Mothers are the greatest! I have always admired those moms who have many children because I know how much effort it takes to bring up a child. They need constant care and love, as well as finances for all the things they need.
Alexis Brett is a mother of 11. And boy, isn’t that simply incredible? That means she is constantly busy making sure all of her kids are doing perfectly well, but very blessed at the same time.
However, what is interesting about her kids is that 10 of them are boys, and the youngest one is a girl.
In fact, both Alexis and husband David always knew they wanted a big family, but they never really cared whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. One would assume they were trying for a daughter, which according to them, wasn’t the case.
Speaking to the Mirror, Alexis recalled the moment she was told she was having a daughter. “I’d been expecting to hear we were having another boy. But when I found out it was a girl, my face was a picture,” she said.
The family, which lives in the Scottish Highlands, UK, were over the moon when baby girl Cameron was brought home. She makes a perfect addition to the family. Her parents say she will definitely be treated like a real princess having 10 brothers, aged 2 to 17, who will always be there for her and will have her back her whole life.
“They’ve generally been much better behaved around her,” dad David said, “Trying to keep quiet in case they wake her up. “They also want to help with holding and feeding her – it’s been great.”
This super mom has a lot on her plate but manages everything just perfectly. Her house is never messy and she does 49 laundry loads a week. She also vacuums the place every single day, but says she doesn’t mind that.
Asked if she and David are considering having more kids in the future, she says the answer is a big no, no.
“We’re definitely stopping now,” she says. “There’ll be no more. I said that last time, but this time I absolutely mean it. I love my family as it is now.”
Buying pink clothes for the first time seems like a super experience for this super mom. She is definitely happy to be having so many beautiful children. May God bless this lovely family!
Very often, we speak of the importance of mothers in their children’s lives and we all agree that they sacrifice a lot for their kids’ well-being. However, we sometimes forget that most fathers do the same.
It was Dad’s Night at the Lincoln Elementary School in Wyckoff, New Jersey, and four dads stole the show with their cute and fun performance.
Source: YouTube/ Amato Galasso
“You can only imagine the delight in your child’s eyes when you walk out on stage. To them, you become a superhero. You can do no wrong. If you want your child talking about you for the next 6 months, get up on stage and have some fun,” the school’s website wrote.
So, these dads did exactly that when they took the stage. Everyone knew they would give the audience a night to remember.
Wearing ballerina costumes designed for women and head bands with veils, they looked hilarious. Instead of tights, the four dads wore white socks and it only added to the uniqueness of their outfits.
Source: YouTube/ Amato Galasso
They walked on stage with confidence, and some even paced on the tips of their toes, just like real ballerinas do.
Loud laughing could be heard as the four started dancing on one of the most popular ballet music pieces ever composed, Swan Lake by great Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
It is obvious that they did practice the routine, but their movements are quite mismatched. They run, and then jump, before they land on their feet, lacking the gracefulness of professional ballet dancers. Their spins are quite great, and everyone loves their every move. Finally, after giving the audience the time of their life, the four dads end their spectacular routine by landing on their knees.
They received a loud applause and their bravery to get on stage and perform was praised by the entire school.
We are sure that in case their children got a little bit embarrassed with their dads wearing skirts now, they would appreciate this moment later in life and would cherish it as a fond memory.
Source: YouTube/ Amato Galasso
Way to go dads! For their brilliant performance please go to the video below.
Many parents try to fulfill their failed dreams through their children and force them to do things they are not even passionate about. For many years, the wide public believed that was the case with “The World’s Strongest Boy,” or “Little Hercules,” as many dubbed him.
Richard Sandrak’s parents, however, denied they pushed their son into the world of bodybuilding and weight lift by force.
Richard was born in Ukraine on April 15, 1992, to a mother who was an aerobics competitor, and a father who was a former world champion in martial arts.
At the age of two, Richard had already started training. That was around the same time when the family moved to Pennsylvania, USA.
