• Read the heartbreaking story of the 29 girls who were kicked out of their school for menstruating in Nepal School Expels Girls for ‘Being Accursed’
• RH Reality Check brings us another great article!  Read Tampon Safety and Our Monthly Affair with Toxins to learn more about the chemicals used in tampon production and their harmful effects.
• Have you seen the Huffington Post‘s article about alternative menstrual products?  You can read the interestingly titled Make Her Vagina Green here.  Being mentioned on such a big news outlet is awesome, but I wish should would have at least tried our products before writing about them.  What do you think about it?
• Amy Ziz in Austin writes about her experiences and first impressions of the Moon Cup in this article.
• Creative Madness Mama has a great article on using GladRags.  She provides lots of tips on using and buying GladRags in GladRags- Menstrual Monday.
• The title of this funny and informative article says it all: Menstrual Cups: Why They Are Awesome and You Should Get One.

May Monthly Friend: Sarah Fauber

Name: Sarah Fauber
Age: 31
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Current location: Louisville, Kentucky
Occupation: Self-proclaimed Jane of all Trades: nutrition and supplement specialist, childcare and pet-care provider, jewelry designer, soon-to-be self-published cookbook author, and seamstress.

Interests: Bicycling, party and small event coordinating and participating, VH1 “reality” TV shows, cooking and food research, reading.
Dreams: I have always wanted to own my own shop. It would be a place that could incorporate all the things I love to make and do and share with people. GladRags would definitely be available at my store.

How long have you used reusable menstrual products?: 8 years
Reason for making the switch to reusables: I made the switch after 3 years of hesitation. Primarily I was looking for an alternative to tampons that would alleviate vaginal dryness, be cost-effective, and not contribute to waste in the environment. It took a couple of months to get used to The Keeper menstrual cup but then I was so happy with it I bought one for a friend and she’s been using it for the last 7 years. I am continually enthusiastic about other benefits such as the reduced risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, not having to remove my menstrual cup when I urinate, never having to worry about packing tampons with me because when I need it my menstrual cup is already on my person. And I love reusable pads as a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative to my menstrual cup or just as added protection. I’m always informing women I know or meet about reusables.

Funny anecdotes, deep thoughts, or anything else you’d like to share: For years I’ve had bouts of Menorrhagia, excessive menstrual bleeding. Sometimes my periods would be so heavy I would have to use two super-plus tampons and an overnight pad just to make it 3 hours. Occasionally my periods would last for over a month. The first time I was diagnosed with Menorrhagia I had never heard of a menstrual cup but wished something like it existed. The third and last bought of menorrhagia occured about 7 years ago and having my menstrual cup made going through it so much easier. During this time I finally correlated weight gain and consumption of hormone enhanced dairy with my bouts of Menorrhagia. After weight loss and a switch to organic, r-BGH free dairy it has never returned. It would be an amazing opportunity for women to be consulted about menstrual alternatives at their gynecological check-ups. And I’ve often wondered what possibilities would occur if GladRags menstrual alternatives could be a part of sexual education for young women. Here’s a funny little anecdote about a time at work when I was informing a female co-worker about menstrual cups she exclaimed “that sounds right up my alley,” and I replied “literally.”

When I think of house plants, I immediately think of Jon Arbuckle tirelessly watering and talking to his ferns, trying to get them to grow.  Of course, he was always thwarted in his attempts.  But maybe Jon had the right idea…

In a 1980s study conducted by NASA (yes, NASA! They were looking for ways to keep air inside orbiting space stations clean), researchers found that common house plants can help purify the air inside buildings by filtering chemicals like trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde from the air.

While there’s currently some disagreement over whether or not house plants can actually improve indoor air quality, I’m inclined to believe that having plants in your living space provides some kind of benefit — whether through improved air quality or just through improved mood.  And who can deny that a thriving plant makes a room look so much more inviting?

Your Green Goal this week?  Head to the nursery and pick out a plant!  Here are a few of our top picks for easy to care for house plants (unless you live with Garfield, that is):

• Heart Leaf Philodendron
• Chinese Evergreen
• Warnecki
• Dracaena
• Golden Pothos
• Mother-in-law’s Tongue / Snake Plant
• Spider Plant
• Aloe

Of course, if you have kids or pets, please take extra care in picking out plants as some can be toxic if eaten!

