Happy Birthday Heidi, Baby, Lent, Valentine's and High School

1.  Today is Heidi's 14th birthday.  Happy birthday to my wonderful, smart, beautiful daughter.  People say they dread the teenage years, but so far, teenager-hood is way more delightful and easy than toddler-hood.   Now, she actually is turning into a reasonable person who you can converse with in a logical, interesting manner.  And she never throws stuff or spits food out or insists on getting the pink cup or cries because her banana broke. Teenagers are way easier than toddlers. 

2.  Last night she had a bunch of her friends over for a birthday party. Birthday parties for teens are way easier than for little kids.   Just throw some snacks and soda at them, and they're good. They entertain themselves (and it can be pretty entertaining at times).  Nothing at all like having a birthday party for a bunch of 5-year olds. 

Happy Birthday Heidi.

It's the homeboy pose.

3.  Keeping on the Heidi theme, it's looking like, after 8 years of homeschooling, she will be attending high school next year.  A public high school at that.  Actually, it's a very small, magnet school that attracts more "serious/academic" students where you can earn a ton of college credit during high school.  She applied and was accepted into it (they look at grades/test scores and meet with the student) so I think we're going to try it.  If it doesn't work out, we can always go back to homeschooling. Maybe I'll write a future blog post on why are looking at high school after so many years of homeschooling. 

4. How about a baby bump picture.

 I'm almost 15 weeks, so that seems like a good time. I've been feeling what I think is movement for about 2 weeks now, so I think everything is going well, but we'll see.  I feel like I have more of a bump at this stage than I did with the other ones.  That either means that I'm fatter (definitely) or it's a boy (maybe) or my memory is terrible (definitely). 

5. So everyone is talking about what they are doing for Lent.  My sole goal is to pray more and yell less.  Many times my life feels pretty Lenten as it is, so being overworked and underpaid, I'm keeping things simple. 

6. From what I've been seeing on Facebook, the Northeast is getting pounded with snow.  Meanwhile, we've had hardly anything.  Makes me glad I don't live in the Northeast anymore. 

7.  I'm out of ideas for takes, so I'm just going to consider this a wrap and link-up. 

Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day and a holy Lent. 

This is the card I'm going to give my Valentine. 

This was created by the Archdiocese of Detroit

 I figure anyone who can stay married to me, must be a candidate for canonization.

The best of times. The worst of times. (Life with 3-year olds)

I don't know about your 3-year old, but with our 3-year old, everything is either the BEST or the WORST.  There is no middle of the road.  

For example

We didn't light the pink Advent candle.  The WORST  (yes, I started writing this in December and am just finishing it now). 

Mom and I are both wearing pink shirts. The BEST

I didn't get milk in the pink cup.  The WORST

I found my favorite kitty sweater. The BEST

My banana broke. THE WORST

My favorite pink dress is out of the wash.  The BEST

Mom won't let me watch any more episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighbhorhood.  The WORST

I get to go on a walk and sit in the stroller in the freezing cold. The BEST

There is one itsy bitsy, teensy, weensy, tiny brown spot on my banana.  The WORST

The hair on the top of my head is brown. The BEST 

See brown!  How exciting!!

Someone is looking at me. The WORST

I'm wearing my fancy pink dress.  THE BEST.

Mommy went downstairs withtout me.  That's mean.  THE ABSOLUTE WORST

I get to close the door.  THE BEST

Mommy went to the bathroom without me.  I've been abandanoned.  Any minute wild wolves may come get me.  THE WORST OF THE WORST

We get ice cream.  THE BEST OF THE BEST

No one is doing what I want them to this VERY SECOND.  THE WORST, WORST, WORST, WORST, WORST THING EVER. 

That's a picture of me!!  THE BEST, BEST, BEST. 

Do you have numerous bests and worsts in your days?  Do share!

7 Pregnancy Rules to Keep and Break

I've been thinking lately about pregnancy rules to keep or break. 

This is a stock photo.  Not me. I have never had long, blond hair.

Some moms seem to obsessively keep all the rules and worry about everything.  No deli meat, no brie, no alcohol, no roller coasters, no medicine, no herbs, no heavy exercise, no hot tubs, no cat care, etc., etc.

Other moms seems to throw caution to the wind and continue on their normal life.

