Will your baby be a boy or a girl?

If you want your baby to be a boy, should you eat more red meat? To get a girl, should you treat yourself to chocolate? Or make love under a full moon?

Everyone's heard at least one of these stories , and we all know they're just urban myths, but...what if, by chance, one of these methods actually works? Couples who'd give anything for a daughter or a son may want to give one or two of them a shot (heck, it can't hurt, right?). We've collected some of our favorite folklore about how to make a boy or girl. Share your ideas in the comment box at the bottom of the page — especially anything that has worked for you.

Your child is what you eat

According to folk wisdom, what you put in your body before conceiving may affect what comes out nine months later.

If you want a boy...

> Eat more meat — the redder the better.

> Stick with salty snacks such as pretzels and chips.

> Dads-to-be: Stock up on soda, especially cola drinks.

If you want a girl...

> Both partners should eat lots of fish and veggies.

> Give in to your chocolate craving, or just eat sweets in general.

The joy of sex

Quite a few old wives' tales about sex selection involve theories about the best way to make love if you want to influence your baby's gender.

If you want a boy...

> Lie down after sex and stay there for a while. Supposedly that gives the boy sperm a chance to beat the girl sperm to the egg.

> Make love standing up.

> Try the rear-entry position.

> Focus on his pleasure — if the male partner climaxes first, supposedly you're guaranteed a boy.

> Give in to seduction — if the man is the one to suggest some baby-making, you'll get a boy.

> Gals, sleep to the left of your partner.

If you want a girl...

> Give the missionary position a go.

> Make love with the woman on top.

> Focus on her pleasure — if the woman orgasms before her partner, you can decorate your nursery in pink.

> Take the lead — if the woman initiates sex, you'll get a girl.

It's all in the timing...or the direction

In a society where many people still check their daily horoscope for guidance, is it any surprise that superstition and folklore also dictate when to make love if you want to pick your baby's sex?

If you want a boy...

> Make love when there's a quarter moon in the sky.

> Have sex at night.

> Mark your calendar — more boys are conceived on odd days of the month.

> Follow the compass — one of our users swears that pointing the woman's head north while you make love guarantees a boy.

If you want a girl...

> Do the baby dance when the moon is full.

> Make a date for love in the afternoon.

> Get together on the even days of the month.

Keeping your cool

And we mean both literally and figuratively. According to some stories, being relaxed when you conceive means you'll have a girl. If you're a worrywart, a son's in your future.

But the actual temperature may play a role too. Some say a man's testicles should be cool before you have sex if you want a daughter; for a son, warm them up.

That idea plays into the common belief about boxers versus briefs — go for the tighty-whities if you want a boy, but hang loose if you're aching for a girl. (FYI, research does suggest that boxers are best for baby-making in general.)

Attraction Each Other

Human "Preening"

After initial eye contact, if two people are attracted to each other, one or both people will engage in "preening" behaviors -- they will touch a part of their body that accentuates what they think is particularly sexually attractive, says Palmer. A woman might throw back her shoulders, lick her lips or touch her legs. A man may straighten his tie, stand with his hips jutted forward or put his fingers through his belt loops. "These kinds of initial, nonverbal gestures occur at a less than conscious level, not in a manipulated or conscious way." Preening behaviors, however, are noticeable to the person on the observing end. Witnessing these behaviors could be an indication that this person is attracted to you. You may also become aware of the attractive physical features that they are "preening."

Greatest Sign of Passion

"The most important sign of attraction is mutual eye contact," says Palmer, who is also a spokesperson for the American Psychological Association. "This is a brief glance, initially. It is not a stare, because staring is hostile." If a woman glances at a guy and he notices, he'll probably glance back. In turn, the woman will probably look again, and if he's interested, he'll look again. This repeated volleying of eye contact is an indication of mutual interest and can lead to more body signals.

Lip Characteristics and Appearance

1. The curvature of lips, their size and their eversion (whether they turn out or in) differ depending on gender and according to geographical ancestry. The part of the top lip that creates the dip in the middle and that tends to make the mouth look like a bow is called the philtrum. The area between the upper lip and the nose is the ergotrid.

