Blog Posts by The_Stir

It's happened to most of us once or twice. We're out with our dude, and the next thing we know, there's some chick (usually a mutual friend) all flirting with him. The question is, what do we do about it? ESPECIALLY if we don't want to look like total jerks. I mean, it's just a little harmless flirting, right? How bad can it be?

Besides making you feel like crap, it's a fairly uncomfortable situation to be in. You never know -- she could be a frenemy in disguise. And he could be a jerk.

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Here's how to handle someone flirting with your guy while acting like a lady (read: without turning into a psychopath).

1) First things first -- is there actually anything behind the flirting? Is the other chick actually interested in your guy or is that just the way she behaves toward everyone?

2) Take a hard step back and examine the situation entirely before doing anything at all. This may be a situation in

Whether you think this sexy Halloween costume trend has gotten out of hand or not (and if you don't think so, three words: Sexy. Care. Bear. Yes, it exists), there's no denying Halloween is a perfect time to let your wild side show. You can get away with showing much more skin than you might feel comfortable with on a typical night out, and even try on a new personality to go with it. We've all seen the shy wallflower turn into belle of the ball with a costume that makes her feel beautiful.

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Want some of that magic for yourself, but maybe you don't have the body of a perfectly tight 20-something? Good news! You too can enjoy the sexy costume trend, even if you're carrying a few extra pounds or have some things you'd like to camouflage. Read on for tips to rock your shape.

Maybe you've got the perfect hourglass figure, but giving birth has rendered you a little too jiggly to feel comfortable

sonogramI love pregnant women. I even loved being pregnant myself. (All right, maybe not all the time, but most of the time.) Pregnancy is one of the most amazing periods in a woman's life. But what I think we could all do without is the constant Facebooking some pregnant women feel they need to partake in. The up-to-the-minute status updates; the unnecessary photos; the gory details. Sometimes, it's just too much.

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I want to hear about your pregnancy (and see photos!), but there ought to be a line, you know? I'm truly sorry that you vomited earlier this morning, but maybe don't write that on your timeline?

Here are 6 Facebook fails of pregnant women.

The sonogram shot. Listen. Seeing the little baby that's growing inside of you for the first time is amazing! I know, I've been there. But guess what? Nobody else cares that much. To us, it's our baby; to them, well, it's just a white blob against a black background.

breast examIf you're doing self breast exams, kudos to you. You're on the right track and doing one important thing you can do in the fight against breast cancer. But all self breast exams aren't equal (or helpful), and the chances that you're doing them wrong are pretty high.

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It's not that they're that complicated, so if you're not doing them already, don't be intimidated. It's just that a few little things can make a big difference when it comes to their effectiveness. Here are five of the most common mistakes women make when performing self breast exams.

1. Your timing isn't right.

Exams should be done at the same time each month so that you can become familiar with what your breasts look and feel like at a certain point in your cycle. It's also suggested that you do them at the time your breasts are least likely to be sore or swollen, such as a few days after your period.

2. You don't take enough

skettiMmm, anyone want some SKETTI? Yum yum, it's Honey Boo Boo's favorite dish, next to grilled roadkill, of course. June shows us how she makes this exotic delicacy on the show. It's spaghetti with the family's special sauce: Ketchup mixed with butter. Well, they call it butter but it's actually some sort of margarine.

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I have to admit, I was intrigued by this dish. What does that taste like? June makes it look so easy, but do I need any special skills to cook it? (Ha, kidding!) Most importantly, would my kid eat it? I had to find out!

Okay, so from the video below I ascertained that the recipe for sketti is as follows:

• Boil spaghetti.
• Melt some margarine in the microwave. The Thompsons seem partial to Country Crock.
• Squirt some ketchup into the melted margarine and stir well. Then stir into the cooked pasta. Enjoy!

As it happens I don't actually have a

woman cryingThe following was written minutes after I was told that I had lost my third pregnancy. I was on the way to pick up my youngest child from preschool and I had to regain my composure before I got there. I was hyperventilating and crying so hard that I thought I would die. My world was crashing down around me. My husband was an hour-and-a-half away in another state and I was completely alone. The only way I could survive the initial devastation was to write down my feelings in the notes section of my iPhone -- and cry harder and more animalistically than I had ever done before.

Cry~ I want to scream but I can't. I can barely think. All I can do is cry.

This unexpected blessing that shocked me when I first saw the two lines, this baby that I didn't deserve is now gone.

I can't breathe. I can't think. All I can do is cry.

I went in this morning because I was spotting; no cramps, no heavy bleeding; nothing.

pottery barn kidsYou know how there are some days where you'd love to get together with your kids' friends and their moms for a playdate, but the thought of letting them see your house makes you shudder? From the partially folded laundry devouring your dining room table to the syrupy coating on your counters, there are just some circumstances that leave you not exactly in the running to be hostess with the mostest.

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That doesn't mean you can't organize a playdate, however, even if it's raining outside. And no, I'm not going to offer you speed cleaning tips. You simply tell your playmates to meet you at your favorite store! It's brilliant really -- you get to do a little shopping, and the kids get to play in a climate-controlled environment with their friends amidst shiny new things to distract them. Of course some stores lend themselves to such activities better than others. Here are five of my favorite stores for playdates:

mom jeansThanks to Tina Fey and Saturday Night Live, the mere uttering of the words "mom jeans" is enough to make anyone smirk. The term -- a pejorative one -- is used to describe the seriously unflattering types of jeans some women choose to wear after they have kids. (In the immortal words of Fey: "Give her something that says: I'm not a woman anymore ... I'm a mom!")

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Thankfully, most women today don't wear "mom jeans" anymore. But some do. They don't have to, though! Even though our bodies aren't what they were before we had kids, there is another way. Here are 5 super cute alternatives to mom jeans.

Leggings

J.Crew

Leggings

Leggings may not be the cutting edge of fashion, but they trump mom jeans any day. Rule of thumb, though: Wear a shirt that covers your butt.

Jeggings

GoJane

Jeggings

Jeggings, arguably the more stylish sister to leggings, are another great alternative to mom jeans.