Lifestyle

We bet she won’t be doing that again.

A mom in Jacksonville, Fla., recently shared footage of her 2-year-old son complaining about how she rushed off to work without giving him a kiss goodbye — and the adorable video is going viral.

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“After Alexander’s soccer practice I was in such a hurry to get back to work and my baby Alex was very upset he didn’t get the proper goodbye,” Diana Simos wrote on Facebook earlier this month. “He had a lot to say and my husband got it all on video,” she added.

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In footage shot by Diana’s husband Christos, their son Alexander can be seen in disbelief, trying to tell Christos about Diana’s hasty departure.

“She didn’t give you a kiss?” Christos helpfully translates, seeing as Alexander is only communicating in short phrases and kissing noises.

“And she just went to work?” Christos asks his little boy. “What kind of mama does that?!”

Alexander seemed upset, too, that his mom didn’t kiss his dad goodbye, or even his newborn sister.

“Aww man!” he says, echoing his dad’s reaction.

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Diana said the video had her laughing out loud — and it apparently struck a chord on Facebook, too. The video, which was reposted by WJAX in Jacksonville, has been liked more than 45,000 times since being posted on Monday.

“Mommy u are in big trouble when you get home,” one Facebook user joked. “This is sooo sooo precious.”

“That was adorable and I hope momma doesn’t forget to kiss those babies anymore,” another added.

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For the record, Diana said on Facebook that the video broke her heart too, but she made sure to give Alexander his kisses when she got home.

“#IMadeItUpToHimThough,” she hashtagged her post.

She’s seriously “killing it.”

One New York woman recently celebrated the “death” of her student loans with a funeral-inspired photo shoot at a historic graveyard. This, after paying off $102,000 in six years.

Last week, Mandy Velez shared on Facebook that she had finally paid off the loans that covered her education costs at California University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh, after graduating from college in 2013 with $75,000 in debt, “Good Morning America” reports.

PRANKSTER’S PRE-RECORDED FUNERAL MESSAGE FROM THE GRAVE GIVES FAMILY ONE LAST LAUGH

The 27-year-old’s tale — she brought it to “life” with spooky pictures featuring Velez in a black outfit, joyfully posing with “102K” balloons in Manhattan’s Trinity Church Cemetery — is starting to gain traction on social media, with 1,400 likes and more than 230 shares as of Tuesday afternoon.

PRANKSTER’S PRE-RECORDED FUNERAL MESSAGE FROM THE GRAVE GIVES FAMILY ONE LAST LAUGH

“Ding dong my loans are dead,” Velez began. “It is with immense pleasure that I announce the death of my student loans. On August 2, 2019, after 6 years, I finally killed them. It was a slow death but was worth every bit of the fight.”

The author explained that she moved to the Big Apple after graduation, ready to work hard to pay off the debt. Likening the $1,000 she owed in monthly minimums to “another rent,” the woman said she “hustled like hell” and never missed a payment, persevering even through a layoff as she took “jobs not based on what I really wanted but what could help me survive” for five years.

“Then last fall, something in me broke. … I didn’t want to owe anyone anything more. I wanted to start saving for my future. A house. Kids. A life,” Velez said. “So I made a decision — I’d become debt-free by 30. I’m proud to say I accomplished my goal two years early.”

Doubling down on her goal, Velez, who works as a senior social media editor, said she lived off less than one third of her monthly salary, ate a diet of salad, eggs, chicken and rice, said “no” to spending — even eschewing some plans with loved ones — and held multiple jobs including babysitting, working overnight as a television extra and walking dogs “until my feet literally bled” in all kinds of weather to make her dream a reality.

“Nothing was beneath me,” Velez wrote.

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With her eyes on the ultimate prize, the resolute woman was able to pay off $32,000 in just eight months.

“Was it easy? No. Worth it? I’m smiling in a cemetery. 102K lifted from my back. You tell me,” she wrote on Facebook.

Moving forward, Velez said she hopes that her story inspires others to realize they can free themselves of student loan debt on their own terms – if they are able to work hard and make sacrifices.

“I hope that if [others with student debt] are able, they’re inspired to tackle their student loans in the best ways that they can,” Velez told GMA. “Or if people don’t have student loans, I hope that they understand the burden that it is on people who have them and the ridiculous things that it takes to finally kill them.”

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In addition, she acknowledged that her position as a “single, childless, able-bodied woman” made it easier to “kill” the looming debt, and voiced empathy for others who are burdened with student loans while caring for families or handling other outstanding responsibilities.

