Blog Posts by The_Stir

Hooking the girls up to a manual or electric suction device for extended periods of time may not be super-fun, but for some moms, it's a necessary means to an end -- breast milk for baby when the boobs are MIA.

Do you really need a breast pump ? Which one should you buy? From around CafeMom, here's a compilation of real-mom answers to breast pump FAQs.

Is a breast pump a must-have?

If you're planning on breastfeeding, but will be returning to work or want the flexibility of family and friends being able to feed the baby breast milk, a pump of some sort is a necessity. What kind you need may depend on how long the periods away from baby will be -- will it be just the occasional feeding here and there or will you be away full days?

You might be able to get away with a manual pump -- and some moms even find these are more effective at expressing milk -- or you may need a double electric in order to produce the most milk in the shortest amount of time.

Many moms

My kids and I LOVE Dora the Explorer -- the cute, wholesome, inquisitive, shorts-wearing, tom boy Dora that plays with monkeys and loves chocolate.

So the recent news makes me a little ... sad ... for lack of a better word.

Mattel and Nickelodeon just announced that Dora is going to grow up and get a makeover in the form of a new interactive toy doll that loves fashion. She's ditched Boots for much hipper tween buds with prettier hair, Dora's Explorer Girls, and, from the sounds of it, I'm guessing Backpack will be replaced too, possibly with some type of designer handbag.

Don't worry -- the preschool-aged Dora is not disappearing. While the original bilingual cutie continues to spend her carefree days teaching phonics and sight identification while finding mystical locales like Rainbow Mountain, a second older doll-only version of Dora will pour all that curiosity into "solving mysteries." I just hope those mysteries will amount to more than trying to find great

Many users of CafeMom who are feeling the pinch are asking whether it's okay to buy or accept a secondhand toddler seat for their child. The big dilemma here is, how to tell if the seat is in good working order and has never been in an accident. Would you take the risk?

"If this seat has never been in an accident, is not expired, and is coming from a friend that you trust 100 percent, it is fine to use it," says one mother. "With a used seat, you are essentially putting your child's life in the hands of that person, so you want to be able to trust them with your child's life."

"I don't care if new car seats were $2,000 and I had to take out a loan for it, I would NEVER EVER get a used car seat, no matter if I'm poor," another concerned mama says. "I wouldn't even take one from my sister! Whenever I do something thinking there's no harm in it, it always backfired. I would rather know my child is as safe as can be."

MacKenzie Ravlin, a CafeMom and a Child Passenger Seat

When I first heard about the peanut butter recall from the salmonella outbreak, I immediately panicked thinking that one of my very favorite sweet treats would be affected-Girl Scout Cookies. What would happen to my beloved Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos? Oh horror of horrors! Would they be recalled as well?

Breathe easy, everyone: According to a press release on the official Girl Scout Web site, Girl Scout cookies are not affected by the peanut butter recall. A supplier called Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) is being investigated by the FDA for tainted peanut butter in the salmonella outbreak. PCA does not supply peanut butter to Girl Scout cookie bakers ABC Interbake and Little Brownie Bakers.

Hmmm...this is certainly great news. Maybe I'll celebrate by ordering a box of Tagalongs!

Check out what CafeMoms had to say about this recall and vote for your favorite Girl Scout cookie.

Written by Kim Conte for CafeMom.

If there's anyone who knows how to get kids (and fussy adults) to eat their vegetables, it's cookbook author and chef Didi Emmons.

She teaches inner city at-risk kids how to cook healthy meals as part of the non-profit Haley House Youth Cooking Program in Massachusetts. The kids-ages 10- to 17-years-old-attend weekly cooking classes where they learn nutrition and how to cook meals using a variety of fruits and vegetables, such as healthy Mac 'N' Cheese with Broccoli (keep reading for the recipe!).

Many of Didi's kids have not been exposed to a variety of whole foods-particularly fresh foods and vegetables-and, therefore, are often "prejudiced" against these types of foods. The same could be said about many of the kids in our own families, who turn up their noses to, say, a fresh avocado or a baked sweet potato, in favor of over-processed, industrialized foods. A lot of us adults are like that, too.

Because empowering kids to make good decisions about what they eat is

Today, January 13th, is national Make Your Dreams Come True Day, and I can't think of a better created-for-the-sake-of-holidays holiday. I'm reminded that children are naturally the biggest dreamers of us all. What a good excuse for helping them mine their own dreams and filling them with the belief that anything under the sun is possible.

We all have dreams, big and small, but it's the taking of tiny steps that helps bring them to fruition. Here are my humble suggestions for celebrating Dream Day with the kids:

-- Once they get home from school today, have them write down (or tell you) three of their dreams. Resist the urge to correct or alter their dream. No matter how wild or crazy, just let it be. My oldest son wants to ride a lion. How's that for a big dream?

-- Pick one of those dreams to focus on.

-- Grab an old shoe box or a small cardboard box.

-- Along with your child, cut out images and words that remind him of his dream. Paste them all over the

Fitting into my skinny jeans by this Sunday sounds great to me. If you have a hot date, need to squeeze into a dress, or just want to slim down by this weekend, here are some practical tips for shedding pounds fast.

Advice on How to Lose 2 Pounds by Sunday --safely-- comes from from nutritionist Deborah Enos who creates quick, solid meal plans for busy people. She thinks nutrition should be easier, and I agree.

It will take 5 to 6 days to lose 2 pounds. "We carry around about 6 pounds of water weight that is unnecessary," Enos says. "And it's mostly due to bad food choices." She adds that our cells are like sponges, and when a sponge gets too full, it can't do its job anymore. So try these things this week:

Eat more citrus. It's a natural diuretic, and it works quickly. First thing in the morning, drink 1 glass of warm water with the juice from half a lemon. It helps to get rid of that bloated feeling all day long. At lunch, drink water with a quarter of a lemon in it.

Cut

Yes. Yes. Yes! You can have three different types of orgasms, even though having one seems hard on some days.

The O in Oprah did double duty yesterday when one of my favorite sexperts was on the show. Laura Berman, Ph.D., author of Real Sex for Real Women, always has smart, helpful, and orgasmic advice.

She gave tips to start trying tonight.

Three types of Big O's

Clitoral. The most common type of orgasm is the easiest one to achieve. You can incorporate a clitoral climax into intercourse by trying different positions like woman on top so you can rub the area against your partner's body and by doing it doggie style so your fingers (or his) can explore. Experiment to find out what does the trick for you.

Vaginal. Best achieved when the G Spot is stimulated, this type of vaginal orgasm isn't the easiest to have, but it's worth it. Some women say that it's a more intense orgasm. Berman says it could be because there are even more muscle contractions in the pelvic