Blog Posts by The_Stir

check outThey say don't sweat the small stuff -- but the small stuff is so annoying! Seriously, how many times do you get in the express check-out lane in hopes of getting out of the store quickly ... only to get stuck behind somebody paying by check? Worst. Yeah, there are bigger things in life to get our panties in a bunch over, but it's hard to take the high road in these situations when they're just so irritating. Here are 10 little life annoyances that are inevitable (and frustrating!).

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1. Your smoke alarm WILL start to lose its batteries in the middle of the night.

R/DV/RS/Flickr

1. Your smoke alarm WILL start to lose its batteries in the middle of the night.

2. When you're following someone in your car, they WILL make a light ... and you won't.

Horia Varlan/Flickr

2. When you're following someone in your car, they WILL make a light ... and you won't.

3. You think no one's sitting next to you on an airplane when, lo and behold, someone shows up at the very last second.

HeatherHeatherHeather/Flickr

3. You think no one's sitting next to you on an airplane when, lo and behold, someone shows up at the very last second.

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karen walrond showBe honest: At the end of a long day, are you more likely to complain about every little thing that went wrong, or be grateful for every little thing that went right? I won't lie; I'm definitely guilty of the former. Complaining makes us feel good, or at least we think it does ... in fact, it makes our mood even worse.

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Just ask CafeMom Studios host Karen Walrond. This episode of her show, featuring artist Tara Dixon is called "Practicing Gratitude" -- and with good reason! Both Walrond and Dixon know firsthand how counting those blessings on a daily basis can lead to, well, feeling a lot more blessed. (Makes perfect sense!)

So what IS gratitude, exactly? According to Dixon, "Gratitude is noticing all the gifts in one's life, and taking stock of those gifts."

Even when times are tough. Hey, Dixon managed to find things to be grateful about when her 18-year-marriage ended!

50 shades of grey nail polishWhat goes together better than Fifty Shades of Grey and nail polish? Nothing. They're like sugar and spice. Bonnie and Clyde. Jay and Bey. When you think about it, they really are a match made in heaven.

Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele have made everything sexier. Even elevators are sexy. Now that takes talent. And nail polish? Oh, honey. Most of fall's steamiest colors have ties to some of the hottest Fifty Shades moments. Pretty sure I'll never look at a sultry grey hue and not think of Mr. Fifty Shades of F&^ked Up (or that tie ... or that glare). Purple, too. Remember Ana's jaw-dropping frock that sent CG over the edge? Yup. That's the one.

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So you can't blame us everyday folk for wanting a little piece of the Fifty Shades pie. And now we can have it. Here are six hot fall nail colors that will remind you of your favorite scenes from the book.

Grey

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brideHey, remember when getting married was a simple affair where your dad chose your groom, handed over a donkey or two, and bada bing bada boom, you're husband and wife? Nowadays it's just so complicated, with the picking of the man yourself, the deciding on the location, the DJ vs. band debate, and the kidnapping. Mmm hmm, in Romania, kidnapping the bride is, like, a thing. One minute you're dancing with your friends and family, finally enjoying a piece of that cake you stressed over for months, and bam, you're whisked away in a white limo by guys dressed like terrorists and taken to a Bucharest landmark where you're expected to feign fear and take "help me" photos while your groom gathers a ransom and meets you at the Romanian Arc de Triomphe.

And we thought our chicken dance tradition was bizarre.

The bride-napping movement has gained steam over the last few years, and apparently, it's not

Everyone assumes that sex after a baby is a myth, kinda like how people say that once you get married, the sex goes away, or the claim that there are actually fat free foods that taste good.

But having sex after having a baby isn't a myth at all. People with babies are having sex right this very minute, believe me!

Feeling sexy after giving birth can be a little tricky, but it's not impossible! So what are we waiting for? Let's get you in the mood!

1) Find a babysitter. One of the key things you need to feel sexy post-baby is a relaxing setting. Lying in your bedroom with the baby monitor next to your head, one ear cocked, listening for your bundle of joy to wake up for his feeding is NOT the way to unwind.

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2) Slip into something more comfortable. You know what's not sexy? Baby spit-up on your shirt and diaper goo under your nails. Take some time to get ready - take a nice hot bath and get some real

I've been battling chronic migraines and other assorted types of headaches (there are a SHOCKING number of types of headaches) for years now. They're genetic in my case - women from my father's side of the family seem to get migraines that just won't quit.

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I've actually grown so accustomed to the headaches that I feel sort of weird when I don't have one!

In my travels through the nebulous world of diagnosis to treatment, I've learned a lot more about that pounding ache than I learned in nursing school. There are some downright surprising reasons for headaches.

1) Depression - we all know that depression hurts. That commercial will be forever etched into my memory (whether or not I want it there). Oddly, though, one of the things we seldom think of is that depression is a systemic disease, which means it can cause headaches.

2) Pain from other areas of the body - in medicine, we call that

It's so easy to let things pile up around you. It's hard to take the time to go through your house and make sure everything is clean and clutter-free, especially if you have a number of small people running around breaking stuffs.

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Did you know that having extra clutter around your house can cause you stress and actual harm? It's true. There are a number of health benefits related to simplifying your life and reducing the amount of clutter in your life.

1) Having a clean house means that you can feel a greater sense of peace in your life, as your home is your sanctuary. Everyone needs a place they can go to feel safe at the end of the day - and the extra clutter can prevent that.

2) Simplifying your life by cutting out the extra stuff - including that pair of pants you haven't worn since the Reagan administration - can allow you to focus upon what's really important: friends, family, living life.

3) A

wonder womanIt's true. Moms have superhero powers. They can leap tall buildings in a single bound; they can burn inanimate objects with their gazes; and they can be teleported to any particular place at any given moment. Well, not really. But they do possess some crazy skills. Here are 6 super powers every mom has.

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They can do anything -- anything -- with one hand. Here I was all this time going through life thinking I needed two hands. After my daughter was born, I realized -- really, that second hand is just a bonus. Make the bed carrying the baby? Check. Put the bib on the baby with one hand? Check. Read an email/balance a check book/whip up a nice lamb roast with all the fixins with one hand? Check, check, check.

They have super human strength. Remember when you first picked up that car seat before you had kids? It was heavy, right? Funny how you seem to overlook that when you're carrying the car seat -- with your kid in it