At The Last Supper, there were 13 people around the table… the 13th supposedly being Judas who betrayed Christ.
On Friday the 13th, in October 1307, Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar, then tortured and murdered them (they protected Christian pilgrims during the Crusades).
In a tarot card deck, XIII is the card of Death.
The Apollo 13 lunar mission was a “successful failure” (successful because no one died).
However….
That isn’t really the point of my post.
My point then?? Glad you asked!!
My baby boy just turned 13!! I am now officially the mother of a teenager (may the Good Lord have mercy on my soul)!
Happy Birthday AJ!!
1st Birthday
9th Birthday
13 candles nearly set off the smoke detectors.
13th Birthday
Wow. Growing up. #GoHawks
I’m still not fond of the number 13… but I think I can live with it for a year.
The long-awaited last day of school has finally arrived.
AJ excelled in the 6th grade, and while he did well grade-wise, I mean more that he excelled as a person and grew quite a bit emotionally, and I believe his teachers played a huge part in that.
All of his teachers were amazing and deserve gratitude and thanks; however, one teacher stands out in particular. This particular teacher helped AJ develop his love for history. And adventure. And the ancient aliens who may or may not have built the pyramids (more on that later… ).
The last essay AJ wrote for this teacher was about “Grit.” This was not a required assignment. But from what I understand, quite a few students completed it, including AJ. Their reward? A hat that says “Grit.” Just one more way to get the kids to think and to write. On their own. Without any pressure of a grade or a deadline. “Learn to love learning;” one of the first steps to school success, in my opinion.
Thank you, Mr. Larson, for inspiring my child to be the best that he could possibly be. You have made a tremendous impact on AJ’s learning, and for that, we are extremely grateful. He wears that hat with pride.
And for all the other teachers out there who inspire our kids, thank you so much for what you do. May you all have a happy and relaxing summer holiday! You’ve certainly earned it!
In case you’re curious about what my kid wrote… here ya go:
What is grit? Grit could mean sand, or it could mean that you never give up and keep trying. Determined, brave, toughness–all of these things could mean grit, but there are a lot more words that can mean grit.
I would like to tell you a story of a man named James Edward Howard. He is my great-great grandfather that fought in World War 1. He was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, UK, on the 4th of April 1890. During the war, he transferred to the Royal Engineers from the Suffolk Regiment. He died June 1st, 1929. He was at the battle of Ypres when he got badly gassed. After the war was done, he suffered very poor health due to the mustard gas. His last few years, he was in and out of the hospital as he developed Tuberculosis which was his cause of death. He survived for 15 years after the war and after being gassed. This man had a lot of grit to be ill and survive for that long. That is why I wanted to share this story with you.
I used grit last year. I came through a tough time when my grandma and uncle died within a few months of each other. The thing is I didn’t get sorry for myself or get sad, I just accepted the way things happened. My cat also died 2 months after my grandma died. He had been around me my whole life but I kept fighting and never got sad or anything, and that is how I used grit.
That wraps up my whole grit essay. I hoped you learned a little more about me. Always remember to never give up, there is always hope.
Thanks to a teacher, today I learned from a child. I learned “… there is always hope.”
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 