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Watch a 3-year-old adorably sing 'You Raise Me Up,' giving the lyrics a whole new meaning

"I am strong when I am on your shoulders…"

little boy on man's shoulders, flexing muscles

Photo credit: Canva

"You Raise Me Up" is a perfectly fitting song for a small child to sing.

Tantrums aside, there's not much a 3-year-old can do that isn't cute, but sometimes a little one pushes the adorable envelope so far you swear you might burst. Remember the little Italian preschooler gesticulating like an 85-year-old Sicilian grandmother? Or the 3-year-olds philosophizing about the meaning of friendship? Or the wee one who was convinced her favorite Disney characters had called her on the phone? Just when you think there can't be another little kid cuteness that tops the last, along comes a crooner with a tiny top bun to get us all up in our "Awwww"s again.

Nicholas Protsenko is only 3 years old, but he sings in public with his 6-year-old brother Leo playing the piano behind him (and sometimes with their older sister, Karolina, accompanying them on the violin). The musical family busks on sidewalks, much to the delight of passersby, and one recent performance of "You Raise Me Up" has people online cheering as well. Not only does Nicholas sing the whole song from memory, but there's something about a 3-year-old belting out, "I am strong when I am on your shoulders/
You raise me up to more than I can be" that just hits different.

Watch:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

"You Raise Me Up" was made popular in the U.S. by Josh Groban, but it was first performed by the Irish-Norwegian band Secret Garden. The melody was written by Secret Garden's Rolf Løvland and the lyrics by Irish novelist and songwriter Brendan Graham. It's been covered dozens of times, but Nicholas's version has people particularly tickled.

"That is an absolutely amazing performance from a three year old . . . well done Nicholas."

"What a cutie patootie. Well done Nicholas. The whole family is musically gifted and a joy to watch."

"Nothing is better than this! Filling my heart and soul to overflow. Thank you little ones!"

"My soul needed this. Let him know he did a great job and made my day."

All three of the Protsenko kids are musical, as are their parents. Karolina was featured on The Ellen Show at age 10 after being spotted performing at the promenade in Santa Monica and has since gained millions of followers on social media. The family has documented their kids' musical journeys on social media and as this commenter shared, it's brought lots of joy to their followers:

"These kids are phenomenal. I’ve watched these kids playing on the floor while their sister, Karolina, played the violin. Even before Karolina played the keyboards, or the guitar. Later, Leo was banging on little toy drums, and Nicholas was walking around playing like he was really playing a guitar. In a very short while, surprisingly, Leo started playing the keyboards for real. He was even playing them without even looking. Now, little Nicholas is singing. I’m blown away because he remembers all the words, and stays on key. He’s only like, three years old."

Indeed, it is quite extraordinary to be able to sing a whole song from memory, with accompaniment, at 3 years old. Other videos show Nicholas singing at home, in church and on street corners with the family, and he seems to genuinely enjoy himself.

Interestingly, many people think of "You Raise Me Up" as a praise/worship song, but there's nothing explicitly pointing to God or any higher power in the lyrics. In fact, the lyricist himself has refused to say who the "you" in the song is referring to. In reference to that question, which he says he's been asked frequently, Brendan Graham writes:

"I have never answered that question and it is best left unanswered. In that way the ‘you’ can be whomever you want it to be…mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, grandparent, husband, wife, partner, a loved one, a leader, a teacher…or even a power outside of ourselves…nature…the beauty of our world.

The ‘you’ can be anybody or anything that raises us up to be more than we can be…on our own.

In these times of great affliction for people everywhere, the ‘you’ can be each of us through what we do to help each other, to keep each other safe…to raise each other up.

It can also be each of you, who around the world come together to perform this song of hope and strength and gratitude for all those in our countries and communities who care for us…are there for us…and keep us safe."

All the more perfect for it to be sung by a 3-year-old.

You can follow the Protsenko Family on YouTube.

