community

wild animals

Wait, Where Is the Ikea Monkey Now? Naked, Lawyered-Up and Miles From the Nearest Ikea

We're happy to present this post from our friends at Yahoo!

We're happy to present this post from our friends at Yahoo! Shine. Find out what happened to the world's favorite Ikea monkey!

Up until a [few] months ago, no one would believe a monkey in a shearling coat would shop at Ikea.

But ever since Darwin, the well-dressed rhesus macaque monkey, escaped from his human mom's parked car and entered a Toronto Ikea with the same panicked expression seen on humans at the furniture outlet, we've learned that nothing is impossible.

So what first-world problems is the Ikea monkey facing in 2013? There's an ugly custody battle, a new home with none of the luxuries of suburban life, and too many Facebook pages to keep track of. 

"Hello world!!! Thanks for bringing me to Story Book Farm!! You all rock...I just wish I had a mommy to help me through these tough times!!" writes Darwin, or rather Darwin's Facebook "translator" at the animal sanctuary where the ten-month-old primate now resides.

Read on to get the latest on Darwin.

parenting

Simple Words Every Child Needs to Hear

Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter!

Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post about encouraging our children.

My baby was just born 10 weeks ago, and my daughter isn't even 3, but I constantly find myself asking what I can say or do for my children to help them be grow up to be happy and successful human beings. What can I do as their mother, to guarantee they always remember they're loved? Especially once they reach those awkward teenage years where life itself seems to revolve around high school status.

Related: 54 Reasons My Kid Won't Go to Bed!

They can't possibly doubt how much I love them. I mean, they're small, but I never stop telling them, and I never plan to. But will that be enough to hold their trust, and keep them on a path to happiness? Is there something I can say, maybe one sentence that will forever have impact on their life?

Turns out, I'm not the only one asking myself these types of questions. Actually, I'd be surprised if most moms at some point or another didn't ask themselves these same sort of things. Rachel Macy Stafford, also known as Hands Free Mama, has searched for similar answers.

While reading an article about what makes a good or nightmarish sports parent, Stafford honed in on this paragraph:

". . . College athletes were asked what their parents said that made them feel great, that amplified their joy during and after a ballgame. Their overwhelming response: 'I love to watch you play.'"

Stafford called this a life-changing sentence, and in her post, describes how she's since practiced telling her children how much she loves to watch them swim, sing, play, read . . . All things she would normally over-elaborate about. She's focused on saying this simple phrase, when compelled, and she's noticed a difference with her children.

Keep reading to see what we need to tell our kids.

digital culture

Cool Capture: To Bee or Not to Bee

This Shakespearean insect was artfully caught by Instagram user _daneisha_ and submitted using the #CoolCapture hashtag.

This Shakespearean insect was artfully caught by Instagram user _daneisha_ and submitted using the #CoolCapture hashtag.

Have you been testing out your photography skills and snapped a shot you want to share? Submit your pics to our Cool Capture group or to Instagram with the #CoolCapture hashtag, and your pic might be featured on the POPSUGAR Tech homepage. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram!

Street Style

Not-So Neutral

Never have neutral colors been more wearable than in the Summer, and community member Jackie Giardina showed us how it's done.

Never have neutral colors been more wearable than in the Summer, and community member Jackie Giardina showed us how it's done. Classic white shorts were dressed up with a flowing, jeweled, off-white blouse, while gold bangles and a tan bag added to the crisp look. As for the finishing touches, her tan-and-orange strappy sandals added an instant pop of color, and a pretty blue sunhat topped it all off — literally.

Congrats, Jackie Giardina!

Everyone else, submit your looks, and we just might feature you on POPSUGAR Fashion!

community

"Do Cheaters Deserve Revenge?"

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our Community.

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our Community. Add your advice in the comments!

We all have had bad relationships and wanted to take revenge at some point for being hurt by the one you love. I was eating lunch today and a friend and I were talking about how much we hate cheaters. She told me a story of what she did to her boyfriend when she found out he was cheating. She didn't tell him she knew instead she talked him into getting a tattoo. She chose it so she wrote her name on paper and kissed the paper with heavy lipstick and had that tattooed on him. After it was all finished, which it took a couple visits to finish, she packed her stuff and said look I even kissed your ass good bye. So now he has her name and lips on his butt.

Do y'all have any good stories?

Have a question of your own? Post it anonymously in Group Therapy for advice!

Appetizers

Serve Veggie Tartlets at Your Next Summer Soiree

The following post was written by Becky Tarala, who blogs about creative family recipes at The Two Bite Club and is part of POPSUGAR Select Food.

The following post was written by Becky Tarala, who blogs about creative family recipes at The Two Bite Club and is part of POPSUGAR Select Food.

I love appetizers. Dips, finger foods, little bites of this and that. Yum, yum, and yum. A lot of times when we go out to eat, I'll even order off the appetizer menu for my meal. And if there's a sampler? Fuggedaboutit. That's all me.

If I'm going to be honest here, I think it's the appetizers that my sister-in-law puts out that make me love family get-togethers so much. Sure, I love seeing the family, but if you're a foodie like me, you know it's all about the food! Lucky for me, she makes enough to feed an army, so I just hang out around the appetizers and graze all night.

I'm thinking about making these tasty little tartlets to take with me the next time we get together. They would be the perfect addition to any appetizer spread. The sharpness of the parmesan pairs just right with the sweetness of the peppers, and there's just a little kick from the spices. Using prepared puff pastries saves time on prep and makes these tartlets delectable little bites that will be the talk of the party!

Keep reading for the recipe.

Money

3 People, 1 Big Student Loan Debt: My Make-Ends-Meet Plan

Student loans are a huge burden on today's college graduates.

