Day One of the SITS contest!! Favorite Halloween Memory

My favorite Halloween memory is my last time I "trick or treated", which happens to have been my Senior year in high school! Me and a group of about 15 other seniors went around the rich neighborhood together. Responses to our childishness ranged from quizzical to hesitant to hilarity!

One of my friends was about 4' 11" and dressed up in a child's lion costume, complete with face paint. I was a girl scout (last minute costume). I was walking with my lion friend (and I am only about 2 inches taller than she) and at one of the houses a woman said, "It's so nice to see the older kids take the little ones out." It was quite hilarious, especially since she was older than some of our group.

Some of the houses were more like mansions and gave out king sized candy bars and cans of soda. One house offered us beer, but being the "smart kids" of our school, we tended to follow the laws and declined the tempting beer.

That Halloween still tops the charts as my favorite because it was the last Halloween of my school career, the last one with all of my friends in attendance. There is a picture of us that night that one of my friends posted on Facebook, but my computer is not currently recognizing cookies and I can't upload the picture to my blog :( sorry!

This entry has been inspired by an extreme giveaway being hosted by the SITS girls, where they are giving away a Canon camera, which is the expensive kind and would really be sublime to win. The next two days will be postings for this contest as well!

Check This One Out!!!

Mrs. B is hosting a wonderful giveaway today. I am in love with this goddess beaded necklace, which happens to come with a cute "Halloween" scarf from StarFire Creations. Please check this out, it is very nice!!

I am dying to post pictures but I fear that Blogger has made my computer obsolete, I may never post a picture again!! Ugh, I hate to even think about it.

And The Winner Is...

Sus from "Sips from the Fire Hydrant"!! Congrats Sus! I guess if you enter to win enough contests you will at least win something, I hope you fared well on your other entries! Please email me you address info so that I may send your runes out ASAP, maybe you can have them in time for Samhain for divination when the veils are at there thinnest.

Thank you to all who supported me during my first giveaway! It was a small crowd but I think that may be due to the sporadic nature of my writing, it is tough to have faithful readers when they can never tell when you will post.

I have been reading a great book as of late titled, "Practical Intuition" by Laura Day. It is a step by step guide on how to hone your intuitive perceptions. It is a wonderful book that basically states that everyone has intuition, some more thatn others, but everyone has the ability to notice these intuitions. She has many exercises in the book that help you notice this intuition. So far I have predicted my future for the next year, but I am only a quarter through the book, there is so much more to learn!

This post lacks pictures due to the lameness of either my computer or blogger not recognizing my cookie settings. Ugh, I hate having an outdated computer (6 yrs old). It is a wonderful thing that has never caught a virus or even had a hiccup! It is a mac, a computer my husband bought a few months before we met. I love it, but to buy a new mac will cost a fortune, we are thinking on just buying a cheap laptop that has up to date applications and operating system. Blah Blah Blah, computer lingo.

Samhain Blessings!

Iris's First Giveaway!!

Enter to win this humble set of handmade runes. The runes were made from dried fava beans and silver and gold paint. These runes were charged with their meanings as each one was made. The bag is also something that I made, not perfect but it is these runes' home! It is made from a cotton floral fabric on the outside and the inside is a soft flannel star fabric, which the runes seem to like sleeping on. These runes are special because they are my first, but I feel that someone other than me would benefit from them more, in this season of Divination.

How To Enter:

*Become a follower of this blog 
                     and
*Blog about this giveaway and paste the link of your post in your "comment"

Get an extra entry if you leave another comment about your favorite Past Post from this blog!
(See "Look into the Past" drop-down menu on left sidebar for older postings)

Please have your entry in by 11:59pm EST on Tuesday October 26th, 2010. 

A winner will be drawn on the following morning. 

I would like to thank all of my readers for making my first year blogging a good one!

The Outcome...

It seems that when I pay attention to the signs and feelings that come to me, things start to make sense again. Thank you for all of the helpful energy toward the giveaway, as I ended up winning it! How strange that the only giveaway I enter for this October was the one I won? To top off strange things, I also one a pendant last year that I wanted much in the same way that I want this one. That same feeling of expectation came with it, almost knowing that it would be mine.