Me...I'm somewhere in the middle.

Here is a list of the rules of rules I do or do not keep during pregnancy.  I try to look at everything with a risk/benefit analysis and understand the reason behind the recommendation and then make a decision going from there. 

1). Rollarcoasters:  I don't ride them...ever.  I wouldn't ride a rollarcoaster non-pregnant, so, I never really worried about that rule.  Plus, I think the last time I was at an amusement park was back in 2010, there are not places I frequent with any sort of frequency.    The concern with rollarcoasters is that jarring and sudden movements could cause placental abruption (which is very serious).   From what I have read, there haven't really been studies showing that rollarcoasters cause harm, but also no studies showing they are safe.  The concern is more theoretical.  That said....placental abruption can occur with hard jolts or stops (such as in a car accident).   Personally, I never gave much thought to them because I hate them anyway. So, I'm not sure what I would do if I actually liked the things and actually went to amusement parks. 

2.) Deli Meat, Unpasteurized Cheese, Raw Eggs:    The concern here is the risk of food poisoning, which can be very serious while pregnant.  If the bacteria gets into the bloodstream and crosses the placenta, it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and other horrible things.   Personally, I don't risk it.  I don't eat those foods with any sort of frequency anyway and I don't find it that difficult to avoid them.  And I do think the risk is great enough to take some precautions.   I actually think food poisoning is more common than we think, it's just that most of the time it's pretty mild...maybe a slight stomach-ache, mild diarrhea, just a slight disturbance but nothing we really notice or realize that is food poisoning.  So, I do try to take some care, although I have been known to still eat a tiny bit of raw cookie dough. That's a hard habit to break!

3). Alcohol and Caffeine:  Pregnant or non-pregnant, I only drink the occasional glass of wine (like once every few months).  So I continue drinking the occasional glass of wine.  Alcohol is one of those things that has to have a cumulative effect to be harmful.  You have to drink A LOT of it to have any harmful effects. 

I rarely drink anything with caffeine anyway, so I never worried about avoiding it while pregnant.  I definitely think it is one of those things where the effect is cumulative, so I only drink it occasionally, I still only drink it occasionally.  I do eat chocolate however on a more than occasional basis.  So, I do get some caffeine that way. 

4). Cat Care:  The concern with cat care is the risk of toxoplasmosis which can be transferred from cats to human via their feces.   You can also pick it up from gardening or working with dirt, so it's not just cats.  I have read that about 1/3 of all American woman are immune to this, after having previous exposure.  If you have previous exposure, you wouldn't really know as it generally doesn't cause symptoms.   I've been around cats most of my life, have worked at farms and vet's offices, so I figure I have a good chance of already being immune.

Furthermore, indoor cats that don't go outside also have a low risk of toxoplasmosis.  Unlike our old bad cat that used to sneak out all the time, our new, good cat never tries to go outside.

Even furthermore, it takes 1-5 days for the bacteria in the feces to become infectious, so daily cleaning reduces the risk even more.  

So with all that in mind,  I clean my cat's litter box with careless abandon.  Well, not careless abandon, I do take care to wash my hands, but also if I didn't clean it, I don't think anyone else would.  

5). Hot Tubs: The concern here is if the body temperature is raised above 102 degrees, it could be dangerous. That actually makes sense.  And I have no idea why anyone would want to get hot enough to actually experience hyperthermia.  That just doesn't seem like fun to me.  This is quite different from a hot bath.  A hot bath you take at home isn't going to be nearly as hot as an actual hot tub and isn't going to actually raise your core body temperature.  

6). Exercise/Hard Work:   From everything I've read, most healthy women should remain active during pregnancy and keep up their normal level of activity as much as they can.  So, I do.  I basically do everything physically I did before pregnancy.   It's really not that easy to hurt a baby from physical activity.  It would take actual hard, jarring movement (like in a car crash or severe fall), not just regular activity like running, jumping, carrying a toddler, shoveling snow or mowing the lawn.  That whole Scarlet O'Hara fall scene.  That's fiction.   Probably one shouldn't try to lift up cars or do anything they wouldn't normally do, but I do believe regular activity is beneficial and good.  So, I still do interval training, ab exercise, core exercise, strength training.  Nothing crazy...just moderate exercises to comfort.   I'm not one of those people who is always pushing themselves or likes to feel like they are dead after exercising, but I do like to remain active.   I'm a firm believer in the importance of regular exercise throughout pregnancy. I definitely think it makes for an easier labor and birth.  My hardest birth was definitely the one I was least active during that pregnancy and my easiest one was the one where I was regularly walking about 6 miles a day up to delivery. 

