'The Stir's New Look

posted by Tracy Odell March 1 at 10:16 AM in Technology

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If you're a regular reader of The Stir, you probably are noticing a few changes around here today. This month marks the third anniversary of The Stir's launch and we decided to give the site a little design update to celebrate. Never fear, it's the same Stir you know and love -- our look may have changed, but our sass remains.

We all hope you love the new design as much as we do (though we're sure you'll tell us in the comments if you don't!). Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing our stories today and for the last three years!

LOL

My Halloween Costume Prank Made My Kid Cry -- Oops! (VIDEO)

posted by Tracy Odell October 23, 2012 at 12:25 PM in Big Kid

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It's Halloween, the time of tricks and treats. On October 31, our little ones will be full of treats, so we decided they should have a little trick, too. This week we are highlighting four prankster moms and their costume tricks.

I knew my son would be upset when I punked him with a pretty ballerina/princess costume when he was expecting a badass X-Wing pilot costume. But, I didn't expect so many tears. SO. MANY. TEARS. There goes my mom of the year award.

But, once the tears started to dry and he found out it was all a joke, a pretty amazing thing happened. That costume suddenly didn't look so evil. It might even look nice enough to try on.

Take a watch ...

Moms Matter

The Stir Exclusive

The 2 Lives of Michelle Obama: From Stump Speeches to Doggie Playdates

posted by Tracy Odell October 10, 2012 at 2:00 PM in In The News

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Official White House Photo by Pete SouzaThis past weekend, with fewer than 30 days until the election, to the huge defining day for her family and our country, Michelle Obama hosted a doggie playdate at the White House.

At the urging of younger daughter Sasha, they invited five friends, their parents, and their dogs over to give the Obamas' dog Bo some much-needed (according to Sasha, anyhow) dog interaction. The dogs tore up some flowers and there was some poop on the South Lawn, but the doggie date was deemed a success by all. The rest of the weekend was filled with discussions about an upcoming dance, a big science test, and homecoming.

Moms Matter

Politics at Play

Student Loan Debt -- Do Moms or Their Kids Worry More? (VIDEO)

posted by Tracy Odell July 20, 2012 at 11:57 AM in In The News

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Are you concerned about how to pay for college for your children? You aren't alone. Our Moms Matter 2012 survey found that moms are very concerned about affording college tuition for their children. Overwhelmingly, moms' worries are dominated by two very practical day-to-day economic considerations: paying the mortgage or rent on their home (55%) and spending on groceries (36%) ... followed by one very long-term concern: college tuition for their children (31%).

Unless you've got significant savings, student loans or scholarships are probably on your radar for your children's college education. But scholarships are getting harder to come by. A recent study from Sallie Mae found that 35 percent of families paying for college received a scholarship in 2012, down from 45 percent in 2011. At the same time, student loan debt is on the rise -- Americans now hold almost 1 trillion dollars in student loan debt -- a number that is growing rapidly as tuition costs rise.

Moms Matter

Politics at Play

Introducing the Moms Matter 2012 Swing State Road Trip - First Stop: Youngstown, Ohio (VIDEO)

posted by Tracy Odell July 19, 2012 at 10:12 PM in In The News

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This summer, the Moms Matter 2012 team is hitting the road to bring you stories from the moms and explore the issues that will decide the presidential election in November. We're focusing on key swing states for our road trip because even if you don't live in one of these states, what happens in these states will ultimately determine the election. We're traveling America's highways and windy country roads to find out what moms are thinking in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Colorado, Nevada and Iowa. We hope you'll come along for the ride!

Our first stop on the road trip is Ohio, a key battleground state. With 18 electoral votes and a history of close elections, Ohio is a must-win for both Obama and Romney - you can bet they'll be spending LOTS of time here. Ohio is also a bellwether for picking the winner on election night. Only once since 1944 has Ohio sided with the losing candidate. (*Do you know when? The answer is at the bottom...)