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Mom has TikTok viewers in stitches after revealing she got her son's birthday wrong—for years

Images via Unsplash

Emily Vondy's mom fail.

Sometimes, we have to just laugh at our failures.

“Here’s a little story to allow all the moms of littles out there to maybe feel a little better about yourself,” Emily Vondy told her 1.3 million TikTok followers.

In a TikTok video that has now garnered more than 500,000 views, Vondy shared perhaps one of the most hilarious “mom fail” stories of all time: forgetting her son’s actual birthdate.

After a recent trip to the pediatrician, Vondy was ready to give her insurance company the ol’ what for, after being told her son’s birthday was February 25.

“Per my words: ‘my son’s birthday is the 26th. I’m his mother. I know his birthday,’” Vondy affirmed. Emphatically so.

@thevondyfam How’s your day going? #momfail #mombrain #parenting101 #sahm ♬ original sound - Emily Vondy

A quick scroll through Facebook to find the original birth date announcement proved the correct birthdate was, in fact, the 25th. Whoops.

“For two years I’ve been celebrating his birthday on the 26th!” exclaimed Vondy.

To make matters worse, Vondy revealed this was her middle child. My, my, how stereotypes manifest themselves.

She then shouted “I love my kids! They may not have their birthday celebration on the correct day but they celebrate it the next!” She then hilariously tried to sign off with a quick “Merry Christmas,” only to realize “Christmas is over!”

We get it, Vondy. What is time, anyway?

Parents and children alike delivered comments nearly as entertaining as the video itself:


If you enjoy Vondy’s ultra silly charm (that definitely gives off Amy Poehler vibes, no?), you’re in luck. Her channel is full of truly delightful videos that capture parenting life in a real, yet comical way.

I mean, just look at her music video promoting the meal delivery service Home Chef, complete with a “no prep two step.”

@thevondyfam #ad They had me at “oven ready” 💙 use code VONDY90 for $90 off. Link in Bio #hookedonhomechef ♬ original sound - Emily Vondy

Or her Target rap that no one asked for but everyone needs.

@thevondyfam My official application to be sponsored by target 😅 #momcontent #target #targetfinds #momcomedy ♬ original sound - Emily Vondy

Or eating a large pizza less than half an hour after giving birth.

@thevondyfam #answer to @Leo | IG: leocaballes THE BEST pizza I’ve ever eaten. #laboranddelivery #birthstory #birthcenterbirth ♬ original sound - Emily Vondy

Yes, mama. Treat yo’ self.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I’m off to go check my birth certificate to see if I’ve been living a lie.


This article originally appeared on 1.25.22


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College student puts items under a microscope on TikTok, and it's hard to look away

You'll never look at bananas the same way again.

Photo by Yassine Khalfalli on Unsplash

Microscopic images satisfy TikTok commenters' natural curiosity.

Ever wondered what an espresso looked like under a microscope? How about a pumpkin? Octopus sucker?

Thanks to pharm tech college student and TikTok star of science Justice Dodson, all of your micro-curiosities can be satisfied. And wow, it is crazy to look at our big, big world through this teeny tiny lens.

Dodson’s channel, where he takes requests for items to go under a microscope, is a unique blend of fascinating, educational and grossly pleasing. With more than a million followers, this kid gets a ton of requests. But here are some of the nanoscopic gems I found particularly interesting:

Corona virus

@justice.dodson

Reply to @user646472910474810 Corona or Corona? ##foryou ##microscope ##science ##TargetHalloween ##MakeItCinematic

♬ Pink Soldiers - 23

It’s probably no surprise that many, many, many people ask to see the coronavirus up close and personal. Although Dodson does a bit of a bait-and-switch here.

He starts the video by letting us know, “I have Corona, so I can finally show you what it looks like under a microscope”

… and then proceeds to pull out a Corona beer bottle.

This was still a teachable moment, because we learned that the virus is way too small and would need a much more powerful device to be visible. Something called an electron microscope. Sounds like something from a Marvel movie.

As one person commented, “I was excited, disappointed, and informed all in the span of 30 seconds,” and that accurately sums it all up.

Pepperoni

@justice.dodson

Reply to @that_trippy_chick22 Cow + Pig = Pepperoni ##foryou ##microscope ##velabco ##wehavethemeats ##CurameChoreo

♬ #3 - Aphex Twin

It looks like pimply skin, then a gaseous planet. Don’t watch before pizza.

Octopus sucker

@justice.dodson

Davy Jones vibes 🐙 ##foryou ##microscope ##velabco ##ocotpus ##NissanShowUp

♬ Davy Jones Theme (Pirates of the Caribbean) - Je Suis Parte

First off, an octopus is already fun to look at. But Dodson took a piece of an octopus arm (I’m guessing from a market?) and under the microscope it looks even more like an alien creature.

