Taking your kids to meet Santa is a wholesome family tradition. You get to drive to an always-crowded suburban mall, spend 10 minutes circling for a parking spot, wait in a long line to meet Santa, and then take a picture of your kid crying when he comes face to face with the most magical person in their world. It really is pretty special.

And for some parents, especially those who have children with special needs, participating in these routine traditions can be a much tougher hurdle to clear. This is why Autism Speaks is hosting “Santa Cares” events at malls across the country, where kids with special needs can visit with Santa in a less frenetic setting.

On those days, the malls open early to help facilitate a smaller crowd, the music plays a little quieter, and the lights are a little lower. Santa also has training for children with special needs. Often times they’ll stand behind their chairs or lay on the ground to make sure the children are comfortable. All of this combines to create a much more accessible experience for kids who need it.

Autism Speaks partnered with Cherry Hill Programs to produce the events, which include special training for the Santas so they can better interact with special needs children.

“Our goal is to create a more inclusive world for people with autism, and events like this make such a meaningful impact in helping families feel comfortable, understood and accepted,” said a spokesperson at Autism Speaks.

SANTA CARES: This holiday season, malls across America are opening early – so children with autism can visit Santa Claus in a calmer setting ❤️ #sharethelove https://t.co/RQkrVgE2Ib pic.twitter.com/1LJr4X6F9q

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 12, 2019

The Santa Cares event took place last weekend here at Seaway Mall. We welcomed families in a dimmed lighting, music-free atmosphere for their sensory-friendly photos with Santa in partnership with Cherry Hill Programs and @autismspeaksCAN Read More: https://t.co/85VarIKp01 pic.twitter.com/funyMKXVKW

— Seaway Mall (@SeawayMall) December 11, 2019

There are hundreds of events planned around the country, to find a sensory-friendly Santa experience near you, check out the Autism Speaks website.

It’s hard to believe that Chris Hemsworth was an “unknown actor” when he was cast as Thor a decade ago. He recently took to Instagram to celebrate the 10-year anniversary and throw a little shade at the poorly-aged article that questioned Marvel’s casting choices. Banking on two “no names” in Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as Loki to carry the movie? What was Marvel thinking?!

“Thor” debuted in 2011 and Hemsworth shared a pic of him with Hiddleston at an early table read. He shared it saying “This year marks the 10th anniversary of THOR when two unknown lads were given the keys to the kingdom. It’s been a hell of a ride and we clearly haven’t aged a day.”

 

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What’s funny is they both actually look *better* now (that’s what money and success can do to you), especially as Hemsworth gets ripped for the next Thor movie.

The second photo was the news report of their casting, calling them “no names” and questioning the move to hire “virtual unknowns” to carry the film, especially when people like Shia LaBoeuf and Josh Hartnett were interested.

Now that Hemsworth has been knocking it out of the park for a decade as Thor now, and with Hiddleston about to carry his own series on Disney+ (as well as stealing scenes throughout the Avengers movies as Loki) I think it’s safe to say Marvel made the right move by “rolling the dice.”

Unknown a decade ago, sure, but now they are two of the biggest stars in the MCU, and their stars are only getting brighter.

Though your very first Mother’s Day is an occasion for celebration, for many, it’s intensely bittersweet. Becoming a parent yourself completely reframes the way you see your own parents, allowing you to understand and bond over things that were previously complete and total mysteries. For Bindi Irwin, the road to parenthood is a journey she’s shared publicly, but with baby Grace finally here and her first Mother’s Day in the books, Bindi couldn’t help but think about the person she desperately wishes she could celebrate with – her late dad, Steve Irwin.

 

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In addition to being Bindi’s dad, Steve Irwin was her hero and inspiration. Even today, her late dad’s legacy remains central to the way Bindi lives her life. Through their conservation work, both Bindi and her brother Robert pick up where their dad left off. During their biggest milestones, the family finds ways to make it feel as though Steve is there celebrating with them.

Without a doubt, Steve would be so incredibly proud of his growing family. They continue to prioritize both conservation and family, things that the late Crocodile Hunter held close to his heart. Though Steve wasn’t there to celebrate his daughter’s very first Mother’s day with her, Bindi found a way to share her special day with him in spirit.

Bindi commissioned a painting by Debb Oliver of The Monkey Brush, a touching work of art that she and her family will undoubtedly treasure. The photo Bindi shared on Instagram looks like a typical (albeit beautiful) family portrait, but with one special addition – a smiling Steve Irwin holding his very first granddaughter, tilting her slightly towards the viewer as if he’d just finished saying, “crikey, isn’t she a beauty?”

 

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The happy family is dressed in matching Australia Zoo khakis, making the portrait feel even more real. Had Steve been there to celebrate baby Grace with his family, this exact photo would almost certainly exist organically.

“I wish we could all be together but sometimes life has other plans,” Bindi captioned the photo. “To my beautiful daughter, always know that you are loved beyond description.”