How often should you wash your sheets? Experts settle the debate once and for all.

People have all kinds of opinions on this.

Kampus Production/Canva

How often do you change your sheets?

If you were to ask a random group of people, "How often do you wash your sheets?" you'd likely get drastically different answers. There are the "Every single Sunday without fail" folks, the "Who on Earth washes their sheets weekly?!?" people and everyone in between.

According to a survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Mattress Advisor, the average time between sheet changings or washings in the U.S. is 24 days—or every 3 1/2 weeks, approximately. The same survey revealed that 35 days is the average interval at which unwashed sheets are "gross."

Some of you are cringing at those stats while others are thinking, "That sounds about right." But how often should you wash your sheets, according to experts?

Hint: It's a lot more frequent than 24 days.

While there is no definitive number of days or weeks, most experts recommend swapping out used sheets for clean ones every week or two.

Dermatologist Alok Vij, MD told Cleveland Clinic that people should wash their sheets at least every two weeks, but probably more often if you have pets, live in a hot climate, sweat a lot, are recovering from illness, have allergies or asthma or if you sleep naked.

We shed dead skin all the time, and friction helps those dead skin cells slough off, so imagine what's happening every time you roll over and your skin rubs on the sheets. It's normal to sweat in your sleep, too, so that's also getting on your sheets. And then there's dander and dust mites and dirt that we carry around on us just from living in the world, all combining to make for pretty dirty sheets in a fairly short period of time, even if they look "clean."

Maybe if you shower before bed and always wear clean pajamas you could get by with a two-week sheet swap cycle, but weekly sheet cleaning seems to be the general consensus among the experts. The New York Times consulted five books about laundry and cleaning habits, and once a week was what they all recommend.

Sorry, once-a-monthers. You may want to step up your sheet game a bit.

What about the rest of your bedding? Blankets and comforters and whatnot?

Sleep.com recommends washing your duvet cover once a week, but this depends on whether you use a top sheet. Somewhere between the Gen X and Millennial eras, young folks stopped being about the top sheet life, just using their duvet with no top sheet. If that's you, wash that baby once a week. If you do use a top sheet, you can go a couple weeks longer on the duvet cover.

For blankets and comforters and duvet inserts, Sleep.com says every 3 months. And for decorative blankets and quilts that you don't really use, once a year washing will suffice.

What about pillows? Pillowcases should go in with the weekly sheet washing, but pillows themselves should be washed every 3 to 6 months. Washing pillows can be a pain, and if you don't do it right, you can end up with a lumpy pillow, but it's a good idea because between your sweat, saliva and skin cells, pillows can start harboring bacteria.

Finally, how about the mattress itself? Home influencers on TikTok can often be seen stripping their beds, sprinkling their mattress with baking soda, brushing it into the mattress fibers and then vacuuming it all out. Architectural Digest says the longer you leave baking soda on the mattress, the better—at least a few hours, but preferably overnight. Some people add a few drops of essential oil to the baking soda for some extra yummy smell.

If that all sounds like way too much work, maybe just start with the sheets. Pick a day of the week and make it your sheet washing day. You might find that climbing into a clean, fresh set of sheets more often is a nice way to feel pampered without a whole lot of effort.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Woman is shocked after learning the truth behind how people have such long lasting spray tans

"I will just continue to embrace my Morticia Addams aesthetic."

Photo credit: Canva

Woman is disgusted after learning truth behind lasting spray tans

Everyone doesn't tan easily and for some, reducing their risk of skin cancer and premature excess wrinkles is more important than laying out with a bottle of baby oil. For those that want a tan without the massive amounts of UV exposure, spray tanning is the a good option. You can get the sun kissed, recently back from vacation look without the risk.

The process is simple. You walk into a room and someone comes in with what looks like an airbrush gun and sprays a nice even layer or two of artificial melanin on your skin. It can even out your skin tone, leaving your skin looking healthy and more vibrant. There is a catch though–it's temporary.

