You Are Basil

You are quite popular and loved by most people. You have a mild temperament, but your style is definitely distinctive. You are sweet, attractive, and you often smell good.

What Spice Are You?

I don't know...I don't think my temperament is very mild at all....I just hide it well (sometimes).

The Two Faces of Hillary Clinton

Yesterday morning, I woke up to NPR. My husband and I have found that it is easier to enter coherency when we reach consciousness already aggravated.

Surprisingly, they were not showing Hillary Clinton in the best of light.

The Democratic National Commitee had punished Florida and Michigan for bumping up their primary elections by making it so that the elections were null, and their delegates wouldn't count at their national convention (basically disenfranchising two highly populated states...two states full of minority voters). NPR played a tape of Hillary Clinton saying that these states weren't a big deal, because it will be clear who the frontrunner will be. She didn't bother to remove her name from the ballots of these two states because it wasn't worth the effort (and of course, still winning in those states would be good publicity).

Guess what? It is close. Obama and Clinton are neck and neck, and it even looks like Obama might take the nomination, if things go as they are. So Hillary has taken a reverse turn on these two states. She needs the delegates, and now she is concerned about their disenfranchisement.

The DNC is in a hubbub about what to do. It wouldn't be fair just to hand the delegates over to Clinton, because in Florida, she was the only candidate with her name on the ballot. The other candidates complied with the DNC's request. Redoing the elections probably wouldn't happen either. It is quite possible, that if it isn't adequately settled within the DNC, that this could go to the Supreme Court, though no one is saying that....yet.
This reverse stance happened recently as well, though we heard less about it. In Nevada, there was a big push by Democratic state leadership across the board to have caucus locations where everyone could vote (with the tourism industry being 24 hour in Las Vegas and Reno, a significant number of voters would be working while the caucus was taking place.

However, when Culinary Union Local 229 came out in favor of Obama, something significant happened. This union chapter is, I believe, the largest union chapter in the United States, and almost all of those who work in the food industry in the Las Vegas casinos belong to it. But all of a sudden, the Clinton campaign was very opposed to the idea of putting caucus sites in the casinos, where these people could vote, and effectively blocked that from happening.

It is clear that Clinton only cares about the rights of citizens when it effects her outcome, and she also doesn't care about reversing a position that she is on record to holding.

Is it just me, or is anyone else having a deja vu moment to the last time the Clintons were in office?

Lenten Pilgrimage to Trader Joe's

After a really frustrating morning, I gave into the urge that I've been fighting for the last month and decided to make an errand run down to Indianapolis. I'd put off getting organizer pages since the beginning of the year, and my life was struggling for it (I scheduled three different things at about the same time as my son's piano lesson the day before yesterday, and that is just one example), so I rationalized that I needed to get to Franklin Covey ASAP, and that I also needed a Trader Joe's fix.....and the reality of all of it was that after several months without a road trip...I was feeling quite claustrophobic.

Oh, I'd missed Trader Joe's. I stocked up on tea, snacks, and I drooled over ethnic foods and sauces that just don't exist in Fort Wayne (and and of course, all contained wheat, so drooling was all I could do). And of course, I replenished our stock of Two-Buck Chuck (Charles Shaw Wines....REALLY good, at quite the discount).

Then, after a call to my husband to clarify that he really wasn't interested in my picking up a beer called "Fat Weasel"...I saw it across the aisle, hanging innocently from a shelf: WASABI PEAS. I love just about anything wasabi, and dried peas are rather fun as well. I threw the bag in my cart, but then when I was sorting through groceries, I looked at the ingredients label and to my chagrin, they had wheat (Grrrr, snarl). Who'd a thunk it?

So, the wasabi peas went back. I couldn't have resisted that kind of temptation sitting in my cupboard for another three weeks (but they would've been great in my Easter basket!)

On the way out of town, the kids wanted White Castle for their Fish Nibblers. So I looked at the menu and sighed that there was nothing for me. "Why did I have to pick Lent to come to Indy? I can't eat at any of the restaurants I love to eat at here!"

(in reality, I was not in the least regretting White Castle...I had just got done realizing that splitting an entree at Buca di Beppo was not an option, either. I could've cried. I so HEART Buca di Beppo, and I was only about 100 yards away. It was hiding on the other side of the mall, whispering to me, tempting me, calling my name).

"Oh, you gave up wheat for Lent? " Chris asked. "I thought it was just your diet."

