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.

Guest Tip II

I'm having a sleepover tonight with my good friend Jack.  His birthday is the day after mine on May 17.  I'm going to let him do a guest tip.  Here it is:

"Don't watch Thomas the Tank Engine if you're over six years old.  That show is for little kids."

Booking a Few Hours of Leisure

When you have a few hours of free time, one fun thing to do is go to a bookstore.  I recommend Borders.  Barnes & Noble is also good.  You can find books to read that you didn't know about and also browse the books you already know you love.

Tomorrow I am reciting my poem at a poetry slam at Borders.  I hope to do some reading there afterward.

Networking

Today's tip:  Do yourself and your friends a favor . . . tell them to read my blog!!

Words to Live By

Don't procrastinate.  Don't leave your homework until the last minute.  It causes trouble.  I know.

Hope to Avoid Extermination

If you ever run into a Dalek, run away fast!  And pray that the Doctor is around the corner.  The Dalek will probably be saying, "Exterminate!"

If the Doctor is around the corner, I'm sure he and his sonic screwdriver will save you.  He is the cleverest being in the whole universe, you know.  He's never saved me; but I've never been chased by a Dalek either.

I wonder if I could become the Doctor's youngest companion ever.  What do you think?

Clean Movies

If you want to go see a movie, then try cleaning up the house without being asked.  Once you've done it, then you can ask your parents to go see a movie.  They'll be so happy that you cleaned the house that they'll take you wherever you want to go.

The movie that I want to see is Oceans.  I didn't get to go see it today, though, even though I did help clean.  My mom asked me to clean, but I did some of it without complaining.

You should try to see if this tip works for you. 

Happy cleaning and movie watching!

Laughter Squared

I have a joke tip today.  Did you know you can make jokes out of math?  You actually can.  When we were doing math this week, my friend came up to me and said, "What is Demeter's favorite method of doing math?"  (You know Demeter is the goddess of the harvest and planting.)  Then he said, "Lettuce multiplication."  We were working in Everyday Math on lattice multiplication.

Get it?  Lettuce multiplication?

Ha!  That is some funny math humor, dude.

Sleep Interrupted

Don't let some stupid sixth grade girl tell you about scary movies like When a Stranger Calls, because then you might get scared and have a hard time falling asleep.  Even though you know it's not real, you might still feel a little freaked out by it when it's all dark in your room.

Remember my strategies for falling asleep . . . .

Parts is Parts

If you have an Alice in Wonderland play at your school, try your best and don't give up.  Even if you don't get the part you really want, you should still try hard and you'll probably enjoy it.  Maybe it will turn out to be a fun part.

I tried out for the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar, and the Doormouse.  I got the Caterpillar, my second choice.  The only reason I wanted the Cheshire Cat is that I like cats.  Now that I'm the Caterpillar, I'm really excited about it.

"A, E, I, O, U.  O, U, E, I, A!"

Far From Effortless

You should always give your best effort at everything you do.

I gave my best effort at soccer practice tonight and I got the "best effort ball" as a reward.  Way to go me!

Call Me "Slash"

If you want a cool new necklace, I recommend dog tags.  They look great and you can get a fun nickname put on your tag.  Mine says "Slash," because that's my skater nickname.

What would you put on your dog tag?

Dad: An Unreliable ATM

When you're a kid, you shouldn't have to remind your dad to bring money to the school carnival.  But, based on my experience today, you do.  So, don't forget.  Otherwise you have to sit around and wait for your mom to bring your brother from his adaptive swim class at the Y before you can buy and tickets and play any carnival games.

Geez, dad, bring some money with you already!

Oops!

Guess what?  This is my 100th tip. My dad went back and looked at the archives and realized that the tip two days ago was only the 98th.

So, my tip is: don't let your dad count up your posts.

A Slight Hiccup in the Process

I saw the movie How to Train Your Dragon.  I thought it was really good.  There's a book series that it's based on.  If you see the movie, you should get the book series.  It's called The Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.  I've heard the books are good.  I'm going to go to the library and try to pick up some of the books and read them.