Vermilion Border

2. The mouth has a colored border between the skin surrounding the mouth and the skin of the lip proper. No other animal has this feature, which is called the vermilion border, or vermilion, for short. The vermilion lip refers to the part of each lip that is visible when your mouth is closed.

Upper, Lower and Mucosal Lip

3. The upper lip is called the Labium superioris, and though the "superioris" implies a larger size, the upper lip is smaller than the bottom lip. That lower lip is called the Labium inferioris. Traveling from the outside skin of your lip to the inside, the lip surface changes, marking the boundary between the vermilion lip and the mucosal lip.

Skin

4. Lip skin is stratified squamous epithelium tissue, which only means that the cells are arranged in layers. The skin is thin, made up of just three to five of these cellular layers. Facial skin, by contrast, is up to 16 layers thick. The tissue of the mucosal lip is translucent and has many capillaries near the surface, making the it red.

Muscles

5. Lips have their own muscles, which are facial expression muscles. Sphincter muscles are the orbicularis oris---the main lip muscle---and buccinator. Several muscles raise the lips: the zygomaticus minor and major, the levator labii superioris and levator anguli oris, and the alaeque nasi. Muscles for lowering the lips are the depressor anuli oris and depressor labii inferioris, the risorious and the mentalis. The modiolus anchors several other muscles.

Nerves

6. The brain is very involved in what goes on in our lips, kept informed and exerting influence through nerves. The infraorbirtal nerve and parts of the trigeminal nerve give the upper lip its sensory ability. These also allow for eating movements: taking a bite, chewing and swallowing. The facial nerve allows us to tighten our lips, curl them and pout. Many nerve endings populate the lips, making kissing enjoyable.

What Lips Don't Possess

7. Lips don't possess certain protective features that other areas of the skin have such as hair, sebaceous glands that would produce oil or wax, or sweat glands. These lacks, among other things, cause lips to dry out easily.

What is Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABS) function in your vehicle?

Wheel lockup: slippery when wet.
When your wheels lock up on wet and slippery roads or during a panic stop, you may lose traction and control, causing your vehicle to spin. Antilock brakes keep your wheels from locking up, so your car maintains directional control around hazards if you can�t make a complete stop in time.

The pumping heart of an antilock brake system.
ABS works with your regular braking system by automatically pumping them. In vehicles not equipped with ABS, the driver has to manually pump the brakes to prevent wheel lockup. In vehicles equipped with ABS, your foot should remain firmly planted on the brake pedal, while ABS pumps the brakes for you so you can concentrate on steering to safety.

More specifically, ABS automatically changes the brake fluid pressure at each wheel to maintain optimum brake performance�just short of locking up the wheels. There is an electronic control unit that regulates the brake fluid pressure in response to changing road conditions or impending wheel lockup.

How to know if your vehicle is equipped with ABS.
Most newer vehicles offer ABS as either standard or optional equipment. To find out whether your car has an antilock brake system, and what type, read your owner�s manual. You can also check your instrument panel for a yellow ABS indicator light after you turn on the ignition. And when you buy, lease or rent a vehicle, always ask if it comes equipped with ABS.

There�s more than one kind of antilock brake system.
Four-wheel systems, including those found on cars and minivans, are designed to keep all four wheels from locking up. Rear-wheel-only systems, found on some pickups, vans and sport-utility vehicles, keep the vehicle from spinning out of control, but the front wheels may lock up, resulting in a loss of steering control.

The feel and sound of ABS.
When ABS is activated, you may experience a slight vibration or a rapid pulsation of the brake pedal�almost as if the brakes are pushing back at you. At times, you will feel the pedal suddenly drop. The valves in the ABS unit may make a grinding, scraping or buzzing noise. This means your ABS is working. Continue to apply firm pressure and steer. Do not take your foot off the brake pedal.

