Blog Posts by The_Stir

nicole fabian-weberHey, guess what? Nobody gives a shit about your baby! Kidding! Kind of! Not really. There are some people, other than you, who care about your children. They're called family members and other people with kids. The rest? Mmm, save for a select few, not so much. And although I should have known this, being a person who, just a short time ago, didn't have a baby, I sort of just consciously realized this recently ... when I saw the glazed eyes of others when I showed them photos of my daughter on my phone.

More from The Stir: Moms Might Be the Most Hated People in the World

In case you haven't heard, parents can be annoying to non-parents. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to be annoying. I still have friends who don't have children -- people I like -- and I'd like to keep them that way: As friends. So, here are 5 surefire ways not become, you know, that parent.

Don't constantly show off photos of your kid. Before I had a baby, I pretty much thought every baby

expecting a babyWhen Facebook announced a new option for its Timeline that allows you to sport an official "Expecting a Baby" status on your page yesterday, I'm sure a million eyes rolled. For some reason there's a hefty portion of the population that gets sent into mad fits when someone dares post anything sweet or sentimental about their children or children-to-be. I, however, think it's a welcome addition.

More from The Stir: 50 Reasons to Have a Baby

It allows you to post that you're pregnant, the due date, and whether it's a boy or a girl to the list of life events. It will appear in your news feed along with a pacifier graphic, and will pop up on the day your baby is due under "Celebrations" where birthday notifications appear.

It's not a life-changing development, and plenty of people already announce their pregnancies via Facebook. But it's a nice nod to parenthood as an important part of one's life. It's certainly much better than the site banning breastfeeding pictures.

dunce capHave you gotten the "OMG, my kid got Such-and-Such Teacher, and I hear she's just awful" call from a friend yet? Just wait. Bad teacher stories are as much a tradition as big fish tales, and there's a chorus of them every year during back-to-school season.

More from The Stir: Sex Questions From Kids Are Hilarious, But Scary

Moms! Dads! Allow me to be the little voice of reason whispering in your ear. It won't be that bad. Really.

My daughter is headed into second grade this year, and we've already had two incredible women who came into our lives and helped us mold her little mind. I can't help but have high hopes for the year to come. Thinking anything less is just shooting myself in the foot.

Yes, there's always one or two bad apples that spoils the bunch, but teachers these days are mostly hardworking professionals who got into the gig because they actually like kids ... and education. The scary stuff that used to fly back in the day won't.

So just for a little

baby

Last week, I wrote a post on 50 reasons not to have a baby. Truth be told, I wrote it for myself just as much as anyone else because I suffer constant baby fever and it's always nice to be reminded of the hard stuff. To even things out, (and prove that I do actually enjoy parts of this gig), I thought it would be nice to list 50 reasons for having a baby. Well, 50 reasons for you to have a baby. I'm done.

More from The Stir: 6 Creative Ways to Say 'I'm Pregnant!' (PHOTOS)

1. Eating for two.
2. Maternity jeans.
3. Baby kicks.
4. The fun of being able to say "I'm not expecting" when asked how far along you are.
5. Justified naps.
6. Not worrying about birth control.
7. Hearing the heartbeat for the first time.
8. Parking in "Expectant Mother" parking spaces.
9. Boobs!
10. Not having to suck in your gut.
11. The fact that nobody picks a fight with the pregnant woman.
12. Having an excuse for flakiness.
13. Not having a period for nine months.
14. Having

toddler napDoes your child snore? That snoring may mean something more than ZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Now loud snoring in preschoolers is being tied to behavioral problems like hyperactivity, attention issues, and depression. A study found that 9 percent of 249 two- and three-year-olds were snoring loudly two or more times a week. Those kids were more likely to have behavior issues by the time they were three than the non-snorers.

More from The Stir: Kids' Well-Worn Lovies Are a Source of Comfort ... for Moms

Researchers don't know why loud snoring is linked with behavior. It could have something to do with poor quality sleep. But guess what else is a factor? Breastfeeding. Apparently it can help protect against snoring and/or its effects on behavior. Of course, all kids snore from time to time. How do you know what's normal -- and what's a potential danger sign?

Hell if I know! But if you've noticed your kid snoring loudly two nights in a row, maybe it's time to at least start paying

cleavageSo, you know how you can't help but get a little bit miffed whenever you catch your man checking out another woman's breasts? (Even if he thinks he's being subtle? Because he's soooo not.) Well, according to a recent study, we really have nothing to get upset about. No, not because we're "imagining things" or because it's "just what guys do" and "isn't a big deal," but because apparently we ladies are just as likely to stare at boobs.

Researchers who examined the way different people process images of men and women found that men's bodies are usually processed in a "global" way (meaning that we judge a man as the sum of his parts, basically), while women's bodies are assessed by what's called "local" cognitive processing (meaning we judge each of a woman's parts separately).

More from The Stir: 5 Celebrity Boob Jobs That Look Almost Real

5 Celebrity Boob Jobs That Look Almost Real

Interesting. So guys are programmed to fixate on boobs AND girls are programmed to

red stilettos heelsI think as women we're raised loving high heels: We're photographed walking around in mom's or grandma's shoes as little girls, we buy our first pair of one-inch kittens for the father-daughter dance, and our college closet is stocked with pumps for every occasion.

Now let's pause for a moment and talk about something else: stilettos. I can't walk in them to save my life. I would faceplant. I can see wearing these sky-high spikes if you had no nerve endings in your feet (or were eager to lose said nerve endings), but for the rest of us, it just seems hopeless. Now now, don't you fret, you fashionistas you! I have the stiletto solution EVERY style savvy mom has been waiting for ...

More from The Stir: 8 Amazing Fashion Finds That Will Save You Serious Cash

Wear the heels anyway. Just skip the height, the super thick platform, and the headache and slip into a pair of heels you can actually get from place-to-place in. You can make every sacrifice in the book, but don't

I'll Take That Dare

It seems like there are endless variations of yoga -- Hot Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Laughter Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga ...

But have you ever heard of Aerial Yoga?

More from The Stir: I Trained Like Tim Tebow! (VIDEO)

Aerial Yoga is a fitness trend that's turning up(side down) in studios across the country. In the latest episode of I'll Take That Dare, I give it a whirl ... with stomach-churning results!

Click through to see the video!

So now that you've seen it -- would you try it?

Aerial yoga is supposed to provide a better, deeper stretch and less stress on your joints, but it's definitely not for everyone. As I've gotten older, I have less tolerance for being upside down and this session left me feeling a little nauseated -- and I don't think the Mexican food was entirely to blame!

This was actually my second aerial yoga session and it was very different from my first. The teacher in our video is much more hardcore and had us doing some pretty advanced