Oh, yeah, so don't you go to the library before me and check out the books so that I can't.  That would make me mad.  And it would be rude.  After all, it's my tip.

Century

This is my one hundredth tip!!

So, my tip is that when you get to the hundredth tip on your blog . . . "Celebrate good times, come on!"

Who's on BBC America

Doctor Who is a very entertaining show.  It's British.  The show has been on for a long, long time.  The new season starts this Friday on BBC America.  There's a new actor playing the Doctor.  The most recent two actors who played the Doctor were David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston.  My favorite was David Tennant.  The new Doctor, Matt Smith, doesn't really look like a very good Doctor.  We'll see.

You should watch, though.  It's great science fiction!

Not Half as Good as It Used to Be

I love riding scooters.  I had an old one my neighbor gave me.  But, do you know what?  It broke in half yesterday.  Seriously, right in half!

So my tip to you is that, if you like to ride scooters like me, make sure you don't break yours in half by doing sick tricks, like me.

P.S.  That's not me in the picture.  I'm good, but not that good.

It's No Turkuaz

Chick-fil-A = Yuck-fil-Poo!

Lesson Learned

I learned a valuable lesson tonight that I hope you can benefit from.  If you have a good attitude about it and give her a shot, you can have a lot of fun with a babysitter . . . even a girl one.

Don't Rush Me

If you ever draw comics in art class, be sure you have a long chunk of time to do it.  We drew comics in art today, but didn't have enough time, so it was hard and boring.  I enjoy drawing comics a lot, but you can't rush an artist.

Mad about [Noun]!

If you want to have [noun], you should totally [verb] Mad Libs.  They are [adjective]!

My [noun] and I do them together.  We are really [adjective] at them.  When we [verb] them, we laugh and [verb].

All [plural noun] should [verb] Mad Libs!!!

Book Bully

If you have a little brother who might pull your books off the bookshelf and rip them up, then you need to make sure you put your books on a high shelf so that he can't reach them.

I have a little brother who does those kinds of things and he totally ripped up my really special copy of the first three books of the City of Ember.  I am so mad at him.  My dad didn't even punish him.

Protect your books!!

Sleep Study

When you can't sleep, I can recommend four different ways to try to fall asleep.  They are:

1. Try to remember all of the characters of whatever book series you're reading.  Lately, I've been naming all of the members of the Justice League.
2. Relax every muscle in your body.  Start with the very tippy tip of your toes and work all the way to the top of your head.
3. Say the alphabet backwards.
4. And this old standby: Count some sheep.

If you want my opinion, #1 works pretty well and so does #2.  Number 3 really works!  And #4 is a little bit of a joke.

Totally Tubular!

If you have a swimming pool, get an innertube to jump on.  It's a blast!

To Bee or Not to Bee

I'm excited that it's springtime.  But here's tip: bees start to come out in the spring and they can sting you.  So, "bee" careful around flowers.  Bee stings can really hurt you.  At least I think so; I've never been stung.

Sometimes Kids Know What They're Talking About

Today's tip is for parents:  If your child says he or she is hurt, then you should take him seriously and take him to the doctor.  Don't just pretend like it's not true.  


My aunt did a really good job of this with my cousin Joel this week.  He said he was hurt and she listened and took him to the doctor.  Even though the doctor didn't figure out what was hurting Joel right away, I'm proud of my aunt for listening to Joel. She's a good mom.


Now, my second tip is for Joel:  Get well soon!!!

On Showering

Showers are stupid.  It's been four nights in a row that I've had to take a shower and my parents still want me to take another one!  Come on!  I mean, how clean does one person have to get?

If your parents tell you to take a shower, tell them, "I don't have to.  You're not the boss of me."

Okay, maybe that is a bad tip, because you're probably going to get in trouble if you follow it.

My dad says the tip should be that you should just quickly take the shower and not complain about it, because complaining will take more time than just going to take the shower.  But, my dad's tip just makes me mad, because he's really talking to me.