I have been reading Judika Illes's Pure Magic, a wonderful book about spell casting. It has been a great refresher and basic course for me. I enjoy the way it covers many ways of creating magic and her theories on such matters as well. I had read something of her words that stuck with me and that was the sighting of Ravens being a good sign. I have been seeing Ravens everywhere I go, and not in a natural sense, they have been blocking the road and staring at me when I am alone in my car. What is this supposed to mean? I have even happened upon one in mid flight carrying food in its beak and one over a pile of carrion. Maybe I am just noticing them more than usual because I have been alerted of them? Kind of like when you get a new car and that seems to be the only other car on the road because you are tuned into it? What ever the case, I really feel that when I pay attention to possible signs that they are there and more full of meaning had I just stumbled upon them out of the blue.


I have collected the twigs for my besom, but I have not had the motivation to begin the task. Is this yet another sign or merely an effect of my severe laziness? I just feel that I can never gather the right materials for the job. I try to gather all from nature; my bristles are never pliable and I can never find a string-like substance and last year I used blue cotton yarn to bind the thing! This year I was going for a step up from last year's mass of broken twigs all over my bedroom floor (which the cats love to eat, so this doesn't help the crumbling factor). Does anyone have any sage wisdom on besom making? 

Trying to regularly write in a blog is a feat when you have young children and an attractive husband, as when the children are up, well they are a bit crazy and writing gets interrupted but when they are asleep my concentration is shortly fixed upong the screen, I would rather eat dessert and go to bed for more! As  I write this my nose is telling me that my efforts in baking beans might just pay off.

Thank you to Mrs. B for hosting the giveaways this October, and thank you also to Lytha Studios for being so generous as to give me a beautiful pendant!

Warm Blessings!

Giveaway at Mrs. B's

I finally found a giveaway that I really wanted, which is dangerous because it really puts pressure on getting this item, but I am really drawn to it. I am also excited that I found a new shop to browse for Pagan jewelry, which can be difficult to find unique pieces. As you may have read a few entries ago, I am always on the lookout for the perfect pentacle for me to wear in public. This is it! It is Goddess oriented and slightly hidden to the naive onlooker, but plain sight for fellow pagans. Go check it out if you like it, or if you want to partake in some other awesome giveaways all this month at Pagan Soccer Mom.  

More later on current happenings!

Minor Day's Updates

I felt like taking a nap all morning, but when I finally got the chance, I pre-prepared dinner for my husband, so it will be ready when I get home. I made lasagna with tofu instead of ricotta cheese, which adds some protein and takes away some of the fat. I still have cheese on top, but I make up for that by omitting the meat and adding in spinach, mushrooms, black olives, green peppers and secret broccoli. What is secret broccoli, you ask? It is broccoli all minced into bits by a food processor and mixed into a meal. My kids are not fond of the texture of broccoli, so this is how we still reap the benefits of such a nice vegetable. I am hoping the kids love this dinner and pick out only half of the vegetables (spinach probably).

There are so many little minor updates that I normally do not post, but all together it makes it feel as if I have one big thing to share. Estella talked to a girl at school yesterday, she said "I like purple and pink". Believe it or not, this is a wonderful accomplishment for my shy little observer (who talks non-stop at home). Sebastian is picking up words left and right, and turned 18 months today! We are paying bills again, and it feels so nice to have the money to do that! I bought 8 mew shirts, a peacoat and three scarves (tags on) at Goodwill for $15. We are enjoying apples that we picked last Sunday at the apple orchard. We are excited to have our first dinner at our new place with our extended family, we will be making a roasted and stuffed chicken with all of the trimmings.

After writing about all of the positives that my family has been receiving, it makes me feel more optimistic about the day. Thank you Goddess, for all of the blessings we have been given.

Following My Intuition

So much has happened in our lives as of late! We have uprooted ourselves and moved back the Maine. We were living with my in-laws for the summer (I don't recommend this) and now we are renting a nice old house in Camden, ME. So nice to have our own place again. I do miss having my coven, that is something that was the most difficult to give up, but I take the opportunities that the Goddess gives me, not knowing where they will truly lead me until I get there.