“All I know is, this nightmare, this crisis, needs to end. Being open about my debt, and the hoops I had to jump through to get rid of it, is how I’m trying to help,” Velez wrote online.

“But after six long years, it’s time to celebrate. I have my life back. I changed my life. I changed my future family’s life,” she said. “I ended the cycle of literally ‘paying’ simply for wanting a better future. … I’m free.”

Velez’ pal Mike Arrison of Mike Arrison Photography said he loved the idea of taking the happy yet “horrifying” photos of his friend to draw attention to the issue and spark a larger discussion.

“When people talk about student loans, it’s rarely ever in a celebratory, inspirational manner,” he told “GMA.” “Seeing that [102K] number next to how young she is … I want people to be horrified at the fact that this is something that is a cause for celebration.”

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Outstanding student loan debt has surpassed $1.6 trillion in the U.S. – double what it was just a decade ago.

Fox Business’ Nick Giampia contributed to this report.

This critter just found the score of a lifetime.

A customer at an Alsip, Ill., grocery store filmed a small animal, apparently a rat. snacking on the store’s cheese supply. While the man who filmed the animal appeared to have a sense of humor about the situation, the local government didn’t find it funny.

The video was uploaded to Christopher Allison’s YouTube page on Oct. 9 and shows the small animal trying to open a package of sliced cheese. At least one store worker is also visible in the video and she appears to be trying to figure out how to handle the situation.

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Allison captioned the video, “I was going to grab some pre-sliced meat and cheese from the Grab n’ Go section when I saw this scruffy old mouse/rat scurry out from the middle of this center-floor cooler. Completely ignoring me Ralph (yes, I named him) went right for a package of Swiss (obviously) and went to town on the plastic wrapping. No matter how close I got Ralph fearlessly ignored the camera and proved once and for all why the store is appropriately named, ‘Food 4 Less.’”

GUINEA PIG ICE CREAM A HIT AT ECUADORIAN VENDOR’S FOOD STALL

While the rat attempts to break through the cheese’s plastic wrap, Allison exclaims, “That rat knows what it’s getting into!”

Allison went on to say that he decided against grabbing food from the deli and “bought some chips and dip instead.”

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“In response to a YouTube video showing a rat trying to open a plastic bag full of cheese, in the pre-wrapped meats and cheese department at Food-4-Less, Alsip. (Thursday 10/10/19) Mayor [John D.] Ryan dispatched both Building Commissioner Rodger Early & Health Inspector Linda Calvillo the store at 8:30 a.m.,” the Village of Alsip wrote on their Facebook page, “they inspected the store and spoke with the store manager, who confirmed the incident took place on Tuesday 10/8/19.”

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According to the post, Ryan returned to the store Friday morning to follow-up on the incident.

“The store manager and HR person confirmed the original products were destroyed, the display has been sanitized, pest control was dispatched and the pest control log book is up to date and reflected two visits this week to address the vermin issue,” the post continues. “No one has any knowledge of how the rodent accessed the store. Kroger stores gave a copy of this incident to the Alsip Health Inspector.”

Back away from the bear!

A group of curious tourists were recently caught on camera getting dangerously close to a black bear in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Video footage of the surprising scene has since gone viral on Facebook, with many commenters describing the visitors as “idiots” for getting so close to a wild animal, a violation of a federal regulation punishable by fines and arrest.

On Oct. 14, Kelly Price Helms shared an “insane” 33-second clip to Facebook, featuring a group of people photographing a black bear from just a few feet away, while the wild animal ate grass near the side of a road between Cades Cove and Townsend, as per WBIR. The visitors seemed to be blissfully unaware of the dangerous situation they were in.

ALASKA’S ‘FAT BEAR WEEK’ CONTEST ENDS, NEW WINNER ANNOUNCED

“Witnessed this the other day while visiting the Smoky Mountains. Insane!” Helms captioned the now-viral video, which has since been shared nearly 5,000 times to date.

“Please note that my family and I were safe in our car and unable to move along due to these people jumping out of their vehicles,” she added.

Social media commenters were quick to declare the tourists “idiots” and “fools” for the reckless behavior.

“Good grief! People are crazy. This is a wild animal. Yes, they are beautiful and I love to see them but I’m not crazy enough to get that close,” one user wrote. “The sad thing is when people get attacked the bear is the one that suffers the consequences if they find it.”

“It only takes one time for that bear to come after you … There is a sign at the beginning going into the Smokies that tells you how far to stay away from the bears,” another agreed.

