Moons, Menstruation, Mould and Media

Ooh, I do like a bit of alliteration

So…lots of you health-conscious, social-media connected ladies will have seen this blog post about a mouldy tampon, right? I saw it, shared by Feminine Wear on a well known social media site, and decided to post it to my wall. This is the conversation that ensued (no names):

D: havent used them since a teenager ,a doctor once told me if all women could see what he saw in examinations,e.g mouldy remnants left behind internally,women would never use them.

Me: OK, I’m convinced!!

J: ‎Viv you need a moon cup.

Me: Think you’re right J – I do have washable pads but supplemented with tampons on heavy days cos not been brave enough for mooncup lol. This might be the motivation I need tho!

P: That is truly shocking. Kotex attitude stinks! How can they even pretend that selling a mouldy tampon presents no risk? Gross!

T: Too much information thanks Viv!

P: Women have become too afraid to talk about their own bodies. Why? I don’t think this is too much information at all. Thanks for posting x

T: I think the male friends of Viv may disagree with you!

D: they should man up then

Me: What she says

So, who is right?  Is sharing such things in a place where male friends might potentially read them in bad taste, insensitive, “too much information”?  As you can see I sided with a friend who considers that such a man should “man up”.  To me, this is an important health and social issue and I don’t think it should be swept under the carpet.  And if that means sharing information about my personal choice of menstrual solution then so be it. Men are also fathers, husbands, healthcare professionals…I hope they wouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed or shocked to read about – SHOCK HORROR! – menstrual pads!  And maybe they might talk to the women in their lives about what products they use, and what health risks these might potentially involve.   And that’s where I stand.

On the subject of menstruation, my lovely friend Motherfunker of Feet on the ground and head in the clouds blog recently gave me the gift of Lucy H Pearce’s book “Moon Time”

I haven’t had chance to properly read it yet, but it seems to be a really positive book, with lots of idea for women to get in touch with their bodies and their menstrual cycles. I will try and do a proper review when I’ve read it, but figured that this was a good time to mention it!

Mad for Mondrian

After a few hectic and unsettling weeks, this week I decided to do some artist study with the boys. We selected Mondrian, and the boys have created two masterpieces each in his style.

First, using black electrical tape and coloured paper:

Then following instructions from “That Little Art Teacher” to create these Mondrian style animals.

Waif went for a fish:

And Gman for a turtle:

Aren’t they super? We actually took the paints and things outside and sat in the garden doing these (hooray for the flexibility of home education!), and because I can never resist joining in, I even made an animal of my own:

Slow Progress

I thought I’d do a quick sewing update post.  The dark ring of hexagons on my charm quilt is sloooooowly growing (sadly not keeping pace with the dark rings under my eyes lol)

And I’ve done a bit more on my friend’s little girl’s Disappearing Pink Patch quilt.  This is very girly, but I am quite loving the colours after all:

That’s all for now!

Creamy Coconut Soaked Porridge

Today I am going to share a recipe for my new favourite breakfast.  Since reading Nourishing Traditions, I am trying to ensure that the grains we eat are properly prepared – by soaking, sprouting or fermenting (for a good article on the whys and wherefores go here).  The easiest thing to start with was breakfast, and this is our favourite take on porridge:

CREAMY COCONUT SOAKED PORRIDGE (Serves 3-4)

The night before:

Soak 1 cup of rolled oats (we use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats) in 1 cup of warm filtered water with 2tbsp yogurt or whey added (for dairy free folk, you could use lemon juice, but I haven’t tried this so don’t know if it tastes good!)

In the morning:

Bring 1 cup of full fat coconut milk to the boil, then add your soaked oats with their liquid.

Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy.

Because I am such a coconut fiend, I like to serve mine with a big dollop of chilled coconut cream, and maybe a drizzle of honey too.  Yum yum!

Apologies for the rubbish picture – the natural daylight at 8am in England in March is not the best

Linking up with Fat Tuesday