Blog Posts by The_Stir

homeschoolThe back-to-school sales and clothes and backpacks and all those little things you didn't think you needed but have convinced yourself your kids have to have are probably making your head spin. It can be a really stressful time of year. Parents worry about all the stuff we can't control at school and kids do, too. Will they get good grades? How will the teacher be? Will other students pick on them? Homeschoolers don't have to deal with any of that. No measuring up to other kids, no awkward lunchroom moments, no raising a hand to ask to go to the bathroom. No worrying about having the coolest pair of sneakers because, well, shoes aren't needed around the house.

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Homeschooling sure sounds great, but to be honest, I'm not sure I'm cut out for it because ... well, what if I totally mess that up and I end up being the worst teacher ever therefore making my kids F students? But apparently many parents are doing a much better job of

cleaningWhy do you clean your house? Go ahead, think about it. It's to keep your family healthy and safe, right? Well, it should be, anyway. But a horrifying new report on household cleaners that are loaded with toxic chemicals is sending us all back to the drawing board to develop a new cleaning routine today. That is, those of us who don't want to make our families SICKER when we clean the house.

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The Environmental Working Group, the same non-profit watchdog that helps us keep an eye on the toxins in our fruits and veggies, took a look at the labels of the 2,000-some cleaners we use in our bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms every week. More than half contained chemicals known to harm the lungs, and nearly a quarter had chemicals that cause asthma in otherwise healthy adults. But the fact that they found scary stuff isn't surprising ... it's where they found it that really creeped me out.

Toxic friends.

The very phrase sends shivers of the Sads down my back because I've been on the receiving end of enough toxic friendships to last a lifetime. These friendships never start out as bad for us, but over time, it becomes apparent that that's exactly what they are. Luckily, I've learned a little about the whole phenomenon along the way.

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Here are some warning signs that one of your friendships has turned toxic. And not in the Britney Spears song kind of way.

1) She gives compliments that are actually - when you stop and think about it - insults.

2) She makes jokes around other people - often ones that are humiliating and embarrassing at your expense. If you dare look sad or angry, she laughs and says things like, "Well, it's true!" or "I was only joking."

3) Whenever things don't go her way, or if you've dared to say "no" to her, she'll stop talking to you until you acquiesce to her

bullyI want you to imagine for a moment that you're in the sixth grade. You just finished your homework or studying for a test, and you log onto your Facebook account to see what everyone is up to. All of a sudden your heart begins to pound. Your stomach starts to ache. You get that feeling like you want to cry. You realize that someone in your class has created a "Like if You Hate [You]" page. And it has 57 likes.

Now even worse, imagine this happened to your child.

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A recent essay in The New York Times by Emily Laden talks about how this very thing happened to her little brother. And it's heartbreaking. At one point, she says: "On the Monday after the Facebook incident, my brother dreaded school for fear of facing his 57 bullies, who probably never gave their likes a second thought." Fifty-seven people.

A million years ago, when I was in sixth grade, bullying and making fun of,

Sally HansenAt the BlogHer conference last month, I stopped by the fabulous Getting Gorgeous party, where there were free manicures featuring Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips.

With my own party coming up that night, my unmanicured nails needed some help, so I sat right down and took my chances.

Frankly, I wasn't expecting to like the results all that much.

I was pleasantly surprised.

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The process is pretty simple. First, you buff the tops of your nails a bit with a buffer that's provided -- this roughens them up so that the strips have something to adhere to. Next, you cut the strip if necessary to fit your nail. Once the strip is off the contact paper, it's like a thin sticker that you put right over your nail. It's okay if the end of the sticker is a little too long -- just fold it over your nail tip and file down the edge of your nail to make it look smooth. Another cool thing

superhero costumesRemember when ,you first got married and you and your hot date would head out regularly for dinner, a movie, concert, whatever? Or you'd just hang out at home and really enjoy each other's company every single night as you watched TV or... bear with me guys... even talked?

Well, if you've been married for a number of years and you've got kids in the mix, chances are those are nothing more than memories. It's not that you don't love your spouse or want to spend time with him or her, it's that it's tough. Life has a habit of keeping people busy, especially when kids get in the picture.

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So how exactly do you keep things fresh in your marriage? No, I'm not talking about whips and chains or building your own Red Room of Pain. I'm talking about regular ways you and your significant other can still spend some quality time together. Don't worry, I made a list!

1. Exercise - Exercising with a partner motivates

There are so many "rules" you're supposed to follow when you start dating someone. Some people even swear by these outdated rules, which makes me sad in the pants because really, we're not in the 1960s any longer. And those rules are mostly a crock of crap.

Without further ado, I will present these outdated relationship rules, debunk them, and offer some much better, newer, more applicable alternatives.

Outdated Rule 1: The man always pays when you go out.

Revised Rule: Make a play for the check once it comes because it will make you look super-powerful and completely independent.

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Outdated Rule 2: Men open doors for ladies.

Revised Rule 2: Make getting the door a game - whoever gets it first is the winner and clearly stronger (not to mention better-looking).

Outdated Rule 3: The guy needs to call first.

Revised Rule 3: Without stalking him and calling him 87,264 times and hanging up

coin jarBack to school shopping season is officially over, which means the holidays are coming up on us fast. And you know what that means: you're going to need cash soon. But if you're broke right now, is there really any hope of saving enough money to make the holidays jolly?

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Here's the short answer: yes. How about the long one? You can save money, if you really want to. It's more or less that simple, because really wanting to save some cash each month should be enough motivation to actually commit to a saving plan. And committing is actually more important than how you save, because there are a ton of good ways to keep the cash from flowing out of your account every month:

1. Make a coin jar (a big Mason jar works best). Yes, this is a bit like having a piggybank when you were a kid, but it worked then, didn't it? When you come in at the end of the day, empty all your spare change into the