Blog Posts by The_Stir

Whether you're 8 or 80, nothing can plummet your self-esteem faster than the sudden appearance of acne. Even celebrities like Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, and Justin Beiber have lent their faces to Proactiv's skincare line, helping teens (and often adults) embrace breakouts.

Treating these eruptions can be difficult -- the market is crowded with products that make big claims. Is there one absolute way to treat acne? No, of course not. Are there a lot of experts who have differing opinions on the best course of treatment? Absolutely!

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Deciding which products to use can be daunting, but it's best to create a regimen that seamlessly integrates into your lifestyle.

Here, some unexpected products that may help!

Foundation primer

With so many cleansing/toning/moisturizing acne-focused products on the market, it makes sense that the next logical step would be to

Prince William proposed to girlfriend Kate Middleton with an oval blue 18-carat sapphire and diamond ring (ring now shown). Sound a little familiar? It's the ring that used to belong to his mother, Princess Diana!

According to CNN, a statement from Clarence House, where William lives near Buckingham palace, says the wedding will take place in the spring or summer of 2011. Ever the gentleman, William got permission from Kate's father before proposing. They were engaged back in October when they went on a trip to Kenya.

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Take a look at the rock that Kate showed off today at a press conference to announce their engagement. It's huge and sparkly and gorgeous, but is it a bad omen for their marriage?

Most likely everyone will think it's a nice, sweet, loving gesture that William gave Kate his mother's ring. The Prince of Wales proposed to Diana back in February 1981. Diana actually chose the ring,

Preserving sanity should be the first and foremost goal on Thanksgiving Day. But that's not going to happen if you are running around the kitchen like a crazy person and obsessively worried about whether your guests are having a good time.

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Go easy on yourself this year with this list of 20 time savers for the big day. We can't promise these shortcuts will ward off any Thanksgiving Day disasters, but at least you won't be a slave to the entire day.

1. Make it a potluck: Enlist friends and family to bring dishes or a dessert. After all, the first Thanksgiving dinner was potluck, am I right?

2. Wash and chop ahead: Vegetable sides and salads make up a large part of the dinner. Save yourself some time by prepping these fresh ingredients before the day of.

3. Bring back the buffet: A buffet-style Thanksgiving meal is a great choice if you prefer a laid-back, casual atmosphere over a formal dinner

One of the most common questions asked to a mom of an infant is, "Is she a good sleeper?" Often what they actually are asking is, "Does she sleep long periods of time?" as if a baby who wakes up more frequently has a problem.

Our culture is very egocentric, and it shows in our parenting, as a lot of guides and cultural conditioning suggest that success as a parent is the ability to have an uninterrupted night. However, not only does this set parents up for unnecessary stress, but it's not even biologically sound thinking.

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If we only expected from our babies what they were naturally designed to do, we'd have a lot less sleep struggles.

For example, "sleeping through the night" is a phrase thrown around often, but do you know what it actually refers to? Five hours. That's it. Sleeping through the night means a five-hour stretch. Once. What is being determined isn't if you laid down after brushing

It's inevitable: In less than a month, you'll sit down to a dinner table and eat well beyond the "normal portion" of appetizers, main course(s), side dishes, and desserts (mmm, pie). In fact, there's a chance you could end up consuming at least 1,705 calories and 61 grams of fat during that one Thanksgiving day meal. (As my dramatic mother would say, "Ooo-fah!")

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Considering what a gluttonous occasion it will be, you may think (consciously or subconsciously) that it might be best to try to eat next to nothing the day before and day after. Stop being silly-you know you have to eat and not eating will only make you hungrier. And since you have to eat, you might as well eat certain foods and adopt behaviors that work better than others at keeping unwanted holiday pounds away, right?

Here, a few tips and tricks to employ before and after that can "soften the blow," perhaps, of that Turkey Day dig-in

magnolia leaf place cardFor many of us, Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that means a decked-out table. So let's bust out the china and the cloth napkins!

Place cards are a festive way to personalize your Thanksgiving table. But don't make them harder than they have to be (in other words, skip the calligraphy class). A little nature walk, some scraps of pretty fabric, and everyday craft supplies might be all you need to make some especially charming place cards for your guests' place settings.

We've rounded up six super-easy DIY place cards for your Thanksgiving table. Let's take a look.

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6 Simple DIY Thanksgiving Place Cards

(Shown above) Gorgeous magnolia leaf place cards from Sunset. Add names with a paint pen. So easy!

Another lovely autumn leaf place card from Design*Sponge, personalized with a metallic paint pen. Love that dark brown leaf against the white plate.

How pretty are these gold pumpkin

hot cocoaIs there anything better than curling up next to a roasting fire on a cold night and sipping a big ol' cup of hot chocolate (complete with mini marshmallows, of course)? And while it's hard to imagine anything more perfect, believe it or not, there are even tastier ways to indulge in the delicious drink:

Original: Can't go wrong with an original. Combine 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 3/4 cup of white sugar, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in 1/3 cup of boiling water. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes, then stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but keeping it just below a boil. Remove from heat and add in 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Serves 4.

Mexican Hot Chocolate: A spicy twist to the original. Simply add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a pinch of chili pepper to your favorite. The zip from the cinnamon and chili pepper will warm you right up.

Toffee Treat:

Thanksgiving is a holiday all about eating (and giving thanks), and for babies, it's also a great day to make a big mess.

Cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and sweet potatoes make quite a crazy combo once a baby digs into them. They also look awful messy smooshed onto your baby's new Thanksgiving dress.

And that is where the bib comes in. If there is one thing every baby needs, it's a good bib. Thanksgiving bibs come in a variety of themes, from the hilarious to the sweet, but for our purposes, we will focus on the funny.

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Because I guarantee, after dad's had a couple beers and mom's thrown some zingers our way, laughter is going to be the thing we need most.

Here are Five Funny Thanksgiving Bibs:

What's a good Thanksgiving message beyond giving thanks? Stuff yourself! This one is available for $12 from Cafe Press and makes a strong statement. "Gobble till you wobble," indeed!