Yumcentenary

Today's Word "sexcentenary"

Relating to the number 600 or a period of 600 years

sexcentenary \seks-sen-TEN-uh-ree\ (adjective) - Relating to the number 600 or a period of 600 years.

(noun) - A 600th anniversary.

"As the company looked back on its history on the occasion of its sexcentenary it became obvious that the slow, steady, safe path had gotten them to where they were while competitiors had fallen by the wayside."

From Latin sex (six) + centenary (a period of 100 year), from centenarius.

Looking For Eight

How long does it take to hard-boil an ostrich egg?

The largest bird egg in the world today is that of the ostrich. Ostrich eggs are from 6 to 8 inches long. Because of their size and the thickness of their shells, they take 40 minutes to hard-boil.

Get It Up!

You need to keep a positive, uplifting attitude today. When you express negativity, it's felt too keenly, being taken to heart. When you have tough lessons to impart, do it gently and encouragingly.

 

Marry Me

Play It Cool with Your New Guy

 

 

Ah – love is in the air. What’s more exciting than being in the throes of a new relationship?

Whether you’re a teenager or a 40+-something recently divorced or widowed, a blossoming relationship can be consuming at any age. But no matter how good things are going, you may find yourself wondering, “Are we really compatible?” “How do I know when I should consider him my boyfriend?” or “What happens when he discovers my flaws?”

If this sounds like you, read on.

It may save you from sabotaging the potential of lasing love. Plus: Are you marriage material?

Confidence is Key

You think you’re the only one who’s scared your flaws will be “found out” and accordingly be dumped?

He’s thinking the same thing too! But the difference between him and you is that he’s not going out of his way to make sure his flaws are kept hidden like you are.

Incessantly focusing on your flaws can quickly become an obsession, but there’s nothing that can ruin a new relationship faster than letting your insecurities run the relationship.

You might constantly seek validation from your boyfriend or distrust his every step. But nobody wants to date a desperately insecure person. Confidence is much more attractive.

Accept that you have flaws.

Instead of focusing on what’s wrong with you, start focusing on determining whether you see your boyfriend as a possible marriage partner.

You’ll inevitably discover traits or quirks you’ll find endearing or annoying.

If you’ve found a man you like on every level, you might have your blinders on!

If you haven’t already, you’ll soon find a quirk, trait or philosophy that you don’t like or agree with. You may be able to get past these or you won’t. But that’s what dating is all about – weeding out potential.

To have a healthy and honest relationship, the foundation should be built on being real with the other person – flaws included.

Slow and Steady…

Love has no time limit, so why rush and force a relationship along? Doing so could sabotage the potential for lasting love.

You won’t ever really know someone from a couple of dates or a couple months of dating.

Don’t rush into something too serious, especially if you’re particularly young or recently single. Slow and steady wins the race to a lasting marriage.

If we’ve jumped the gun on the whole marriage thing, and you just want to know if you’re entitled to call him your boyfriend after a few weeks or months of dating, ask him.

Sometimes it’s difficult to determine your status, especially considering the way “dating” has changed over the years.

Maybe you’ve already each committed, but both of you don’t want to risk being turned down and looking like a fool in un-requited love by asking.

If he wants to be considered committed, he won’t be afraid to say so.

A solid relationship is based on being able to talk, and if you feel like you can’t discuss your feelings with your guy, maybe you know deep down that you’re already moving too fast. Or maybe you just know he isn’t the right one for you, period.

There comes a certain level of naturalness and ease with a new relationship on the right tracks.

Be honest with each other every step of the way of your new relationship.

Go with the Flow

The flow of a new relationship should either be a natural progression or naturally going nowhere.

Trust that it will go in the direction it’s supposed to.

You’ll be able to determine which is which, so enjoy this exciting time of the beginning of your relationship because it doesn’t last forever.

Have fun! There’s no need to take things so seriously.

Your gut should tell you when it’s time to take bigger steps.

Take the example of meeting the folks. If you’ve only been dating casually for a month, it’s probably not time for such a big step. If you both show interest about meeting the family or friends, then go for it.

