Diva

ATTN: This post is about menstruation. That is all. You have been warned.

 

 

 

 

Ladies and... ladies! I cannot believe I've gone most of my menstruating life without even once hearing about something called a menstrual cup. When I'm done explaining what it is, you might decide it's not for you but at least you will have heard about it and hopefully will spread the word to those who may be interested. Of course I'm hoping you'll decide it's worth a shot and enjoy happier periods than you ever thought possible.

What is it?
It's a silicone or latex cup that collects menstrual flow.

Why would I want to use it?
Let me count the ways!
One: when inserted properly you cannot even feel it's there. At all. I'm not kidding. I've forgotten I'm on my period.
Two: reusable! You won't have to buy as many pads or tampons - save money and save the environment! Menstrual cups can be used for many years!
Three: no unpleasant smells. I don't think I need to go into that one.
Four: it's so comfortable.
Five: did I mention that I've (temporarily) forgotten I'm on my period while using it? Forget about all those ridiculous tampon/pad/pantyliner commercials. THIS is truly a happy and comfortable period.
Six: you'll probably have to empty it much less often than you would have to change a pad or tampon.
Seven: you can't feel it at all. Jumping jacks, summersaults, horseback riding, exercise, whatever. It feels like nothing is there, not even your period.
Eight: you don't have to take it out to use the bathroom.
Nine: many women think that switching to a menstrual cup has resulted in less menstrual blood. 
Ten: have I mentioned how great it feels? No gross pad or tampon to worry about.
Eleven: it's much less likely to leak or result in stained clothing.

When would I use it?
Every day (and night) of your period. Heavy days, light days, medium days. I choose not to use it at night because, well, because. Many users say they only need to change it every TWELEVE hours. I wholeheartedly wish that was true for me, but it's not. Sadly, it appears I'm neither average nor typical. On my heaviest days I empty it every 2 to 3 hours and can go half to the whole day on my medium to light days. Again, once you know your body's patterns it's a piece of cake.

How exactly does it work?
The menstrual cup is held in place by the vaginal walls. It is not a cervical cap (like a diaphragm.) Wash your hands before inserting it. Once it's in, you just take it out however often you need to, dump the blood into the toilet, wipe or wash the cup out and reinsert. Most of the time you'll need to do it so infrequently you can usually manage to do it at home, but I've used public restrooms without too much difficulty. At the end of your cycle you boil it to sterilize it and then put it back in the cute little cloth storage bag until next month. There is definitely a learning curve to inserting it correctly and discovering how often you need to empty it but once that's taken care of you're SET. Yes, this means you get blood on your fingers and having to learn about your body a little, but for me the benefits FAAAAAR out-weigh the minor inconveniences. Really, it's no more inconvenient than having to remember to bring and then dispose of feminine hygiene products.

Where do I get me one of these?
I thought you'd never ask! I have a DivaCup, and have been using it for about six months.
There's also a Moon Cup.
And a Keeper.
And a Miacup.
And a Lunette.

Softcups are single-use menstrual cups designed more similarly to a diaphragm, so not all my reasons to use apply here, but it's kind of in the same category.

Also, it should be noted that I would certainly recommend some sort of liner to wear in conjunction with the cup because spotting is typical when the cup is full. Also, in the (very!) rare event that the cup changes position and leaks, a back-up of some sort is nice, particularly as you adjust to using the cup. For this I highly recommend Amy's Rag Bag.

 

And that's it! Who among you currently uses a menstrual cup? What has your experience been?

If you have further questions I am more than happy to answer whatever I can. Email me: beck[at]superbeck[dot]com!

Cool, clear water

Yay! Another Story of Stuff video on bottled water.

 

Speeding

Why is the speed of toddler so FAST in the unhelpful directions and so s...l...o...w... in the helpful ones?

We stopped cloth diapering for so long I don't think we have anything that will work for Val's booty. Potty training it is, then. Can someone come potty train for me? I don't know why I'm putting it off. She'll probably amaze me and be done in a week or something. Even though most of our house is cold we'll be going back to cloth diapers soon. Diapers are just so dang expensive. Especially with two kids.

