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Two sisters go viral for their ridiculously functional roller coaster costume

The screams and synchronized movements really help sell the whole experience.

roller coaster costume sisters; roller coaster costume; costume ideas; halloween costume DIY; halloween
Laurie Dabbs-Gayton|TikTok

Sisters go viral for realistic roller coaster costume

Spooky season can be a fun time of year for people. There are folks that wait all year for the official start of fall just to decorate for Halloween. Costumes are bought in advance and bags of candy are purchased and stored, but not everyone buys their costume. Some spooky season lovers get really creative with their Halloween costumes out of household items.

There are some homemade costumes that are so funny and realistic that you have to do a double take. Two sisters are going viral for their ultra realistic roller coaster costume made out of cardboard and foam noodles. But it's not just their costumes that are stealing the attention of millions, it's their acting skills.

In the video uploaded to TikTok by Laurie Dabbs-Gayton, the sisters stand side-by-side, though it looks like their sitting. They begin to shake and jostle as if they're on a track before screaming like they've just rounded a bend or flew down a hill quickly.

The pair is in total sync with each other adding to the realistic vibe of their costume for their employer's costume party. It was so convincing that people watching the video were confused at first thinking it was a coin operated ride. Commenters didn't realize it was a costume until the women stood up fully.

"I thought it was a mini roller coaster," one person writes followed by multiple rolling crying laughing emojis.

"Took my brain a few extra seconds to process what my eyes were seeing," a commenter says.

"I thought for a second it was like the pony ride machines outside a grocery store," someone admits.

"It took me far longer to figure out than it should have," one woman writes.

Watch the fantastic combination of acting skill and costume design below:

This article originally appeared on 10.31.23

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Pop Culture

Millennials bond over the weird no phone 'money rule' that sets their generation apart

Folks under 30 will never understand.

@jennielongdon/TikTok, Photo credit: Canva

It might not be hip, but it makes sense!

Online shopping is an integral part of adult life no matter what age group you fall into. But apparently there’s one digital spending habit that didn’t make it to Gen Z.

UK-based radio host Jennie Longdon recently went viral for sharing how—despite being able to do virtually everything from our phones—folks over the age of 30 can’t seem to part with using their laptops for “big purchases.”

“Takeaway , clothes, shoes within reason, yeah,” she says in a clip posted to her TikTok. “But…a plane ticket? That’s a laptop job!”

Longdon continues to feign disgust as she imagines big purchases being made from the phone, as these items obviously require the larger screen. It’s just something that a millennial brain cannot get behind. “We cannot make a big or significant purchase on the phone. You can't browse properly."

“Bigger screens for the big things please,” her video caption reads.

@jennielongdon Bigger screen for the big things please. #millennial #millennialsoftiktok #millenialmum #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - Jennie Longdon

But there may be some sound reasoning behind this seemingly outdated logic. According to Fluid Commerce, the average desktop provides “over 3 times as much information” as a smartphone screen, allowing for more research. Laptops might not offer quite as much information as a desktop, but they certainly offer more than a phone, and it’s just good common sense to want as much information as possible before making an investment.

Either way, most millennials seem willing to die on this hill.

“Big purchases on the computer because I don’t trust mobile apps to show me everything I need to know,” one wrote in the comments.

“Big purchase requires the big internet,” added another.

A third said, "I will literally look at the information on my phone, then go get my laptop to go to the same site to book it.”

A few even shared horror stories of trying things the newfangled way and it backfiring immediately.

“I lived dangerously the other day and booked a hotel room on my phone and it tools ages buffering at the confirmation screen and I was fuming and knew I should’ve done it on my laptop,” one person lamented.

Another wrote, "I booked a mini break on my phone once and I accidentally refreshed the page with my thumb midway through booking.”

Still, there are some millennials who are on board with the phones-only approach.

"I booked flights, accommodation, and extracurriculars for four people on my phone recently,” one person wrote. "I was so proud."