Do cars with ABS stop more quickly than cars without?
Perhaps, but that�s not the main purpose of ABS. It is a system designed to help you maintain control of the vehicle during emergency braking situations, not necessarily make the car stop more quickly. ABS may shorten stopping distances on wet or slippery roads and most systems may shorten stopping distances on dry roads. On very soft surfaces, such as gravel or unpacked snow, ABS may actually lengthen stopping distances. In wet or icy conditions, you should still make sure you drive carefully, always keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you, and maintain a speed consistent with the road conditions.

Stop and get to know your ABS.
After you consult your owner�s manual for more details, give your ABS a mini-road test. In an unobstructed parking lot, drive your vehicle at a speed above which the antilock brake system activates (usually above 10 mph) and apply the brakes firmly. The antilock brake system is speed-sensitive and will not activate at very slow speeds. Also, it�s easier to activate ABS on a wet and slippery surface. The antilock system should prevent the wheels from skidding. Practice NOT pumping the brake.

Other considerations for better braking.
How effectively you can stop your vehicle can be influenced by many factors including:

		Road conditions, since wet and slippery roads provide less tire friction and will therefore result in longer stopping distances than dry roads.
		Vehicle condition, including properly inflated tires that have good tread, and a properly maintained brake system that is free from defects such as worn linings, air or dirt in the brake fluid, or leaks that reduce the available braking force.
		Driver reaction time. At 60 mph, your car travels 88 feet each second. Reaction time, that is the time it takes a driver to identify a braking situation and then apply the brakes, will affect the overall distance to stop. A one-half second reaction time will result in a vehicle stopping 88 feet shorter from 60 mph than a one-and-one-half second reaction time. That is why it is important to always pay attention to the road and other traffic.
		Type of brake system. When faced with a panic braking situation, ABS allows a driver to rapidly apply the brakes without worrying about wheel lockup, and the vehicle begins to stop immediately. Without ABS, a rapid, hard brake application could cause wheel lockup and loss of vehicle steering control, if the driver does not pump the brakes correctly or limit the brake pedal force to prevent wheel lockup. Therefore, more driver skill is needed to obtain short stops without ABS.

Kitchen Knife Set

• Chef's Knife
  A chef's knife is usually the largest knife in the kitchen, with a wide blade that is 8" to 10" long. Choose a knife that feels good and balanced in your hand. The knife should have a full tang. This means that the blade should go all the way through the handle for the best wear and stability.
• Paring Knife
  Paring knives are generally 2-1/2-4" in length. The most often used knife in the kitchen. It is ideal for peeling and coring fruits and vegetables, cutting small objects, slicing, and other hand tasks.
• Utility Knives
  Utility knives are longer than paring knives but smaller than chef's knives, usually around 5-8" long. They are also called sandwich knives because they are just the right side for slicing meats and cheeses. I have several utility knives in my kitchen as 'extra' knives.
• Boning Knife
  This type of knife has a more flexible blade to curve around meat and bone. Generally 4-5" long.
• Bread Knife
  Bread knives are usually serrated. Most experts recommend a serrated knife that has pointed serrations instead of wavy serrations for better control and longer knife life. I have two bread knives in my kitchen - a long 10" knife that's great for cutting whole loaves, and a 6" knife perfect for cutting sandwich buns. You must use a sawing motion when using a serrated knife.

Knives are made out of several types of material. High carbon stainless steel is the most expensive and will last the longest. These knives will not stain and holds a sharp edge longer than other steel types. ceramic knife are fairly new. These knives don't need sharpening for years, and should be sharpened by an expert when they do wear down. Only use a ceramic knife on a cutting board - never on another ceramic, plastic or glass surface. They're that sharp!
Knife handles are made of wood or a plastic composite. Both are good choices. The only difference is in cleaning and maintenance. Knives with wood handles deteriorate more quickly when cleaned in the dishwasher. 