I've been looking at gDiapers. The liners are expensive but some friends use prefolds unless they're out on errands or church or something. I've always wondered what you CDing people do for church childcare. I go to church three times a week (wow, how pious am I?) and have always put her in disposables for that, but I wish I didn't have to. Are gDiapers the answer? I'm drawn to the adjustable sizing. There are just three sizes that will fit everything. I'm also a cloth diapering junkie.

In other news, I am sitting down eating Love Potion 31. All is right with the world.

I think I finally figured out how to feed my baby in a way that keeps her tummy happy and gas-free. Good thing, too, since she's two and a half weeks old. She remains the cutest baby EVER. I'll have to post pictures later because she's calling me.

Sorter

Mistablades is awesome and intelligent. He is awesome because he watched K this morning while I keeled over unconscious on the couch after having been kicked by both my children (inside and out) all night long. The fact that he is also intelligent should be obvious because he is related to me, but in case that isn't enough to prove it to you here is something he (and a few other less-intelligent [I'm biased] guys) built:

It sorts recyclable bottles and cans into the appropriate category. Here's a video of it in action (password = mistablades.)

Green water

See that? That's about 20 gallons of water that was used to wash a large load of laundry in my high efficiency washer. There were a few more gallons that belonged to this load but I had to scoop them out to prevent the tub from overflowing. If 20+ gallons is high efficiency what on earth would be the water consumption on a regular washing machine? Just look at all the water that can be used again! Water is precious out here in the land of 106 degree weather, especially now that our state is in a drought and we're being urged to reduce the ammount of water we use.

I've been washing my laundry like this for a while now; I use the gray water to water my back lawn (if you can call it a lawn.) We don't have an elaborate system set up. Our system involves me carting buckets back and forth to the more dead-looking spots on the lawn. I have a hunch that as my pregnancy progresses the lawn will be greener closer to the back door. =)

So far, the grass hasn't seemed to mind this slightly-used water. I think it's happy to get whatever is offered - anything to water down the heavy doses of dog pee. We don't have a vegtable garden (I don't count the two tomato plans which are currently doing their best to convert dog pee into something useful) but if we did I wouldn't use it to water anything I later plan to eat. I do use it on my roses and they are appreciative (do you see a theme here regarding the desparate gratitude of all my plants??)

My laundry soap is biodegradable and environmentally friendly so there's no worries there, except for the possiblity of it altering the pH of my soil over time. To avoid that all I have to do is water with regular water every so often.

Obviously when I wash a load of diapers we hook the water back up to drain down the pipes. That can get to be a bit of a drag. I usually wash diapers every other day and it means that twice per load Superman has to lean the washer forward while I wiggle the drain hose into place. Since our washer backs up to the outside wall I think it would be super nifty for my super husband to install a valve in the ABS pipe drain and connect the drain to a hose bib that I can selectively use to water the lawn with "clean" water. Yeah that would be awesome. Are you listening, super husband? =)

How walkable are you?

My home address has a walkability score of 72/100.

No 'poo

I'm sitting here smelling faintly of apple cider vinegar. Why? Because I'm out of shampoo and conditioner and so decided to try the no 'poo method of hair washing. Basically you massage a baking soda paste into your scalp, rinse thoroughly with hot water, rinse with a diluted apple cider vinegar, rinse again and you're done. I'm thinking I didn't rinse enough because you're not supposed to smell like vinegar. I tried it for the first time tonight and I'm pretty sure I didn't do it exactly right but I am impressed with the softness and ease at which I was able to comb my hair.

And now for a quick baby update:

Oh hi Mom. Is this bad?

She's proud of herself for getting there but not quite sure if it's allowed. I'll bet Superman had no idea that his encouraging Kem to climb the 14-foot ladder in the backyard would lead to this. No surface is safe. She's quite adept at pushing a chair over to wherever she'd like to investigate and then has her hands on whatever it is in a matter of seconds. Desk, kitchen table, kitchen counter, stove, buffet... *sigh*. Only a year ago I was marveling at my tiny newborn, helpless and unable to do anything on her own except eat, and now just 12 months later I'm saying things like "please get off the kitchen table" and "chairs are for sitting, not climbing."