Source: Youtube/Nick’s Strength and Power
Both Richard’s parents wanted their son to become a sensation. According to a 2007 article by The Guardian, they had high hopes of moving to California, aiming to get good publicity for young Richard. At the time, many criticized Lena and Pavel, Richard’s parents, and accused them of forcing their son into something extreme. Speculations were he was even given steroids, because his appearance at such a young age was out of this world. He literally looked like miniature Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In an interview with BBC in 2009, Richard decided to open up about his training sessions which were reported to have taken place five days a week for intensive 90 minutes.
“I’ve never been forced to train or do anything against my will,” he said. “My parents used to train all the time, and I wanted to join in. It was mostly my choice. It’s just what I grew up doing. I was never forced. It was never an issue.”
Source: Youtube/Inside Edition
In 2004, the Sandrak family gathered even more attention after the documentary The World’s Strongest Boy was released. Among the rest, the film featured Richard flexing and posing on a Las Vegas stage. Weighting only 80 pounds, Little Hercules could bench press twice his body weight at the age of just 10.
Besides the extensive training sessions, Richard had to follow a strict diet which consisted of a lot of lima beans due to their protein. As a result, he had less than one-percent body fat.
As he grew a bit older, Richard started working out with a professional trainer, Frank Giardina, who was the boy’s manager at the same time. He, however, wasn’t happy with some of Pavel’s methods, which included a lot of exercises and sleeping on the floor in order to maintain perfect posture.
Pavel believed that wasn’t a big deal. “But it was just a phase trying out something different,” he was reported saying. “Nothing important.”
Source: Youtube/Inside Edition
When Richard turned 11, his father went to prison and he cut all ties with him. That’s when trainer and manager Marco Garcia came into the picture. He helped Richard land roles in a couple of movies, including Little Hercules in 3-D.
“For now, I just want to go out and make more movies,” Little Hercules said at the time, as reported by The Guardian.
“What I’ve noticed a lot is childhood obesity. It’s become such a big problem, especially here in America, that I feel I have to do something. Kids are going to be adults. They’re going to be our future. Right now, one out of three has potential of dying before their parents. I want to get them eating right and doing sports one hour a day.
“I think of it this way: the kids that do that, how do they end up? They don’t end up with successful careers in any good business. They end up working at McDonald’s, and that’s not a life I want for myself.”
Source: Youtube/Inside Edition
In 2012, Richard appeared in the film The Legends of Nethiah and the short film Assassin Priest.
Today, Richard Sandrak is 29 and he’s not into bodybuilding any longer, or at least not as much as he used to be.
Richard works at the Universal Studios for their Hollywood “Water World” show, where he performs all sorts of stunts, including diving into water from a height of more than 50 feet.
“The first time was very scary; all I could think about was to follow the safety procedures,” he told Inside Edition of his job. “I don’t lift weights anymore. If anything, it just got boring to me.”
“I’m very proud of my past,” he said. “It’s not something that I don’t want anybody to know anymore, it’s just that I’m not going to be stuck living in it.”
Some actors spend so many years on a single role that it becomes part of them and defines their entire career. For Sean Murray, that role is that of Special Agent Timothy McGee in NCIS.
Murray didn’t come from a family of actors. In fact, no one in his surrounding was in any way related to the world of film, except for his great-great-grandmother who was performing at the Sydney Opera House during the 1900s, but he somehow knew deep down that acting was his calling.
Speaking of his childhood, Murray revealed that he has always been some sort of “performer.”
“As far back as I can remember, I was always a little performer. Whether I was doing book reports, oral presentations in class. Putting on a show for my parents when they came home from work,” he recalled.
“I was always doing something. Performing and acting specifically is something I have always known I wanted to do as far back as I can remember.”
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins
However, the defining moment which convinced Murray he belonged in the film industry was the 1986 classic Stand By Me and the remarkably polished performance of River Phoenix.
“It was the deal for me! I did a little bit of theater and dabbled a little bit in acting but what made me want to do it professionally was when I saw ‘Stand By Me.’ River Phoenix’s work on that film had a big impact on me and I would say is what made me want to pursue it more than anything,” he explained.