Bonus points for creativity, as he used the “Davy Jones Theme” from "Pirates of the Caribbean" for his audio. I giggled at that.

It’s also great to see that Dodson is inspiring other scientists-in-training, as many share their appreciation, knowledge and enthusiasm in the comments.

One person wrote, "hoping to be a medical lab scientist one day, love your videos."

Bug squishing

@justice.dodson

Reply to @defender2090 I found it like this all shriveled up :( ##foryou ##microscope ##velabco ##123PandoraME ##TakeTheDayOffChallenge

♬ The Banjo Beat, Pt. 1 - Ricky Desktop

People really, really, really like the squishing ones.

Halloween pumpkin

@justice.dodson

Reply to @user646472910474810 Happy Halloween! 🎃 ##foryou ##microscope ##pumpkin ##velabco ##science ##PUBGMOBILE

♬ Halloween Theme - John Carpenter & Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies

Holy moly, that crazy transformation from 100x to 400x. I will never think of jack-o-lanterns the same way again.

Blood + wine

@justice.dodson

Reply to @hnnh.cstr Red wine, extra red 🩸🔬 ##velabco ##microscope ##science ##wine ##JifRapChallenge

♬ Je te laisserai des mots - Patrick Watson

In a beautiful cascade, the red blood cells meet their demise, due to the alcohol.

So yeah, in case you were considering it, don’t inject red wine!

Dollar bill

@justice.dodson

Reply to @.seanm RIP George ##foryou ##CowboyBebop ##MunchiesWithTubi ##microscope ##velabco ##science

♬ where is my mind - jewel :*

I was half hoping for some kind of hidden clue-like message that “National Treasure” always promised us. But still quite cool to see.

Especially toward the end where you see how money is a bunch of fibers seemingly sewn together. There's a metaphor for capitalism somewhere in there.

Mold … from a water bottle

@justice.dodson

##stitch with @noelmulk0 Do you have mold in your water bottle? 🔬🔬 ##foryou ##microscope ##velabco ##mold ##k18hairflip

♬ original sound - Justice Dodson

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Dodson's TikToks, it’s that nowhere is safe.

Water bear

@justice.dodson

Reply to @nikki_smiht LOOK AT THOSE LITTLE CLAWS 🥺 ##foryou ##microscope ##velabco ##MyBrawlSuper ##waterbear ##tardigrade

♬ Elf - Main Theme - Geek Music

Found inside a little puddle on moss and dirt, and with a bonus tardigrade egg!

This is one of the cuter ones, most definitely.

Espresso cream

@justice.dodson

Reply to @user646472910474810 lil bubbles ##foryou ##microscope ##CustomersMostLoved ##velabco ##DoTheJuJu

♬ original sound - джузель

It basically looks like a bubble bath, making me love coffee even more.

Banana

@justice.dodson

Bananas making bananas 🍌 ##foryou ##didyouknow ##microscope ##velabco ##SaveIt4TheEndZone ##banana ##cells

♬ Eleanor Rigby - Cody Fry

Why no, Dodson, I did not know that banana cells look just like little bananas. But I certainly can’t un-know it moving forward.

Giphy

We all have a science nerd inside, an inner curiosity that wants to know how things work, both big and small.

That’s what makes TikTok truly amazing for its bite-sized glimpses into subjects we might not otherwise be aware of.

Trust me, I did not wake up thinking I’d go down a rabbit hole like this one, but I’m so glad I did. Thanks Justice Dodson for sharing your passion and for helping us see the world in a whole new way.


This article originally appeared on 12.29.21

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Family

Texas UPS driver proudly explains why he never helps his wife do any chores

“I don’t help her clean, do laundry, take care of the kids — none of that.”

via minton__jr/TikTok and Alex Green/Pexels

J.R. Minton's video has over 6 million views.

Even though America has come a long way in gender relations over the past few decades men are still far behind women when accepting domestic responsibilities.

A recent study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey found that women aged 15 and over spend 5.7 hours daily on domestic tasks, whereas men spend 3.6 hours, a 37 percent difference. Women with a 35-hour week devote 4.9 hours daily to home chores and child care, compared to men's 3.8 hours.

In a world where men still trail behind women when it comes to work on the homefront, a Texas UPS driver is going viral for a TikTok video where he urges men to reconsider how they think about domestic responsibilities.

In a video with over 6 million views, J.R. Minton proudly says he doesn’t “help” his wife with jobs around the house. “I don’t help my wife cook. I don’t help her clean, do laundry, take care of the kids — none of that,” Minton, 32, began his clip.