Technically a summer tan acquired the old fashioned way is also temporary but it generally takes weeks or months to completely fade away. But a spray tan only lasts about 5-10 days depending on how well you "care" for it. A woman who goes by the name Miss Redacted on TikTok recently received her first spray tan, when given the instructions for how to extend the life of her spray tan through "proper care," she was left flabbergasted.

Of course when you get something done to your body you are expecting that there will be specific instructions on how to care for the new thing. Whether it's a piercing, tattoo or even a chemical peel, you expect an overload of informative care instructions before you're allowed to leave the place you received the service.

Season 10 Episode 3 GIF by FriendsGiphy

So the woman was not surprised to receive the rundown on making sure her skin remained glowingly sun kissed for as long as possible, what she wasn't expecting was the lack of care. Or maybe the better description would be the lack of hygiene required to maintain her newly tanned skin.

"Because recently I got a spray tan for the first time because I really like being tan but I don't want to have wrinkles later because I'm obviously very vain. So i went the first time and I expected that I wouldn't be able to shower normally for the first 12-24 hours and that didn't bother me that much because I'm like okay, I understand the tan has to like set in. I can be gross for a half a day, a day max, whatever, it's not that serious," Miss Redacted says before explaining the woman who did her spray tan began talking her through the process.

sexy amanda GIFGiphy

The confused woman recalls a roommate in college that used to get spray tanned all the time as she put the pieces together on hygiene and spray tans. She tells the person doing her spray tan that she generally showers twice a day using soap and a silicone scrubber to wash her entire body to which the spray tan artist immediately tells her not to use on her body because it will take her tan off.

"I was like, 'oh so don't use it the first shower?' and she was like 'no, like not at all.' And I was like 'what should I use instead of that,'" the first time customer asks.

suzy parker shower GIFGiphy

She was shocked to hear the artist tell her that she needed to switch to a wash cloth and only use it to wash her, "underarms, your bikini area, and under your bra line." Again, Miss Redacted clarifies that the artist means for the first shower only but the artist reiterates not to put soap on your body "at all" for the first shower, only using a wash cloth in the areas she previously mentioned. Once again, the woman was dumbfounded and asks again, what the spray tan artist means.

"I was like, 'what do you mean?' And she was like, 'if you want your tan to last the full 10 days, when you shower only use soap in those areas and just do water everywhere else,'" she says.

Winner Challenge GIF by Survivor CBSGiphy

There was no getting around the idea that in order for the spray tan to last the woman was not going to be able to properly wash herself and she was thoroughly uncomfortable with that idea, informing the artist that she was going to continue to bathe regularly. Miss Redacted was told that if she bathed like normal her spray tan would only last five or six days.

"Because I got down this rabbit hole I started reading about it on Reddit and some of the ways that girls were saying they maintained their spray tans is absolutely insane. Absolutely insane. Like y'all need a bath. Y'all need a...actually a hose down. Let's like put you in the yard with some Dawn, like you're one of the ducks in an oil spill. I think that's what's needed at this point," the woman jokes before clarifying that she doesn't think this is every woman getting spray tanned is avoiding bathing.

@awalmartparkinglot ♬ original sound - miss redacted✨🪩🩷🇵🇸

But when it came to the ick factor over the ones who have been skipping the shower for weeks at a time, the woman wasn't the only one feeling the heebie jeebies. Commenters were also shocked and a little grossed out.

One person summoned knowledge from the legal scholar, Elle Woods, saying, "I can see not washing for 24 hours in order to not activate the ammonia thioglycolate."

"I will just continue to embrace my Morticia Addams aesthetic then because I will be scrubbing," another woman says.

"What do you mean? WHAT DO YOU MEAN," one person demands answers that likely involve soap and water.

"The first time I spray tanned, I used a washcloth and most of the tan came off. I knew at that moment people aren't showering properly. There is no way a spray tan is lasting 10 days," a commenter reveals.

