Anti-Corporal Punishment post.

Hi. Sorry I'm taking so long. There's something you should know.

Hit your children with any of these?

That’s NOT okay.

Hitting is abuse, not discipline or respect.

If they need to be punished,

send them to time-out.

HAPPY 2016!

Happy New Year! I'm so glad that this New Years ended up better than last year. Last year sucked because I missed the ball drop. We were on the wrong TV channel, and I was disappointed and sad after it hit midnight. This year, on the other hand, went happily because we managed to plan ahead for which channel we were going to watch for the countdown. Becca's friends came over and we had our typical party food. When it hit midnight, I couldn't stop cheering! We banged pots and pans (as usual), and had so much fun! This year, I'm going to be a high school Senior (yikes!) I've got a bunch of resolutions on my mind, including going to school when I'm supposed to. That's because I keep missing school from time to time. I hope you've had a GREAT 2015! And hopefully you will have an AWESOME 2016! Like I said before, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas 2015

Okay. Sorry for being slow on my blog. This is what I did on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
On Christmas Eve, I went to my aunt and uncle's house to eat, sing Christmas songs, and open presents. I gave a Panda Express gift card to my cousin, Riley, then I put it in a small box and wrapped it, put the small box in a bigger box and wrapped it, and put it in ANOTHER box and wrapped it. When Riley opened his present, we all got a laugh when they realized there was another box underneath. Even Riley was laughing! We sang We wish you a Merry Christmas, even though we messed up. I got a shirt that said "I love St8s" on it. And I also got $50 in dollar coins. After the get-together, Becca and I opened 1 present for each of us. Becca opened the Beanie-boo I gave her. I opened some pants and a shirt that says "Donut bother me".
On Christmas morning, I was too excited to sleep. I woke up at around 2:00 a.m. Luckily, it was after Santa came. When we opened presents, this is what we got:

Dad got a CD (from me), clothes, and a waffle-maker.

Mom got a new camera and pajama pants with Snoopy (from me).

Emily got Fallout 4 and a book (from me).

I got a new camera (like Mom), blank CDs to burn, state flags (bigger ones! They include Utah, Nevada, and Mississippi), and my Dad's old Ipad.

Becca got a karaoke machine and some Shopkins. 

Mom, Dad, and Emily got an Iphone, while Becca and I got a watch phone.

After that, we went to my Grandma Nana's house (since she moved back from Alabama) and had brunch. The bacon was delicious! We watched Ice Age, too. When we opened presents, I got 2 books. After that, we went to Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Nate's house. While there, my sisters and I got a chair that plays music. When we went home, we had a very Merry Christmas, and we will (hopefully) have a Happy New Year.

Funny states

I have made a bunch of gags starring all 50 states! But there aren't 50 gags. There are about 43 because some gags star more than 1 state. My printer/scanner doesn't work, anymore. That means I have to give them to Mom to scan them onto her computer and e-mail them to me. Once she's done, I'll post them. They can be hilarious! They were inspired by Laurie Keller's Scrambled States of America books. Here's an example:

Delivery Man: I've got a delivery for the state whose capital is Kleenex.
Arizona: It's Phoenix. Thank-you-very-much.

I've worked REALLY HARD on them. I hope you enjoy!

New baby and EEG

Amazing news! My aunt and uncle just had their first son. His name is Brayden. My aunt and uncle had to agree on whether his name should be Brayden or Joshua. I would have liked it if his name were Joshua, but Brayden's a cute name, too. He weighs at least 8lbs. When I saw the pictures, I thought he had cute, chubby cheeks. Congratulations! Today, I had to have an EEG because I kept "jerking". It went well, but I think I'll know what's going on later because the doctor said he'll show another doctor my brain waves. I'm still jerking and hopefully it's not a seizure. But I'm still able to talk and walk. Well, I hope I'll stop jerking, somehow. Let's hope it will happen!

Upcoming Halloween

I am looking forward to Halloween! I may be too old to go tick-or-treating, but that doesn't mean I'm too old to dress up. I am going as a fortune-telling machine, this year. Last year, I went as a Vegas lady because Halloween is also the statehood date of Nevada, and Las Vegas is in Nevada. Although, my costume looked more like a 1920's flapper girl. Close enough! Anyways, I've got this year's costume most of the way done. I just need a big box to fit over my head to make the machine part. I am planning on giving the trick-or-treaters candy, because I find it fun to pick which candy goes to which kid. There are families who let the children pick, but my family doesn't do that. One thing I'm glad about is that next year is a leap year, so Halloween will skip from Saturday to Monday. No one likes having Halloween on a Sunday! That would mean we'd have to go trick-or-treating on the day before. Well, I sure hope you'll have a spook-tacular time! This will be scare-riffic!

