Not Fair!!

If you are a parent or plan to be one some day, you should let your kids go to PG-13 movies even if they're not 13.  I mean, just because they hear bad words or see violence in a movie doesn't mean they're going to say the bad words or hurt other people.

It's totally unfair that some kids in my class can go to PG-13 movies and I can't!

Observe and Try Again

Today I couldn't blow up a new inner tube somebody got us for the pool.  So I asked my mom to blow it up.  Then, she got a phone call.  Luckily, though, I had been observing her, so I figured out what I was doing wrong.  I hadn't been putting my whole mouth on the valve and biting down on it.

My tip is that if you can't do it the first time, ask for some help and then observe.  You will probably learn a lot and then can become an expert.

In Appreciation of School Days

If you think you can't wait for school to be over, then think again.  School is actually really fun.  You have a good teacher who cares about you, you learn a lot, you have great friends you get to see every day, and recess rules.

Summer is fun and all, but going to camps is pretty stinky.  It's hot a lot of the time.

You should really consider trying to have the best days at school, because they don't last forever.  Have fun and enjoy it!

Applause! Applause!

To be a good actor, you have to have a good singing voice, a good sense of movement and drama, and a good speaking voice.  Another characteristic is that you have to be brave and be ready for anything.  You can't have stage fright.  Be cool and have fun.  Don't pass out.  If you mess up, just start over from where you were and keep on going.

You'll know it's all worth it because you'll have fun and you'll get applause.  You feel a lot better when you get applause.

I got huge applause today when I played the Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland in my third grade musical. It was awesome!

Plus, my grandmas and Franilyn came.  That was really cool.

Cool Pool

You know what's great on a hot May day after you played outside and got really sweaty?  A swim in your pool!!

I love my pool.  It's a dream come true.  If you're thinking of getting one, you should.

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Biking!

If you want to get some exercise, you should ride your bike.  It's fun and it helps to work out your body.

And, you could do what my dad, brother, and I did today.  We rode our bikes to Bruster's to get ice cream. So, we exercised and then didn't feel bad about eating ice cream once we got there!

Read, Baby, Read

Your family should have a family reading time once a week.  Everyone in the family can take an hour or so and read a book of their choice.  You should also keep a family reading journal, so you can keep track of what you've read, how many pages, and stuff like that.

When you're done with the reading time, everybody should share what they've read.  That way everyone can enjoy the books.

It also helps you not to spend so much time watching TV.  Reading is better for your brain.

We did it tonight at my house and it was fun.  I read Pendragon.  My mom read the latest Sookie Stackhouse book. My dad read The Unlikely Disciple.

Un Juego de Tarjetas

Here's a good way to practice Spanish:  when you play Uno, you say the number and color of the card that you play in Spanish.

That's a fun way to practice your Spanish.

The only problem is that I can't remember how to say "skip" in Spanish.  So, when I play a red skip card, I say, "Rojo skippo."  That's not right, but it kind of sounds like Spanish.

Keep It Up

You should always follow your dreams and never give up.  Even if no one really likes you or no one appreciates your talents, just try, try again.  And one day everything will work out.

That's what Casey James did.

It's Raining Rain

They say April showers bring May flowers.  But May showers bring gloom and boredom and wet shoes.

This tip goes out to the sun:  shine already!

Best Birthday Ever: Best Birthday Weekend EVER!!

What a great weekend!  Sorry I missed a couple of days of tips.  I was too caught up in the best birthday weekend ever.  Here's a quick rundown:

• Friday:  Had sleepover party with friends.  Played game of Survivor.  (Tom was the sole survivor.  I was runner up.  I saved Tom early in the game by giving him my individual immunity and then he won the whole thing!!) Got presents.  (I have a whole set of Lantern Rings now.) Watched a movie. (Bandslam . . . thumbs up.)  Stayed up late.
• Saturday:  Woke up and went swimming with friends. Had playdate with Emil, because he couldn't stay at the sleepover because of his baseball game. Grandma came down and started making my caterpillar costume for Alice in Wonderland.  Ate at Casa Brava . . . thy gave me a sombrero and sang Feliz Cumpleano to me.  Watched Doctor Who . . . big thumbs up.
• Sunday:  Family came to our house for birthday celebration.  Went swimming with my cousins.  Ate lunch.  Got presents (comics, a scooter, and some Legos).  My favorite comic I got was the Absolute Edition of Crisis on Infinite Earths in hardback.  Performed "Ode to Joy" at piano recital . . . thumbs up.  Ate subway . . . a footlong for a nine year old tummy!  Then, watched Survivor finale . . . thumbs up, except I think Sandra shouldn't have won, I wanted Colby or Jerri to win.  I liked Russell, but I didn't want him to win.

What a BIG weekend.

So my last tip for the Best Birthday Ever is make the most of everything you do for your birthday and you'll have a blast like I did!

