Blog Posts by The_Stir

number oneI've got one child. It might be by choice. It might not be. It doesn't matter. It's personal. Still, that doesn't stop people from asking if I'll have more, when I'll have more, why don't I have more. Or stop them from telling me I have to have more, my life is no good without more, I'm not a "real" mom without more.

Hurtful.

Insulting.

Ignorant.

Rude.

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These are declarations that I -- and other moms of only children -- really don't want to hear. Questions we really don't want to answer. So be kind. Take the time to read this list -- and the next time you find yourself saying something like this to another mother, bite your lip, and give her a sweet compliment instead.

1. "When are you having another baby?" This is wrong for all kinds of reasons. Maybe I don't want another baby. Maybe I desperately want another baby (and can't have one for whatever reason -- feel like a jerk now?). Maybe I'm

bullied boyWe can try and teach our kids to be kind to others and preach the messages about why bullying is wrong, and hope that they absorb them. But sometimes our messages fall on deaf ears, and it takes something more powerful -- like a message from one of their peers -- to really get through to them.

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The brave boy in this video, identified only as Ricky, made this video in which through a serious of handwritten messages he tells how much kids' cruelty affects him at school. He says he feels like "he needs to be someone else" so that people will like him when all he wants to be is himself. He also gives an example of how he was taunted even on National Suicide Awareness Day.

The sad thing is that there are thousands of kids out there like him feeling like this each and every day. No one is going to be liked by everyone, and there's a certain amount of kids-will-be-kids teasing that will never go

newborn baby girlThe reasons I have an only child are many, and many of them are extremely personal. But with the debate swirling over the increasing number of parents who are playing around with gender selection so they can get that one baby girl or that one little boy they say they "need," I think it's time to open up a little.

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We have a multimillion-dollar industry on our hands with people paying as much as $18,000 to ensure they get the "right" answer come sonogram time. I don't get it. And yet, I do. I've been there.

I have an only child because I couldn't guarantee a girl the second time.

When I got pregnant, it was with one thought and one thought only in mind: we wanted to have a baby. Any baby. Well, our baby, but still ... there was no grand plan for a boy or a girl. After five years of marriage, we'd simply decided it was time to make this a party of three. And after several months of trying, voila.

pacifierWhen my kids were newborns, I hid all the pacifiers we received as gifts in fear that using them would cause nipple confusion. Plus, I really didn't need another thing to clean. Then my mom bought us some fancy ones most like a woman's nipples and whispered to me, "Just in case." We had one of those "just in case" moments and used them for half a second before my son decided he liked to suck on his foot better and my daughter found her thumb. Thank goodness for that because researchers just revealed that baby boys who use pacifiers turn out to be emotionless jerks who seem to have Botox faces without any expression or empathy for others.

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I wonder if that explains some of the guys I've dated.

Girls come out unscathed. And there hasn't been a study on baby boys who suck their own toes yet, so the verdict is out on my son. But no one wants their precious little boy to turn out to be an apathetic dolt. What the

tattoo for sonPeople get tattoos for all sorts of reasons -- some of those reasons are awesome and others are mistakes that end up covered up by more ink or an expensive and painful trip to get laser removal. Getting some ink to honor your kid, however, is absolutely a forever kind of thing. Essentially risk-free unless you end up with an evil little bugger in which case your tattoo will serve to remind you of a time you had a little sweet child o'mine.

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I gathered up some dads and moms with tattoos who went under the needle to get something to honor their child. Some are sweet and simple, some intricate, all symbolic.

Tim is a father to two boys. He got these blocks for his son Aidan. And he also got a train with his son Samuel's name spelled out in the cars. Check out that photo and more parents with tattoos ....

Tiffany has her little peas in a pod.

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lipstickSay what you will about Sarah Palin, but she got one thing absolutely right. Remember her famous joke, "What's the difference between hockey moms and pit bulls?" The answer was, of course, "Lipstick," and golly, was she spot on. Lipstick, my friends, is everything. Perhaps not to furry, four-legged creatures but certainly to us two-legged ladies. But finding the perfect shade for your skin tone is no easy task. Yup, it's flirty and totally feminine to wear but how do you know what hues look fantastic against your face? Which red should you choose? Can anyone pull off purple?

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The trick is, and always will be, matching up colors to your complexion and knowing what color family to stay in. So look at yourself in the mirror -- and I mean really look. Now that your summer tan is fading, what's your natural color? Fair, pale, olive? Be honest with your answer. Knowing your shade is

makeupCindy Crawford remains one of the most beautiful women in the world. Even at 46, she puts most women in their early 20s to shame. Her beauty is largely due to fantastic genes. But that's not all. Crawford is also largely against makeup.

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It might seem crazy that a woman who is famous for beauty is saying that she looks younger when she forgoes makeup, but it's so true. I have definitely noticed that I get told I look youngest when I am fresh-faced and my hair is pulled back into a ponytail.

It seems counterintuitive, but it makes sense. All those things women think makeup covers, it actually just makes worse.

When an older woman wears foundation and it settles in the creases in her skin, it looks bad. Also, older women wear more makeup. It's just a fact. So I will often assume someone is 10 to 15 years older than they are when they have a full face of makeup. It just ages you.

Makeup

fallI used to hate fall when it signaled back to school, but now that my school days are firmly and securely in my past, I can appreciate the season for all it's worth. Crisp weekends, football, and of course, fashion make fall one helluva season. Who doesn't love to get all cozy in a new sweater and cheers a cider to all things autumnal? Nobody.

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I've been looking to update my fall wardrobe, but hey, I don't want to spend too much. That got me thinking that if I focused on accessories, I could save money and still get some style thrills. So! Here are 8 of my favorite fall fashion frills.

Bird Tights! $14

UrbanOutfitters

Bird Tights! $14

Tarte Blush, $30 -- for that wind-kissed look

Sephora

Tarte Blush, $30 -- for that wind-kissed look

Fair Isle Fingerless Gloves, $15

Etsy

Fair Isle Fingerless Gloves, $15

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Camden Bag in Blue Suede, $118

Madewell

Camden Bag in Blue Suede, $118

Tortoise Shell Earrings, $78

J.Crew

Tortoise Shell