Whatever.  I have to go take a shower, I guess . . .

Translation:  I'm going to go play with my toys in the bathroom.

Feathered Spokesperson

If you have a parrot, you should teach it to say, "I already did my homework."  That way, if your parents ask you to do your homework instead of watch TV, you can have the parrot answer and you won't be the one lying.

Other helpful sayings your parrot could learn would be:

1. Buy Calvin a new toy.
2. I'm hungry.
3. Yes, I took a shower.
4. I'm making my bed.

PJ . . . OK!

Footy pajamas rule.

Scamming Money from Mom and Dad

Cleaning is okay.  Sometimes you can do it for free.  Sometimes you can get some money from your parents.  If your mom has told you a long time ago to clean your room, but didn't say anything in the last day, then you might be able to do the cleaning and ask to get paid for it.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

If it's a rainy day and it's really raining hard and the rope is banging against the flagpole at your school, then you're probably having a bad rainstorm.  That's what it was like today where I live.

My tip on this rainstormy day is that you should always have an umbrella.  My mom wasn't prepared today and so we had to run into the restaurant tonight to try to avoid the rain.  I told her she needs to be more prepared next time!

Soccer and Socks

I think soccer is a great sport.  You should try it.  It's kind of complicated, but easy too.  If you think it's just about kicking the ball, then you're wrong.  There's a lot of strategy and defending and field placement and passing.  You have to learn a lot of tricks and dribbling.

My tip for you is that if you ever do play soccer you need to make sure you put your soccer socks on the outside of your shin guards.  Otherwise, you look like a dork and it doesn't work right.

Commentary on Canines

My tip is that dogs are okay in my opinion.  Little dogs are kind of scary and annoying.  So, I don't like little dogs.  But, I do like big dogs.

At my Grandma Spooky's house, the neighbors have an annoying little white dog that comes over into her yard and bites and scratches her.  I was really scared of it.  I don't think that neighbors should allow their dogs to do that.

At my house, we have neighbors who have big dogs.  Darcy is a little scary because she barks so loud.  Zoom is really nice.  I like to call him Zoomy or Zoomy-Zoom.

One exception to the small dogs are bad rule is that my friend Miles has a small dog named Snowflake (I think) and I like that dog.  It's nice.

In conclusion, big dogs are good, even if a little scary when they bark.  Small dogs are mostly bad and annoying.

He's a Travelin' Bear, He's Made a Lot of Stops All over the World

I have this bear named Teddy. He's been to Ghana and India.  He has a book about his first trip to Ghana.  It's called "Teddy's Travels: Ghana."  He just got back from a trip to Ghana with 18 IU students.  On this trip he sat on a crocodile's back and made a batik cloth.  He's a great bear.  And very well traveled.

I think you should get a bear like Teddy and send him on the road like I do.

I also just got a new bear named Blackie.  He's a Webkinz and he's cute.

Half Decadent, All Good

Chocolate strawberries are awesome.  They are especially good when there's a lot of milk chocolate on them and the chocolate is still a little soft because it hasn't totally dried yet.  My mom's are the best.

Plus, they're sort of a half-healthy snack.  What?  I mean, the strawberry is good for you!

Pampering at Grandma's House

Go visit your grandma's house because you get to eat like kings.  


[Ed. note:  This tip comes to you on a full stomach, after having eaten 4 strips of bacon, scrambled eggs, and several cookies for breakfast.]

Another Popcorn Post . . . It's Just That Good!

Never say that popcorn is terrible.  It is a great snack!  

P.S. Have your mom salt it. If she is anything like my mom, she has a salt addiction and will put a lot of salt and butter on it.

Guest Tips

I'm going to let my cousins, Joel and Charlie, give their tips today.  Joel is 8, like me (but not 8 2/3).  Charlie is 5, like my brother.  Here they are:

Joel:  I don't want to give a tip.  Fine:  sports are good exercise.  You should play sports.

