It is what it is...no men ever read this anyway..not even my husband!

WE all have it!
WE all HATE it!!

It is necessary.

And when I look at my little kiddos that I love so much...I am actually thankful for it!

What is it?

MY PERIOD!!

Why is it, that from month to month, we forget how it can drag us down, make us emotional, make us want to eat the Chocolate factory and want to rip someone's head off?

 Is it because it is completely different from month to month?

 I have noticed that one month it will be all emotions, and the next month, it will be aches and moodiness. And the next month, it will be everything at once!

 Maybe that is why I feel compelled to write about it this time. 

Because at this moment, I am bleeding like a stuck pig, and I feel yucky, and I feel like crying, and I feel like eating a bunch of chocolate!

Lets face it, we all have horror stories about a period that we had in high school that we weren't prepared for. 

Mine was right in the middle of a track meeting.

 We were all sitting on the grass outside listening to the coach.

 I was wearing white shorts,

 ( I know the worst thing to be wearing)...

.I happened to glance down and see RED!!

 Ahhhh!

What the  Holy scrud!

 How could I have not felt that?

 Isn't it obvious that you are bleeding everywhere?

 Not to an oblivious teenager.

 I begged my friend Danielle to take me home and she said, NO!!! 

Okay, maybe it was... "No, I want to stay and listen."

 But to me... who was having a horrific moment if felt like she said NOOOOOO!!!! 

So, I ran to the bathroom, filled my underwear with a whole roll of toilet paper....

(you know you've done it)

 then went back outside and sat very carefully so no one would see and waited until it was over so Danielle could drive me home.

(who was i kidding, everyone probably knew...)

That is one of many horror stories I have had. 

It seems as though I have seen a lot of  girls with Oops written all over the back of them too! 

At church, at school, at the store!

Oh, and at Disney world!

It's a thing we have to learn to deal with, learn to take care of and I think that I have more control over it now than I ever have in my 22 years experiencing it, thanks to the iPhone app. that keeps track of it for me.!! 

I love that little calendar!!

You simply put in your dates and it maps out everything for you.

 My husband has it written into his palm pilot.

 And after 14 years of marriage, he is very sympathetic to my needs and the time of month!

I never thought it would happen, but as I have gotten older my periods have gotten shorter.

I have ALWAYS been 25 days in between and a full 7 days on, 

but,...this past year has brought me 5 days on! 

Thank you Mother Nature!

Are you getting too much information that you didn't think you needed to know about me?

Well, stick around....it gets better!

My mother was never really into talking openly about this TABOO subject. 

One time, before I was old enough to start, I was in the back seat of the car, Vera was in the front, Mom was driving, and Vera told Mom that we needed more pads.

I said..."What are pads?".....silence....."Mom, what are pads!!?....silence....

I started 2 weeks before I turned 12. I tried and tried to tell my Mom, but I could never find the guts.

She found out, and one night she called me into her sewing room to measure me for a skirt and she wispered in my ear.."did you start your period?" I said, "Yes, how did you know?" She said, "I found your underwear in the laundry room!" 

And, that was that!

 I don't think I ever talked to her about it again.

Except one time, I had a period, then two weeks later, it came again. I asked my mom about it and she said, "Don't worry about it, sometimes it happens."

She wouldn't let us use tampons, so I would pay my friends to sneak me some at school.

I am obviously open about it now.

 But I have not always been this way. My mom made me think that it was a TABOO subject so I always blushed when someone talked about it, until I met my friend Janette in Florida. 

She would announce to everyone that her daughter Cori couldn't get in the pool because she just started her period. 

I was horrified!

 I felt so sorry for poor Cori.

 But, I soon found out that it didn't hurt Cori's feelings at all, she didn't know any different.

 It was an open subject at their house. 

I became more and more comfortable talking about it until I realized that it is not taboo anymore like it used to be back in my mothers time! 

It's now an open subject in my house, right along with sex. (what?) You heard me right.... My kids know and will continue to know that they can talk to me about anything. 

Well, about 4 months ago I was out shopping with my sister at a store called 'Real Deals' in Ogden and I came upon this beauty.

Cute huh?

 You open it up and find a place to stash all the goods..

Janette will yell to her girls...."Can you bring me a pad?" And they will yell back..."What color?"

There is something for all occasions these days, and it is nice to have what you need. And this little cabinet holds them very nicely.

(my sister Loni, says that she invented the maxi pad with wings on it long before it actually came out)

So its just a way to make my period a little nicer.

Don't forget the wet wipes....(I call them butt wipes!) and a good book. This book seems to come in handy during this oh so lovely time of the month!

My friend handed me these a couple of months ago and said, "My husband bought these thinking it was tylenol p.m.. And he laughed when he got home and discovered what he had just bought." She gave them to me because she no longer has those woman parts that make Mother Nature greet us every month!

I haven't used them because I don't want to be drowsy.

 I made the mistake of taking one before work years ago, and needless to say, I was not very efficient that day!

My drug of choice...

It does the trick!

So, Have a happy period! 

I may or may not have stolen that phrase...

Next time you need an idea for a gift, just put together a basket of period goodies for a girlfriend!