I'd start gently now, it's not going to shock your body if you take it slow. Some people have to go cold turkey, you obviously don't need or want to, so make the most of that and your transition will be easy, mine was. Just drop bread, wheat cereals and pasta from your diet and replace with other items. I know that dropping those things isn't quite that simple, but start with one, then the next, then the next etc. Find a GF breakfast cereal, I can't name brands sorry as they are all different here. For some of your lunches start having meats and salads or soups instead of sandwiches. Find a nice GF pasta and stop buying the gluten stuff. Once you have done that you can drop wraps, tortillas, cookies etc, one item at a time as you find an alternative food which may be a naturally GF alternative rather than a GF copy of a gluten product which IMHO is not the same and sometimes not worth the bother. Just do it bit by bit then it's easier on your body and easier to manage. You can start to search it out in sauces and condiments and look for alternatives that are GF, again, just do it gradually, if you need more soy sauce, buy GF tamari instead.

I have come across similar attitudes, people are rude and condescending and I'm quite over it. I'm sorry, I have no advise, I actively avoid those people because of their closed mindedness.

I do utterly get it! It's tiresome in the extreme. Perhaps I'm a grinch, but if I was having to cater for myself because no one was catering for me, I'd either make sure that what I was taking to share was enough for me to be happy with, even if I could eat nothing else. OR I'd just take my own food "sorry folks, I'll step out of the pot luck because it's so hard to ask people to cater for me, I'll just bring my own food and then I can join you guys for the party without worrying about the food." Expecting you to both cater for yourself AND contribute to the potluck for everyone else is quite rude I think.

Photography, and I've put it aside for too long to tend to the children. So I have two years now to fully concentrate on photography before contemplating homeschooling again with a better balance of doing some photography too.

Super exciting!! Congrats!! P.s so glad I'm not the only kangaroo when good news comes!

Yep, or you eat naturally GF which is generally much healthier anyway.

Actually gluten free does fairly much enforce glutton free! It's not a bad thing for the size of ones derrière :lol:

I'm just horrified that anyone would make this suggestion, it's not fair on either party in the courtship. Conversely we could say that perhaps SHE might not find it so important when they were in love, and she will make the sacrifice for him. Either way, I find it appalling that people would avoid this conversation until hearts have a high chance if being very very hurt.

Hell yeah, I think it's weird. But if I'm understanding correctly, in some situations the young man would go to the father for permission to date the girl. IMHO it's at that point the question should be asked... Doesnt even need to be asked really, just "hey, listen, my DD will only date circumcised boys, so if thats an issue for you, best walk away now" Its quite possible that the boy will choose to walk away at that point regardless of his penile state. Thats if I'm reading correctly and the parents sort of negotiate the courtship.

Nooo, you can not wait until the young man is talking to the father about proposing marriage, that is extremely unfair on both parties. You need to get those cards on the table much earlier than that to protect the hearts of both your DD and the young man. Your DH needs to speak to the young man about this issue within the first few weeks/months of the relationship. Forgetting the young man, can you imagine the heartbreak your DD will go through when she discovers the man she has fallen in love with is in eligible because of this, AND I wouldn't be so certain that at that point she would be willing to walk away, such statements are easy to make before the fact, not so easy when hearts and minds are entwined. And if your young lady is mature enough to have an opinion on this topic, then she is mature enough to discuss it.

I just asked DS his reaction, the girl would be gone-burger. Anyway, if I had to make a guess as to why this girl has chosen this criteria, I would guess it is that she believes the intact penis to be a/unclean and b/likely to harbour HPV that could infect her. Also, she may be concerned that he may be more susceptible to penile cancer and die prematurely (even though the rates of penile cancer are one in a bazillion, circed or no... Yeah, I'm exaggerating slightly)

Yep, if the boy is going to the parents to ask permission then that is an excellent opportunity. If not, early to me would be on the first date. Good luck to her, I imagine there are a few circed boys who will run the other way when they hear the state if their dangly bits are as important as their loyalty, thoughtfulness etc.

She would really chose not to marry a man because of the state of his penis? I have no idea when, early on I think. It would be unfair to both parties to move far with a condition like that in the way. I don't think many young men would be willing to have it done for her (my young men sure wouldn't) so its probably best got out of the way before feelings get too deep. And how... Hey Bob, are you circed? Probably works. How sad.

