Blog Posts by The_Stir

Thnaksgiving turkeyThanksgiving is hands down the best holiday of the year. Not only is it the official kick start to Christmas music season, but it's always a joy to get all the family together and catch up about the year that's been over delicious, seasonal eats. Sure, the turkey may be the main focus of the meal, but Thanksgiving dinner is absolutely nothing without great side dishes.

More from The Stir: The Only 5 Thanksgiving Side Recipes You'll Ever Need

The big question: who wants to spend loads of time making sides when you've got serious things to talk over with your friends and family ... like the latest season of X Factor or Justin and Selena's big breakup? Exactly. That's why we've compiled a list of 20 awesome side dishes that are done in 30 minutes or less:

1. Cranberry orange sauce

2. Chopped apple turkey stuffing

3. Green bean casserole

4. Confetti corn

5. Pumpkin muffins

6. Garlic and sun-dried tomato corn muffins

7. Sauteed Brussels sprouts

crock pot soupI would love it if I came home from work and found a hot, fragrant, hearty soup waiting for me. How can I make that happen -- without the use of magic or takeout? With the Crock-Pot, of course! Slow cookers to the rescue. You just throw in the ingredients at the beginning of the day (or maybe the night before), leave for work, and then ta-da! Dinner for everyone.

More from The Stir: The 7 Best Soups to Help Get Over Colds & Flu

We've compiled a list of 20 soup recipes written just for the slow cooker. And guess what we found out? There's a Crock-Pot recipe for just about every soup out there. So enjoy a whole season of cozy Crock-Pot soups.

Beef Stew

Black Bean Soup

Chicken Soup for the Slow Cooker

Curried Coconut Curry Soup

Hot and Sour Soup

Leek and Potato Soup

Lentil Stew

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Matzo Ball Soup

Minestrone

Mulligatawny Soup

Navy Bean Soup

Pho (Vietnamese beef and noodle soup)

Posole

Pumpkin

braPretty bras are a luxury. They're not the kind of thing that you just run out and pick up every few months like you would a t-shirt or a pair of socks. And if you do, I'm venturing to guess that, unless you're Victoria Beckham, they're from Target or Walmart or somewhere else super un-sexy. So when you finally buy a bra -- hell, be it once a year -- you want it to last. You want it stay fresh and lacy and un-crapped up (and white if that's the color!). But how do you do that?

Funny you should ask ...

More from The Stir: "50 Shades of Grey" Lingerie at Victoria's Secret Would Have Moms Screaming Yes! Yes! Yes!

Wash them in the sink. I know, you know. But do it. Seriously, it isn't as annoying as it seems. Buy a bottle of Woolite and stow it under your bathroom sink instead of in the laundry room. Once a week, throw your bras in the sink and give them a good soak. (No, you should not put them in a lingerie sack and throw them in the washing machine.) Lay flat to dry,

yoga pantsBe honest, how many days a week do you go to get dressed with every intention of putting on a cute outfit -- only to break down and throw on yoga pants because they're just so darn comfy you can't help yourself?

All moms do it, because we're smart, and because it's a whole hell of a lot easier to manage the gazillion things we have to do on any given day if we aren't confined by zippers, buttons, and the like.

More from The Stir: Snooki & 6 Other Celebs With the Worst Fake Teeth in Hollywood

Just yesterday, I woke up and went to the closet and grabbed a pair of jeans, and then the work-at-home mom in me kicked in and said, "Wait a minute -- I'm not leaving the house today, so why waste a good pair of jeans? Yoga pants it is."

And you know what? I think they looked pretty darn good. I'll be the first to admit that I used to consider the traditional yoga pant "mom uniform" a bit on the frumpy side -- but lately, every time I see a mom out and about in her yoga gear,

tearsA week after General David Petraeus' affair with writer Paula Broadwell was exposed, it remains big news. He's gotten a lot of flack for the betrayal of his wife Holly. Though not everyone is being hard on the disgraced ex-CIA chief. Pat Robertson, host of the conservative Christian chat show The 700 Club, claims to understand why he strayed. "The man is in a foreign land and he's lonely and here's a good looking lady throwing herself at him and ... he's a man," Robertson said.

More from The Stir: 10 Tips for Getting Over a Cheating Spouse That Really Do Work

Is it just me, or is that a ridiculously lame excuse? Well, we took a poll to find out what drives a man into the bed of another woman. Take a look at 20 real reasons men give for cheating:

1. "Not adventurous enough in bed."
2. "I'm just not attracted to my wife anymore."
3. "Relationships and the conversations that come with them are boring."
4. "Someone who's willing to be a little wilder comes around."

maple syrupWe all love to drizzle maple syrup over pancakes and waffles, but the real stuff can be awfully expensive in normal years. This year, thanks to an early spring and record high summer temperatures, there was a smaller maple syrup harvest -- and that means even higher prices for us, like $20 for a pint. Ouch!

So we decided to check out some alternatives: Maple-flavored syrups. We lined up seven different syrups plus a homemade maple-flavored syrup for a taste test here at the CafeMom office. And just for fun, we threw in some real maple syrup to see if people could tell the difference. The results will reassure those of you who've been buying the imitation maple syrup -- looks like you're not really missing out on much.

More from The Stir: Aunt Jemima Frozen Pancakes Recalled for One Suspect Ingredient

Out of all the syrups, including real maple syrup, the top three are: Aunt Jemima original, Aunt Jemima butter lite, and Eggo original. Those three were tied for first. The

working momPeople throw around the term "mommy wars" a lot, but as a mom for more than nine years now I've never felt any of the fire. Oh maybe someone's comment about their choice to stay home makes me feel a little guilty about my choice, but cowardly anonymous internet attacks aside, I don't feel like it's mom vs. mom that's the issue -- it's moms vs. working life in general that's the real problem for most of us.

More from The Stir: 34 Strange Habits Only Moms Understand

My sister, an attorney, sent me this departure memo that appeared in Above the Law from a mom who was trying to juggle a law career and her family and decided it was just too much. In it she outlines a typical day, and concludes that she just can't do both anymore so she is leaving the practice. I've read it countless times, and it's haunting and heartbreaking in its familiarity.

She wrote:

the feminist breeder bacon breastfeedingWhen I saw this photo on The Feminist Breeder's Facebook page with TFB Gina Crosley-Corcoran's comment, "And now you've seen everything, Jolene swiped bacon off my plate and tried to nurse and eat at the same time. When I got bit, I told her she had to choose. She chose bacon", I liked it. If there was a "love" button, I would have loved it. I'm in tune with much of what Gina writes on her blog and Facebook page, and even if I wasn't a natural parenting type who breastfeeds and gets excited when Ina May Gaskin makes a movie, I'm certain I would have giggled at this photo. Sweet baby girl chooses bacon over mama's milk. Hilarious. But one of TFB's readers didn't think so. A mom I'll just call Liz commented, "I never liked the photo, I reported the photo. And those are the kids that end up growing to be sex offenders."

More from The Stir: Why You Should Practice With a Doll Before Having Your Baby

ALL RIGHTY, Liz. You just took it one step too far.

It's one thing to not