Lunapads

I discovered cloth pads back in 1992, while in my early twenties. I thought it was a great idea and environmentally friendly and I actually found some for sale in a local health food store. They were an early version of a different cloth pad company, and had an uncomfortable nylon bottom, velcro which scratched, and were the kind you stuffed a rolled up cloth into.

Unlike Lunapads, you couldn’t simply change the liner. You had to change the whole pad. Quite frankly, I used them for only two cycles before ditching them completely. Disappointed both in the product and myself, I reluctantly went back to disposables.

Fast forward ten years. After having tried nearly every brand of disposable pads and tampons, I decided right after having my daughter in 2002 that I would go back to trying a washable pad. My postpartum flow had gone on and on, and I was very uncomfortable using disposables after my natural birth. I did a quick search online and found Lunapads. I immediately ordered a bunch of different sizes and colours and I’ve never looked back. They were so soft, so absorbent and so easy. What a difference! My poor perineum healed so much better after I made the switch. And the liners made the difference. It was fantastic to find a pad that you could just change the top layer, if you wanted to.

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I had to give a persuasive speech for my speech communication class, and I decided that I was going to single-handedly convince seven women and two men to switch to alternative menstrual products!

I e-mailed Lunapads asking if there were any cloth pad samples or literature that they could send me. To my delight, Sandra promptly e-mailed me back and agreed.

I received two cloth pads, two liners, pamphlets, and even coupons. The customer service was excellent. Sandra even said that once I was done showing them around, I was free to keep the sample pads and use them for myself! While I’m tempted (they’re absolutely adorable), I think I’m going to keep them as “for-show” only, so I can introduce more women to the wonders of cloth pads.

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If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you already know about some of the charitable efforts we have been up to lately. Today I’d like to tell you about a personal friend and longtime Lunapads fan who is helping at-risk youth in Vancouver, and how you can help too.
Madeleine Kipling is a veritable fireball of humour and energy. The first time I met her was back when I had my store. She had just received a cheque for an acting gig and was, of all the things she could have been spending her hard-earned cash on, buying Lunapads for all her girlfriends to celebrate. She took her time and chose a different pattern for every friend (she was in a women’s comedy troupe, 30 Helens, at the time) and blew me away with her enthusiasm for what most visitors to my otherwise-clothing store found curious at best. Maddy was all over it, though, and is responsible for recruiting as many women to using washable pads as anyone I can think of.

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Attention Fashionistas! One of my all-time favorite fabrics is making a surprise comeback. “Hats & Heels” is an almost ridiculously femmy print that also includes violet purses and gloves on a scarlet background. Paired with purple fleece, it’s a no-holds-barred, non-wallflower print that can make having your period feel pretty glam. And this time I’m not making empty promises - we actually have it in stock (like, right now!) in the following Lunapads styles: Heavy, Wide Maxi, Teeny and Mini Pantyliners. P.S. the crazy brown flower print will be in stock early in 2008 - I swear on my tiara!

As Madeleine alluded to in the job requirements for our ‘help wanted’ post, having an affinity for small children is an important criteria here at Lunapads. While maternity/paterinty benefits are quite good in Canada (a full year off with pay) unfortunately, busines owners like Madeleine and I don’t qualify! So, Madeleine and I have no choice but to simply bring our kids to work with us.

Here is Garret trying to work (or perhaps trash?) my printer/fax machine. He quite happily wanders around the office, visiting whomever he wishes. Sometimes he’ll gently pat you on the back to get your attention, or he’ll sneak under your desk and steal your shoes. What I love about Lunapads is that everyone pitches in to help keep an eye on the kids. Whether it is playing a game with them, letting them make a mess on your desk, or taking them to the park, Madeleine and I are truly grateful for the loving care our kids get at Lunapads. Thank you Lunagals!

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Everywoman’s Health Centre’s second annual Art for Everywoman’s — a Wine, Cheese and Farmer’s Market fundraiser — is the perfect solution for pre-Christmas craziness…after all, where ELSE can you drink BC wine and beer, eat organic cheese, listen to live music, socialize AND Christmas shop from an all-local, independent farmer’s market all at the same time?!
Lunapads will be there with bells on, so come on out to join the party!