If your gut doesn’t tell you what to do, then your common sense will. If you want a formal commitment from your guy but he’s unwilling to give you one, move on.

The bottom line is that your mind and heart will tell you what’s right for you, so listen to both!

If they’re telling you two different things, trust your mind first – it’s more capable of reason.

Good luck on finding lasting love.

Are You Marriage Material?

If you’re one of the many people who are dating, there’s a good chance that you’re sizing your partner up for a future trip down the aisle. But not everyone is primed for the little white chapel, maybe not even you. Find out if you’re destined for the house with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids, or if you’ll be stuck in the bachelor(ette) pad for good. Take this marriage material quiz.

 

By The LifeScript Editorial Staff

Do A TGirl ... She Can't Get Knocked up!

7 Birth Control Myths

  

You can fudge lots of things in life – knowing the difference between Beaujolais and Bordeaux, how much money you made last year (versus how much money the IRS thinks you made), your shoe size, your cup size, whether you really came three times last night. But one thing you don’t ever want to fudge is your birth control. Nearly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended. If you don’t want to contribute to this statistic, read on to get the facts about some enduring contraception myths. After all, you know what they call people who either don’t use birth control or use it incorrectly? Parents. Plus: Test your birth control IQ…Myth #1: Breastfeeding prevents pregnancy.Fact: It is true that prolactin, the same hormone that produces breast milk, suppresses ovulation.

And under very specific circumstances – your baby is under six months old, your periods haven’t restarted and more than 90% of your baby’s nutrition comes from breastfeeding – the lactational amenorrhea method (a fancy term for breastfeeding as birth control) may work.

However, gynecologists don’t recommend relying on it because if your breastfeeding routine changes one iota, all bets are off.

“Women can ovulate while breastfeeding, so it’s not an excellent form of birth control,” says Dr. Bruce Rosenzweig, gynecologist and director of urogynecology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

“Breastfeeding shouldn’t be looked at as contraception. It should be looked at as what it is intended for – an excellent way of giving nutrition to a baby or young child.”

Myth #2: You won’t get pregnant if you’re using contraception.

Fact: Yes, the whole point of birth control is to prevent pregnancy.

But there’s a reason birth control methods are evaluated in terms of “perfect use” and “typical use.”

Most unplanned pregnancies occur because women don’t use their birth control “perfectly.”

They forget their contraception or cross their fingers that “just this once it’ll be safe.”

Obviously, you’re far less likely to get pregnant if you use your birth control correctly and consistently.

But even so, abstinence offers the only iron-clad guarantee.

“No birth control is one hundred percent effective for preventing pregnancy even if you believe you’re using it correctly all the time,” says Dr. Mitchell Creinin, director of family planning at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The fact is, women have gotten pregnant after having their tubes tied.

Women have gotten pregnant after hysterectomies. “It’s very rare,” says Baltimore, Maryland-based OB/GYN Dr. Jean C. Hundley.

“But the bottom line is that any time you have sperm and egg, there’s a chance of pregnancy.”

Still, that’s no reason to take unnecessary chances.

According to Planned Parenthood, 85% of women ages 15-44 who don’t use contraception during intercourse become pregnant.

“The better you are at using your contraceptive method in the exact way it was intended, the closer you are going to get to one hundred percent,” Rosenzweig says.

Myth #3: Birth control pills are the most effective contraception.

Fact: Women who take the pill can have less than 1% risk of pregnancy.

But what’s not always understood is that this is only with “perfect use,” meaning the pills are taken consistently and correctly every single day, 365 days a year.

“For most humans, that’s impossible,” Creinin says. “Nobody says ‘I plan on missing two pills three months from now; I plan to forget to get my prescription refilled.’”

According to Planned Parenthood, only about 28% of women who take the pill take it correctly.

And with more typical use – meaning you miss a pill or don’t take it at the same time every day – there’s an 8% risk of unintended pregnancy.

By contrast, intrauterine devices (IUDs) have a typical use risk for pregnancy lower than 1%. (For more information on efficacy rates, visit plannedparenthood.org/birth-control-pregnancy/birth-control.htm.)

