The joke's on you this Sunday

Sunday is April Fool's Day - maybe one of the best days of the year. (Next to National Superman Day of course.) No matter how many times I do the Whoopie Cushion gag, my Dad falls for it. Funny, right? Even my Dad gets a great laugh out of it after he stops looking all flustered.

My health teacher says a good belly laugh is healthy for you. Not only is it a bit of a stomach workout, it can lower your blood pressure, relax your body, and even boost your immune system. You know what they say, "Laughter is the best medicine.”

And what better time to act like a doctor than on April 1?

Just remember, keep your jokes harmless, and don’t joke with someone you don’t know. Here’s some fun, mom-approved pranks for you to try on your friends and family this Sunday.

Got Milk?
if you buy your milk in a cardboard container, add a few drops of food colouring. It's a harmless April Fool's joke but the results are pretty colourful. (Just make sure Mom doesn’t throw out the milk before you fill her in on the joke.)

What's That in Your Apple?
For a fruity April Fool's practical joke, get a few gummy worms and carefully poke them into fresh fruit, like an apple. Give mom or dad a wormy apple for lunch or share with your younger brother or sister and watch them squirm.

April Showers
If you have a sink with a sprayer, put a rubber band around the handle when nobody's looking. This automatically keeps the nozzle in spray-mode. Make sure the nozzle is pointing up and outward. The next person to use the sink will get a splash!  (To avoid Mom or Dad’s wrath, stand by with a towel.)

Spare Change
This April Fool's practical joke is old but it still works. Superglue some coins to the sidewalk or any spot that has a lot of people walking around. Make sure it's an appropriate place, then watch people break their fingernails while trying to get the coins.

Have any of your own favourites? E-mail me one and I’ll send you a copy of Gotta Jet, the newest Chase Duffy adventure!

Speaking of that…I gotta jet. Time to start looking for the perfect place to put the Whoopie Cushion this year. LOL. Happy April Fools. 

-    - Chase Superman Duffy

National Superman Day? Absolutely!

I’m declaring March 26 “National Superman Day.” Officially, it’s “Make up your own holiday day” – so why not Superman? 

Spring Break starts this weekend, which means I can curl up on the couch and watch Superman movies all day on Monday. I could even pretend to fly around the house in my Halloween costume without anyone thinking it’s strange – I’ll just remind everyone that it’s “National Superman Day.” The best day of the year!

I don’t think it’s silly at all.

There’s already tons of ridiculous holidays, like “Wiggle Your Toes Day” on August 6, or “Talk Like Shakespeare Day” on April 23. (Ugh…I hope my Language Arts teacher doesn’t know about that holiday.)

May 10 is supposed to be the national holiday to clean up your room day (close your eyes, Mom) and aside from being Canada Day, July 1 is also “Build a Scarecrow Day.”

But I guess all holidays aren’t silly. Here’s some great days of celebration that are right around the corner.

March 27 is World Theatre Day

April 23 is Canada Book Day.

April 29 is International Dance Day.

So which is your favourite day? And what day will you declare March 26?

Gotta jet! Time to try on my costume for Monday.

- Chase Superman Duffy

Leaping into Spring - and right into allergy season!

The first day of Spring is March 20 – and while that’s good news for Alberta gardeners, crop growers and me, it’s not so great news for my friend, Sophie.

Sophie has allergies and our mild winter and warmer weather over the past couple of weeks means she’s starting to itch, sneeze and cough a whole lot earlier than usual.

Grandpa told me that the rapidly melting  snow creates an increase in tree pollens and certain moulds – moulds that can even get in your house if you leave the windows and doors open!

Mom says there’s nothing wrong with my breathing, but I’m not taking any chances. I think I’ll keep training on the treadmill for a couple more weeks – at least until some of that mould goes away.

Gotta jet! I’m meeting a new friend at the gym.

- Chase Superman Duffy

Spring forward

Goodbye darkness and hello longer days. It’s Daylight Savings Time this weekend, which means Spring is right around the corner!

I just wish I didn’t have to lose an hour of sleep in the process.

Grandpa says I’m supposed to look at the positives. Like how an extra hour of light in the morning means I can go for a run before school starts. Or, how Daylight Savings is the perfect time for Grandpa to check the batteries in all of the smoke alarms and stuff throughout the house – since he’s changing the clocks anyway.

But while Grandpa is preparing for Spring this weekend, I’m gearing up for the inevitable Monday morning grogginess.

Our health teacher gave us these three tips on how to avoid walking like zombies next week.

1. Reset our clocks and on Friday night and use Saturday to test out the new schedule. (Yeah, right.)

2. Exercise, since working out gives you energy, makes you happy (most of the time), and helps you adjust to new schedules.
3. Don’t take long naps.

Er, maybe I should give this list to my Dad. He’s not a couch potato – except on Sundays, when Mom often finds him snoring as a hockey game blasts on the TV.

How about you? Any tips to avoid falling asleep in class?

Gotta jet! Or maybe that should be G-o—t---t---a J-e—t!

- Chase Superman Duffy

Idol with Mom…and my sports heroes

Mom and I are watching American Idol together this season. She loves those shows. Mostly I just tolerate them, but this year I have a couple favourites. I predict Colton will win the whole thing, but if America picks a girl, I think it will be Skylar. She’s great…even if she does sing country.

The judges on the show always talk about practice being so critical for success (which is what Coach Taylor says, too) but to be a star, Mom says it’s also important to have mentors – like how the judges are for the contestants.

Which got me thinking about some of my sports mentors.

Like Muhammad Ali, not just the greatest boxer to have lived, but also considered one of the greatest sportsmen of all time.

And Michael Jordan, the undisputed greatest basketball player in history.

Of course, I couldn’t forget Babe Ruth, one of the most recognized athletes in the world, not to mention one of the only sports figures to have a (delicious) chocolate bar named after him. Dad has a huge Babe Ruth poster hanging in the garage – Dad loves baseball, especially the Toronto Blue Jays.

And who could forget Wayne Gretzky? A Canadian hockey superstar – the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat he accomplished four times. Grandpa saw him play in Edmonton, even watched him score a goal in the Stanley Cup finals. How awesome is that?

But for me, the best idol is track and field star CARL LEWIS. He won TEN Olympic medals, including NINE golds. The International Olympic Committee named Carl Lewis the greatest athlete of the 20^th century.

I couldn’t agree more. And maybe, if I practice, I can be an Olympic gold medalist, too.

Yesterday was World Book Day and Mom bought me Inside Track: Autobiography of Carl Lewis. I’m about a quarter of the way through and already picking up some great tips.

Gotta jet!

-       - Chase Superman Duffy