• The National Inclusion Project works to get kids with disabilities participating in all aspects of life. This is the last weekend to vote for them for the Pepsi Refresh Project, please do!
• Marissa's wonderful dad is giving away an iPad over at Marissa's Bunny. Enter by November 7 at noon EST.
• K2K USA, Save The Children's latest advocacy effort for kids, is having a 2011 Valentine's Day Card contest. Kids design their own cards, with a heart theme, and enter them; the deadline for receipt is November 8. Five winners' designs will be made into cards and distributed as a gift with donation to benefit programs that help U.S. kids in need.
• October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month, and it's over tomorrow but something to think on year round. Birth defects occur in 7 out of ever 10,000 births in the U.S., and eight births a day are affected by Spina Bifida (a condition in which the spine doesn't completely close). What helps prevent it: Downing folic acid before pregnancy.
• The Sound of Music, one of my all-time favorite movies, celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. One of these days, I'm going to show it to the kids, especially now that it's coming out on blu-ray. On Monday night, VH1's honoring Julie Andrews and will be paying tribute to the movie. There's also an anniversary CD with all the old songs and GLEE's Lea Michele singing "My Favorite Things."
• Ideas for where to donate Halloween candy (you know you'll have too much and it's a nice way to teach kids to do good): Hand it over to a local Ronald McDonald House (call first), Meals on Wheels, nursing and veterans' homes, and local shelters, food pantries and agencies that work with kids. Operation Gratitude and Any Soldier will ship candy to soldiers around the world.
• I have lots to tell you about the Halloween parade, but for now, I'll just leave you with this:
