Blog Posts by The_Stir

Neiman Marcus for Target

I'm just going to cut to the chase here, ladies.

Target and Neiman Marcus have partnered for a holiday design collection and I AM DROOLING.

The collection includes clothing and accessories created by 24 of the world's top designers for men, women, and children, as well as other holiday gift items.

More from The Stir: 6 Things in Your Closet That You Can Wear All Year-Round

To give you an idea of the designs, just LOOK at this $99.99 Robert Rodriguez dress! Is it not TO DIE FOR?

Keep reading to see more of my favorite selections, and to find out when the collection will be available!

Neiman Marcus for Target

This Prabal Gurung holiday cape (Target, $79.99) would look great over a holiday dress or with jeans. LOVE.

Neiman Marcus for Target

Don't tell my dog, but I think this Oscar de la Renta dog leash ($39.99, Target) will be under the tree for her this year!

More from The Stir: 5 Flirty Ways to Wear Boots This Season

Neiman Marcus for Target

I'm also partial to this Oscar de la Renta tote (Target,

Let's be honest here: there aren't a lot of actual psychopaths in the world, but if you run into one, and happen to end up dating him, you should be aware of the signs. It can save you a LOT of heartache and potential fear down the road.

A psychopath, no matter HOW charming, is not someone you want to know, let alone allow into your life, so watch out for these red flags before you get sucked in and can't get out!

1) He's very charming - Now to be fair, not every person who is charming is a psychopath, but it's important to note that psychopaths often are very charismatic and slick and have an answer for everything.

More from The Stir: Single Mom of 5 Gets a Scare When She Finds Crazy Ex-Boyfriend Living in Attic (VIDEO)

2) He's a narcissist - A psychopathic person often thinks EXTREMELY highly of himself -- to the point where he's self-obsessed at the least and very egotistical at the worst.

3) He's a pathological liar - We all tell white lies now and then. You

I remember the day I considered getting a smartphone for the first time. Before that, I'd been using a simple cellphone, one that made calls and occasionally dropped them. I didn't assume that I needed anything fancier than that -- I mean, I'm just a chick with a blog, right?

Time marched on and I found myself actually needing a smartphone, which I bought. Then came tablets - I probably needed one of those, too, right? For those times when phones aren't enough?

Those two things quickly became both a tether and a noose around my neck -- I was always reachable and available, which meant that I should respond, even if I was in the middle of living life in the real world.

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

Turns out? These distractions are things that can not only make us feel pressured to do more faster, but can ultimately put a serious damper on our relationships. Here are the biggest offenders.

1) Games - Video games, computer games, games

Poor Holly Petraeus. Not only do you find out your husband of 38 years, resigned CIA director General David Petraeus, is cheating on you with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, a woman 20 years your junior, but you find it out in the most incredibly public way. And then you're basically blamed for it. No one is accusing Holly of being a bad wife, oh no. David has described her as "the greatest source of support, wise counsel, and love that any soldier could have." They've been married for 38 years. But, um, look at her. Says one commenter on an article about her: "She looks like an old granny." Says another: "She looks like his great-grandmother ... She should be at least 75 pounds lighter ... I blame it on her appearance." Are we really surprised by this?

More from The Stir: Teacher Mom Accused of Poisoning Own Kids to Get Back at Cheating Dad

This is the gut reaction when any cheating scandal happens. Blame it on the wife. What did she do to make her husband unhappy? Did

deo perfume candyCan eating candy make you smell dandy? Only if it's Deo Perfume Candy, apparently, an "edible deodorant" so powerful one dose will supposedly make a 145-pound person "smell like roses" for up to 6 hours. Sweet! Or ... scary. Or highly unlikely, you're probably thinking. That was my first thought, too: What a scam. Like sea monkeys for the personal hygiene market. People are soooo gullible.

But then I did a little more research, and as it turns out, the science behind these sweets doesn't stink. Basically, it's like this: You know how when a person eats a lot of garlic, they start to smell like garlic? And I'm not talking about someone coming back to work after lunch with the scent of garlic lingering on their breath or clothes, I'm talking about someone who seems to have the odor oozing from their pores.

More from The Stir: 6 Deodorants Put to the Ultimate Lady Sweat Test

Well, it seems that way because garlic actually is oozing from their pores. See, garlic contains a

thanksgiving appsThanksgiving dinner is going to keep a lot of us pretty busy in the kitchen. The turkey, the sides, the desserts, the relatives -- dinner itself is a big job. So whenever I hear "Thanksgiving appetizers", my first thought is, Are you freakin' kidding me? What am I, an insomniac with 80 arms? YOU bring me appetizers, glossy food magazine!

More from The Stir: Deviled Eggs: Easy Last-Minute Thanksgiving Appetizer to the Rescue!

And then I find myself in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, stealing bits of food here and there and getting peevish on not enough food and too much cocktail. And I start longing for appetizers. Thanksgiving appetizers don't have to be super time-consuming and fancy-pants. And they don't need to take up your oven or stove-top. Here's a few simple, seasonal ideas to hold over the pre-dinner crowd (especially the cooks!) until the main event.

Cheese plate. Hardly any prep work at all! I like to put out a couple cheeses, some crackers, and maybe some dried fruit

toddler tantrumMy friend does not believe in disciplining her 2-year-old daughter. Yes, you read that right. My friend, let's call her Lisa, once let her daughter, let's call her Megan, flush the toilet 30 times. Just because she wanted to. When both of them were at my home for dinner, I watched her daughter deliberately pour a glass of water right over my table. I had to say, "No, Megan!" while my friend just smiled.

More from The Stir: Mom Wants Her Own Son to Get Death Penalty

My friend confesses that at a recent play date, her daughter smeared a gooey snack all over the host mom's bedspread. She apologized to the mom but didn't tell her kid she'd done anything wrong. I've stopped speaking to my friend on the phone while Megan is awake, because she screams endlessly while we talk, blasting a hole in my ear. My friend never once says, "Sweetie, I'm on the phone." Why does she allow all of this? "I guess it's just easier this way," my friend admits. "The truth is, I hate to make my

temper tantrumLast week 47-year-old father Spencer Russell was in court for stealing some expensive designer handbags from a home his wife was paid to look after while the owners were away. When the owner noticed the missing items, he blamed it on his 2-year-old daughter.

He said the toddler liked to play dress-up, and she'd snatched them. Um, yeah right. He later admitted he took them, and though the judge didn't give him any jail time, he did call him out for his pathetic excuse.

More from The Stir: Hilarious 'Honest' Toddler Spills 8 Secrets Every Mom Wants to Hear

So yes, blaming criminal activity on your tike is pretty lame, but there are plenty of things you can blame on toddlers and get away with quite brilliantly. Toddlers are actually quite convenient patsies for a host of misdemeanors moms make. Here are seven things you can definitely blame on your toddler even when they're not exactly guilty:

1. Unwashed Hair or a Slightly Rank Smell

Who the hell has time to