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En Eff Pee.

I promise I didn’t forget it.

I think summer time naturally smokes the bees out of a blogger’s bonnet because my favorite bloggers are taking blogging vacays left and right. Rightly so. The summer winds come blowing in, and we’re all too balmy to type.  Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and read what everyone else is saying.

But balmy is Natural Family Planning talk anyway, so here I go from my reclined position as a READER, with a list of 5 favorite Natural Family Planning things to check out, if ye be so inclined.

–1–

Favorite Svellerella NFP post.

Because I’ve done and said my peace tenfold about my position on the matter concerning fertility, women’s whole health, and all that jazz, we’ll start off with a self promote, obviously.  Actually, I just wanted to resurface this classic NFP swag pic. I still don’t know what my hand is doing there. awkward.

I wrote this last year, and (aside from the embarrassing writing) by golly, if that wasn’t a self prophesy which is slowly inching its sad way into fulfill-dom, I don’t know what is.  Health issues is me this year, and for the first time in my life, I’ll be visiting a doctor which practices NaPro technology this summer.  I had a quick visit earlier this month to rule out some scariness and boy, oh boy was it nice to talk to a doctor who didn’t look upon my face with belittling eyebrows and say, “NFP, eh? Well, that just means more business for me!”  Because my last OBGYN, yes ma’am, he looked me dead in the eyes and said that.  How can a doctor be pro natural birth, and health and everything else natural on earth, but when it comes to natural fertility awareness? Eyeballs roll.

When I showed my NaPro doctor my charts, his eyes didn’t gloss over with ignorance and prejudice.
His brow furrowed in concentration, and he read them. HE READ THEM!

–2–

Favorite Charting App

Kindara App.

•  It’s free. 
•  It’s sympto-thermal, but you don’t have to chart that way.  For example, some months, I record only cervical fluid, and some months I remember to include basal body temperatures.
• It’s customizable.  You can add any symptom you’d like and it’ll pop up on your daily chart. Extreme cramps? Nausea? HORMONAL RAGE? You can check that box instead of manually entering it in a note. This is handy if your doctor is trying to help you diagnose health issues.
• There’s a Kindara community.  If you choose, you can anonymously share your chart, and get some help with it.  If you opt not to share, you can still check out the community and view other women’s charts, and privately compare them to your own.  I have learned a lot by comparing my charts to other ladies.
• Kindara’s knowledge base is extremely helpful.  Right in the app, you can access help guides which remind you how and why to chart certain symptoms, and what those symptoms or patterns might suggest of your fertility and health.  I’ve also emailed them for help placing a coverline, and I received a response almost immediately.

And P.S. The Kindara website?  It’s beautiful.  Check it out.

–3–

Favorite NFP Book.

Do I really have to say it? Simcha’s book, of course.

It’s easy to read– easy to be interrupted by children and chores, and easy to return to and pick up where I was and not feel burdened to backtrack so I know what’s going on.
I absolutely LOVE that Simcha addresses the controversial part of NFP, “What is a just reason to delay pregnancy?”

She smashes the woeful misunderstanding of non-Catholics that there are these rigid, strict absolutes defining for each person the EXACT justification for abstaining and delaying pregnancy. There might be a few, but mostly, its different for every family, in every part of the world and Simcha points it out.

Simcha does admit the book is written for those who already understand NFP, and those who understand Church teaching. So basically, after you read the Bible, the Catechism, St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, and finally Taking Charge of Your Fertility, refer to Simcha Fisher’s book.

The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning goes a little something like this:

–4–

 Other favorite NFP blog post 

Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas wrote this one a few years ago, but I always come back to it.  She also has a series: Women Speak on NFP which is  e x t e n s i v e  and inspiring to read the differing points of view about NFP.

–5–

One more.

Patheos blogger Jen Fitz wrote a funny, to-the-point post with some common sense reasons to learn NFP. She gives a small piece of advice which, to be honest, Craig and I thank God we did not follow right away. wink, wink.

More importantly, she addresses the reality of infertility, but how helpful (and successful) NFP is at addressing possible infertility problems, and overcoming them.

Alright. There it is, my NFP week contribution. werk.  I’ll be linking up with Heather at Mama Knows, Honeychild for 5 Faves (Because Hallie retired. sadface, but okayface, because Iunderstandface, and ilikeheather,too,face.)  :)

OH.  And hey you 5 people who are NOT attending the glamorous Edel Gathering in TX this weekend, I’ll be hosting Jen’s 7 Quick Takes this Friday. Come. Let us have a pity party.  I’m kidding. A little.   (…as I wring my hands over what on earth I’m going to write that’ll come remotely close to something as awesome as Jen’s writing or any other blogger who has hosted for her before. YIPE!)