This Thanksgiving, try to take some time to give to other families in need before you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with your family and give thanks for the things you have in your life.

Fueled by rising unemployment and an economic downturn, an estimated 49 million Americans -- including nearly 17 million children -- lived in households that experienced hunger or reduced-quality diets last year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Economic Research Service. That's an increase of 36 percent over the USDA estimates released last year, says Feeding America, the leading hunger-relief organization formerly known as Second Harvest.

Feeding America estimates that the real numbers of hungry Americans are even higher. In their own recent study, Feeding America found that nearly every food bank they surveyed reported an increase in requests for emergency food assistance in the past year, with demand for aid increasing in some areas as much as 150 percent.

Before the holiday hubbub starts, take a look in your pantry to see if you have canned food or other non-perishable foods such as pasta, rice, crackers, peanut butter, and canned juice and donate it to Feeding America or a local food pantry. You can even host a pantry-food party and ask guests to bring food for donation, or just set up a collection bin on your porch or doorstep for people to drop off food at their convenience.

When you help other families, you will not only feel more appreciative of your blessings, but you'll be setting an example for your children to follow.

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This holiday season, many parents are reporting that they will spend less on each other so that they can buy gifts for their children. Slightly more than half (50.3 percent) of parents surveyed said they plan to cut back on gifts to each other, according to a new survey by America's Research Group, a consumer research and marketing firm. Things were very different before the economic downturn tightened everyone's purse strings: In 2007, only 6 percent of spouses said they'd cut back on gifts for each other.

But as with any cloud, how you deal with the setback determines the shine of your silver lining. If you're spending less on your spouse this year, you can look at your limited holiday budget as a challenge to buy only small but thoughtful gifts that will be appreciated. For instance, if your spouse loves to collect ornaments, you can buy her one to add to her collection. Or if he loves to watch football with buddies, you can arrange for a guys' afternoon football party at your house and surprise him with an invitation.

For other cheap but great holiday gift ideas, check out Working Moms Guide Katherine Lewis' ideas for Nice but Cheap Gifts.

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Toys sold by big companies like Mattel and Disney have been found to have high levels of lead, according to a new report by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a research and advocacy group that works to protect consumers from toxic chemicals. CEH tested 250 products sold at major retailers such as Sears and Wal-Mart and found that 7 items contained lead levels that exceed federal safety standards.

The products found to have high levels of lead are:

The most disconcerting part of this new report is that it comes after a new law passed by Congress last year that sets strict limits on lead and chemicals in products for children ages 12 and under. That law was prompted by a series of major product recalls of toys tainted with lead. Which makes a parent think, "When will kids' products finally be free of lead and other toxic chemicals?"

What do you think about the new ad campaign promoting chocolate milk in schools? The campaign, which is sponsored by The National Dairy Council, stresses the nutritional value of lowfat chocolate milk and asserts that kids drink less milk when chocolate milk is taken away.

Meanwhile, those who oppose chocolate milk in schools say that flavored milk adds extra calories -- and therefore extra pounds -- contributing to the growing problem of childhood obesity. They say kids will drink plain milk when flavored is not available.

Is the answer balance? Some schools are experimenting with offering flavored milk only on certain days of the week. And in our family, I know that my son, for one, will rarely drink plain milk. To boost his calcium intake, I give him yogurt and cheese and calcium-fortified orange juice. And I also occasionally give him vanilla or chocolate-flavored milk. He doesn't eat much sugar otherwise, so I figure the occasional serving of flavored milk is worth any extra calories.

Is your family planning to travel to see family this Thanksgiving? If so, you may want to check out these tips on getting cheaper Thanksgiving travel flights from Teresa Plowright, guide to family vacations. Being flexible with travel dates can mean significant savings for families.

If you're planning to drive, try these tips on saving gas. You can use these fuel-efficiency tips to save gas on your Thanksgiving trip and beyond. Making these gas-saving tips a part of your daily routine will not only save you money but also help you do your part to save the environment.

Unless your family has been holed up in a cave for the past several months, you probably already know that Zhu Zhu Pets are predicted to be one of the must-have toys of the season. And if you have a child who's been asking for the fuzzy little critters and their myriad of accessories for the holidays, you probably already know that many stores are already out of stock of these popular toys.

One reason retailers are out of Zhu Zhu Pets and other predicted-to-be-popular items is that most have not placed big orders this year. Burned by last year's dismal sales, many stores simply have not taken any chances.