Another said, "I'm a millennial and I just booked my Vegas hotel and flights on the phone. It's.....fine....."

Lastly—kudos to this commenter, who truly got to the root of this issue by saying:

“We grew up in an age when mobile websites were terrible and we’ve never forgotten it.”

That really hits the nail on the head, doesn’t it? Some scars just never truly heal.


This article originally appeared on 5.13.24

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Motherhood

Mom lets 7-year-old daughter wear high heels and it ignites a heated parenting debate

Is it "bad parenting," or instilling "confidence"?

Photo credit: Canva

After seeing her daughter in tears, Florida mom Liana DeGeorge says she "cracked" and bought a pair of heels.

Some kids gravitate towards big kid stuff really early on. This tends to be especially true for girls, many of whom want to start experimenting with grown up clothes and makeup—and skin care from Sephora, of course.

Parents must decide whether or not to entertain these urges, whether to allow kids the freedom to explore and express themselves, or to protect them with boundaries. And rest assured, this will never be a decision all parents can agree on.

Just ask Florida mom Liana DeGeorge. Recently, DeGeorge bought her 7-year-old a pair of heels, which, unbeknownst to her, would ignite raucous online debate as to whether or not this was “bad parenting.”

In a video posted to her Instagram, DeGeorge shared how her daughter kept “begging” for a two inch pair of chunky heels she had tried on, despite mom telling her “let’s just wait a few more years.”

After seeing the tears in her daughter’s eye, DeGeorge admitted she “cracked” and let her have them, dubbing them “special occasion shoes” only.

The clip ends with DeGeorge’s daughter sashaying around in her kitten heels, while DeGeorge writes “let me tell you she SHINED.”

Objectively speaking, age 7 is quite a bit younger than 14-16, which is what podiatrist Romona Brooks recommends for starting young ones off in heels to avoid developing problems like lower back pain, shin splints, ankle sprains and fractures, bunions and hammertoes.

This was just one of the points that critics took against DeGorge’s decision, some saying that she was “deforming” her daughter’s feet. Many others argued that it taught her daughter how to cross boundaries.

“Moral of the story: cry if you want something,” one person wrote, while another bluntly said, “You are the mum, you should learn to say no.”

Others felt strongly that it was simply too grown up, and could attract the wrong kind of adult attention. As one person put it, “I was fine until I saw her swish walk. She’s SEVEN.”

Another joked, “Why stop there, next time give a glass of wine and a smoke.”

Still, there were plenty others who thought these comments were entirely too “dramatic,” and even remembered doing the same thing as kids.

“Why are people bugging out? It’s not like she’s wearing stilettos. I’ve been wearing those type of low block ‘heels’ since I was 6,” one person wrote.

Another added, “I had a pair of heels when I was little — it’s every little girl’s dream to be like their mama.”

Others applauded DeGeorge for helping give her kid a self esteem boost.

“I just know when she wears them she feels so confident 💕 you did good mama!!!” wrote one viewer.

For what it’s worth, Brooks does note that if a child insists on wearing heels, there are safe ways to comply, primarily by choosing a low, block-style heel with spaces for growing toes, and to only allow them on for 2-4 hours maximum, and certainly not every day. All of which DeGeorge seems to be doing.

And in an interview with Today, DeGeorge added that while she has no regrets buying her daughter the shoes, she does "say no to lots of things.”

“My daughter will say, ‘Mommy, my friends have TikTok' and I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?! You guys are 7!”

DeGeorge also countered that while people are warning her to not let her daughter grow up too fast, “this big-girl moment is part of her childhood,” and she wants to honor that.

Finding the balance between protection and freedom is a never ending battle for parents. And while there are certain aspects of modern life that undeniably expose kids to things which threaten their innocence, this story is a reminder that for the most part, there's also a whole lot of gray area.

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Pets

Good guy built a tiny house for one stray cat in his backyard. It quickly became a kitty village.

Everybody gets a house!

