Halloween is absolutely the season for decorating your house with cat skeleton candles by PyroPet.

Homesickness is normal. Here are some techniques for how to cope with the feeling.

Wednesday Addams is the Halloween costume you don’t want to miss out on this year. From her dark braids to her panged makeup, the classic gory-loving adolescent girl is the ideal character to assume on the spookiest day of the year. Why? First crafted from the mind of cartoonist Charles Addams, then reimagined in the world of Tim Burton, Jenna Ortega became the “Queen of Creepy” last year when the Netflix series Wednesday quickly became one of the most watched across the globe for the streaming service. Wednesday’s gothic garments mirror her affinity for immoral behaviour and her inherent gloom. Her crisp collars and black ties are codes for what is typically referred to as “ivy-style”, with each suit stitched for the structure of a poised young woman – a contradiction to her otherwise raven-like characteristics and thirst for danger. Not only does Wednesday’s clean uniform aptly juxtapose her morose character, but it’s also very easy to recreate from what you already own in your wardrobe, or could find for cheap. Looking back at the eight-episode thriller, there’s only a few items needed to become the murder-solving Wednesday who’s captured everyone’s attention for the past year. Here’s some outfit options to embody the character of Wednesday Addams for Halloween. The classic schoolgirl Wednesday’s not someone to leave much up to chance. Her routine is consistent – minus the bloody extracurriculars and urge to break rules. However, the psychic prodigy is mainly seen in her Nevermore Academy uniform throughout the show. Just like any school uniform, the get-up consists of a fitted jacket, white button-down, black tie, grey sweater vest, long skirt, and loafers. Most of these items can be found at your local thrift store, if they’re not already hanging in your closet. Don’t worry about colour, Wednesday doesn’t care much for it. If you want to incorporate accessories that fully channel Wednesday’s character, buy a pair of chunky loafers ($70), sew a Nevermore patch ($14.90) onto your pinstripe jacket pocket, make sure your skirt is the same print as the coat, and get yourself a button-down with a long-pointed collar ($13.99). The polka-dot dress A misty cloud was enveloped around Wednesday from the very beginning. Even before she swapped public high school for a school dedicated to the supernatural, Wednesday stuck to dark colours. The polka-dot dress Ortega wore in the very first episode spoke volumes for her character. Walking through the halls and headed straight for the pool, with bags of piranhas ready to eat the flesh of her brother Pugsley’s bullies, Wednesday donned a long black dress with white polka-dots scattered all over. The garment was layered over her trademark sharp collar, and of course, her black tresses were pulled in two tight braids – never to be messed with. If you’re feeling lazy and aren’t up for the second-hand hunt, Amazon’s replica of Wednesday’s dress ($29.99) comes with both the top garment and long-sleeve undershirt. The fair Keeping with her consistent colour palette of black and white, the gifted teenager only swapped her pinstripe Nevermore ensemble for another print on her days off from school. Luckily, embodying Wednesday’s character outside of school is straightforward and effortless if you have black and white mixed into your clothing collection. All you need is a pair of black trousers, platform loafers, a black utility jacket, and a sweater with some monochrome embroidery. To match Wednesday’s look she donned at the fair – where she encountered the hyde for the first time – grab a gray hoodie and striped sweater. Since Wednesday is a girl of habit, most of her out-of-class outfits include variations of the black and white knitwear, like this checkered scoop neck sweater ($41.96). The school dance gown It’s a rarity to see Wednesday with her guard down, following her heart instead of her head. Even when she does, the character’s self-confidence never wavers. Wednesday knows who she is and what she likes, which is why she knew the perfect dress for Nevermore’s dance when she saw it in the window of an old antique store. The chiffon belted gown with a multi-layered skirt, sheer neckline, and buttoned black collar perfectly represented Wednesday’s desire to step out of her comfort zone while still staying true to who she is. It’s the kind of eerie elegance made for a night like Halloween. You can try and find a layered tulle skirt, black belt, and transparent button-up with a black bodice, or you can purchase the exact dress ($28.22). Either way, make sure your hair is pinned in two braids and wrapped around the top of your head. Find an opaque purple lip stain and dot some fake freckles over the bridge of your nose for Wednesday’s shadow-like makeup. If you’re really feeling crazy, switch on “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps and give your friends a taste of Wednesday’s ominous dance moves. Read More Halloween pumpkins – how to grow your own From a house party to a movie night, Halloween celebrations that don’t involve going out How to dress like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for Halloween 2023 11 best kids’ Halloween outfits that will scare and delight 9 best horror stories to read this Halloween and beyond Kourtney Kardashian’s skeletons and other celebrity inspiration for Halloween

