Lunapads

Calling all Vancouver bicycle-riding gals - this sounds like crazy fun! “Clitoral Mass”, (the name is a cheeky pun on the popular cycle-power event Critical Mass) is a women and women-identified bicycle ride celebrating the full moon, the lunar eclipse and women - what’s not to love?!? Top it off with a party, and you’ve got a fine Saturday evening heading your way.

CLITORAL MASS: an all-women and women-identified bicycle ride

What: This is a moderately-paced, safe and resplendent pedal-powered event: non-partisan, pan-denominational fun!
When: Saturday, August 16th: 4:30 meet at the Vancouver Art Gallery, ride departs at 5pm
Where: velo-amble around Vancouver until around 6:30 pm
Who: any and all sisters, mothers, daughters, aunts, babushkas, nieces, gal-friends, belle-soeurs, cousines, etc !
What to Wear: your loveliest lingerie, a cool costume, some super sox and a swimsuit… whatever tickles your fancy and/or fanny
Bring: helmet, water and refreshments, lights and bike lock.

THE ‘AFTER-PARTY’

Where: Rhizome Cafe, at 317 E. Broadway (@Kingsway)
When: 7 pm, to close (midnight)
Who: everyone, all ages and genders
What: FREE entry with suggested donations of $3 - $10 to cover some shared snacks, and equipment rental. An evening of party, door prizes, music and entertainment, great food and drinks - Rhizome has great food and cocktails for a delicious after-ride feast. Bring your appetite and dineiros. Enjoy the great food and bevs along with friends old and new. Learn about cycling and have a great time. Working on getting Bicycle Valet Parking.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Campagnolo: jcampagnolo@shaw.ca

Yesterday, Garret and I ducked out of the office during lunch hour to go downtown and join over a hundred people gathered in protest of an incident a few days ago at H&M. Essentially, Manuela Valle was harassed for breastfeeding her infant daughter in the store while her husband was in the change room. You can read more about the story here. Naturally, the incident sparked an organized ‘nurse-in’ calling for women to come publicly breastfeed their babies at H&M.

I felt I couldn’t miss the chance to show my support and attend the nurse-in and become a lactivist right here in Vancouver. I remember so well the few occasions when I took my first baby shopping with me. I never felt comfortable breastfeeding in the stores for fear of exactly what Manuela went through and resorted to nursing him in change rooms and washrooms. But, second time around, armed with more confidence and a better understanding of my rights, I breastfed Garret in public whenever he needed to be fed. My confidence and understanding is in part thanks to women like Manuela, and dozens of others who have stood up for their (and their baby’s) rights. High profile incidents involving Delta Airlines, Starbucks (who now have teaching notes for their employee training sessions!) and the video below about what Barbara Walters said on The View, have resulted in a nurse-ins at all these corporate headquarters.

It felt so good to be a part of this show of lactivism. Regardless of what people think of breastfeeding and nurse-ins, I think all the resulting media attention is good; if a would-be or new mom sees the story on the evening news or reads it in the paper and becomes more informed, it is all worthwhile. I know it helped me!

Breastfeeding in public needs to be normalized and women deserve to feel confident and rely on their instincts in caring for their babies. After the H&M nurse-in, a lively discussion on the CBC website has ensued. I feel quite sad and angry about many of the recent posts. Yes, breastfeeding can be a very intimate and private experience, but that doesn’t mean women need to be shamed or made to feel uncomfortable while taking care of their babies most important needs. There is nothing sexual about breastfeeding and we (well at least not me, anyways) are not flagrantly baring our breasts to nurse our babies!

On a personal note, nursing Garret at H&M was a bittersweet moment, as I’ve been gradually trying to wean him. (Here is me and Garret chatting with Michelle Hoar of The Tyee, with her daugher Olivia, just before the big ‘latch-on’ moment.) Weaning has been a challenging phase for both of us - on the one hand, after almost 2 years of breastfeeding him, I am ready to close this chapter with him and get more sleep at night and have the freedom to leave him for a few days, but on the other hand, I know he’d like to hang on to his ‘nie nie’ (milk in Chinese) a little longer. I’ve come to terms that weaning him will result in growth for both of us, but it is still hard to deal with emotionally. Learning to breastfeed my babies was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but definitely one of the most rewarding experiences in my life and one that I will treasure forever. I smile everytime I see a breastfeeding mom in public and will fondly remember those precious times with my babies.�

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will remember Loretta Cella’s spa fundraiser that raised over $1,000 towards Goods 4 Girls Kits which she then distributed in Kiberia, a suburb of Nairobi. Loretta has gone on to create a charitable foundation whose goal is to continue the work of empowerment for girls globally.