Myth #4: Your body needs a break from birth control pills.Fact: If you’re comfortable with your birth control pills, there’s no reason to take a break – unless you’re aiming to get pregnant.

“The only thing cycling off birth control pills does is to increase the likelihood that you will get pregnant,” Creinin says.

And staying on birth control pills provides many health benefits that have nothing to do with contraception – lower risk for acne, osteoporosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, anemia, PMS symptoms, and menopause-related vaginal dryness.

Research also shows that taking combination birth control pills (containing both estrogen and progestin) for as little as six months lowers a woman’s lifetime risk for ovarian and endometrial cancer by about 50%.

Take them for up to 10 years, and the risk drops by 80%.

Myth #5: Condoms are for guys.

Fact: The Female Health Company makes condoms for women.

Sold over-the-counter in the U.S. under the brand name Reality, the female condom is a polyurethane sheath with rings at both ends.

One ring fits over the cervix; the other sticks out of the vagina and partially covers the vaginal lips, a plus because it can rub against the clitoris and enhance sexual pleasure.

Female condoms can be inserted up to eight hours before sex, and they’re a great option if your guy gripes about wearing condoms himself.

Compared to male condoms, which are 85%-98% effective at preventing pregnancy, female condoms are 79%-95% effective.

Male and female condoms are the only birth control devices that also protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

You’ll find female condoms in drugstores and online.
 

Myth #6: IUDs are dangerous.

Fact: Intrauterine devices (IUDs), which are implanted in the uterus, got a very bad rap in the U.S. because one type of IUD, the Dalkon Shield (introduced in 1970 and recalled in 1975), caused pelvic infections that led to the deaths of 33 women and sterilized many others.

The problem with the Dalkon Shield, say gynecologists, was its multi-filament cotton tail that hung down through the cervical opening into the vagina.

“The cotton wick had these micro-niches that bacteria could get into.

They could crawl their way up the string and get into the uterus and then set up infections in the [fallopian] tubes,” Rosenzweig explains.

Today’s IUDs have tails made of single-filament synthetic material, and, according to Planned Parenthood, infection is rare.

“They are not the elevators for bacteria that the Dalkon Shield was,” Rosenzweig says. IUDs can stay in place for 5-12 years depending on the device.

That’s good news because fewer insertions lowers the risk of infection.

But because there is still a slight chance that vaginal bacteria will hitch a ride into the uterus during insertion, spread into the fallopian tubes and cause sterility, use condoms to protect yourself from STDs if you have multiple partners.

“An IUD won’t increase your risk of getting an STD,” Rosenzweig says. “But if you’re exposed to someone with an STD, it can increase the risk of it becoming an upper-tract infection.”

Myth #7: Plan B is a form of abortion.

Fact: No doubt because they are both pills, Plan B (aka emergency contraception or the morning-after pill) is often confused with the abortion pill, Mifeprex (aka the early-option pill).

Here’s the difference: Plan B is a concentrated dose of progesterone that reduces the risk for pregnancy by 75% if it’s taken within five days of having unprotected sex, although taking it within the first 24 hours is optimal.

Some regular birth control pills may also work.

Ask your gynecologist or call the Emergency Contraception Hotline at 800-584-9911 for information on where to find Plan B or how to use your own birth control pills for emergency contraception.

Mifeprex, on the other hand, is taken after you are already pregnant and decide you don’t want to be. It works with the synthetic hormone misoprostol to end the pregnancy within the first 49 days.

Do You Know Your Birth Control Basics?Think you can separate contraception fact from fiction? Take our birth control quiz to find out if you're playing it safe... or playing pregnancy roulette.

 

By Norine Dworkin-McDaniel, Special to LifeScript

TGirls are Always in the Mood

6 Reasons You're Not in the Mood

 

 

Something’s missing. No, not the keys - your sex drive! Read on to find out why you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling and learn tips to get it back. Plus, test your libido smarts with our quiz...

You remember having a sex drive once. But lately, you need a GPS tracker to locate it.