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“People are stupid. Stay in your car and leave the bear alone,” another said.

More broadly, Helms said that she shared the footage in hopes of raising awareness on the importance of respecting wildlife and natural habitats.

“I just want people to be informed about the danger of being that close to wildlife. It could not only turn bad for the tourist but for the bear as well,” the woman told WVLT.

Though a spokesperson for the National Park Service (NPS) was not immediately available to offer further comment on the incident, the agency’s website warns that “bears are wild animals that are dangerous and unpredictable. Do not approach bears or allow them to approach you!”

It is also illegal to willfully approach bears within 150 feet (50 yards) or any distance that disturbs or displaces the creature in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the NPS explains. Violation of this federal policy can result in fines and even arrest.

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Biologists estimate that roughly 1,500 bears live in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is one of the “largest protected areas in the eastern U.S. where black bears can live in wild, natural surroundings,” the agency states.

A Northern California pumpkin hobbyist has won first place at the 46th annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh Off, setting a record for the largest in California.

HAWAII FAMILY’S GIANT AVOCADO EARNS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

Leonardo Urena of Napa won $15,000 Monday when his pumpkin logged 2,175 pounds.

Weigh-off spokesman Timothy Beeman says Urena’s pumpkin is the second largest in the contest’s history. A pumpkin from Washington state weighed nearly 2,400 pounds and won in Half Moon Bay in 2017.

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The 51-year-old says he took up the hobby in 2000 and says he enjoys the pumpkin growing community. He also won the Half Moon Bay contest in 2011.

Urena says he always tells his pumpkins he’s proud of them and he encourages them to keep growing.

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And some hotels still won’t even give us the fifty extra towels we always demand.

A 10-year-old girl from England was recently brought to tears after employees at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Studios Orlando reunited her with a stuffed animal she thought she had lost forever during a family vacation.

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Millie McAlpine, from Felixstowe, in Suffolk, had gotten herself dressed and packed on the final day of the family’s two-week trip, but realized that she had left behind her cherished stuffed animal — which she named “Special Dog” — only after the McAlpines boarded their plane home.

“Millie takes him everywhere — on holiday, to sleepovers and school trips. There’s no way she could be without him,” Millie’s mother Lucy said, according to South West News Service (SWNS), a British news agency.

Lucy added that she called the hotel while their flight was waiting to take off, as Millie was already “beside herself” with grief.

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Upon returning home, Millie’s extended family tried replacing Special Dog with other new stuffed animals — and while Lucy was “grateful,” she wasn’t over Special Dog.

Weeks passed before the family heard anything from the Florida resort. But when they did hear back, Millie was ecstatic to learn the good news.

In an email sent to Lucy, the hotel confirmed they found Special Dog and would be sending him back. And when he arrived, Special Dog had brought back pictures and a handwritten note telling Millie of his travels.

“What a holiday this has been!” read a message from “Special Dog,” via photos shared of the note with SWNS. “I am so happy I had the extra time to relax. I printed out some pictures from my adventure so you can see what I was up to.”

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“Special Dog” ended the message by saying he was “happy to be home.” The photos he brought with him of his “adventure” included images of himself playing the guitar, enjoying a drink, and lounging by a fountain.

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The best pictures of them all, however, were the ones Lucy took of Millie opening the package and being reunited with Special Dog after weeks apart.

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“When she opened it she just burst into tears, it was a lovely moment,” said Lucy’s mom, according to SWNS. “I think she was a bit overwhelmed with emotion but she was just so happy!”

Carson King is making good on his promise.

On Friday, the 24-year-old football – and beer – fan donated a check for more than $3 million to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, after he accidentally began raking in donations in September.

King, from Iowa, made headlines earlier this month after appearing on a taping of ESPN’s “College Gameday” at Iowa State University, where he held a sign explaining that his “Busch Light supply” needed replenishing and included information on how to send him money through Venmo, Fox Carolina reported.

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After receiving thousands in donations for his beer “supply,” King admitted that he never thought his message would reach as many people as it did, and instead decided to gift the donations to the children’s hospital.

“I never thought it would get nearly this big — I never thought I would get anything,” he told the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

Venmo soon caught wind of King’s charitable efforts, and tweeted that King could “count us in” to match the donations he raised.

Anheuser-Busch found out as well, and decided to join the effort before cutting ties with King over offensive jokes he tweeted when he was 16 — jokes that King apparently based on something he saw on Comedy Central’s “Tosh.0” series. (King later apologized, saying he was “embarrassed” by the content of the tweets.) Busch confirmed to Fox News that it had later donated over $920,000 to match the contributions raised by King, and that the Busch Light distributors of Iowa had also chipped in.