7) Herbs/Vitamins/Nutritional Supplements/Medications:  If I think a nutritional supplement, herb or vitamin will be helpful, I don't automatically discount taking it just because the bottle says to consult your doctor if you are pregnant.   Instead I do research, read up on it and talk with a doctor or midwife, but I don't automatically discount something just because it hasn't been extensively tested on pregnant woman.  Of course its a risk/ benefit analysis, just like everything.

Medications: For the most part, I avoid taking medications (like Tylenol, cold medications) pregnant or not.   IF I do occasionally take something, I just consult that handy little list I got from the OB/midwife office.   But, I also think you need to use common sense.  There is a difference between taking one dose of Tylenol every few months and taking frequently it twice a week.


Bonus:   Cell Phones/Microwaves/Computers/Paint/Cleaning Supplies:   I think this is one where you need to use common sense.  Pregnant or not, I don't keep cell phones on my body, always off my body, like in a purse.  Which is why if you call me, I might not hear it.  Sorry.  I don't use a laptop on my lap.  Pregnant or not, I avoid exposure to paint and toxic cleaning supplies.  I don't spray Lysol all over the house, I'm certainly not about to paint and I usually clean with just water and vinegar (or just water).   Germ-a-phobe I am not.   I don't do anything special while pregnant to avoid toxic chemicals/radiation, etc.  I just try to avoid it all the time.  I definitely do not think that small exposure is harmful......I think this is more a dose-dependent thing.  Occasional painting is completely different than if you have a job painting houses. 

So, reading through this list, I guess the summary is that about the only thing I do different while pregnant is I do avoid certain foods with an increased risk of food poisoning.   Otherwise I do pretty much the same as usual....take care of the cat, workout, and avoid too many chemicals. 

Linking up for 7QTF

Natural Ways to Increase Fertility and an Announcement

So, the reason this blog has been so quiet lately is apparently the same reason all Catholic moms blogs go quiet.  It's hard to blog when you can barely stay awake past 8 PM.  I don't really get morning sickness...just occasional mild nausea (don't hate me...I know it's terrible for people who have it), but I do feel quite a bit more tired. 

EDD Aug. 7, 2016.

Seeing as how my youngest is over 3....I think everyone was a bit surprised. 

I'm not a doctor or anything (obviously) but in my experience, fertility seems to run on a scale.  One the one end, you have people who are known as hyperfertile, people who seem to get pregnant super, super easily.  On the other end, you have people who are infertile. 

And then you have everyone else in the middle.  And lots of times people move on the scale....between fertility and infertility or subfertility. 

Lots of mothers (myself included) experience some form of breastfeeding infertility, which is completely normal and doesn't require anything more than time and patience because all babies cut back on their breastfeeding and wean....eventually.

However, even outside of breastfeeding infertility, many couples seem to experience something called subfertilty.   They don't get pregnant easily, but sometimes with a few changes, pregnancy is possible.  There may just one or two easily correctable issues preventing pregnancy.

I'm not a doctor, and a lot of these issues probably need a doctor's diagnosis (preferably one trained in NFP who can read charts).  However, I can share things I have read about or that have worked for me.   

Maybe they will help someone else. 

1.  Perfect Timing. This should be obvious to anyone using NFP, but timing really is everything.  EVERYTHING.  And the easiest and most accurate way to achieve perfect timing is to use an ovulation predictor test and when it's positive...THAT's the day. You can find them very inexpensively online..  I've been married 15 years, and have never had a viable pregnancy result from any relations outside of that one day (or possibly the day after). Which means that I really only have a 1-2 day window each month.  That's short, so if you don't want to miss it, an ovulation prediction test is key.  

They are also really useful is you are trying to avoid pregnancy as they can pinpoint when ovulation occurred.  Personally, I think cheap ovulation predictor tests are an important tool for anyone looking to chart or track their fertility closely. 