Other people explain how they get their spray tans to last longer while continuing to shower daily by using tinted moisturizers and body lotions that have a gradual tanner in it. The consensus seems to be that regular spray tanning is expensive without finding an affordable alternative to maintain the tan between sessions while continuing to bathe, but spray tanning before a special occasion is preferred. Who knew hygiene after spray tanning was such an involved art form.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Devastated dad shares why he didn't tell his 10-year-old daughter it was her birthday

“I don’t know if we made the right decision…It’s killing us.”

@kylephilippi/TikTok

“Today’s her birthday, and we’re pretending like it’s just another day."

Kid’s birthdays are both lovely moments of celebration, and potential sources of stress for any parent, for various reasons. For dad Kyle Philippi (whom we’ve previously covered for dressing up as Jafar to cure his friend of an irrational phobia), his daughter’s 10th birthday was particularly full of anguish—since he didn’t tell her it actually was her birthday.

In a video posted to his TikTok that amassed close to 3 million views, the concerned dad shared his unique plight that brought him to this unusual decision: his daughter’s birthday falls on Jan 2, over winter break, meaning most kids wouldn’t be able to attend her birthday party. Two years prior, the Philippi found this out the hard way, when they tried to throw a party on the day, and no one showed.

“She was devastated,” Philippi let out through a sigh.

@kylephilippi We’re about 60/40 on whether this was a good idea… #birthday #parenting #parentingtips #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #auditoryprocessingdisorder #surprisebirthday #birthdayparty ♬ original sound - Kyle Philippi

Then last year, they tried a different approach. Instead of a big social gathering on Jan 2, they had a more intimate environment of just the family and one close friend, followed by a proper party once winter break was finished. At this point Philippi explained that his daughter is on the spectrum and had auditory processing disorder—so even though she had fun at both events, she still couldn’t understand why her friend couldn’t show up on her actual birthday, and was still disappointed. That’s never what any parent wants for their kid.

To make matters more sensitive, Philippi shared that his daughter was beginning to not be invited to other classmates' parties, and suspected that part of why she yearns to have a party with all her friends there was because “she knows she’s not getting to go to everyone else’s birthday.”

Hence why Philippi and his wife decided to try something new by simply not acknowledging the birthday until they can do a party with his daughter’s school friends. Understandably, though the choice was made with the best of intentions, when Jan 2 came, there were tons of conflicting feelings.

Photo credit: Canva

“I don’t know if we made the right decision. But here we are,” Philippi shared. “Today’s her birthday, and we’re pretending like it’s just another day…and it’s killing us.”

Down in the comments people—especially those with special needs kids, or were autistics themselves—were quick to reassure Philippi that he made a tough, but right call.

“As an autistic person who struggles with birthdays, you’re doing the right thing. it’s a little unconventional, but so are kids like us!! keep it up,” one person wrote.

Another added, “these ‘decisions’ are so hard but you are doing great by taking it all into consideration and trying to do what will help her feel great on her birthday.”

It seems the real thing worth noting here is that Philippi and his wife are trying to make their kid’s birthday the best it can be for her, and that’s truly admirable. Odds are nearly every parent can relate to this on some level. And for parents with neurodivergent kiddos, that can often mean navigating uncharted territory. Maybe they’ll try a different approach next year. Maybe not. What matters is they’re trying.

And from the looks of it, the actual birthday wasn’t a total wash. In a follow up video, we see that Philippi’s daughter got her favorite chicken wings for dinner, and got to plan her upcoming birthday…which will apparently be Raggedy Ann themed.

@kylephilippi Replying to @mamamcsorley1 She ate her favorite meal today and we continued to plan out her ultimate birthday party in 9 days 🙂 #birthday #parenting #parentingtips #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #auditoryprocessingdisorder #surprisebirthday #birthdayparty ♬ original sound - Kyle Philippi

Naturally, Philippi will be going as Raggedy Andy, per his daughter's request.

