Cation: Homework Load Zone!

   Happy New Year! With the New Year comes new topics and the first topic of this year is homework loads. Now homework can be annoying and exhausting in every sense of the word, so I am going to give you some tips on how to deal with them.

   First, get rid of any unhelpful distractions. This means phones, computers, and any other things that are not helping you to conquer the homework monster and/ or could tempt you to stop working. Do this by muting or turning off devices and putting them out of arms reach, If you are one of those people who their phone is like (quote from my history teacher), "A mosquito bite you can't help but itch," then turn off your phone, put it in another room, and maybe even put it in a drawer if you have to. We all know that if we start using our phones in the middle of doing homework that we will say to our selves, "Just five minutes." Then, an hour later, we will say, "Just 2 minutes." It's ok, we all do it sometimes, but we can all try any get better about it and be more productive! I know this is going to sound REALLY annoying, but seriously, the less you are on your phone, the quicker the homework to-do pile goes away!
   Second, you know you are going to get up in the middle of doing homework to get food or water. So, just grab everything you need BEFORE you start to climb Mount Homework so you don't have to walk all the way back down the mountain in the middle because you forgot your backpack at the rest stop.
   Lastly, you have to have the mindset of just pushing through that pain of doing homework and just GET IT DONE. The harder you focus, the faster you get up that mountain but, if you forget your backpack at the rest stop, then it is going to take you a lot longer to summit.

   So grab your pencil and backpack and go summit Mount Homework!

A Middle Schooler's Guide to Believing in Their Self

   Hey everybody! I know that it has been over month since I have published a post. Since school has started, I have had SO much homework, and I haven't had a lot of time to write. But, after many weeks, I finally have some time to write! You may have read the title and said," Oh great, this is going to be a supper cheesy post," but please, don't leave before you read this, because I really think that believing that you can do something is that first step to success in anything!
   Here is just a little back story before I tell you why believing in your self is so important. If you know me, you know that last year, in seventh grade, I decided to try out for the cross country running team. My parents were very surprised because back then, I hated running. But after I tried cross country, I loved it, and I did the entire season of it! I ended up getting 7th place in our district championship. Then, in the spring, I did track and field, and loved that, too! I was undefeated in the 400 meter dash. Not trying to brag,  7th grade girls(my team last year), 8th grade girls, 7th grade boys, and 8th grade boys, were undefeated in the 4 by 100m and 4 by 400m relay. My school ended up winning our district track and field championship, and we got to give the huge trophy to our principal.
  So back to why believing in your self is so important, here is a little story, from a few weeks ago, that made me realize that believing is so vital to success.
   I drove to the first XC meet of my 8th grade season with a few 8th graders from my school. We arrived at the meet, and all the teams were warming up, getting ready to running. I raced in the third event. I watched all the 7th grade girls and boys run their race with my teammates. There are only 5 8th grade girls, just enough for our scores to count. All of us were there that day.   When it was finally time for us to race the mostly flat, 1.5 mile course, My teammates and I made our way to the start line. It is always very crowded at the start, and we have to get into our team lines. The adrenaline started to pump though my blood as the start of the race neared. The course is very confusing because there are so many turns, and many people last year went the wrong way. Some people around me were very nervous about going the wrong way. Some of them even said,"I won't go the wrong way, I'll just follow the people in front of me, because I am never in front." When they said that, I was surprised because they are pretty fast runners.
   We waited in our line for what felt like FOREVER, then, the starter came out and announced the rules. The few seconds between, "Runners, take your mark," and the siren always seems SO the long! Finally, the siren went off, and everyone darted ahead. I sprinted right out of the gate to avoid getting cut of by other runners. On the first 400 meters, the top 15 were formed. Two of the runners were girls that I have run with, and recognized. They are great runners and are hard to compete with.
   After a few minutes or running on the strange, twisty course, many girls slowed down from running too fast at the start and some I watched start walking right in front of me. The two girls who I had run with before were easily 150 meters in front of me. I was starting to think that I wasn't going to get to them, but then, I said to myself, "Come on Sydney, you are almost there!" I immediately picked up the pace, and by the time I got to the last 400 meters on the track, I was right up with the leaders. I passed third place, then second, and finally, first. But only just, for a while, we were neck and neck. I felt like I was going to die, and I am not exaggerating! I pushed ahead, running as fast as I could, the finish line growing nearer, and the girl becoming farther and farther behind me.
   I won the race that day. A race with no less than 112 8th grade girls  My team got 4th over all. I won because I believed I could, and I did. If you believe that you can do something, you can do it!
   Again, sorry I haven't written in so long! How is middle school going for you? If you have any questions, email me or comment below!