But aside from the issue of availability, there's another reason to shop early. Industry analysts are also predicting that those unheard-of major discounts we saw last year are highly unlikely, again because retailers won't be facing overstock of inventory. So the message seems to be: Don't wait until the last minute to shop, hoping for a discount. If you see an item on sale right now that seems to be a good price, grab it.

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A friend of mine reminded me yesterday that we are seven weeks away from Christmas. Yikes.

My friend is the kind of woman who has already ordered Christmas gifts (yup, she's one of those super-organized people whom the rest of us can only feebly attempt to emulate before we realize it's like trying to become a concert pianist -- you either have it or you don't). So while I'm not gonna turn into Rebecca, I am at least determined not to be that crazed lady running through the mall on Christmas Eve again this year, making a mad dash from store to store, frantically searching for gifts.

That's why I'm taking a page from another friend's family and getting an early start on Christmas this year. I recently visited my friend John's mom, who had a terrific calendar of family photos displayed at her house. It turns out that last year, one of her other sons, Peter, had compiled family photos and used the iPhoto application on his Mac to create a calendar for members of his family for Christmas. It was flat-out one of the most beautiful calendars I'd ever seen -- a testament not only to Peter's artistic eye but also to the ease of use of the iPhoto program.

If you don't have a Mac, you can use a site like Rocket Life, which lets you create t-shirts, photo books, and even mugs as well as calendars from your PC. And if you have a good quality printer and the time, you can make your own calendar, cards, photobooks, and more with Hewlett-Packard's free Creative Studios for Home site.

I'm thinking of some more do-ahead holiday gifts for friends and family. In the meantime, I'm gonna spend a few minutes this week and gather up some photos to unleash my inner artist and create a great calendar for my family to use all next year.

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Recently, New York City banned bake sales in schools. Sixteen states, including California, have imposed similar limitations on foods high in calories, fat and sugar in schools.

I can understand the sentiment and the motivation -- however misguided -- behind the new rules. Childhood obesity is a major concern, and we should be doing all we can to curb sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks in schools. But does anyone really think banning bake sales will somehow counter sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition, and other unhealthy lifestyle habits that are increasing kids-- and adults' -- waistlines?

Just as banning baked goods from school grounds is no magic bullet for our nation's obesity problem, fighting obesity has to take a multi-pronged, reasonable approach. Parents and schools can work together to teach kids how to eat right and make sure they get enough physical activity. Once they have the real tools make healthy choices, a cookie or a muffin here and there will be a once-in-a-while treat, hardly worthy of a ban much less a second thought.

If you ever find yourself having a bad day or feeling stressed as I did today, think about stories like this: The family of a little girl named Elena Desserich, who died of brain cancer at the age of 6, discovered after her death that she'd hidden hundreds of little notes for her family to find after she'd gone. She'd tucked them into backpacks, drawers, and between books.

In a new book called Notes Left Behind, Elena's parents, Brooke and Keith, share the journal entries they'd written during their daughter's battle with cancer as well as what Elena wrote in her notes to her family.

Why do unbearable things like this happen in our world? Why do little children get sick and suffer? We can only make our feeble attempts at guessing the answers. But we can be certain that beauty exists when we think about children like Elena and the love that she and her family felt for each other. And when we think about stories like Elena's, it certainly puts something as trivial as a bad day into perspective. I'm going to go and hug my child now and be grateful for the fact that I get to tuck him into bed tonight and kiss him, which I think I may do a hundred times.

Thank you Brooke and Keith, for sharing your story and the spirit of your lovely daughter with the world.

Kids ages 6 to 11 are watching as much as 28 hours of TV a week, says a new report from The Nielsen Company. Younger kids, ages 2 to 5, are spending even more time in front of the TV screen -- as much as 32 hours a week -- presumably because their TV viewing is not interrupted by having to go to school.

TV isn't the only screen taking up kids' screen time today. The study found that children 6 to 11 are spending an average of 2 hours and 23 minutes playing video games.

The first thing that occurred to me when I read this report is, where are school-age kids finding all these hours for screen time? Now that my son is in third grade, he is spending more time than ever on homework. He barely has time for playdates and he only does one after-school activity, and yet we find ourselves scrambling every night to get homework done, have dinner, and get ready for bed on time. If we were making time for 28 hours of TV a week -- that's a whopping 4 hours a day -- we'd have to cut something out, like, say, sleep or family time.

I think TV and even videogames can have their place in kids' lives (even the shows and games that aren't "educational"), but if your kids are watching anything near 28 hours of TV a week, that probably means you're not having enough time with your kids, and your kids aren't spending enough time reading or playing with friends.

How does your family's TV viewing habits measure up against the Nielsen findings?