Kourtney Kardashian Barker has revealed that she and Travis Barker conceived their son “naturally” after a challenging journey with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). In an interview for the November issue of Vogue, the Poosh founder candidly revealed that she and her husband were able to get pregnant without the stress caused by IVF treatments. Kardashian Barker told the outlet that she “felt really pressured and pushed into doing IVF. It went against my intuition, and I didn’t feel fully prepared for the mental or physical toll it takes.” Kardashian Barker had been documenting her IVF journey on her family’s Hulu reality TV series, The Kardashians. She paused the process in 2022 in favour of focusing on her lavish Italian wedding to her now-husband, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. “We just got pregnant naturally,” she revealed to Vogue. “It was an indescribable feeling. Shock, then super-happy, fear sets in, worry, but I remembered then to have gratitude.” Elsewhere in the interview, the Lemme founder discussed her life-threatening health scare when she underwent foetal surgery in September, saying: “That experience opened my eyes to a whole new world of pregnancy that I didn’t know about in the past.” “It was terrifying. And I learned that insurance typically only covers two ultrasounds when you’re pregnant, I had no idea,” she added. “I’ve always been lucky enough to do more than what insurance covers, and it’s one of those ultrasounds that saved my baby’s life.” The pair are currently expecting their first baby together. Kardashian Barker announced in June that she was pregnant by holding up a sign at her husband’s Blink-182 show in Los Angeles that read: “Travis, I’m pregnant.” The couple later revealed that they were expecting a baby boy after posting a gender reveal video on Instagram. The reality TV star is also mother to daughter Penelope, 11, and sons Reign, eight, and Mason, 13, who she shares with ex Scott Disick. Barker shares daughter Alabama Luella, 17, and son Landon Asher, 19, plus step-daughter Atiana De La Hoya, 24, with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler. Earlier this month, Kardashian Barker told Vanity Fair Italia that it was a “dream come true” to welcome a baby with her husband after such a long, painful journey with IVF. She got candid about the things she loved the most about raising a child, saying: “I love experiencing life through their eyes and doing with them all the things I did as a child. Going to Disneyland or even just touching sand for the first time.” She continued: “I love creating traditions and memories and making everyday things feel special and magical. Being able to do that now with Travis is a dream come true.” “I like being pregnant. I’m obsessed with the idea of being pregnant!” Kardashian Barker added. She maintained that she “physically” felt great, even though this pregnancy is much different than her first three. “But this time, unlike the other three, I was followed by a different group of doctors, who gave me many restrictions in the first months. No workouts, no Pilates, no caffeine and no plane trips. Even no sex!” Kardashian Barker said. “I think all this caution made me a little afraid because, in the past, I never had to be so careful.” Read More Kourtney Kardashian responds to criticism over pregnancy at 44 Khloe Kardashian confronts Kris Jenner about cheating on Robert Kardashian Sr Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker may have revealed son’s name at Disney-themed baby shower Kourtney Kardashian responds to criticism over pregnancy at 44 Menopause campaigner Mariella Frostrup: ‘I look forward to a future where women gradually stop feeling so ashamed’ More girls miss school and college due to their periods than colds, survey finds

When talking about the fundament, some terms have slipped through the crack of lexical history—so please enjoy these old and enjoyable terms for the hindquarters.

