Blog Posts by The_Stir

crazy things real estate agents doA sure sign the housing market is not getting better: A real estate agent showed up on my porch last week dressed in a kitty cat costume and handed me a small jack-o'-lantern filled with candy. "Just wanted to let you know what homes are selling for in this area!"

Really. This just happened.

More From The Stir: 5 Easy Fall Decorating Ideas For Your House

But it's not my first unsolicited visit by a real estate agent since we moved to Los Angeles, where the housing bust is staying busted. I've had five different agents drop by unannounced just to let me know it's a great time to buy. Or sell, since I rent in a neighborhood that is still popular and houses go for around a cool million. I wish I could sell, but the Catholic Church across the street probably wouldn't like me stealing their home out from underneath them and turning a profit.

Apparently it's not just agents in my neighborhood that are desperate and kooky. Here are five other weird things people are doing

sea sponge tamponsHow much money would you say you've shelled out for pads and tampons over the years? Probably a lot, right? For women in one entrepreneur's business in Mozambique, the cost was just too high, and they were missing days of work every month fearing embarrassment because they couldn't afford pads to contain their menstrual blood.

More From The Stir: Which Sex Cares For You Best?

Elizabeth Scharpf, a World Bank manager working in Mozambique, heard about the need and decided to get the local women involved in solving the problem. They came up with the She 28 pad, a sustainable, inexpensive pad that will be more affordable for women in the developing world, around 8 to 10 cents per pad.

That's pretty cool, and just another creative way we women have come up with to deal with our "monthly gift."

Here are a few more, from simply crunchy to just kind of creepy:

Menstrual cups: Known by several different brand names, including Moon Cup, Diva Cup,and Lunette, these latex or

lucky brand jeansOh, how we women LOVE that perfect pair of jeans -- if only we could find them. It's just so darn difficult to find the right pair, the perfect pair that fits our body to a tee and hugs and releases in all the right places.

Of course, we were dying to get the denim-buying dish over tea with Stacy London of What Not to Wear. Instead, we got the next best person -- a stylist trained and certified by Stacy London.

Rosana Vollmerhausen has over a decade of styling and retail experience and now owns her own personal shopping/styling business. Her most recent venture is joining Stacy London's new Style for Hire network. Today, she provides us with the ultimate guide to buying jeans by body type.

More from The Stir: My Quest to Find Inexpensive Jeans That Fit

A guide to finding the perfect pair of jeans -- this is something dreams are made of!

The Ultimate Jeans-Buying Guide by Body Type

In the perfect pair of jeans, a woman should look and feel her best. With a little

Getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet is great advice, but not necessarily easy to afford. After tracking my produce consumption for one week, I found that I spend about $27 extra to do what the nation's health experts say I need to do to stay as healthy and fit as possible. Even after one week, I decided it was definitely worth the extra struggle and cost.

More from The Stir: Daily Serving of Vegetables -- You Won't Believe What It Looks Like

But for many people, this is a scary leap. What if dinner becomes boring? What if it's even more expensive than you'd planned? How do you work that produce magic?

Here are my favorite tips for making it easier, cheaper, and tastier to eat fresh.

• I actually love eating my vegetables, but I found it helped to get out of the habit of serving one vegetable side with dinner and start serving two vegetable sides.

• Buy whole, larger fruit like pineapple, chop it up as soon as you come home, and store it for snacking

Having vacation sex is one of the many benefits of going away alone with your husband or partner.

Vacation sex is usually great. You're away from the stresses of your everyday life. No kids, no cooking, cleaning, or working.

But what if you're staying at someone's house? Say, the house of a cousin, college friend, or even your grandparents.

Is the vacation sex going to be as good as if you were staying in a hotel?

More from The Stir: 4 Things for Better Vacation Sex

It can be. But you have to get the lay of the land, so to speak, when you get there.

• The first thing to do is figure out where their bedroom is in relation to yours. Next door, directly below, or far enough away that you don't have to worry. Then, check to see if sounds coming from your room will be audible to them. Have your husband go out into the hall while you make moaning noises and see if he can hear you.

• Also, be sure and check if the rooms share an air vent. Trust me. Sound travels through

Breastfeeding is truly a group effort. It's not just a pact you make with your mammaries, it's with your baby, your partner, your job, your family, your friends, the hospital you delivered in, and even your community. So many women want to succeed at breastfeeding, but there are so many factors that can set you up to fail. And before anyone gets all in a huff, I'm talking about factors other than medical reasons that make a woman physically unable to nurse.

More From The Stir: 6 Stressful Things Moms Can Stop Worrying About

I breastfeed my twins -- almost 11 months and counting -- and I am truly thankful for the support I had and still have to get me here and take me beyond. (Okay not everyone has been uber-supportive, but I just squirted those people in the eye with breast milk and the sweetness made them convert.)

There are so many things you need to succeed that have nothing to do with baby. When people question why there are lactivists, I want to scream -- THIS IS

halloween candy"Too much leftover candy" is the biggest complaint heard in the days followingHalloween. But to me that's practically the equivalent of grumbling about too much sunshine or too many rainbows. Since when is candy ever a bad thing?

If your family can't possibly finish the mountain of Reese's, Kit Kats, and Heath Bars -- and you don't feel like donating it to a local food pantry or troops oversees -- check out thesefive tasty dessert recipes that call for candy as the main ingredient.

More From The Stir: Nine Halloween Costumes To Avoid At All Costs

It's like I always say: If life hands you leftover Halloween candy, then make mouthwatering leftover Halloween candy desserts!

1. Cotton Candy

cotton candy makerThis Cotton Candy Maker (Best Buy, $49.99) is one of the coolest things we've seen in a while. Simply dump in your leftover Halloween hard candy and it spins out delicious cotton candy.

More From The Stir: 7 of the Creepiest Pumpkin Carvings Ever

2. Butterfinger Cupcakes

Ballerina To Go

Time to file this away in the Why the Hell Didn't I Think of This? archives. If you've ever been out dancing in a brand-new pair of stilettos and then were tortured by the pain they caused your feet hours later, Isabella Fendt, a student from Germany, solved this problem for you.

She invented a vending machine that sells flats! Four of the machines have already been installed in Munich. Fendt says she got her inspiration after her feet were hurting her when dancing in clubs while wearing stilettos. With "Ballerina to Go," you can buy flat ballet shoes for just $10 in gold, silver, black, or purple.

More from The Stir: Hot Trend: The Knitted Beard

Sounds like something we could use in the U.S. Until the innovation makes its way to our shores, here are some other fast shoe problem fixes to consider while you're on that long, painful walk home ...

CitySlips: In case you're the type who prepares in advance enough to not need a vending machine, CitySlips are ballet