Blog Posts by The_Stir

A Toronto restaurant isn't just permitting customers to have sex in its bathroom this Valentine's Day - it's encouraging it!

Classy, right?

Reportedly, the restaurant, Mildred's Temple Kitchen, blatantly invited its patrons on its Web site to use its unisex restrooms for something other then, um, rest:

"Have you given any thought to moving beyond the bedroom?...Check out Mildred's Sexy Bathrooms throughout the weekend of Big Love. You get the picture."

According to the Toronto Star, the owner is hiring a maid to clean the washrooms on the big day. However, patrons should bring their own condoms.

So what do I think about trysts in a restaurant? I'm wondering how bad the food must be if the restaurant has to lure it customers with promises of sex in the restroom. Just saying.

Take Our Poll: Have you had sex in a restaurant bathroom? View Results

Photo from Better World Books

I'm no scientist so I don't know what causes autism. As far as I know, no one does. Except for Jenny McCarthy, uh M.D...nope...uh Ph.D...nope...uh Playboy Bunny and actress...yep! McCarthy knows that vaccines cause autism and she's doing her part by spreading the word.

In fact, despite the news that the scientific community officially discredited Andrew Wakefield and his mostly fabricated study (the one that suggested there might be a link between the MMR vaccine and autism), McCarthy issued a detailed statement supporting him.

Jenny McCarthy is a celebrity, she has money to spend, and she has a pet cause. All of which make her very dangerous. Ordinary people believe what she is saying: moms and dads whose children suffer from autism; moms and dads who are deciding whether or not to vaccinate their kids.

I understand that the issue of autism and vaccines is probably one that's close to her heart. McCarthy's son Evan suffered from autism. I can't imagine how heartbreaking

Sure there are developmental guidelines, but often kids do things in their own sweet time and they're just fine. So how do you know if there is a problem with your child's speech-or lack thereof? A recent New York Times article says assessing a kid's speech delay is difficult, yet crucial. The earlier a speech delay is diagnosed, the earlier the child can get help. The earlier the help, the better his prospects for improvement.

If you want to see how your child is doing, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association lists speech guidelines by age. If you have concerns, talk to your pediatrician.

If you'd like to enhance your children's speech and language skills, try these tips from Diane R. Paul, M.D., director of clinical issues in speech-language pathology at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:

1. Talk to your child about what they're focused on.

2. Read to your child often.

3. If you live in a bilingual home, speak to the child and read to

Photo posted by QuestloveThis photo of a Black History Month lunch menu is the subject of much controversy of late.

It was taken in NBC's cafeteria in New York and posted on Twitter by NBC employee Questlove. Why is there so much anger about the menu? Because many people are claiming it's racist.

Personally, I'm confused as to what all the uproar is about: Fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, etc. are delicious foods that people in the South (and other regions) enjoy regardless of color. Perhaps, if the sign were less generalist, more explicit-clarifying that this is a "Soul Food Menu" or a "Southern-Style Menu" meant to celebrate Black History Month, people would have been less offended.

The woman at the center of the controversy? Leslie Calhoun, the African American chef who selected the foods in honor of Black History Month. In this video, she defends her menu, explaining that she wanted to feature things that she personally enjoys to eat. She said:

"It wasn't trying to offend anyone

Photo by Frazer Harrison/GettyIt's a little scary thinking about former party girl Kourtney Kardashian as a new mom to baby Mason. Just reading about some of the things she's said makes us cringe.

Are you listening, Kourtney? Here's some advice on mommyhood, courtesy of CafeMom.

You're welcome.

"I really don't miss my freedom at all -- there's nothing I'd rather do than be home with Mason and Scott," Kourtney tells Life & Style.

• Our advice: Trust us, the poopy diapers will get old. Taking care of a baby is not all fun and games and you'll miss your freedom at some point. But I suppose that's when you'll call in your full-time nanny.

"Kourtney was like, 'I'm so excited. I don't have to cook for five years!' And I go, 'What do you mean?' She's like, 'I'm gonna breastfeed.' I go, 'For five years?' She has, like, no idea!" her little sister Khloe, 25, jokes in an episode of the Rachael Ray Show.

• Our advice: And Khloe does? But I digress. Kourt, hun, it's called extended breastfeeding, and we've

Photo by Kim Conte

I'm bringing dessert to a party celebrating Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year (both holidays fall on Feb. 14 this year) and have been practicing making this lovely, raspberry-filled cake with coconut-vanilla icing.

The verdict? Definitely yummy, but four-layer cakes are way too complicated.

Here's how to make the cake with only two layers:

Valentine's Day Cake (inspired by Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake from Baking: From My Home To Yours)

(For the cake)

1 box white cake mix (and ingredients on box)

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

(For the filling/icing)

1 container white frosting

1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves or jam

1.5 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

Prepare cake mix, adding lemon zest to the batter, and bake according to directions in two round cake pans. Cool cake.

Put one layer of cake on cake plate or serving platter. Ice top layer with frosting. Spread with preserves. (If preserves are too thick to spread, gently

I'm married to a teacher. I always get the inside scoop. I thought I'd heard it all.

Then I read that two New York City teachers organized a fight club for two of their bickering middle schoolers, and I think, well, at least I'll be able to one-up my husband at the dinner table tonight.

Unbelievable!

The 10 year olds were reportedly fighting over a pencil, according to the Daily News. Instead of trying to help the kids resolve the matter peacefully, like, um, any teacher who wants to keep his job would, he and his aid locked the classroom door, asks the other kids to stand aside, and tells the boys to duke it out gladiator style in the center of the room.

The police were called, the teacher and aid were removed and suspended respectively. No doubt the school board has to follow "proper procedure" and hold a hearing. But I seriously hope both of them are looking for a new career.

It never ceases to amaze me some of the things that go on in public schools, the

It's time for a Mom Confession -- because, let's face it, we're real mothers and sometimes it doesn't work the way the parenting books say it should.

This Week's Confession:

I have a gut feeling that the educator in my child's daycare is not telling the truth when I ask questions like: How much did my child eat? How much did he sleep? How long did he cry for?...I hate when people try to protect my feelings by lying to me. Or maybe they try to protect their business... I know that kids act differently at daycare than at home with the parents. But still somehow their answers don't mesh with what I know about my child. This is a highly recommended daycare/educational center and quite expensive compared to regular daycare centers, and I thought they would provide good care. -- Anonymous

Take our poll: Do you trust your child's daycare center? (view results)

We all have secrets -- so thanks to this brave mom for sharing her honest thoughts, and thank you for keeping this conversation