+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy
Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

This week's roundup is a veritable feast of unusual and heartwarming delights.

happy, joy, smiles
@saruh2themax/TikTok, Holly Muraco/YouTube, @bmackwrites/TikTok

Upworthy's weekly roundup of joy.

Have you ever seen a beaver build a "dam" out of stuffed animals and Christmas decorations? How about someone singing "Baby Got Back" opera-style?

This week's 10 things list is a veritable feast of unusual delights. In addition to the indoor beaver dam and operatic "Baby Got Back," we have a quick-witted "molice" (mom police) officer, a diner-owning toddler who serves broccoli to patrons who order cookies, and a hilarious mix-up between a kid named Jesús and the actual biblical Jesus.

We love to laugh here at Upworthy, but we also like to cry happy tears. It wouldn't be a genuine roundup of joy without a few heart-tuggers in there. We've got you covered on all joy fronts. (Get ready to giggle, but grab a tissue or two as well is what I'm saying.)

Without further ado, please enjoy these 10 things that made us smile this week.

1. Mom's hilarious 'molice' skits have parents everywhere nodding and chuckling.

@bmackwrites

Episode 2: Teen won’t clean room #molice #bmackwrites

Her vest. The face roller. That giggle at the end. And there's more where this came from. See more of Bridgett Mack's "molice" videos here.

2. Wee one painting her mom's nails does a spot-on Leslie Jordan impression.

@addytok2022

She tried her best honey 😂 #fyp #fypage #trending

It's unintentional, surely, but it's like hearing Leslie Jordan being channeled through a toddler. Read more about Addy and her family here.

3. Watch Sawyer the rescue beaver meticulously build a 'dam' in her rehabber's hallway.

Marine mammal researcher Dr. Holley Muraco shared with us how Sawyer came to live with her and it's a fascinating look into beaver rehabilitation. Learn all about Sawyer and her fellow rescue beavers, Huck and Finn (yes, really!) here.

4. A mom got confused by a 'birthday party for Jesus' invitation and it's a hilarious mix-up.

"Are you Jésus' mom?" "I don't even know who Jésus is." Holy moly, too funny. Read the full story here.

5. A son gets a first look at his mom before he walks her down the aisle, and here's where the tissues come in.

"I'm so happy for you." Oof. How sweet is that kiddo?

6. Two-year-old runs her diner like a middle-aged woman who tolerates no nonsense.

@saruh2themax

I got put on a strict diet due to my audacity. #willowpenelope #willowsdiner #cute #funnytoddler

"Willow's Diner" has become an incredibly popular TikTok series and you can see why with those facial expressions and toddler unpredictability. Check out more Willow's Diner videos here.

7. Jason Derulo sings "Baby Got Back" opera-style and nails it.

Derulo is a pop singer, but one who has been classically trained and it shows. That vibrato on "spruuuuuuung"? Come on. Read the full story here.

8. Kid belts out every word of song from new 'Matilda' film and Dad's reaction is too relatable.

Math facts woes aside, Nathan appears to have a bright musical theater future ahead of him. Another video of him singing a "Hamilton" song went viral with this one and got the attention of Leslie Odom Jr. himself. Read the full story here.

9. Eight-year-old surprises his beloved auntie with his portrait painting of her at an art show.

Another good cry here. What a sweetheart and Auntie Steph's reaction is so pure. Love, love, love.

10. Swipe through these 'wholesome secrets' and see if they inspire some quiet acts of kindness.

Some of the greatest acts of human kindness are the ones we never see. In an age where everyone shares everything on social media, isn't it heartwarming to hear about people being helpful behind the scenes, just for the good of it?

Hope that brought you some joy!

If you want these roundups sent straight to your inbox each week, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

From Your Site Articles
uplifting
Badge
Visit Sweden
Visit Sweden
Education

Sweden’s landmark new proposal will stop the world from mixing it up with Switzerland

Honestly, do you know the difference?

True

After over a thousand years of peaceful relations, European semi-superpowers Sweden and Switzerland may finally address a lingering issue between the two nations. But the problem isn’t either country’s fault. The point is that the rest of the world can’t tell them apart. They simply don’t know their kroppkakor (Swedish potato dumpling) from their birchermüesli (a Swiss breakfast dish).

This confusion on the European continent has played out in countless ways.

Swedish people who move to the United States often complain of being introduced as Swiss. The New York Stock Exchange has fallen victim to the confusion, and a French hockey team once greeted their Swiss opponents, SC Bern, by playing the Swedish National Anthem and raising the Swedish flag.

Skämtar du med mig? (“Are you kidding me?” in Swedish)

Keep ReadingShow less
travel
Family

Mom comes out to her 7-year-old as a sexual assault survivor. The discomfort was worth it.

Sometimes speaking our truth can help history from repeating itself.

Canva

Almost all the important conversations are uncomfortable

Sarah Shanley Hope's story is frighteningly common.

As a kid, she went over to her neighbor's house one day to play with her best friend. While there, her friend's older brother sexually assaulted both of them.

Hope was only 6 years old.

Keep ReadingShow less
kids
Humor

Woman shares wedding album her mom made that’s making people crack up

The photos were beautiful, but there was something hilariously wrong with the captions.

Niki Hunt|TikTok

Woman's wedding gift from her mom is making people laugh.

There's no denying that a wedding day is a special memory most people want to hold onto for the rest of their lives. It's the reason people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on wedding pictures and hand out disposable cameras to guests—to capture memories from all angles, including behind-the-scenes moments that you may forget due to the nerves beforehand.

One mother of the bride decided to take her daughter's beautiful wedding photos and create a special personalized photo album. But upon further inspection of the gift, the bride noticed that something was amiss. Niki Hunt, told Good Morning America that when her mom, Sherry Noblett, gave her the wedding album at brunch, she admitted she may have messed up.

"She’s very crafty, so usually when she says something like that, it’s something really small. I'm thinking some of the pictures are askew, or whatever," Hunt explained to GMA.

Keep ReadingShow less
wedding album mistake
Identity

A woman requested inspiring middle-age success stories, and the internet delivered—big time

There's nothing magical about "making it" in your younger years.

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash, @JillHannaA/Twitter, @KateGrand/Twitter

It all can happen at just the right time.

Media outlets love to compile lists of impressive people under a certain age. They laud the accomplishments of fresh-faced entrepreneurs, innovators, influencers, etc., making the rest of us ooh and ahh wonder how they got so far so young.

While it's great to give credit where it's due, such early-life success lists can make folks over a certain age unnecessarily question where we went wrong in our youth—as if dreams can't come true and successes can't be had past age 30.

Keep ReadingShow less
aging well
Mental Health

The danger of high-functioning depression as told by a college student

Overachievers can struggle with mental health issues, too.


I first saw a psychiatrist for my anxiety and depression as a junior in high school.

During her evaluation, she asked about my coursework. I told her that I had a 4.0 GPA and had filled my schedule with pre-AP and AP classes. A puzzled look crossed her face. She asked about my involvement in extracurricular activities. As I rattled off the long list of groups and organizations I was a part of, her frown creased further.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Her boyfriend asked her to draw a comic about their relationship. Hilarity ensued.

The series combines humor and playful drawings with spot-on depictions of the intense familiarity that long-standing coupledom often brings.

All images by Catana Chetwynd


"It was all his idea."

An offhand suggestion from her boyfriend of two years coupled with her own lifelong love of comic strips like "Calvin and Hobbes" and "Get Fuzzy" gave 22-year-old Catana Chetwynd the push she needed to start drawing an illustrated series about long-term relationships.

Specifically, her own relationship.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trending Stories