With the most beautiful time of the year just around the corner, we can’t help by let our hearts get filled with the holiday spirit. Christmas has always been about faith, love, closeness, and family. The Christmas tress, the cities covered with all those lights shining bright, and the presents we give to one another as a sign of appreciation are what make our lives complete.
And what a holiday would it be without all the charming Christmas movies that remind us of the beauty of this period?
Well, this year, we got to see one of the most awaited movies, The Christmas Chronicles 2, starring one of the best Hollywood couples, Kurt Russel and Goldie Hawn. These two are the reason why we believe love between celebrities could last forever.
Our heroine Kate will save Christmas once again and will bring in the magic. And as the characters are involved in yet another adventure, Russel and Goldie are living a real life adventure on their own.
Russel and the cast surprised Goldie with a cake and pre-recorded videos of them singing Happy Birthday during their drive in-event at Grove Mall in Los Angeles. What a special celebration of her 75th birthday.
Take a look at the trailer for The Christmas Chronicles 2 in the video below in case you haven’t seen the movie yet. You are going to love it, that’s for sure.
Children are our most treasured gifts. They are the future of the nation and in order for them to be able to grow into happy and healthy human beings, they need to get lots of affection, love, devotion, and of course healthy meals.
The sad reality is that many families struggle to make ends meet and are unable to provide their kids with the basic food needs.
It’s even sadder that many times we are not really aware that those kids who are hungry and even starving are among us.
A U.S teacher named Brooke shared how she was deeply touched by the question one of her students asked her, which made her realize what the poor boy was going through. Her post has gone viral and gathered the attention of people from ever corner of the world.
“Today I cried for a child, a child who so innocently talked about food, and the lack of it,” Brooke started her story.
As she was teaching, one of her students approached closer and asked her when the lady who was putting food in his bag was coming. Brooke was confused at first, but she quickly figured out that the lady the boy was asking about was the school’s guidance counselor.
This left Brooke heartbroken. She just couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her face.
She pulled herself together and told the sweet boy how she wasn’t certain when the lady would come, but asked him about the things he wished her to bring him. When she mentioned spaghetti O’s, the boy told her:
‘We don’t have those at my house, but when I do have them they give me a warm belly and help me sleep’
“I lost it, I cried in front of 20 little people. No kid should ever be hungry, ever”, Brooke said.
She knew she had to do something for the boy and the rest of the students who were in the same position so she asked the rest of the teachers to donate money for some food.
Thanks to Brooke’s initiative and her post that was shared around 30,000 times, the school where she works started a food pantry for their students. This way, they know none of the kids who attends the school will ever be hungry while there.
“I did not write this for anyone to get praise, nobody did it for the praise.
I want people to know that teachers are humans, we love our kids and want the very best for them.
Some days we get frustrated and feel overwhelmed, but today we did what was best for a child. Will it show on a test score? Nope! Do we care? Nope!
It’s a crazy rollercoaster of emotions being a teacher, but today it was worth every tear that fell to see him light up when that bag was put into his backpack,” Brooke said.
It’s because of teachers like Brooke who are loving and caring that students who struggle are given a chance to thrive.
One mother named Nicole Duggan speaks up of the issues parents of kids with autism face on a daily basis. She says how most people are harsh on everyone who is different and doesn’t fit the ‘norm’ imposed by the society.
She says how she always knew her son Riley had the condition, but wanted to be 100% positive and took him to doctors who were to confirm the diagnosis.
Nicole recalls one of the most unpleasant experiences she and her son have. Around Christmas some years ago when Riley was younger the two went to the mall to see Santa Claus who was placed in a grotto.
As sweet Riley loved the grotto, he started clapping his hands, jumped up and down, and hummed and squealed. He acted like that because that’s the only way he can express his emotions, through sounds as gestures. Yes, Riley cannot speak, but people jump into conclusions without ever wanting to know other people’s story.
Nicole was aware people would react to her son’s jumping and squealing, but she let him enjoy the sight that made him happy.
As time passed by, more and more people started staring at Riley, but it was one mother’s reaction that made things worse.
“I will never forget that woman. I will never forget the way she looked at my little boy. The way she stared. The look of disgust on her face,” said Nicole.
Riley than continued admiring the grotto sitting on a bench. A little girl approached and said “hi,” to what Riley answered with the cutest smile.
Trying to tell his new acquaintance how he was happy to meet her, Riley started flipping again. It was then that the woman who stared at Riley got closer. As it turned out she was the little girl’s mother. She didn’t want her daughter to sit next to Riley and told her to move from him after which the two left.
But then the woman turned to Nicole and said, “Maybe you should try those special Santas. You know. For kids like him.”
Nicole didn’t say anything and let that woman live her sad and miserable life which was filled with negativity and lack of compassion. She felt bad for her son, but she knew Riley was stronger than those words.
This incident showed how small-minded some people can be. Instead of teaching her daughter about appreciating and accepting differences, she made her go away from Riley and that’s really not the kind of world we want to leave in and leave to our children.
Nicole still remembers this incident as though it happened yesterday although Riley is now older.
Thankfully, Riley is surrounded by a loving family who always supports him unconditionally. They are aware he will be stared at by many people, and will hear words from strangers that will hurt his feelings, and only hope that things will change in the future and our society will become more friendly to people who are considered different.
Recently, the post of Angela Fellars, a mother of a six-year-old daughter, went viral and people’s thoughts are divided.
Namely, as she and her girl were shopping at Nordstrom, Angela noticed a product at the girls’ section that caught her attention and made her very angry; padded bras. According to her post, she couldn’t possibly understand why would six year old girls even wear padded bras.