You’re not alone.

About one-third of American women experience some type of hypoactive (underactive) sexual disorder – otherwise known as “I’m not in the mood tonight.”

Here are solutions to 6 common libido zappers:
1. You’re stressed. It would take a small army of clowns to match what one working mom juggles every day. But as any veteran multitasker knows, the more balls you’ve got in the air, the more stressed you become.

And when you start looking for items to scrap from your to-do list, sex is often the first to go.

“Women can do many things at once, which works to our advantage work-wise and life-wise, but it does make things hard sexually,” says Chicago sex and relationship therapist Laura Berman, Ph.D., author of Passion Prescription (Hyperion).

“Most women find themselves putting the kids to bed, cleaning up the kitchen and making lunch for the next day, and the last thing they feel like doing is having sex,” Berman says.
What can help?Ask your partner to take over some chores. If he can take a little off your plate, you can relax. And that means you’re “better able to respond sexually,” she says.
2. You’re using hormone-based contraceptives.This is a cruel irony: The kinds of birth control meant to inspire free-spirited nookie (i.e. pills, patches, rings and injections) lower testosterone levels. For some women, that depresses libido.

What can help?

Talk to your gynecologist about swapping brands. Birth control pills contain estrogen and various types of synthetic progesterone called progestin.

In some pills, the progestin behaves more like testosterone and can actually increase libido, says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

Or opt for a barrier method (diaphragm, cervical cap, condoms or IUD), which won't affect sex drive.

3. You’re taking medication.Contraceptives aren’t the only drugs that can take the wind out of your sails. Anti-anxiety benzodiazepines, like Valium and Xanax, can also short-circuit your sex drive.

So can beta-blockers taken for high blood pressure and antihistamines, which can dry up your runny nose and vagina.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants can blunt desire to such a degree that men often take them to remedy premature ejaculation, according to sex researcher Beverly Whipple, Ph.D., co-author of The Science of Orgasm (Johns Hopkins University Press).

Check out other drugs that can dampen your sex drive.

What can help?

Try a different beta-blocker or antidepressant.

If you’re feeling good on your SSRIs and your only complaint is that you wish you felt more sexual, talk with your doctor about adjusting your dosage.

Mixing a low dose of another kind of antidepressant, like Wellbutrin, with your SSRI can restore libido, Minkin says.

4. You’re not sleeping well.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, women are more than twice as likely as men to have trouble sleeping. And sleeplessness has an enormous impact on desire.

First, not getting enough shut-eye disrupts sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

But perhaps more important, missing out on sleep can make you too irritable for sex. And if it’s your hubby’s snoring that’s robbing you of snooze time, you probably feel more like smothering him with a pillow than with kisses.

Indeed, 23% of respondents surveyed for the National Sleep Foundation’s 2005 Sleep in America poll reported that their mate’s sleep habits drove them to sleep elsewhere.

“If you’re battling over sleep, it’s hard to maintain intimacy,” says Gary Zammit, Ph.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Institute at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York.

What can help?Make your bedroom a dark, quiet, sleep-friendly haven. Banish work items, like your BlackBerry or laptop; turn off the TV and invest in a comfortable mattress. Use earplugs and a sleep mask to block out light and noise.

Check your meds to ensure they don’t contain stimulants. Also ask your doctor about a short-term prescription for sleeping pills.

If your partner is keeping you up, talk with him about ways to diminish his snoring (like losing weight and avoiding alcohol in the evening, for example).

If all else fails, take him to a sleep specialist.

“When you sleep better and are less irritable, you’re a lot more interested in sex,” Minkin says. That should be good enough incentive for him!

5. You have an overactive bladder.About one-third of women with overactive bladders “leak” during intercourse, says Jane Miller, M.D., associate professor of urology at the University of Washington in Seattle. (Check out A Girlfriend's Guide to Bladder Control for more information on this condition.)

Miller believes that orgasm may cause a slight blip in communication between the brain and bladder.

“The bladder always wants to go to the bathroom, but it doesn’t because there are inhibitory messages sent from the brain to the bladder saying no,” Miller says.