"No, I mean I am trying to change the way I eat overall, but this was purposely for Lent. After Lent I can make exceptions for spontaneous, impulsive road trips and the dietary challenges they create."

There was silence for a minute....

"Yeah," Chris started. "There's nothing like not being able to have wasabi peas that really puts you in touch with the sufferings of Christ."

Really, I have no idea where this kid gets his sense of humor.

(Of course I know that giving up wasabi peas, or anything else that I can't eat is less than nothing compared to the sufferings of Christ. However, if I had not been laughing hysterically, I probably would've had the where-with-all to respond "No, but there's nothing like giving up wheat to cause me to contemplate how pervasive sin is." It's EVERYWHERE.)

An Object Lesson in Prayer

Last week, on a discussion list, a friend observed that sometimes you might find yourself praying for something that is opposite of what someone else wants. For instance, like when I want it to just stop snowing and warm up...when in reality, that is probably the last thing that the farmers want (and also, that is the last thing I will really want if a mild Winter means we'll have a mosquito season like last Summer).

Another person responded saying that's why we should pray the Lord's Prayer and other liturgical prayers like The Litany. When you look at those, they don't have the aspect of "me, me, me" or "I want." She called it treating prayer like it was a genie in a bottle (and especially with "The Prayer of Jabez" and so many other health and wealth gospel messages out there, I definitely see her point).

She made a very astute observation. The Lord's Prayer and prayers like The Litany direct our prayers beyond ourselves. They lead us to consider God's will and to trust in it, to look to the needs of our brethren, and also point out God's gifts to us, and focus on the things that we don't always consider in our "unscripted" prayers.

Someone else pointed out that they also do not dictate to God what the answer should be, but trust in His judgement. Also, a very astute observation.

I shared though, that I had once heard a very good sermon by Pastor Petersen where he encouraged us to go to God with our wants, no matter how small, how numerous, and how seemingly petty. God is our Father. We want to hear what is in our children's hearts, and God wants to hear what is in ours as well. He wants us to trust Him. He also doesn't want us to screen our prayers as to whether they are proper. It's okay to pray about the weather, or winning the Little League game, or having my team go to the Super Bowl.

We take our requests to God, He decides what to do with it, just like when our kids ask us to go to the zoo or for a new toy. And telling Him how we'd like it resolved isn't the worst thing either. God may have a completely different way of dealing with the request (and often does), and as we mature in faith, we trust more, and maybe we get better at that, but sometimes, we just know what we want, and we share it. Deciding what to take to God is kind of another way of not trusting in Him, because we are deciding what is worthy of Him and what is not.

When Jesus said to suffer not the little children to come unto Him, I am very sure that if those children knew they were sitting on the lap of God, they would ask to see a miracle, or for that toy they really wanted. But Jesus wanted them to come to Him anyway. And then He told us to be like them.

In the midst of typing all of this out, my son was doing his lessons in the other room, and had started to lose his patience with his work. I asked him what he had eaten, and he said he had eaten an apple. I have been trying to teach him that having some protein keeps him full longer and keeps his blood sugar even so that he can think better and keep his mood tolerable. I told him to grab some protein and kept typing. I heard him groan a few minutes later and heard him snap at his sister. I had him come to me. He said he couldn't find anything to eat. I told him that rather than just sitting there miserable and making Maggie miserable as well, he should come to me and ask for help. He was right, we were a little low on protein...but we did have eggs.

I asked "Why don't you fix an egg?"

I saw his jaw clench "Do I have to clean the pan?" There was attitude in that voice.

My response was to get irritated. It was a common rule that if you cook something, you clean it up, and it hadn't been followed much lately. So I, much more calmly than I felt, told him that I thought he needed a few minutes alone, and he stormed off to his bedroom.

And then I thought about it. He was beyond coping. I told him to come to me for help, and then I sent him away because I was mad at the manner in which he asked. That is not what I was typing, and that was not what God would do for me (though the cool-off period was probably good for both of us.). He certainly has cared for me, even when my manner was not the best. Chris was asking me for help with controlling his emotions and his metabolism, because he was not able to do it himself at that point in time. He needed me...and there would be other times for teaching him to prevent these moments, which in all fairness are much rarer than they used to be. So I got up and made eggs (for all of us), and I cleaned the pan. And it was a much better afternoon.

