Tricks of the Fourth Grade Trade

Diversion . . . it's a good word I learned the other day.  It's also what I do to my parents to trick them into letting me stay up later.  I create a diversion.

Try it.  It works.

GREAT Grandpa

Goodbye Grandpa Bob.  I will miss you.

Remember when I used to call you Bobby, because I liked Bob the Builder?

Enjoy all your grandparents . . . even your great grandparents.  They are great.

High on the Hog

Everything tastes better with bacon on it.

Pearly Whites

Brush your teeth at least twice a day.

I know that's not very original, but sometimes the simplest tips are the best.

Being Prepared for Your Muse

If you want to be a writer you need to take a journal and a pen with you everywhere. If you want to be an artist, you need to take a sketchpad with you everywhere. You never know when you will be inspired and you always need to practice.

Back to the Basics

A word I like to use when I'm talking is "basically."  It's a helpful word to make your point and it's fun to say.

My tip is, basically (HA!) that you should use the word when you want to spice up your conversations.  It's a good word to summarize what you're trying to say.

Basically, that's it.

Un-Rapping the Ninja

If I know one thing for sure, it's that ninjas don't rap.  So the song "Enter the Ninja" by Die Antwoord is just plain wrong.

P.S.  I'm not going to link to the song, because it turns out it has naughty words in it.

Go Ahead and Jump

If you have a goal, you should persevere.  I set a goal to do a 24 inch box jump at CrossFit Bloomington.  I worked hard for a few days and today I accomplished my goal.  Stick to it and work hard and you will reach your goals, too!!

Sad

A kid who I went to pre-K with lost his brother yesterday.  Jackson's brother Wyatt had special needs like my brother Grant.  Wyatt got sick and had to have surgery and passed away.  Wyatt went to my school, too.

I feel so bad for Jackson and his family.  I love my brother and I know Wyatt's family loved him.  I just can't imagine losing your brother.

My friend Kim did respite care for Wyatt like she does for Grant.  So we knew Wyatt a couple of ways.

I was really, really sad today.

My tip is to love and appreciate your family while you have them around.  You never know how long you have them with you.

Stunts and School

There's this really cool thing call "free running" and a similar thing called "parkour" that I just learned about. It's amazing. These people run really fast and jump over barriers, climb buildings and do flips off walls and stuff. I want to learn how to do it and you should too. I'm taking gymnastics lessons this fall at Rising Star to get the fundamentals. Since I want to be an actor, I think it's important that I learn how to do my own stunts. Learning gymnastics and free running will help.

As a bonus tip, I just wanted to say that I hope all you kids out there -- and parents of kids out there -- had a great first day of school. I sure did. Ms. Weatherbee's class rocks!! Ask me sometime about all of our class pets and about Boxington. Woot woot!!

YouLaugh

My new friends Leo, Zachary, and Max introduced my friend Christopher and me to a bunch of funny YouTube videos by this guy who calls himself NigaHiga. They are hilarious. Here are a few of my favorites. You should watch them!

iPod Human



Sham Woo-Hoo!



Children's Bop



Dude vs. Wild

Turkish Delights

I got to eat at a great Turkish restaurant yesterday. It wasn't Turkuaz and they didn't have pides, so I was really not sure about it. But I got the lamb kebob and the hummus and it was awesome. It's called Bosphorus and it's on the near south side of Indianapolis by Lilly. My friend Maggie's mom took us there. Yum, yum.

The End of a Season

Summer is almost over. I'm happy and sad about that. If you're a kid it means that it is almost time to get to see your friends everyday. But, that means it's almost time that lazy summer days are over, too. The end of summer means the end of nights without homework. The start of school means the start of homework. So, if you are a kid who's getting ready to go to school, then enjoy your last few days of freedom.

Calvin, out!

Guest Tip: Buzz Kill

Today's tip is brought to you by my cousin Sydney.  She's really nice and smart and cute for a four year old.  Here's what she has to say:

When you go outside in the summer, even to the pool or the beach, be sure to put on mosquito spray so that you don't get bitten by bugs.  Yuck!  I don't like itchy mosquito bites.

Camping Follow Up

If you like camping and think you want to get a camper, you should get either a Cougar or a Cyclone.  They are both AWESOME!

Grand Camp

Go camping with your grandparents. It's fun.

Truth and Consequences Redux

Here's a similar tip to yesterday's (my dad says it could be called a "corollary"):  If your dad has been trying to get in shape, it's not okay to tell him, "You're still fat, though."

Geez! All these rules for how to talk to your parents.

Truth and Consequences

When your mom comes out all dressed up for a party and asks, "How do I look?," I guess you're not supposed to be honest.  My mom was dressed up for her 20-year high school reunion and, when she asked, I said, "I give you 5 out of 10." 

She said that hurt her feelings.

When I told her I thought she maybe was a 6 out of 10 from the back, she said that didn't make her feel better.

I guess you're supposed to lie when you get asked that kind of question.

Hot Town

This summer has been hot.

That's good for using your pool, but bad for playing outside otherwise.

My tip is:  Beat the heat!

Take 'Em Along

Always go everywhere with a ziplock bag full of Legos.  You never know when you're going to be really bored and the Legos will save you from dying of boredom.

Superfly

Here's a tip for when you're being stalked by horse flies while you swim. Try to avoid them by going underwater. If that doesn't work, you should probably go inside. Sometimes the horseflies win.

You Got a Friend in Me

Everything is more fun with a friend. Always share your experiences with friends.

Thanks to all my camp counselors, after school care teachers, not very close friends, really close friends, and best friends. I will always remember and be grateful to you for sharing things with me!