Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Linkovich Chomofsky

Heyyyyyyyyyy.

What's up.

My life feels very 50 mil parts right now and so my blogspirations feel very 50 million parts, too. I'm teaching both the girls (one of which "quit" school today, so...). I am semi-parenting Clem and Peter (Daniel Tiger does the other portion, just like at Jenna's house.) Speaking of Jenna, did you see Prim's birthday video she made? I only wish I had the desire to devote time to making sweet videos my whole family will cherish forever. Instead I devote time to thrifting. How many times can I beat a dead horse? A lot.

I'm not sorry.

Since you were all sooooooooo interested in my secret coffee table desires, I'm gonna just put it out there and assume you all want to know about my secret mirror desires so, maybe I present to youuuuuu....

****this****

Isn't it so pretty? I've been scoping it for a year now. And I'm still scopin'.

I really like all your breakfast ideas! So thanks for that. I really like all your comments always. The ones re: my mom were especially beautiful. The emails, too. It made me realize how much we all really suffer in this world, and how much strength and bravery come out of these circumstances. You all kinda blow me away and I'm inspired by you.

(are we all crying yet?)

I know I gave you the rundown of all my favorite school things but it was before I dusted off The Story of the World and popped it in our car to listen to while we drive to and fro. And I knoooowwww everyone already said they love it and it is great but it turns out that's TRUE. Verified by yours truly. The kids are totally into it, I am totally into it, and we are collectively learning about a billion new things. I feel like if we listened to it on repeat forever we would be expert world historians (cliff notes version). I also adore the narrator. He reminds me of the guy that narrated those cool 60's Disney nature documentaries.

Last week I decided to make ourselves a little family schedule. Something to keep me motivated and the kids motivated and a way to answer the "cannnnn weee dooo _____  (watch a movie, bake destroy the kitchen and pantry, etc) question." I figure if there are certain times for things not only would we get all the stuff done, but the kids can look at the sched and gain a little understanding of where we are at in the day. Well, today is our first implementation of "DO SOMETHING QUIET AND RESTFUL BETWEEN 1-2" and Johnny just saddled up to me like this...


And then Clemmy was processed into my room under a shower of rose petals...


And then I found Johnny in the sink scrubbing his legs with a nail brush so...


IT'S OBVIOUSLY GOING GREAT.

I watched this today and loved it. Kids know how awesome life is. We could all learn a thing or two from them.

I feel like fall always calls for boots and sneaks. I've been in want of these Sam Edelman booties since the dawn of time (in Putty, mind you.) Is this year the year??

And sneaks. I love the Brooks Vanguard but waffled too long last spring when Anthro had the Peach colored ones and now they are no where to be found (whyyyyyyyy?!). And there are just no color combos quite as cute rn! These are realllllllly bomb but we all know I will be spending $120 on sneakers approx never. I used to have good old Nike Air Force 1's back in my pop group days. Maybe I return to my white-chick-trying-to-be-a-smidgen-gangster old ways.

Ah, Blythe, always so complex and meaningful.

I try, I really do.

In other news, I have never read this but everyone awesome tells me I must. and so I must, right? Is now the time? Seems perfect for longer fall days at a crisp 82 degrees.

In other news again, I have been semi-faithfully exercising and I've been loving this 30 day yoga challenge by rec of a fellow Huset Fitnesser. I did the first video after a looong day and my back felt tight and awful. After the 30ish minutes it took to complete the first session I felt incredible. I'm a believer, Adriene! Take me where you will!

And in the most other news of all with sprinkle of tmi, I am back in the fertility business after a whopping 3 months and 2 days post-Joe. And I'm in the market for some sort of NFP device to help me/tell me what to do/require the least amount of effort on my part/lead me to purchase the least amount of these. I have some friends that use Lady-Comp and some that use the Clearblue Fertility Monitor and I've been wondering about this Ovulation Microscope. But I want to hear from ((((you))). Divulge all your secrets to my com box. Let's just get all the embarrassing stuff out of the way now MUCUS CERVIX CONSISTENCY CHECKING EGGWHITES BLAH BLAH.

We are women, hear us roar.

