Lazuli Green Island Mama

Lazuli Green Island Mama

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Mama time of the highest degree

My houseguests left just in time for me to menstruate in peace (if our house can be called that with the kids at home). The Zimbo certainly doesn't want to hear about it. Let's see how the topic fairs for blogging...

The menstrual cycle is not always good to me. Some months I spend days in bed with thrang-bang-booming migraines, complete with diarrhea and vomiting. I've had migraines for as long as I can remember. They are not just hormonally-triggered, but often are. I will not, however, succumb to or tolerate their appearance at such a regular time. My current approach to keeping them at bay seems to be working.

Firstly, I schedule time for a 2 hour energetic healing massage with trusted friend and yoga-guru with a kick-ass haircut, Salliann. O man, she's good. Let me tell you, she is the business for energetic healing. In that two hours, all sorts of lessons are learned, thoughts discovered, muscles loosened, and reminders remembered. That's where I'll blissfully be at 10am tomorrow morning.

One of my menstrual reminders, the very best thing about bleeding (in my humble opinion) is the real-time reminder that I AM Woman. O yes sirree. As Ani di Franco sings in Blood in the Boardroom ("the I'm so bored room"... bahahahaha!) "I can make life, I can make breath". So my current approach to painfree periods involves embracing the I AM Woman theme in all ways I can on the day.

Today has been a day of privilege. I haven't needed to leave the island. I enjoyed a long, slow walk around it, with boys on bikes and a wonderstuffy who was happy to be out. I had a good laugh with a loved friend on the phone. I let those little boys watch one episode each of Octonauts, Lazy Town, and Grandpa in my Pocket (!) while I potted around the house, fixing flyscreens, sorting through old cd's, and even having a snooze on the ladies' lounge.

The sun shone golden on tips of spotted gum leaves over in the national park while some groovy loose-knee dancing took place in the kitchen to 'Funk Classics with Sassy Soul Sisters'. On such days, I find the time to have a schlück of my favourite herbal iron tonic and chuck back some fish oil capsules before cooking my favourite dinner: sautéd spinach, garlic, zucchini and mushrooms, with grape tomatoes and a fried egg.

And now, for continued indulgence on this day of saying YES! to more, the boys and I are going to watch a Jamie Oliver episode, while eating lychees, before bath and little-boys-bed time. We all love him. Meanwhile, the Zimbo is out for a Dad's Dinner at a local tavern, with a bunch of good men. Dinner, really? Who care's whether it's dinner or liquid. All good men need good men to hang out with. You see, if the Mama has a migraine, the Dada does not get to have any precious self-time either. Another reason for self-love and days for Mama to look after herself well.... the whole family benefits!

May your menstrual days be self-loving in ways only you know how.

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