Charlie:  Don't use bad words.  If you do, you're stupid.

Thanks, cuzzes!

The Knuckle Trick

Sometimes when you're playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" you can win by playing a trick.  If you do rock and they do paper and they're about to cover you, you can do the exploding knuckle.  That's when you open your hand and arms and make an explosion sound.  For more effect, you can do it with both hands.  Then you'll be the ultimate "Rock, Paper, Scissors" winner.

Wii Tip, Take 2

This tip will deal with the good side, not the sick joke side, of playing with a Wii.

The Wii is an awesome video game system.  If you think PS trilogy or the xBox 360 trilogy are good, you are nuts.  Although, I will agree that the PS3 is really great.

Wii games are so awesome.

You should try to get a Wii from your parents.  My parents won't let me have one.  My grandparents and my cousin have one, though.  That's part of what makes visiting them so fun.

The Upside and Downside of Travel

Traveling to grandparents' houses is fun, because you can sit in the van and watch movies.  Traveling can be convenient to allow you to catch up on things you haven't had time to do.

I love my grandmas and I like visiting them.

The only problem is if you get car sick and vomit.  Gross!

Hype for Skype

If you want to video chat with your friends, you should get Skype.  It's fun to talk with your friends on the Internet.  It's especially good when your dad goes away to Africa for a trip.  Or when a relative is far away.

It works to keep you in touch with people you care about.

Well Wishes to a Friend in Need

I have friend, who is a table parent at my Wednesday night church program, who has cancer and is really sick.  My tip is that you should always be nice to your friends in need.  You should send them cards, like we did at my church.  You should do special things for them, like we sang a special song on a CD for my friend (aka "the Vampire" -- he helps with American Red Cross blood drives).  And you should write something nice about them, like I'm doing now.

I also want to tell my friend that I'm thinking of you and I hope you feel better!

Say a prayer for my friend, his wife, and his family.

Heroic and Villainous Reality

I love this show called Survivor.  It's a great reality show.  They're doing Heroes vs. Villains right now.  My favorite person on the Villains team is Russell.  He's just a bad, bad dude.  My favorite guy on the Heroes is Rupert.  He seems like a really nice guy.  He's from Indianapolis.  And he runs Rupert's Kids, which seems like a good program for people.  On the Heroes, James is a really bad person.  I kind of hate him.  He's a big cut hunk, though.  And he has washboard abs.  Whoa!!!

If I tried out for Survivor, I wouldn't be fast enough to do the challenges.  The strategy though I would be good at.

You should watch this show.  If you're really smart, good at strategy, and could live without food and drink for awhile, then you should try out.

Oh, Snap! Word Wizardry and Literary Lingo

Onomatopoeia.  It's a great word and, if you don't know what it is, you're a fool.  Especially all the adults out there.  Onomatopoeias are cool and I use them in all my stories. 

You should use onomatopoeias because they are a great way to make stories more interesting and descriptive.

Crunch!

Buzz!

Zip!

Mushy for a Slushy

Target has Mango slushies at the front of the store snack bar.  Strawberry, too.  Mmmm, mmmm.  The're really good.

Comically Gifted

I am a comic book freak!  I went to a store called Vintage Phoenix yesterday.  It's awesome.  It has action figures and comic books.  I got a Green Lantern and a Booster Gold comic book.  Skeets is really funny.

You should go there, too.

Mad Uno Skillz

Uno is a great game.  It takes strategy, risk, and luck.  You should play.  I think you'll like it, because it has a little something for everybody.  You probably shouldn't play against me, though.  I'm just too good.

A Taxonomy of Naughty Words

I know all of the naughty words.  Naughty words come in three types: bad words, cuss words, and swear words.  Bad words aren't necessarily swear words or cuss words, but they're just bad to say, like shut up, stupid, and idiotic.  Cuss words are words like both "d" words, the "b" word, and a few others.  The difference between cuss words and bad words or swear words is that they are really bad, but not quite as bad as swear words, which are just a few words that are really specially picked out as the worst.  Swear words are really, really bad words, which you should probably never say in your whole life.  I won't give examples, because they're so bad you shouldn't even think them.