When kids are young, they haven’t yet developed a framework of how things are “supposed to” be. They approach things with curiosity as opposed to judgment, learning as much as they can about the world around them. It takes time for kids to notice things that differentiate them from their peers, and unfortunately, many kids start to view the things that make them unique as negatives. To preemptively instill confidence in her 2-year-old daughter, one mom decided to call for backpup.

Vanessa McLeod from Vancouver B.C. learned that her daughter would be born without hands when she was just 19 weeks pregnant. Though her doctor urged her to consider the quality of life for someone born without hands, McLeod knew that whatever obstacles her daughter faced, they would face them together. Now 2 years old, Ivy is happy and thriving.

“Her favorite thing to do is color and she just uses her toes to hold the markers so she has just learned to do things differently,” McLeod told CTV News.

 

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As Ivy grows older, McLeod knows it’s only a matter of time before Ivy starts questioning why she was born different. It’s inevitable, unfortunately – kids make cruel comments, whether they’re intentionally cruel or not. Those comments penetrate our own self-image, and sometimes, they completely overtake the way we see ourselves.

McLeod decided that she needed to give Ivy something solid to point to if she begins to question her own beauty and value, something to remind her that those who look different are just as beautiful as their peers. The determined mom settled on finding a dog for the family, one with a limb difference just like Ivy.

“You know you were born that way but different is beautiful,” she imagined telling her daughter, “and this puppy was also born that way and that is also a beautiful thing.”

Beginning what she anticipated would be a long and difficult search, McLeod set out to find the perfect pup for Ivy. In what felt like a magical turn of events, the search was over just as quickly as it started.

“But on April 6th, the day I initially posted… that very same day, a tiny little puppy was born IN OUR CITY with a little lucky fin,” McLeod wrote on Instagram. “If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is. It’s so very clear to us that she is meant to be part of our family.”

 

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As soon as Lucky is old enough to be adopted, she’ll begin her life with her new family. Lucky and Ivy have already formed an incredible bond, one that will only grow stronger once they’re together full time. Though the adorable pup bears the name, everyone involved is likely feeling pretty dang lucky themselves.

Most of the Muppets are really lovable. My opinions on Miss Piggy notwithstanding, most of Jim Henson’s puppets are not only funny, but they’re also endearing. The put-upon frog, the inept comic bear, the lovelorn pig, the manic drummer, the indecipherable chef, all have endearing qualities.

Except for two. Statler and Waldorf are just plain jerks. The two curmudgeons who sit on a balcony and mock the rest of the Muppets are hilarious, but they’re not exactly lovable. And if they existed in any universe outside of the Muppets, they’d probably be less celebrated.

Over the weekend, Saturday Night Live explored exactly what would happen if the two elderly hecklers ran into the wrong people.

Keegan-Michael Key, from Key and Peele, hosted the show, and in one memorable sketch, he and Kenan Thompson played a pair of security guys working the venue at the Muppets latest gig. When Statler and Waldorf started doing their thing, they were NOT here for it, and they let the hecklers know.

And then the hecklers messed around and found out. Hilariously.

Former soccer star Ashley Cain took to Instagram to post a moving tribute to his late daughter. Cain’s daughter Azaylia passed away this spring from a rare form of leukemia at the young age of eight months. The 30-year-old MTV “The Challenge” star said he was finding it hard to look through her photos and videos, so he scrolled and posted the first one he landed on to honor what would’ve been her 9-month-birthday.

“What a beautiful video it was!” he wrote. “What a strong, clever, brave and beautiful little girl you were. My champion, my hero….MY INSPIRATION!”

The video is truly heartbreaking, as it’s a baby and her dad playing together. A baby and dad that should’ve had more time together.

 

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A parent should never have to lose a child. It’s truly one of the most devastating things a person can ever experience. Cain has been vocal in his daughter’s diagnosis and passing and looks to keep her memory alive. Cain and Azaylia’s mother have said they are going to use the remaining money raised for her treatment to start a charity in her name.

“What we saw during our time fighting this monster has changed us forever and we will spend the rest of our lives spreading Azaylia’s message of hope and strength to all those who need it,” Cain and Safiyya Vorajee wrote on the GoFundMe pageGoFundMe page. “We will ensure she lives on until the day we are able to hold her again in paradise.”

 

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Pediatric cancer is one of the cruelest diseases we have in this world, and hopefully, with advances in science and research, it can be one that’s ended in our lifetime. And Cain will be joining that fight in honor of his late daughter.

Apparently, the MTV Movie Awards are still a thing, and they happened last night!

I couldn’t tell you who most of the presenters were, but I know Scarlett Johansson won a career award, Chadwick Boseman got the posthumous award the Oscars denied him, and WandaVision won for Best Show. There’s another MCU show coming soon – Loki arriving in early June – and in between awards, viewers were treated to a sneak peek.

In the short, one-minute clip, Owen Wilson introduces himself as Mobius and explains that time works differently at the TVA, the Time Variance Authority, where Loki is now a prisoner.

Check it out:

Tom Hiddleston recently gave an interview in which he spoke a bit about the show, and the character he is best known for portraying.