She is having a fundraiser for the Passion Foundation next week on August 14th at 7pm at Ceili’s pub in downtown Vancouver. I’m planning to be there, and Lunapads is donating some silent auction items. There will be an exclusive musical performance by local up-and-comer Alida, as well as a ton of other great silent auction items and doubtless a troupe of Loretta’s fabulous friends. For tickets ($10 each including a drink - deal of the century!), call Loretta (604) 710-4480. We’ll hope to see you there!

It’s been just over one year since we moved into our new office, which makes it a good time to pause for a moment to reflect on everything that’s happened in those fleeting 365 days. It’s too much to get into at the moment (I’m thinking that I’ll do a “year in review” post in December.) In the meantime I’ve just posted a bunch of new photos to the photo gallery that tell a longer story, but suffice to say that it’s been busy!

Here’s a shot of the current Lunagals: L-R Suzanne, Goni, Jennifer, Charlene, Morgan and me. Sandra is off for the summer working at an organic fruit orchard in the interior of the province, and Lisa is on the other side of the lens. Enjoy your summers, everyone!

Vancouver Folk Fest has been running for 31 years, and to a large number of Vancouverites it’s the cornerstone of the summer. For three days every year Jericho beach is transformed into a Wonderland of delicious food, ethical crafts, and best of all: incredible folk artists from around the globe. Lunapads hasn’t had a table at Folk Fest for quite a number of years, so it was an honour to take part in the festivities.

The Lunagals, (team intern: Jennifer and Char ) and Lunapads owner Suzanne spent the weekend getting to know our customers, building a new clientele, and listening to great music. The highlight of the weekend was Ozomatli’s main stage performance on Friday evening.. although free samples of Lunatic bars all weekend came close second.

Over all it was a fantastic weekend, and we can’t wait to “man” our Under the Volcano table next weekend.

So if you’re in Vancouver (August 10th) come check out one North Vancouver’s ode to Art and Social Change.. and don’t forget to stop by and get some great deals and more chocolate!

Thank you to Dave Niddrie for the photo, and all the lovely customers who stopped by to chat and support Lunapads!!

Here’s the third winning entry we received as part of our Boss of You book giveaway. If you’re in the Phoenix Metro area of Arizona, please note that Stephanie Byng holds “Natural ” Menstruation workshops - check out her website here. Thanks Stephanie! We wish you all the best, and hope this book helps you accomplish your goals!

I recently talked to you about doing presentations on natural menstruation at Northern Arizona University. I want to thank you for the promotional material you sent me. In total, I did 9 presentations between February and June. They all went wonderfully!

Because of the success of my presentations, I’ve wanted to get more involved in spreading the word about natural products for women. I really want to start my own business where I can sell natural products (for mothers, babies, and menstruating women) as well as books, gifts, and women-friendly sex toys.

I have the theme for the store already decided and much of the business plan done. The problem is, I am absolutely poor. I was wondering if you could give me some tips on how to start a business. I’d like to be a physical store, rather than an online store. I live in Arizona and there are no stores like this in the entire state! I’m at a loss as to what to do, so I’d appreciate any advice or help you can give.

Thank You,

Stephanie Byng

Way back before we had kids (6+ years ago) we often used to take the Lunapads show on the road, attending trade shows and festivals on a fairly regular basis. From local New Age/Women’s/Eco/Wellness shows to major US natural products trade shows, you could find our smiling faces expounding the virtues of natural menstrual products to anyone patient enough to listen - it was hard work, but often lit up with wonderful connections with customers and colleagues.

This year we have made a commitment to be a little more “out there” in our community and as a result ended up attending 2 major events this weekend - the annual Doulas of North America (DONA) conference, and the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. I’ll share a bit about DONA, and Suzanne will tell you about Folk Fest (as it’s known locally) in a subsequent post.

Having both been attended by Doulas in our births, Suzanne and I were only too happy to meet several hundred of them! For those of you who may not know, Doulas are highly skilled and compassionate professionals who attend Mothers through their pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum stages. You can learn more about their role and services here.