For some women, orgasm may override these messages and, as a result, they release a small amount of urine during sex.

“It only has to happen once or twice for women to become sensitive about this, and that puts a damper on their interest because they don’t want to pee on their partners,” Miller says.

What can help?Making a pit stop before sex may reduce the chances of a spill, since involuntary bladder contractions are often triggered by volume, she says.

You can also talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for medications like Detrol or Ditropan, used to treat overactive bladder.
6. You’re in menopause.You lose about 90% of your estrogen – the sex hormone largely responsible for arousal and lubrication – once you hit this milestone.

As levels drop, the vaginal tissue thins and dries out, which can make sex painful enough to make you want to opt out for good. For many women, the drop in estrogen alone explains a dive in libido.

But other aspects of menopause may also leave you feeling unsexy: hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, apprehension about getting older, and the erratic, heavy menstruation that can occur before your periods stop for good.

Menopause typically occurs around age 51, but some surgeries and chemotherapy can trigger it earlier, which may put even more of a damper on desire.

A recent survey found that women with surgically induced menopause reported higher rates of lowered sex drives (26%) than those who experienced natural menopause (9%).

What can help?Conventional wisdom is “use it or lose it.” Having sex encourages blood flow to the genitals, Minkin says. Generally speaking, the more sex you have, the more you want.

That said, talk to your gynecologist about medications that make sex more comfortable. Ask about topical testosterone, which can increase desire in postmenopausal women, and estrogen-based creams or suppositories, which remedy vaginal dryness.

 

By Norine Dworkin-McDaniel, Special to Lifescript

I Know More

You think of additional options for income today. Old interests are revived as possible revenue streams. Finances are such that you need to have alternatives available if one should fail you.

Crack Me

Today's Word "Yegg"

A thug or burglar

yegg \yeg\ (noun) - A thug or burglar, especially a safecracker.

"The party was filled with such a collection of yeggs, delinquents, deuces, hustlers, gangsters, heavies, and hoods that Dennis would check, after he had shaken hands with someone, to ensure that all his fingers were still present."

Of unknown origin.

Lace Tops and Boots

Service

Snack

That's What I am

Today's Word "repository"

A place where things may be put for safekeeping

repository \ri-POZ-i-tor-ee, -tore-ee\ (noun) - 1 : A place where things may be put for safekeeping. 2 : A warehouse. 3 : A museum. 4 : A burial vault; a tomb. 5 : One that contains or is a store of something specified. 6 : One who is entrusted with secrets or confidential information.

"Having been hurt so often in the past, Terri placed her heart in a sort of repository so that no one could ever get so close to her again."

Latin reponere, reposit- : re- + ponere, to place.

I Break These Rules ...

5 Dating Rules To Live By

 

Even if you are a mature, straightforward woman who dislikes playing games, there are some dating rules that shouldn’t be forgotten. Sure, there’s also a fair share of sexist dating rules for women that seem straight out of the 1950s, but for every bad rule, there are a couple that will keep you afloat in the dating pool. Here is a look at some rules that will never go out of style:
1. Less is MoreLess is not more when it comes to the amount of clothing you wear on a first date or the amount of time you wait until you have intercourse. But in terms of how revealing you are about your life, or how much personal information you share on the first couple of dates, less is always more.

Gail Prince, a nationally known relationship coach and dating expert, says that people always seem to reveal too much too fast. “Many women make the mistake of jumping right in and talking about their ex husbands, old boyfriends or the baggage they carry as a result of those relationships. The first couple of dates are for getting to know each other’s personalities and seeing if there’s any kind of chemistry, not for sharing your life story and the stories of all your heartbreaks,” Prince said.
2. Don’t make yourself too available One of the most basic rules of dating is not making yourself seem too available. This isn’t to say you should play silly dating games, such as not calling him for three days after a date, or letting him leave two voicemails before you return his call. Those rules are often used as a form of flirting, and really, where does any of that get you?

These rules, instead, are simply intended to protect your feelings in the first stages of a relationship . To that end, there should be no time limits in terms of when you call him, and you should answer his phone calls whenever you please, but simply don’t make yourself too emotionally and physically available to him right away.