The debate that took place was pretty much heated. Some parents supported Angela and said that selling such products lead to over-sexualization of little girls. Some of the comments are:
“This is MeToo era and no swimsuits in Miss America … but padded bras 4 6ers?”
“I’m confused. Why would a six-year-old need a bra. Maybe they’re mislabeled?”
These are padded bras for SIX YEAR OLDS — WTAF, Nordstrom & Calvin Klein?
Others, however, believe that the bras labeled 6-6x don’t really refer to the age of the girls, but to the size only. And in case it does, they say how the girls these days go into puberty early than it was the case in the past and they see nothing wrong with the product.
“Ana only got bras because her nipples would show through the shirt materials she liked. And then they would still poke out with the simple bras. So the little pad was needed or she was really self-conscious.” one person commented, sharing the experience of her daughter.
“Having 2 daughters there’s nothing wrong with this. It isn’t a padded bra for adding size or a lift. It isn’t even underwire. It’s for comfort and discretion. Geez lady, get a grip” another mom added.
The thing is that most of the girls will eventually start wearing a bra. However, it’s up to the parents to explain them why they are for.
What are your thoughts on this? Are you for or against padded bras for girls as young as six? Share it with us in the comments section below.
Young children are really fun to be around because they are honest to the core and always speak their mind. Teachers on the other hand usually get lots of questions, many of which can be pretty silly, but they are always expected to come up with the right answers and satisfy the children’s curiosity.
One teacher shared on Facebook a fun story of how she taught her deaf students that passing gasses was actually audible to the hearing world after one of her first graders slipped a fart. The explanation and the whole conversation are hilarious and we are so happy we got to read it.
Flickr/Pittsburgh Association of the Deaf, Inc.
Below is the conversation which was posted on Facebook by Anna Lind Thomas. Passing gas is a life lesson that’s already hard to grasp as a child – add a loss of hearing, and the concept is nearly impossible to comprehend!
She wrote:
“Today in 1st grade, one of my Deaf students farted loudly in class and the other students turned to look at them. The following is a snippet of a 15 minute conversations that happened entire in American Sign Language among the group of Deaf students and I.*
Kid 1: Why are they looking at me?
Me: Because they heard you fart.
Kid 1: Whhhhat do you mean?!?!
Me: Hearing people can hear farts.
Kid 2: *Totally horrified* Wait, they can hear all farts?!”
Facebook/Anna Lind Thomas
The confusion continued:
“Me: Well no. Not all farts but some of them yes.
Kid 3: How do you know which farts they can hear and which farts they can’t?
Me: Hmmm … you know how sometimes you can feel your butt move when you fart? A lot of those they can hear. But if your butt doesn’t move it’s more likely they didn’t hear it.
Kid 1: TELL THEM TO STOP LISTENING TO MY FARTS! THAT IS NOT NICE!
Me: Hearing kids can’t stop hearing farts, it just happens.”
Facebook/Anna Lind Thomas
That’s when a novel idea struck the student – they were going to stop tooting altogether!
“Kid 2: I just will stop farting then.
Me: Everyone farts, it is healthy. You can’t stop.
Kid 3: Wait, everyone? Even my mom?
Me: Yep.
Kid 2: My Dad?
Me: Yep.
Kid 1: …. You?
Me: Yep.
Kids: *Laugh hysterically*
Kid 1: So you can hear and small all the farts?
Me: Some of the farts, yes. Not all of them.
Kid 2: Can hearing people see farts?”
Facebook/Anna Lind Thomas
Mrs. Anna never thought she would talk and teach about passing gas during her lesson, but there she was, and she found the whole thing interesting.
“Kid 3: Yeah. Green smoke comes out of their butt, I saw it on TV.
Me: That doesn’t happen in real life.
Kid 1: What?! Ugh, I don’t understand farts.
… I went to college for 8 years to have these conversations.”
The conversation ended with lots of laughter. It was a very educational day, as students learned a life lesson, and that’s that farts can be loud enough so other people can hear them.
Facebook/Anna Lind Thomas
As for the rest of us, today’s lesson is to teach us how to sign fart in sign language. See it in the video below.
The amazing story of Adeboye Taiwo and his wife Ajibola teaches us that we should never give up on our dreams no matter the obstacles and the difficulties that come along the way. And if we feel as there is no way out, we should always remember that God has better plans for us.
The Nigerian couple had been married for 17 years, but they couldn’t have children. Adeboye’s family and friends even told him to get a divorce and get himself another wife who could give him the baby he wanted so badly.
Needless to say, he never though of leaving his wife, despite what everyone advised him.
In the fight against infertility, the couple spent around $213,000, and although it seemed that all the effort was in vain, they refused to give up on becoming parents one day.
Source: VCU News
“I made it known to them that I love my wife so deeply,” he told the Standard. “I assured them that my wife, Ajibola, would surely give birth to baby for me at God’s own time and in His season.”
And Abeboye’s faith paid off big time.
Source: VCU News
“I was excited,” Adeboye told CNN. “For the very first time, we were expecting.”
To everyone’s surprise, Ajibola was caring not one, not two, but six babies.
This brave mother gave birth at only 30-weeks pregnant via c-section. They welcomed their bundles of joy and were over the moon with the adorable sextuplets of three boys and three girls. We are sure the Taiwos will have so much fun with that many children under one roof.
Source: VCU News
The babies were delivered at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Virginia. Team of around 40 doctors and other staff was preparing for the big arrival weeks in advance making sure everything goes as smoothly as planned.
The babies were tiniest but the cutest little creatures the hospital staff has ever seen.
Source: VCU News
“The team quickly assembled to begin prenatal management and delivery planning including pre-delivery drills and resuscitation exercises. A typical labor and delivery shift includes one, perhaps two premature births, usually with time in between. We had to coordinate with our colleagues in the NICU for six premature babies to be delivered simultaneously,” the hospital’s medical director of labor and delivery, Dr. Susan lanni, said in the press release.