Mariella Frostrup said she looks forward to a future where women “stop feeling so ashamed” of their bodies. The broadcaster, author and former Observer agony aunt, who has been known for her work as a menopause campaigner over recent years, also said “the world is not changing fast enough” when it comes to awareness and support for women’s health experiences. “[There has been] centuries of misinformation and misunderstanding that’s gone on around menopause. You have to look to history to see where we’ve ended up – and then in a more optimistic vein, look forward to a future where women gradually stop feeling so ashamed,” Frostrup, 60, told the PA news agency. “I mean, everything to do with women’s bodies has been a source of shame. I remember as a teenager, I was hiding my Tampax underneath cereal packets when I went to the shops to buy them, because I was so ashamed of the fact I was having a period. “You look at young people today, and I just love it when young women will announce to a roomful of people, ‘Oh, I’m on my period’. That is a great indication of the sort of liberation we need to experience around our bodies.” Frostrup, who wrote an advice column for the Observer for a decade and joined Times Radio as a presenter in 2020, co-authored the 2021 book Cracking The Menopause and is chair of the Menopause Mandate collective, whose aim is to ‘revolutionise’ the support and advice women receive through their midlife health challenges and beyond. She has now teamed up with Always Discreet on a campaign highlighting bladder leakage. Despite affecting around half of women, many (50%) are unaware this can be a common symptom of menopause, according to a survey by the brand. Of those who do experience bladder leaks during menopause, the poll (of 1,200 women) also found more than 50% are not sure they would want to discuss it with anyone, with some (19%) citing embarrassment as the reason. Frostrup, who has a teenage son and daughter with husband, lawyer Jason McCue, is keen to highlight, however, that bladder leakage is often one of the menopause symptoms women can effectively self-manage – through pelvic floor exercise. These are simple exercises that involve squeezing the muscles around the pelvis, bladder and vaginal area. The campaign sees Frostrup and TV medic Dr Philippa Kaye encouraging women to ‘Squeeze the Day’ every day, with daily pelvic floor exercises. “It’s something a lot of women live with, a lot of women don’t talk about, and a lot of women feel ashamed about – but it is actually something you can tackle, when there’s so many other symptoms women struggle to obtain treatment for,” said Frostrup. “Here’s something you can personally take agency of, and do your pelvic floor exercises. “My mum, weirdly – and I have no idea why, because I was a teenager in the Seventies – was very vocal about the need to do pelvic floor exercises. I think probably back then, it was more to do with childbirth and making that a bit easier in the future, but I was lucky in a way, as it’s something I’ve had an understanding about – although I’m still practicing how to do them without raising my eyebrows,” she added, laughing. “With so many of these things, you need a bit of levity as well. Obviously, [bladder leakage] is not the most pleasant thing – but it’s not the end of the world, and you can prevent it and actually make a difference if you’re already suffering.” Frostrup is certain that lack of awareness and support around menopause has made it “so much more difficult” for those affected, and that there’s still work to be done. “I think for an awful long time, our ignorance around the subject has made the transition through perimenopause and menopause so much more difficult,” she said. “The discovery that one in two women are going to suffer from bladder leaks – that’s an astounding proportion, particularly when you look at it as just one of 50 symptoms around menopause that women are unaware of. “I think there’s an issue in that menopause is now presented as something everybody knows about – ‘yada, yada, why is it still being talked about? You’ve got everything you wanted, now get on with it’ – and I think that’s absolutely not the case,” Frostrup continued. “Based on the thousands of women who’ve written to us at Menopause Mandate and talked to us about their symptoms, the treatment, the support they’ve been able to access, their experiences in the workplace and so on. What’s clear is that the world is not changing fast enough for these disenfranchised women. “We don’t want to rest on our laurels and just think, ‘Oh, everything’s fine now’. We’re still at base level – we’ve still got Everest to climb, when it comes to just recognition and support for women.” Mariella Frostrup has partnered with Always Discreet on their ‘Squeeze the Day, Every Day’ missions. Find out more about pelvic floor exercises via the Always Discreet Menopause Hub. (Speak to your GP if you are concerned about bladder leakage).

Girls miss more school or college days due to periods than any other reason – including colds, mental health or truancy, according to a new report. Periods cause girls to be absent from school or college for three days a term on average, compared with colds and flu (2.6 days), mental health (1.9 days) and truancy (1.2 days), the data released by washroom provider phs Group has revealed. This equates to 54 lost education days over the course of their teen years, the equivalent of 11 academic weeks. The findings form part of phs Group’s Period Equality: Breaking the Cycle report, now in its third year, for which Censuswide polled 1,262 girls aged 13-18 years across the UK. The majority (82%) cited cramps as the main reason for this, while almost one in five (19%) said they stay away from lessons because they’re embarrassed about being on their period, and one in 12 (8%) said it’s because no period products were available to them. This is despite the introduction of period equality measures in recent years, designed to improve access to free period products in education settings. “It’s important to recognise that huge advances have been made in giving girls access to free period products in schools across the UK. What we must do now is close the gap between providing schools with all the products they need and getting them into the hands of any girls that need them, for whatever reason,” said Kelly Greenaway, period equality lead at phs Group. “We know from our own data providing schools with products, that they have more than enough for their girls, so we need to tackle the misconceptions around free access to products in washrooms, and the stigma and shame that goes hand-in-hand with failing to have open conversations about menstruation.” Since the launch of the Government’s Period Product Scheme in January 2020, which provides free period products to education settings in England, via phs Group, 99% of secondary schools and 94% of post-16 organisations have ordered products through the scheme. However, the report published today highlights how periods remain a barrier to education for many girls – with the number of girls missing school due to their periods almost the same for the 2023 findings (54%) as the findings in 2019 (52%), before free sanitary product schemes were introduced. Despite the roll-out of such schemes, over half (52%) of the students surveyed said they did not find period products freely available in their school and college settings, while one in seven (14%) said they did not know if they were available. To help tackle the issue and raise awareness, phs Group is launching a new period equality podcast – called The Blobcast: Free The Period – hosted by menstrual wellbeing and confidence educator Kasey Robinson. Robinson said: “I know too well about the barriers facing so many of us when it comes to our menstrual health. It’s simply not enough to blame absenteeism figures on access to products alone. “On the ground, the story is clear: we aren’t being educated, supported and informed enough about periods. Menstruation is still a taboo subject, and our experience is a secret to keep to ourselves and something we feel forced to hide. In education settings, this is leading to more and more girls staying away from school. “Without workshops, learning resources and the support for and from teachers and caregivers, this issue will stay the same, or get worse,” Robinson added. “It should not be a revolutionary act to teach people about periods, it’s a right. We need to break the cycle of shame and encourage open and honest conversations about periods – exactly what The Blobcast is seeking to do.” The Blobcast: Free The Period launches on all free streaming platforms on October 18. More information can be found at www.phs.co.uk/TheBlobcast.