Sometimes it is funny that at the very moment when I start thinking I am delving into something wise, God shows me my sin, teaches me something, and humbles me. At least He is gentle and kind

Over the last several weeks, I've been trying to figure out how to express the feelings that I have about the Mitchell Report since it has come out. Maybe tonight, the night before Congress convenes to hear Roger Clemens testify that he never took steroids or HGH, and hear his trainer say "yes, he did"....maybe this is the night to do so.

I've read most of the Mitchell Report, and I would have to say, I believe it. Mitchell did not report hearsay, but instead reported the testimony of suppliers who could provide copies of the mailing labels, cancelled checks, doping schedules, voice mail recordings of orders, and so on. Names were not simply thrown out there. There was significant evidence for the names that were listed on that report.

The whole controversy over Clemens has (maybe thankfully) overshadowed two players that had been near and dear to my heart. Paul LoDuca and Eric Gagne, and I am sure but for anyone but Clemens, Gagne's save record would have been the media focus. I'm not saying he should be spared that. I'm just glad that I have been.

More than in any other sport, in baseball, you really become attached to the players. The ball clubs make sure you do. You see them play every day, you root for them every day. They make sure you know why each man on the field is special so that you will cheer for them, so that you will be at the plate with them, and so that you will buy their jersey.

The year before I became a Dodger fan, the O'Malleys, who had owned the Dodgers since they were in Brooklyn (and for decades before) decided to sell the team to Fox Network. The Dodgers had gone from being family-owned, steeped in tradition, to another corporate pawn (which really the point in Fox's buying them was to stop ESPN from establishing a regional network chain like Fox Sports has now). In the process, a well-loved GM was fired (Fred Claire), and a battle for salary started with the much-loved Mike Piazza. Piazza to this day insists that he wasn't asking for as much as Fox says he was, but he did want a no-trade clause so that he could have his entire career be as a Dodger. Fox very speedily traded Piazza to the Marlins. The hole at catcher wasn't nearly as big as the hole in most fans hearts. Most Dodger fans remember the day Piazza was traded, and whether they were mad at Piazza for holding out, or at Fox for betraying the fans so readily, the pain was tangible.

The next few years were followed by a tortuous experience with a terrible GM who pretty much let Scott Boras run the team (and several of the new players were making gobs more than Fox refused to pay Piazza), and we suffered several mediocre catchers. When Jim Tracy was hired as manager, he said he was going to give this kid a chance that had been waiting for years down at AAA. Kid was a misnomer. Paul LoDuca was 30, and he'd been waiting a long time. He was good, dang good. But he was short, and the general belief was that he didn't have the build to be a good, everyday catcher.

But the masterful art of Vin Scully weaved a legend out of LoDuca, waiting in the wings -- about how he struggled, about how he almost returned to help his wife and his dad run a little bitty restaurant in Sedona, Arizona, but he loved baseball so much. There were stories about how his mother used to pitch beans to him that he tried to hit-- which is why he almost never struck out. And then there was the touching effect of how every first at bat, Pauly would write his dead mother's initials in the dirt before he entered the batters box. That combined with how scrappy he was (one time he was hit in the face with a pitch. After just a couple of minutes, he trotted over to first, after every fan was sure his orbital bone must have been fractured to bits...then after one day off, he played every day while that huge rainbow welt healed). Then there was how he handled his pitchers. They all liked him...but he took care of them, whether they liked it or not. He took the ball from Darren Dreyfort and from a fuming Kevin Brown (two pitchers whose bodies were falling apart at alarming rates..and Kevin Brown was another mentioned in the Mitchell Report -- none of the coaches had the gumption to do it, and he spotted that something was wrong before anyone else was ready to act on it. Sometimes I wonder if they listened to him because he knew they were doping as well-- at least Brown was.)

Then there is Eric Gagne....oh man. Every time that kid got on the mound to pitch in the first inning, you knew it was "Game Over" even then. Only back then, it was clear that if Gagne was pitching, we were going to lose. He was a bundle of nerves, but everyone had faith in him. He spent 5 days each week working himself up for the game and tying his stomach in knots (then he'd go back down to AAA and pitch shutouts). The only game he started masterfully was the one where he was sent out onto the mound only ten minutes after he had arrived on Sept. 1st, when the roster was expanded. That was the Gagne everyone said was there. And that was the Gagne that became this masterful closer. He did well when he didn't know he was going in, that made him perfect. And when that guitar started into the first few notes of "Welcome to the Jungle" and all the lights around Dodger Stadium flashed "Game Over" as he trotted out on to the field, I cannot even begin to convey the excitement. Only a Dodger fan knows it. Gagne's dirty cap and his consecutive save record were some of the most exciting baseball I will probably ever see.