Most people should avoid naughty words altogether.  Some people have a problem with naughty words.  They're just bad eggs.  They are like Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  She was just a bad nut.

Against Blindly Volunteering: A Cautionary Tale

If your teacher asks for a volunteer, you better wait until she explains what you're volunteering for.  Because today my friend faced this situation where he volunteered for something without knowing what it was.  Then he learned that he was going to be the mannequin that we all stuck signs on to show where certain bones in his body are.  I got to put "skull" anywhere I wanted on his head.  So I put the sign right on his mouth.  Ha!  That'll teach him to volunteer!

Beware of raising your hand if you don't know what you might be in for!

Beat Down Time!

I had a request from my Uncle Robby to do a tip on "beat downs."  So, here it is:

My Uncle Robby and I like to fight.  Although he sometimes wins, I remember a time that I beat him down good.  It all started one day around Christmastime.  I said, "You can't beat down me!"  The he started running at me, but I jumped out of the way.  He was about to run into the wall when he put his feet down and stopped.  It was almost very hurtful to him because he was going so fast.

To show me his anger, he ran at me with his fist.  I ducked under him and he fell over me.  I think it hurt him, but I didn't care.  I jumped on him and punched him a few times, just to be sure I finished him off.  He was defeated.

What's the moral of the story?

My tip is:  Don't mess with the bull or you'll get the horns.

Uncle Robby knows from personal experience.  Boo-Yah!!

Fat Cats

If your cat gets too fat, you may have to put it on a diet.  Some cats, like my cat Frodo, eat too much and get all lumpy, fat, and lazy.  Sometimes he has a hard time jumping up on things because he's so big.  I think he should stop hogging all the food and let my other cat Pippen have some.

If you have a cat and you think it might be overweight and needs to go on a diet, send me a picture of it.  I can tell you whether it's just big or if it's really fat.

P.S.  The picture at the link is of Frodo as a kitten.  Believe me, he is a big hunk of humongous kitty now.

Diversionary Tactic

My tip today is that sometimes you run out of clever tips. In that case, you should put a cute picture on your tip blog and maybe no one will notice.

Oops!

When your dad, who helps you with your Tip of the Day, is busy doing an editor job for some journal, you might forget to do your tip one day. 

So, my tip is:  Don't let your dad forget!

Movie Mayhem Day 6 (BONUS!): Where the Wild Things Are

This movie was not that good.  It had a lot of sad parts, but it had some good parts, too.  If you're little, you'll be more likely to enjoy the movie.  It could be kind of scary for little kids, though.

I think it's hard to make short picture books into movies.  There's just not much plot in them to turn into a movie.  Remember my tip about Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?  Kind of the same problem here.

Movie Mayhem Day 6: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

One thing you have to know about me is that I love the book The Lightning Thief.  So, I had a hard time enjoying the movie of Percy Jackson and the Olympians:  The Lightning Thief.  They cut out about half of the book and some of my favorite parts.  Then, the movie made some things much more important than they were in the book, like Persephone's pearls. 

Some of my favorite things that they cut out were the fight on the Greyhound bus that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover fought with the furies; the Tunnel of Love scene in the old abandoned water park; when Percy meets Aries and challenges him; and all of the stuff about Kronos.

What I did like about the movie was some of the action and the scene at Aunty M's (even though they didn't eat burgers there).

I think they might have a hard time making the rest of the books into movies.  They might be able to do the second and the fourth books, but the third and the last books are so much about the Titans and Kronos that this movie didn't give the background that you'd need to make them into movies.

One cool thing about the movie is that, even though I don't know the person who played Annabeth, my dad had the brother of the actress who played Annabeth as a student a couple of years ago and even went on a trip to India with him.  Isn't that interesting?

So, my recommendation would be that you might like the movie if you haven't read the book.  But, I'd really recommend that you read the books, because they're some of my favorites.