From Knotts Scary Farm to Eastern State Penitentiary, these haunted attractions are worth a visit this Halloween season.

All five answers to the questions below have something in common. Can you figure it out?

Travis Kelce doesn’t just have a passion for scoring touchdowns – he loves to score designer duds and limited-edition sneakers too. In conversation with The Wall Street Journal, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end – who’s rumoured to be dating Taylor Swift – spoke candidly about his appreciation for clothing and motivation to style himself before every game. In recent weeks, Kelce, 33, has received an increased amount of attention following speculation the NFL player is romantically involved with the “Anti-Hero” artist. And with that, fans have been noticing the standout outfits he’s worn while escorting Swift out of Arrowhead Stadium and accompanying her to the Saturday Night Live afterparty in New York City. But Kelce’s infatuation with fashion began long before his newfound relationship with the Grammy winner. According to the professional athlete, fashion has always been a big part of his pre-game ritual. Before arriving at any stadium, Kelce contemplates the look he wants to sport, and he actually prefers to do so under a time crunch. “I kind of just do it off of instinct. It really just goes down to the wire,” he told the outlet during their 16 October interview. “I kind of enjoy the creative process of the panic to just throw something together.” To be clear, Kelce isn’t rummaging through a light rotation of clothing. Rather, he’s choosing from a myriad of options with about 300 pairs of sneakers and a bedroom-turned-closet full of garments. The self-proclaimed “impulse shopper” admitted he’s constantly building his wardrobe and scouring sites like Farfetch and Ssense while watching football games on the TV or eating a meal. Though some athletes and most celebrities choose to work with renowned stylists, Kelce has always preferred to tap into his own inspiration. From donning high fashion suits designed by brands like Celine, to strutting into Paris Fashion Week shows, Kelce has an acquired taste for fashion different from that of his teammates. While many of his counterparts prefer to stick with classic sweatsuits or even traditional suit and tie combos, the younger Kelce brother isn’t afraid to stray from the masses in Louis Vuitton overcoats or reconfigured Dior suits for game and guest appearances. But his eclectic style goes beyond known brands. Kelce’s sources from smaller streetwear companies as well, such as Brooklyn-based KidSuper Studios. After Swift attended his 24 September home game, the two were spotted leaving Arrowhead Stadium in a getaway car. Swift wore Chiefs merchandise while Kelce changed out of his gear and into the brand’s 1999 Bedroom Painting set. Colm Dillane, the founder of KidSuper, noted of Kelce: “He’s an NFL player with a crazy salary so he can wear all the top brands, but then it’s really cool that he’s, like, genuinely on the internet searching for different brands “Obviously, not every look is for everybody,” Kelce said to The Wall Street Journal. “I’m not going to be offended if somebody says I look like a clown if I got a fun hat on and some wacky jeans. It is what it is, I’m gonna have fun with it.” “For the most part, I do it to put a smile on somebody’s face,” he continued. Fashion took precedence when he was younger, even when he was on the field. Kelce wanted to have all the best gear from athletic headbands to top-of-the-line shoes. The athlete admitted: “Playing a sport growing up, like I always wanted to wear a headband, I always wanted to have a certain pair of shoes.” Of course, as Kelce got older, making it to the NFL and earning a salary more than he could’ve ever imagined, his ability to stray from run-of-the-mill looks became easier. He no longer had to shop under the constraints of money. “Money gave me access to certain designers and just certain fabrics that I absolutely love now,” Kelce confessed. Most recently, Kelce was seen leaving Swift’s New York City apartment in a green Palm Angels tracksuit, black baseball cap, and matching sunglasses to go watch his brother Jason play against the New York Jets. Read More Travis Kelce’s ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole addresses ‘backlash and embarrassment’ in Instagram post Travis Kelce tells Taylor Swift’s security guard to ‘step aside’ on date night Katy Perry says she ‘ships’ Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce amid rumoured romance

One of the spooky faces in this Halloween brainteaser is not like the others.

The comedy classic has a Quote-A-Long version coming to a multiplex near you.