Source: Allen Jones/University Marketing
“I hope for the smallest of my six children to grow up and say, ‘I was so small, and look at me now,’” Ajibola said.
Thanks to the doctors, the babies are doing great. The parents are extremely grateful for everything the staff does for their children.
“The medical team is excellent in medicine and hospitality,” Adeboye said in the statement. “We are far from home but the medical team is our family. That is what got us this far.”
Source: Children’s Hospital at Richmond at VCU
However, the hospital staff says how the parents were willing to collaborate, which resulted with a positive outcome in the process of complete recovery.
“We’re going through this extraordinary journey together with the family,” Ronald Ramus, M.D., director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at VCU Medical Center, said. “It’s not every day that parents bring home sextuplets. Mrs. Taiwo was eating, sleeping and breathing for seven. A lot of the support and encouragement we gave her to make it as far as she did was important, and one of the biggest contributions we made as a team.”
If you like this story make sure you share it with your family and friends.
If you ever been a naughty kid or you are already a parent, then you are probably familiar with “the slipper.” Yes, your mom used to threaten to hurt you with it when you misbehaved, and now you use it as a secret “weapon” to keep your kids out of trouble.
A video that has gone viral recently made many people laugh only because they found themselves in a similar situation. A mother and a daughter were probably involved in an argument that didn’t finish well, so the young girl decided to leave the house. Well, it turns out her mother didn’t like that, so she decided to get outside and chase her daughter. The woman could be heard yelling at the young lady, as a man’s voice says, “Go on, hit her, hit her!” The mother seems to like this passerby’s idea so she takes her sandal off her foot and throws it towards her daughter.
Although the mother is more than 50 yards away from the girl who’s walking along the street, she hits her directly in the head. The lady falls straight to the ground. Even she got hit, people found all this pretty hilarious.
The good thing is that the daughter didn’t get hurt. Her mother’s intention wasn’t to harm her, that’s why she used her flip flop which isn’t heavy. But she definitely taught her a lesson.
The video was originally posted on Twitter and has been seen more than 1.4 million times. People are impressed by this mother’s ability to hit her “target” from that far.
“That lady must work as a sniper,” someone wrote.
“A possible first Draft selection for the @NFL,” another person added.
We do agree how this woman’s throw is even better than that of the professional baseball players.
Take a look at the video below. This is gonna make you laugh!
Riley Keough is a name we will likely hear a lot about in the years to come.
She’s an incredibly talented young lady who started her career in the showbiz as a model and was part of campaigns of huge brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Dior. Recently, she tired herself in the film industry as well, and she’s doing awesome. Some of the film she was part of are Magic Mike (2012) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). In 2016, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for her role in the series The Girlfriend Experience.
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However, what you may didn’t know about this stunning woman is that she is the granddaughter of one of the most famous musicians who have ever walked this Earth, The King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley.
Youtube/Elvis Presley
Riley is the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough. She was born in 1989, a year after her parents tied the knot, but spent a few years of her childhood at the famous ranch Neverland which belonged to the legendary Michael Jackson whom her mother married in 1994.
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Speaking of her childhood, Riley told Hollywood.com, “I grew up very privileged with my mother. But my dad didn’t live like that. And I think experiencing both sides has been helpful. My father had mattresses on the floor of his apartments. He lived in cabins and trailer parks. He just didn’t have much money.”
“Actually, my memories of growing up with him were so colorful and eccentric and fun,” she said. “It was a good vibe, you know? When I was like eight I told him, ‘I want to grow up and be poor like you!’ He was eating a bowl of cereal. I didn’t realize how wildly offensive that was!”
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Riley and her mother have always been very close.
In fact, Lisa Marie is very proud of her daughter and supports her dreams of pursuing a career in film, although she knows how hard it is to be under the spotlight all the time, especially if you are the granddaughter of Elvis Presley.
“My daughter is very busy acting, has a crazy schedule,” Lisa Marie said. “It’s a constant struggle and juggle to get everybody in the same place at the same time and keep us close. None of us are happy if we haven’t seen each other past a week or two. It’s just a normal family.”
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Because she wanted to be famous for who she is, Riley decided not to use her grandfather’s surname. “I didn’t have it as hard as my mom. I didn’t have his last name,” she told NylonMagazine. “There’s something about that … writing my name, it’s not Presley. That’s heavy.”
Riley had a brother, Benjamin, who died in July of this year. It was a tragedy that shook the family very deeply. They are all still having a hard time coping with the loss. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, the cause of Benjamin’s death was listed as suicide.
We hope the family will get over the pain this tragedy triggered at each and every one of them. As for Riley, we are all looking forward to her new projects. She’s not only successful, but also very beautiful. The resemblance between Riley and her mother and grandfather is uncanny, don’t you agree?
Ron Howard made his screen debut when he was just a four-year-old boy and stole the hearts of many with his charm and his acting talent. Playing little Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show opened his doors to the world of the showbiz and he hasn’t left Hollywood ever since. However, after he grew to fame even more with the role of Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, Howard realized he wanted to bee behind the camera.
As a director, producer, and screenwriter, he conquered Hollywood and won numerous awards.
Howard got two Academy Awards, for “A Beautiful Mind,” and “Apollo 13”, four Emmys, a Grammy, two Golden Globes and was nominated for seven BAFTA Awards and was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2001. His contribution to the television and motion picture industries has been rewarded with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
His daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, followed into her famous father’s footsteps and pursued a career as an actress. Bryce is the first child of Howard and his high-school sweetheart, Cheryl. The couple has three more children together. Howard is described by his family as a loving husband and a father, and is his children’s role model.