My heart broke the day that X*#@% new GM traded away Paul Lo Duca. And I know I wasn't the only one. Jim Tracy, the manager took Lo Duca's # for his own. Eric Gagne had #16 written on his famously stained cap in several places, and it didn't go away until they faced each other...and Gagne lost and three Marlins, including LoDuca came across the plate that inning, winning the game. And before that inning, you could see him in the bullpen, sitting by the window. He wasn't even watching the game. He always watched the game. He didnt want to pitch..whether it was facing his best friend, or the catcher who would have the best insight into beating him, or was it the one who knew he was taking steroids, who helped him get them and injected him with them....who knows. But I knew we lost when he came out....from how he was acting, and from the fact that this was the first game ever that Vin Scully did not say "Bienvenu Monsieur Gagne" as he came out of the gate (and again...why did Gagne walk LoDuca...why did he lose that game? Was it emotions, or was it that LoDuca knew Gagne was on steroids, and that he had something on him? That's the evil thing about cheating...you never know how far it goes, what is real and what is not. That's what wrong with what Pete Rose did...and that is what is wrong with steroid use).

These are the things that are in my heart. And the first thing that comes to my mind is "its all a lie." The stories Vin told, the love that I had for them...the joy, the sweat...lies. Big fat doping lies. I don't think Vin lied. He did his job, and did it well, and Vin loves with all his heart, too. But Pauly lied. Gagne lied. The Dodgers who figured they were both doping lied. And the fans are the ones who sit there with their hearts broken trying to figure it out. It was just another Hollywood production.

But I don't know how much of it really was lies. Lo Duca I was prepared for...after hearing about his escapades with the Mets -- cheating on his wife, and acting like a jerk in many various ways. I want to think that was not the Dodgers' beloved Pauly. The Mitchell Report says that the Dodgers didn't think that LoDuca was taking after his first season when he hit a bunch of homers. I don't know. Lo Duca had several more great years...never big homerun years...but he was on fire to make the All-Star team, to be recognized after the years he waited...and he was, and he became a regular. Who knows what was real or fake? I just know that as a fan, I feel betrayed.

I don't know when Gagne started. The fact that he had to call the supplier to ask how to get bubbles out of a syringe (a very basic thing) in 2005 leads me to hope that the Cy Young and the all time save record weren't lies....It doesn't makes sense that he wouldn't know how to do that if he had three years experience with them, even if he wasn't always the one who injected himself.

But the point is...I can't tell. And I really despise them for it.

I understand the temptation they went through...if that was even an issue for them. I can imagine the pressure they were under to make it...but as a fan...I would've rather never cared...never heard about their sainted mothers or seen their tears when they were sent down yet again...I would've rather never gone through it with them...if their journey was a lie...if it wasn't them...it it was them mutating themselves. I would've rather heard the stories of those who would be in their places who weren't injecting themselves with steroids..even if the stories weren't nearly as interesting. I'm sure the Dodgers would've made it so.

I've known for a couple of years now that Lo Duca had a slimy side to him. I've been through hearing all the stories about Gary Sheffield's journey into Christianity only to see him threaten to destroy a team because he wanted a new contract in the middle of his old one. And quite honestly, I knew it was a possibility that Gagne was taking steroids as well. He went from a skinny kid to this big mound of a man...all fat and sloppy. He could've been a steroid posterboy....but I still hoped. I know this is how it goes. I hate that part of it...but I know this is how it goes. And I know there will be other players that I will "fall in love" with (thanks to Vin's masterful art of weaving these stories) and I know I will probably go through this again...but if anything shattered my innocence....this did. This all started when Mark MacGwire wouldn't give a straight answer, and I realized "Oh my God, it is true." when I knew it was..but the fact that he wouldn't answer was worse than the truth.

And tomorrow, more lies will be added.

