While November 1st marked the very first day of the holiday season, there are two issues that are also being honed in upon this month: diabetes and premature birth.

November is American Diabetes Month. I’m sure you probably have someone close to you who is suffering from diabetes. It is such a horrible disease, but one that is completely preventable with diet, exercise, and healthy living.

This year the American Diabetes Association is launching a campaign called Stop Diabetes because diabetes is now an epidemic in this country. There are 24 million children and adults who are living with Type 1 Diabetes and 57 million more are at risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

Visit www.stopdiabetes.org for more information about ways you can prevent and or control diabetes in your life and  in the lives of others.

November also marks Prematurity Awareness Month spearheaded by the March of Dimes. On November 17 hundreds of bloggers, including myself, will blog to raise awareness about prematurity. 20 million babies are born premature every year and the numbers are higher for black babies. We need to save them through awareness.

Visit the March of Dimes prematurity web site to learn about signs and symptoms of preterm labor and questions you should ask yourself to see if you’re at risk for preterm labor.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I love Jane Ray’s work. She is a brilliant illustrator of many great children’s books. Last week, she left a comment right here on my blog and my jaw dropped. I love her art. My daughters love her art. I can’t get enough of her illustrations!

If you’re not familiar with Jane Ray, do hop over to her web site and learn more about her. And, do take a peek at the comment she left. This is even further proof why I think she’s a marvelous children’s book illustrator and a fabulous person!

I’m already looking forward to her next book, The Dollhouse Fairy, which comes out next May. Can’t wait!

This is a very unusual post for me because it’s about that special friend that visits us women every month. You know who I’m talking about, right?

For me, every month is a nightmare because I just could not find the right maxi pad for me. The size, fit, and flow absorption was just never right. Nightmare!

This morning I asked my husband to go get maxi pads for me. I told him the brand I use (Always) and what the package looks like (green with the orange wrapped pads, heavy flow). Of course, he came home with the WRONG package, but I’m so happy he did!

He came home with the Always Extra Heavy Overnight With Flexi Wings and I am in love with them! They’re everything I want in a maxi pad from the design to the thickness to the flexi wings…everything. I am a happy camper right now.

I almost went down the washable menstrual pad route because I keep hearing how great they are, but I just don’t want to deal with the mess of that. Here’s how the Always Extra Heavy Overnight pads are designed. I am so thrilled!

Even though they’re created for at night, I’m going to use them all the time. Love them!

On the Net: www.always.com

There is still a few more days until Halloween. That means you have time to really make your kids’ Halloween a fun and memorable event, especially if there are plans to attend an exciting Halloween bash on Saturday evening.

If you’ve been looking for the Princess Tiana costume from the upcoming movie The Princess and the Frog, look no further than the Disney store. If you have one in your local area a quick trip will suffice. If you don’t you can still order 2-day express today at DisneyStore.com.

The Deluxe Princess Tiana costume retails for $89.50.

For boys, there’s always Buzz Lightyear, a popular costume every year. Or, you can choose from Woody from A Toy Story, Power Rangers,  and Mickey Mouse among others. The costumes retail from $14.99 (on sale right now) to $44.50.

The great thing about these costumes is you can use them again or give them away to friends and family for future years’ Halloween parties.

We have a Wii. We love it, all except for one thing. It doesn’t play DVDs. I hate that. It should be able to play movies. But that’s for me to wallow over.

As great as the Wii is, Sony at least understands that gamers and families want to use their console for more than one purpose, especially considering the high cost of their machines and the games. All gaming consoles should be multi-functional. Sony and Microsoft get it.

Netflix announced today (source) that PS3 owners will soon be able to stream movies and TV shows instantly to their console for $8.99 a month plus get unlimited DVD rentals. If you’re already a member, then the service comes with it.

I love when companies understand potential and current PS3 owners. Now, I just hope Nintendo gets on the ball!

* By the way, if the Wii CAN play DVDs and I just don’t know it, kindly please let me know in comments!

Melissa Jenkins, assistant English Professor at Wake Forest University, suggests four stories that are frightful, yet stellar reads for Halloween. If you’re like my mother, there’s always room for a scary novel.

Jenkins suggests:

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson/Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

“You think that you know these stories, because so many of the details have trickled down into popular culture. So, reading the originals will be a surprise. Frankenstein and Strange Case have been popular for so long because they both ask universal questions about loneliness and guilt and human responsibility.”

Thinner by Steven King
“A truly terrifying tale of a man who begins to lose weight uncontrollably after … an accident.”

Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
“One of the greatest terror books ever written using the power of suggestion to induce fear in the reader.”

The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie
“With 60 novels and 19 plays to choose from, you can’t go wrong.”

And, if you ask me, anything by Toni Morrison will frighten your socks right off. Her fixation with knives, fire, and her characters’ inherent sadness are perfect for a scary Halloween week read.

If you’re like me you do everything at the last minute. Have I bought a pumpkin, yet? No. Does that give me angst? A little. How do I plan on carving my pumpkin? With stencils!!

Even though I haven’t bought a pumpkin yet I have done my due diligence to find stencils to make a gorgeous jack-o-lantern whenever I do buy one. I have until Saturday, right?

If you’re looking for printable pumpkin carving stencils like I was earlier today look no further than Better Homes and Gardens. They have a great page dedicated to 38 wonderful stencils that will delight your children from a flying witch to a haunted mansion.