I have been trusting my intuition more these days. I am trying to get a feel for what it is like when I am right about something before it actually happens. I was on my way to a client's house and I was early. I "hoped" that there would be a nature preserve to park at that was nearby to his house, but not visible. Sure enough, not a minute down the wooded lane there was a preserve with a small parking area! The first thing that I noticed was my future besom, all of the bristles were lying in a heap beside my car and further down fro them was a nice thick and smooth handle. I felt that this was a gift for me, especially since I have been thinking that it was about time to replace my old besom, which had fallen apart earlier in the year. I obviously loaded my future besom into my car and proceeded with my day.

I have noticed an influx of "intuition" as I have started to pay attention and heed it more often. I think that I may have an unhoned psychic gift to share with others and aid me in my journey to succeed in life. I followed my intuition to Maine and immediately found jobs that we had so long been seeking. I just get a feeling sometimes about things, like I am suddenly seeing them from a different perspective. I don't get feelings like others do about things when I hold them, but I get a sight or feeling in my mind when I look at things, letting me know this thing is special and deserves another look.

Things are suddenly coming together in strange ways for my family. I know how to look for the signs that shows it as a blessing form the divine, like the overgrown bush of mint in our new yard, where as the old house mint died very early in the year. Mint is always where we live, that is just how it happens.

How do things make an impression on you? How does your intuition hit you?

When the Goddess Welcomes You...

This is a picture of the Avena Botanical Garden in Rockport, ME

It has been so long since I have posted! In the mean time we have been trying to sell our house and move to a new state. We are currently living in my in-laws house, all four of us in some dingy back room. It is not pretty. Needless to say, I have been quite preoccupied. Moving to a new state and leaving my witchy sisters has been a little difficult for my spiritual development. I have been comforted by finding little hints that other pagans are living amongst everyone else. There is an herbal apothecary in our town, where there is a large and beautiful herbal garden. There is a "farm stand" which specializes in selling alternative foods, that sells all manners of loose herbs and essential oils. At the farmers' market yesterday, a painter was selling her wares and among them were Samhain cards and triple goddess pictures. When I asked this woman about local witches she commented that their were many, but mostly solitary witches.

I take all of these things as signs that I am welcome here, that it is a good place to continue my spiritual awakening. I miss having my mentors to speak with, but maybe there is something special to be learned when relying on your own teachings and experiences. I feel more in tune to the energies of nature here, the goddess speaks to me everyday in small blessings. It is better than living in the city. I even live within walking distance to the coast.

After writing all of that, I realize how much happier I am here in Maine, so close to nature and my own roots. It really is what I want for my children, to grow up in the woods, near the coast, witnessing and respecting nature everyday. I still have a long way to go with my spiritual education and awakening, but that takes a lifetime anyway doesn't it? I hope that all who read this think about their lives and eliminate all things that make you unhappy, even if it means moving to a new state to be closer to family. Every moment in life is precious, don't waste any of it.

Pagan Proud

I have been very "pagan minded" lately. It has become more of a concentration of mine lately. I am still in the fruitless search for decent pagan music. I like Emerald Rose for who they are, but I can't like a million other bands with the same Celtic sound. Anything that could be good is dated (80s). I just want something of radio quality with a pagan tone. Not ritual music or Celtic. Not heavy metal either. Oh, and it has to be common enough to be at the library so I can listen for free. Tall order, huh? I have taken to researching bands on the radio already, with pagan members. Godsmack is a good example. I would have loved it when I was 16. but in my old age (nearly 26) I have moved away from heavy rock. I like the lyrics because it only alludes to pagan principles, not singing only of pagan issues and such. Do you know any more of these more popular bands?

