Latest news with #Christmastime
Newsweek
04-06-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Mom Shows Kids Throwing Out Old Toys, Then Reveals Why She's Heartbroken
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A mom's seemingly ordinary task of having her children sort through old toys for donation turned into a reflection on time and growth, leaving her "mama-heart breaking." An Instagram reel shared by Ashley Knollenberg depicted a familiar scene: her children adding toys to a donation pile in their yard. But, she said, all she can see is the smaller version of her kids getting the toy for the first time. Since the reel was shared via @tripswithdolewhips, it has received over 121,000 likes. Knollenberg, 40, told Newsweek about her feelings and what she hopes her kids learn from passing them on. "How they think I see them as toys get added to the donation pile," Knollenberg wrote over a video of her children playing in their yard. "How I actually see them." The footage cuts to a precious baby clip of one of her children, receiving one of the very toys now being donated. Photos from Ashley Knollenberg's Instagram reel of her children playing in the garden with their toys. Photos from Ashley Knollenberg's Instagram reel of her children playing in the garden with their toys. @tripswithdolewhips/Instagram "Does anyone else feel their mama-heart breaking when it's time to part ways with old toys?" Knollenberg asked in her caption. "It's not even about the stuff, it's about the way your kids just grow right before your eyes. How you can't even believe they once fit in the things they're now way too big for." Knollenberg said she was inspired to make the clip after looking back on her photos and videos of her 7- and 9-year old—especially those at Christmastime. "I put so much thought and care into making holidays special for my kids and love to see the joy on their faces," Knollenberg said. "My husband and I both realized this past Christmas that it was the first Christmas Eve that we weren't up late putting big toys together, and it was such a strange feeling." Despite the bittersweet nostalgia, Knollenberg said she knows that the process of passing the toys along is important to her children's growth. "I hope they see that material objects are not what make you happy; it's really the memories and time spent together that's the most important," she said. "Everything was gone within 30 minutes. It makes me so happy to think of other children playing with the toys that were just collecting dust in our garage." A Full-Circle Moment The universal sentiment resonated deeply with other parents on Instagram, with many expressing similar feelings. "Don't do this to me, my kids are the young age right now," one person wrote. "The thought of them getting older breaks my heart every day." "So THIS is why I record every waking moment of my son's life," another posted, revealing her coping mechanism. And, in a touching turn of events, the algorithm also brought an unexpected message to Knollenberg. "The algorithm brought me somehow to your page," a woman commented. "We picked up your Little Tykes bike, slide and Paw Patrol car for our little guy! We know he will enjoy it just as much as your little ones did and now make his own memories on them! Thank you!" This interaction transformed the act of letting go for Knollenberg, who responded with gratitude: "This makes me so happy, thank you for sharing. I hope your son enjoys all of the new toys. It was time to pass it along to someone else." While decluttering toys can be a chore, for parents, it is often a moment of grief for the fleeting years of childhood—one that can, apparently, have far-reaching impacts.