It's hard to discuss these body parts, without also mentioning the things they are used for.

Betty, I can see why it would be helpful for your disabled son to be circed, but I still don't see that as an argument for RIC. It's something that could easily be done later when it shows itself as a problem. I just don't get the "preventative" argument, because in my experience in a non-circ culture, it's very very (cant emphasis the very enough) seldom that the issue that people are trying to prevent actually arises. In your culture, which is pro circ, I think doctors swing quite quickly to the "chop it off" solution.

:lol: yeah, I was trying to be as discrete as possible, not easy when it's slideability one is discussing! And yes, the slideability is helpful (nice ;) ) for partners too.

It may not be clamouring with them, men don't like to talk about their bits in public. But they exist, my BIL is one of them, his parents did not circ my DH and BIL is angry and upset (yes,still) that they did that without his consent. He is not the only man who feels that way, not by a long shot. But they have had the benefit, and pleasure, and their wives have had the pleasure of the foreskin for their whole lives. I asked my DH, he'd rather keep the pleasure even if it means painful surgery in later life. Should we all stop walking to avoid painful hip replacements? :iagree: based on what I know of an uncirced penis, I'd say the foreskin would be a handy tool in the procedure and removing it would make everything 1/less sensitive and 2/less "slidy" for want of a better description.

I've been thinking about this a lot Heather, and I still can't get your POV. Firstly, if the person asked and your friend accepted, then it isn't rude. Secondly if she was in that place, she most likely would have sought to talk about it with someone. Thirdly, if that was on her heart, and someone had not prayed with her, surely your God is not that cruel that he would have sent her to eternal ****ation because of the lack of actions of someone else? I assume he is expected to know what is on her heart? Either way, for the reasons above, and many others, this situation is not a selling point for me.

:iagree: Absolutely!! I completely disagree! As an "unbeliever", if my Christian friends did not respect that fact that I had clearly known and rejected their beliefs, and tried to talk to me about them when I am DYING. I'd tell them to get the hell out my room and never come back. But then I imagine that I'm a lot ruder and more blunt than the woman in question, who was imposed on in the worst way. I think that we can all safely assume that unless someone is dying aged 10, and from an atheist family, that those dying have heard the "good news" and if they are not following that belief system, it's because they are not interested. Choosing to bring it up when someone is ill or dying is far beyond rude and goes well into the type of behaviour most likely to turn a person further off your religion. It would undo every second of friendship they had offered and would make their faith abhorrent to me. If the ill or dying person know sthat you are Christian and they have any interest at all in knowing more when they know they are dying, if you are a good friend, they will ask you.

I had my babies in NZ, it's all done under midwife care, although I had OB oversight due to induction. It's standard to have a home visit within 24 hours, and then daily for a couple of days, then less regularly until the baby is 6 weeks old. So the midwife came to my home to check my uterus and babys progress.

Breakfast would have been weetbix or porridge (oatmeal to you) or occasionally Dad would do a big cook up of liver and bacon or kidneys on toast *slurp!* Lunch was sandwiches, fruit and some of Mum's home baking Dinner was meat, potatoes and salad or vegetables often followed by a home made dessert. NZ in the 70s did not have the plethora of processed food that America had, either that or my Mum did not cook it. Either way I know our diet got even more healthy when Dad was diagnosed with Cancer. The food I cook these days is not much different to what we ate, except that our main meals often include food originating in other cultures.

:iagree: Except I left after two hours, when baby and I had eaten and I had showered, I was out of there!!

There is a New Zealand university that has been offering extra mural education for years. Not in all subjects, but in many at both under grad and grad levels. It has an excellent reputation for both campus and extra mural courses, now I'm sure it's not one of the worlds top Unis or anything, but if I had an extramural degree from them and applied for a job in NZ, I would not be looked down on as opposed to someone who attended the campus.

Our boxer hrdlyshedsatall.

I have the exact same issue! DD found the nerf darts that go with the nerf guns in the stockings. I think I'm going to have to wrap the darts from us, and carry on with the guns in the stockings, but it's frustrating as the Stockings get opened about 6am and the rest not until at least mid morning so they won't have the darts to play with for a few hours :(