Representative Photo credit: Canva and Rumeysa Yilmaz|Pexels

Man builds tiny house for stray cat, suddenly has small village

Tiny houses are still a popular choice for people trying to downsize but tiny houses for cats are springing up in one man's backyard. Barna, thought he was doing a good deed for a stray cat that decided that he kinda liked hanging out in this human's backyard. The cat would show up but at first wouldn't eat the food set out for him, that didn't stop Barna.

The man continued to set food out for the cat. Taking note of the changing weather, Barna decided to take one of his hobbies and build the cat, now named Domino a cozy little house. Building things is a hobby for the man, so he made sure to equip Domino's tiny abode with a heating pad, light and camera.

Before too long the situation turned into a version of the famous children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Another cat showed up, because of course Domino had a bestie but it didn't stop there.

Barna built a tiny two story condo for the two cats to hang out in while still keeping Domino's original tiny house. The backyard looks like it was made to host furry tenants in a makeshift cat community because more cats indeed showed up. Now the tuxedo cat has several neighbors to hang out with and thanks to Barna, none of the cats look like they're missing any meals.

"We have about four or five cats who will go in and sleep in the houses," Barna tells The Dodo. "One night one of the biggest storms of the year hit, I saw that two kittens actually took shelter in the house. That was one of the sweetest things ever."

Barna has cameras set up inside and outside of the itty bitty kitty community so he can keep an eye on his feline neighbors. The cats' landlord expresses that he feels gratification seeing his little houses be used by furry tenants. Having a group of cats around probably isn't too terrible for keeping pests away either so it's a win for all involved.


This article originally appeared on 5.13.24

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Identity

High school girl’s response to ‘Ugly Girls’ poll inspires positive reaction

This brave high school student stood up to her school’s cyberbullies.

Lynelle Cantwell/Facebook.

Lynelle Cantwell had a response on her own Facebook page.

Lynelle Cantwell is in 12th grade at Holy Trinity High School in Torbay, Newfoundland and Labrador (that's Canada).

On Monday, she found out that she had been featured on another student's anonymous online poll entitled "Ugly Girls in Grade 12," along with several other classmates.

Cantwell responded via Facebook with her own message, which has already been shared more than 2,000 times and counting.

cyber bullying, bullies, kindness

The unkind poll.

Lynelle Cantwell/Facebook.

Take a look:

bullying, brave response, community support

“Just because we don’t look perfect on the outside does not mean we are ugly.” - Lynelle Cantwell.

Lynelle Cantwell/Facebook.

Since posting her brave response on Facebook, more people have come out to show support than people who voted in the first place.

Check out some of the responses:

appreciation, confidence, self esteem, love and support

Some responses to her post.

Lynelle Cantwell/Facebook.

The School District of Newfoundland and Labrador has announced that it will be looking into the incident further. For Cantwell, the positive outpouring of love and support vastly outweighs the initial cyberbullying and is raising her confidence in new ways.


This article originally appeared on 08.20.17

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kindness
Family

7 secrets to raising awesome, functional teenagers.

Step 1: Ditch the myth that all teens are sullen, angry creatures.

All photos used here are mine, used with permission.

My beautiful teens.


I occasionally get asked by mothers of young children what the secret is to raising great teenagers.

My initial response is that I have absolutely no clue. My kids are who they are IN SPITE of having me as a mother. (The young moms don't find that answer too helpful.)

Really, the first thing that I will tell you is to disbelieve the myth that teenagers are sullen, angry creatures who slam doors and hate their parents. Some do that, but the overwhelming majority do not. Every one of my kids' friends are just as happy and fun as my kids are, so I know it's not just us.

Teenagers are incredible. They are funny, smart, eager to please, and up for just about anything as long as food is involved. They have the most generous hearts and want desperately to be loved and validated. They are quirky and messy and have the best sense of humor.

rules for teens, raising teens, secrets, privilege

Bright smiles on the couch.

All photos used here are mine, used with permission.

