course they're bad for you in general anyway but one could react worse to a certain fruit or veg not because of the type of fruit but because of the pesticides it's been sprayed with. Buying organic won't guarantee anything in my opinion but I suppose it's the better option. Mood (and therefore stress levels) might be affected by a deficiency of vitamins for example B12 which is produced naturally in your gut but if your gut doesn't work properly you might have a deficiency. And taking some probiotics as well can't possibly do any harm. Trying to eliminate other toxins from your day to day life: try using only cotton clothes and bed sheets instead of "plastic", check that your creams and lotions don't contain perfume, perhaps cut back on "regular" soap and use something milder instead, don't use dryer sheets, etc. will also help your skin.