Blog Posts by The_Stir

There's this totally awesome guy you know and you really, REALLY dig him and you just know that you two would make the most perfect couple ever, if only...

The problem is, you're starting to suspect that he's digging you as just a friend or as "one of the guys," but you're just not sure. I mean, you'd make the most ADORABLE couple! But how do you know what he's thinking without just straight-up asking him? How do you know if he's into you, too, and feels that spark you feel - or if he looks at you and sees FRIEND all over your forehead?

Here are some signs that your crush (he's so perfect!) sees you as just a friend and not the woman of his dreams ...

More from The Stir: 15 Scary Signs Your Guy May Just Be Using You (Run for the Hills!)

1) He has all sorts of pet names for you - but they're the wrong kind. They're not "baby doll," or "sweetheart," no. They're "dude," "yo," "bro," or "(your last name)."

2) He rarely calls or texts you first - you're doing the

Granny pantiesEvery marriage has its ups and downs. There are some things that are incredibly difficult to overcome: Infidelity. Grand larceny. Spandex.

Thankfully not every marriage or relationship hits such extremes. But there are plenty of situations where women truly put their guy to the test. Here's a look at some of the things you do that could send us running for the hills.

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Cursing at us during childbirth - Giving birth is one of nature's most beautiful miracles. It's also messy, loud, and painful. I'm talking about for the dads here. Moms often scream bloody murder at us for causing this whole thing and shout expletives we didn't even know they had in their vocabulary. Then they practically break every bone in our hands with their Hulk-like grip during labor. And don't get me started on watching body parts coming out of body parts and all the blood ... I know - I know. It's nothing compared to

I'll Take That Dare

Season two of I'll Take That Dare just about killed me. TEN fitness dares in under two weeks weren't easy, people! I swung on a trapeze, bounced through NYC in kangoo boots, danced in Times Square, trained like an NFL player, and so much more ...

More from The Stir: Parkour: You Have to See This to Believe It! (VIDEO)

And I ended things with a class that started out a few years ago as Zumba ... and since then has become something far more intense.

B.Fab is a dance sensation in Nashville, TN that takes Zumba to ELEVEN. Think I've got what it takes to keep up with these fitness diehards? Click through to find out!

I first learned about B.Fab a few years ago when a friend emailed me and told me I HAD to go to a class.

"They have dance-offs with each other and WHISTLES, Lindsay," she said. "WHISTLES."

I was in.

More from The Stir: I Wore a Booty Pop in Public! (VIDEO)

I attended a class and had the time of my life. Yes, it's a bit insider-y and

Stress. We all have it.

Between school drop offs and that deadline you're behind schedule on and the moving trucks are coming on Tuesday and you haven't packed a thing and wow, can you imagine what it would be like to have a full night's sleep?

More from The Stir: Get Rid of Stress By Getting Rid of Stuff

Stress. It begins to affect our health and well-being after being exposed to long periods of it - and it can affect everything from our emotions to our immune system. So with all the pressures of life, how can we just relax already?

Here are some quick tips for reducing your stress.

1) Breathe. Remember that Lamaze class you took? Practice breathing in through your nose slowly and out through your mouth. Whenever you feel overwhelmed practice breathing.

2) Keep in mind - not all life is serious business; not every mistake the end of the world.

3) Laugh. One of the best stress-busters is to laugh at something absurd or silly.

4) One moment at a

When someone is blindsided by a divorce (even if it's a blessing in disguise) most of her friends and family don't quite know what to say. It doesn't matter how common the end of a marriage is. It never gets easier to come up with just the right words.

It's hard as the friend of the soon-to-be divorcee because you feel as though you're walking on eggshells, and you're trying not to make the situation worse.

As I'm in the middle of a divorce myself, though, I find the people who say nothing at all are the ones I will always remember. So here are some things you can say to your friend who's going through it all to let her know you care.

More from The Stir: 10 Things Going Through Every Divorcee's Head

1) "Can I be your Plus 1 to (insert event here)?" For those of us who've had a built-in Plus 1 for many years, the prospect of going to a wedding or funeral alone can be daunting - if not impossible.

2) "I love you." It doesn't, in the end, matter much who was at

angry momAre YOU an overbearing parent? Of course not! No one thinks they are, and it is a pretty subjective term, but oh you know one when you see one ... unless of course you're looking in the mirror.

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The other day STFU Parents posted a link to a discussion that'sblowing up on Reddit. It started with a post in which the person recounted an annoying encounter he or she had with a mother, and then asked if anyone else had any stories of overbearing parents in public.

And oh boy do people have stories of overbearing parents. There are currently more than 1,300 comments, and the discussion is going strong. The definition of an overbearing parent encompasses a lot, and it definitely overlaps into the helicopter parenting realm, but it's a bit different. I think it can be boiled down to this -- you think the world revolves around you and your child, and pretty much everyone else sucks and can suck it.

The entire discussion is a fun read,

gmc envoyFive children, ranging in age from two to 13 years old,died in a horrific car accident on the way to a water park yesterday. They were riding in an SUV crammed with ten children total and two adults. There weren't enough seats for all 12 passengers. And it pains me to add that there were no car seats, either. Not even for the two-year-old.

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The SUV rolled several times on its way down an encampment and nine of the children were thrown from the car. These kids piled into the car at the beginning of the day, looking forward to a day of fun. And they trusted the adults to get them to the water park safely. Those adults failed them -- tragically.

I can see how all this must have happened. Lord knows I traveled this way a time or two when I was a kid. You, too? I think seat belts and child seats and car safety in general was popularized sometime in the 1980s. Before that, it was practically

business womanWould you lie about being a mother in order to get a job in this economy? A down economy is hurting a lot of families. There area lot of unemployed people out there and a lot of those people are moms. A new study, which looked at the outcomes for laid-off workers across the United States, found that married women with kids, moms just like you and me, spent more time in between jobs than married dads. Why you ask?

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Employers see women who have children as a liability because they might put their children first. *Gasp* Isn't that exactly what people are supposed to do? Put their children first. Isn't that the first line of the new parent handbook?

So how do moms get around being penalized for being mothers by potential employers? Simple, we don't disclose it in the interview. Legally an employer can't ask if you have children or if you are pregnant. Of course, if you are nine months along, there's no purse