So, here is my list of "rules" for raising teens. These are the secrets we have found to be successful.

1. Love them fiercely.

Love everything about them, even the annoying stuff. Love them for their actions AND their intentions. Let them know in word and deed how much you adore them. Daily. Love their wrinkled shirts and Axe-body-spray-covered selves. Love their bad handwriting and pimpled cheeks. Love their scattered brains and long limbs. All these seemingly insignificant details are an amazing, magical process at work. It's like being witness to the miracle of a diamond mid-formation. All this imperfection is going to one day yield a responsible, serious adult. A loving husband and father. Or a wonderful wife and mother. It's a privilege to be witness to such glorious growth.

See your teenagers as a privilege, don't see them as a burden. They're more perceptive than you can imagine. How you feel about them will be no secret. So just love ‘em.

2. Listen and pay attention.

When they walk in the door after school, you have a precious few minutes when they will divulge the secrets of their day with you. Be excited to see them. Put down the cell phone. Don't waste this time making dinner or taking a phone call. Look them in the eye and hear what they are saying. Make their victories your victories. Be empathetic. It is really hard to navigate high school and middle school. Don't offer advice at this time unless they ask for it. Don't lecture. Just listen. It makes them feel important and valued. We all need to feel that way.

3. Say yes more than you say no.

The world is forever going to tell them no. For the rest of their lives, they will be swimming in a stormy sea with wave after wave of "you're not good enough" and "you can't do this" crashing down on their heads. If nothing else, I want to be the opposite voice in their lives for as long as I can. I want to instill in them the belief that they are not limited and they can do anything if they're willing to work hard enough for it. I want to be the YES, YOU CAN in their lives. I want them to leave my house every day feeling invincible.

4. Say no often.

You need to say no to experiences and situations that will set your child up for harm or unhappiness. Don't let them go to the parties where they will be forced to make a choice about alcohol at age 16 in front of their peers . Don't let them stay out until three in the morning with a member of the opposite sex. Be the parent. Set up rules for their safety, both physical and moral. You would think this rule goes without saying, but we have known a shockingly large number of parents who don’t.

5. Feed them. A lot.

And not only them, but their friends too. These bodies are growing and developing at an astonishing rate and need fuel to do so — most of which they prefer to be loaded with processed sugar and hydrogenated-something-or-others. When their friends know your pantry is stocked to the gills with treats, they will beg your kid to hang out at your place. This allows you to not only meet and know their friends, but to keep an eye on your teen as well.


6. Don't sweat the small stuff.

When living with teenagers, it can be so easy to see the backpack dropped in the middle of the living room as laziness. Or the bedroom scattered with dirty clothes as irresponsible. Instead, and before you open your mouth to yell at them, put yourself in their shoes. Find out about their day first. Maybe they are feeling beaten down, and they just need to unwind for a minute and tell you about it. Ignore the mess for a bit and put your arms around that big, sweaty kid and give him a hug. Talk to him about his world. Find out what he did, wants to do, and dreams of doing. THEN, and only then, ask him to pick it up and put it away.

That being said, do I completely ignore the state of my boys' bedrooms all the time? No, I do not. But I pick my battles, and I pick the appropriate time to fight them. Once every seven to 10 days or so, I tell them their bedrooms need to be picked up. Which they do happily because it's not the running loop of a nagging mom. They know when I ask, it needs to be done.

7. Stand back and watch the magic happen.

teens, adults, education, parenting

Having a funny picture taken.

All photos used here are mine, used with permission.

If you let them, these glorious creatures will open their hearts and love you more fiercely than you could possibly imagine. They are brilliant, capable, strong spirits who bring with them a flurry of happiness. They are hilarious and clever. They are thoughtful and sensitive. They want us to adore them. They need us to adore them. They love deeply and are keenly in touch with the feelings of others.

They are just about the greatest gift God gave to parents.


This article was written by Christie Halversson and originally appeared on 08.20.19

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