“I want to preserve the freshness of the show for when it emerges, but something to think about is the [show’s] logo, which seems to refresh and restore,” Hiddleston explained in a recent interview with Empire. “The font of how ‘Loki’ is spelled out seems to keep changing shape. Loki is the quintessential shapeshifter. His mercurial nature is that you don’t know whether, across the MCU, he’s a hero or a villain or an anti-hero. You don’t know whether you can trust him. He literally and physically changes shape into an Asgardian guard, or into Captain America repeatedly. Thor talks about how he could change into a snake.

“I think that shapeshifting logo might give you an idea that Loki, the show, is about identity, and about integrating the disparate fragments of the many selves that he can be, and perhaps the many selves that we are. I thought it was very exciting because I’ve always found Loki a very complex construct. Who is this character who can wear so many masks, and changes shape, and seems to change his external feeling on a sixpence?”

In a Playstation Blog announcement, Sony unveiled their brand new PS5 controllers and I have to say, I’m loving that classic black color scheme.

Your first look at Cosmic Red and Midnight Black, two upcoming colors for the DualSense wireless controller: https://t.co/UDw2Uo48EQ pic.twitter.com/WOHtIO4FNl

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 13, 2021

“Our goal is to always find designs that will surprise and entice our fans, and these new colors are the result of an extensive selection process,” says Leo Cardoso from PlayStation’s design team. “We wanted the new controller colors to complement each other, as well as the original DualSense wireless controller and PS5 console, so we designed the colors around the theme of ‘galaxy’ as it felt like a natural progression from the original PS5 and accessories designs.”

I don’t mind the white color scheme of the current PS5 controller, but I always feel like I’m staring at one of the Avengers time travel suits from Endgame.  It will be nice to change things up a bit.  If you were lucky enough to snag a PS5 console and need some extra controllers for the family, the Midnight Black DualSense will cost $69.99 US, and the Cosmic Red DualSense will be a bit more at $74.99 US.

The current release date for each of these controllers is set for June 11th, 2021 and you can pre-order from the Playstation website right now.  My birthday is on June 11th, so hopefully, my wife reads this article and takes a hint.

“I had to share how amazing my husband has been becoming a first time dad. He keeps saying how he wishes he could’ve done more. But I need him to know he DID DO everything and more.

Our son Zac was born at 37 weeks on March 24th.

My husband (Alex) and I decided to induce that day, due to my diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum (ongoing for 8months), as well as hydronephrosis which we had been spending the past week in the hospital for.

This pregnancy was a living hell for both of us. We spent a total of about 30 days in the hospital during the pregnancy.

Alex spent the first 7 months of the pregnancy holding my hair with one hand and my sick bucket with the other. I became physically and mentally dependent on him to get through each day. He’s the one I wouldn’t have survived without.

Soon after our son, was born he was rushed to the NICU and I saw the life get sucked out of my husband’s face. He started blaming himself for not being able to take care of his family.

He dropped everything to be with Zac and me for the 13 days we were in the NICU. He has showed up everyday, every hour, for every feed, and we finally went home with our preemie baby who still has a lot of growing to do.

We never thought our life would come crashing down like this, but Zac and I wouldn’t have survived without Alex, and I just want my husband to know that and believe that.

He did everything right. He did everything in his power to keep us safe even though he thinks he failed to do it. There is nothing he could’ve done differently because he has been perfect and now our family is complete, something I am truly, truly grateful for. ”

– Aisha Dow

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It’s no secret that wrestler, actor, and absolute tank of a human Dwayne Johnson loves every second of being a girl dad. The father of three revels in spending time with his daughters, sharing touching posts on social media, and frequently discussing the joys of fatherhood. It’s impossible to fully understand what it means to be a parent until you become one, and as a nod to the bond of parenthood, The Rock regularly takes the time to help out his fellow fathers.

As if his plate wasn’t full enough, The Rock made yet another one of his dreams come true in 2020 when he founded Teremana Tequila. The brand focuses on sustainability and responsible sourcing, and since The Rock puts 100% into everything he does, the Tequila was an immediate and astounding success.

While promoting his new brand in early 2020, The Rock met a dad who really struck a chord. In the video Johnson shared on Facebook, he’s approached by a man with a small but mighty message from his 4-year-old daughter.

“She wanted me to tell you that she is 4, her name is Hannah, she has a little brother named Lucas, and they love your song.”

“Hannah and Lucas – wow. Where’s your phone?” Johnson asks, his Dad signal activated.

The father of two explains that every night he sings “You’re Welcome,” Maui’s song from Moana, to his kids. Some people can’t stop ordering things they don’t need online, others may gamble too much, but Dwayne Johnson simply cannot resist taking time out of his busy days to make his fans smile – especially when those fans happen to be kids.

After a brief introduction to his new friend’s kids, The Rock begins to sing Maui’s song before pulling the overjoyed dad in to sing with him.

“There’s always ‘an understanding’ between fathers who will do anything to make their daughters happy,” The Rock wrote on Facebook.