Kid Interviews - Favorites of 2012

A few days ago, I interviewed our kids to journal their favorites of 2012. I usually do this in January. Oh well.

Thing 1 - Age 13, 7th Grade

Favorite Color - Yellow
Favorite Food - Sushi
Favorite Drink - Butterbeer from Harry Potter World
Favorite Board or Card Game - Settlers of Catan (Cities and Knights)
Favorite Wii Game - Order Up! and Mario Kart
Favorite Online Game - Minecraft
Favorite DS game - Harry Potter Lego Games
Favorite Hobby - Reading and writing and playing with friends and family and Scout
Favorite non-electronic thing to do - Reading and writing and playing with family and friends and Scout
Favorite thing to do outside - Capture the Flag
Favorite Book - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and from this past year - "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer
Favorite Movie - The Harry Potter movies and The Hunger Games
Favorite TV show or Cartoon - Modern Family, Go On, and The Big Bang Theory
Favorite Restaurant - Kugo's Steakhouse (for sushi)
Favorite Outdoor Spot - "The swinging bench at the park, because that's where my friends and I do most of our laughing"
Favorite Animal - Puppy
Favorite Fruit - Any kind of berries or kiwi
Favorite Flower - Sunflower
Favorite Tree - Weeping Willow
Favorite Vegetable - "Salads, because they can be really different"
Favorite Snack - "Popcorn. I can't eat it, but I like it." (braces) and chocolate
Favorite Stuffed Animal - Menedy (stuffed cat)
Favorite Sport - Roller skating and ice skating
Favorite Dessert - Chocolate-based cookies with peanut butter chips
Favorite Place to Vacation - Harry Potter World
Favorite Houseguest - "Grandparents and Johnsons."
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor - Chocolate Peanut Butter
Favorite Smell - Baking cookies, a new box of crayons, and when the backyard is mowed
Favorite Aisle in Department Store - Books and Writing Supplies
Favorite Song - "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift
Favorite Group or Singer - Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars
Favorite Season - Summer
B.F.F. - Kirsten
Favorite Room of the House - My bedroom and the computer room
Favorite Day of the Week - Friday
Favorite Event of 2012 - Going to Harry Potter World
Favorite Errand to Run - Going to the library
Favorite Outfit - Jeans and my writer t-shirt and mismatched socks
Favorite Instrument to Play - Violin
Favorite Phrase - "'Everyone sucks but us,' because of a music video that Max, Rich, Brennan and I made, and 'Pufflesnuffle,' which is like another word for 'darn!'"
Favorite Thing about Daddy - "I like playing games with him and reading stories and doing science experiments with him."
Favorite Thing about Mommy - "That you set up INCH  (homeschool group) and reading stories with you and doing mommy-daughter dates."
Favorite Thing about Your Sibling - "That he can make me laugh and playing games like Stuffed Animal Adventures or Minecraft with him."
Favorite Thing about Scout - "That she's weird, so that makes her unique. And also that she is crazy and cute."
Favorite Christmas Gift of year - Taylor Swift concert tickets and my time turner necklace
Favorite School Subject - Writing and reading
Favorite Family Tradition - NaNoWriMo, our birthdays, celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve, and sushi for New Year's
Favorite Homeschool Group Activity - Park Days
What do you want to be when you grow up? - An author
If you could change anything about the world . . . - "World peace, equality for everybody, and a better substitute for money."
If you could have any superpower . . . - "Flying and the ability to change all the things I want to change about the world."
Weirdest thing you can do - "I can turn one foot backward and one foot forward at the same time."
Best thing about you - "I can make my friends laugh and they feel comfortable around me so they can tell me anything or ask me for advice."