(roar)

42 comments:

  1. Oh yaaaaaaaaay mucus! (The sarcasm is dripping.) I thought I my fertility was back bizarrely early too after Gussie because my periods returned, but what I really had was 6 months of periods but NO mucus whatsoever. Non-ovulatory cycles or something. Hoping the same for you too, dear!

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    1. Did you really use the work "dripping"?!?! Hahhaaaaaa!!!! and cheers to cycles with no ovulation!

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  2. Hahahaha, I'm going to be in the same NFP place as you are, in about...4 months. I always get my fertility back too soon. And I'm just done. Well, first the babe has to be born...but I'm done. Good luck on the advice. I'm curious what you end up choosing.

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  3. So I've tried the ovulation microscope, and it is legit. At least, I could totally see the fern patterns in my spit and everything. Stiiiiiill got pregnant though. I think I must be able to conceive past the window of what is usually considered "safe" (re: all signs, really) because it has happened to me twice (once before, and once since getting the microscope). "Look, honey, all the things say we should be good now!" Nope. I want to try a monitor and see if I notice a pattern in the actual hormones.

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    1. Ok, I got the fertility microscope and it was kinda fun to see the ferning and everything. BUT I did it conjunction with the Marquette (Clearblue monitor) because I realllllly didn't want to risk it. I would say it's probably fine on its own before the 1st 6 months IF you're EBF, but if not, I'd use it with another method. Marquette is $$ but so, so worth it. Completely objective and best of all NO MUCUS observation during post-partum! That is my nemesis, since it's super confusing. I highly recommend Marquette for post-partum, and there is a lot of support on the Facebook group and teh official forums on the website.

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  4. The Marquette Model with the use of the Clearblue Fertility Monitor has been a life-saver for this super fertile mama. It's totally worth the money, especially when our spacing in the beginning was 17 months, 13 months, 17 months, etc. We now have spaces of 2 years and it's downright magical. We could have more but have decided 2 years has been a good amount of space. After the 7th though, I think maybe we're in for the long haul. Hubby and I are getting old! Anyway, blessings with whatever you choose! http://nfp.marquette.edu/

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  5. I use the Natural Cycles app on my phone AND LETS NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN. Gawd-egg whites, you went there...

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    1. I have a four month old and was intrigued by your suggestion for this app. But when I put in July 2014 for my last cycle, it told me that was too long ago and wouldn't let me proceed. Any suggestions? My cycles haven't returned yet post partum, but usually do about 5-6 months pp.

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    2. Hey Sarah!

      I've used a couple different apps over the past few years to successfully avoid getting pregnant. When I had an Android phone, I loved using OvuView because it was super simple and let you track a ton of different symptoms, so it was great for every NFP method. :) After ditching my Android for an iPhone, I've used both Kindara and Clue, and both have been fine and get the job done, but I found Kindara to be more clunky as far as the app design goes, and Clue to be less intuitive about predicting future cycles based off of past cycles.

      I'm half tempted to switch back to an Android just to use the OvuView app, I liked it that much!

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  6. I second the Marquette recommendation. There is a FB group for the method in addition to the user forum. You have to pay for the forum and all updated information on the website now.

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  7. I love being your e-friend and IRL, amiright? You're outstanding.

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  8. The lady-comp has been workin its magic for us for the last year and a half (and I am super fertile). Not as fun though since my on year old decided to hate sleeping and I am up too much to get an accurate morning temp. Our HSA payed for it which was pretty great and they also gave me a billing code for "generic medical device" to submit to insurance (which I never did because lazy).

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  9. If you've already started your cycle I've found the Lh strips from Amazon the easiest and cheapest way to go. If you haven't started your cycle yet, Clear Blue can be helpful along with separate bedrooms ;)

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    1. Yah, second the second bedrooms! :) Ain't no NFP method gonna reduce the need for abstinence. :P

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  10. I love the kindara app because it's free :)

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  11. I use the Selene App and have had no babies since beginning it!!! :) Love your blog, Blythe

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  13. I feel your menstrual pain. After the 6th baby, exclusively breastfed, my cycle returned at 8 weeks. 8 friggin' weeks. We use the Marquette Model because the test strips are a whole lot cheaper than babies. Good luck!