Approximately 10 days after he appeared on “College Gameday,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds also announced that Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, was to be known as “Carson King Day” in the midwestern state.

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On Friday, King was finally able to donate the money, presenting a huge check for $3,004,202.14 to the hospital.

“Speechless,” King wrote in a Twitter post along with a photo of himself and the check.

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The donations solicited by King won’t stop there, though. Last week, King was approached by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which wanted to begin selling a “Carson King” bobblehead and inquired about a partnership. King was surprised, but turned down any offer to profit from the dolls.

“We offered to split it however you want,” said Phil Sklar, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO, in a statement to Iowa’s Gazette. “He wants it all to go to the hospital.”

Your Ford Mustang just got $500 more valuable.

Chevrolet is offering Mustang owners a $3,000 cash allowance if they buy a 2019 model year Camaro before the end of October, as first reported by GM Authority.

REPORT SAYS CHEVY IS DISCONTINUING THE CAMARO … AGAIN

It follows a similar incentive program Chevy ran in August that gave defectors $2,500 and applies to anyone who has owned or leased their Mustang for at least 30 days.

But has Chevy targeted the right competitor? The Camaro currently stands third in American muscle/pony car sales, not just behind the Mustang, but also the Dodge Challenger, which came in first of the trio in sales last quarter with the help of a “Power Dollars” promotion worth $10 for every horsepower under the hood.

That was worth $2,920 to $7,970 for anyone who bought a Challenger, regardless of what they were trading in.

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Jeep has forged an unlikely alliance to build a new war machine.

The automaker has teamed up with AM General to create a military-spec version of the new Jeep Gladiator pickup called the Gladiator XMT (Extreme Military-Grade Truck.)

Indiana-based AM General is the company behind the HMMWV — more commonly known as the Humvee — which was the most visible successor to the line of Jeep vehicles that traced their history to World War II and later spawned General Motors’ Hummer brand. However, Jeep and AM General are both descendants of Kaiser Jeep, so the tie-up represents something of a reunion of the two brands.

According to the partners, AM General approached Jeep with the idea to turn the all-new Gladiator into a Light Tactical Vehicle after noting its capabilities, which include a rugged 4×4 drivetrain and very high payload and towing ratings for a midsize pickup.

While their exact specifications have not been detailed, the concept XMTs revealed at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual exposition feature a combination of commercially available parts and custom military equipment, and are primarily aimed at troop transport and communications. Jeep offered a similar military version of the previous-generation Wrangler SUV it called the J8 to foreign militaries starting in 2008, but the XMT could also see duty wearing The Stars and Stripes.

“The Gladiator XMT, if pursued, would be offered worldwide but with a clear focus on providing a cost-effective solution to the U.S. military in a number of possible roles,” a Jeep spokesman told Fox News Autos.

“We would expect the Gladiator XMT to be used for logistics and support, command and control, border security and peacekeeping activities. However, its flexibility and exceptional performance will make it suitable for a variety of additional military and governmental roles.”

AM General said it could begin filling orders for the Glaxiator XMT as soon as next year. The civilian version of the Gladiator starts at $35,040.

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A Hawaii family has won a place with the Guinness World Records for the world’s heaviest avocado.

The Pokini family from the island of Maui received the Guinness certificate this week for the avocado weighing 5.6 pounds, The Maui News reported Thursday.

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The average avocado weighs about 6 ounces, according to Guinness officials.

The Pokini family’s avocado tree is more than 10 years old and 20 feet tall. Mark Pokini planted it when his son was born, using a seed from his brother-in-law’s tree on Oahu island, he said.

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Mark and Juliane Pokini and their son, Loihi, applied in December for the Guinness recognition involving a tough verification process by the company known as the chronicler of the world’s record achievements.

The family in 2018 entered another avocado, but it did not meet all the elements of the Guinness verification process requiring input from a certified horticulturalist, two forms completed by witnesses, a state-certified scale, photographs, video and other documentation.

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For the second attempt, the family gathered a team and the right tools ahead of time as they watched the growth of what became the record fruit.

They did not water or fertilize the tree, deciding to “kind of just leave it alone,” Juliane Pokini said.

Winning was emotional, she said.

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“We were excited,” Juliane Pokini said. “But at the same time, we were like, finally. It was such a long wait.”

The prize avocado was put to good use when the family “made a whole bunch of guacamole” to share with relatives and friends, she said.