The symptothermal method uses a combination of tracking physical changes and BBT to determine when you ovulate. Tracking your BBT is the "thermal" part of the symptothermal method, and it requires that you track your basal body temperature every day. Because your BBT will experience a sustained rise two to three days after ovulation, tracking your BBT can help you estimate when in your cycle you're ovulating. (See the method on Using Basal Body Temperature for more detailed instructions.) It will take several months of daily tracking to establish a pattern of ovulation. This is the "sympto" part of the symptothermal method and involves closely tracking your physical symptoms to determine when you're ovulating. Each day, carefully track and record your cervical mucus (see the section on Checking Your Cervical Mucus for more) and any other menstrual symptoms you experience, like breast tenderness, cramping, mood swings, etc. Worksheets for tracking your symptoms are available online to print or you can devise your own. It will take several months of daily tracking to distinguish a pattern. Use both the information from your BBT tracking and from your symptom tracking to verify when you ovulate. Ideally, the data will coincide, allowing you to determine when you're ovulating. If the data conflict, continue your daily tracking of each until a coinciding pattern appears. This method is best used for fertility awareness, and does have certain limitations. Some couples use this method for natural contraception by avoiding sex during the woman's fertile period (leading up to and during ovulation). Using this method for contraception, however, isn't generally recommended, as it requires very careful, meticulous, and consistent record-keeping. Those who use this method for birth control still experience about a 10% chance of unplanned pregnancy. This method can also be problematic if you're experiencing periods of high stress, travel, illness, or sleep disturbance, which will alter your body's basal temperature, as will working nights or drinking alcohol.
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One-sentence summary -- Track your basal body temperature (BBT). Track your bodily symptoms. Combine the data to determine ovulation. Know the limitations of the method.

Before you're tempted to talk to your child about their bad influence friend, think about what's making you react to their friend in that way. You might be putting all the blame on your child's friend, when in fact there's something going on with your child that's pushing them toward that friend. Understand that it's normal during adolescence for your child to try to fit in and imitate their peers, so it might not be only about peer pressure or negative influence from the friend. Even if you don't like your child's friends or the way they treat your child, it's important to avoid only giving negative feedback about their friends. This will only push your child further toward those friends and push them away from you. They'll get angry and defensive and will be less likely to come to you about that friend in the future. Seek out positives. You can ask, "What do you like about your friend?" or "What do you get from this friendship?" Let them know they have choices. You can say, "You don't have to spend time with those friends. You don't have to be treated this way." When your child's friend does something you're not happy about, like talking back to you or stealing something from your home, be clear and direct with your child about the behavior you don't like. Don't judge the friend's personality or character. Be clear about what limits you'll have for your child and that friend from now on. You can say, "I'm sure your friend is a good person, and I don't know everything they're going through, but I don't like that your friend stole beer from our refrigerator. I don't want you to think it's okay to do that, here or at someone else's home. He isn't allowed to come back over until he apologizes to me." Sometimes you won't be able to keep your child or teen away from friends who are bad influences just by talking to them. Instead, you can keep your child busy with structured activities during the week. Control more of their schedule by setting limits on who they spend time with, when, where, and for how long. If you have a child 12 or under, you can plan visits to relatives, schedule doctors' appointments, or schedule time with other friends instead of allowing them time with bad influences. When they do spend time with the bad friend, make sure it's at your house or that you're nearby and can listen in on interactions. If you have a teenager, you can limit the nights they're allowed to go out and make sure you know what their plans are when they do go out. Let them know their activities with friends have to be approved by you first, and enforce consequences if you find out they did something other than what they first told you. Friendships come and go during adolescence. Once your kids reach high school, their brains and identities are developing even more. They'll start to feel more secure in who they are and what they believe, and they won't be as easily swayed by friends and peer pressure. Be patient with this process and trust that as long as you support their independence while providing them with some structure and limits, they'll make good choices in friends.
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One-sentence summary -- Take a step back. Avoid always criticizing. Be clear about inappropriate behavior. Set limits and structure. Be patient.

Look for a key separate from the other keys. If you're holding the concertina the correct way, the key should be on your right side. This is called the air button and it allows you to open and close the bellows without making any noise. Hold down the air button with your right thumb to activate it. Look for a thumb support on top of each side of the concertina so you know which sides are the left and right. Place your hands inside so your fingers are resting on the keys on the side. Some concertinas will also have supports for your pinkies on the bottom. Try moving your fingers over all the keys to see if you can reach them easily. If you feel restricted, loosen the straps on each side until you can comfortably play. If your hands slip out of the concertina easily, you may need to tighten the straps more. Keep one of the sides on top of your thigh so you can use your other hand to open and close the bellows. This way, your hand is free to move without having to worry about supporting the concertina's weight. You can hold the concertina without support if you feel comfortable doing that.
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One-sentence summary -- Find the air button on the top right side. Slide your hands into the straps, keeping your thumbs outside. Tighten or loosen the straps so your fingers can move freely. Rest one end of the concertina on your leg to support the instrument.

Before cleaning the green beans, wash your hands with warm water and antibacterial soap for at least twenty seconds. This is especially important if you have been touching raw meat or eggs. Always wash your hands between handling meat and working with produce. If you are cutting the green beans with a knife, make sure that you are using a different cutting board than you are for raw meats. This will help prevent cross-contamination and food-borne illness caused by bacteria, such as E. Coli and Salmonella. If you see mold on the green bean, toss the bean out, as well as any other beans that the mold might have spread to. Do not try cutting away the mold and eating the rest of the bean, as this might be risky with green beans. Many commercial produce washes are unnecessary when washing green beans. They are not any more effective at cleaning green beans than water is.
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One-sentence summary --
Wash your hands. Cut the green beans separately from meats. Throw away moldy beans. Avoid produce washes.