I apologize that this is all over the place, because in reality, that is where my thoughts and feelings still are, even two months later. As each year goes by, I realize that as much as I love this game - and it is impossible for me not to love it, I hate being a fan in the steroid era. There will never be another player in my lifetime probably, that will be successful without that hanging over his head. And I hate them for destroying the innocence of so many fans...and so many fans to come (kids especially)...who will be cynically evaluating every player, every statistic, wondering if it is safe to really like them...to cheer for them...to be a fan, a real fan and to wonder whether the heartfelt stories are something that Hollywood would eat up...or whether it is a dream born in a chemistry lab.

Homeschooling Resources

Ask anyone who has had the experience of homeschooling 20+ years ago, and they will definitely tell you that homeschooling is a very different experience today than it was back then. Now, you can be completely overwhelmed by the educational philosophies, the curriculum choices, and the social and activity choices that are out there. I don't know if this makes the issue of "how do I start?" any easier. Support-wise and legality-wise, I am sure that it is easier. But confusion is probably much easier than it was then.

Andrea posted and said that she had a friend in South Dakota who has a five-year-old, and wants to homeschool, but isn't finding a lot of resources. I don't know about South Dakota -- as far as the personal aspect...but this is the route that I would pick.

SUPPORT AND INFORMATION
First of all, I would look at Home School Legal Defense Association. This is a very good website that you can easily navigate to find laws and issues regarding your state. HSLDA also, for the cost of membership, provides resources and legal advice and representation as well, should you need it. But you have to be a member before you need it. When I was in California, not belonging wasn't even considered. While the laws were less rigid, the attitudes were not favorable, and legal issues did frequently come up. Indiana has been much more friendly, and homeschooling is legally protected. I haven't really seen the need to join, when that money does not come easily. HSLDA also has a network of lobbyists who work to increase and protect homeschooling rights across the country. Be forewarned though -- some homeschoolers LOVE HSLDA, some hate it and feel like they've done some things that hurt our rights as well. I don't know, but I do know they have a great website.

NHEN, National Homeschoolers Education Network is another place I'd go, especially if you are seeking support. They can connect you to state and local groups. I know our IHEN group in Indiana is very active, and has a great email list that primarily serves to disseminate information on all sorts of things and provide support to those who are new to homeschooling. This can connect you to organizations that offer state-wide support and possibly some local support groups that meet or offer help and services or that have curriculum fairs and state or local conventions. I assure you, these groups are there. Whether or not they meet your needs is another story. We started out being involved with them, but really don't miss them.

I am a conservative, confessional, liturgical Lutheran, and where I have found my primary support for the last several years has been from a wonderful group of people (mostly very smart women, and a few very smart men) called Martin Loopers. It is a high volume email list of people who come from all areas of the educational philosophy spectrum, from unschooling to strongly classical and everything in between, but we all share our common faith and a profound love for historical, confessional Lutheranism. If this fits, then go to http://www.cat41.org/, click on "services we offer" and sign up for Martin Loopers. They are very loving and accepting of many things, but really aren't looking to debate worship styles or Biblical inerrancy. These issues are already decided on this list. Though lots of aspects therein are up for discussion...and so is just about everything else. The Midwest contingent is particularly active and sometimes gets together for "Mamapaloozas" and family retreats.

Feed My Lambs is a quarterly newsletter put out for Lutheran homeschoolers as well, and is very good.

BOOKS AND RESOURCES

There are some good books for starting with, especially with a young child. Now please understand also, I am classical/Charlotte Mason philosophy by nature, and TRY to gear my homeschool life around that, so my reading has often been geared around that...I am also notoriously unstructured, too, so I gravitate to some aspects of unschooling and as my friend Julee calls it "The By Gosh and By Golly Method." I have mostly put our school curriculum together by piecemeal, and I will describe what I have done later.

One thing I will definitely say is that there is a reason it is called "HOME" schooling. It is not just doing school in your house. It is tailoring your child's education to the needs of that child and to the needs and structure of your family. We could believe exactly the same things, embrace the same ideals, but as you gain experience, your homeschool could look VERY different from mine. You end up taking things that work for you and throwing away what doesn't. You end up working with your child's learning style, and also your own teaching style. I have thrown curriculum and ideas away because I knew I could not work with them, despite the fact that I really felt they had great value (and once or twice, even though I knew my kids might like them). It is about the dynamic between you, your children, and your whole family. That being said, here are the books that have I have really learned from. I read a lot before I homeschooled, but I have read some of these since I started. So don't feel like you have to do it all right off the bat.