“Luckily, I had a mother with a pretty adventurous spirit, so she was down to give it a go and go on the adventure with me.”
Youtube/Galleymonkey
When he was just 11, Murray was an extra in the film My Blue Heaven, and played some minor roles until he landed that of Thackery in Hocus Pocus.
He says he still gets recognized on the street as Thackery and he finds that flattering.
“I was 14 when I made that and I will get kids that are 11 or 12 years old and say, ‘Hey you are Binx from Hocus Pocus,’” Murray explained.
“That is wild to me but their parents were my age and watched the movie when they were kids and now their kids watch it. It is wild. I have even been told by a number of people that physically I haven’t changed much. I guess I still look like I am 14.”
Shutterstock/Dfree
It was in 2003 when Murray was offered the role of McGee, cybersecurity and computer crime specialist, on NCIS.
According to Murray, the character of McGee was supposed to be part of only one episode, but things changed, and he became a regular. Apparently, producers needed to make one of the episodes longer and in an attempt to “fill the time,” they decided to bring McGee back.
“To play a character for 14 years is interesting but it’s also been fun because my character has grown as the show’s grown,” Murray explained in 2017. “I mean he started off as a rookie agent and is now a senior field agent so it’s been good.”
On set, Murray made friends with everyone who starred alongside him, especially the star of the show, Mark Harmon.
“The relationship between McGee and Gibbs has always been like that of a father-son thing, but we’ll be exploring that quite a bit and see how that’s changed and grown,” he explained of upcoming episodes. “But for him, the bond doesn’t stop when the cameras aren’t rolling,” Murray told Inquirer.
“As for Mark, he’s a mentor and one of my best friends,” he added. “One of the best work partners I’ve ever had. He means a tremendous amount to me. He’s got these qualities of a leader that have made the show what it is today. He’s our quarterback.”
Unfortunately, Harmon decided to leave the show after whooping 418 episodes.
Murray is married to wife Carrie James and they have two children together, daughter Caitlyn and son Craig.
Many of Murray’s siblings pursued career in Hollywood. His stepsister Troian Bellisario starred in the successful show Pretty Little Liars, and his brother Chad Murray is a producer for NCIS Los Angeles. The rest are also part of the film industry.
Besides NCIS, Murray has also been involved in a number of other projects, including the BBC drama Agatha Christie: Ordeal by Innocence.
Murray has a net worth of $25 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth.
Alexander Archbold is the owner of one of the most breathtaking antique shops, Curiosity Inc., where the magic of the ‘ancient’ times wraps all around you and makes you feel as though you entered a completely new world. Various vintage collectibles, oddities, and antiques beg you to take them home and elevate the warmth and the beauty of your place.
The shop is located in Edmonton, Alberta, and the fun thing is that a lot of the items there are brought by a homeless man named Adam.
Source: Curiosity Inc./Screenshot
This man is going through dumpsters, and he often comes across various items people throw.
“It’s not unusual to have people walk in my store with treasures they have for sale,” said Archbold. “I’ve seen him [Adam] through the store many times before, so he’s always a welcome sight.”
On that day, Adam had in his hands a plastic bag full of different items.
“One piece that kind of stood out was a picture of Bambi, in what was a dirty broken frame,” said Archbold.
Source: Alex Archbold/CBC News
“It’s the scene where Bambi is just born and meeting his forest friends … It’s an iconic part of the movie.”
Archold knew Disney fans are interested in bying such pieces so he though he could buy it for $20 and eventually sell it for $100 after he replaces the frame.
But, once he took it out of the broken glass, he was left stunned. It wasn’t a cheap replica as he initially though. In an interview with Carol Hoff, he said:
“I took it out of the old frame and when I flipped it over, it had a really old certificate of authenticity. It had a copyright date of 1937 on it.”“I wrote a gallery in the U.S that had one, and they were asking $3,500 for theirs.”
Source: Alex Archbold/CBC News
“That’s when I knew that I way underpaid. So I vowed that whatever I would get, I would give [Adam] half [the money].”
