The statistics never seem to budge, but the Million Moms Challenge just might bring the tragic numbers down: Every 90 seconds around the world, a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth; 1.5 million newborns die within the first 24 hours of life; and as many as 3.3 million die before they turn 1 month old.

The saddest thing is, most of these deaths can be prevented. It's just a matter of sharing the knowledge we have as moms here in America with moms around the globe.

In the US, we have so much knowledge that we take it for granted and let slight differences in opinion (pacifier or no pacifier? co-sleep or sleep train?) set us apart. Most of the things we disagree on as moms in this country are, in fact, a luxury -- can you imagine if the hardest part of being a mom was merely keeping your baby alive?

It's one of those questions that keeps me up at night: What would happen if my husband were no longer here? As a working mom, modern woman, and daughter to a single mom (for a period of time), one would think that I'd have all of this figured out. Financially, anyway. Emotionally I would never be able to figure it out. But when looking at the nitty gritty of raising two children to successful adulthood, it's terrifying to realize that 75% of our household income would disappear along with my husband, if god forbid, anything were to ever happen to him.

It's what Brooklyn mom, Jennie Perillo, is facing right now. Her husband Mikey died suddenly of a heart attack two weeks ago leaving her alone to parent her 3- and 8-year-old daughters. 

We have all seen the pictures and read the articles about celebrity kids. Heck, we write them here at The Stir. How late Suri Cruise stays up, what outfit Kingston Rossdale is decked out in, who is having a playdate with whom. We follow what celebrities and their kiddos are doing ... and face it, some of us (me included) buy a raincoat or grab a t-shirt because we saw Knox Jolie-Pitt wearing it.

What other celeb trends have been followed: the lavish birthday party. I have been to a few. Reports say Suri Cruise didn't have a huge blow-out this year, but who can forget her birthday soiree when she turned 2 ... which supposedly cost $100,000. Yes, that is the correct number of zeros, folks. And she isn't the only celeb kid having expensive parties.

But you know, I think, I hope, I wish another trend was started ...

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and our planet will get some much-need attention and extra love as events are held across the country. It's a great time to reflect on our resources and what we can do to preserve them.

But what about the rest of the year? Sure, we may recycle here and there, but are we really doing everything we can to do our part? There are plenty of other little things we can do in our day-to-day lives that make a big difference, but too often we're too busy, or too lazy, or just don't know what to do.

Ian James Corlett is the author of E Is for Environment: Stories to Help Children Care for Their World -- at Home, at School, and at Play. He shares five things all families can do to keep our earth green and clean:

April is Autism Awareness Month, and there are a zillion ways to show your support: runs, walks, concerts, and even comedy shows work to raise money for more research and more awareness. It's rare that a home is not touched by autism, whether through friends or family, so we all need to get involved in raising worldwide awareness.

Donating to any one of the rad organizations is a great way to help bring attention to autism and offer financial help to the cause. But what's also fun is buying cute stuff that has another huge benefit besides looking good on you, your child, or in your purse. Here's a roundup of five of the best autism awareness items in toddler and mom gear out there.

Spread the word!

Have you ever written a letter to the president? Neither have I. But Wills Price at the ripe age of 13 has -- he wrote a letter to the president asking him to make the White House the Blue House (for only one night).

Why does this little guy want to change the color of one of the most famous buildings in the world? To get the word out about autism. Wills has autism and is taking part in Light It Up Blue, organized by the folks at Autism Speaks and other organizations to commemorate World Autism Day on April 2. They are encouraging iconic buildings across the world -- as well as regular homes -- be lit with blue light to raise awareness for autism.

So how does one write a letter to the president? Check out how Wills does it like a pro!

Ever since I read the story of Amiee Langdon, the toddler partially blinded by dog poo, I think about her every time I see a dog's mess left behind somewhere.

There the 2-year-old was just walking along, when she tripped and landed in it. All of a sudden she's infected with toxocariasis and loses 75 percent of her sight in one eye.

It's one of those unfair, preventable tragedies that makes us seethe and worry for our own families.

Today, the 2-year-old is doing fine, though she will likely never be able to drive a car or do many other things she would have been able to do otherwise if it weren't for one person's inconsiderate, lazy decision not to clean up after his or her dog.

But instead of bitterly bemoaning what's been lost, Amiee and her family are working to help prevent the same thing from happening to others.

A 2-year-old boy from Eldon, Missouri -- and son of a CafeMom -- has made history. Although Owen Stark didn’t set out to do anything extraordinary, per se, as the youngest person in the world to receive an artificial lung, he’s opening up possibilities for scores of children for years and years to come.

Owen, who suffers from pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs), began to show symptoms last April and then collapsed in a Toys R Us this past June. Without any other options, his doctors at St. Louis Children's Hospital turned to a German-made apparatus, Novalung, to stabilize the boy until they could find a suitable lung for transplant.