Warning: Strong language.

So, why does Minton refuse to help his wife?

"Because I do what I am supposed to do as a father and a husband. I cook. I clean. I do the laundry. I take care of the kids. I can't help my wife do those things because they are my job, too,” he reveals.

He then urged men to change their perspectives on how they view their relationship to domestic responsibilities and their wives. “Change the way you speak, change the way you think, and grow the f*** up and be a man," he added.

The video received raves from women in the comments. Sadly, many used the video to share that their husbands have fallen short of Minton’s level of understanding. "My husband sometimes doesn’t even flush the toilet," Human Robot wrote. "I am sending this straight to my man he needs to see this," JJsMom added.

"Yep! My husband and I recognize it’s BOTH our kids and BOTH our house, therefore BOTH our responsibility," Sweetheart wrote.

Minton is an equal partner to his wife because he was raised much differently and wants to right the wrongs of his past. “Pretty much everything about my parenting style is in spite of what I saw when I was growing up,” he told Today.com

Minton knew that his philosophy on marriage was necessary when a woman at Target praised him for doing the “bare minimum." “I was wearing the baby, and I had two kids in the cart, and this lady comes up to Brittany, and she’s like, ‘Oh my God. Is this your husband!? Look at him. You should take a picture of him,’” Minton said. “I get so much credit for doing nothing. How low is the bar?"

Minton responded to his viral video with a heartfelt follow-up to everyone who loved how he cared for his wife and family. “I’m truly humbled at how far my message has gone,” he said. “However, I’d like to take a second to say: I am not special. I am no ‘unicorn.’ I am normal.”

“Nothing about my parenting style or my commitment to my wife is unique. Although it may seem out of the ordinary, it is far from extraordinary,” he continued. “Every father and husband we know (that seems to come up short) is fully-capable — yet unwilling.” He added that there was one thing that separates dads who do their part and dads who don’t: “Effort.”


This article originally appeared on 10.16.23

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People are shocked to learn that 200 years ago we lost the 27th letter in the alphabet

We got rid of it for no good reason.

via Pixabay/Pexels and Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

Woman shocked to learn about the history of the English alphabet.

An eye-opening video on TikTok by @ZachDFilms3 is an excellent example of how language constantly evolves. In a video with over 900,000 views, he explains that the English language had a 27th letter a little more than 200 years ago.

ZachDFilms3 is popular on TikTok for creating videos that explain surprising facts about science and history.

In a video posted on March 6, he surprised many by revealing that the ampersand ( or "&") once came after the letter Z in the English alphabet. “This is an ampersand and believe it or not, it used to be the 27th letter in the alphabet. You see, back in the day, this symbol came after the letter Z and signified the word 'and,’" he shares in the video.

However, incorporating the letter into lessons for English-speaking kids was a problem.


“But when reciting the alphabet, students weren't allowed to just say 'and' after Z. Instead, they were taught to differentiate the symbol by saying 'per se' before it, which sounded something like this: Q R S T U V W X Y Z &. And 'per se &' ampersand."

@zachdfilms3

Why Highway Signs Are Green 🤨

The melding of the words “and per se” eventually led to the strange symbol called the “ampersand.” According to ON Words, other names for the symbol included ampazad and zumy-zan, but they failed to take hold with the general public.

It’s believed that the symbol got its name around 1835, but it ceased to be part of the English alphabet by the late 19th century.

The symbol dates back to over 1700 years ago when Roman scribes wrote in cursive and commonly used the Latin word “et,” which means “and.” So, the cursive combinations of the E and T together came to symbolize “and.” The symbol evolved over decades into the ampersand we know and love today.



These days, the ampersand is relegated to informal English and is mainly used as an abbreviation or in the names of businesses (AT&T, US News & World Report) or partnerships (Simon & Garfunkel, Jacoby & Meyers). However, it’s doing far better than the 5 other letters ditched from the original Old English alphabet recorded in 1011 by the monk Byrhtferð.

In the original Old English alphabet, there were 29 letters, which included the ampersand and 5 additional English letters: Long S (ſ), Eth (Ð and ð), Thorn (þ), Wynn (ƿ) and Ash (ᚫ; later Æ and æ). During that time, 3 new letters were added: J, U and W.

So whenever people get stuffy about new slang that they are using or changes in style or grammar, remind them that language is ever-evolving and that what we accept as standard today may be archaic in just a few decades. As the writer Rita Mae Brown once remarked, "Language is the roadmap of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going." So, when a language becomes static, it’s safe to say that those who use it have failed to evolve as well.


This article originally appeared on 7.3.24

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