Last days of summer: My Scrap Book

   From Thursday until Sunday afternoon, last week, I have been in Catalina Island. For my sister, Grace, who is going into 6th grade, it was her last four days of summer(not me though, I have another week :b). We had so much fun, and we made the most of the last few days of summer. Here are some pictures! :b

The streets were lined with golf carts instead of cars because it costs lots of money and takes tons of time to get a car shipped to the island. 

These are what the street signs looked like. Some of them say the name of stores on the particular street.

These are some beachy themed signs that I found in a store. Very cute!

Here is a picture from a store that does there own embroidery! It is stitching a picture of Catalina Island. It tells you how may minutes left to stitch and how many stitches have been done. I watched this thing stitch for five minutes and it is SO cool!

This is a picture of the Lloyd's ice cream parlor. It has been there for a long time and, in my opinion, has the best ice cream in town! My sister LOVES ice cream, so she took a silly picture with the giant ice cream sundae!

 All the boats parked in the water, with a nice sunset in the background.

 You can only just see the outline of some deer! I was kind of dark, so you can't see them too well...

 But you can see this one! It walked right up to me and licked some grass out of my hand!

The Casino(actually a movie theater) in the city we stayed in, Avalon.

This is my sister sitting in the arch of the Wrigley Memorial in Avalon. She is such a dare devil!

 There were many painted Bison in the city of Avalon because Catalina is home to many Bison! Sadly, I didn't see any real ones! :)

Here's another one!

   We left Catalina on Sunday, and afterwards, I was very tired! I always thought that was very strange because vacations, for the most part, are supposed to be relaxing! We did a little hiking, a lot of snorkeling and went parasailing to 800 feet!! We saw lots of Garibaldi and sting rays too! Overall, it was a get trip and it was so much fun to do it with my family!
   My sister has only gone back to school for two days, and I already miss having her around! Now, I don't have anyone to hang out with in the morning and I am a little board:(. So, enjoy your siblings during the summer, because when school starts, you will be very busy and won't have a lot of time to hang out with them.
  Enjoy the rest of your summer and have fun with your siblings! Thanks for reading!

New Middle Schoolers

   I know no one wants to say it, but school is starting soon! And if you just promoted from sixth grade, in my school district, you will be going into seventh grade. The first year of middle school. Leaving the small world of elementary school behind and going to a new place. Middle school. On your first day, the classes and buildings may seem scary, but as you start to get used to the routine of moving classes and all the people, you will see that middle school isn't scary, it is actually fun! You may think that I am crazy, but I liked the new learning environment, new friends, and the new teachers. I had gone to the same school from kindergarten to sixth grade, and when I promoted from sixth grade to seventh, I was ready for something new.

   The first day is hard. You meet your new teachers(make a good first impression here!) which isn't very hard but one, you don't know some of the people in your classes and two, you have no idea where to meet your friends for lunch or what their classes are! I have a tip for this that will make lunch times SO much easier! Be prepared and talk to your friends before the first day of school about where you are going to meet(see my Lunch In Middle School Doesn't Be Scary post for more details) so you don't have to stress about it during class.
   Another point that is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY important about middle school is to be nice to EVERYONE! Your never know, the girl who sits next to you in Spanish might be your future best friend! I know, it can be extremely hard to be nice to people who are rude, mean, or just super annoying, but you don't know what the person might be going through!
   Lastly, if you want to be SUPER successful in middle school, be organized! Use dividers, folders, and binders to keep all your nice and neat(see my post about organization and binders for visuals and other binder details)!
   That is my post about starting middle school! Thank you for reading and have fun in middle school!

   I also want to hear your questions about middle school! Don't be shy! Click that comment button and ask away! I would love to hear what you have to say! So If you have any questions about middle school, comment!
   Also, if you like this blog and you want to know when a new blog post has come out, follow my blog! Thanks again for reading!

The Pokemon GO! craze!

   This month, a new game called Pokemon GO was released onto iPhones and Androids. It is a game were you can catch, train, and evolve your very own Pokemon. This game has become very popular, and has only been out for a few days. I looked it up on YouTube, and a lot of people who have been using and making videos about the app, and saying that it has been their dream to catch Pokemon in the real world. I myself have this app and in this post, I will be telling you about the app.

