Blog Posts by The_Stir

It's a ballsy idea to rally behind a mandatory 25 percent tip, but that's just what some restaurant workers in San Francisco are doing. The reasoning these standard tip supporters give is simply this: Customers, on average tip between 15 percent and 20 percent, but the restaurant worker actually has to claim 15 percent of that to the IRS. How in the world are they supposed to make any money?

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That makes perfect sense to me. Of course, I have my own reasons for thinking a mandatory 25 percent tip is a brilliant idea -- and they have everything to do with the fact that I myself am a former restaurant worker.

My first point is directed at all those people who say that if servers know they will automatically be receiving a 25 percent tip, they'll slack off and won't do a good job. You know what I think of this argument? It's total BS. Yes, at every place restaurant -- just like every other

I didn't shout it from the rooftops when I found out I was pregnant. I slowly, steadily told people in order of importance and need-to-know basis. My in-laws and immediate family were among the first to know, as well as my co-workers, who I knew would grow wary once I kept having to leave for doctor's appointments -- and kept away from booze.

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And it wasn't hard. A couple of times I heard, "Was it impossible to keep it a secret?" And the truth is, no, it wasn't. Not because I'm not excited, believe me I am, but because I'm a private(ish) person by nature. And I'm definitely not one to relish in attention (though please don't make your reaction too subdued).

After the "main people" were informed, and everything looked okay, I started telling other people -- friends, family members I'm not that close with. And although the majority of their reactions was lovely, I kind of regretted telling some. Because

Ever since spending the afternoon with Michelle Obama at the White House, we began seeing the First Lady in a whole new light. Of course, in person she's just as gorgeous, fit, intelligent, and hip as she looks on TV. But the truth is: She has "regular person" moments, too.

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Mrs. Obama hosted the White House round-table discussion to talk about her "Let's Move" initiative to fight childhood obesity; but over the course of the conversation, she opened up about a variety of personal issues including motherhood and how she stays in shape. As it turns out, she has flaws, imperfections, and insecurities just like the rest of us. And the best part? She isn't afraid to cop to them! Here are five reasons Michelle Obama isn't always as "perfect" as we think she is:

1. She's afraid of being a bad mom. When asked about how she makes the White House feel "normal" and like home for Sasha, 13, and Malia, 10,

Forget the cost of candy and the spooky costumes. The scariest part of Halloween for Mom comes at the end of the night, when that heaping helping of sugar is dumped on the living room floor and the kids dive in. Who better to help you handle the holiday without being a candy-skipping grinch than First Lady Michelle Obama?

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She is, after all, the mom behind the national childhood obesity-fighting initiative Let's Move. We've seen her hula hooping on the White House lawn to make exercise fun. So here at The Stir, we wanted to know what the president's wife thinks of the sugar-fueled frenzy that is October 31. What she told our very own Tracy Odell during a session at the White House might surprise you.

Sasha and Malia Obama get their candy fix on Halloween just like the rest of the kids in America! And our First Lady thinks that's the way it ought to be:

Ever heard of moissanite?

I hadn't until I got an email about it.

In short, it's a man-made mineral that's touted as having more fire and brilliance than a diamond.

Best of all? It's less expensive!

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Charles & Colvard, the company that creates moissanite, sent me a solitaire necklace so that I could check out what's called "The Most Brilliant Jewel in the World" for myself.

Here I am in my moissanite solitaire. I'm looking so freaking sincere here that I make myself sick.

Ahhh, that's better. A Fashion Blogger Pose. Obviously, I can't capture the brilliance of the moissanite with my amateurish camera, but you can see how much it sparkles even in a bathroom mirror pic.

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As the proud owner of a diamond or two, I can attest that the moissanite is indeed sparklier. But not in a weird way. Worn in stud

When I first started dating my husband, I was going through his drawers (natch) when I found some photos of an ex-girlfriend of his. I had never seen them before and they were somewhat intimate, clearly intended for his eyes only. I made him cut them up and throw them out. Clearly I had issues.

More than a decade after that incident, I have some distance and much more confidence in our relationship, and I feel sort of bad about what happened. I have books with photos of ex-boyfriends buried inside, gifts they gave me sitting in my jewelry box, and books we shared on my shelves.

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For one woman in The New York Times "Modern Love" column, her boyfriend holding onto his ex's slippers proved almost disastrous for their relationship. She thought it was wrong. But I don't. I wouldn't want to get rid of them, either. And not because I am still in love with any exes.

The fact is, when relationships

The divorce rate for second marriages may be higher than that of first marriages, but don't tell that to people on their second marriages. Many feel their second marriages are actually much, much stronger than their first. And while the statistics don't support this notion, reason really should.

After all, don't we learn from our mistakes?

Divorce is one of life's most traumatic events. Anyone who has been through it likely puts a much higher premium on only going through it once. The fact is, many people marry for the wrong reasons. They marry out of fear of being alone or because everyone else is doing it. And when you marry young (under 26), you also do it not knowing how the person will change.

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Every day we are married, we learn more about marriage. After nearly nine years of marriage, I can officially say I have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to make a marriage last. And

One of the biggest fears pregnant women have is finding out that there's something wrong with the baby they're carrying. The stress associated with prenatal tests runs high, and many women even wait until an amnio or other test shows the baby doesn't test positive for one of the most common chromosomal abnormalities -- Down syndrome -- before they tell others their news.

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Many who find out they are carrying a child with Down syndrome choose to abort -- as many as 90 percent according to some studies -- because they imagine a life filled with hardship and misery. But that's not always the reality. In fact, a series of three recent studies found that life is pretty happy when raising a child with Down syndrome. Almost 80 percent of families say they have a brighter outlook on life because of that child.

Some fear raising a child with Down syndrome because of how it will affect their other typical children.