Once the piece was put on auction on eBay, it was quickly sold for $3,700. Now the only thing remaining was to find Adam and give him his share. “Getting him the money was difficult because he has no home and no phone number,” Archbold explained. “I took it upon myself to drive around town for a period of two weeks every single morning before work to try and find him.”
Source: Alex Archbold/CBC News
When he finally tracked the homeless man and handed him the cash, Adam immediately burst into tears. He couldn’t believe how kind Archobald was for doing that good deed. This meant the world to him.
YouTube
Archobald knew he had to take things in his hands and do his best to take Adam off the streets. His plan was to buy him a plane ticket to Ontario, where his family is. He even started a GoFundMe page and set up a goal of getting $10,000. Compassionate people like Archbold himself, donated even more.
Source: GoFundMe Screenshot
“I’m still kind of pinching myself,” Adam told CTV News. “It doesn’t seem real to me. It’s awesome to know people are out there that care and that are kind.”
The story of Adam vent viral and people are thanking the shop owner for helping a man in need.
“This made my heart feel so warm. You are one fine man. Your heart and feelings make the world a more positive place.”
“Very touching. I wish everyone was this compassionate. The world would be a different place.”
“That was one of the best videos I have seen.”
Source: CTV
Take a look at the whole story in the video below and make sure you share it with friends!
Some couples’ life stories are so deeply touching and beautiful that they remind us that true love does exist.
Actor Dustin Hoffman and wife Lisa have been married for 42 years but they have known each other way longer than that.
Dustin’s mother and Lisa’s grandmother lived in the same apartment complex in Los Angeles and were very close friends, so Lisa first met Dustin when she was still just a child.
In fact, on the wedding day of Lisa’s parents, when her mother was pregnant with her, Dustin, who was an aspiring pianist at the time, played the piano. Later, they both joked that she fell in love with him and his music even before she was born.
Marc Piasecki/WireImage
At the time Dustin was 27 and Lisa was 10, they got to hang out together with Lisa’s brother one day. “Dustin was telling us jokes, playing the piano and encouraging me to dance around the living room. After we got together, my grandmother reminded me that later that day I had said, ‘I hope he waits for me because I want to marry him.’”
Even though he lived in New York and she was living in L.A. with her family, whenever Dustin visited his grandmother, he visited Lisa, too.
The two realized there was chemistry between them when he went to see Lisa’s family after her grandfather died.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
It was during their first date that they spoke about their future and the number of children they wanted to have. She said she wanted six, and he said how he already had two so four would be OK. That is exactly how many children they have.
Jake, who is an acknowledged actor, writer and director, was born in 1981. In 1983, the couple welcomed daughter Rebecca and Maxwell and Alexandra were born in 1984 and 1987 respectively.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Although she was aware that her husband’s career would mean going places, Lisa still decided to attend college. In 1980, she graduated from the faculty of law and passed the bar exam. However, she decided to dedicate all her time and energy to motherhood and her family. “I knew that having a law career wouldn’t be possible once I started traveling around with Dustin, but I also knew that I needed to complete this one thing for myself,” she said.
For both Dustin and Lisa, family always comes first, and despite his successful career, she somehow always stayed out of the spotlight but it’s her who is the driving force in the family.
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Speaking to Closer Weekly in 2017, she said of her marriage: “We work hard at it.”
We are glad these two didn’t let fame affect their relationship in any way. Their love and affection for one another is growing stronger and stronger with each passing day.
Dick Van Dyke was honored at last year’s Kennedy Center Honors alongside actress Debbie Allen, singer Joan Baez, violinist Midori, and country music icon Garth Brooks.
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. This year’s event aired on CBS and was organized in a different but equally emotional manner as it has been throughout the years. The pandemic did postpone the occasion, but it didn’t steal any of the glamour it brings ever since 1978.
“Performances and tributes were filmed on stages and in locations across the Kennedy Center’s iconic campus or recorded virtually throughout the week of May 17-22,” a press statement for the event stated.
Many of the memorable tributes to Van Dyke reminded us once again why we all love him so much.