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Someone stole their co-worker's pie from the office fridge then realized it was loaded with THC

An unforgettable lesson in why you shouldn't take someone's food without permission.

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Someone ate a coworkers pie without permission–it was infused

There's nothing more annoying in an office setting than a coworker constantly eating food out of the break room fridge that isn't theirs. They know it's not theirs so they wait until no one is around to swipe whatever looks most appetizing. Sometimes it's a case of secretly bullying someone else by specifically eating one person's food or snacks left in the community space.

This sort of behavior can make anyone frustrated, especially if the victim of the food snatcher was looking forward to their packed lunch. Anyone who has experienced having their food taken has likely thought about how satisfactory it would feel to somehow get revenge on the culprit. One person didn't have to plot retaliatory strike, seems karma entered the room on this worker's day off.

Fola who owns, Sades Dulces where she sells baked goods uploaded a video detailing a phone call she received from a local business about a pie consumed by their employees.

Fola reveals that outside of her Sades Dulces, she sells THC infused pies, which is the same type of pie she recently delivered to a customer's employer. The state in which this occurred has legalized the selling and consumption of marijuana, including any products derived by the THC oils so someone ordering an infused pie wasn't out of the norm for this small business. In this case, she was directed to drop the pie off so the customer could take the pie home for the weekend. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the customer forgot the pie in the employee refrigerator.

two sliced pies on brown wooden chopping board Photo by Natalia Y. on Unsplash

That's when a sneaky office snacker, who works weekends, took it upon themselves to break open the brand new uneaten pie. They not only began to eat the pie, they shared the pie with eight other people, none of which knew the pie was infused with THC including the original pie thief.

"My customer doesn't work on the weekend so what ended up happening is that my customer put their pie into the 'frigerator at the job. We already know where I'm going with this, right," Fola says before continuing with the story.

Stealing Mike D GIF by Beastie BoysGiphy

She explains that the business called her asking a lot of questions about the pie because the people that ate it started to get sick causing the employer to need to call an ambulance. Fola tells the employer that the pie is infused with THC and everyone should be fine once it wears off but the woman refuses to give her customer's name fearing that they may get into trouble for the mishap.

Eventually Fola calls the customer to inform her about her nine coworkers eating her infused pie, which caused them to be sent home from work. According to Fola, the customer did not feel badly for her fellow coworkers, saying, "So, she's like 'oh my God.' And then she was like 'you know what, that's what they get because they keep eating people's food.'"

Raven Goodwin Eating GIF by FX NetworksGiphy

That's one way to learn a lesson about eating other people's food without permission. Of course if you're knowingly ingesting an edible containing THC, you expect to feel a little weird. These coworkers thought they were getting a regular piece of sweet potato pie and there was nothing to tip them off before consuming the product so they were likely caught off guard by their body's reaction. There's also the likelihood that the people who at the infused pie had never eaten infused foods previously, making the reaction even more concerning.

"If you've never had an edible before you are going to freak out because you don't know what's going on with your body," she laughs. "Half of them probably thought they were going to meet their maker so I can understand everybody freaking out."

@folathemasterpiece Infused pie gets people fired
♬ original sound - Fola

People in the comments found humor in the unauthorized pie eaters' misfortune while other's pointed out that the story makes a great marketing opportunity for the small business.

"Having a potluck on a pie you didn't purchase is WILDDDD," one person laughs.

"I'm crackin upppp. Chile this is why you cannot eat everybody food. Cause why the people at the office eating a pie that wasn't offered to them anyway lmao" another person asks.

"Why do people think it's ok to help themselves to other people's food or eat their lunch when not offered to them. It could have been something that they are allergic to. I'm sharing this video," someone giggles.

That 70S Show Lol GIF by PeacockGiphy

One person recalls what happened when they took too much of an edible by mistake, "My friend gave me a 50g edible, and mind you I like both flowers and edibles...I'm use to about 20-50g. I look at the package after I consumed and it was 500g. Thought was going to legit be the first one in history to die from canna...Almost drove to the hospital and snitched on myself."