2. Evening Primose Oil.  Evening primrose oil is said to increase the quantity and quality of  mucous.  This is important because if there isn't enough mucous or if it is too hostile, the sperm can't survive.  The dose is 3-4 grams/day taken from day 1 though ovulation day of the cycle.  You aren't supposed to take it after ovulation has already occurred.   It does seem to work and for anyone having trouble conceiving, it seems like a simple enough thing to try.  

3. Vitex.  Also known as chasteberry.  This helps balance your hormones....especially estrogen and progesterone.  It does not contain hormones itself, it simply helps balance them.  Even outside of trying to conceive, vitex is frequently taken to help with things like PMS or irregular cycles. 

4. Zinc This is something that both the man and woman need to take.  Zinc is important for sperm quality and mobility and for egg quality.  It is said that zinc can help prevent miscarriages....I believe this is because zinc deficiency can cause low quality sperm/egg which can lead to miscarriage.  Also, it is said that zinc helps balance hormones.  Of course with zinc supplementation you need to be careful to balance it with copper since zinc depletes the body of copper, it's something you don't want to take too much of, so consult your doctor. 

5. Astaxanthin. This is a very powerful antioxidant and one study showed that men who take this had improved sperm motility and morphology. 

6. I also recommend the book Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition., written by Marilyn Shannon (who I know personally and have been to her house. :).  It's a good book with lots of very helpful information. 

I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Please do your own research and consult your physician.  I'm hoping this post can merely start as a jumping point and give you some ideas of maybe things to research and consider.

There are obviously lots of issues that can cause infertility and subfertility and these suggestions only touch on on a few, but I thought I would share, because maybe someone else will find this information useful. 

*This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through my links (anything) I get a few pennies. 

Favorite Posts of 2015

One of my "goals" for the New Year is to blog just a tad more regularly.  I'd call it a resolution but my only resolution is not to make New Years's resolutions.  So I'm calling it a goal instead.

Enter the super easy-peasy, most popular/favorite posts of 2015 post.  Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter for this one and 7 Quick Takes Friday. 

So, here are my 7 favorite posts of 2015 in no particular order.

1. Benefits of Larger Child Spacing

2. Please Have Mercy on the Chronically Late. 

3. Breastfeeding Babies, Toddlers.......Preschoolers?

4. My Experience with NFP, Why I Don't Write about Controversial Topics and 7 Random Words.  

5. Stop Telling Me the Cleaning and Scrubbing can Wait Until Tomorrow.

 6. So I think God Spoke to Me

7.  New House Tour

(Sorry no picture.  You have to click to see the video). 

Once Upon a Time to Happily Ever After

Do you watch Once Upon a Time? My eldest daughter introduces me to it when she asked me if she could watch it because all her friends were watching.   So, we both watched one episode.  I loved it.  She hated it.   Now I'm hooked and she doesn't watch. I'm on Season 4 on Netflix.  Not sure what I'll do when I finish that and Season 5 isn't available yet? That will be a sad, sad day. 

I love Once Upon a Time because it's so realistic.  Well..not the fireballs or magic beans or portals between worlds or ripping people's hearts out and storing them in your magic vault. But the rest of it. The way that people feel and act and behave.  The characters are always looking for a happily ever after....and they never find it. 

There is always one new plot twist, one new discovery, one new villain, one new hardship. Of course...that's how they keep the series alive, but that is also how real life is.

And the characters are so real.  No one is all good or all bad.  People change and grow just like they do in real life.  There are heroes and there are villains but they aren't always the same people.  Sometimes the villains do something heroic and the heroes does something villainous. 

Which is how life is.  There is no happily ever after, because crosses are always popping up.  Just when one thing gets settled, something else comes along.  Sure, our crosses are not quite the same as evil queens incinerating people or losing our loved ones when they fall in a portal to another world.  But we have our crosses just the same.  Sometimes we behave in a heroic manner and sometimes we are villainous.  

Kinda like marriage.  Everyone thinks marriage is happily ever after, but it's actually more like happily ever two days and then the next thing comes up.   

Today, Ben and I celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Fifteen years seems like a really long time.  And it is. I remember when I was younger and I would hear about friends celebrating their 15th anniversary and I was all "wow, that's a long time".  Now, we are there. 