Source: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock
Of course, among those who delivered their speeches was actress Julie Andrews, Van Dyke’s co-star.
She reflected on the friendship with Van Dyke and described him as “endlessly kind, wildly imaginative, insanely talented and hilariously funny.” Andrews also compared him to Marry Poppins and said: “In truth, I think that Dick is as magical as she is.”
“Every day is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with you, Dick,” she added.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who starred in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns in which Van Dyke made a cameo, said: “Spend five minutes with Dick Van Dyke and you’re more alive than you were before.”
The event was a true pleasure for the heart and the soul. Derek Hough, Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit, one of the biggest names of Broadway, delivered enchanting performances on Mary Poppins song “Step in Time” as well as on “Put on a Happy Face,” from Bye Bye Birdie.
Needless to say, Van Dyke was honored and thrilled.
“There was some great, great dancing tonight,” he said. “They were doing dance numbers I couldn’t have done. All those numbers reminded me of how much fun I had over the years.”
Source: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock
Born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri, Van Dyke fell in love with the stage performance during his teen years when he joined his school drama club. His first professional job was that of a radio announcer. “I was in all the shows in school. I was a radio announcer at 17. And I really never thought about it. I loved entertaining, but as a profession it was just too far away to think about. It happened incrementally,” Van Dyke recalled in an interview with Maximum Fun.
When the war started, he took part in it, not as a soldier but as a radio announcer who entertained the troops. “Everybody was getting drafted. I saw the ad in the paper, and I went down to audition and we had a 250-watt CBS affiliate,” he said. “And I got the job! I did the news and had a disk jockey show and everything, I loved radio. I dreamed of becoming a television announcer. But things went a lot farther than that!”
Twitter/CBS
When the war was finally over, he went back home and soon moved to California, but struggled finding a job. Eventually, he got a seven-year contract with CBS but was let go after only three years.
In 1984, he married his first wife, Maggie, on the radio show Bride and Groom. The program paid for their wedding and their honeymoon.
The couple soon welcomed their two sons into their lives, but things weren’t easy and he and Maggie had to travel the country, going from one job to another. Speaking of those tough times, Van Dyke said: “My road days weren’t over as soon as I thought,” according to Click Americana. “Our two sons, Christian and Barry, were born while on tour, and it’s a little nightmarish to recall the tough times when they had to sleep on mattresses in the back of the car when we jumped from job to job. Our two daughters, Stacey and Cathy, both born later, didn’t have to suffer these inconveniences, thank goodness.”
Twitter/CBS
Van Dyke appeared in several shows, but his career skyrocketed when he was given the role in the show Bye, Bye Birdie. It was comedian and producer Carl Reiner who was supposed to take part in the show he had written himself, but meeting young and versatile Van Dyke changed things. “I fired myself and made him the star of the series,” Reiner said. “It only took me five minutes to see that Dick was a real pro and, for one so young, the versatility of his talent was unbelievable.”
The show aired for a total of 158 episodes.
The next show which made Van Dyke even more famous was Mary Poppins.
“I never had to screen test,” Van Dyke told Parade. “[Walt Disney] brought me in and the Sherman brothers played that wonderful score and he showed me all the drawings of what was going to happen. Oh, my gosh. I just knew it was going to be great.”
Youtube/Access
Van Dyke’s award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and theater. The good thing? “One-man show” is still performing for his huge audience and is not planning on quitting any time soon. “I just love the work. I love to do it,” he explained.
What’s most, at the age of 95, he still dances every day and that’s what keeps him young.
“Oh, absolutely! Oh, god yes! You do a little dancing every day. If I go into a store and there’s music playing, then I’m dancing. In the market every morning. I can’t help it,” he said.
“Any kind of movement like that will help keep joints and bones moving. And my wife keeps me young! She has a lot of energy. She’s a singer and a dancer, so we do musicals around here all day.”
Shutterstock
He believes that people should do what they enjoy and what makes them happy despite their age. Speaking of his, he gave CBS This Morning an update about his health and said how he regularly works out in his home, doing sit-ups and dancing.