Student loans are a huge burden on today's college graduates. LearnVest shares the plans of three individuals still working to be debt free.


A college graduate without student loan debt is akin to reading a kind quote about Kim Kardashian in a tabloid—it’s rare.

In the past eight years, student loan debt has nearly tripled to a whopping $1.1 trillion, and in the past 10 years, the percentage of 25-year-olds with such debt has risen from 25% to 43%.
It’s gotten so bad, in fact, that New York Fed economists warned last month that the burden of student debt could stilt consumer spending by twentysomethings, as well as further hamper the recovery of the housing market and economy.

RELATED: 7 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Own Business

To get a better idea of what massive student loan debt (we’re talking over $100,000 massive) looks like, three people in different professions have given us a glimpse at their situations—specifically, how the debt is impacting their lives and how they plan to pay the money back. We also consulted LearnVest Planning Services CFP® Katie Brewer to see just how their repayment plans stack up.

Read on for more.

workouts

Get a Dancer's Body With the Half Push-Up

Our friends at Self asked professional dancer Rachael McLaren which move helps keep her in performance-ready shape.

Our friends at Self asked professional dancer Rachael McLaren which move helps keep her in performance-ready shape. She shares her fit secret below!

"Everybody is a mover; everybody is a dancer," says Rachael McLaren, a dancer for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. So how is it that pro dancers (and their amazing dancers' bodies!) often manage to strike us speechless and move us to tears? "[Dancing] is my way of communication," she explains. "My job is to refine the way I can open my body and express myself."

In order to keep those messages flowing from her lithe figure, McLaren has to keep every part of her body strong and limber — including her arms and core. "I do a lot of partnering," says the dancer, who'll be performing with the Ailey company at a Lincoln Center engagement. "You have to have a lot of strength to be able to lift up [others], and [to] be thrown around and do all the choreography that we do!"

Every dancer in the company does some version of the push-up as part of their routines, and McLaren swears by the half push up to keep her arms and midsection tight. So . . . what if the closest we'll get to dancing is the two-step and Electric Slide? We're thrilled to be a half-step closer to getting that dancer's body, right?!

The Move: Half Push Up

Advice

Quiz: Is There Going to Be a Third Date?

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, HowAboutWe.

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, HowAboutWe. Today, Alison Leiby has a handy quiz for you to find out if there will be a third date.

1. How did he ask you to go on a second date?

a. He called you and asked you out to dinner on Saturday night.
b. He texted, "U up?"
c. You waited outside of his apartment so you could "casually" run into him and then proposed going out again yourself.

2. What did you do for a second date?

a. Dinner at a cute restaurant that you had mentioned to him when you first met.
b. Ripped shots of rail liquor at a bar below his apartment because he was already there and asked you to meet up with him.
c. You planned a day of watching soccer and eating Vietnamese food, because that's what his profile says he's into.

3. Who paid on the second date?

a. He paid for everything, even splurged for champagne.
b. You split the bar tab, to the penny.
c. You paid for everything — and splurged for strawberry shortcake even though you're allergic.

4. How did the second date end?

a. He walked you back to your apartment where you shared a really romantic kiss.
b. He left your place early in the morning saying he had "a lot of stuff to do today."
c. He went to the bathroom halfway through the date and still hasn't come back.

5. How often are you talking to each other?

a. You message each other pretty regularly.
b. He texts you on weekends, but only after 1am.
c. You are constantly contacting him: texts, emails, calls, Facebook chats, Twitter messages, LinkedIn requests, inter-office mail.

6. What do you talk about when you're together?

a. Cooking, which is a shared interest.
b. The wild party he went to last week that was "loaded with models."
c. Mostly about him: when he wants to get married, how many kids he wants, if he prefers the suburbs or the city for raising a family.

7. What was his last text message to you?

a. "Great time tonight!"
b. "sure"
c. It's taking too long to scroll back because all of the recent texts are from you.

8. What song best describes your last date?

a. "Everlasting Love"
b. "Part Time Lover"
c. "Obsession"

9. What is his name in your phone?

a. His full name.
b. "Dave blue shirt"
c. "The Beau" with a heart next to it.

10. What is your name in his phone?

a. Your full name.
b. "Sarah uptown"
c. Do Not Answer

To find out what your results mean, head to HowAboutWe: QUIZ: Is There Going to Be a Third Date?

Check out these other great stories from HowAboutWe:

DIY

DIY: How to Create Easy Custom Pop Silhouettes of Your Kids

We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling and her ediTORIal by Tori Spelling blog.

We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling and her ediTORIal by Tori Spelling blog. This week, Tori shares a fun DIY project.

Crafting is more than a hobby in our house. It’s a way of life! As you might recall, I even carry twine around in my purse. Ha ha. We love to craft together as a family. The kids and I usually craft together at least 2-3 times a week. I find it very therapeutic and the kids love it.

Related: Take a Tour of Tori's Store — InventTORI

Today I have some exciting news to share with my fellow craftistas… I recently launched my very own {styled} by Tori Spelling line of jewelry making supplies with Jo-Ann Fabrics and Craft Stores. I am so excited to partner with Jo-Ann and even more excited about the special sweepstakes they are running to go along with it. One of you can win a trip for two to L.A. to craft with yours truly. It’s going to be a ton of fun and I can’t wait to get crafting. So make sure you enter.

But first, I wanted to share my Vintage Pop Silhouettes project that Jo-Ann Fabrics recently featured as a part of their Creativity Made Simple campaign. Check out this super cute (and easy!) project and then enter to win the trip to L.A. to craft with me at a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store.

Keep reading for the easy DIY instructions!