I've already asked one question concerning birth control, and after that was answered, I had another question...

A few days ago I had some spotting, and was on active pills still. I am now on my second day of the "sugar" pill.

Last night, my boyfriend and I had sex but used a condom, just incase my period started. Well, it broke. This was the main concern in my last question, but now I'm just confused. These condoms are from Planned Parenthood, we did NOTHING that could've made them break (put them on correctly, it wasn't too tight, etc), we were just baffled. But, that's besides the point.

This morning I was spotting, but the blood was bright red, and really light. I'm pretty sure this is the start of my period, because the earlier spotting I had was dark/"old" blood, and this looks like an actual period.

What I'm asking is,
1. You're protected while taking sugar pills, correct?
and
2. Is a bright red/light period normal for the first month of birth control?

If there's anyone who has experienced this/can clear up my boyfriend and i's worrying, i'd greatly appreciate it.