My opinion over John Oliver's 50 State song

I wish I could make a video like John Oliver's, but with the actual "50 states that rhyme" song. You know, with kids singing along. Except the background will have a 50 states map. I'm not trying to steal any ideas; I just want there to be a kids-version of the video. I couldn't believe the kids were swearing like that! Of course, it's because it's for adults (and maybe teens). I would love to make a video of me singing with children "50 states that rhyme". That would be so cute! I think the best age group for the kids singing would be somewhere between 3rd grade and 5th grade. I hope that idea comes true! Let's keep my fingers crossed.

My dream rooms

Hi, everyone! Sorry for the wait. I should really post more often. Anyway, I have a few dream rooms:

• The stage room. This is where I would pretend I'm singing in a patriotic program, which I sadly never did in elementary school. There is a wall with a GINORMOUS animated picture of an audience. When I press a button, it applauds. There is also a piano that plays music by itself. I can put in arrangements to different songs and sing. There are at least 3 arrangements of each song. Just so I won't feel stupid, there will be mannequin-like robots that sing with me through a microphone that makes my voice sound like a kid. I can dress them the same way a class would in an elementary school program. I would love to be in this room!
• The idea room. This room is very empty and quiet. This is where I walk around and talk to myself, which is what I do around the kitchen table. It has lots of space and not much furniture. I would go to this room whenever I want to. It's called the idea room because it's so I can get ideas for some projects.
• The chatting room. This is so I could chat with people. It has chairs and a table with some snacks and treats. The snacks and treats can be chips, homemade cookies, and other things, too. I love to chat with people, so I think this would be very nice! It's helpful when I feel lonely.

These are perfect rooms for me to be in!

Supermoon Eclipse

My camera doesn't have good video, but here's one of the supermoon eclipse tonight. Don't miss it! It won't happen again until 2033.

Trip to Oregon, RIP Lizzy, and Trip to Zions

Hi, everyone! I'm back! My trip to Oregon went well. I've seen lots sights! We went through Nevada and Idaho. It turns out Nevadans think it's funny that Nevada and Mississippi fell in love in the SSOA books. They're right. We stayed in a nice hotel in Portland. It didn't have a pool, but the trip was worth taking pictures for. My dad took me to the coast and we saw tidal pools with lots of creatures. Best of all, I got to visit some relatives in Washington state, so now I can say I've been to Washington. That makes it so I've been to all the Western states in the continental 48. A month after the trip, I've faced bad news: My dog Lizzy passed away. She had a bad tumor on her muzzle that was bleeding. The vet couldn't do anything about it, so she was put to sleep. It was a similar death to Dakota, my rat. Lizzy is now buried in our backyard. After that, my family went to Zion National Park. It was pretty, but I got bored. I have met people from all over the world. And I have met a LOT of people from California. That trip was worth it, but I'm just glad to be home!

Upcoming trip to Oregon

Hi, everyone! Sorry for the wait. I was getting tired of posting on this blog, but I'll post again. My dad is taking me to Oregon on June 16th. We will drive through Nevada, stop in Elko for lunch, go up to Idaho, stay in Boise for a night,  go up to Washington, then go down to Portland, Oregon. We are going because Dad has a conference there. I am looking forward to this trip so much! I will bring my camera and take pictures in every state we drive through. I hope I'll have a good time, this trip. 

I am really excited!

My new friend and Class of 2015

I'd like to tell you some stuff that went on this month. Since I make videos, a boy named Brady, who lives in Pennsylvania, loves watching them. It turns out we have a lot in common. We both like states, we both have autism, and many more! We like to talk to each other on Skype. We have had good times, so far. Also, my older sister graduated high school! I was crying tears of joy (literally) when she walked up to the stage (it was a basketball stadium). Earlier, my grandparents, my parents, my sisters and I went to a Japanese restaurant called Sakana. They had really good Moki ice cream. Yum! That was very exciting to see my older sister graduate in the Class of 2015. Good job, Emily! And good job to all of the Class of 2015!