Howard and his wife never really wanted their children to live in the spotlight. What they wanted was for them to have a normal childhood.
However, when Bryce turned seven, Howard let her be an extra in some of his movies and that’s when she got to experience what it felt like to be in front of the camera. What’s most, Bryce loved it and somehow knew that acting was her calling.
Bryce’s first bigger role was that of Ivy Walker in the blockbuster The Village. Since then, her career only went upwards and she played Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and then appeared opposite Chris Pratt in Jurassic World. Other significant roles are that in the Gold where she played alongside Mathew McConaughey and in an episode of the Netflix’s show, Black Mirror.
Coming from a family of successful actors, it’s not surprising Bryce inherited the talent.
She’s glad she got to learn from the best and always makes sure to tell those who supported her throughout the way that she’s grateful. Howard’s mother, Jean, stared in more than 30 shows such as Married… with Children, Grace Under Fire and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
When adopted children learn their parents who they grew up with aren’t their biological mom and dad, most feel the urge to learn more about their birth parents. No matter how great their life is, the thought they were given up for adoption is often something that troubles them, so searching for the truth comes as something natural.
Samantha Thomas was eighteen years old when she decided she wanted to track her biological parents. Her adoptive parents were very supportive but all they knew of her mom and dad was that they were from Chicago and that her dad’s name was probably Eddy. That wasn’t much, but at least she knew where to start from.
Source: Samantha Thomas/Facebook
When she turned 20, Samantha got married and gave birth to two children, but the though of finding her birth parents was still alive, especially now that she learned what it felt like to be a mother. So, she continued with the search that led her to the information that her biological parents left her three things when they gave her up for adoption; a photo, a letter, and a blanket. The adoption attorney told her how the items had been destroyed, but the fact they left them there in the first place made Samantha believe they maybe wanted her to find them once she grows older.
Source: Samantha Thomas/Facebook
The next step was getting to court and ask for her birth certificate. The judge refused her wish at first, but when she told them of the belongings her parents left to her when she was still a baby, they gave her her original birth certificate.
Source: Samantha Thomas/Facebook
Samantha now knew her birth mother’s name was Valerie Lopez. From the hundreds of results that popped up, one woman with that name was related to someone called Eddy. Could she be her mother? Samantha was about to find that out. Although her hopes were high, she didn’t want to get overly excited because she knew that it could lead to a disappointment.
Samantha found this Valerie Lopez on Facebook and sent her a message. She explained she was adopted and was born on January 5th 1990 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She also wrote about the photo, the letter, and the blanket her biological parents left her. Finally, Samantha wrote how she really wanted to get in touch in case she was her mother. Once the message was sent, all this woman had to do was wait.
Source: Samantha Thomas/Facebook
A couple of days passed by, but Samantha didn’t get a message. Then on the fourth day, Valerie answered back, writing she was Samantha’s mother. She couldn’t believe her daughter found her and said how she read the message with tears in her eyes. The decision of leaving Samantha was the biggest mistake of her life.
Source: Samantha Thomas/Facebook
They stayed in touch and spoke of their life. Samantha told her biological mother about her adoptive parents and her children, and Valerie told her how she and her dad Eddy got married four years after they gave Samantha for adoption. They had three more children but divorced recently. Samantha was very happy to learn she had siblings and was looking forward to meeting them.
Source: Samantha Thomas/Facebook
She contacted her father and Facetimed with her siblings. They were as excited to meet her in person as she was, and finally, on September 2nd, 2017, the family was reunited.
Source: Samantha Thomas/Facebook
Even today, they are in touch and make sure they visit one another as often as possible.
Andrea Bocelli is the most popular world’s classical artist and his albums are sold in over 80 million copies worldwide. He has received countless awards during his career and his stunning vocal skills wow people from all over the world. Celine Dion once said, “if God would have a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli,” and honestly, we couldn’t agree more. He surprises his audience with amazing songs ever since he got into the world of music, and recently, he performed along some other famous names, like Ed Sheeran.
However, among those who had the honor to sing together with the great Bocelli is Veronica Berti, the love of his life.
YouTube
Their relationship started as purely professional, but they started having feelings for each other and things quickly heated up outside of the glare of the limelight. They were destined to be together.
The two were in a relationship for more than a decade before they made it official and got married in 2014. Their daughter was born two years prior to their marriage.
>”Naturally, when two people feel like we do, they want to make it a permanent arrangement. It will happen from the religious and spiritual point of view, but it is a legal matter.”
YouTube
Veronica and Andrea are a perfect couple, and a match made in musical Heaven. Their voices blend perfectly and create a harmony at those who listen to their duet.
Their performance of the song “Qualche Stupido,” triggers deep emotions and leaves the audience in awe. This piece of music means so much to Andrea, and performing it along with his wife makes it even more special.
YouTube
Listen to this perfect couple sing together and enjoy.
This isn’t the first time that we hear of a garbage collector going an extra mile while on the job.
Jake Bland has been working as a garbage man around the area of Kentucky for many years and knows the neighborhood and all the people living there all too well. So when he noticed that the resident of one of the houses hasn’t taken the trash out for several days, he assumed something was wrong.
Source: WDRB
However, because of the pandemic and the social distancing, he hesitated whether to knock on the door of the elderly lady who was living there.
Days passed by and Bland started getting even more worried because there was no trash taken out for around two weeks, so he did what had to be done. He called his head office and asked from them to give the lady a call just to make sure she was doing fine.
Source: Needpix
They immediately called her home, and to their relief, she answered the phone. They explained how the garbage collector got worried and asked her why she hadn’t taken her trash out for so long. The 90-year-old lady explained how she had little food in the house and didn’t really have much trash. She also explained how she was eating very little because she was afraid to go shopping because of the pandemic.
