Blog Posts by The_Stir

It's back-to-school time, which means a few things: parents everywhere are either saddened (or rejoicing) that their wee ones are going to be back in class five days a week. It also means that we're now coming up on one of the sickest times of the year: fall.

More from The Stir: Hotels Are Infested With Germs but Your House Isn't Much Cleaner

Want to reduce your chances of getting whatever latest bug is going around? Then learn more about the dirtiest places in your world so you can try to take some precautions.

Read on to learn about the germiest places you encounter almost every day. Some of them may shock you.

1) Kitchen sinks. Even the amount of water and soap you use while washing dishes can't stand up to the number of germs that decaying food and used plates foster.

2) Outdoor music festivals. While my mother called herself a "dirty hippie" and explained that sunshine does kill germs, apparently that is not true at outdoor music festivals. Too many people

nicole fabian-weberWhen you lose someone, there's a point in which you go from being a person grieving the loss of someone you love to just being a person who happens to not have this someone in their life. You're a girl without her dad. A man without his sister. For me, this person was, is, my mother. And I'm not exactly sure when this point was.

More from The Stir: Life Advice for My Daughter ... And Myself

When she first passed away, two days after my wedding, I was manic. I was the self-appointed person responsible for holding my family -- my father and sister -- together. I grocery shopped; cooked; washed my dad's sheets as if he was one of those men clueless as to how a washing machine works. I was more whirling dervish than person, and in a fucked up way, the weird headspace I was in made me feel good, because for the first time, maybe ever, I felt like I really had a purpose. But eventually, as the months passed and I moved and got a new job, I became less ... driven, more sad. And

teen sleepRemember when your kids were babies and you would've given anything to get them to sleep just a little longer? Now that they actually have to wake up early to get to school, it's practically impossible to drag them out of bed. Teens don't just sleep, they hibernate on a nightly basis -- and they're mad as bears when someone (you) dares to interrupt their slumber.

And of course that first week back to school is the worst of all. Spoiled by a summer of sleeping in, teens are anything but bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when that alarm clock goes off -- in fact, they might not even hear it! So how do we get them on their feet?
More from The Stir: High School's Cursing Valedictorian Deserves Her Diploma

See, in my experience, conventional methods like buzzing clocks and gentle nudges (Time to get up, sweetie!) are completely useless. Not to mention counterproductive: By my eighth or ninth attempt, I'm so aggravated I end up resorting to the considerably less gentle approach (TIME TO GET

Fifty Shades BabyIt's happening. The Fifty Shades of Grey baby boom we here at The Stir predicted months ago is very much a "thing." Moms are announcing right and left that Christian Grey got them pregnant (with a little help from a real live man).

More from The Stir: 5 Unnecessary Baby Items I Refuse to Register For

But ladies, some of y'all seem to be taking this obsession just a wee bit too far. Can we just talk about the Fifty Shades baby paraphernalia? It's here. And it's kind of creepy!

Take the onesie that reads "I'm a Fifty Shades baby." It might sound all sweet and innocent, but let's fast forward about, oh, 10 years. Your 10-year-old is paging through the family album and asks "What's Fifty Shades, Mommy?"

Will you be ready to answer that one? Especially when the follow up question is "OK, but what does that kinky sex book have to do with ME?" Face. Palm.

Same goes for the "Generation Grey" onesies. That will be an odd one to explain, won't it?

More from The Stir:

masturbationThere is no doubt that when it comes to sexuality, women get a very different message than men. Women are shamed. We are told that our bodies are a source of shame and we must be thin and perfect in order to be allowed to take any pleasure from them. It's terrible and limiting and the erotic lives of women suffer because of these messages.

Our bodies were made for fun, ladies. They were made to be sexual and to give and receive pleasure and most of us are missing the fun because we are too concerned with our saddle bags and the size of our bums.

More from The Stir: Woman Sues to Masturbate at Work

We ladies need to get back in touch with our roots and one of the best ways to do that is to self-pleasure. Yes, we need to masturbate more. There are always hundreds of good reasons to play with yourself, but here are 20 reasons women need to do it more:

1. Orgasms beget more orgasm: If you have an orgasm, you will have more. It's not like one and done.
2. They help

Ask most of us what we look for in a romantic partner and we'll answer something like, "Chemistry!" or "Attraction!" or "Magic!" or "Sparks!" Of course, the majority of us also want a mate who is kind, has a sense of humor, has things in common with us, and blah blah blah ... but what we want is "chemistry" on top of all of that. We've all met that guy (or gal) who "looks great on paper" and has all of the qualities we're looking for in a partner, and yet with whom there is just no "spark" generated. Ho hum. We usually don't stick with that person very long. But one psychologist says the last thing we should look for in a mate is a sexual "spark." That, in fact, for those of us who have a history of unfulfilling relationships, an excited fluttery feeling we get in the gut when we meet someone means, "Run, run, and don't look back. And then run!!"

More from The Stir: The Most Popular Breakup Lines Decoded!

Says Seth Meyers, a clinical psychologist (and not the Saturday Night

Living around other people means putting up with their quirks, shall we say. Unless you're a hermit in the woods, you're going to be subjected to someone doing something that annoys the bejeebers out of you.

More from The Stir: Dealing With Annoying In-Laws Is No Picnic (VIDEO)

Some things, though, are just too much for people to take. Nail biting, excessive talking, nose picking...these can be horribly nasty to deal with. JoAnn from Bensonhurst takes on these bad habits and others in the latest episode of her show. You may want to sit down for this ...

Not surprisingly, her answer to most problems is sex (especially if it's your significant other's habits we're talking about). Nail biter? "Put something in his mouth he'll enjoy more than his fingers." Excessive talker? "See the answer to the previous question." Husband never says please and thank you? "Train him like a puppy...before sex, please, after sex, thank you."

Her answer to many other things is simply to

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who respond to stress by becoming messier and more chaotic, and those who respond to stress by cleaning and organizing. In a perfect world, all of us in the first category would be paired with someone in the second who would come over and clean our clutter when things get crazy!

More from The Stir: 8 Things Moms Need to Toss From Their Closets if They Want to Feel Sexy

Sarah James is in the second category. She tells us in this episode of The Sarah James Show that cleaning her closet centers her. Even if you're not like that, having a neat, organized closet full of only clothes you actually wear makes life ... calmer. Sarah shares her tips on getting your closet under control. You'll want to see this!

Make it seasonal. Even if you have ample closet space, this will help lessen your stress and make it easier for you to see everything you would currently be wearing. Put off-season clothes in bins under the bed (clean