Hello and welcome to the newest installment of Menstrual Mondays, wherein we review this week in menstrual news, blog entries, art, activism, and more!

•  The Chic Ecologist brings us an installment of the Environmental Impact of Everyday Things focused on the impact of menstrual products.  She goes into some interesting detail about what happens to the menstrual products that are thrown away and the history of green-washing such products. (image to the left is take from her article)
• Check out this week’s Do Good of the Week from GladRags Guerilla, Marta, who runs Be Good Do Good Yoga.  This week’s segment is all about natural birth control methods and why you should check them out.
• Girl w/ Pen has an impassioned editorial about the state of menstrual product advertising in Pop Goes Feminism: Does Your Period Make You Blue?
• Awesome blogger The Sexist has a hilarious article about the 5 Most Feminine Feminine Hygiene Products (note: they are not all menstrual products).
• Blog a la Cart shares a funny little story about her husband’s reaction to her excitement over first using the menstrual cup.

When I first heard that many canned foods are now known to contain BPA leeched from the can lining, my mind immediately went to my favorite last-minute party snack: homemade hummus.  I always have a can or two of garbanzo beans, some garlic, and olive oil and can easily whip up a yummy batch in ten minutes or less.  What would I do without canned beans in my pantry?

I’m a little embarrassed to admit I’ve never used beans that didn’t come from a can.  It’s so convenient!  And fast!  And apparently, filled with dangerous plastics.  Of course, the added waste of the cans (even when you recycle) and the greater cost compared to dry is even more reason to steer clear of canned beans.

So I hope you’ll join me this week in committing to replace a can of beans in your cooking with dry beans!  I found a great chart that tells you how long to soak and cook many types of beans here.  Be sure to let us know in the comments if you try this week’s Green Goal — and share with us any green tips of your own!

Here are a few tasty-looking dishes to inspire you:

Spicy Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili
White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes
Adzuki Bean Miso Soup

What’s your favorite bean recipe?

A short and sweet Menstrual Monday post today is coming at ya!

• Sify News presents a great article about artist Ashmina Ranjit.  She grew up in a conservative household in Nepal and now creates menstrual inspired artwork designed to educate and challenge long held beliefs about impurity.  Read more in Woman’s Blood Inspires rebel Art in Nepal.
• Did you know menstrual blood contains stem cells?  You can learn about the latest research in this area in the new article from the Santa Barbara Independent, Stem Cells in Menstrual Blood: They Can Even Become Neurons. 
• Despite the odd name, the chapter called Vulva Care–Keeping Your Kitty Happy actually contains some good advice from Psychology Today.
• Actress Eunice Wong shares her take on switching to alternative menstrual products here.
  

This week’s Menstrual Monday is slightly irregular (pardon the pun) but better late than never, right?  We’ll be back to our regular schedule next week!  And now the news:

• From The F-Word comes an article about the weird (but effective) advertising techniques used by disposable feminine product manufacturers, from blue liquid to tampons with “skirts.”

• Kotex launches a new advertising campaign — watch a video clip and read responses to the ads here and here.  Is this campaign hilarious or obnoxious? Discuss!

• There’s a great conversation about teaching kids about their bodies happening in the comments of Execumama’s post on menstruation.  Go share your two cents or just see what others are saying!

• Get serious about tracking your menstrual cycle with these detailed instructions for creating a chart in Excel.

• Have you checked out our reading list yet?  We want to know which books you recommend, too!

• Find out what experts say about vaginal discharge during pregnancy — and why you shouldn’t use a tampon or douche to deal with it.

• Here’s a great review of reusable menstrual products, including the Lunette cup, from a self-proclaimed Period Proselytiser.

Eliminating the “dirty dozen” from your personal care products can be a tough chore that leaves your head spinning with ingredients like imidazolidinyl urea and thimerosol.  Your challenge this week is to check the label on at least one of your personal care products.  Does it contain any of the ingredients listed in the Green Guide’s dirty dozen?  If so, start thinking about how you can replace that product when it runs out — and ask yourself if you really need to use it at all!