Source: Kayleigh_kins/Instagram
This disturbed the company representative, Denise Arthur. He was sad the lady was skipping meals and made sure some of the employees bought groceries for her.
They left the bags in front of her house and wrote a note saying that their company, Hometown Hauling Company, will always be there to assist her.
Source: Just.jeslynn/Instagram
The lady was very happy and grateful. These people made her day and restored her faith in humanity. And it was all thanks to Bland who showed that he cared for the people he serves.
The story quickly spread around and people were thankful to Bland, Arthur, and the company for everything they did for the lady. They said they were happy to assist and hope other companies would take care of the members of the community in the same manner.
Source: WDRB
Although the coronavirus pandemic made us socially distance from one another, this whole experience somehow brought humanity closer. We honestly hope this disease would soon be gone and we would be able to get back to the way we lived before it started.
In order for them to build their self-confidence and learn how to love themselves from early age, children need to be supported and praised for all their efforts and hard work.
A teacher named Amanda Cox is sharing an uplifting story that comes from her classroom. One day, she forgot to bring her pencils in class and asked from her students to lend her some. A boy, who had plenty of pencils, offered to give her some but asked from her to return them to him at the end of the day.
Source: Facebook – Amanda Cox
Amanda thanked him and promised to give them back. But it wasn’t until she tried to sharpen one that she realized why those pencils were so important to her student.
Namely, she noticed something written on them with a red pen. When she took a closer look, Amanda realized those were personal messages. The one in her hand said, “You are so talented.” She then took another one and read another message. Some of those encouraging words were, “This will be a great year,” “You are creative” and “You are phenomenal.”
Source: Pikrepo
Amanda approached the boy and asked if he could show her the rest of his pencils. And just as she assumed, each and every one of them had a different message written on it. This teacher’s heart melted. She was very happy to see how this student’s mother took the time to do something so special for her son. “Thanks to his mom, he was reminded of his self worth and wanted to share the same feeling with his classmates,” Amanda said.
It was obvious that his mother’s encouraging messages meant a lot to the boy because they reminded him how special he was and how great things would be for him in the future.
After Amanda shared the story along with the photos of the pencils on her Facebook page, it caught the attention of thousands of people who agreed the mother was doing parenting right.
Source: Facebook – Amanda Cox
Over 451,000 positive comments spoke of just how much everyone loved the mom’s idea.
We should never forget that our little ones need a little push every now and then in order to achieve what they are truly capable of. If you loved this story make sure you share it with your friends.
A great number of celebrities tend to keep their children out of the spotlight and provide them with as much normal life as possible because they are aware of the influence media and newspapers can have on the kids. However, this was never the case with Kelly Osbourne, the daughter of rock ‘n’ roll icon Ozzy Osbourne.
According to Kelly herself, she was just three months old when her parents took her with them on tour so she got used to that life practically since the moment she was welcomed into the world. “So, there was no discovering Black Sabbath or rock ‘n’ roll music. That was my life! I didn’t know any different. It was when I started going to school that I realized that we were a little bit different.”
Being a child of someone famous as Ozzy Osbourne wasn’t easy. During her childhood, Kelly witnessed her dad struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. According to her brother, Jack, during one of their parents’ fights, Ozzy tried strangling his wife Sharon and was forced to spend a couple of months in a mental health center after that.
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“I’ve had a mad life. As a child [the heavy-metal band] Mötley Crüe used to babysit me,” Kelly told Daily Mail.
“My father taught us about music – we learned about everyone from the Beatles to Mariah Carey; I have fond memories of getting calls from her at Christmas singing Black Sabbath songs.”
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People learned more of Kelly during the show The Osbournes which aired back in 2002 and featured the domestic life of the family, excluding Kelly’s sister Aimee who refused to be involved.
“I didn’t like the judgment and criticism,” Kelly told Daily Mail some time ago. “I am so grateful that there wasn’t social media then. You’ve got to let people grow up, let them fall and pick themselves up again. I was a billion times worse than the kids that get a bad rap now. It really breaks my heart watching what some of the young people in Hollywood have to go through.”
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Kelly tried herself in acting, singing, modeling and fashion design over the years. Her cover of Madonna’s hit Papa Don’t Preach reached the music charts in the U.K. but her album Shut Up! wasn’t well-accepted by the fans, so she turned to fashion design instead.
In 2006, Kelly went to rehab to help herself with the drug and alcohol abuse. “What bugs me the most is that people think I was a party girl and I went around having a great time,” she writes in her page. “I did drugs because I hated myself and I was miserable, and I didn’t want to think about it anymore.”
Luckily, those days are far behind her. Not only she overcame her addictions, but she turned to a healthy lifestyle as well. The vegan diet helped her lose over 85 pounds and Kelly looks stunning today.
She makes sure she keeps her fans updated about her life, including her weight-loss journey. Kelly says that staying healthy isn’t easy sometimes, but she has some valuable advice. “For me, what it’s all about is finding that healthy moderation, which is easier said than done,” she told The Beet. “When you sat there in front of a plate of french fries, there is no moderation. So you have to realize if I’m going to eat this, I’m going to do an extra 15 minutes of working out … just balance everything out.”
A few weeks ago, beautiful Kelly shared this photo of her wearing black dress and wrote how she can’t believe that’s her.
“I still can’t believe that this is actually me in these pictures. Hard work, acceptance of who you really Deep down under all that insecurity/fat can turn into a beautiful thing,” she wrote. “In the past I lost weight for social acceptance. This time… I did not lose weight anyone but myself and it feels great!!! If you too are on a path transformation before you do anything… you have to learn to love yourself. I love you guys so much.”
We are so glad she finally found herself and decided to take control over her life. Kelly you are such an inspiration!