“I’m 95, and a lot of my friends won’t do these,” he says, demonstrating his fitness regimen on the ground. “… So all you old guys out there, listen to me, I’m telling you: You can keep going for a long— I’m still dancing! And singing!” the legendary actor said.
Asked what would he do when he reaches 100, Van Dyke told Parade: “I remember George Burns booked himself at the Palladium. He didn’t quite make it there, but at least he had an optimistic outlook. I’ve got nothing booked yet!
“There’s an old saying: ‘Sing like nobody can hear you, dance like nobody can see you and love like you’ve never been hurt.’ That’s a good way to live. that’s my motto.”
Twitter/CBS
We wish him only the best and hope he stays as charming and as active in the years to come.
The first step towards overcoming an addiction is acceptance and confession. The biggest issue with addicts is that rather than admitting the problem exists, they’ll do all in their power to justify and continue the behavior. Just like drugs and alcohol, food can turn into addiction too. Most people who overeat simply can’t control their hunger and crave unhealthy food. This can easily lead to obesity and a number of health issues. Proof that the life of these people can be a real struggle is the famous TV show My 600-Lb Life.
One of the participants of the show who caught our attention is Jeanne Covey. This woman’s life was far from easy. In fact, it was during her early years that she started building an unhealthy relationship with food. When she was still very young, she used to live with her grandmother who didn’t treat her right. As a form of revenge, Jeanne started steeling her grandma’s cookies, and that’s when she started overeating and gaining weight uncontrollably. At her heaviest, Jeanne weighted 700 pounds.
Source: YouTube / The List
Living with her mom, dad, and their dogs, Jeanne felt she was a burden to her parents. Her mom was forced to wash her using washcloths as Jeanne couldn’t fit in the shower.
At one point, she decided enough was enough and turned to Dr. Now, the famous doctor from the show who helped save the lives of a number of obese people. The good thing was that she lived in Big Sandy, Texas, just a few hours away from Houston, where Dr. Now’s office is.
If you’ve watched this show, you know that Dr. Now asks from the participants to follow a strict diet and lose some weight before he can perform the gastric bypass surgery during which the patient’s stomach is reduced to the size of a walnut.
Source: YouTube / The List
Jeanne went to Houston with her mom, but once there, her mom got sick and had to undergo a surgery. With everything that was going on, the two realized they haven’t heard from Jeanne’s dad for some time and got worried for him. They called the police and asked them to check on him, but when they arrived in Jeanne’s family home, they found her father dead. This affected Jeanne’s mental state a great deal and she wasn’t able to continue her journey with Dr. Now. Eventually, she decided to leave the show.
”I talked to my mom and we both decided we’re not going back to Houston,” she said at the six-month check-in on the program of My 600-lb Life. “With my dad gone, we can’t leave the dogs alone and I can’t go by myself. So I’m just not in a place to do Dr. Now’s program. I know I have to lose weight and I don’t have a lot of time, but I don’t know what to do about it right now.”
Her destiny was one of the reasons why people became very interested in her life. Many believed that Jeanne would gain even more weight because of the heartbreak she suffered, but she proved them wrong.
In August 2020, this determined young woman wrote on her Facebook page, “Im down to 388lbs. So you don’t need to private message asking my weight.. here it is.. I’m doing great, going out more.”
Apparently, she worked hard for a fresh start, found a boyfriend and moved places.
In December last year, Jeanne posted an update. “Hope everyone is having a wonderful beginning of December… Not going into all the details But for Christmas Ill be sharing some new pictures of me and my new Beau… not giving too much info as I’d like everyone to respect his privacy but sharing some good news with everyone who has been in my corner,” she wrote.
A month ago, she posted another update and made her fans really happy. “This was our last day in Texas … We are now in Arkansas and the dogs love it .. Mom and I are doing well as well as are the fur babies … Now to start unpacking…”
We can’t even tell you how happy we are for Jeanne and her journey during and after My 600-lb Life.
She looks incredible. We wish her only the best in the years to come.