Movie Mayhem Day 5: The Spy Next Door

The Spy Next Door is a great movie.  There's this awesome spy dude and his girlfriend and three children.  It's a great spy movie.  The bad guys are trying to catch the spy.  It stars Billy Ray Cyrus, George Lopez, and Jackie Chan as the spies.

The action made the movie really exciting, but not only that.  The bad guy kept wearing weird clothes and costumes and that really made me laugh.

The movie included amazing spy gear.  My little cousin Charlie, who is 5 years old almost, loves spy gear.  We got him some for Christmas.  He always wants me to play spy with him when I'm visiting northern Indiana where he lives.  But the last time I was there, he scratched me and kicked me.  So, I decided not to play with him anymore that trip.

The kids in The Spy Next Door had some great traps they set.  That was very entertaining.

I think you should see The Spy Next Door!

Movie Mayhem Day 4: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was a good movie the first time I saw it, but it was a horrible movie the second time I saw it.  That's weird.  I guess it's because there's not much plot to it.  I thought it was funny the first time.  The second time I was bored.

I really liked Steve, the monkey with a device that allows him to talk.  He was funny.  But, the problem is that he doesn't talk all that much.



The movie is based on my mom's favorite picture book of all time.  I think they should make a movie out of the picture book sequel, Pickles to Pittsburgh.  If you don't know that book you should check it out of your local public library, or buy it, or search for it online.  It's a good book and so is the original.

Movie Mayhem Day 3: G-Force

Personally, I think this movie was just okay.  I'm recommending it only for little kids.  I really didn't like it all that much.  It was okay, but it wasn't really, really, really good.  You'll probably only like it if you're a kid who likes war stuff and fighting . . . hamsters fighting, basically.

G-Force is about these talking hamsters who are trained and really smart.  They are fighting to save this thing that could destroy the world.  They work with a fly and a mole. 

The movie can be sad at times, but I wouldn't say it is one of my favorites.

Just in case you want to see it, though, I won't spoil the twist ending.  My dad knew who the bad guy was the whole time.  Then he whispered it to me and it kind of ruined the movie.  He's mean, but smart.

Movie Mayhem Day 2: Up

Today’s movie is Up, which is a fantastic story about this boy and a man.  I think the boy is goofy, funny, and kind of stupid.  For one, he’s silly when he tries to go to Carl’s door to earn a badge.  He says, “Good afternoon, my name is Russell and I am a wilderness explorer in tribe 54, sweat lodge 12.  Are you in need of any assistance today, sir?”  Carl’s not interested, of course.  Russell even offers to help him cross all kinds of things.  Not just the street.

I think it’s a good movie for the adventures they go on and the talking dog they meet.  It can be a little scary at times, but not too bad.  You’ll think it’s good if you watch it all the way through.

Carl hooked up all these balloons to his house so that he could go away to Paradise Island where he and his wife had always wanted to go.  They never got a chance to go and then she passed away.  That was sad for Carl.

Russell, on the other hand, is goofy and happy pretty much the whole time.  He has no idea that he’s being a pest and people don’t want him around.

If you are in a family with a kid or two who are old enough to watch a movie, this is a good choice for the whole family.  Parents will enjoy it, as long as they don’t get too sad about Carl and his wife.  Kids will enjoy it, especially Russell and Kevin the crazy bird and Doug the talking dog.

I give it my highest rating of five multi-colored helium filled balloons!  The professionals agree with me, because it’s nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award.

Movie Mayhem Week!

This week I'm going to tell you about movies I think you might want to see and let you know if you should watch them.  They are going to be Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, G-Force, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Up, Nim's Island, and The Spy Next Door.

Today I'll tell you about Nim's Island.  It's a good kid's movie about Alex Rover, who lives in her house, and Nim, who lives on an island, which is not named for us.  Nim's father is also featured.  A bunch of bad pirates come to try to take over the island.  So, Nim has to use all of her tricks to try to stop them . . . even blowing up a volcano to keep them off the island.  She also shoots lizards out of catapults.  There's an awesome seal who teaches Nim how to swim.  In return, Nim teaches the seal how to walk around on land, clap its flippers, play soccer, and a bunch of other cool moves.