Sharpening Knives

A knife that is not sharp is dangerous. It can slip off the food you're cutting and easily cut your fingers instead. A steel should be part of your knife collection. This long, round object sharpens knives by straightening out the edge. Take a look at using a steel to see how to correctly sharpen your knives on a steel. Hold the knife in your dominant hand and the steel in the other, with the steel point pressed into a solid waist-high surface. Hold the knife base at the top of the steel at a 20 degree angle. Slowly draw the knife down the length of the steel, pulling the knife back so the entire blade, from base to tip, moves against the steel, as if you were slicing off pieces of the steel. Repeat on the other side. Do this five or six times , then rinse the knife off and dry immediately. Make sure you sharpen each side the same number of times to retain the knife's balance.


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Chef 's Kitchen Knife

Your Sense of Touch

Women Tend to Have Better Sense of Touch Due to Smaller Finger Size

Sense enabling the skin to detect sensations (contact, heat, pain and others) due to specialized receptors spread widely over the surface of the body.

While your other four senses (sight, hearing, smell, and taste) are located in specific parts of the body, your sense of touch is found all over. This is because your sense of touch originates in the bottom layer of your skin called the dermis. The dermis is filled with many tiny nerve endings which give you information about the things with which your body comes in contact. They do this by carrying the information to the spinal cord, which sends messages to the brain where the feeling is registered.

The nerve endings in your skin can tell you if something is hot or cold. They can also feel if something is hurting you. Your body has about twenty different types of nerve endings that all send messages to your brain. However, the most common receptors are heat, cold, pain, and pressure or touch receptors. Pain receptors are probably the most important for your safety because they can protect you by warning your brain that your body is hurt! Some areas of the body are more sensitive than others because they have more nerve endings. Have you ever bitten your tongue and wondered why it hurt so much? It is because the sides of your tongue have a lot of nerve endings that are very sensitive to pain. However, your tongue is not as good at sensing hot or cold. That is why it is easy to burn your mouth when you eat something really hot. Your fingertips are also very sensitive. For example, people who are blind use their fingertips to read Braille by feeling the patterns of raised dots on their paper.

Types Of Kisses

Below you will find a variety of kiss types. If you find some that catch your fancy, feel free to try them :-)

Butterfly Kiss - With your faces less than a breath away, open and close your eyelids against your partners. If done correctly, the fluttering sensation will match the one in your heart.

Cheek Kiss - A friendly, "I really like you" kiss. Often the preferred kissing method of a first date. With your hands on your partner's shoulders, gently brush your lips across her cheek.

Earlobe Kiss - Gently sip and suck the earlobe. Avoid louder sucking noises as ears are sensitized noise detectors.

Eskimo Kiss - With your faces less than a breath apart, gently rub your noses together.

Eye Kiss - Hold your partner's head with both hands and slowly move their head in the direction you wish your kiss to go... then slowly kiss up towards your partner's eyes and give them a tender kiss on top of their closed eyes.

Eyelid Kiss - While your partner is resting/sleeping with eyes closed, very very gently kiss the spot right below their browbone. A very intimate kiss.

Finger Kiss - While laying together gently suck on their fingers. This can be very seductive and pleasurable.

Foot Kiss - An erotic and romantic gesture. It may tickle, but relax and enjoy it! To give a toe kiss by gently suck the toes and then lightly kissing the foot. It helps to gently massage the base of the foot while performing the kiss.

Forehead Kiss - The "motherly" kiss or "just friends" kiss. The forehead kiss can be a comforting kiss to anyone. Simply brush your lips lightly across the crown of their head.

Freeze Kiss (or Melt Kiss) - Experiment with this fun kiss. Put a small piece of ice in your mouth, then open mouth and kiss your partner, passing them the ice with your tongue. It's an erotic and sensual french kiss with a twist of cold.

French Kiss - The kiss involving the tongue. Some call this the "Soul Kiss" because the life and soul are thought to pass through the mouth's breath in the exchange across tongues. Surprisingly, the French call this "The English Kiss".

Fruity Kiss - Take a small piece of fruit and place between your lips (juicy fruits such as grapes, strawberries, small pieces of pineapple or mango are ideal). Kiss your partner and nibble one half of the piece of fruit while they nibble the other until it breaks in half, allowing the juice to run into your mouths.