A few years ago, when we were only at 13 years, I dreamed of taking a romantic getaway for our 15th anniversary.  Unfortunately a getaway of any sort....romantic or not, is absolutely not in our budget.  So, we're just staying home...or maybe we'll go out for dinner. The good thing about making it to 15 years, and having had a baby within the first 2 years of marriage, is that we now have a built in babysitter who works cheap.....free for room and board. 

Every year at this time, I like to blog about marriage.  And even though the blog has been quieter as of late, this year is no different.   So here are my rambling thoughts on how to go from once upon a time to sorta happily ever after.  Because, after all, there will always be life's little and big crosses to bear. 

Always Try to Do the Right Thing.  That seems sorta obvious and not at the same time.   This world would be a much better place if people always tried to the right thing.   This world needs more heroes and less villains.  While most of us will probably never go on a quest to find the one ingredient in the potion to save some one's life, there are millions of other opportunities to do the right thing.  To be kind and considerate and not lazy or demanding. To put someone else first, instead of ourselves.  Anyone can be a hero...you don't have to pull someone from a burning building or jump in front of a moving train.  Even just putting someone else first and yourself last is heroic...just on a smaller scale. 

Don't Expect Your Spouse to Provide Happiness.  This is where my advice differs from the fairy tales.  Happily ever after doesn't come from anyone else.  You can't look to someone else to provide your happiness and joy.  They will fail you again and again and again, in both big ways and little.  The fairy tales and the movies would have us believe that happiness only comes from true love.  Not true.  The happiest people realize that they don't need someone else to be happy.  Happiness comes from within and above.   But mostly above.   So, don't look to someone else to provide happiness...it always fails.

Enjoy Each Other's Company. This is probably the biggest thing.  A marriage where both spouses enjoy each other's company is a happy marriage. 

What about you?  Do you have any good marriage advice?  Do you like Once Upon a Time? Talk to me. 

Nutritional Help for Anxiety and Depression

I'm not a doctor or a medical professional.  I do have a scientific background, but no medical training. I'm just a mom, who like lots of other moms has struggled at times with anxiety and depression. 

I stated in my other post about why I think anxiety and depression are so common among mothers.   I'd like to add something to that.   Not only our our daily lives stressful and we frequently don't eat enough, but pregnancy and breastfeeding take a huge nutritional toll on our bodies.  This is especially true if a mother has closely spaced children.  It takes time for a woman to recover her nutritional stores after pregnancy and breastfeeding and a mother's body will nourish the baby first.  So, if you have had closely spaced children (and by closely spaced, I really mean closer than 18-24 months between pregnancies which translates to a child spacing around 2.5 years or more), and struggle with anxiety and depression or just plain irritability and impatience, you may want to pay special attention to nutritional cures as your body may be depleted of vital nutrients. 

Why nutritional cures?  I'm a fan of nutritional cures for mood disorders because I believe that in may cases, these disorders are caused by a lack of nutrition and a nutritional cure addresses the root cause.

Forgive me for getting too science-y, but our moods are regulated by these things called neurotransmitters and neurotransmitters are formed from amino acids and vitamins.  If we don't have enough amino acids and vitamins, then our bodies can't make the neurotransmitters we need and we suffer from mood disorders. This is especially true during pregnancy or breastfeeding, because our bodies are shunting those amino acids and vitamins into either the developing baby or breastmilk, so these is less left over for the mother.

The only way to really know if a nutritional cure is going to work for you, is to try it.  And, it does work, it likely means that you were deficient in that nutrient in the first place.

That is not to say that I believe pharmaceuticals are bad, I don't.  I would never judge anyone for taking them.  However, I do believe that good nutrition is vital and that if we do have a nutritional deficiency that is affecting our moods, well the smart thing to do is to correct it. It certainly can't hurt to eat well. 

Is anyone really nutrient-deficient? 

I think a lot of people tend to have a hard time believing that in our society of plentiful food and overweight people that anyone is really nutrient deficient.  Yes, many of us eat plenty of food, but not plenty of the right kinds of food.  We eat junk food, nutrient-deficient food and calorically-empty foods.  In our society, food has more become more about pleasure and fun than nourishing our bodies.  

What Can We Do?