Nim's Island is a good movie, if you like adventure, trickery, strategy, and that kind of stuff.  If you like the Indiana Jones movies, you'll probably like this movie, too.

Don't Chew on Your Shoe

Don't chew on your shoes.  It's really disgusting and it's bad for your shoes.  They're also dirty and have germs.  Your shoes will end up slimy and gross.

My brother used to chew on his shoes when he was a baby.

Hooray Buffet!

Chinese food is really good.  But, if you go to China Buffet, I recommend that you don't eat the pizza and fried chicken and salad bar.  The Chinese food and the sushi are what you should get.  If you want pizza, go to DeAngelo's or Dominos or some other pizza place.  If you want fried chicken, go to KFC.  If you want an eggroll or fried rice, go to China Buffet.  It's good.

The soft ice cream is really good for dessert, though.  It's the only thing I'll give you permission to eat that is not Chinese or Asian food.

Salty Intervention

My mom has too much sodium in her.  She uses too much salt.  She is an addict.  I think she should stop.  If you have a problem like this, you need to stop, too.

One More Time!

At your grandma's house, there are a lot of things you can do, like playing Wii and stuff.  But, there's one thing I absolutely love to do:  videotaping!!

Here's an example.



Obviously, I like to dance.

The Diminishing Returns of Snow Days, The Restorative Power of Dance

When you have the first snow day, it's fun. But if you have a lot of snow days in a row, it becomes a lot less fun. So, you should be thankful for a snow day. After a few snow days though, it's just boring. You can make a day better, though, by developing your own victory dance. Everyone should have a victory dance.

A Emankcin Pit

Here's another nickname tip.  Write your name backwards on a piece of paper and then say it.  That will make a good nickname.  For example, mine is Nivlac Drawde.  My brother's is T-Narg Selrahc.  My mom's is really funny:  Arbed. 

My cats would be Odorf and Neppip.  "Woem!"

What's yours?

A "Beary" Special Announcement

I'm proud to announce that there is a new comic book in development.  It's a comic book whose author you already know . . . ME!!

You'll learn the title of the comic book at the end, but first I'll tell you something about it.  It has action.  It's funny.  There is sadness, strategy, trickery, and fighting -- kung fu, if you can believe it!

If you're interested in this comic book, you might contact me and I'll try to ship it to you when I have finished it.  I probably won't be able to send it to some of you.  Others I can.

Now for the unleashing of the name:  The Flight of Brown Bear.  (It will have a sequel called Brown Bear in the Arctic.  And a threequel called The Final Brown Bear Battle.  But those are a ways off.)

Pay No Attention to the Lateness of This Tip

If you happen to forget to do your tip on the day you're going over to your friend's house for a birthday sleepover, you should just do two tips on the next day.  Then maybe no one will notice.

Overnights

Sleepovers are really awesome.  You get to go away for the night and not have to be with your parents.  Lots of times you can do some cool stuff that your parents wouldn't let you do at home.  So, if you can convince your parents to let you go on a sleepover, you definitely should try.

My tip for convincing your parents to let you go on a sleepover is ask them around when you're six or seven.  Tell them about a really good friend you have and maybe it will work, especially if it's your best friend.

My tip is for Charlie Brown:  You are kind of an idiot for being so hung up on the Little Red-Haired Girl.  No offense, but you're kind of weird.  She obviously doesn't like you.

Give it up!

Another Three-Word Cure All

Snow. Days. Rule.

Swab the Throat, Matey! Arrrrrgh . . . .

Being sick is terrible, espcially if you have a sore throat.  You might have to get your throat swabbed to test for Strep.  It hurts.  Bad.

In Remembrance

If your grandparents are still alive, you should spend time with them, play with them, and really enjoy and love them.