Scotsman
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
There was only one concert to be at in Edinburgh on Saturday night and it wasn't Robbie Williams
There was only one concert to be at in Edinburgh on Saturday night and it wasn't Robbie Williams Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... contributed Many famous faces have played Scotland's only five star concert hall since it opened in 1914 including Ella Fitzgerald, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and Led Zeppelin. But as magnificent as those gigs will have been I'm not sure anything can match what 400 Rock Choir members and their friends and families experienced in the Usher Hall on Saturday night. We're all still buzzing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In celebration of her 15 years leading Rock Choir in Scotland Elaine Williamson coached her amateur singers to put on the performance of a lifetime in a beautiful venue, renowned for its excellent acoustics. I mean this was big for us. We're more normally to be found singing for runners at the Edinburgh Marathon, or in John Lewis Glasgow, raising money for the Beatson Institute. You might have seen us on the steps of The Dome at Christmastime. We don't normally have access to a dressing room. For many outdoor performances we store our bags at our feet, like penguins. From the instantly recognisable guitar riff of Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine which opened the show to the infectious 80s film theme to Flashdance (What a Feeling) which was the finale, we rocked, bopped, swayed and clicked our way through a two hour repertoire of Rock Choir's finest tunes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With choir members from Kirkintilloch, Glasgow West AM, Glasgow West PM, Edinburgh West Afternoon and Edinburgh Morningside Evening making up the performers, this was classic Rock Choir ambition achieved. Most of us don't read music. We love to sing but we have had no formal training. But we want to do Elaine proud so we rehearse our different harmony parts from soprano, upper alto, lower alto to bass and practise hard. Read more here: I spoke to my favourite member of Pulp and discovered they're Scottish We download the dance moves and work til we get it right. Along the way there is a lot of laughter, new friendships are formed and it's basically pure joy to be involved. See exhibit A - the video of us performing I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith last Saturday. If you missed this gig we're going head to head with another pair of 90s icons when Oasis play Murrayfield next month and we sing on the Fringe. (We have a sense of humour, we're learning a Rock Choir arrangement of Roll With It). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scotsman
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
When Rock Choir rocked the Usher Hall
There was only one concert to be at in Edinburgh on Saturday night and it wasn't Robbie Williams Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Many famous faces have played Scotland's only five star concert hall since it opened in 1914 including Ella Fitzgerald, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, and Led Zeppelin. But as magnificent as those gigs will have been I'm not sure anything can match what 400 Rock Choir members and their friends and families experienced in the Usher Hall on Saturday night. We're all still buzzing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In celebration of her 15 years leading Rock Choir in Scotland Elaine Williamson coached her amateur singers to put on the performance of a lifetime in a beautiful venue, renowned for its excellent acoustics. I mean this was big for us. We're more normally to be found singing for runners at the Edinburgh Marathon, or in John Lewis Glasgow, raising money for the Beatson Institute. You might have seen us on the steps of The Dome at Christmastime. We don't normally have access to a dressing room. For many outdoor performances we store our bags at our feet, like penguins. From the instantly recognisable guitar riff of Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine which opened the show to the infectious 80s film theme to Flashdance (What a Feeling) which was the finale, we rocked, bopped, swayed and clicked our way through a two hour repertoire of Rock Choir's finest tunes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With choir members from Kirkintilloch, Glasgow West AM, Glasgow West PM, Edinburgh West Afternoon and Edinburgh Morningside Evening making up the performers, this was classic Rock Choir ambition achieved. Most of us don't read music. We love to sing but we have had no formal training. But we want to do Elaine proud so we rehearse our different harmony parts from soprano, upper alto, lower alto to bass and practise hard. We download the dance moves and work til we get it right. Along the way there is a lot of laughter, new friendships are formed and it's basically pure joy to be involved. See exhibit A - the video of us performing I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing by Aerosmith last Saturday. If you missed this gig we're going head to head with another pair of 90s icons when Oasis play Murrayfield next month and we sing on the Fringe. (We have a sense of humour, we're learning a Rock Choir arrangement of Roll With It). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Western Telegraph
02-06-2025
- Health
- Western Telegraph
Soldier was missing for three weeks before body was found in barracks