Yesterday I saw a man, at the gym I work in, who had a pentacle tattoo. He was on his way out and I wanted to yell, "Nice tattoo! I am pagan too!" It just felt so wonderful to see "one of my kind" out in the open. Sheesh, it is not like I am a vampire or something, but you have to admit it can be difficult to spot a witch in normal situations, unless she wears her pentacle out in the open. The only other time I saw witches proud of who they are was in Salem, MA, where nearly everyone is Pagan. Although that town can be a bit of a circus, it does feel welcoming. Maybe this could be true of other groups, like gays and lesbians. Here is a personal story:

When I was in college I dated my first girl. I know, "Gasp, but you are married to a man!" Yes I am bisexual, it is pretty well known within my friends. But anyway, when I first decided to experience these yearnings I found myself easily falling into the rhythms of public affection and such. My girlfriend at the time was a little more aware, not that she minded, but she made me think about how others (straight people) may view us. I found a could care less, but now when I think about it I can imagine what a relief it may be to live somewhere more liberal like San Francisco. I was so excited to see one pagan man walk by me, he wasn't even cute. Hey, maybe his pentacle doesn't mean what I think it does. Maybe he got the tat when he was really drunk and it holds no meaning to him accept not to drink heavily again.

I am really feeling the pull of being openly Pagan. Not that I feel the urge to announce this form rafters or any such nonsense, but I have been searching for a perfect pentacle. I think I have found a design that I like, but I can't bring myself to buy something online. I am the estranged daughter of a jeweler, I have standards. I want something pure and unique. Sometimes I wish I was still in contact with my father, who was a master goldsmith, specializing in custom made jewelry. Although I probably wouldn't trust him enough to make me a Pagan necklace. Oh well. My birthday list is getting longer...




This one is my favorite so far.

How many of you wear a sign of paganism out in the open? Is it the same as wearing a cross? Why or why not?

The Power of Giving

I read a book that touched me in a business sense and spiritually as well. Please read
The Go-Giver.

This book is, written in a story format, about the value of doing good and giving to others. It points out that even in business we are all people and we need to speak to each other merely person to person. We should always listen more than we speak. We should center conversations around the other person. This book has helped many people in personal relationships as well as business.

I like the give and you shall receive theory they have. When you are focused on getting, you rarely focus on giving. It tells us to give without worry of receiving in return, that these things may follow giving but not how you might expect it. When trying to "sell" one should not try to pump the "prospect" full of info about their product or whatnot, but listen to the needs of the person, and truly try to help them. Try to help them without thought of your work. Even if it is something as simple as suggesting a nice preschool or sending an article that might interest them. They might not be interested in what you are "selling" but if you make a great influence on them, their friends will hear about you.

I put "selling" in quotes because it is not merely about business. We are all "selling" something. My husband is trying the"sell" me on having another child. My daughter is trying to "sell" me the idea of more cookies, all day, every day. We all want people to work with us, for fortunate things to happen to us. Once the focus is taken off of yourself and put into others, great things are able to happen.

This completely sounds like the "Rede" does it not? Threefold laws and such. Pretty much every world religion has a "what comes around goes around" saying. I love thinking that this is true. I hate focusing on myself anyway. How much better would it feel to do great things for other people all of the time? When ever I do even little things for others, it makes me feel happy. I am pumped to help others and influence many. How about you?

In all truth I did not even read The Go Giver. I read the second book Go Givers Sell More, which merely explains the story in the first book. Christopher read the first one so I feel like I have it covered. But please read one or both books, they may help you in any arena of your life. It only took me an afternoon to read the book, it is short and sweet.

Speaking of random kindness, this book made me want to reconnect with old friends and mere acquaintances. So I did so via Facebook. I messaged three people I was genuinely interested in knowing more about. One has responded so far and he is flattered that I have taken time to get to know him better.  I enjoy this on a few levels: 1) I love getting mail 2) Because I love mail, I know others do too and that feels good 3) It is so nice to be social as a mother, even if it is to some classmate I barely knew.

Anyone else have any random acts of kindness to share? Any nice new contacts made recently? Any tips for me, I sure would love them. I appreciate all of your kind words and encouragement concerning my prior entries, it means a lot to me to hear from people.

Venture Unveiled!

www.pleasantlyfit.com 

Here is a quick post to those of you still check in on me form time to time. I have officially opened my e-store to the public! It is a place to find some attractive yoga mats, blocks, straps and some Pilates stuff as well. We are trying to keep our niche tight, just into the yoga-pilates crowd for now. But if you have any feedback to give on products or issues with the site, please let me know. If you would like to link it to your blog please do!!!