The definition of beauty has changed over the years, but the time when we would stop judging people based on their looks is yet to come.
Being different is not bad, in fact it gives you the chance to be unique and feel special as long as you learn how to accept yourself the way you are. A woman named Tessa Schiethart from The Netherlands is doing exactly that. She loves herself no matter what.
This incredibly brave young lady was born with a birthmark on her face, or a condition known as Sturge-Weber Syndrome.
Tessa’s parents were concerned because they know people can be judgmental and they didn’t want their girl to go through a hard time during her life, so they decided to take the doctor’s advice and take her to treatments that would make the birthmark lighter.
Unfortunately, wanting to offer the best to their little girl, they made things worse. The treatments weren’t successful and Tessa was left with scars on her face.
“When I was six we stopped laser treatment because my eyes became more important and there was high eye pressure and we needed to lower it in order to keep my left eye from becoming blind as well,” she told Barcroft TV.
All this didn’t make Tessa feel sorry for herself. Instead, she decided to embrace the fact that her face is different and now spreads her positivity to people who don’t feel confident because they are different themselves.
She works as a life coach and helps change the lives of many.
”My birthmark and my different look has never stopped me from pursuing my dreams. I have studied the studies I wanted to, I work, have many friends and have travelled the world extensively all by myself. I love the little things in life, and practice yoga every morning to set my intention for the day”, she says.
“I chose not to spent two hours of my morning in front of a mirror putting on a mask of chemical make-up to cover my stain so that ‘society’ would accept me and I would fit some ‘standard of normalcy.’”
She used to spend a lot of time covering her birthmark but seeing herself in the mirror without it was “such a weird distorted feeling.”
Tessa believes that the term normal is overrated and that we shouldn’t identify ourselves with our bodies.
We believe that what Tessa does is so inspirational that it becomes life changing. She truly is a very special young woman who looks absolutely stunning the way she is.
It’s not often that we hear of famous people staying together in marriage for many years, but when we do, we are glad they are sharing a positive example and assure us that not everything in the world of celebrities is about gathering attention and being in the spotlight.
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Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are one of the most beautiful celeb couples we know. They have been married for 24 years now and have three stunning daughters who are now all grown up and resemble their stunning mother a lot.
Gracie Katherine is 23, Maggie Elizabeth is 22, and Audrey Caroline is 18.
However, it was just recently that Maggie’s beauty caught the eye of the wide public and people became interested to learn more about her and her life.
Her dad Tim posted a photo of her for her birthday and his followers couldn’t stop commenting about how gorgeous she is and how she inherited her mom’s smile.
“So hard to believe that this little thing turns 22 today! Life sure goes by fast. Soak it up Maggie May. We love you and are so proud of you, Dad,” Tim wrote.
Her mom also took to Instagram to congratulate on her daughter’s birthday by posting photos of the two. Faith wrote, “Happy Birthday to our Maggie !!!!!! 22 years old today. “A throwback photo from our cross country road trip 4 years ago. I love you my sweet.”
Instagram / Faith Hill
Fans of the musicians say they are glad the stars installed in their daughter the life values they themselves live by, and that’s love, honesty, devotion, and helping others.
”As a parent, you do not want to stand in the way of their dreams,” Faith told AOL a few years ago. ”You want to protect them; you want to make sure they aren’t disappointed…Sometimes, it’s better to let your children go through things on their own and let them experience it instead of saying, ‘Don’t do it this way, or you must do it this way.’”
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Maggie graduated from the Stanford University in California this year and is planning on obtaining a master’s degree in sustainability science. Despite being an excellent student, Maggie is also part of a rock band called ”Sister Supply.” They are a new group, but they already performed at festivals. On top of that, Maggie is known as a girl with a heart of gold who is always there for those in need of help and support. The charity she is part of, Feed The Front Line Live, has helped many people from Nashville during the pandemics. Being devoted and working hard for the cause, she was named vice president of the organization recently.
“I think I grew up with a mentality that it’s kind of an obligation for you if you have more than other people, to give back,” Maggie said speaking to Us Weekly.
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It’s awesome that someone that young has their priorities straight and knows exactly what their goals in life are. Maggie and her sisters are happy to have parents who set good examples for the girls to follow. We can’t wait to see what Maggie will do in the years to come, and we hope she will be as famous as her mom and dad one day.
Actor John Travolta has suffered two major tragedies. He and wife Kelly lost their son Jett in 2009 while on holiday in the Bahamas. Jett suffered a seizure which lead to his passing. Both John and Kelly were heartbroken and went through a very long process of grieving. The actor told US Weekly, “It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened in my life. The truth is, I didn’t know if I was going to make it.”
John and Kelly first met on the set of The Experts in 1989 and were considered one of the best and most loved Hollywood couples.
A post shared by Kelly Preston (@therealkellypreston) on
Sadly, Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer and after battling with the disease for two years, she died in July 2020. John posted on the social media to inform friends and fans of the loss of his loving life, writing, “My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered.”
As though suffering the deaths of two people who meant the world to him wasn’t enough painful for the Pulp Fiction actor, a month ago, John lost his nephew Sam Travolta Jr., the son of his older brother Sam. The news of his death wasn’t revealed until now, however. Sam was 52 and was working as a screenwriter who had a hard time making ends meet at times.
He once said how his uncle John was giving him monthly allowance and told Esquire Magazine, “I’m a struggling screenwriter living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, so John’s money helps.”
Sam Travolta Jr. died just months after the actor lost his wife Kelly Preston to breast cancerhttps://t.co/w6c8OU8Ahk
It has been reported that Sam passed away in his home in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
One of his school friends, Nick Mavrostomos, told The Sun, “He will be greatly missed, but he will always be with us. I found out through high school friends, they reached out to me to let me know. We had a great time when we used to hang together in high school.”