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    1. Forgot to mention that I'm really intrigued by YONO coming out soon. It's an earbud you wear at night that takes your basal temp for you and sends it to your phone which charts it all. Look it up :)

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  14. I used LadyComp for 2 years successfully- highly recommend it! The next gen model is out now too, which works with your smartphone somehow to do all that fun smartphoney stuff. I never even had to chart or think about mucus at all- total plus!

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  15. Those Sam Edelman Petty booties are my best purchase of the past year. I live close to the Zappos outlet and found them there in perfect condition for $30! I couldn't believe it. Now I want to get the black pair too, I know I'll never get lucky enough to get them at that price twice.

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  16. Save me, Daniel Tiger!

    oh and Lady Comp all the way. It's crazy expensive but works great (mind you, after it takes roughly three months to "know you")

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  17. Here goes: ladycomp helped me avoid getting pregnant after I had Jordan for nearly 2 years and then helped me conceive Wes - in conjunction with Fertility Friend mobile app (I loooooooooove this app). HOWEVER I got preg w Will and I was like um ok WHAT? WHEN? WHY? (And the answer is because he is the most perfect addition to our family however unintended and unscheduled. Proud/blush face emoji.) now I'm taking ovulation tests that look for my LH surge until I get my friend Flo back and we'll ladycomp and FF mobile it right on back up.

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  18. The Ovacue monitor will create a chart FOR you. Just plug it in the computer with a USB cord.

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  19. My cycle comes back super quick (3-4 months) and the Marquette/Clearblue has been awesome for us. The protocols are very straightforward (postpartum and breastfeeding) and it doesn't matter if you are waking/getting up at different/all hours of the night. You can record online, too, and if needed the Marquette ppl will consult with you. The only drawback is ~2 a year, the machine won't detect a peak, so it's kind of extended abstinence situation, but much better than all-the-time confusion!

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  20. i'm following this thread -- can anyone vouch for Persona (by Clearblue)? I'm reading online that it gives the biggest window to abstain versus the CB fertility monitor which gives the shortest window..
    Also for anyone else, how long do these fertility monitors last? Are the constantly being updated? I've got nearly ten years left of fertility (if all goes by the book, of course) and if investing in one (up to 500$!) I'd hate to need a new iOS, so to speak, in a year or two...

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    1. I should clarify that I mean the sticks.. do they ever make a "new one" so that the old ones are no longer being sold?

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  21. I also like Marquette/clearblue. As someone else mentioned, sometimes it misses a peak, but I found that became less frequent the longer I used the monitor. Not sure how exactly the program works but its supposed to "get to know you" after awhile. Good luck with whichever method you choose!

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  22. The Ova-Cue fertility monitor is awesome. Expensive initial purchase but nothing to buy afterwards.... no strips etc. Two parts to it - one predicts fertile window, other confirms ovulation to 98% accuracy. It is a must to have both parts for full effectiveness if avoiding pregnancy. If you use it for a few days after your confirmed ovulation it will also tell you if your body tried to ovulate, failed and tries again. Genius.

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  23. so - just to enter my two cents :) i found out the kindara app developed a thermometer that AUTOMATICALLY links to your app and tracks for you. sounds like a nice back up to me. i pre-ordered it for december ( i think that is when it launches) and it will be a welcome addition to my usual NFP (creighton) methods. best of luck mama, you're doing a great job!

    link to thermometer:

    https://kindara.com/wink

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  24. Team Marquette! I was in on their research study 6 years ago, actually and got a free monitor! (I got pregnant because I miscounted days, but it was TOTALLY MY FAULT.)

    Oh, and my son is almost 15 months old and I literally just got my period back yesterday. I think my body knows I just cannot deal with closely-spaced kids. ;)

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  25. I'm also trying to figure out some kind of device--just having gotten my period back consistently (as of 19 months...!?!) but in the meantime the Wondfo brand ovulation test sticks from Amazon have been working like a cheap little charm to help me figure out what time of month it is.

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  26. This monitor looks really good,We only got a video one when the youngest was born before that we just had the old style non video monitors,I think video ones are so much better.

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