A good gauge for this is when you begin dropping important things to go out with your new guy, or when you flake out on close friends to take an unexpected invitation from him. Here, you’re not doing yourself any favors. In fact, you are setting an unhealthy standard for your potential relationship. If you begin your relationship by making it seem as if you are more than willing to drop whatever you’re doing for him, you are only sending the message that what he wants to do is more important than what you want to do. It is a road that tends to only get rockier.
3. Don’t SettleOne of the top dating rules for women is don’t settle. If you have recently gotten out of a marriage or other long-term relationship, don’t make the mistake of settling for the first nice guy who comes along. Sure, dating is scary and often overwhelming, but the whole point is to find the person who best suits you.

Don’t stay with a guy just because he’s nice or you are afraid of being alone.

“We allow ourselves to be in relationships that aren’t passionate or fulfilling or aren’t exactly what we’re looking for because we think it’s the best we can do,” Prince said. “We tell ourselves, ‘Eh, he’s nice enough.’”

But dating, she said, is about finding love.

“If the guy you’re with doesn’t rock your world, what are you doing with him?” Prince said. “Chances are, he’s settling for you, too. Release him so he can find the girl who blows his mind and you can find a partner who completes you.”
4. Don’t Rush into SexSome dating rules for women are timeless. Some of the old rules, such as not rushing into sex, may have had their roots in some archaic thinking – not so long ago, it was frowned upon for women to act on physical urges and even “necking” on the first date would earn you a “bad reputation” – however, the rule itself, with a modern update, is still valid. Consciously deciding not to rush into a sexual relationship is good advice for anyone of any decade who is entering the dating jungle.

Even if you find yourself physically attracted to someone you’re dating, any good friend would advise against rushing into sex.

“If you have sex on the first date or even within the first couple of dates, the guy you are dating will only associate you with sex,” Prince said. “Sure, it could eventually turn into a serious relationship, but when you rush into sex, you ruin your chances of developing a strong relationship and friendship based on other things that you want him to be attracted to also, like your mind, your personality and your sense of humor.”

It’s easy to physically connect with your date; the difficult part is connecting with him on a higher level that requires real work.
5. Follow your GutA dating rule for woman that is often overlooked is advising them to follow their gut instincts. If you’ve gone on a couple of dates with a guy and something seems off-kilter about him, or there’s something disturbing that you can’t seem to put your finger on, follow your gut and break it off. It’s better to get out early and save yourself from potential headaches and heartbreaks than to stick around and try to quiet your instincts.

“I spoke to a girl at one of my seminars who told me a story about how she hit it off with a guy right away,” said Prince. “He jumped into a serious relationship with her quickly and was even talking about marriage three months into their relationship.

“When they first got together, she felt like he was being dishonest about something or that something was off about him, but she liked him so much and wanted a family so badly that she forced the thoughts out of her head. Eventually, he put her in debt, racked up bills in her name, and she also found out he had an entire other family, complete with wife and kids two cities away, who had no idea she even existed.” The moral of Prince’s story: Follow your gut.

Prince also pointed out that trusting your instincts goes well beyond feeling funny about a guy on the first couple of dates.

“So many women have the feeling that their boyfriends are cheating on them well before they are presented with proof or physical evidence,” she said. “Don’t quiet your concerns by convincing yourself that he would never do that to you. It has been proven time and time again that there is some truth to the saying ‘women always know.’”

Some dating rules have changed, but the most important ones remain the same. If it is your goal to eventually develop a healthy, loving and trusting relationship with your significant other, take some of these dating rules for women into consideration as you maneuver through life in the single lane.

By Tina Vasquez

I Want Her

Enjoy

Lick .. Lick

Clean Up Time

Balls ...

Belly Full

Yours ... Sweetie?

Booty Full

Mouth Full

Pink and Full

A Hand Full

My Skins Lost ... I Will Be Pounded Tonight

Do Me ...

Play With Me!

Cool

Sexy

Boots

Pink