Books I Want to Read in 2017
09.08 pm / books
I don't really have any specific books I want to read this year, so this is really more of a "what I want to read" list. Let's be real, I probably won't even get to half of these, but these are just what I would like to read, and hopefully I will read at least some.
This year I want to read...
➤ A Harry Potter book. Yes, I am one of those who haven't read the books yet. Don't judge me. I own them all though!
➤ A non-fiction book. This is overall something I want to read more of.
➤ A book in Swedish. I pretty much only read books in English, which means my vocabulary in my mother tongue isn't as good as it could be. This year I want to read at least one book in Swedish, which won't be very hard since I do own quite a few. A book in Finnish would be nice too, but I know I definitely won't get to that one.
➤ A book I've had on my TBR list for a very long time. When I say "a long time", I mean years.
➤ A book I've started before, but not finished. Not sure if I have more than two of these, but at least it will be easier to choose.
➤ A book that fits into the "diversity" category. I believe I only own one of these, but there's so many more I want to read too. This probably means book shopping, which I'm not too mad about!
What are some books you want to read this year?
Menstrual Cups
01.00 pm / health & positivity
Ever heard of the menstrual cup? If yes, you've also probably heard amazing things about it. If no, where have you been? I can't recall when I heard about the cup for the first time, but it's quite a long time ago already. I wanted to try one for so long, but I was so scared of both the product itself and the price. I finally decided to buy one a few months ago, and let me tell you, it's amazing, it's life-changing.
What am I talking about, you might ask. A menstrual cup is, as the name says, a cup to use during your period, a feminine hygiene product. Unlike tampons and pads, the menstrual cup is reusable. You insert the cup when you get your period, it collects the blood, you empty it and insert it again. When your period is over, you just put it in a small bag you get when you buy the cup. You can use the same cup for years! It's a lot better for both the environment and your own health. You can use it during the day, when you're sleeping, when exercising. There's no time of the day when you can't use it. There's different sizes too, so everyone can find one that fits.
I used to hate periods, I felt gross and uncomfortable. With the cup I don't feel like that, sometimes I don't even remember it's that time of the month. It doesn't feel like the world is ending when I realise it's almost time for my period, instead I'm actually almost excited for it. I'm now comfortable and carefree, even when my body is bleeding.
If you try it out, which I recommend and hope you do, I recommend not giving up after one use. Use it for one or two periods before you decide it's not your thing. The only way to find out if it's something for you is by trying it.
WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST IN A MENSTRUAL CUP
+ Environmental friendly. Since they're reusable, you don't throw away a bunch of garbage every month. It's also a lot easier to find vegan and cruelty-free cups, than it is to find tampons and pads.
+ Comfortable. When inserted correctly, you can't even feel it. I often completely forget it's even there.
+ Healthy. The cup doesn't contain any chemicals like tampons and pads, and it doesn't dry you out like tampons do.
+ Cheap. It's quite expensive when you first buy it (mine was about 28€), but in the long run you're saving a lot of money.
+ More time between changes. You can keep your cup in for up to 12 hours at a time! I empty mine when I wake up and before bed, so twice a day. Tampons and pads need to be changed every 4 to 8 hours.
+ Less visits to the store. After you've bought one cup, you don't have to go to the store to buy another one for a few years!
+ No odor. When using a pad, some odor might sometimes occur from the menstrual blood. This doesn't happen with the cup.
+ Easy to use.
SOME NEGATIVE SIDES OF A MENSTRUAL CUP
- Expensive. As already mentioned, it's quite an expensive product, but in just a few months you've already saved money.
- Getting used to it. It might take some time to learn how to insert it, as well as removing it. For some it might be a little painful, especially when taking it out. The cup also requires a lot of work, but you'll get used to it fast.
- More work and messy. With the cup, your hand hygiene is a lot more important than with e.g. pads. You also have to sterilize your cup at the start, and/or at the end of your period, using boiling water or other products, like Lunette CupWipes. It's also a bit more messy, since you're dealing with a cup full of blood.