Speaking of Sam’s relationship with the actor, Nick added, “Sam was definitely proud of being related to John Travolta. He was happy go lucky and a good friend, good-spirited.”
We are very sorry John had to go through such a hard time in his life. Our thoughts are with him.
Music has a healing power and everyone who has ever found comfort in the tune of their favorite song can tell you that.
Today, when the pandemic that changed the way we live is still ongoing, looking at some incredible gatherings between strangers that took place by pure chance remind us of the good times and teach us a lesson that we should never take things for granted.
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The video below which shows an elderly lady playing the piano in public was taken before the lockdown, but was now shared to remind us of the beauty of being together.
The lady plays like a real goddess and the passersby can’t help by stop and listen to the incredible music she produces. She plays the stride and ragtime and people take their phones out to take videos. Well, this isn’t something you come across every day.
Take a look at the incredible atmosphere this lady created. I really wish I was at the mall that day.
Appearance can be deceiving and that is why we should never judge a book by its cover. On top of that, we should never treat the poor any different than the rich. Some people may not have a lot of money, but they are rich in heart, and that’s what matters most.
A waitress named Maria was told by her colleagues to only be nice to those who are well dressed because they are the ones who leave generous tips and not to waste a lot of time with the “rest” of the customers. Maria, however, knew she should treat everyone the same, regardless of their appearance or status.
One day, a homeless man entered the diner where she worked and asked for several dishes. Although he looked like someone who couldn’t afford that much food, Maria brought to him everything he asked for. She was well aware that in case the person doesn’t pay she would be the one paying instead.
After some time, the man left the place and left a $100 tip along with a piece of paper with a message written on it. He praised Maria for what she did and how she treated him.
If you want to know who that person was, check out the whole story in the video below.
We don’t know whether this is a true story or not, but anyways, it is a nice reminder that we should always be kind.
Kirk Kellerhals from Virginia Beach spent 50 years of his life believing his biological parents were killed in the Vietnam War and that’s how he ended up in an orphanage and later adopted by an American family. What this man didn’t know was that the truth was way different than that.
Kirk’s biological mother was only 17 when she gave birth. She was a young Vietnamese woman who fell for an American soldier, but her father was against her carrying a serviceman’s child so he gave his newborn grandson at an orphanage.
Source: CBN News/YouTube
Over the years, Kirk often thought of his origin and wanted to learn more about his heritage, so he decided to submit his information to an online DNA database.
Source: CBN News/YouTube
Not long after that, he received an e-mail saying “call me.” He thought the mail was vague but decided to see who sent it not knowing it was the woman who gave birth to him on the other side of the line. She said, “I think you’re my son.”
Source: CBN News/YouTube
Kirk couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He recalled the DNA database sending him a message saying there was a match with the info he submitted but he didn’t take it seriously.
His mother, Thuy-Nga Thi, was living in America with her husband, and soon after the phone call, these mother and son finally met. It was a moment so emotional and touching that no one who witnessed it was able to stop tears from rolling down their faces.
It took five decades for one family to be reunited. A family that shouldn’t have been separated in the first place. Although both Kirk and Thuy-Nga Thi missed out on so much throughout the years, they could now be where they always belonged; by each other’s side.
Take a look at the video below for the whole story. Make sure you grab some tissues before hitting play.
Music is the universal language. It has the power to lift you up even during the darkest of times and serves as consolation whenever we feel down. Our favorite songs are there with us when we celebrate life and the good things that happen along the way.
So, do you need to be talented in order to belt out the lyrics of that music piece that fills your heart with pleasure? Definitely not.
If you haven’t heard of the Choir! Choir! Choir! you are missing a lot. This duo was founded in 2011 by Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman, by chance. It all started as a one-off event for a birthday party and turned into something marvelous.
In fact, this group isn’t a traditional one by any means. This duo’s performances revolve around a single song. People from all ages are welcomed to participate in the singing of the song after Goldman and Adilman teach the song’s arrangement to everyone who wants to be part of something so unique.
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The duo gathered the attention of the public after a marvelous performance of Cohen’s iconic song Hallelujah. Over 1500 people joined in to sing the tune together at the Luminato Festival in Toronto, Canada back in June, 2016.
Rufus Wainwright was a special guest who led the way.
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The performance has been seen over 11 million times and people love it. One person wrote, “I’m here in my house during quarantine and I’m watching my favorite things. I’ve probably watched this video a thousand times and this time I cried harder than ever. Strangers coming together and making something beautiful.”
We hope the pandemic will be over soon and this incredible duo will continue with their live performances again.
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Take a look at the video below to see what 1500 voices singing Hallelujah all at once sounds like. You’ll be amazed.
What was supposed to be a single appearance in an episode, turned into a role that we all love so very much. Family Matters would have never been the same if the producers only hired the suspenders-wearing pre-teen Steve Urkel as a guest star as they initially planned. The viewers went crazy over the Winslow family’s nerd neighbor and the show somehow morphed into The Steve Urkel Show.
Steve was played by young Jaleel White whose talent for acting was discovered when he was just 3 years old by his preschool teacher. One of his first ever commercials was the one for Jell-O pudding.
Jaleel White / Instagram
White became part of Family Matters when he was just 12, and his undeniable talent made millions laugh. His character was easy to fall for and he became a huge star almost overnight.
Steve Urkel changed White’s life forever. After the show was over, however, he had a hard time landing a role as everyone only saw him as Steve Urkel. Back in the day, the actor spoke of this role which marked his acting career and said, “If you ever see me do that character again, take me out and put a bullet in my head and put me out of my misery,” according to The New York Times.