Best Birthday Ever: Dream Theme

To have the best birthday party ever, you need a good theme.  Last year, I had a soccer and olympic challenge theme.  This year my theme is Survivor Kids.  My friends and I are going to make up two tribes: Cumpleanos Tribe and Geburtstag Tribe.  We are going to have luxury and immunity challenges.  After the immunity challenges, someone will get voted off until we merge into a single tribe and then have a sole survivor.

Themes have to be fun and not too complicated.  You need to make sure they're not too babyish or anything.  That's the worst when a party is Dora the Explorer or Clifford the Big Red Dog or Bob the Builder or something like that and the kids are just too old to think that's cool.

Best Birthday Ever: Goody Two Shoes

Next tip in the Best Birthday Party Ever series is about goody bags.  They are usually good, if you put the right stuff in them.  If you put bad stuff in them, like garbage or samples of your DNA, that would not make the party any fun.  Good goody bags have things that are not expensive, but still are fun.  It's not a good idea to put super nice stuff that is really expensive in goody bags.  Then, it's just a waste of money.  And it makes it seem like you're trying to buy off your friends with bling bling.  You want people to have fun, not praise you for your money spending.

Best Birthday Ever: Eats and Decor

Here's tip number three in my ongoing series of how to have the best birthday party ever.

Cake and balloons and pizza always make for a better party.  I don't even really like cake and I still know that you need it for a successful birthday party.  Plus, my mom makes a mean Wilton cake decorated however I want.

Balloons make for a more festive environment.  Pizza is just yummy.

Here's a preview for tomorrow's tip:  two words . . . goody bags!!

Best Birthday Ever: Installment #1

In honor of my ninth birthday on Sunday, over the next few days I'm going to give you nine tips on how to have the best birthday ever.  Today I'm featuring two tips.

First, sleepover birthday parties with friends are very effective for fun celebrations, because you get to have lots of friends and they can spend a long time with you.

Second, if you're having a pool party, make sure you tell everyone to bring their swimming gear, because you don't want to have someone forget their swimming gear and then have to sit out of the pool and watch everyone else swim or, worse yet, get in the pool in their underwear.  Gross!

Stay tuned for more "Best Birthday Ever Tips" this week.

I Can't Believe It's Only 99 cents

If you don't want an action figure, but you would like something that is cheap, you should go to Vintage Phoenix in Bloomington and get a Green Lantern Ring.  They only cost $0.99.  I got the red ring.  It is a red lantern ring.  My friend Jeremy got the white ring.   It hasn't even come out yet.  I bought my other friend the orange ring for his birthday.  I think you should get a ring too.

G-reat Mail

If you want to have a cool e-mail that has the ability to chat and use Buzz, you should get a gmail address.  I have two gmail accounts and I love to use them.  It also has video chat and just plain old e-mail.  If you don't want to spend all your money on tests or an expensive unlimited texting plan, then use gmail.  It may not be quite as fast as texting, but for someone like me, who doesn't have a mobile phone, gmail is great.

Blog Brother

I'm a follower of my friend Jeremy's blog.  You should go visit it.  I think it's really good and interesting and fun to read.

A Monumental Monthly Appearance

You should go read Indianapolis Monthly from May.  I'm in it.  My picture is right next to Barack Obama's and Peyton Manning's pictures.  Their pictures are in color, though.  Mine is only in black and white.  Still, you should go read it, because you'll get a lot of wisdom from it.  I list 5 really BIG tips.

Don't worry, though.  I won't forget all of my loyal readers just because I'm famous.

If you came to the blog because you read about it in Indianapolis Monthly please leave me a comment and let me know.  Then browse around for a while.  I hope you find something educational and helpful.

The Height of Fun

If you want to go to someplace for rock climbing, I recommend Hoosier Heights in Bloomington.  My friend Hugo is having a birthday party there and he invited me.  I can't wait to go there and climb to the top of the wall without falling off.  You should try it, too.

Don't be scared.  I'm not.

Sibling Salute

Little brothers are cool.  They can always entertain you.  But they can also annoy you, just like big brothers.  My little brother's special needs mean that he's not as entertaining or annoying as most brothers or sisters.  But, I still love him.

People who have brothers and sisters should appreciate them and not complain about them . . . especially my friends who sometimes complain about their brothers and sisters, but then can play with them sometimes, too!

Swingin' Good Times!

If you want to have a good time playing outside, then you should go swinging on a swingset.  Swings are so much fun!  I like to try to go as high as I can.  Sometimes I like to jump off, even though my parents tell me I'm not supposed to do that.  Whatever.

Sometimes I swing and I play this game when I try to kick this big rubber ball (my Hop 55 ball) as I'm swinging to see how far it will go.  Sometimes it would go like a hundred feet in the air and all the way up to my deck.  The force of the swinging makes the kick REALLY strong.  Awesome.