Father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan, 33, was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. An inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had 'obviously been dead for some time' when he was found, and had last been seen around December 27. Bernie was a sweetheart. If he could help you he would, he was a big softie Beth Mongan, Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan's wife The hearing was told that decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine a cause of death, and it had been recorded in a post-mortem examination report as 'unascertained'. A statement from paramedic Paula Spence said L/Cpl Mongan was found face down on his bed, and that he had initially been discovered by friends, who said he had not been seen at work since around Christmastime. She said there was 'no evidence of self harm or suicide' at the scene but this could not be ruled out as a potential cause of death. The statement read: 'I do remember someone at the scene saying Bernard had been getting into fitness lately and taking supplements.' A toxicology report found amobarbital in L/Cpl Mongan's system, but said it was at a level associated with a 'therapeutic dose'. The inquest heard amobarbital was a sedative that is not currently legally prescribed in the UK. The inquest heard the chances of protein supplements contributing to his death were 'vanishingly rare' if they were obtained legally. A statement from L/Cpl Mongan's mother Mary Mongan said it was 'devastating for all of us that Bernard is no longer with us'. She said: 'His death has left us with so many questions, I still can't understand it. Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan (Family handout/PA) 'Losing Bernard has been a traumatic experience and came as a shock to all of us.' L/Cpl Mongan's wife Beth Mongan said they had three daughters together and had separated by the time of his death but remained close. Mrs Mongan said: 'When I first met Bernie I was struck by his love of music, books and adventure. 'He had a wicked sense of humour and always tried to make people smile. 'Bernie was an absolutely amazing dad. Despite our differences as time went on I could never fault him for the love and adoration he showed to our daughters.' She said one of the things L/Cpl Mongan loved about the Army was travelling to different places, and that was one of the reasons he had joined. 'Bernie was the first person to offer help when it was needed,' Mrs Mongan said. 'Bernie was a sweetheart. If he could help you he would, he was a big softie. 'He struggled with acceptance throughout his life… If he was bullied or targeted it was hard for him to accept.' After an Army investigation into L/Cpl Mongan's death in 2021, Mrs Mongan said her husband 'felt bullied' and was 'telling people he was afraid'. The inquest, which is scheduled to last three weeks, continues.
Los Angeles Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Silver Lake's ‘I LIKE YOU VERY MUCH' billboard has cost its patron $90,000 so far. He's not stopping anytime soon
The Silver Lake billboard — sweet but a little awkward — gives no context. 'I LIKE YOU VERY MUCH,' it proclaims in blocky, all-caps white text on a solid red background. It stands in a grassy lot facing Sunset Boulevard, near Westerly Terrace. The billboard isn't hawking anything. No name is attached to it. And, um, it doesn't even know me. I've seen it for years while heading to Dodger Stadium and wondered who, exactly, liked me very much. I am, after all, an acquired taste. My colleague Rebecca Castillo, a video creator for 404 by L.A. Times, solved the mystery this month. Rebecca kindly answered a few of my burning questions. Our interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Rebecca Castillo: The billboard is owned by an advertising company called Lamar, and is rented out by Jordan Bromley, an entertainment lawyer who specializes in music. According to Bromley, it had a very 'simple and whimsical beginning.' In 2011, his friend was driving past the billboard, wondered how much it cost, and called Lamar, which gave a quote of a few hundred bucks a month. Bromley has a house in Silver Lake, an artsy neighborhood he describes as 'a hub of activity for musicians.' The billboard, he figured, would be 'a fun extension of that.' Bromley said the phrase 'I like you very much' was just something that he would say a lot, and he liked the idea of having 'fun, positive messaging' in the neighborhood. Bromley told me the billboard has been up since 2011, usually for 10 months a year. It usually has the white text and red background, but Bromley has put up a green background around Christmastime. Sometimes his friends rent out the billboard. His one rule is that it can't be used for direct advertising — just for art or messaging. The first thing he said to me when I called to ask if I could interview him was: 'I've been waiting for this day.' So, it definitely didn't come as a surprise. If anything, he was surprised it hadn't happened sooner. He assumed people must have been wondering about it. Bromley now pays around $500 a month. He did some (very) quick math and estimates he has spent around $90,000. It was before I lived in Silver Lake. I was dating someone who would send me pictures of it. Now, I live in Silver Lake and pass it every day. And it's pretty funny that my relationship to that billboard outlasted my relationship with that person. If it doesn't, then it's a great liar. Bill says, 'Los Angeles.'Mike says, 'Palm Springs/Desert area, and the South Lake Tahoe area.' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. On May 22, 1992, television host and comedian Johnny Carson ended his 30-year reign on NBC's 'The Tonight Show.' The Times' Rick DuBrow recapped the emotional farewell, which ended with Carson telling viewers: 'I bid you a very heartfelt good night.' Hailey Branson-Potts, staff reporterKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
