Temps, well, yes and no.
Monitoring the basal body temperature ( the temperature at the same waking time daily ) can tell you whether or not you are ovulating. The problem with using that sign to achieve pregnancy is that the temp goes up AFTER ovulation, as a result of the progesterone produced by the corpus luteum ( the former follicle where the egg developed. ). Given the relatively short egg life, by the time you have an indication in the temps, the egg may be past the time when it can be fertilized. There is sometimes a dip in the temps right before ovulation, but that isn't always the case, and sometimes there are dips that appear to have no correlation with ovulation at all.
The plus side of temps in trying to conceive, especially if you're very irregular, is that you're not left guessing whether you're late because you're pregnant or because you haven't ovulated yet and are going to have a really long cycle this time around. It also helps reduce the period of time in which relations may start feeling rather mechanical ( a common problem for those who have been trying to conceive for a long time ), because you will know that ovulation HAS passed. Therefore neither of you will feel pressured to do something you're really not in the mood for "just in case."
Also, a temp that remains elevated for 21 days is one of the earliest indicators that pregnancy has, in fact, been achieved. The mucus, while it sounds complicated and perhaps a little bit icky at first, really isn't hard to use once you get a handle on it.
If you want to learn more about using natural methods to improve your chances of conceiving, I would highly recommend that you take a class. We often teach couples who are trying to conceive. If you go to the web site ccli.org, you can get info on the particular method we teach, and how to find teachers in your area. The reason I recommend classes over just getting a book is that it can be very helpful to have someone to ask your questions, as well as someone to look at your charts and tell you if you're interpreting things correctly. By and large I get more counseling calls from people trying to learn just from the book ( The Art of Natural Family Planning is what we recommend. We believe it is the most complete text out there on this subject. ) than from those who took the classes. The organization we work with teaches from a Catholic viewpoint. In the book, however, all religious topics are separate from the scientific use of the method. We did research into the other groups' teaching materials and methods, and thought that Couple to Couple League's method was the most systematic and their materials the most complete. I'm not trying to push anything here. I'm just trying to point you in the direction of a resource that you might find helpful. If you decide you just want to read the book, Amazon.com sells it, as well as Barnes and Noble, I believe. I would be more than happy to answer any of your questions that came up. Feel free to email me if you would like to. Good luck!
Erin