Hand Kiss - Gently raise her hand to your lips. Lightly brush your lips across the top of her hand. Historically this kiss was performed with a bow, which showed deference to a lady.

Hickey Kiss - The object is not to draw blood, but to gently leave a mark that will prove your interlude was not a dream. This is often included in erotic foreplay.

Hostage Kiss - Cover your lips with tape and get your love's attention. When they come near, make noises like you're trying to tell them something and motion as if you can't get the tape off. Once they remove the tape from you to hear what you're trying to say tell them: "I've been saving my lips all day just for you!" Then kiss your love passionately!

Hot and Cold Kiss - Lick your partner's lips so that they're warm, and then gently blow on them. The sudden cold blast makes for a sensual explosion, and they will often try it on you next, as well as get very passionate.

Mistletoe Kiss - Surprise your lover by capturing them with a gentle holiday kiss under the mistletoe. This is also a good method for shyer individuals to steal a kiss from a potential lover.

Letter Kiss - Send your lover a kiss in a love letter by writing the letter x several times in a row at the bottom of a letter such as XXXXX.

Lick Kiss - Just before kissing, gently run your tongue along you partners lip whether it be the top or bottom one depending on the position of your lips. Very sensual.

Lip Sucking Kiss - When kissing gently suck on their lower lip. This can be very exciting.

Neck Nibble Kiss - Gently nibble up and down your partners neck. End with a gentle kiss on the lips.

Nip Kiss - This kiss can create a very erotic sensation. While kissing your partner, ever so gently nibble on their lips. You must be very careful not to bite to hard or hurt your partner. When done correctly, this kiss ignites wonderful sensations.

Reverse Lips Kiss - It involves standing above your lover and kissing them from over their head. This way, each kisser can take the hyper-sensitive bottom lip of thier lover in their mouths, and GENTLY draw blood to the surface of the lip by nibbling and sucking. A very sensuous, connecting kiss.

Searching The Cavern - Use the lips and tongue to gently tickle and kiss your lover's navel. Vary speeds and stroke to change sensation. Invigorating and intoxicating.

Shoulder Kiss - Simply come from behind, embrace her, and kiss the top of her shoulder. This is a sensual, loving kiss.

Sip Kiss - Take a small sip of your favorite drink. Leaving a little bit of it on your lips, kiss your partner. It is a unique way to create a sensual feeling and your partner will enjoy it.

Talking Kiss - Whisper sweet nothings into your partner's mouth. If caught in the act, simply say as Chico Marx, "I wasn't kissing her. I was whispering into her mouth."

Teaser Kiss - Starting on the forehead, a sweet short kiss on lips, then move up the arms up to her hand, kiss her hand, then come back up her arm, to her face and then lightly kiss her lips till she wants a passionate kiss.

The Buzzing Kiss - Gently place your lips against your lover's neck , behind their ear. Now, send a shudder through their skin by gently growling and humming, vibrating your lips and cheeks as you do so. Move up and down the neck, over the bones of the face and lips. Stimulating and erotic when done correctly.

The Whipped Cream Kiss - Dip your finger into some cool whip or whipped cream of your choice. Lick it off slowly, then embrace your partner and kiss them deeply letting their tongue slip over yours for a wonderfully sweet kiss. It's very seductive and passionate.

Tiger Kiss - Quietly sneak up behind your partner making sure they do not know what you are going to do. Out of the blue, grab them and gently bite their neck. Make sure to get a few good growls in too. This will surely surprise them.

Trickle Kiss - Take a sip of a favourite drink and trickle it slowly into partner's mouth while kissing.

Tongue Sucking - A variation of the French kiss. During an open-mouth kiss gently suck on your partner's tongue (not too hard because it may hurt). Very sexy :-)

Quickie Kiss - When you're in a rush. Often the nose gets it rather than the lips.

Vacuum Kiss - While kissing open-mouthed, slightly suck in as if you were sucking the air from your partners mouth. This is a playful kiss.

Wake Up Kiss - Before your partner awakes lean over and kiss their cheek and move over giving soft kisses until you reach their lips. Definitely a more than pleasant way to wake up!