Mother's Day Weekend

I had a fun weekend! On Saturday, my mom, my grandma, and I went to the mall for a shopping spree. The clothes I bought were a blueish green floral shirt, a pink shirt with zebras, a neon green pair of shorts, a brown pair of shorts, and a swimsuit top and bottom bought separately. After that, we went to Red Robin for dinner. I had some fish and chips (fries). Earlier, when my mom took me to the grocery store, I bought a Mother's Day card for her with her permission. Since she knew she wasn't supposed to look, I paid for it, myself. On Sunday (that would be Mother's day), my mom, Grandma (same one that took me to the mall), my aunt and uncle, my sisters, and I went to Applebees for dinner. I had some fries, mozzarella sticks, and some churros with a s'more dipping. Then, we went to Grandma's new house (she moved back from Alabama) and saw all her dogs. One of her dogs, Velvet, liked to give me and my family kisses on the face. Another of her dogs (I think her name was Gracie) bit Becca near her shoulder. Poor Becca. I could tell that hurt. But I'll bet all of Grandma's dogs were sweet. We had Louisiana Crunch bundt cake (lemon flavored). It was delicious. After that, we went home. I had a great Mother's Day. I love you, Mom!

Need new State Flags

I'd like more state flags. So if there are any stores in the Salt Lake City area that sell state flags, that would be great! Thanks!

Choir Solo Tryouts

Hey, everybody! You won't believe what just happened, today! In choir (I take that class!), I tried out for 2 songs from the Beatles (Imagine and Blackbird) to sing solo to. I didn't make it for Imagine, but when I tried out for Blackbird, I did! It was a close call. One girl and I did so good that we made it in a tie. Since I have been in choir for longer than she did, I made it to sing my solo! Other songs we are singing are:

• Lean on Me (This song also had solo tryouts, but I called it quits for that song because the solo was too hard for me.)
• Bohemian Rhapsody (We call it Boho for short.)
• Into the West (This song is at the end of a Lord of the Rings movie)

I am so happy I got to sing solo! Well, let's see how I'll do for the big performance. I'll have to wait and see.

DO NOT WHOOP YOUR KIDS!

Parents, everywhere, please listen. Just because your kid is being naughty doesn't mean you should give your kids a whooping. It's a very selfish punishment. I'd rather be put in time-out than get a whooping. Just because it "never killed you" doesn't mean it won't kill anyone. Children have been hospitalized for being hit with a belt, shoe, etc. Even worse, kids probably even DIED from such a cruel punishment. It is against the law to assault people. And to me, this counts. Therefore, whooping your kids won't solve anything!

16 years of creativity!!!

It is my birthday, today!!! I am turning 16 years old. My family can't believe all that time has passed. One thing I have been planning to do is learn how to drive. Then after that, I will have my first job (don't know where I'll work, though.) My extended family will be coming to celebrate 16 great years of creativity and imagination. I will have the best day ever!!!!!!!

RIP Dakota and more about rats

Well, there's bad news for me. One of my 2 rats passed away. Her name was Dakota. She had 2 tumors as well as a hole in her belly. My mom took her to the vet where she was put to sleep. Rest in peace, Dakota. I will miss you. Well, at least I have my other rat. Her name is Carolina. She is in good shape and I'll bet she misses Dakota. But when Carolina dies, I'll get 2 new rats. I hope they will be female. That way, I can name them Virginia and Georgia. I'll bet they will be cute rats. And I hope they'll give me kisses like Dakota did (Carolina does, too.). I gave Dakota and Carolina nicknames like "Cute little finger-lickers" and "Kissy rats". Well, you'll never know when I will get new rats. I'll just have to wait and see.

Sweet 16 Party and New baby announcement

I just had my sweet 16 birthday party, today! We went to the Nickelcade in Taylorsville, Utah. We had a cake with fondant (my request), a baked potato bar, and even a chocolate fountain! I played a lot of games. After that, we went to my grandparents' house. That was when I realized my aunt was going to have a baby. It's going to be a boy, and he will be born in October. My family-on Mom's side- sang happy birthday to me and my cousin (we were born one day apart.). We had pizza, whereas mine was cheese with no sauce (the way I like it!). When my cousin and I tried to blow out the candles, it turned out to be the prank candles that light themselves up again after you blow them out. My family can be funny! I got to see my toddler cousin, Milo. He was very cute and silly! Well, I had a great time for my Sweet 16 party! I hope you've had one or will, too!

Jokes

Every day at lunch during school, I tell the staff members good jokes that I made.
Here are some of the jokes I have told:
Q: How do you make a piano laugh?
A: Tickle its ivories!
Q: Where did the worm go on vacation?
A: To the Big Apple!
Q: Why did the bottle of ginger go to the dentist?
A: He had ginger-vitis!