Everyone knows that fall is pumpkin season. From foods and beverages to candles, candies and gum, the orange gourd is everywhere. And the most popular pumpkin spice product has to be the Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte. I mean, the beverage — introduced in 2003 — has had a cult following for the last 15 years. But do you know where people consume the most PSLs? Well, brace yourself, because your guess may be way off.

More: All the Seasonal Fall Foods Available Right Now

According to data from Square — a financial services company — Oregon is numero uno in pumpkin spice latte consumption, Money reports.

Square analyzed last year's data to make their determination. Of course, they only compiled information from locations that used their credit card readers, which limits the scope of the study. However, other leading states included Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa and North Dakota.

In fact, the latter drank the most PSLs when adjusted to account for the state's population.

As for which states consumed the least of the pumpkin-y beverage, according to the report, Vermont and Maine rounded out the list.

No one knows why there is such a marked sales difference by state, especially since most of these locations are all cold-weather climates (where one would assume a warm, spicy beverage would do well). However, price could certainly be a factor, as the report noted PSL costs vary widely.

According to Square, pumpkin spice lattes are cheapest in South Dakota, where the average PSL is $3.56, and most expensive in Tennessee, where the beverage costs about $5.

More: Starbucks Has a New Fall Drink: the Maple-Pecan Latte Is Back, but With a Twist

That said, regardless of where you live, Starbucks' pumpkin spice lattes remain one of the most popular products for the coffee chain and pumpkin lovers across the globe.

Kelly Ripa's Instagram profile bio is simply: "I Slay."

And she isn't wrong.

Not only is Ripa clearly a successful daytime TV show host on Live with Kelly and Ryan, winning five Daytime Emmy Awards for her superb hosting skills, but she's also an executive producer. Just in the past three years, she's executive-produced four different TV series. 

So it should come as no surprise Ripa has an estimated net worth of $120 million and a salary of about $22 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. And with that kind of income, we'd own not one, but three homes too — just like Ripa.

That's right. Ripa has one home in New York City, one in Colorado and one in the Hamptons.  

More: A Look Inside All 6 of Oprah Winfrey's Homes — Yes, 6

NYC

Here's a fun fact for you: Before Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, moved into a $27 million townhouse at 12 E. 76th St. on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the couple used to live in a loft that Nicole Kidman once lived in. 

In 2005, Ripa bought the 6,700-square-foot loft in Soho for around $9 million according to Curbed New York.

They didn't have to lug their belongings far, either. Ripa and her family actually lived in the same building and made an over-$3 million profit on their old place. Impressive.

It wasn't until January 2013, eight years later, that Ripa and Consuelos listed their Crosby Street penthouse for $24.5 million, eventually selling it in May 2014. They moved out of the five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom penthouse and into a five-bedroom, six-bathroom townhouse.

Ripa, Consuelos and their three kids have been living in Uptown ever since. 

The five-story home has two fireplaces and an elevator that'll take residents and guests to the rooftop patio and garden.

They even go cherry picking on their patio.

And, of course, they spend the holidays at this home too.

Here's Ripa and Consuelo in their living room on New Year's Eve:

And Consuelos and his family on Thanksgiving:

Telluride, Colorado

Ripa and Consuelos also have a getaway home in Telluride. 

In an interview with People, Consuelos said the center of their Telluride home is the kitchen. 

"It's where the kids gather, the guests migrate, and I take a few quiet moments in the morning to enjoy a cup of coffee," he said.

Ripa told Redbook in 2009 that her kitchen has views of the mountains from every window. 

“For me, waking up and having coffee and looking out the window in that gorgeous setting is everything. We watch the sun come up, pinch ourselves, and say, ‘Can you believe this?’” she said.

He added in his People interview that when they're hosting on their patio, they always ensure they have a cheese plate and plenty of booze for their guests.

“We love setting up a mini bar cart that doubles as a serving station when we’re outdoors," Consuelos said. 

They don't just entertain in the summer, either. Clearly, they've spent some time at the Telluride home in the winters too.

More: The Unique Design Feature We Spotted in Britney Spears’ Home

The Hamptons

Ripa and Consuelos have another getaway home in Southampton. They bought the five-bedroom, 5,572-square-foot house in 2004 for $2.35 million. 

“I'm a warm-weather freak, but we go out to our home in Southampton on the weekends, even when it's cold,” Ripa told Redbook. “There are cornfields and hayrides. We have space there, and the kids can play soccer in the backyard.

Ripa and Consuelos keep details about this house on the down-low and rarely post photos of it, but we can only imagine it’s just as gorgeous inside as it is outside. 

Unplugging from social media is as common as swearing off carbs these days. Facebook and Instagram are the new bread and pasta: highly addictive and not so great for our health in heavy quantities. This is why many of us think that by simply removing them from our routine, à la “digital detox,” our lives will go back to being lighter, easier, and more peaceful. 

After all, weren’t we happier before we started checking our multiple newsfeeds day in and day out? If social media has been said to trigger feelings of jealousy and social isolation, doesn’t it make sense just to sign off for the sake of our well-being?

Maybe not. When it comes to getting a handle on our happiness, Jessica Abo, author of Unfiltered: How to Be as Happy as You Look on Social Media, tells SheKnows that simply cutting ourselves off from society and other people won’t cure what ails us.

More: Social Media Can Be a Lifeline for Women Battling Illness, Loss & Depression

“It really comes down to keeping ourselves in check with what other people are doing and acknowledging what works for us and staying in our own lane,” she says. “I don’t think social media is the enemy here. I think it’s easy to play the blame game instead of communicating what you need. I think it’s harder for people to go through the exercises and the question of ‘What’s causing my own unhappiness?’ Accepting that they’re unhappy in their own lives can be overwhelming for some people.” 

Balance is key

With social media being so pervasive in our lives with barely any escape from #fitspo posts and news of engagements and pregnancies, media psychologist Dr. Pamela Rutledge agrees, saying, “[W]ithdrawing is easier than figuring out a solution where some social media use works for you.” 

However, she notes that when it comes down to it, social media satisfies many key psychological needs and provides so many economic and social benefits that it's unlikely most people will decide to ditch it. "Social media is a tool — a powerful one but a tool nevertheless," Rutledge says. "Like most tools it isn’t inherently good nor bad. The impact is all in how you use it.” 

As with most relationships, balance is key to having a healthy one with social media. “Think about any behavior where people make choices: diet, exercise, goofing off, work, etc. All of these thing require intention and a vision of what we want our life, our emotions and our relationships to be like,” Rutledge says. “A positive relationship with social media means approaching technology like we do these things and make it work for us. We pay attention to what we do and why.” 

Create your own personal policy

Jodie Cook, owner of JC Social Media Marketing Agency, which works with companies to grow their business using social media, says it’s essential to have a personal policy put in place when using social media. 

“I don’t think a complete digital detox is the answer. I think the answer is having a personal policy for what you do on social media and how long you spend there,” she says. 

For example, Cook suggests implementing a rule that you close all social media platforms two hours before you go to sleep or that you don’t scroll social media while you’re with other people. Another option would be to remove social media apps from your mobile phone, which means when you want to go on, you have to go through the extra steps of opening your laptop and logging in, she adds. This way, Cook says you're able to go on and stay updated and involved without it consuming you.

Pause for a minute

When you are scrolling through social media and see a post that pulls you into the “compare and despair” trap, Abo says the first thing you should do is take a beat. 

“I think that’s a great opportunity to hold a mirror up to your life and see what you see about your own life. Do a life audit and ask yourself, ‘OK, why do I feel this way? How often do I feel this way? Do I feel this way every time someone gets engaged? Or every time someone gets a promotion?’" she notes. 

In other words, we can use these posts as cues to look at our own lives to help recognize the root of what is causing our unhappiness. "I think when we can identify our pinpoints, then you can take the steps necessary to take back your happiness," Abo says. 

It's not all negative

Abo also points out that social media isn’t all doom and gloom; there are many positive aspects of social media that shouldn’t be forgotten. From reconnecting with old friends to job opportunities to helping us determine where to go on vacation, there are plenty of ways in social media can add value to our lives. 

“I think social media can be an incredible place,” Abo says. “You can remember someone’s birthday, you can join different groups. I’m a new mom, so I belong to a bunch of parenting groups. You can see a friend’s post about going through a tough time and you might not be aware of it, so you can check in with them. Maybe even make a meal for them. There’s a lot of different ways to feel connected with each other through the technology we have, and we can feel incredibly connected if we use social media the right way.”

That also means not making social media a barometer of your happiness. 

“Happiness is not a pie. Just because someone else has something you don’t or they’re celebrating something doesn’t mean they’re taking away any happiness from you,” Abo says. “You have the power to create your own happiness; you just have to be willing to take the first step to go after it.”

More: The Best & Most Affordable Mental Health Apps

So, the next time you decide to do a digital detox, either because someone’s post irked you or because you’ve gone down the rabbit hole too many times, consider taking a moment to check in with yourself instead. Ask yourself if you can approach social media, including how you use it and how you let it affect your peace of mind, differently.

Besides, as Cook points out, “Don’t be that person who dramatically announces that they are leaving Facebook only to sheepishly come crawling back later. Learn to consume it in moderation.” 

In the epic battle of Survivor: David vs. Goliath, the Davids have fallen again. This time, the casualty came in a jaw-dropping blindside that sent Jessica Peet packing.

SheKnows recently had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Peet about her early elimination in the game as she revealed which players she believes are most responsible for orchestrating her ouster. Plus, Jessica explained why she may have been better suited for the Goliath tribe.

SK: You were the first official blindside of the season. What was going through your mind when you realized the tides had turned against you?

Jessica Peet: I had no clue before Tribal Council started. The only time I started to question it a little bit is whenever we were actually sitting at Tribal. I was listening to what was being said, and Gabby happened to contradict me quite a few times. I was thinking, Gabby is in my alliance, so why does she keep contradicting what I'm saying? I started to get a little bit nervous. I knew I was gonna see my name at least twice. I knew Lyrsa and Elizabeth would vote for me. I just didn't anticipate seeing my name five times.

More: Essential Fall TV Premiere Dates You Need to Know About

SK: How did you feel at the moment you were eliminated?

JP: I was pissed. I'm fine now, I'm not mad about it anymore, but obviously, in that moment, you're enraged. I was mad. I did not even want to do my exit interview. I was fuming. I swear, there was probably steam coming out of my ears because I was so angry. After you get past the initial anger part, you have to realize it is a game. These people are going to be a part of my life for the rest of my life. All 20 of us are extremely different and unique. They all have such a special place in my heart, and I hope they're part of my life for the rest of my life. They are all amazing, so to stay mad at them would be completely silly.

SK: Is there any one person you credit with orchestrating your elimination?

JP: That's a really hard question. I know that Lyrsa had brought my name up a day or two before we actually had to go to Tribal, but I don't think Lyrsa orchestrated the vote at all. Elizabeth is the one that brought the idea up, but I truly feel like Gabby is the one who got it to go that way. I know that Christian had to do some convincing with Nick. There was a lot of people involved in actually making it happen, but overall Elizabeth is the one who started the plan.

SK: But Gabby campaigned the hardest against you?

JP: I don't necessarily think Gabby is the one that fought the hardest against me. I could see that she struggled with that vote. Gabby and Nick were almost the deciding factors. I think Christian would've listened to Gabby with whatever vote she wanted to do. They had a very good relationship. Without Christian, Nick wouldn't have been pulled in. But I do feel like it was a lot of work by Gabby behind the scenes to get it going the right way.

SK: You thought the intended target was Lyrsa. Why was there such a strong push against Lyrsa when we saw Bi was struggling in the challenge?

JP: I've heard that a lot. I know it took Bi a while to do that ladder thing, but that was an incredibly hard task for her. She's shorter. Those metal bars were big and heavy. Ultimately, I think Nick said that he would do that ladder part of the challenge, but Bi stepped up. It takes a very brave person to step up because that person had to run that whole entire challenge. That's a lot of stamina. I don't think Bi should've been more of a target than Lyrsa. 

Lyrsa, from the very beginning, it was hard for us because she wasn't really helping a ton at camp. At challenges, I don't really feel like she was putting forth her best. Lyrsa actually sat down at that challenge while we were doing the puzzle. She sat down on the deck. We were all like, "Get up! What is wrong with you?" She was talking about being tired, but we were all tired and exhausted. She brought my name up previously, and I don't really think she was an asset for us in challenges. That's how her name got brought up,and that's why I wanted her out.

SK: How do you feel toward Lyrsa today?

JP: We all talk. We're a very close group. I've talked to all of them. Lyrsa knows that all is forgiven. Neither of us hold any harsh or negative feelings against each other. She's a great person. I'm glad I got to play with her.

SK: Pat said that if he wasn't medically evacuated, Nick was going to be the first person voted out. If that's the case, what changed? How did Nick's game evolve so quickly that he went from being the biggest target to somebody who was suddenly under the radar?

JP: The thing that changed with Nick wasn't anything that he was doing. It was just the fact that we knew that we needed strong people to win challenges. Nick started to lay low a little bit, whereas Lyrsa didn't necessarily lay low with her saying things like, "We should vote Jessica out." No. That's obviously going to put a target on your back because I had good relationships with a lot of people on that island. 

As we could see when Christian approached Nick about voting me out, Nick was like, "No. I think we should just stick with Lyrsa." That was the obvious first vote. Any Survivor fan who is watching this show would've looked at it and thought Lyrsa would probably be one of the first people out. They normally go through the weakest people first. Nobody ever tries to go for a strong, athletic, strategic person with the first vote. That doesn't make any sense. I'm getting all heated talking about it again [laughs].

More: 20 Shows That Only Got 1 Season & Need a Reboot

SK: Who was in your alliance, and who were you most connected to?

JP: My alliance consisted of five people. Pat was a part of that, but he obviously wasn't there [after his medical evacuation]. My main two were Carl and Bi. They were my solid two from the very beginning. I thought I was sitting in a very good position because Carl had a good relationship with Davie and Bi had a good relationship with Gabby. I felt as if I was sitting right in the middle of a five-person alliance. I also had a good relationship with Nick, too, but it wasn't as obvious as the other relationships I had.

SK: You were a member of the David tribe. Was that the right designation for you, or are you more of a Goliath?

JP: It was hard for me because I have never lived my life as a David. I've always lived my life as a Goliath, but I may not have had the same upbringing as a lot of the Goliaths. Whenever Jeff [Probst] first announced the theme and I realized I was on the David tribe, I was kind of taken aback by it. I've actually had a lot of people reach out to me and say they thought I didn't fit on the David tribe. They said I stuck out like a sore thumb on the David tribe. I guess I'm always just gonna be haunted with the "What if I had been on the Goliath tribe? How would that have been different?" Watching the Goliaths now, I feel like I would've been able to go under the radar and chill with the girl alliance they had going on. I feel like I would've fit into that very well.

SK: But is the David tribe where you belong?

JP: I don't know. It's hard because I feel like I could have been placed on both tribes. I understand why they placed me on the David tribe, but I still think I could've been on the Goliath tribe. I feel like this is a question I'm not gonna be able to answer.

More: Survivor Contestant Pat Cusack Tells Us About His Heartbreaking Exit

SK: How did you get on the show?

JP: I'm a huge fan. I've been watching for a very long time. I was in high school and just turned 18. I came home from school one day and I turned on the episode of Survivor that I had recorded from the night before. Something sparked in me. I actually applied for Season 35, and I made it to finals for that. Ultimately, they thought I didn't fit the theme well enough. I got moved to being considered for 36, which I was an alternate for. They flew me back out to California for 37 and was picked for this season.

When it comes to celebrity moms, it’s hard to find a more accomplished example than Oscar-winning actor/producer/designer/author/lifestyle guru Reese Witherspoon. The star of Big Little Lies juggles a loaded work schedule with the responsibilities of being a mother to her three kids: 19-year-old Ava, 14-year-old Deacon, and 5-year-old Tennessee. Even as a massively famous celeb with plenty of financial resources and family support, Reese’s effort to balance her home life and her career comes with stresses, struggles and victories that working moms of all backgrounds will recognize.

Here, you’ll find 10 moments when Witherspoon opened up and allowed us all to see her down-to-earth working mom experiences.

1.When Witherspoon shared a tough moment of working mom guilt

During the press tour for A Wrinkle in Time, USA Today asked Witherspoon how she makes time for both work and family, and Witherspoon revealed a candid example of how challenging it can be to reconcile those two major sides of her life:

“‘I was driving my son to preschool two days ago, and he said, ‘Mommy, I know you work, but the other moms work and they do drop-off but they ALSO do pickup,' she recalls, noting that Tennessee has a friend whose mom is a therapist. ‘He goes, 'Why doesn’t she become a producer and you become a therapist?' And it hurts, you know?’”

Witherspoon’s honesty gave a genuine glimpse into the tough choices facing working moms on a regular basis. Plus, it made this gorgeous and successful superstar seem relatable AF.

More: How I Became "Director of Mom & Baby" at My Company — & What the Heck That Means

2. When Witherspoon took pride in her ability to set a strong example for her kids

She spoke with InStyle about her 25-yearlong film career and the affect her work life has on her family, offering a refreshing and positive perspective on the example she’s setting for her children:

“I’m just trying to hold on, trying to make it through. My older kids help with the little one. It’s nice to have a big family… My mom worked, and I think it’s good for kids to see women working and being successful. I think it’s going to make them hard workers because they see that I don’t get much sleep. But I love what I do. I want them to grow up with passion. This is the one life you get, and you have to live it to the very end.”

3. When Witherspoon encouraged her daughter to get a summer job

Speaking of setting an example, Witherspoon clearly places value on hard work. And she wants to instill a sense of independence and productivity in her kids, regardless of their privilege. Therefore, she encouraged daughter Ava to get a part-time job as a host at an LA pizza joint and make her own money over the summer. While most teenage children of Hollywood stars rely entirely on their parents’ cash, Witherspoon's move will likely yield positive results for Ava down the road according to New York City career coach Maggie Mistal.

Mistal told Bravo TV, “[A]s a mom, [Witherspoon is] teaching [Ava] to be humble. Her daughter might get perks because she’s her daughter, but she’s trying to instill life skills so she can create her own success. Living off someone else’s success isn’t very fulfilling. You need to get exposure, you need to understand what regular people go through, perspective is really grounding. Anything you can do to ground them in reality is useful.”

More: My Husband Staggered His Paternity Leave — Here's Why We Loved It

4. When Ava gave her mom's business a rave review

During an interview for Witherspoon’s clothing brand, Draper James, Ava told the interviewer how much she enjoys being on set with her mom:

“I love being around my mom, and this shoot was an opportunity to have fun and support her work as a female entrepreneur. She also brings a lot of comfort and positive energy with her to work, and I think it’s inspiring to see her personal relationships with everybody on set. I had a great time being a part of the shoot with the bonus of having even more mother/daughter pictures!”

5. When Witherspoon discussed her choice to cut back on work travel while her kids were young

Not every working mom has the ability to travel less frequently during her children’s early childhood, but if you do have that flexibility, Witherspoon recommends taking advantage of it.

She told Working Mother, “[W]hen my kids were little, I definitely traveled less and did fewer films. Now that they are older, I find it a bit easier to travel. But I try and balance every busy time with a period of no work and just dedicate that time to my kids.”

6. When Witherspoon revealed the real secret to her working mom success

7. When Witherspoon had to deal with the sadly universal reality of mom-shaming

In 2016, Witherspoon posted an Instagram photo of a fun breakfast featuring two cinnamon rolls and an apple slice she fixed for son Tennessee:

Unfortunately, several commenters decided to take the opportunity to criticize Witherspoon’s parenting, accusing her of serving a breakfast with “too much sugar.” Plenty of other moms jumped into the comment section to defend Witherspoon’s choice — and Witherspoon herself wisely chose to stay out of the fray entirely. But the fact that the dissenting comments happened at all is a calling card of “sanctimommies." Lots of non-famous moms can relate to the experience of having their parenting choices questioned by others.

8. When Witherspoon challenged the world to see ambition as a positive attribute

In another interview with Working Mother, Witherspoon declared her belief that parents shouldn’t shy away from career ambition, directly refuting the commonly held opinion that mothers should only focus on their children and should push their working lives to the side.

“[Ava and Deacon] will pull me aside and say, 'I’m really proud of you, Mom.' It means a lot to me to have two kids who support my ambition to change perceptions of women. As moms, we have a unique opportunity to keep changing this attitude that ambition is an ugly quality in women. That it makes you unlikeable. What is likable anyway? I’m allergic to that word. We have to do our part to change the idea that a woman with passion and ambition is out only for herself,” Witherspoon explained.

More: New Zealand's Prime Minister Just Became the First Woman to Bring Baby to U.N. Meeting

9. When Witherspoon started her day with an enormous & much-needed coffee (#momlife)

10. And when Witherspoon decided to pay it forward & offer mentorship to girls who want to pursue film

A version of this post previously appeared on Fairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards and career advice.

Well, it's October, and while you can go ghost-hunting all year long, there's something about this month that makes even skeptics open up to the supernatural and spooky. 

While ghost stories were once reserved for campfires or friend-of-a-friend retellings, you can now spend hours going down a paranormal wormhole on the internet. Here are just a few real-life ghost stories that will send a shiver down your spine. Hope you weren't planning to sleep anytime soon.

1. Whispering ghosts in the attic

"My parents' house has a big garage with an attic space that my dad converted into a sort of summer hangout spot for my brothers and me. One day, my best friend was over, and we were out on the lawn when we clearly heard laughing and whispering coming from the garage attic and we assumed it was my brothers, so we ran in, climbed up the ladder to the attic space, turned on the lights, and it was totally empty." — Kenzie Mastroe

2. The haunted dorm

"The College I went to in Boston was haunted. Almost every night at 2:36 a.m., my room would get really hot and I would hear footsteps pacing back and forth. On one occasion, my girlfriend and I saw a long black-haired figure apparition gasp and run through a locked door out of the corner of our eyes." — Mike Commins

3. This story about a teenager who asked for guiding “spirits” to come to her… & got her wish

“Days later my mom tells me that a few nights earlier while she was getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom she witnessed a male ghost standing over me while I slept on the couch in the living room, she sat in her bedroom's doorway afraid and kept silent.” — GilgameshvsHumbaba/Reddit

More: The 18 Most Haunted Castles to Visit This Fall

4.  This parent whose toddler sees dead people?

5. This super-creepy room of whispers

“There was a black orb just there, I couldn’t tell if it was on the wall or if it was floating but I knew it was clearly visible. I figured it was my eyes adjusting to light so I flipped back around. After about 10 minutes I looked to see if it was still there and it was but I kinda just disregarded it. As soon as I turned around I heard a whisper in my ear threatening to kill me. From that day my room was full of whispers no matter the time. It would be multiple voices just whispering, I could never make out anything they were saying.” — vryuix/Reddit

6. This terrifying vision of a black figure

“I was awoken one night by the sound of tissue paper rustling (I had received a gift the night before and left the gift bag on the floor) now I was awake but I didn’t turn over thinking his ac must have kicked on. That is what I thought until my purse that had been sitting on a shelf fell over. I immediately sat up, and to my horror I saw a black human looking figure crawl to the bedroom door. I say human looking because to me at least it did not seem to be fully human. Anyway it looked back at me opened the door and crawled out. Now I know what some skeptics may say. I was dreaming or experienced sleep paralysis but the sound of the door opening and closing woke my boyfriend up. We got up searched the house nothing was missing.” — spectra27/Reddit

More: The 10 Best Haunted Destinations to Visit This Fall

7. This story of a doorbell camera that gets scary fast

“Another buzz, this time, I didn't need the video. There was a crash at my door and what sounded like a hand dragging across it. I swallowed hard and suddenly realized that maybe I didn't want to look at the video. The chittering came again, it was louder than before.” — SunHeadPrime/Reddit

More: What's the Deal With Ouija Boards? We Talked to 3 Experts to Find Out

8. This nightmare playroom freak show

“I was downstairs watching television when I heard [my brother] and a friend running around upstairs. He’s 16 so he makes a lot of noise when running and walking. It sounded like they were banging around so I called up to them to keep it down because it sounded like someone was gonna fall through the roof. However, no one answered back.

"I call my brother on his phone and tell him to stop running and jumping around upstairs. He tells me he hasn’t been home at all and he’s been out for hours and doesn’t plan on coming home. So the logical part of my brain tells me there’s someone in my house upstairs. I grab my taser and look through every room and closet, every place someone would hide. No one.

"My house is empty except me. As soon as I realized this, toys from our playroom (my mom owns a home daycare) start going off. Not just one or two that fell or are malfunctioning. At least ten toys are making sounds and going off. The last straw was when I heard what sounded like one roll across the hardwood floor. I immediately locked myself in the bathroom downstairs and called my boyfriend until someone else in my family returned home.” — BigB00tyRedHead/Reddit

9. The creepy babysitter incident 

"I can't remember exactly what game we were playing, but my brother and sister and I were sitting on the floor in a circle playing some board game with our babysitter when three pennies fell from the ceiling and onto the game board. We all looked up, and there was nothing on the ceiling, and the pennies fell straight down. We were in the middle of the room, and there was no way they could have fallen from anything else. It was the creepiest thing ever." — Ashley Anderson

10. Flying angels 

"I came home from school one day, and I was home alone. I laid on the couch and turned the TV on. From where our couch was, you could see straight into the bathroom at the end of the hall, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw something in there move quickly and then I heard a huge crash in the bathroom. I got up to see what it was, and a picture that my mom had hanging on one wall of the bathroom had been thrown across the bathroom and smashed across the wall on the opposite side. The picture was of an angel holding a baby." — Reilley Wheeler

11. The vengeful ghost on the street

"One evening, I was walking my dog not far from my house and smelled burning incense. Normally, I wouldn’t think anything of it, but right when I smelled it, it sent some sort of tingly sensation through my whole body, which made me stand straight up. At the same time, I saw this older Indian lady just disappear. I kept walking my dog but had this intense feeling of anxiety — like I just needed to get out of that area as soon as I can. After I made it a few blocks, I felt calmer, came back home and told my family what happened. I didn’t really think much more of it after that.

"A few days passed, and all of a sudden, one evening in the shower, I felt pain in every single bone in my body. I was almost down on the shower floor, thinking, “What could be wrong with me?” My body was tingling and my vision went black, and all of a sudden, I saw the woman again. Instantly, all the pain was gone and my vision returned within seconds. Next thing that happened — my wall creaked, my towel fell from the hook and my robe, which hung next to my towel, started to sway. 

"I called my mom on the phone, and she said she was sending the spirit of my grandfather to protect me. Instantly, the light in my room started getting brighter than I have ever seen it. And then… a sense of peace and quietness. Afterward, we blessed the house with sage and haven’t had a problem since." — Shayal Kumar

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to physician Denis Mukwege and human rights activist Nadia Murad. Mukwege and Murad joined forces to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.

"This year’s Nobel Peace Prize is firmly embedded in the criteria spelled out in Alfred Nobel’s will," the Nobel Prize's press release states. "Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad have both put their personal security at risk by courageously combating war crimes and seeking justice for the victims. They have thereby promoted the fraternity of nations through the application of principles of international law."

Mukwege dedicated much of his adult life to helping victims of rape and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mukwege and his staff have treated thousands of patients at the Panzi Hospital, which was established in 1999 in Bukavu. 

Mukwege lives his life by one basic principle: "Justice is everyone's business." 

Not only has Mukwege helped the assaulted, but he also hasn't shied away from actively and openly criticizing the Congolese government for not doing enough to stop the use of sexual violence against women as a weapon of war.

"Denis Mukwege is the foremost, most unifying symbol, both nationally and internationally, of the struggle to end sexual violence in war and armed conflicts," the press release states. "The importance of Dr. Mukwege’s enduring, dedicated and selfless efforts in this field cannot be overstated."

More: What to Do if You or Someone You Know Has Been Sexually Assaulted

But let's talk about Nadia Murad, the 25-year-old Yazidi woman who grew up in the Iraqi village of Kocho. 

Murad is a victim of the aforementioned war crimes. She was one of thousands of Yazidi women who were abducted and enslaved by ISIS. She endured repeated rape and spent about one month in captivity. 

"Nadia survived horrific crimes," said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2016 when Murad was formally appointed UNODC goodwill ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. "I cried when I heard her story. But I didn't only cry out of sadness. I was also moved to tears because Nadia has so much strength, courage and dignity. She rightly calls for a world where all children live in peace."

Since being held captive and since she lost her mother and six of nine brothers in the Kocho massacre, which killed 80 Yazidi men, Murad has bravely spoken openly about her experience. Murad brought to the forefront of international attention the plight of the Yazidi community and the human trafficking and sexual enslavement the women and children endured.

In turn, Murad has also racked up quite the accolades. 

For starters, she was awarded the peace prize from the United Nations Association of Spain.

She was also named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2016.

"Nadia is a beacon of light and truth," wrote Time magazine. "Nadia Murad is risking everything to awaken us. I hope we are listening, because we too are responsible."

And that's far from the end of the list.

Let's take a closer look at Murad's other accomplishments.

More: How Accusing Someone of Sexual Assault Affects Your Mental Health

She's the U.N.'s first goodwill ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking

In 2016, at the age of 23, Murad was named the U.N.’s first goodwill ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, this was the first time a human trafficking survivor has served as a United Nations goodwill ambassador.

"Nadia's appointment as a UNODC Goodwill Ambassador provides a unique opportunity to urge others to join us in our fight against human trafficking," said Yury Fedotov, UNODC executive director, in 2016. "We know that Nadia's extraordinary commitment to the plight of trafficking victims will move people to take action against this scourge."

As an UNODC ambassador, Murad's goal is to focus on advocacy initiatives and raise awareness of the human trafficking of refugees, women and girls.

She is the recipient of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize

   Also in 2016, Murad was awarded the fourth-ever Václav Havel Human Rights Prize.

According to the Parliamentary Assembly's press release, the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize is awarded to "outstanding civil society action in defense of human rights in Europe and beyond."

Murad received the Clinton Global Citizen Award

The Clinton Global Citizen Awards honors outstanding individuals for their exemplary leadership and groundbreaking work that has brought about positive, lasting social change. 

It's only fitting Murad was an honoree in the category of leadership in civil society at the 10th Annual Clinton Global Citizen Awards (2016). Other honorees that year included musician Jon Bon Jovi (leadership in philanthropy), Hawa Abdi (leadership in civil society), President of the Republic of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (leadership in public service) and Chairman of Godrej Group Adi Godrej (leadership in private sector).

More: 20 Inspiring Women in Technology Who Are Redefining STEM

She has published a New York Times best-selling memoir 

In November 2017, Murad published The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State. 

The memoir, which is available in multiple languages, shares Murad's story. 

“I was quickly learning that my story, which I still thought of as a personal tragedy, could be someone else’s political tool,” Murad wrote in the memoir.

The New York Times called the memoir "difficult to process" in a review published in January 2018.

"It is a call to action, but as it places Murad’s tragedy in the larger narrative of Iraqi history and American intervention, it leaves the reader with urgent, incendiary questions: What have we done, and what can we do?" Anna Della Subin wrote.

Amal Clooney, who is legal counsel to Murad and other Yazidi women who have been sexually enslaved by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, wrote the foreword for the book. 

"Nadia refused to be silenced," Clooney wrote. "She has defied all the labels that life has given her: Orphan. Rape Victim. Slave. Refugee. She has instead created new ones: Survivor. Yazidi leader."

She is the founder of Nadia's Initiative

Nadia's Initiative is twofold: It increases advocacy for women and minorities, and it assists in stabilizing and redeveloping communities in crisis. 

In just 18 months, Nadia's Initiative was instrumental in pushing the United Nations Security Council to open an investigation into war crimes committed by ISIS against the Yazidi people — and unprecedented resolution. 

And the organization has also successfully lobbied several states and institutions to recognize the Yazidi genocide. 

"Those who thought that by their cruelty they could silence her were wrong," Clooney wrote. "Nadia Murad’s spirit is not broken, and her voice will not be muted. Instead, through this book, her voice is louder than ever."

If you've ever had to make a big decision and decided to "sleep on it," it turns out that was a good move. New research out of the University of Bristol measured changes in people's brain activity and responses before and after a nap and found that taking a quick snooze may be beneficial for the decision-making process.

Published in the Journal of Sleep Research, the study was designed to determine if taking a nap can actually help us process information unconsciously and how this might affect our behavior and reaction time. Turns out it does, by improving cognitive brain function and helping us process information that we're not even aware of.

More: 5 Healthy Sleep Aids That Won't Leave You Groggy the Next Day

Prior to this study, we did know that sleep helps with problem solving and helps us think clearer once we wake up, but we didn't know whether we had to consciously acknowledge that we needed help making a decision before falling asleep in order to reap the benefits. 

According to these findings, even a short nap may help improve our ability to process information. Also, the research suggests that information we take in while we're awake could potentially be processed in a more meaningful way while we're asleep. 

"The findings are remarkable in that they can occur in the absence of initial intentional, conscious awareness, by processing of implicitly presented cues beneath participants' conscious awareness," Dr. Liz Coulthard, consultant senior lecturer in dementia neurology at the University of Bristol Medical School: Translational Health Sciences, said in a statement. "Further research in a larger sample size is needed to compare if and how the findings differ between ages, and investigation of underlying neural mechanisms."

More: This Is the Ideal Amount of Sleep You Should Get Each Night

So the next time you're trying to make your mind up about something, you now have a scientifically valid excuse to put it off and take a nap. 

Do you ever wish you could just drop everything and run away? Do you ever check the Greyhound schedule, and then look at your watch, and then check the Greyhound schedule again? Do you ever consider leaving your job as a high-stakes surgeon to go think about stuff for a while?

More: These Grey's Anatomy Fan Favorites Are Officially Done & We're Not OK

Well, last night on Grey's Anatomy, Jackson Avery decided to do just that: disappear into the ether after shooting off a quick email to the hospital and leaving a vague message on his love interest's voicemail (Jackson, who checks their voicemail anymore?).

Later, when Maggie discusses the sudden departure of her lover, she says, "He said he needed to go clear his head or unplug or whatever. He has some big questions and he needed some big answers. Is there something wrong with me? I almost died too, and I feel almost lucky. He said if he told me to my face, he wouldn't be able to leave." 

Then she speaks for the entire audience of the show when she concludes, "I don't know anything, except Jackson left."

Maggie says she's humiliated — and she's also a little enraged to boot. After all, things seemed to be going well, and there was even almost a marriage proposal, or something like it. How is Jackson feeling? We don't know. He's gone. 

It makes sense in a way that Jackson needs to get away. He's been through a whole lot in the last few seasons, from the Seattle Grace Mercy West mass shooting to that notable aviation accident to the loss of his infant boy and subsequent divorce from April. In fact, April already ran away from her problems, traveling halfway around the globe to a war zone just to find some peace. 

But where is Jackson going, and will he ever come back? 

Maggie could find out simply by texting him (or leaving him a voicemail, which apparently is something they do to each other), but although she writes, "Got your message. We should talk," she doesn't manage to send the text. 

Will she use their time apart to discover that she truly, deeply loves him? Or will his absence make her realize that he's not the one for her? Only time will tell. The existence of Jaggie hangs in the balance here. 

More: 10 Struggles Every Grey's Anatomy Fan Knows to Be Real

Twitter was not having any of Jackson's run-away-and-reflect moods — and fan reactions revealed that they were as flummoxed as Maggie and the rest of the staff. 

Although some fans were thrilled that Team Jaggie (or "Gaggie," as one user spelled it) might be done for good.

But whether you are Team Jaggie or not, you're going to have to wait at least until next week for an update on the whereabouts of Jackson's physical self as well as his heart. 

Our vote for best celeb mom classroom volunteer (whew, say that fast 10 times) is definitely Reese Witherspoon. 

Witherspoon and her husband, Jim Toth, decided to really commit to their son's school's "Mystery Reader" event. Son Tennessee is now 6, and we can only imagine that his class was over the moon when Witherspoon and Toth entered the classroom as Piggie and Gerald the Elephant from author Mo Willems' super-popular children's book series.

Want to guess who went as Piggie?

"It's a big day, today we've got something very exciting that we're headed to do," Witherspoon posted to Instagram on Wednesday. "In order to disguise my identity, I will be wearing this hat ... or head."

More: Reese Witherspoon Screamed When She Found Out She Would Meet Kate Middleton

The ruse was temporary, as the Big Little Lies actor happily revealed her true identity to Tennessee and his classmates with great fanfare. Toth read the class Willems' I Really Like Slop! Little did these 6-year-olds know that they were in the presence of an actor who recently (in character) got to throw an ice cream cone at Hollywood legend Meryl Streep, an experience Witherspoon called a "top five career moment." We are seriously jealous.

Witherspoon is on fire these days — and we're not one bit surprised the role of mystery reader was one she was dying to play. Her own book, Whiskey in a Teacup, came out on Sept. 18.

More: Reese Witherspoon Is Involved With a Whopping 9 Projects Right Now

Witherspoon also has two other children with her ex, actor Ryan Phillippe. Daughter Ava and son Deacon are seriously mini-mes of their famous parents. Like, double-take whoa.

It's been an especially good month for her youngest, though. Tennessee recently celebrated his sixth birthday, as documented sweetly by Witherspoon on Instagram. The Witherspoon Southern Force is clearly strong in this one. Just look at that polo-belt-khakis combo, will you?

Renaissance Reese is knocking us out with all her achievements — but it's clear that her kids are her forever love. It's also clear that there's nobody we'd rather have some whiskey in a teacup with.

Shark Tank begins its 10th season on Oct. 7 on ABC, which means 10 years of successful pitches and business bombs. Stepping in front of the sharks isn't easy when you have judges like Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran or Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary there to add some snark to the presentations.

More: 15 Products You Didn't Realize Got Their Start on Shark Tank

Yet sometimes, Mr. Wonderful isn't enough to deter the most eager entrepreneur. They can walk away without a deal and still wind up successful. Other times, they make a deal with a shark only to have it fall through later on or, even worse, the business doesn't make it in the long run.

We took a look back at a few of our favorite pitches and what happened to them after their Shark Tank appearance.

1. Ring (formerly DoorBot)

The Ring, a video doorbell system, was originally known as the DoorBot when it aired on season five. CEO Jamie Siminoff was looking for a $700,000 investment in exchange for 10 percent equity in the company. Only O'Leary gave an offer that included a loan, a royalty deal and equity, but most of the sharks didn't think the company was ready for the next step.

Fast-forward five years, and The Ring was acquired by Amazon in February 2018 for $1 billion. O'Leary doesn't regret that Siminoff didn't accept his deal.

"I never think about it a second time, I really don't," he explains. "I feel that the road is always going forward," O'Leary told CNBC. "You can't go looking back — you can't second guess yourself. You have to do what you think is right in the moment... For that time, I made the correct decision."

More: Why I'm So Addicted to Shark Tank

2. Scrub Daddy

In season four, Shark Lori Greiner invested in Scrub Daddy, a sponge that changes texture when hot or cold water is applied. Aaron Krause was seeking a $100,000 investment for a 10 percent stake in the company. Greiner loved the presentation and gave him $200,000 for 20 percent equity and promised to make him a millionaire.

Greiner wasn't lying. Scrub Daddy is considered the most successfully funded Shark Tank company of all time. As of May 2017, the company has sold more than 10 million units and totaled over $50 million in sales.

3. The Bouqs Company

The Bouqs Company is a disruptor in the flower industry. They take out the middleman and sell flowers directly to customers. While that seems like a surefire strategy for getting sharks to invest in the company, founder John Tabis got no bites from the sharks in 2014.

Three years later, Robert Herjavec was planning his wedding to Dancing With the Stars pro Kym Johnson when he realized flowers are pretty darn expensive. He decided to talk to Tabis to find out why.

“[Tabis] said, ‘Come and see me. I’ll explain the flower business to you.’ [He] draws it out for me, shows me what they’re doing. I’m like, ‘I love it,’” Herjavec told ABC News in February 2017. “So I took part of their last round. We just raised $24 million.”

And the best ending to the story? “I saved a ton of money on my flowers for my wedding,” Herjavec laughed.

More: Shark Tank Entrepreneurs Shouldn't Mix Business With Romance

4. You Smell soap

You Smell was a luxury soap line looking for a $55,000 investment in exchange for 20 percent of the company. Megan Cummins gave a charming presentation, and Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran and Robert Herjavec jumped in with bids.

In the end, Herjavec won out with a $55,000 investment and $50,000 entrepreneur salary for 20 percent. The deal didn't wind up smelling so rosy in the end. Cummins claimed she couldn't get in touch with Herjavec, while he claimed he offered her a revised contract that she rejected.

The company is no longer in business, but Cummins didn't let her entrepreneurial dreams die. She's now the owner of Sparklepop, a jewelry company that donates a portion of the proceeds to no-kill, nonprofit animal shelters.

5. The Body Jac

The Body Jac was a machine that helped a person do push-ups. Jack Barringer, aka Cactus Jack, invented the fitness equipment after his doctor told him to start losing weight by doing push-ups. When he came on Shark Tank in season one, Barbara Corcoran and Kevin Harrington split the $180,000 investment for 50 percent equity that came with a major contingency — Barringer would have to lose 30 pounds before he would get a signed deal. He lost the weight and the deal was signed, but the partnership eventually fell apart without Corcoran ever giving a solid reason.

“My worst [investment] was investing in a fast-talking cowboy selling exercise equipment who needed to lose 50 pounds,” Corcoran told Forbes in 2012. “Instead, he lost my $50,000.” The company went out of business in 2012.

Shark Tank will return for its 10th season on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 10/9c to celebrate the show's 200th episode.

After announcing their split in June 2015, Hollywood A-listers Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are one step closer to having a finalized divorce, after Garner filed paperwork to expedite the remaining steps. The move comes just as Affleck moves from inpatient to outpatient rehab for alcohol abuse. 

According to Us Weekly, while Garner was in no rush to file the final paperwork in August, she on Monday filed a request with the Los Angeles County Superior Court to have her divorce pulled from the public court so that the case can be finalized more quickly by a private judge. 

More: Ben Affleck Has Been Taken Back to Rehab by Jennifer Garner

While no one knows exactly why she is accelerating proceedings again, it seems pretty clear that she was waiting for Affleck to work on his sobriety and addiction issues before making the split official and putting the agreed-upon parenting plan into effect. 

“Jen wanted to give Ben the time and opportunity to work on his health and sobriety,” a source reportedly told US Weekly earlier this summer. “She isn’t in a rush. … Jen just isn’t willing to settle the custody issues until she’s 100 percent certain that he’s clean.”

In August, Garner was seen going to Affleck's home, shortly after his break-up with Lindsay Shookus, to help the actor and director get safely to rehab after a relapse with alcohol. At that time, the divorce proceedings were moving forward, albeit slowly. 

Now, more than 40 days later, Affleck is out of in-patient and made an announcement about his health and progress on Instagram. 

"This week I completed a forty day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remain in outpatient care," the all-text Instagram post reads. "The support I have received from my family, colleagues and fans means more to me than I can say. It's given me the strength and support to speak about my illness with others."

"Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle," it continues. "Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment, it is a full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family. So many people have reached out on social media and spoken about their own journeys with addiction. To those people, I want to say thank you. Your strength is inspiring and is supporting me in ways I didn't think was possible. It helps to know I am not alone. As I've had to remind myself, if you have a problem, getting help is a sign of courage, not weakness or failure."

More: This May Be the Real Reason Jennifer Garner Isn't Officially Divorcing Ben Affleck Yet

The couple announced their divorce just a day after their ten-year wedding anniversary and both officially filed for divorce in 2017. At the time of their split, they release a joint statement that said in part, "We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children," a plan both have stuck too closely during the process of their legal divorce. They will have joint physical and legal custody of their three children. 

It's been eight years since Chris Evans first picked up Captain America's infamous red, white and blue shield for 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. In that time, it has felt like Evans and Cap have become synonymous with one another, two peas in a superhero pod. Imagining a world without Evans as Cap is tough, nay, unthinkable for fans and yet, that time has finally come. On Thursday, Evans announced on Twitter that he had shot his final scenes as Captain America, sending his fans into a very sad place. 

More: Chris Evans Will Return to TV to Star in the New TV Show Defending Jacob

In fact, on Thursday, October 4 the star took to Twitter to confirm his time as Captain America was done.

"Officially wrapped on Avengers 4,” Evans wrote. “It was an emotional day to say the least. Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor. To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and in the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful."

There has been a great deal of speculation that the fourth, and yet-to-be named, Avengers film would be Evans' last. Evans has already been signing on to other projects, like the upcoming Apple TV drama Defending Jacob, and he's mentioned in the past the he wasn't really married to the idea of playing Captain America indefinitely. In fact, in March, Evans told Variety that “you want to get off the train before they push you off" — which, it seems, Evans has.

An important thing to remember, too, was that the actor was also no longer under contract. When Evans started his tenure as Steve Rogers/Captain America, he had signed on for a six-film deal — and last April's Avengers: Infinity War was his sixth film.

Of course, that doesn't mean fans are happy. In fact, many are very upset. 

And who can blame them? I mean, Evans is Captain America.

More: Chris Evans' Birthday Was Filled With Celebrity Tweets & Childhood Pictures

That said, there is one bit of good news: we still have one more chance to see Evans as "the Cap" in Avengers 4. But grab your tissues, because we have a feeling May 3, 2019 will be a doozy. 

Did you know that 14 percent of American families struggle to put food on the table? According to a 2015 U.S. Department of Agriculture report, 17.4 million people experience "a reduced quality... diet [and/]or disrupted eating patterns" each and every year. And the reason is financial. Many simply cannot afford to feed themselves and their kids. But Brad Paisley and wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley are working to change all that. 

More: A Complete Ranking of the Best Frozen Mac & Cheese

The pair is teaming up with Belmont University to open a grocery store called The Store, where all the items will be free.

According to People, The Store — which will be set up in Nashville, Tennessee — will serve both fresh and shelf-stable foods to people in need. 

The Store is similar to your average food bank, at least in regard to its aim and mission. However, it will be laid out like a grocery store.

“This is a grocery store with dignity for people who have fallen on hard times,” Paisley told the Tennessean. “All of us are one unforeseen disaster away from rock bottom. It’s nice to think about a place where when that happens to someone, they can use it to get back on their feet.”

In addition to food and drinks, The Store will have a toy aisle for kids and will offer a year-round job-training program.  

Paisley and Williams-Paisley came up with the idea for The Store after volunteering at the Unity Shoppe in Santa Barbara, California. The Unity Shoppe is a food bank that is also set up like a grocery store.

“I remember... thinking, ‘Why isn’t this everywhere?’” Paisley told People, and “essentially, we got this idea that it could be a very effective thing in Nashville.” 

That said, The Store hasn't opened yet. While a location has been chosen — The Store will be located at 2005 12th Ave. S. in Nashville — and the Paisley and Williams-Paisley hope to serve 3,000 people during The Store's inaugural year, The Store needs $500,000 to break ground. 

The total construction cost will be about $1.2 million. 

More: Fruit-Shaped Trix Are Coming Back — & Our Inner Kid Is Overjoyed

So, if you are interested in supporting this amazing cause, visit thestore.org and donate now. Every dollar helps.

It has been two years since Michael Bublé's son Noah was diagnosed with cancer. And while Noah is cancer-free — and has been for over a year — Bublé recently revealed what a difficult and emotional journey it's been.

More: Michael Bublé & His Wife Survived "Hell" of Son's Cancer & "Fell in Love Again"

In fact, in an interview on Australia's Today, the he found himself fighting back tears.

"There were a million times that my wife and I were just surviving, struggling to survive and to breathe and... more times than people could understand, some days, when we wished we didn't wake up," Bublé said.  But when the family found themselves struggling, the love and kindness of strangers pulled them through. "We felt the love of those people. We knew they were praying for us. We knew there was goodness out there... [and they] gave us faith in humanity," Bublé told Today.

Noah was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2016. At the time, the singer shared the news with his fans via Facebook while simultaneously announcing that he and his wife, an actor, would be taking some time off work. 

“We are devastated about the recent cancer diagnosis of our oldest son Noah,” Bublé wrote. “Luisana and I have put our careers on hold in order to devote all our time and attention to helping Noah get well. At this difficult time, we ask for your prayers and respect for our privacy. We have a long journey in front of us and hope that with the support of family, friends and fans around the world, we will win this battle, God willing.”

More: Michael Bublé's Wife Announces the Birth of Their Daughter With Sweet Photo

The good news is Noah has indeed won this battle, and he still has his family fighting in his corner. 

It’s time to catch up with Tamron Hall, y’all! Well, almost. Over a year after her highly-publicized exit from NBC’s Today show, the #BlogHer18 presenter is now counting down the days to her big TV comeback: her own daytime talk show on ABC in 2019. We don't know about you but we're more excited than ever to see what Hall has planned for us.

More: Tamron Hall Doesn't Want NBC's Money if She Doesn't Have Their Respect

For Hall, it’s a return she wasn’t sure would happen when she left NBC in Feb. 2017 after it was announced Megyn Kelly would take her morning time slot.

“I decided to take a leap of faith,” Hall told People in a new interview. “I knew I would have to trust my gut and that I could be a part of something that would reflect who I am as a person, as a journalist, as a woman.”

Happily, Hall has landed back on her feet — and with her former network’s competition, no less. So, what can fans expect from Hall’s latest endeavor?

“It’s the Tamron that you saw every morning for many, many years. The Tamron that you see on Deadline Crime, the Tamron that hosts the Macy’s 4th of July Parade, the Tamron that ate the nasty squirrel with Bear Grylls in the wild. I’m not an extraordinary person, but I’ve had an extraordinary journey,” Hall explained.

The new show, she says, “will allow me to be where I love to hang out the most, which is with people.”

And people will apparently be at the heart of Hall’s daytime talk series. In a statement released on Sept. 24, Hall said, “I’m thrilled to partner with the ABC Owned Television Stations Group to bring our show — which will aim to showcase real joy and laughter, as we as inspiration in the face of adversity — to audiences across the country.”

She continued, “Having grown up professionally as a local news reporter and anchor, I know that it’s vital to tell stories that reflect local communities. I couldn’t be more humbled to return to daytime television backed by such a phenomenal team at an iconic company. The best daytime TV is the kind where you listen before you talk, and with my partners at Disney/ABC that’s what we’ll deliver.”

More: Kelly Clarkson Confirms Her Talk Show Is Happening & Teases What to Expect

As for what Hall has been doing in the time since she left Today, she admits there’s one plan that hasn’t quite come to fruition — R & R. In between leaving NBC and getting ready to launch her new daytime talk show, Hall has juggled a packed schedule that includes speaking engagements (including the aforementioned BlogHer 2018 appearance), hosting the ID Network’s Deadline Crime and acting as an ambassador for the domestic abuse charity Safe Horizon in honor of her late sister Renate.

“I wish I could say I’ve gotten as much sleep as I promised myself I would get,” she confessed to People, “but the trade-off is worth it.”

“Think of your son,” Donald Trump said this week as he defended Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault — and continued to mock Christine Blasey Ford's brave and historic testimony.

How can I not think of my son? I’ll never stop thinking of him. I think of him and his future self as a high school student, a college student and as a grown man in the United States. I think of him and 12-year-old boys just like him all over the country, and I hope against hope that they will all grow up in a country that respects women, women’s bodies and their voices more than any other generation before them. 

Because of the #MeToo movement, I think not just of my son but of every adolescent boy —and I pray they will grow into empathetic young men. I pray they will know a country where victims of sex crimes are no longer ashamed or afraid to name the people who assaulted them, no longer afraid to speak the truth about the details, no longer afraid to admit they’d had alcohol before the assault and no longer terrified that they’ll be mocked for it.

More: What is the "Bystander Effect"? Kids Explain How it Harms

My son looks very much like the two boys who were dressed in suits and ties standing behind Trump at the rally in Mississippi as he mocked Christine Blasey-Ford. But unlike those boys, my son will never see his parents laugh and clap for a man who mocks and disrespects a survivor of sexual assault. 

The mere fact that the president of the United States gave that sermon in front of children — and received uproarious applause from their mothers and fathers — has me thinking of my son’s future with nervous angst. I am more worried for him now than ever before. Not because Donald Trump thinks, "It's a very scary time for young men in America,” but because my son is going through the confusion of puberty at the same time the most powerful man in the free world mocks the psychological effects of sexual assault — and never mentions the epidemic of youth survivors in our country. 

I pull up the facts again on the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website and pray the numbers have changed since last year, but they have not; in fact, they have only increased. According to NSVRC, if you’re a teenage girl, you have a 1 in 4 chance of being sexually assaulted by the time you’re 18. And according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, now the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the nation, females ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than the general population to experience rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. Then, there’s that blinking red light coming from RAINN’s website, which reads: Every 98 seconds another American experiences sexual assault.

More: 7 YA Books to Start the Conversation About Sexual Assault

So why doesn’t Trump cite these statistics at political rallies — or anywhere else for that matter? Why won’t this American president advocate for awareness to reduce the number of sexual assault victims in our country, especially on college campuses and among youth who are the highest demographic at risk? He too has an adolescent son, doesn’t he?

Could it be that he doesn’t want to remind his son or his family or the public of the 22 women who’ve made allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against him? That's 22 credible allegations that include groping and rape.

I can’t help but wonder if those boys in Mississippi dressed in their Sunday best know that their president called each one of those 22 women liars. Have their parents ever bothered to tell them what the president they admire so much said about 22 women?

"Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign," Trump said at a 2016 rally as the Republican nominee. "Total fabrication. The events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over." He said this, yet he never sued anyone.

So why in the world didn’t President Trump sue any of these “lying” women? Maybe it had something to do with hearing his own voice on the Access Hollywood tape bragging to Billy Bush about what he’d done and can do to women because of his “star power." Maybe it’s also because Billy Bush might just testify against him? Billy Bush admitted his wrongdoing, telling Vanity Fair in January, “There is a term for what I did,” Bush said. “It’s called bystander abuse. It says by not doing anything you are endorsing the moment. I have to live with that.” 

More: What to Do if You or Someone You Know Has Been Sexually Assaulted

Are the parents in Mississippi and all those who applauded Donald Trump also guilty of bystander abuse because they laughed just like Billy Bush did when they heard the president of the United States ridicule a woman who survived sexual assault at the age of 15? The court of public opinion will decide — this much is certain — and all Americans have to now live with the knowledge that our 45th president mocked and ridiculed a survivor of sexual assault.

While Trump may shamefully try to paint Ford as a liar to save himself and his Supreme Court nominee, I tell my adolescent son that Trump will never be able to take away Ford’s composure, her authenticity and her willingness to tell the truth about the man who assaulted her. I want my 12-year-old boy to never forget Christine Blasey Ford’s name and her courage to name her attacker despite all she’s endured in doing so, because in the five minutes it took to read this piece, five more people in the United States have been sexually assaulted. The odds are strong they were children.

Comedian and actor Amy Schumer was detained by police in Washington on Thursday while protesting the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Thousands of protestors, mainly women, collected at the Hart Senate Office Building atrium. According to Variety, 293 protestors were detained by Capitol police and charged with the misdemeanor of "crowding, obstructing or incommoding."

More: Amy Schumer May Have Changed Her Mind About Having Kids

A video was shared on Twitter of Schumer being asked by cops, "Do you want to be arrested?" The Trainwreck star answered, "Yes." 

Another social media source shows Schumer addressing the crowd while wearing a green button-down shirt that read, "This Today Then #ERA.”

"Let's stay together! Let's fight! Let's keep showing up," she said, to cheers from the crowd around her. 

She also held a protest sign that read, "We believe Anita Hill." 

Schumer was at the protest with model and actor Emily Ratajkowski, who was also charged by police. 

Ratajkowski wrote about her experience on Instagram:

"Today I was arrested protesting the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a man who has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Men who hurt women can no longer be placed in positions of power. Kavanaugh’s confirmation as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a message to women in this country that they do not matter. I demand a government that acknowledges, respects and supports women as much as it does men.”

More: Amy Schumer Has the Chillest Proposal Story Ever

Schumer and Ratajkowski are two of many celebrities speaking out about political matters recently. Aside from the Kavanaugh hearings arrest, Schumer made headlines two years ago after hundreds of fans walked out of her show as she insulted then-candidate Donald Trump. 

In 2016, she told Charlie Rose that she didn't care if being political was harmful to her career. 

More: Amy Schumer Got Married & Basically Told No One

Millions of women around the country have spoken out since Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward to tell her story of sexual assault at the hands of Kavanaugh at a high school party in the 1980s, and more have spoken out after Ford and Kavanagh's testimonies last week. The Senate is voting on whether to confirm the judge this weekend. 

Not all doctors are known for their bedside manner, but this Canadian surgeon will be forever. Because Dr. P. Daniel McNeely of Halifax, Nova Scotia, didn't just treat his patient, Jackson McKie; he also performed a (lifesaving?! who's to say?) surgery on Jackson's teddy, also known as Little Baby.

But why did McNeely operate on a stuffed animal? Well, because 8-year-old Jackson asked him to, of course.

“Patient asks if I can also fix teddy bear just before being put off to sleep... how could I say no,” McNeely wrote on Twitter alongside two images that showed him "operating" on the small brown bear.

Jackson has been in McNeely's care since birth, as the young boy suffers from a condition known as hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in and around the brain. And while Jackson has undergone numerous operations, according to CBC, this was the first time he requested his bear also undergo surgery — as the bear had a busted seam. And so, after caring for Jackson, McNeely turned his attention to Little Baby, giving the bear a check up and — eventually — diagnosing him with an acute but treatable "tear of the underarm."

“There’s always a few stitches that are left over from the case itself and they normally get disposed of,” McNeely told CBC. But instead of discarding the unused stitches, he used them to sew Jackson's teddy bear right back up.

But wait: It gets better. According to Jackson’s father, the young boy was “over the moon" when he was reunited with his bear. “He was so proud. He had Little Baby laying up in the hospital bed with him and everything,” Jackson’s father told CBC. “It made us feel better about being there.”

Um, this story makes us feel better too. Maybe all of humanity isn't going to shit after all. Maybe? 

I’m so annoyed that I’m having a hard time writing anything other than curse words. And at 51, I know many. So, so many. They fly freely, like my upper arms when I wave goodbye in a strapless dress.

And that’s why I feel like cursing. Not because of my perfectly normal upper arms, which are somehow both strong and flag-like, but because I’m !@#$%^&* sick and tired of being told what I shouldn’t wear anywhere on my body. But specifically, my upper arms.

“Older women should not show excess flesh. They should wear sleeves,” declared the otherwise free-thinking 98-year-old fashion icon Iris Apfel. A few months ago, Spanx introduced “arm tights” to better tether breakaway flesh to its bones. The general consensus seems to be that women over, say, 45 or 50, should shroud except while bathing, during which time we should exfoliate, because keratosis pilaris.

More: Living With A Scar: Would You Remove Yours If You Could?

Here are some excellent reasons to cover your upper arms:

1. You had skin cancer and need to be extra careful about the sun.
2. You are so ripped you don’t want to make toothpick-armed women feel bad about their own arms.
3. You are chilly.
4. You got a tattoo of Johnny Depp 30 years ago, but then he was accused of abusing his wife and you cannot afford laser tattoo removal.
5. You choose to because of your religious beliefs or to be respectful of someone else’s.
6. People’s eyes literally start bleeding when they behold your upper arms.
7. They’re simply not your favorite body part, and it’s your body, and you don’t want to.

All of the above reasons make perfect sense to me. The myriad reasons that don’t make sense to me include because they’re “unsightly” according to anyone other than you, because it’s “inappropriate” for not-young women to wear a tank top, or because you haven’t gotten arm lipo or a collagen-injection procedure to tighten up your “crepe-y” skin. 

Other reasons I think are unacceptable are any that are shame-induced, such as the implication that you should feel bad about having perfectly ordinary flesh on your arms — even more than the supposed ideal — or because unless you have Cameron Diaz arms, they don’t deserve to feel the sun.

To be clear, I’m not trying to shame women who feel shame about their bodies (would that be shame-shaming? Or maybe body-shame-shaming?). Most of us do feel embarrassed, at least sometimes. I sure do, even with fewer fucks left to give. 

Decades of living in a world in which there is no way to be perfect enough leaves you with some pretty sticky body-image issues. And being 100 percent thrilled with every aspect of yourself as you age has become yet another tyranny we must live under as we bushwhack our way to peace of mind. (As in: “Embrace your age, grays, wrinkles, menopause right now, or you’re not a feminist!”)

More: Body Image & Exercise at Midlife: The Gift My Gym Gave Me

You are not the boss of me!

But can I tell you how sick I am of anyone telling us what to wear and what body parts to cover? And can I tell you how sick I am of finding that I’ve internalized some of those judgments, despite having written dozens of articles on positive body image over the years and raising two kids who seem blissfully free of them? Especially since even Michelle Obama got grief for going sleeveless for other reasons.

Younger women shouldn’t be told such things, either, of course, but those of us over 40 or so doubly and triply shouldn’t. We are grown-ass women who have maybe raised kids and earned doctorates and left abusive relationships and done far more of the housework and childcare for free for decades — while also earning a living, strengthening our cores, waxing our hairy bits, fighting off innumerable #MeToo moments and serving as invaluable emotional supports to everyone around us.

And oh, by the way, we did all this while not bringing the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation and destroying the environment. That my upper arms may be floppy, puckered, freckled, cellulite-y, wrinkled or pendulous does not mean that anyone is entitled to visual protection from them. If you don’t like what you see, avert your eyes!

The right to bare arms: Disarming the cover-up cabal

My friend Karen* feels likewise: “I distinctly remember my mom gingerly suggesting, when I was 11, that I not get the sleeveless Gunne Sax dress I really wanted because maybe we should look for one with sleeves,” she says. “And I was not even fat then, but even if I had been, 'What the hell, Mom?'” Grr. “But in my 40s and 50s, I gained weight, and I am increasingly like, 'Screw it.' You could sing ‘Do Your Ears Hang Low’ about my upper arms. But now, I think, 'Hey, my body is going to be problematic to someone no matter what.' What can you do?”

Other my-age friends haven’t gotten to Karen’s level of your-views-about-my-body-are-not-my-problem-ness but are fast approaching. Jennifer* says she feels about her arms as she does about the rest of her. “You and I know full well the world is completely brainwashed to scrutinize women’s bodies against an impossible ideal and that the ideal favors the young,” she says. “Therefore, the older I get, the more concerned I am about what I reveal, but that’s balanced by giving less of a shit what others think,” Jennifer says. Jen generally wears what she feels good in, which sometimes involves bare arms; for other times, there are dolman sleeves.

Meanwhile, my friend Georgia*, whose move to a Southern state has unfortunately coincided with some arm-weight gain, eschews tank tops but is pro-choice on the matter. “My mom won’t wear sleeveless stuff any more, and, frankly, I get it now,” she says. “I don’t think she should not wear sleeveless tops, but I also think it’s OK for women to not show the parts of the their bodies they don’t want others looking at.”

This is totally, 100 percent true. I’m just angry that as I age, more and more of my surface area is deemed offensive to the general public, when it used to simply be my vulva and maybe my breasts. Now it’s my arms. And my legs, which have developed slightly blobby knees. And my cleavage, because it’s not quite as smooth as it used to be. Pretty soon, I won’t be able to leave my apartment without children bursting into tears and pointing at the “scary lady” whose spider-veiny ankles are showing. Sorry, kiddos! No burka for me. Suck it up, buttercups.

More: Getting “Work” Done: How Much Is Too Much?

Hot & bothered

By the way, on days when it’s hot outside, behold my “bingo arms.” Says Karen, “I cannot stand being hot, and I’m not going cover my upper arms to spare someone else’s delicate sensibilities. Covering up would only make me suffer.” 

I do hope that in 2018, we elect a Speaker of the House who finally does change the dress code on the floor of Congress so women might show up for work and maybe not die of heat stroke. (Paul Ryan promised to update the rule that women must cover their arms last year, and so far, I don’t see that he has.) And if some — generally older, conservative — members are deeply offended at these female reps showing their triceps, *le sigh*.

Says Karen: “People who would be offended by my body would be offended by something else if I didn’t show them my upper arms, because those people live in a perpetual state of offense. It is their way. So eff them.”

Eff them, indeed. So go ahead and exercise your God-given right to bare arms. If someone doesn’t like it, it’s time to treat them to a vigorous wave goodbye.

* Names have been changed

Originally published on Next Tribe.