Learning to Play and Tips

   After you set up the game, you will see that there are three new Pokemon nearby. Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur(and there is also a way that you can Pikachu, but you will have to look that up). Once you select the one that you want to catch, your phone will change to camera mode and in the lower center of the screen. When the colored circle in the middle of the Pokemon is as small as it can get, swipe up to throw the Poke Ball. The smaller the colored circle is, the more XP you will get for the throw. If you swirl your finger on the Poke Ball, you will make it spin. If you make the ball spin and throw it while it is still spinning, you will throw a curve ball, which will earn you more XP. 

Catching Pokemon

   When catching a Pokemon, there are a few things you will need to know:

• Different elements of Pokemon will be found in different terrain(ex. Water Pokemon are found near the ocean or other bodies of water. Not pools though, I have tried it and sadly, no water Pokemon:( ).
• Pokemon will have a different colored ring around them depending on their catch difficulty. Easy catches have green rings, the hardest catches have a red ring, and the catches that are in the middle are yellow. Rings can also be in between green and yellow and yellow and red, it really depends on the Pokemon and the Combat Power that it has.
• The more rare the Pokemon is, the harder it is to catch.
• When throwing a Poke Ball or waiting for a Poke Ball to lock, try to stand still and focus on your throw and the Poke Ball.
• If you are past a certain level, you have access to raspberries. Raspberries can be used in higher level Pokemon to make them easier to catch. 
• There are some places that certain Pokemon can only be found in. It is sort of like a spawner(ex. There is a Pidgey spawner near my house. I know this because there are A LOT of pidgeys!)
• There are four different types of Poke Balls. Poke Balls, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and Master Balls.

Poke Stops and Gyms
   Another feature in Pokemon GO is Poke Stops. You can get Poke Balls, potions, eggs, and revives from spinning the circular picture on a Poke Stop.
   You can battle other Pokemon in gyms. You can defeat gyms that belong to other teams and take it for your team, or you can leave one of your Pokemon to help protect your teams gym.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this post! If you have any ideas for a new post, comment below! Any questions about middle school! Comment below!

Here is the link to my other blog:
The Gravity Falls Explorer

Summer Family Trip!

   For the past four years, my family has gone to Illinois to visit my dad's family. While we are there, we rent a lake house and my uncle brings his boat out so all the kids(and some adults) can go tubing, water skiing, and knee boarding. We had our yearly trip a few weeks ago and it was a blast! We even went fishing on my uncle's boat and near the dock. Here are some pictures from the lake:

 Early morning at the lake. It was already around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  

 Chillin' by the lake with my cousins.

 Creepy the Stuffed Beaver.

 Another sunny, hot day!

Pano of the dock.

   Another cool thing that we did that we can't do in California is catch fireflies! There are so many there and it is amazing to watch them light up in the dark! They are very strange looking bugs. When you catch them, they look like lean beetles.

   Although all the activities were very fun, the most important thing about the trip was making memories with friends and family. I know, it sounds REALLY corny, but it is true! You never know what will happen so, when you visit family from out of town(or family comes to visit you) try to make the most of the time you have together.
   I have told you about my trip, I want to here about yours! Please comment about your summer and any blog ideas are appreciated! Please share this blog with your friends, and don't be afraid to ask questions about middle school, or any of my other blog posts!
NOTICE: I have just started another blog about the animated mystery show, Gravity Falls! If you are interested, here is the link to it
http://thegravityfallsexplorer.blogspot.com 

Gravity Falls Fan? Here are some cute craft Ideas!

My friend an I are HUGE fans of the animated show, Gravity Falls. Today, we decided that it would be fun to make some Gravity Falls crafts! Here are the crafts that we did!

Here are clay models of Mabel, Dipper(who's real name is actually Michael!), and Waddles. Made from polymer clay.

This is the author's(Ford's) first journal. Made from an old journal covered with red-painted paper. I used tin foil for the hand, the corners, and the eye glass. On the back of the journal, there is the circle of symbols that can be used to defeat Bill.

These are Dipper(aka Michael) and Mabel balloon dolls. They are made of one or two balloons, brown, rough yarn, and fabric. Dipper has a large magnifying glass, and Mabel has her signature grapelling hook!