It happened in the middle of the night. My son was crying and it was my wife’s night to get up with him. Throughout our son's first year, his nighttime tears generated a frustrating checklist of potential problems: Does he need a diaper change? Is he teething? Did he lose his lovey? Is he having separation anxiety? Does he have a fever?

But this time, my son gave the answer right off. He tapped the tips of his fingers together, using sign language to signal more, meaning he was hungry. A couple chopped up strawberries later, his appetite was sated and both he and my wife (and me, the unlucky light sleeper in the family) could lay down our heads for the rest of the night.

So, remember a couple weeks ago when I told you about the 10-day detox I decided to start in an effort to clean out my system, hopefully shed a few pounds, and restore my energy?

Yeah, well I'm all done with that now. Actually, I finished it last week, but then we went on vacation for a few days, so I haven't had time to talk about it.

To refresh your memory, this was a food-based detox from Whole Health Designs, which meant I got to eat three meals a day plus two snacks.

Of course, I had to give up caffeine, alcohol, sugar, meat, wheat, dairy, and processed food -- but OH MY GOD was it worth it.

I try to lead a healthy lifestyle. "Try" being the operative word. I exercise. I eat right ... well, most of the time. I just can't seem to resist pizza day at work or the occasional burger from Shake Shack (arguably the best burger joint in New York City). Problem is, all those indulgences have left me feeling run down, bloated, and have wreaked havoc on my high blood pressure (a lingering vestige of preeclampsia during pregnancy).

So what's a busy mom to do? Oh, I know, deny myself any and all food. But not in the model-munching-on-tissue-paper-to-stay-skinny-for-the-catwalk kind of way (yes, they do that!). I opted for a juice cleanse. I wanted to detox. Rid my system of all those impurities and preservatives caked in every delicious morsel of yummy treats like microwave popcorn (my daily 4 p.m. snack). So I signed up for a four-day fast from American Yogini, which provided me six juices per day. Here is my detox diet survival story.

How often do you use your strainer? You know, that sieve thing, the wire mesh scoopy thing with the handle. That! Maybe you ended up with one as a wedding gift, maybe you bought it yourself, but it has many great uses. Basically, you can use it to separate larger objects from any liquid or powder/sand substance. And not all of those uses are in the kitchen! Here's nine creative ways to use your strainer/sieve. Note: Most of these ideas are for the larger style sieves, around six inches in diameter.

I think we can all agree that Alexander Skarsgard is pretty much perfect, right? Good. So allow me to blow your mind a little bit when I say that he's even more perfect in person. The Stir (me) got to meet him at a press event for his latest film What Maisie Knew. Let's just say there was a lot of thoughts going on that day, but in all fairness, one of them was professional. Would he look or act anything like his film or TV characters, particularly that of Vampire Eric on True Blood, the role that cast him into the spotlight and into our hearts? Is he as laid-back as he always seems? Will he wear skinny jeans?

Oops, that's veering into the non-professional again ... so without further ado, here's a list of what you can expect if you are ever so blessed in life to meet Skarsgard in person so you can make sure you keep yourself together. Because damn he's like a drug (from what people tell me).

Sex is the great equalizer. It’s the one thing in this world that we all need and want and it doesn’t matter how much money you have, what you look like or what your profession is (unless of course you are a hooker in which case, yeah it matters because you are a professional while the rest of us are amateurs). It’s available to all of us and it’s free. Capability and pleasure go hand in hand. It’s the one thing in the world that you really want to practice. The better you understand what gets you going, the less inhibited you are to vocalize what it is that you want and that is the key to great sex. That, my friends, is how you have a great orgasm and if you are really lucky, a “wegasm”. What the hell is a that, you ask?

Back in the 1980s, there was this movie called Mr. Mom in which a full-grown man tends to his own children and maintains his own household. Hilarious high jinks ensue, because men caring for kids and doing housework LOLOLOL! It's a total gas -- if you're living in the stone age, as Hollywood apparently was in 1983. But anyway, one thing, besides the rampant gender stereotypes, stood out for me: The scene where the dad grills a cheese sandwich with an iron. (Out of laziness because the kids are hungry and he's busy ironing his wife's shirts.)

Ever since then I've wanted to try grilling a cheese sandwich with my iron.

Some of you may be asking, "Why on earth would you want to do that?!?" Ugh, why must you ask such boring questions? Because! Science. And because I'm curious. Have you never had a moment of curiosity in your life? It's a lot of fun. You should try it some time. And you should try grilling a sandwich with your iron. Here's how.

Super long and thick eyelashes? Yes, please! I still wistfully recall the time I had those incredible eyelash extensions. Considering the cost, that's not something I could maintain. So in my quest for long lashes, I took my search for false eyelashes out of the beauty aisle and went into woods. Fur. Fur. Fur. What about minks? Here, minky minkys. Your hair is so soft and luxurious I want to make eyelashes out of you. Here, minky minkys. 

No minks were harmed for this post. I. Could. Never. I can't hunt in heels. That's just ridiculous. I did, however, test out Aura Lashes made from real mink fur.