The child, otherwise known as AJ, turned a big 12 this week! So it’s been a week of 12s and celebrations and good times!
He’s been a “12th man” since the day he was born!
To this day, he still loves to throw rocks into the water.
Officially 12!
Also, speaking of 12s… I have to give a big shout out to Mike at A Little Bit Out of Focus for the screaming great time he got at his marathon this past weekend wearing… you guessed it… bib #12!! Congratulations Mike!! You have found the Power of the 12!
On to the music… I had the silly idea to post AJ’s 5 favorite songs for Motivational Music Monday at 50 in 50 Marathon Quest, but once he gave me his list… ummmm… no. Sorry child. Ain’t no one got time for that noise!
Did you all know my boy, Michael Bublé, has a new album being released this week?!! Oh yeah. So in honor of that little gem, I’m sharing with you his first single from said album! Hope you enjoy just as much as I do! It’s a snappy little ditty that features Black Thought from The Roots! (And there you go, AJ… a little rap for you anyway, hehe)
Are we having fun yet??!! What song is making you happy this week? Go let James know at 50 in 50!!
Just when you think you have it together, it all falls apart. Okay, not really, but this has not been one my favorite weeks in the history of weeks.
School started! Yay!! AJ now has to get up at 6 a.m. as opposed to the normal noon he’s been used to all summer. Mind you, he’s pretty much sound by 10 p.m., so it all evens out in the end. First day of school is always a little bit hairy as one needs to establish a whole brand new routine, and with him having to get up that much earlier makes it a bit difficult. He’s adjusted well for the first 3 days, so I’m proud of him. He’s growing up and accepting responsibility.
Speaking of growing up, he’s 5’5.5″ tall now and won’t turn 12 until next month. He now takes a regular P.E. class and has to run a mile every day, then right afterwards has to walk home a mile. Hmmmm…. there may eventually be potential for the child to start joining us in our 50 states quest.
But the week doesn’t stop there with just new routines… noooo… my mother calls me soon after I drop AJ off for his first day and she needs to go to the ER because she’s throwing up blood. After spending the entire day in the ER and after numerous tests, they wanted to keep her because her hematocrit was dropping, a sign of internal bleeding. She refused. Yep. She outright refused. I’m none too pleased with her. So I’ve been dealing with that crap too.
And now I’m late for Motivational Music Monday. Kinda like really late. More like Motivational Music Friday.
Actually, this one isn’t all that “motivational,” it’s just fun and lighthearted, one that I really enjoy. And it’s from the Eighties… classic ’80s! Love them ’80s songs! Hope this takes you back to a happy place!
And if you haven’t seen, James gave a great recap of our most recent venture with the Hamster Endurance Run. Go check it out. He does a nice job of his recaps.
By the way, did I mention my remaining fish have survived the death tank? All better now! 🙂
Happy Friday my friends!! May you have a blessed weekend!!
Leavenworth is a charming little Bavarian town that sits in the midst of the Cascade Mountains, about 2 hours from where I live. I am childless this weekend because AJ went up there to play in the snow for a few days with his “brother from another mother” for the 4-day holiday weekend (Presidents Day).
Sledding before breakfast…
Exploring Lake Wenatchee State Park…
Silly hat store…
Dinner at a local pub…
I’m going to guess the boys will be sleeping well tonight, especially with all that mountain air.
However, before AJ left, he made a very special video for a very special little girl. Esmé, this is for you! (Her mom is the author of A Run A Day, pop on over to see how cute she is, especially dressed as a Care Bear!!)
Tween. What a weird word. But apparently my child is now a “tween.” Scary.
Regardless… we are a cable-free house, I’m proud to say. Thanks to the power of the Roku and the ability to stream, we said goodbye to our massive cable bill and the 500+ channels that had absolutely nothing on them to watch. The only problem was that our son had to say goodbye to his favorite TV shows that he watched on Disney and Nick.
I don’t know how he did it, nor do I remember when, but he soon discovered You Tube, and he replaced Disney and Nickelodeon with those oh-so-famous You Tubers you occasionally hear about. If I didn’t have a child, I still wouldn’t know what a “You Tuber” was, or what they do, or even why ($$$). However, to stay involved in his life, I have sat through many mind-numbing videos of these famous You Tubers who make way more money than they should, doing stuff I just don’t get nor understand, albeit I have laughed at quite a few of them.
Following are a few of my favorite You Tubers. When AJ and his friends get together, they often times will just hang out and watch You Tube. They ALL know who the good ones are, and if your child has access to You Tube, guaranteed they’re finding a way to watch them too. You Tube even has its own “unofficial” Wiki site called “Wikitubia.” (Where was this stuff when I was that age?!)
Dan TDM or The Diamond Minecart: This guy is 23 years old, creates Minecraft videos and various series, and is probably one of my favorites. No bad language at all. He’s really quite entertaining. If you have a tween, then they are more than likely very involved with the Minecraft game play and might even know about Dan. He makes around $1.4 million per year and has over 8 million subscribers.
Ryan Higa: He’s just silly. He has some older videos from when he first started that are a bit… green. He’s matured into a skilled film maker with better editing and material. AJ still gets a kick out of his older videos though and sometimes prefers to watch them over the newer ones, perhaps because Ryan looks closer in age to him than he does nowadays, who knows. Ryan is 25, has over 15 million subscribers and makes about $2.3 million a year.
Jack Septic Eye: This guy makes me laugh. He plays all kinds of video games and records himself playing these games. Of course, we all love it when he messes up because he goes into an absolute rage. Jack can get a little … explicit … with his language, but perhaps that’s some of his Irish charm. Another 25-year-old, over 7 million viewers, and makes around $2 million per year.
Ryen Lung created Life After College. All he does is vlog about his life and his sweet little corgi dog. AJ loves watching this series. Because of it, he now wants a corgi when he grows up. I don’t know the stats on this one, but it can be quite entertaining. No bad language.
There are two other You Tubers that I find extremely funny, Comedy Shorts Gamer and KSI, from the UK. They’re actually brothers, each have their own channels, but they are extremely R-rated. A bit vulgar at times, but can be hilarious. I have no idea how much these two make, but I’m sure it’s a boat-load.
Have you heard of PewDiePie? He’s the number one You Tuber, 26 years old, over 40 million subscribers and makes $12 million a year. Playing games. On You Tube. And this isn’t even one of AJ’s favorites!!
So what are the morals of this blog?
Actively share in your child’s interests to stay involved in their life no matter how mind-numbing you think the activity is, especially when they hit the scary years… it’s not about you, it’s about them.
Never A Dull Bling 