One of the most fun ways to ensure your bathroom cabinet stays chemical-free is to skip buying commercial products altogether!  Making your own beauty products is simple, inexpensive, and eliminates any worry that your new facial cleanser contains scary cancer-causing agents.  And when you make it yourself, there’s no added packaging to be tossed into a landfill when you’re through.

Simple Facial Mask & Scrub*

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sugar
• dash of ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Mix the ingredients well in a small cup or bowl.  Smooth mixture onto face, avoiding eyes and sensitive areas, and scrub lightly for a moment.  This can be a little drippy, so be sure to apply it while over a sink or in the tub! Let the mask sit on your face for 5 to 10 minutes, scrub lightly again, and rinse with water.  Pat face dry with a towel and enjoy how soft and moisturized your skin feels!

*As with any new skin care product, always do a spot test on a small area of your skin first.

Did you try this recipe?  Leave us a comment and let us know what you thought — or share DIY beauty tips of your own!

Hello!  You have reached GladRags’ Menstrual Monday.  You’re one stop shop for all the newest menstrual news, art, politics, musings, and more!  Let’s get right into it and see what we have this week.

• Dr. Machelle Seibel writes about vaginal pH and how different events and items can effect it.  He notes that tampons can absorb the natural fluids that vaginas need to maintain pH.  Read his very interesting and short article if you need another reason to not use tampons.
• The Diva Cup commissions a fun informative video about why eco-conscious ladies should use alternative menstrual products in Eco Menstrual Innovations: Diva Cup Give Pads and Tampons the Green Boot.
• Animal New York brings to light what happens When Men Create PMS Ads (see photo) shows us some confusing imagery and targeting techniques.  Apparently, a Chilean ad campaign for a midol-type product is attempting to market their product to men to buy for their female significant others.  What do you guys thing of this ad?  Funny?  Disgusting?  Sexist?  All three?

Bonus: Truth Be Told blog is hosting a GladRags giveaway and review.  You can win a color pad sampler pack!  Find out the many ways to enter here.

February Monthly Friend: Teresa M. Stillwell

Name: Teresa M. Stillwell
Age: 37
Hometown: Conover, NC
Current Location: Conover, NC
Occupation: Help Desk Analyst for IT dept at a busy local Hospital

Interests: Nature, saving the environment, green living, photography, and reading. I also love to spend time with my cat baby, Gus, and my husband, Chad.
Dreams: To one day own my own company or be able to work for myself in some self-sustaining way.

How long have you used reusable menstrual products?: I have used reusable menstrual products now for 3 years, and I wish I had tried them 23 years ago (of course they weren’t marketed then). I had wanted to try them for years, but every time I mentioned to any friend or family, they would say: you can’t be serious – reusable menstrual products you have to wash – no thanks! I’ve suffered for years from irritation, infections, rashes, and discomfort and dread every month. Now since I’ve discovered GladRags, I almost look forward to my monthly friend. I’ve never felt so comforted and comfortable and not worried in my life regarding my menstrual cycle. For years I’ve worried about leakage, TSS, and other side effects of plastic and chemically altered products that aren’t meant to go in or on your body. Before my cycle was so heavy, and now since I’ve stopped using tampons and plastic pads, not only am I more comfortable, but my periods last about 1/3 as long as they did before and they are not as heavy. My cramps I’ve suffered with since I was 13 have also greatly diminished. I am in awe! I will forever be a GlaRags customer, until I go through menopause, and then will still be grasping my pantiliners till the end . I have told all my friends and family and coworkers about reusable menstrual products. I have even brought new boxes and packs for them to look at and have given some as gifts to get them interested in buying. I love the products and I know if every woman would try them, the disposable feminine product business would go broke! I’m on a crusade to save the private parts of all the females I know from the injustice of rayon, polyester, and plastic, as well as a list of chemicals.

A day with out a GladRag, is a sad day indeed!!!

GladRags are your friends
Up until the menstrual end
No more rash on those private parts
No more worries about those chemical darts
No leaks to ever cross your mind
As long as GladRags are on your behind!