Better Late than Early, by Raymond Moore.
We homeschoolers tend to fear making the same mistake that the schools make, pushing our kids too far and too fast. The Moores argue that children are taught things at the wrong time. And I will have to say that at times, I have struggled and struggled with teaching my kids something, only to find that if I'd waited until they were older, what took weeks (and we were getting nowhere, sometimes took 5 or 10 minutes of discussion later)

Anything else by the Moores, including The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook.

For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer MacCauley.
I love this book and a lot of books that are dealing with Charlotte Mason educational philosophy.

Teaching the Trivium - by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn. If you don't get the book, at least read this article on their website...Ten Things to Do With Your Child Before Age Ten. Other classical homeschooling books left me feeling overwhelmed, especially the one that really has been popular The Well Trained Mind. That being said....

The Well Trained Mind - by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. Their routine is really quite rigid, and I would go nuts with it, but the resources they list are really quite exhaustive and very impressive.

A Charlotte Mason Companion - by Karen Andreola. There are things I love about this book and things I hate. It seems a little too idealistic, but it does a good job outlining some of the great points that Charlotte Mason made, and some feasible ideas for implementing them.

The Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte Mason -a lot more in depth. I love to read, and I have to go through these slowly. But they are wonderful reading, and they deal with lots of different aspects of education a real person. You can often get this used on Ebay or elsewhere.

John Taylor Gatto has some very good information regarding the political/philosophical aspects of homeschooling vs. government schools, if you get into that...sometime when I have time.

I invite others to share their ideas as well....I think I am going to address the internet resources, blogs, and curriculum in another post. I hope this helps and isn't too overwhelming.

Lent....

A lot of us observe some sort of fast for Lent, whether it be giving up something that is important to us or that we see ourselves too reliant upon, or engaging in an actual fast or some variation thereof.

Pastor Esget has enlisted the help of St. John Chrysostom to dig down to the heart of the matter of fasting, to point us to one of the real reasons it should be done....It's worth checking out.

Can It Get Any Better Than That???

Wow...

That's all I can say is "wow." That was an amazing Super Bowl. And how often do you get to say those three words together? "Amazing" and "Super Bowl?"

I am so glad that Eli Manning isn't going to have to spend the next five years having people say the things they've been saying for the last three...."he's not quite his brother, is he?" He really was astounding yesterday.

And I'm glad they beat the Patriots

(though it is really wierd being a Dodger fan and rooting for any team called the Giants).

And speaking of....10 Days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training!!!~!!!!!!!

Well Put....

I must have watched 3 debates while I was on vacation in Hawaii (I know, completely nuts, but the fact of the matter was that there was time to!). I listened to each of the candidates over and over again, and found myself completely puzzled over why everyone considered John McCain to be so downright evil.

I have admired his ability to take issues and bring both parties together on them. I know that McCain-Feingold has ticked off Republicans because pro-life causes and others cannot donate as much money to their causes, but then again, it means that pro-choice and unions cannot donate as much to Democrats as well, so I am not really that bothered. Too much is spent anyway.

But my friend Cheryl has a very good post today here regarding John McCain, and while not my first choice (I also liked Thompson), I am pleased to find the statistics to backup behind what McCain has been saying all along. I honestly believe that this time, Rush is wrong, and so are many others. McCain is the most conservative choice, and he is conservative on the issues that matter most to the Republican worldview.

The Book Meme

Our seminary fieldworker, Jeff, had the hubris to tag me for a meme...and I think he will regret it. There is danger in tagging a La Leche League Leader for a book meme, because who knows what might be near by (Maybe my husband can give him a fierce assignment...okay, okay, I'm joking).

Okay, so here's what I am supposed to do:

Instructions
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

So I look at my desk and reach for the nearest book. Wouldn't you know, it was something I had to look up for a friend the other night, out of Your Fertility Signals.... p. 123 --

"Miscarriages are common if a woman becomes pregnant sooner than four to six months after she stops taking oral contraceptives.

When she stops taking the Pill, a woman may have three months to a few years of cycles with long phases of creamy wetness instead of short patches of obviously fertile mucus. In addition, menstruation may begin less than 10 days after the mucus ends."

Just remember....you asked. I could've done the Bible, but I have it on his authority that it would've been boring... ;)

I tag Cynthia, Heidi, Jane, Melynda, and Cheryl (if you haven't done it already). Come on girls, it can't go worse than that!