Blog Posts by The_Stir

Getting a mattress is no small undertaking. First, they're really expensive. Second, if you sleep next to someone every night (like I do), you may disagree on firm versus soft, etc. Sleep is a serious business and no one wants a mattress that could potentially screw with their ability to catch their beauty rest.

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And then, of course, there is the whole issue of sex. Just what kind of mattress makes for the best sex? Without the resources or the time to check out a million different mattresses, it's hard to know for sure which mattresses are the best for the mambo.

Luckily, someone else did the research for us. The folks over at Sleep Like the Dead created a little survey and evaluated which kind of mattress was best for sex.

You (like me) may be wondering just how many types of mattresses actually exist out there. It turns out, there are more than you think. In the survey, they evaluated air

Everyone waits on pins and needles to hear that a new baby has been born. Whether it's your family or friends, people often want to rush to see the newborn and (hopefully) find out if the mom needs anything.

But sometimes visitors can be really annoying, especially if they forget (or don't know) what it's like to be a new mom. So you're not an unwelcome visitor, I found some fantastic tips on There Are No Ordinary Momentsand came up with more after my friends discussed what kind of help they'd want postpartum.

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1. Find out dietary needs before you bring food ... on disposable dishes.
Nothing sucks more than to be gluten-free and have someone with a big smiling face hand you a glass dish of their favorite gluten-packed meal. You can't eat it, have to wash dishes, and remember which ones belong to who. Healthy pre-made snacks the new mom can eat are awesome for when she doesn't have time to heat

smoking womanI have a confession to make. Despite my years of being vehemently against smoking and everything it comes with -- the smell, the teeth, the cancer -- I've always secretly found it "cool looking" if the right person's doing it. You know what I'm talking about. Occasionally, you come across a long, cool woman who may or may not be a model, stoge hanging out of her mouth, expression of apathy on her face. She looks so awesome. So mysterious. So ... European. It's a kind of cool I could never have because, well, I don't smoke.

However, in the last few years, what, with all the anti-smoking campaigns and bans, it seemed like I was in the clear -- I didn't have to smoke to be so cool because no one was really smoking anymore. But, wait, what's this? Smoking is back in, you say? Hot dog! You guys, I think I'm going to start smoking.

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Maybe it's because of Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video, where she wears giant

Who's the better parent -- stay-at-home moms or working moms? That is the eternal question at the heart of the legendary Mommy Wars, a question that will be debated in Internet catfights 'til the end of time only to never be fully answered because, let's face it, there IS no answer, okay?

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You know it, I know it, the media knows it. But none of that matters. We can't resist jumping into the scuffle because it's just so damn FUN! It stimulates our brain and gives us a reason for being besides laundry or scheduling the boss's trip. But it can also be draining and counterproductive and leave us all feeling inadequate about the hard choices we've made.

So I say, let's quit accusing each other of ruining our kids (they are all going to be fine!) and redirect some of that ill-intended passion for where we can all actually put it to good use, no matter which side of the parenting line we fall on -- SEX! It's the key to a

When you and your girlfriends get together, you may crack a joke about the underage busboy with bulging biceps or whisper an observation about your son's best friend with the sexiest, most smoldering eyes you've ever seen on a 16-year-old. Where were guys like that when you were that age, you might quip. Then you all giggle and move on to talking about something legal like shoes or gossip or Dancing With the Stars.

But Lacy Dashiell Hill isn't one of those women. She's accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy.

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Now, I know teens are looking like young adults these days, with features more developed than the very parents who birthed them. But there's no way that a grown a** woman could mistake a high school sophomore for her peer and not enough height in the friggin' NBA to make a mentally stable adult think that a tall kid is still not too doggone young to get the time of day.

Since the child is of

There have been times in my life when I've worked out like a maniac. Hit up the gym every day with one of my besties the summer after my senior year of high school ... slavishly devoted myself to Jillian Michaels DVDs day in and day out as recently as the last year or two. But every time I've put myself through periods of rigorous, regular workouts, a.)the scale wouldn't really budge and b.) I would end up totally run down and feeling like crap. I had a pretty valid case for throwing in the towel again and again. Nonetheless, I managed to lose 40 pounds my freshman year of college almost exclusively by changing my eating habits.

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Sure, there are a SLEW of reasons why working out doesn't translate on the scale. "Muscle weighs more than fat!" "Exercise makes you want to eat more!" "You work out, but then think you can get away with eating more, so calories in-calories out cancels out!"

But I only recently learned

Safe Kids is working to prevent the needless 49 yearly deaths of children left alone in vehicles. Eighteen percent are children who are left alone intentionally in cars, often because parents ignore or don't understand the danger. Around 30 percent of those are children who got into the car themselves without a parent knowing, and 52 are children who were forgotten.

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Did you just think, "What kind of mom could forget her CHILD?" It happens. It happens to the best moms. We need more awareness of how this happens and more information on prevention. Here is what you need to know:

To try to prevent children from getting into cars without parents knowing:

• ALWAYS lock your car, even if it's in your garage.
• Keep electronic key fobs (and your keys in general) where children can't reach them, so they can't unlock the car or pop the trunk.
• If you can't find your child, check or send someone

spanxLadies, we're making ourselves sick in the name of style, and it has to stop. Whether we're squeezing into Spanx and other breath-stealing shapewear or trying to rock the skinny jeans look (which I wish would for the love of Gucci go AWAY already, because it isn't flattering on 99 percent of women!), we're putting ourselves at risk for ... Skinny Pants Syndrome.

No, I'm not kidding. According to Consumer Reports Health, doctors are seeing more and more young women coming in complaining of nerve symptoms like leg pain, numbness, and tingling. The symptoms are usually indicative of a compressed nerve condition, called meralgia paresthetica, which occurs in pregnant and obese women. But now thanks to overwear of skinny jeans, Spanx, and other constrictive clothing, young, athletic women are contending with it! What's more, docs warn that they've seen the tight garments cause tons of other problems like bladder and yeast infections and even blood clots!!!

AGH!

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