It has taken WAY more time to set up this shop than I first realized it would. I have learned so much and am still learning a little too much. Our budget is still in the negative so I can't do much with design in the store yet, so it doesn't have a very unique look, like I would have wanted it. Right now I am just hoping it will get some traffic and customers to pay the start up costs for it!

So, Goddess willing, this e-store is my hope out of this mess of a financial crisis we have gotten ourselves into.  We are also trying our business hand at opening up a personal training studio with a friend we currently work for. We have been reading all of the books we can find on entrepreneurial business. If you have any to suggest please let me know. We mostly get the audio books from the library and listen to them during our long commutes to work. It has been super helpful to be able to learn on the go, as we haven't much time otherwise.

I missed out on ritual last night, I was working a little too hard to get this store open. I had planned on sending some energy out to the oil crisis in the gulf. It wouldn't have hurt to send a little success energy at this venture! I have some great plans for the coming new moon though. It should make up for my missing the past 3-4 moons.

Some other news, I am down to my realistic goal weight of 124lbs! Last summer I weighed about 145, wearing a size 13 (on a small 5'2"frame remember). I finally fit into most of my clothes again! Now I still have a goal of being "super thin" at about 115lbs for a wedding in July. That was my "unrealistic high school weight" goal. I will settle five pounds less.

Hoping all is well with my cyber friends! May you all be happy and content with what you have, but always strive for more.

Secrets Divulged

Have you ever noticed that when you are the busiest, you feel the most useful and fulfilled? Yes, I would rather be a little less busy and have time for more of my pleasurable things, like blogging and crafting. What I am getting at is this: I have been too busy to blog due to my new business venture. Yes I have finally taken the plunge and registered our new business. We are incorporated and hopefully within the next 6 days we will have an internet sales business underway. I will not disclose the website yet, but soon my friends. Please do not be alarmed of my long blogging absences. They only mean I am busy with life.

I am not mistaken when starting this business. I know the risks and the possible outcomes. It is something I have a little more control over than I might in the "job market".  I would appreciate all of the positive thinking you have on this subject, and none of the negative. As a Pagan, I know the power of optimism in one's life.  I listened to an audio book called, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. It spoke of fear as a healthy and natural emotion that we cannot get rid of, but must acknowledge and move on. Some fears are rational and keep us from harm, but many are irrational and keep us from living.

I am super excited to be starting our own business. It is something that must have been staring us in the face for a while. We have read so many books leading up to this thought. Everything in our lives has prepared us for this moment. When I did my three rituals asking for success and prosperity, I was a little deflated when nothing was handed to me. A month later (as these things often take a moon cycle to happen) I finally saw a clue. The book, Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, was my ticket out of poverty. My husband had been reading it for weeks, telling me I really should read it too. I am not into reading all of these business books like he is, I often get bored of that topic. I read one page of this book (right in the middle of it) and couldn't stop reading. It all made too much sense to me. I definitely recommend it for anyone, but will say that it won't work for everyone. Some people are suited to certain lifestyles. The only thing keeping me thinking that it is for me, is that I can identify with the author so much, we have the same learning styles it seems.

I have no delusions about this business. I know that there is a  very real chance that we will only lose money, or just break even. There is also the undeniable fact that we may succeed. This venture may be the beginning of so many more that fund the life that we dream of. At this point our dreams are so vivid, we will not settle for merely making it. We will strive toward the success we can nearly taste, we can see it, just off in the distance. This attempt will succeed, no matter how long it takes.

Take risks, learn from mistakes. Life is meant to be lived.

My Sincere Salutations to Spring!

With the arrival of Spring comes many new opportunities for our family. The thing about opportunity is that you have to make sure that you take advantage of it. The Great Goddess may put many great things right there in front of you, waiting for you to do your part and go for it, but if you are blind to them, they were merely opportunities missed. I truly believe that we see things when we are ready to see them. We are given some opportunities multiple times, but we may have only noticed them the third time around. I am banking on the thought that I am witnessing so many opportunities now because I am ready to take advantage of them, ready to make them successes.