I found the following three books to be extremely helpful.  I suggest you either buy them through my Amazon link <wink, wink> or check them out from your local library.  Unless you live in my city.  Then you can't, because I have them checked out and if you put a hold them, I will have to return them, instead of renewing them the 4 times I had planned.  Just kidding....I will happily return them, so you can check them out.

 

The Mood Cure by Julia Ross.

The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution

The Food-Mood Solution

I can't tell you everything in these books...you'll have to read them yourself...but I will tell you some of the highlights.

Eat lots of healthy fats.  Fat is an essential part of brain health and development.   Most people think they are eating enough fat but they really aren't or they are eating the wrong type of fat.   We basically consume 3 differents fats in our house....butter, olive oil and coconut oil.  We stay away from things like vegetable oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil...none of those are healthy. 

Omega-3 fatty acids. Lots of studies have shown that high doses of omega-3 fatty acids help with anxiety and depression.

Lysine and Arginine. Studies have shown that these two amino acids help lower cotisol levels and decrease anxiety. 

There is a reason you crave chocolate: Chocolate is high in magnesium and fat....both of which are an important part of mood regulation. I like to make my own healthy chocolate....mix coconut oil with dark cocoa powder and then a bit of honey or maple syrup.  Much healthier than typical chocolate and still satisfies that chocolate craving and gets you all the healthy fat in coconut oil and magnesium and anti-oxidants in dark chocolate. 

Lots of protein.   I have read suggestions to eat 25-30 grams of protein with each meal.  Especially in the morning.  That's a lot of protein. A lot!  Most of us get nowhere near this.  All this protein serves two functions..it regular blood sugar.  Low blood sugar and blood sugar spikes is a common cause of feeling anxious, irritable, depressed or moody.  Plus, protein is composed of amino acids and amino acids are the building blocks of neurotransmitters which regulate mood. 

To get that much protein you pretty much have to go back to a traditional meat and potatoes, eggs and sausage way of eating.  Our society has taught us that raisin bran is a healthy breakfast, that a salad makes a great lunch and that meat should be a small part of dinner.  We're told to get vegetarian sources of protein like nuts and beans.  Which is fine...but really you need to get 15 oz. of black beans to get as much protein as in 3 oz. of chicken. 

Whether it's because of budget concerns or diet concerns, our society has gotten away from eating lots of meat. And I think our health is suffering....because it really is quite hard to get enough protein without eating meat. And without enough protein we don't have enough amino acids to make the neurotransmitters we need.

Lots of vegetable and fruits.   Amino acids don't just form neurotransmitters all on their own.  They need vitamins, especially B vitamins and vitamin C.   Hence...the need for eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

Some carbs too.  Yes....carbs can be healthly and we do need some.  They are an efficient energy source and a good source of vitamins and minerals.

Consider supplements.  You can read more in the books, but some supplements that are are especially helpful are L-theanine (an amino acid), inositol, other amino acids, B vitamins, zinc and magnesium.
Stay away from bad stuff.  Limit sugar and consider an elimination diet to discover if  you have any hidden food allergies.  Gluten and dairy are the most common hidden food allergies or intolerances,  Some people find that their mood improves just by eliminating those foods.  Others find that they can tolerate them in small amounts, but not on a daily basis.  I have learned that I am sensitive to gluten  I can eat small amounts (maybe 1 serving once a week) and be fine, but if I start eating gluten-containing foods more often than that, I start to notice a reaction. 

Pay attention to your moods. Try to think when you feel the most irritable or anxious or depressed or not yourself.  Pay attention to what you ate or didn't eat before those times.  I've realized that for me, I tend to feel more anxious and irritable in the mornings.  I tend to feel much better after lunch and even better after dinner.  I think that's because I tend to eat a small breakfast, mid-sized lunch and big dinner.  Even something as simple as reversing that....eating a big breakfast and smaller dinner makes a difference in my moods.  There's something to be said for the hearty breakfast idea. 

Consult a doctor.  I have to tell you that.  Of course, it's a good idea, especially if you can find someone who will help you find nutritional cures.
Naturally non-nutritional things like exercise and prayer are also helpful.  It may take some experimentation to figure out what works for YOU.  I've listed some things that work for me, but you might find other solutions that work for you.   If so, please share them with me!  I'd love to hear your experiences.