Jaleel White / Instagram
In 2011, White told Vanity Fair that his words were taken out of context during the interview and said, “It’s one of those things that it’s very unfortunate how quotes are taken out of context. I remember that interview very vividly. I loved playing those characters […] But the fact is that I was maturing. […] To be honest, I was retarding my own growth as a man to maintain the authenticity to what I thought that character should be.”
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The impact Steve Urkel had on the wide public was immense. The name became a brand itself and people could buy posters, clothes, trading cards, and even a talking doll of the nerd who wore multi-colored cardigan sweaters and stole the heart of every American out there.
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So, where is Jaleel White today?
Steve Urkel turned into a very handsome man. He graduated from UCLA where he studied film and television and was part of the show Dancing With the Stars. Recently, White launched his podcast Ever After where he speaks with other fellow child stars to see what they are up to nowadays.
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White has a daughter, Samaya, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Hardy. They share the custody but are not on good terms as their split was a nasty one. They both accused each other of domestic violence.
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Family Matters is definitely one of the best sitcoms there are. However, asked whether he would ever agree to do the role of Steve Urkel again, White says, ”I don’t think we need it. I think “Family Matters” belongs in the era of life before cellphones.” He, however, says that a reunion with the cast can take place.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, White’s net worth is $10 million.
Most of us are used to seeing police officers patrolling around the town streets to make sure everyone stays safe and pulling speeding drivers over. One Portland Police Officer has his very own secret weapon in his back pocket, which is a degree in performing musical pieces! Now famous in the local community for his angelic voice, this officer has become an overnight sensation online! It was 20 December 2017 when officer Jeremy Turner had decided to belt out a tune of his own according to the tune of a well-known Christmas classic.
After Officer Jeremy Turner’s partner cracked a joke about singing while out on foot patrol in the Old Port, Turner stood right in the middle of Tommy’s Park and sang his own version of ‘O Holy Night.’ Passersby stopped in their tracks, looked at him and pulled out their phones – nevertheless, Turner continued to sing.
At the end of his performance, the crowd gave him a huge applause!
Although his partner was joking, Officer Turner was proud of his secret weapon. “I’ve been singing since I was 6-years-old and I went to the University of Southern Maine – and have a degree in music performance,” he said. Turner graduated and became a dispatcher – afterwards, a police officer. To some of his colleagues, Turner’s singing skills didn’t come as a surprise. Turner was already well-known in his workplace for his singing abilities, as he also sang the National Anthem during his graduation from the local police academy.
The video footage went viral overnight almost instantly, gathering as much as 10,000 worth of views from across the country. Turner’s boss, Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck, welcomes the attention by saying: “It humanizes law enforcement officers at a completely different level. That’s who Jeremy Turner is. That’s the real deal. He’s always smiling, he’s always laughing.”
Simon Cowell is definitely the most famous name in the music industry. And as we all know just how successful he is in his profession, his love life had some turbulence over the years.
Today, he’s together with the mother of his child, Lauren Silverman. Their story started as an affair while she was still married to husband Andrew Silverman.
Before he settled down, however, Cowell had other relationships with very beautiful women, which isn’t surprising, really.
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When he was 16, Cowell dated Paula Hamilton for a couple of years. She later became a model and spoke of just how important he was for her. “I couldn’t read or write until I was 11. So I was called stupid and bullied by teachers,” Hamilton said according to Yahoo. “Simon was really important to me because he stopped them picking on me.”
His next relationship was with model Louise Payne. The two were very much in love and Cowell asked her to marry him, but they broke off their engagement in 1998. Apparently, the reason was that she wanted to have children and he didn’t. In 2002, Cowell started dating Terri Seymour. Their relationship ended after six years, but the two remained very close friends until this day. “We will be the best of mates, but I think in relationships, you have to be totally honest. I have always been and I know Terri knows that,” Cowell said after the breakup.
Teri is now a very good friend of Lauren as well. They hang out together very often and their kids are playing together. Cowell even organized Teri’s daughter, Coco, her fifth birthday party.
Terri Seymore Wikipedia Commons
Cowell met Lauren during a vacation in Barbados in 2004. She was married to his very close friend, New York real estate mogul, Andrew Silverman. They started an affair in 2009 and in 2013, Lauren got pregnant. Everyone was in complete shock to learn that the father of the baby was Simon Cowell.
What followed was a nasty divorce battle between Lauren and Andrew, who felt betrayed by his long time friend Cowell. Until January 2015, Cowell wasn’t allowed to get near the now ex-couple’s son Adam. Andrew requested that in case Cowell saw Adam more than three times, Lauren would lose the rights to contact with her son until it was decided what will happen next.
Simon Cowell and Andrew Silverman Youtube/Patrick Wanis
Andrew finally decided to speak openly of what was going behind his back all those years and told New York Observer, “I learned a lot about myself as an individual, the importance of family. My focus has been on my son, Adam, throughout the whole ordeal. I think for both of us, making sure our son has a normal environment is the primary focus.”
Cowell also spoke of the affair he had with Lauren, saying, “It is not something I am proud of or wanted to happen in terms of hurting anyone. It just happened,” according to Mirror.
Eric was born on Valentine’s Day in 2013 and was named after Cowell’s father. It seemed like the judge whom we all know as the harsh critic on the show needed a child to soften his heart. “People have asked me if I have changed since I have had Eric and of course you do, you can’t help it,” he told Daily Mail.
Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman are very happy together. “I think Simon has changed me,” she told Hello Magazine in 2015. “He makes me laugh all the time. I can’t get angry with him because when I’m trying to be cross he just makes me laugh. I feel I learn so much from him, which is incredibly inspiring. He’s very talented.”
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When asked whether they are planning on getting married, Cowell says he never really plans in advance because it’s always for the best to let things happen they way they do.