Completely unrelated to that thought, funny thing. At work, our local YMCA (it is a Christian Association for a reason), there were so many people talking about Easter and how they celebrate it. There is an Indian woman (fresh from India, 2 years ago) that was wondering what the meaning of the eggs and such were. One of the mothers replied that the egg symbolizes the rebirth of Christ. Then the woman nodded and said, "What about the bunny?" The other woman had no idea. I chose this time to chime in with something along the lines of, "Since Easter is based on a Pagan celebration for Spring that predates Christianity, the rabbit and egg symbolize fertility." I added in some other non-specific info, so as to not give myself away, but the women were both like "Wow! I never knew that!" That felt good.

I celebrated Ostara with my coven, as you may already know. But I still chose to celebrate Easter with my family. This is how we did it: The night before I was cutting out about 50 stickers and making trinkets out of yarn and filling plastic eggs with this stuff. About 32 eggs in all, for my two and a half year old daughter. We hid them all over the house that night. We woke up early in the morning to find them. I gave her an old wicker basket that had been kicking around the house, decorated with pink ribbon and a pretty piece of sheer pink fabric on the bottom. After the egg hunt we planted our seeds in our makeshift containers (ie: egg cartons, milk jug, tin can, shoe box, mushroom container). We cleaned up and made a picnic lunch and headed to a local park. After lunch we walked around the park discovering flowers and streams. My husband said, "I can honestly say that I have never had an Easter dinner like that!" I loved it. A true celebration of spring, with out commercial holiday extras, no candy. Perfect.

I feel a very busy time in my life approaching in these next few weeks. Please know that I haven't quit blogging (in the event of a large gap), just trying to take advantage of all of the opportunities the Great Goddess has placed out for us.

Blessings of Spring to All!!

Too Many Questions

Here is a question for the masses: What do you do when you are feeling off? Let me elaborate slightly. This past weekend we were able to go into town and get some shopping done. We hadn't had any "retail therapy" in quite some time. Those stores really tuckered us all out. Then on Sunday I had a meeting with my coven for our 6th moon lesson. It was the most fun lesson yet but I found myself feeling withdrawn, almost held back. I have been very snippy with my family and very aloof at work. It feels like I am locked up inside myself and I am being held captive by some sloth-like energy. Also, I started my period on Saturday as well. I know most off you may chalk it up as that, but it really feels like something different.

I am hoping that one of you will have some insight as to what may be going on with me and some possible solutions? I also emailed some of my witchy elders to see if they felt any different energy from me this weekend, in hopes of a diagnosis.

Thank you all for your valuable insights and open mindedness!

On another stream of consciousness, I have had a chant stuck in my head lately. It is actually the second verse only and I have no clue why I can't keep it out of my head lately. It goes like this:

"Earth, Air, Fire and Sea

You are inside and all around me"

Has anyone heard this one before? My coven and I sang it on Ostara the other week. I just found it odd that I have it in my head now. Maybe it is trying to tell or remind me of something? 

As my head seems to be lost somewhere, in a place that makes it doubt and wonder too much, I shall draw this questioning post to a close. Any answers would be great!

Dry Blessings to those who may be having troubles with flooding! 

Belated Ostara

Have you ever meditated outside? On Sunday I went with my coven, to celebrate Ostara last Sunday, to a local park. We hiked a couple minutes into the woods and found a nice circular clearing to work our ritual. It was so nice, albeit a little chilly, but such good energy flowing about. One of the women lead a Spring meditation that was just wonderful. As soon as I closed my eyes it was like I was instantly in a trance state. Usually it takes minutes of cooling my mind down to get ready for such deepness. In this clearing it seemed that nature did most of the work. My only complaint is that among all of the noises present outside, her voice was difficult to tune into with so many distractions. Has anyone else ever found any of this to be true?

After our Ostara celebration each woman had something special and magickal to relate about their experience. One could feel the ground pulsing with energy, one could feel the energies of the watchtowers,  and I felt the wind answer my questions. It was a wonderful ritual. During our "Cakes and Ale", of lemon poppy seed muffins and pomegranate juice, a couple walked by us all, sitting in a circle laughing and eating. They missed our chanting by about 5 minutes! It was just wonderful.

Anyone else have any happy Ostara memories/stories to share?