I was lucky to get to spend time with my Grandpa Kip.  I miss him a lot.  But I also have a lot of great memories of my times with him.

Grandpa Kip

July 4, 1943-February 8, 2009

Super Sore Loser

Hey, Colts and Saints fans.  Well, the Saints won.  I don't like the Saints at all.  They're dumb.  I wanted the Colts to win.

So, if you're a Saints fan, enjoy it.  Because the Colts are gonna beat you again sometime soon.

This isn't so much a tip today as a comment.  Boo Saints.

Guess Who's $1 Richer Tonight!

Here's how to earn a dollar the easy way:  scam your uncle.  Bet him that you can be quiet -- without saying a word -- for 20 minutes if he'll give you a dollar.  It's especially effective if you talk nonstop all day prior to the bet.  Then it'll be worth it to him to give you the dollar just to keep your mouth shut.

Super Tip

There is this thing called Justice League.  It's about these guys that get to fight villains and destroy bad guys.

You can collect figures and DVDs.  I have about 50 action figures and the space ship.  I used to have the Watchtower, but it broke.

My tip to you is that you should rent the videos from Netflix and see what you think about them.  I think they're really good.  But, before you get all crazy for it, you need to be careful.  If you get the wrong kind of Justice League, your collection can get all messed up.  So be careful which one you choose.

Ninjas vs. Assassins

I love ninjas.  Assassins are cool, too.

This is a weird question that you guys might be able to answer.  Who would win if assassins and ninjas had a battle?

Personally, I don't know which one would win.  I hope that the ninjas would win, because they're my favorite.  On the other hand, I do like assassins who get to the last level and get their ninja certification so that they're ninja assassins.

My ninja name is "Moon."  Sun is my weakness, so I have to wear a brown blindfold and black cloak.  I can see through the blindfold, but it's not easy.

What's your ninja name?  You should have one.  Don't forget to figure out your weakness and your clothes.

The Best . . . Bar None

There is a nutrition bar called the LARABAR.  It's really delicious.  It's filled with nuts and has a few wonderful flavors.  Here are some examples:  lemon bar, cherry pie, apple pie, key lime pie, peanut butter cookie.

You should try one.  In Bloomington you can buy them at the big new Kroger on College Mall Road and Bloomingfoods, but not Marsh.

Pretending to be Phil

Today is Groundhog Day.  You probably know what that means.  But, do you know the real fun of Groundhog Day?  Well, for one, you can kind of act like a groundhog.  Two, you can ask your teacher to allow you to read all day, because you're pretending to be a groundhog and hibernating and reading.

Here's the bad part, though:  If you try to ask the president to be allowed to stay in bed all day and play video games or read or play with your action figures so that you can act like a groundhog on Groundhog Day, he'll probably say no.  I think it would be cool, but they haven't allowed it to happen.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Oh, by the way, I'm sorry for you people who are sad about six more weeks of winter.  I kind of like winter, so I don't mind that the groundhog saw his shadow.



P.S. My grandma was the first to get yesterday's first three Hink Pinks correct, but she missed the fourth one. My dad's facebook friend Ryan got all four correct, so he was the first to get the fourth one. The answers were: (1) Boy toy; (2) Mouse House; (3) Car bar; (4) Cheap Peep. Way to go Grandma and Ryan!

Your Brain is Like a Muscle

You need to exercise your brain for it to stay strong, smart, and healthy. One way to exercise your brain is to do brain teasers or riddles. One kind of riddle that my parents and I like to do is the Hink Pink (or Hinky Pinky or Hinkety Pinkety).

A Hink Pink is a riddle that has a two-word rhyming answer. For example, foot gear that is the color of the sky would be a "Blue Shoe."

Here are a couple more. If you can figure out an answer, leave it in the comments to this post. The first correct answers are the winners of the day.

1. A male kid's action figures.
2. A rodent's dwelling.
3. Where automobiles go for a drink.
4. An inexpensive sugary Easter candy.