Sadly, Marie-Genevieve is leaving us for greener pastures. We’re looking for a new Lunagal who is interested in working for about 30 hours/week at a progressive, feminist, internet-based green small business in Vancouver BC. Enthusiasm for natural menstrual products is a must, as are good computer skills, personable customer service and affectionate tolerance for occasionally discovering small children hiding under your desk. To learn more about Lunapads and our company culture, check out the About Us section on our website.
As our new Customer Service and Shipping Assistant you will be responsible for the following:
- Processing and fulfillment of internet orders
- Coordination of mail and courier shipments
- Packing and invoicing of wholesale orders
- Monitoring of inventory levels
Please send your resume and cover letter to jobs@lunapads.com.
Thanks!

Sometimes it’s hard for me to explain what exactly I study at school.

My family members, proud of me but unsure of what it is that I do at this fancy college, are constantly asking for details. “What are you taking up at school?” my aunt Eleanor asks. “Um, Sociology…” I reply, nervously, “…and Biology, and Women’s Studies, I guess.”

That’s quite a range, but it’s actually pretty simple – I study periods. No, not grammatical periods or time periods. I study capital P, bleeding-out-of-your-vagina Periods.

It all started when I stumbled across a livejournal community about menstrual cups two years ago. I found this huge collection of personal stories and technical information all about exotic-sounding alternative menstrual products that I’d never heard of before. I’d never been too fond of the limiting and monopolized “feminine hygiene” options in my local pharmacy, so I gathered some money from my savings and ordered a DivaCup online. After a long, anxious wait for the package to come in the mail, then another wait for my period to start, I finally got to use my cup for the first time. It was wonderful and I was hooked! I had never been so happy about being a woman or getting my period before, so I made it my mission to spread the word about menstrual cups.

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As the Holidays approach it’s hard not to feel inundated with “gift ideas” (hey, we even have some!) and wonder if we haven’t lost sight of the real message of holiday giving. Here are some organizations working in different ways to improve women’s lives that could use your support.

Tsunamika
Our current “free gift” with orders, Tsunamika dolls originally came to us as gifts from Nikiah at Mama Goddess Birth Shop. Tsunamika are tiny dolls handmade by women survivors of the December 26, 2004 South Asian tsunami. A collective of 500 women in Tamil Nadu province, India make and distribute tsunamika as tools for awareness and fund raising. We encourage you to
follow Lunapads’ lead and donate!

Women for Women International
I received Zainab Salbi’s book “Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing up in the Shadow of Saddam” as a Christmas gift last year and was mesmerized by it. A survivor of war herself, Salbi went on to create Women for Women International, an organization dedicated to helping female survivors of conflict rebuild their lives. WFW takes an intensive, holistic approach to bringing women from being victims to survivors.

Not For Sale
An estimated 27 million people, mostly women and children, are currently enslaved worldwide. Not for Sale is a campaign of artists, individuals, musicians, people of faith, businesses, schools and sports teams united to stop it. Don’t just get mad about women and children enslaved in the sex trade – Not For Sale has a ton of suggestions for getting active – now.

CODEPINK
CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities. With an emphasis on joy and humor, CODEPINK women and men seek to activate, amplify and inspire a community of peacemakers through creative campaigns and a commitment to non-violence.

Are there organizations that you want the Lunapads community to know about? Tell us and we’ll help to spread the word!

The Red Moon contest through Re:Connection Magazine that we mentioned on the blog back in September has found it’s winning poem. A beautiful piece demonstrating that even in pain we can have beautiful moments.

My Blessed Curse

Way back when
when my limbs
were long and thin
the change had finally
come to me.

My mother knew.
I didn’t have to say a word.

How does a mother know?

Way back when,
when my hips
and chest
began to shape
with curves
the pain was so severe
it sent me crying to the floor.

My mother did not judge me
Drama Queen,
but only looked
with sympathetic hazel eyes
then let me know
she would make some tea.

And so my blessed curse came,
came every month,
with nausea, pain and blood.

Still it’s the delicious smells
of cinnamon tea
that I remember most.

Way back when,
when my body young,
curved, thin and firm,
I began to feel
a different way-
a different me-
Yes, my blessed curse had skipped a turn.

And yes, my mother knew.
I didn’t have to say a word.

It must have been the glow.

And there within my ever changing me
grew inside a little mini me,
growing steadily
with my ever growing dreams
of then and now,
the blessed curse,
good moms, good daughters, good lives
and cinnamon tea.

Gloria Campos-Hensley