Following life's winding road

There are so many different possible ways the future can map itself out. It can overwhelm me to acknowledge all of my hopes and dreams for me and my family. Right now it feels as if we are at a crossroads of sorts. A time when so many choices surround us, I just want to choose them all. I keep telling myself that I have my whole life to live out so many different lives. I think the thing that I need to focus on right now more than anything is giving my children the best possible childhood. That may seem obvious in itself, but there are many ways to even go about that.

One thing that I have done to make their lives better is to eliminate negative influences. When Estella was only a week old my step mother (with a prior history of evil) called her ugly and demanded that my father leave the child alone. They left after only spending 20 minutes with their first grandchild. Later on they said they didn't want to see me anymore. Then they apologized (read as: blamed me for everything) and I wrote a long letter separating my evil step mother forever from my life, never to see my children again. My father chose her over me and his only family. It sounds sad but I think it is part of the turning point in my life (the first part was meeting my husband). Only good things have come from divorcing my emotionally abusive family. Since then I have been exceptionally choosy when accepting new family members for my children. I now have "adoptive parents" (not legally) in my friend's parents. I have known them since I was in Kindergarten. They are wonderful grandparents. I am also very thankful that my in laws are as wonderful as they are.

I eagerly await another change (which will go unmentioned) which should happen this month. Something that will eliminate another bad influence from my children. All of this gets me deep into thoughts of the future. My children's future. There is so much at stake.

Have a "Green" Period!

Who has heard of a menstrual cup? I hadn't, prior to a few months ago. I have always wanted a way to get away from those manipulating "feminine hygiene" companies. I thought of going sea sponge, which acts like a tampon only you have to wash it out in the sink. This would have been fine if I never left the house, as I couldn't see myself rinsing out my sponge in a public bathroom. Then a witchy friend of mine mentioned the Diva Cup (a menstrual cup produced in the US and sold in markets like Whole Foods), and I knew I had found out more.

As I feverishly researched these menstrual cups, I found about seven or so brands out there. Each seems to have come from a different country. To research them yourself, please go to this site. When I found the cup company I thought would suit me, I chose Lunette.

This is my review on the Lunette Cup

I opened the discreet packaging with my excited hands. The cup came in a yellow silky bag inside of another, larger, plastic bag. It came with detailed instructions. I ordered the larger sized cup because I have had two children and heavy periods. The cup is clear, made of medical-grade silicone.

When my period finally came, I popped this sucker in and tried it out gleefully. It has a flat stem on the end that aides in pulling it out, if needed. I cut mine off because it hung down and was uncomfortable. At first I felt pressure when it was in, making me feel as if I needed to urinate. I also noticed that I was leaking a bit. I read the directions again and decided this was due to misplacement. I just had to change the angle a little bit. Once I perfected the angle (this took some time and patience), no leaks and no more pressure! The best thing about this product is that it can stay in all day, unless your flow is heavy. I usually dump mine about 2-3 times a day. I can sleep without wearing pads! I love this little cup.

When you want to empty it you gently pull it out (by the stem or by the bottom of the cup) while pushing it out with your muscles. Once it gets to the opening of your vagina, just squeeze it a little to slip it out. Empty contents into the toilet and rinse it out. If you are in a public bathroom you can simply wipe it out instead. After every period just stick in boiling water to disinfect it and put it back in its little bag for next time. These cups last 5-10 years! So it is well worth the price ($39 on the Lunette site) as you are saving so much when you don't have to spend money on disposable methods.

I have been using my cup for the last three months, I love it! I used it the other day when I was having a heavy (but normal) discharge. I put it in during the morning and completely forgot it was there until the next day! Ooops! That is where it beats the modern tampon. Not only is it completely comfortable but you can put it in whenever you want, it doesn't hurt to take out as it doesn't leave you feeling dry.

There are two sizes, Model 1 and Model 2.  As you can see, there is a slight size difference. I have the one on the right or Model 2. It holds more and is a little wider than Model 1. They are both made of flexible silicone with grips on the ends. Model 1 is less firm (more squishy) so it is helpful for younger girls with smaller anatomies as well as for women with lower cervixes that may be sensitive. There are 4 tiny holes near the lip of the cup. These holes aide in creating a safe suction in the vagina. Cups without holes may create too much suction in the cup. The cup will leak once the blood reaches these holes and must be emptied at this time. This has only happened to me once.