Not surprisingly, several of our Doula friends were also in attendance, and it was a great opportunity to reconnect. I’m sure this is true of many places, but in the past few years, Vancouver has seen the emergence of a wonderful community of Midwives, Doulas, La Leche League leaders and other breastfeeding and attachment/natural parenting advocates etc. and their devoted clients and supporters. Here’s a nice photo of me and Nikiah Seeds of Mama Goddess Birth Shop in front of the Mama Goddess and Lunapads displays. Other treasured colleagues at the conference included Sarah Juliusson of Mama Renew and Dancing Star birth), Sarah’s business partner Jennifer Lee Koble, Bridgitte Alomes of Natural Pod natural toys, Paula Violi of Baby Buddha slings, Amanda Spakowski of Luna Birth, Aimee Sturley of Adar Birth Services and Wendy Armbruster of Pump-ease breast pump supports.

Love you gals - keep up the great work!

That was my reaction after viewing this horror show of clips of media commentators making less than respectful observations about female political figures, notably Nancy Pelosi, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. The Women’s Media Center has created this and many other works that will serve as a good re-energizer for those of us wearied by the under-representation and gratuitous bashing of women in positions of power, and a wakeup call for those who have yet to accept the necessity of feminism.

While I’m on the topic of women and politics, a plug for Equal Voice, a Canadian multi-partisan organization working to increase women’s participation in public life, seems apt. In my time as a citizen, feminist and media observer, I have come to the conclusion that we as women need to support our sisters on the public stage, regardless of political stripe (i.e. you don’t have to vote for or even agree with all their ideas, but please at least respect the crucial value of their participation, and for having the courage to step up to the plate.) Thanks ladies.

Here’s another winning entry we received as part of our Boss of You book giveaway. Thanks, Marie!

Dear Lunagals,

I am currently starting my own business (as you know since I want to sell your products!)

It all started when I found out, at 21, that I had Asperger Syndrome (a distant relative of autism). I was studying international development and wanted to carry on to do my masters in gender or women’s studies, but from the moment I started being “looked after” by a psychiatrist, I had to change my plans.

I tried a few things but came to the conclusion that, although I got along well with customers, I just couldn’t deal with colleagues, bosses, and social interactions, and I really couldn’t cope with the stress. This meant that I had to find a job where I could work alone.

I came to the Lunapads website through my sensitivity to issues facing women and the earth. I fell in love with the products and decided I wanted other women to know about them too.

At the time, my mum, step dad and I were trying to figure out a way to help me work in the fields that are most important to me - environmental protection and the respect of people.

One day, it suddenly came to me. Why not do an online website selling products that are good for both women and the environment? I am quite competent with computers, and thought this arrangement would allow me to work in a way that would best suit my needs and desires.

Here’s what I’m planning to do: I will sell products from Canada (Lunapads), Britain and France. I can use my knowledge of English (I studied 5 years in Britain), my sensitivity (to look for environmentally friendly products) and, because my mum will be working alongside me, this will help me cope with any stress that should arise.

Success, for me, will be when I am able to live off of this business, which I am confident will eventually be the case. But success will also be when women will use environmentally friendly products daily, not just as a “one-off to try”. I am going to have a blog as well, where I will do my best to educate women about this because, in my opinion, respecting the earth also means respecting yourself.

I hope to open in June.

Blessings,
Marie

Here’s the first winning entry in our Boss of You book giveaway. Thanks, Julia!

Hi Madeleine and everyone at Lunapads!

I am a 25 year old dancer who is finally tired of working day jobs to make ends meet. My priorities became very clear when I became pregnant last October. I am expecting our bundle of joy on August 4, 2008. As a young woman training in dance 6 days a week in addition to working full time at a ballet academy, this pregnancy was a huge surprise and an emotional rollercoaster. With time, as I started to feel the baby, my maternal instincts kicked in and my whole perspective in life changed.

Before I became pregnant I didn’t want to teach dance. I just wanted to train and perform. But now with a baby coming, teaching in the evening while my partner takes care of the baby, became a very attractive option. With this in mind, at 6.5 months, I organized and taught a small workshop, and I absolutely LOVED teaching dance!

Teaching freelance is a small business, which I was always afraid of jumping into. Now I am ready to take all the skills that I learned working at the dance studio and give myself a career that allows me to spend time with my baby, and slowly build up towards having my own dance studio. Success encompasses a huge spectrum of areas. Most people would define success in regards of fame and fortune, but for me is having a career that I really love, being able to balance this career with my family, and very importantly, giving back to the community. I would like to make enough to be able to pay myself what I deserve, and be able to fund various not-for-profit programs. I dream about offering free after school dance and theatre classes for underprivileged youth, and a special free class for women who have suffered violence. In my personal experience, dance really helped me heal many wounds, and I feel responsible to gift this opportunity to those around me.

I can’t wait to read a copy of this book. Thanks for this great contest idea, and to everyone at Lunapads, for keeping women and the environment healthy!

Julia