The the new season will reportedly feature lots of celebrities including First Lady Michelle Obama, new store fronts, and new characters but people continue to wonder the most about this veggie monster.

It seems that in an initiative to help curb childhood obesity and promote better health towards children, the cookie monster will no longer always munch on those delicious but fat filled snacks, replacing them with sweet and crunchy fruits and veggies. This change of course has stirred mixed feelings among nostalgic fans with letters and comments for and against the change stating that it’s the parents responsibility to teach their children proper eating habits.

In the end it is the job of the parents to teach wrong and right in all aspects of life, but it’s a nice change to see networks and corporate entities doing their part in encouraging healthy lifestyles for children and adults alike.

The cookie monster will though, continue to be the cookie monster and continue to love cookies, he will just show his appreciation for tasty veggies as well which is a life lesson in it self.

The big question though is does this type of stuff really work? Well it can’t hurt. And since the “veggie monster” started veering away from cookies the show has seen no decline in ratings because of the change and parents are much more happy to hand their child slices of apples to stuff their faces with when mimicking one of their favorite TV icons instead of  chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon.

Tempted by Cookie

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It’s a horrible thought that someone would use this entertaining holiday to do abominable acts to unsuspecting children and adults, but those people are out there and it’s important to take steps to ensure your family’s safety this Halloween.

By following these simple tips your sure to have a happy, entertaining, and safer Halloween.

Halloween Tips to Keep your Kids Safe While Trick Or Treating

• Make sure your children know not to eat any candy until they get home and you’ve had a chance to inspect it.
• Halloween may be about ghosts and goblins but make sure they have on some kind of bright clothing, reflectors, or carry a flashlight. (Glow sticks are a fun way to accomplish this.)
• Plan a safe route for them.
• Only accept candy from known neighbors, friends, and family.
• Buddy system – if your kids are at an age where they will be out by themselves make sure they plan on doing their mischievousness with at least two other friends.
• Bring a cell phone – In this day in age staying in touch is easier then ever so hand over one of your cell phones to keep track of the little rascals. (Note to readers, even I cringed at the thought of this but it is helpful.)
• Masks, although fun, can impair vision so keep that in mind when purchasing.
• Never, Never enter the house of a stranger.
• Your child will be exposed to fire in every pumpkin they encounter, so make sure there costume is as fire resistant as possible. (Many makeups, hair colors, silly string, and props can be quite flammable.)
• Fill them up before they go. If they’re hungry they are much more likely to secretly munch on candy before getting back home. (Anything will do, you know the basics-worms, eyeballs, bat wings.)
  
• Finally go over the basics with them. Look both ways before crossing the street, don’t talk to strangers, don’t except gifts from strangers, don’t play with fire. (Wow Halloween is scary…)

How to Check Your Child’s Halloween Candy for Tampering

If your child or children will be going to unknown homes this year for bags of free candy it’s important to inspect their bounty before they move on to sugar induced rampages and late night stomach aches.

We’ve come up with some tips and tricks to help you identify any possible issues and what to look for.

• Home made treats should be discarded.
• Fruit although delicious and nutritious should also be discarded. (Probably won’t see any complaints from this one.)
• Any open, torn, or unpackaged treats should be discarded.
• Check the packaging thoroughly for pinholes.
• Check the packaging thoroughly for rips or tears.
• Discoloration can be sign of not only being old and outdated but may have been submerged in something.
• Look for the possibility of foreign objects in the treats such as needles, pills, or chocking hazards.
• Look for powders or dusts on the candy and wrappers.

While the possibility of your child’s candy being tampered with it has happened before and when it comes to your loved ones you can never be too careful.

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Autism spectrum disorders are a group of neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, Asperger, and pervasive developmental disorder. Symptoms including poor social interaction, difficulty with communication and repetitive behaviors.

The new study indicates that 110 of every 10,000 U.S.children will be diagnosed with autism. That translates to about 673,000 American children with the condition. While previously researchers thought the numbers were about 1 in 150 the new study suggests it’s a much higher number up to 1 in 91 meaning a long road ahead for these children and parents with estimated lifetime health care costs being around $1.5 million.

“I think this is a very important study that says the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders may be even higher than we suspected previously,” said Geraldine Dawson, chief scientific officer of Autism Speaks.

“Autism is a major public health challenge, and this study is another call to action that we need to be able to provide care across the lifespan,” she said.

The study also showed that autism diagnoses caseses  were four times higher for boys than girls, and that non-Hispanic black and multiracial children were less likely to have an autism disorder than white children with little evidence as to why.

“This is more data that adds to what’s already in existence that shows autism spectrum disorders are common,” Johnson said.

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