Thankfully everyone who ate the pie is just fine, though they continued to be a little buzzed the day after the incident according to Fola's follow up video. But it's surely an unforgettable lesson on why you don't eat food out of a community refrigerator that doesn't belong to you.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Woman says she has the 'key' to being a good mother-in-law, and it's actually spot-on

A simple thing that could help everyone.

@millennialmatleave/TikTok

"Fill you own cup" is good advice fro nearly every situation, isn't it?

Listen, not every mother-in-law disregards boundaries, questions their kid’s parenting styles, tries to manipulate, and so on and so forth. But there’s a reason why the stereotype exists. Plenty have their own horror stories of being on the receiving end of toxic MIL behavior.

But for those wanting to avoid being that stereotype, Janelle Marie, or @millennialmatleave on TikTok believes that she has found the “key.” And it’s all about “filling your own cup.”

“Fill your dang cup. Something outside of your children that makes you feel good, makes you feel fulfilled, makes you feel happy,” Janelle begins in a TikTok.

That means that besides devoting your identity towards nurturing kids, you should be “nurturing” your marriage, as well as other relationships, like friendships, she notes.

“I unfortunately feel like a number of mothers-in-law that are feeling really confused about this role of mother-in-law or dissatisfied with the role of mother-law, and it ends up meaning that they act in a way that comes across as desperate or controlling or with guilt trips — women who don’t have enough going on outside of their relationship and their role as a mom. And so when their kids grow up, they’re ill-equipped to replace that relationship with other things.”

Janelle concludes by acknowledging it’s “easier said than done,” and reiterates that she isn’t trying to place blame, but rather just point out that “it’s something we need to be aware of.”

@millennialmatleave Lets get some hobbies girls…..you know, when you can find a single free moment #hobbies #motherinlaw #toxicmotherinlaw #relationshipadvice #parentingtips #lifehack #grandparents #inlaws #parenting #boymom ♬ original sound - Janelle Marie

Down in the comments, folks seem to clearly resonate with Janell’s stance—many have MILs of their own who could really benefit from a hobby or friend circle.

“My MIL’s hobby was getting into my marriage,” quipped one viewer.

“My toxic mother in law has had zero friends in the 18 years I’ve known her,” said another.

A few MILs even chimed in. One shared, “I noticed I got too involved/emotional/bothered by my son’s relationship and immediately looked in the mirror! Poured that energy into my marriage, friends, and hobbies.”

“OMG, you’re right,” reflected another. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m a good MIL, I don’t meddle or overstep, but boy do I struggle. I definitely need to get a hobby!”

As we know, it can be hard for any mom to not lose themselves in the demands of raising a child. And only up until recently were women allowed by society to see themselves as anything beyond being a mother. Self care is also a fairly new concept for everyone. So it is understandable that many MILs find themselves in this struggle without proper coping mechanisms.

But still, if the goal really is to maintain loving, healthy family relationships, it’s crucial to be mindful of any self sabotaging behaviors, and continuity working through those insecurities. That goes for MILs and non-MILs alike.

For those booking to be the best mother-in-law they can be, here are a few pieces of advice:

Don't make it about you

It can be difficult to accept that you might not be the #1 woman in your kid’s life anymore, but it’s important both for you and the couple that those potential feelings of rejection get reframed. After all, there's truly no love lost.

Use your words to uplift, not criticize

Words are powerful. Use them wisely. A little complement now and then goes a long way.

Back off

Let the couple raise their kids, and solve their problems, as they see fit. Trust that you can let them handle their own. Even when intentions are good, offers of help without being asked for it can be seen as criticism.

Invite and Include

Leaving people out leads to resentment. Always invite kids and their spouses to join performances, graduations, birthday celebrations, and other family events, whether or not you think they want to or can attend.

And, of course…fill your own cup.

This article originally appeared last year.

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