Blog Posts by The_Stir

snowflake manicure nail polish'Tis the season to jazz up your beauty routine. If festive, bold red lips aren't your thing, then how about a fun DIY holiday manicure to get you in the spirit?

After seeing a bunch of different holiday tutorials around the web showing how to paint every design from swirling striped candy canes to cascading snowflakes, I decided, as a serious nail polish addict, that it was about time I gave it a go. My goal: A snowflake manicure.

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With some blue and white polish, and my fave top coat in hand, I was all ready to begin. Would I have the skills to re-create this myself and be able to keep a steady hand? I was about to find out.

Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to re-create this fun look on your own:

First things first, you'll need to gather the necessary materials. I chose to use a deep blue from Essie (Midnight Cami, $5.30, Amazon.com) for the base coat and a white nail polish striper

It seems like women are as complicated as a Rubik's Cube. Okay, that's wrong. Women are MORE complicated than a Rubik's Cube -- especially in the bedroom. How do men know what women want in the bedroom? Oh that's a hard question. Sometimes, we ladies aren't TMI enough about the things that make us feel good. So how they learn what we do want is by learning what we DON'T want.

Sigh.

Here are some common sex mistakes men make you should share with your man in some mysterious way so that he doesn't think you're unsatisfied but he gets the message and gives you better lovin'.

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He thinks sex feels the same for him as it does for you. Newsflash, dudes! It doesn't. When a dude has his penis in a woman's vagina, it feels amazing. For him. Most women don't have an incredibly sensitive vagina. So men, remember that it's going to take more than a penis in our vagina to rock our socks off.

He thinks he knows exactly

wedding bandsIt's the question of the ages -- what makes men want to marry some women? Is there a "marriage gene"? Do some women give off the "you must marry me" vibe? The answer is somewhere in the middle.

Ladies, if marriage is what you want, here are some actual tips you can follow to meet -- and marry -- Mr. Right (according to me).

Men may be attracted to your body, but marry for your character. That makes sense -- you can be beautiful but boring. Someone with an excellent personality will make a better, more interesting partner when looks fade.

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Don't dress too provocatively. It's okay to whip out the sexy clothes once you're together, but when first impressions matter, don't act like you've been around the block -- if you want to keep his interest past a one-night stand.

Wow your future in-laws. A man really does care care that his future wife (or partner) makes a good

TissuesDuring cold and flu season, the gym is a breeding ground for germs. However, just because you have the sniffles yourself doesn't mean you have to swear off working out.

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Before you dive in to your sweat session, evaluate: If your symptoms are below the neck -- such as nausea or upset stomach, chest congestion, hacking cough, body and muscle aches, or fatigue -- then you may want to take some time off from working out. While having a runny nose or sore throat isn't exactly a walk in the park, these ailments are a sign you can probably still sweat safely.

Think you're ready to take on the challenge? Check out these four great exercises for when you have a cold:

Go for a run: Going for a run outside will enable you to squeeze in your sweat sesh without getting anywhere near the yucky germs at the gym. As long as it's not too chilly, going for a run could be very beneficial, according to Runner's

HoneyComing down with a nasty cold -- or worse, the flu -- is never fun. When you're pregnant, though, it's really the pits! Not only do all of those unpleasant symptoms seem magnified (like you weren't already queasy!), it's like there's nothing you can do to make yourself feel better. All the usual tricks of the trade, like knocking back a nighttime decongestant, are definite "don'ts" when you're preggers.

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But don't get too dejected -- you're not doomed to have the most miserable winter of your life. There are some ways to make yourself feel better when you're sick and expecting, and they really do work. Really! I've tried them.

Try a Neti Pot. Okay, I know it looks weird and the concept of pouring warm salt water into one's own nostrils is less than appealing, but I'm telling you, this thing is magic! One second, you can't breathe through your nose, the next -- ah! Relief! Granted, the Neti Pot

Toddlers love toys!The hot holiday toys list is a round-up of the toys that are sure to be on all kids' wish lists. They vary from place to place and store to store, but generally speaking, fads come in and fads go out (Cabbage Patch Kids, anyone?), and some years, all children want the same toy.

The Stir took some toys off the various hot holiday toy lists and asked real kids to tell us what they think of them. I got the 3-5 age group and tested toys with a 5-year-old girl (my daughter, Samara) and a 3-year-old boy (my son, Alan). Here are the results:

Fisher-Price Disney's Rock Star Mickey; $39.97

This is one of those toys your kids will love and you, mom, will likely hate. Rock Star Mickey gives an "energetic performance" of the classic rock tune, "You Really Got Me." He slides and does the splits.

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The bad: He doesn't have a huge repertoire. He's loud and he sings, which is a bad for

bedThankfully, we no longer live in the stone age. Openly now, we can discuss sex, our sex lives, and what we do and do not want in the bedroom. How often, though, do we actually discuss the PROBLEMS we've faced in our sex lives.

It's time to talk about sex -- and common sexual problems. Because everyone deserves a great sex life -- even you.

The Journal of the American Medicine Association (JAMA), wrote an article in 1999 that unearthed the very real truth: sexual problems are common in both men and women, but more common in women. Here are the common sexual problems JAMA discovered:

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Lack of sexual desire -- the lack of interest in sex or desire for sex is common in both men and women -- but more common in women. This lack of desire is temporary for some people and ongoing in others. It can be caused by relationship or emotional problems, as well as a side effect of many types of medications.

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A new ad campaign in Israel that strongly discourages Israeli men and women from marrying American Jewish men and women has the Internet all abuzz. Its message is clearly insulting to all Jewish people who live in the US, especially those of us who are very involved in and active around the State of Israel. As an American Jewish woman, I should take these ads as a massive insult (and they have since been pulled thanks to the American Jewish outcry). But I don't. Because I know that, in many ways, they're true.

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I am everything this video fears will happen. I am the product of an intermarriage (my mom converted from Catholicism to Judaism to marry my dad), and I am now in an interfaith marriage (my husband took all the conversion classes, but opted not to convert). Though I consider my children half Jewish, by blood they're really only one-quarter Jewish, and if they marry gentiles, then it dissipates more