Thing 2 - Age 10, 4th Grade

Favorite Color - Silver
Favorite Food - Pizza
Favorite Drink - Birch Beer
Favorite Board or Card Game - Yu-Gi-Oh!
Favorite Wii Game - Super Smash Brothers
Favorite Online Game - Minecraft
Favorite DS game - Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds World Championship 2010 Reverse of Arcadia
Favorite Hobby - Playing Yu-Gi-Oh! (the card game)
Favorite non-electronic thing to do - Yu-Gi-Oh!
Favorite thing to do outside - Nerf weapon battles
Favorite Book - The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings)
Favorite Movie - Wreck-it Ralph
Favorite TV show or Cartoon - Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Favorite Restaurant - J&S Pizza
Favorite Outdoor Spot - Park/Playground
Favorite Animal - Bald Eagle
Favorite Fruit - Grapes
Favorite Flower - Nightshade
Favorite Tree - Blooming Cherry Tree
Favorite Vegetable - Corn on the Cob
Favorite Snack - Pretzel M&Ms (I love how he says this - "Im-in-ims")
Favorite Stuffed Animal - Zip (stuffed eagle)
Favorite Sport - Tae Kwon Do
Favorite Dessert - Mint Oreos
Favorite Place to Vacation - Harry Potter World is fun to go to and I also liked the Aquarium and Coca-Cola factory in Atlanta
Favorite Houseguest - "Rich and Brennan."
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor - Mint Chocolate Chip
Favorite Smell - Spearmint and freshly mowed grass
Favorite Aisle in Department Store - Trading Cards
Favorite Song - "Let's Go" by Calvin Harris featuring Ne-Yo
Favorite Group or Singer -Europe
Favorite Season - Fall
B.F.F. - Rich and Brennan
Favorite Room of the House - I have 3 - computer room, living room, and my room
Favorite Day of the Week - Friday or Saturday
Favorite Event of year - I like the Renaissance Faire and Harry Potter World
Favorite Errand to Run -Going to a Trading Card Store
Favorite Outfit - "I like my blue dragon shirt."
Favorite Instrument to Play - Synthesizer
Favorite Phrase - "I'm going to mine." (Minecraft)
Favorite Thing about Daddy - "I like how he's hard working. He'll do anything for us. He's funny and he's fun to play with."
Favorite Thing about Mommy - "She's hard working as well. She will do a lot for INCH for us so that it's fun. She'll help us out with school. And she's really, really fun to play with."
Favorite Thing about Your Sibling - "She plays with me (sometimes). She is really kind and, um, I had a really good one . . . really funny and fun to be around."
Favorite Thing about Scout - "She's cute. Ha, she's looking at me. She's funny - the things that she does. She's crazy! And when you're upset, she can come and help you."
Favorite Christmas Gift of year - My Yu-Gi-Oh! duel disk
Favorite School Subject - Science
Favorite Family Tradition - Vacations every year
Favorite Homeschool Group Activity - Park Days
What do you want to be when you grow up? - A game designer
If you could change anything about the world . . . - "Peace and happiness."
If you could have any superpower . . . - "The ability to vanish and reappear in different place - like teleportation and vanishing."  
Weirdest thing you can do - "Make it so both of my eyes are just white."
Best thing about you - "Ugh, I don't like this question. You have to be modest about it." (Me: No you don't. Go ahead.) "I think I'm pretty good at Yu-Gi-Oh! and I'm pretty good at Minecraft and other video games. And I'm a good friend and can make people laugh."   

I have a teenager!

Yes, that's an exclamation point.

A happy one.

Thing 1 can often be found reading and/or writing

I know a lot of people hate teenagers,

but I am not one of them.

I liked being one.

I enjoy hanging out with them.

I love when they come over.

Thing 1 and her BFF listening to an iPod together

I think teenagers get a bad rap.

I could have a house full of them.

Out for sushi for Thing 1's birthday

I genuinely like teenagers.

While I know a lot of parents
 dread the teenage years,

I haven't ever felt that way.

Ack! She's taller than I am!

My oldest has joined the ranks
 - she's 13!

A teenager.

I love it and I love her.

I'll do a post soon about her birthday
 and her birthday party.

Snuggling with her Daddy (and Menedy)

For now I want to share something fun

 we're doing to celebrate her turning 13.

Every Saturday night,

my teenage daughter and I

watch a bunch of "Gilmore Girls" together

while eating all kinds of fun foods

(you kind of can't help it - 

it's a side effect of watching the show).

Snuggling with my girl!

We started our fun Saturday night tradition yesterday.

We watched 4 episodes of Gilmore Girls

while enjoying milkshakes, cheeseburgers, and fries.

Thing 1 and sweet Scout

My daughter is fun and smart
 and funny and kind and witty.

She's all that and much more.

And I love hanging out with her.

Beautiful girl

We really, really like
 our Saturday nights together. 

(And yes, I got choked up during
 the opening sequence song).

I have a teenager!

When the Little Things Add Up

It's stuff like

computer issues

car problems

orthodontist appointments

getting taxes done

various appointments/lessons getting rescheduled

phone calls to return

bills to pay

emails to return

vet appointments

family stuff to do

work stuff to do

things due at the library

school stuff to do

birthday stuff

lots of day-to-day things to do

the dishes and laundry are non-stop

. . .

and then the engine light comes on

and people around you stress you out

and you notice things you're totally behind on things

(lots of them)

and the police are at your neighbor's house (again)

and your husband is having horrible allergies

and the dog needs a bath

and your daughter has things that need to be done

and your son gets a fever and starts throwing up

. . . 

the little things really add up

and you feel like you're perpetually not on top of things

and it's all you can do to (not) keep up on the day to day

let alone the other stuff

that keeps (also) not getting done

. . . 

lest you think we're totally on top of things around here

we're not