Lemondrop

With all the focus on job cuts at big companies, it's easy to forget about another segment of the working public directly affected when professionals get canned: housekeepers and nannies. So-called trickle-down downsizing is having a profound impact on domestic helpers, the majority of whom are female.

We know it's hard to sympathize with people who can afford hired help when you're on your 37th straight night of Ramen. But consider the struggle of the many domestic workers who depend on middle class and wealthy families to earn a living.

Michelle, a nanny from Guyana was recently laid off by her employer. "They came to me one evening and said to me they can't afford to pay me anymore. I said, how long are you going to give me? And they said just the following week ...This is a very bad time."

By the Numbers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 915,890 maids in America, and their average wage is $9.40 an hour, though some make as little as $6.53 an hour. Nearly all of them are female, most are not U.S. citizens, and about two-thirds are black or Hispanic, according to a survey by advocacy group Domestic Workers United. Many maids use their wages to support children and family members in other countries -- and when they lose their jobs, their families suffer, too.

Click here to read why some domestic workers feel their jobs are safe.

Trying really hard to have a baby? Trying really hard not to?

The nice, slightly intrusive folks at BabyCenter.com can aid your cause with the "Booty Caller," a free text-messaging service that tracks your menstrual cycle and lets you know when you're ovulating. Enter the date of your last period and your cell phone number, and you'll receive alerts letting you know when you're extra fertile, along with helpful, kind-of-icky tips. (Did you know that lube can impede conception? No? Now you do!)

Booty Caller subscriber Nancy Evers told the Seattle Times that both she and her husband use the service. After they get the texts, they message each other and "get all flirty" until they can be together. (The reporter from the Times lamented, "It would be nice if they remembered to have sex on their own.")

Clearly, the tool was designed for women who are trying to conceive, but we think it would be extra helpful for those of us who aren't. If you're trying to make babies, your text will be your signal to run home to your significant other for wild, unprotected sex. If you're not, it's a signal to lock the liquor cabinet and delete your ex's telephone number.

Perhaps in the future, the service can take more direct sex-inhibiting measures, like automatically texting your guy "We need to talk" and "I feel fat" before you get home.

Use caution, however: The Booty Caller doesn't account for changes in your cycle, and every woman's biology is different. So unless your ovaries run like a Swiss cuckoo clock, use more conventional scientific methods.

Before you click, a warning: Boomshine is the best game ever. It's so good that after a game or two, you'll most likely find yourself thinking about it... dreaming about it... breaking plans so you can play another round... setting work aside just until you finish this one last level... you get it.



Still interested? The rules are simple -- with one click, set off a chain reaction that bursts as many bubbles as possible. As you get further in the game, you need to burst more bubbles to beat the level. Once you start playing, you should get the hang of it pretty quick.

Just don't say we didn't warn you.

As if three-inch heels weren't hazardous enough to your ankles, they might also put your handbag at risk.

Though it's not likely to make anybody switch to clogs for date night, a new report has surfaced of Los Angeles purse-snatchers targeting women who wear high heels. Apparently, despite what we may have seen in action movies, it's difficult to flee in pumps, so muggers consider stiletto-clad women more vulnerable.

The report specifically cautioned against sporting stilettos while carrying a large number of shopping bags, so women acting out their chick-lit fantasies should take extra care.

More Safety Sense
The U.S. Forest Service's personal security tip site suggests that women stay alert in any situation where they're alone or likely to be at risk, and to dress smart -- avoid wearing anything that would keep you from running away from a mugger if confronted.

Since you don't always know when you'll be meeting friends for after-work drinks or walking home solo from the grocery store, they also recommend that you keep a spare pair of comfortable, practical shoes in your car or at the office.

If you do find yourself in a situation where you're in high-heels and confronted by a mugger, "kick them off and run barefoot."

Click here to read how to stop a mugger using your high heels.

Love your cat a lot (maybe too much)? Want to have a little piece of your kitty with you even after she's gone? Then have cat groomer Danelle German make a handbag out of your cat's fur. Danelle takes the extra hair she shaves off of her Persian cat clients and spins it into yarn. She then knits the furry skeins into kitten-soft purses and sweaters.

A great way to keep your beloved pet close to your heart, or totally gross? You decide.

We hear it all the time: Marry for love, not money.

That's easy to nod your head at when your significant other has, among all his other wonderful attributes, a decent job. But take employment out of the equation and you might just be scratching your head wondering, Why am I with him, again?

You're not a major jerk if you've felt this way. Money is a big deal for many, and if your lifestyle is impacted by financial setbacks, you're going to whine a little.

"If a woman marries a man expecting him to be the primary financial provider and he agrees to attempt to fulfill this role -- however they define that together -- then it's reasonable for her to assume he will make efforts toward fulfilling this bargain," says Debra Mandel, Ph.D., a psychologist and author of "Dump That Chump!"

(That's not to say breaking up is the instant answer -- for many, the economy's downturn makes it harder to end a marriage.)

Recession-Proof Your Relationship
If you and your partner are struggling, it's best to try to view your crappy cash circumstances as temporary and not something that will impact you for the rest of your life, Dr. Mandel says. And make sure you don't have unrealistic expectations. The current economy might not allow you to be a trophy wife.

When should you consider jumping ship? If your partner has little ambition or your financial visions start to drift far apart you should probably reconsider the relationship. If you want to get your Ph.D., work at an Ivy League university and own two homes while your significant other is content to work retail and rent an apartment for the rest of his life, you may need to find someone more suitable.

How else can you keep your relationship in the right gear in a recession? Duh -- have sex, says Ian Kerner, Ph.D. sex therapist and relationship counselor. As crappy as things might seem, extra emphasis on lovin' will keep you two close. And besides, sex is free.

Tell us: Would a change in finances change your feelings about your partner?

Most underrated TV shows of 2008
"Pushing Daisies" (R.I.P.) tops the list (LimeLife)

Top quotes from the "Bromance" premiere
All the little gems you missed (Best Week Ever)


"Cosmo" says the darndest things: January edition
The accidentally hilarious "Fascinating Facts About Men" (College Candy)

Dumbest criminals of 2008 (Dumb as a Blog)

Dealing with the sitcom catchphrase stealer in your life (Giggle Sugar)

"Miley" shares deep thoughts on the Middle East (Holy Taco)

Firefox just got waaay cooler (College Humor)

Thank god that's over: 2008, the clip show (Defamer)