Some quick FAQs:

Will it dry me out? No, "It does not disrupt the natural lubricating ability of the vagina, does not interfere with its natural process of discharging along with menstrual blood dead cells and bacteria; nor does it dry the vaginal mucus membrane. That is why it is a more sanitary alternative to disposable tampons and sanitary towels."

Can I wear it while swimming? Yes! "The Lunette™ menstrual cup can be worn during sports such as swimming, riding a bike or a horse."

Why is it the "green" alternative to traditional menstrual products? Because it you don't have to throw it out for 5-10 years. It doesn't get flushed or sent to a landfill to sit for years before breaking down to its bare chemicals. Just think about all of the pads and tampons you have thrown out over the years. Getting rid of that is a major help for the environment! 

Can the cup fall out? "The cup is held in position by the seal formed with the walls of the vagina and by pressure from the vaginal muscles."

I have really heavy periods, is the cup going to work for me? "The Lunette menstrual cup can be worn at any time in your menstrual cycle, during your heaviest and your lightest flow. The cup can hold 3 times more liquid than tampons or pads..."

These were just a few questions and answers that I got from the Lunette Site, which is chock-full of information about this product and its use. All quoted material came from this site.


In conclusion to this review, I not only fully recommend this product to all menstruating women out there, but I swear that I will never go back to disposables again! If you all have any questions at all please leave me a comment or you can use my email if you would rather be more discreet.

Embrace the way we were made. We are beautiful and powerful just as nature intended.

{The Lunette site will be changing its look a little within the next few weeks. They will also be rolling out some new cups (each named after Goddesses of course). The Selene will be a blue cup and the Diana will be green. Please note that the coloring used in these cups are FDA approved not to leach into the body, unlike some competitor brands.}

Open You Eyes and You Will See

Estella and me hiking recently 

The rain feels nice. I can feel it saturating my skin, leaving me feel new. I love Spring for all of the rain it brings, leaving the grounds lush and green, making the air scented with earth, calling all animals forth to drink. It has been raining in MA for the past week. Tomorrow (and the rest of the week) will be into the 50-60 degree mark. Is Spring really here this early or is it tricking us, hiding a snow storm under its sleeve? Either way, I am thoroughly enjoying this weather.

For so many months I have been begging the Goddess for a sign, a hint of what the heck I can do to get my family out of poverty. Feeling discouraged, I saw nothing, felt no presence. It was only last week that I realized my solution had been staring me in the face for about a month. I feel like a cad for not realizing it sooner and for feeling abandoned by the divine. It was all in a book that my husband was reading. A book that he was trying to get me to read for about a month. I read it last week and now I know what I have to do, what I have the power to do.

Last night I drew some tarot cards for myself. They were completely dead-on and pointed toward great success. They also warned of greed (as anyone would with great success). I feel like being as poor as we have been breeds greed. Almost as if we cannot think of anyone but ourselves because we are focusing on surviving. This is only half true. I am completely selfless when it comes to my children. When we do not have enough money for food, I gladly go without. I have cut out so much snacking during the week so that we can stretch our fruit for our growing children, who surely need it more.

I cannot imagine being greedy after such a humbling period in our lives. Begging for food, receiving gifts but unable to give, it is so tough. I am so sick of receiving (although infinitely grateful), I just want to give so much. Not only to those friends and family members that helped us out, but to others. Not faceless charities, but to families directly. I don't want other families to suffer as we had, especially for so long.

Listen to me, I am acting as though I am nearly a millionaire! Not close at all, but my mindset is nearly there. That is step one!

I am hoping that you all fair well during this wet weather.

Dry Blessings!

{I purposely am leaving the book title out of this post. I don't want to jinx myself! All will be revealed in time.}

Back to the Blogging World!

I have missed my wonderful insightful readers! I have changed my URL back to this one, despite some threatening comments. I am hoping that my heightened security will have put a stop to that, but by changing my URL back to the old one, gained my readers back.

So if you can hear me, let me know!

I have some fun posts to roll out this week and I just want to make sure you can all hear me! I have missed you all!

{Please leave a comment, even if it is only a brief "hi", just to let me know who is out there}