You’re welcome :)

I rarely bake. No. I take that back. I NEVER bake. Bakegoods to me is whatever I pick up from Starbucks and honestly that has got to cease because Starbucks is expensive!

Now that the weather is getting nippy and the leaves are colorfully littering the streets, I finally feel the holidays coming. This Thanksgiving and Christmas I want my daughters to get that real holiday feel where they smell cakes in the oven and see pies cooling on the countertops. That’s what I grew up with. My father always cooked the most delicious cakes and pies. He took pride in it. So this year I’m going to replicate what I had as a child for my daughters. As long as I follow the recipe I should be fine, right?

I saw this beautiful Autumn Leaf Bundt cake tin from William Sonoma and I think it’s absolutely gorgeous. If I’m going to make a cake I’d love for it to at least be creative and beautiful as well as delicious. The Bundt pan is a little steep at $34.00. I’m sure it will last forever, though.

On the Net: William-Sonoma.com

OK…I admit it: When I was pregnant with my second daughter I ate everything under the sun. In fact, the day she was born I recall eating Chinese sesame chicken and a coke. Both my pregnancies were vastly different. For my first, I did everything by the book and for my second I did everything by my taste buds! While I wasn’t obese I sure was pushing it. I couldn’t stop eating and subsequently I have battled my weight ever since.

A new study from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Reasearch says obese women gain too much weight during pregnancy and tend to keep 40% of the weight gained during pregnancy after the baby is born. That’s a lot of weight!

Here are some valuable tips for controlling excess weight gain during pregnancy.

– Every day eat 8-12 fruit and vegetable servings, 3 servings of low-fat dairy, 5-9 ounces of protein-rich foods, 6-10 servings of whole grains, and 3-7 teaspoons of healthy fat (e.g., olive or canola oil, nuts).
– Eat regular meals and small healthy snacks between meals.
– Reduce fat to less than 30 percent of calories.
– Reduce consumption of sweets and sweetened drinks.
– Keep a food diary to check for nutritional adequacy and portion
management.
– Eat only 100-300 extra calories per day beyond what your calorie needs were before you became pregnant.
– Exercise 30 minutes on most days. If you aren’t exercising, talk to
your provider about how to start an exercise program.

As you’re probably aware, the infant mortality rate in the black community is 2.3 times that of white babies according to the Office of Minority Health. Researchers, doctors, and even our government cannot determine why black babies are dying at such alarming rates, but there is power in knowing as much as possible about infant mortality and knowing resources that are available to you in order to save your child.

Below are four questions about infant mortality I hope you will answer or either pass along to your readers. Answers are after the jump.

1. QUESTION:

What is preterm birth?

a. Preterm birth is childbirth occurring earlier than 39 completed weeks of pregnancy
b. Preterm birth is childbirth occurring earlier than 40 completed weeks of pregnancy
c. Preterm birth is childbirth occurring earlier than 37 completed weeks of pregnancy

How many babies in the United States are born premature?

a. 1 in 5 babies
b. 1 in 12 babies
c. 1 in 14 babies

3. QUESTION:

Which women are at the greatest risk of preterm birth?

a. Women who have had a previous preterm birth
b. Women who are pregnant with multiple babies
c. Women with a short cervix
d. All of the above

4. QUESTION:

True of False: Can preterm birth can be predicted?

1. ANSWER:

The correct answer is C: Preterm birth is childbirth occurring earlier than 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

2. ANSWER:

The correct answer is B: 1 in 12 babies are born premature in the United States.

Prematurity is the number one cause of death among newborns in the United States. According to the March of Dimes, prematurity has risen 36 percent since the early 1980s.
Babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy are defined as premature and can face weeks or even months in the hospital. While most go on to lead healthy lives, many suffer serious lifelong disabilities such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation and learning problems, chronic lung disease, and vision and hearing problems. Half of all neurological disabilities in children are related to premature birth.

3. ANSWER:

The correct answer is D: All of the above. Researches have determined that these three groups of women are at the greatest risk of preterm labor and birth. Other possible risk factors include: late or no prenatal care, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, certain infections during pregnancy, a history of domestic violence, lack of social support and stress and a history of cigarette smoking, alcohol use, or illicit drug use during pregnancy.

ANSWER:

True! There is an FDA-approved, noninvasive test that provides healthcare providers with valuable information regarding a woman’s risk for preterm birth. The presence of fetal fibronectin is the single strongest independent predictor of preterm birth at less than 32 weeks.

Collection for fetal fibronectin testing (similar to a Pap test) can be performed in a healthcare provider’s office or the hospital. The test measures the amount of fetal fibronectin–the glue-like substance that holds the baby in the womb—in the vagina. Between weeks 22 to 35 of a pregnancy, fetal fibronectin should be almost undetectable. A negative test result reveals a less than one percent chance a woman will deliver her baby within the next 14 days; a positive test result is the single, strongest independent predictor of premature birth before 32 weeks. The fFN test enables physicians to improve outcomes by determining who is most appropriate for medical intervention while sparing many women from unnecessary treatment including powerful steroid drugs and hospitalization. To learn more about the fFN test visit www.fullterm.net and to become a fan on of the fFN Test on Facebook visit www.facebook.com/fFNTest.