Great Fun etc: A Tribute to my Daughter on the Eve of her 13th Birthday

My fabulous girl is turning thirteen on Friday. THIRTEEN.
She's nearly as tall as I am, wears the same size shoes and is, simply put, gorgeous.
It's always a super-busy week pre-party but I didn't want this occasion to pass by without me marking it with some kind of a written tribute, because that's what I do. I write stuff. I like to reflect on the passing of time, and plant a few marker stones along the way. I like to look back and say, wow, look how far we've come.
And we have come a really long way. When I started writing this blog nine years ago my girl was a feisty four-year-old.
I've got nine years of her life recorded here in case the details get a little fuzzy with my encroaching old age (haha).
Let the record show that my daughter is Brave. She is Strong. She is Hilarious.
As she gets older I see more and more clearly what an amazing person she is - look out world, here she comes.
One of the bravest people I know.
One of the funniest people I know.

A girl with a big heart and an outsized sense of justice. Watch out if you get on the wrong side of her - bullies beware. She'll take you on whatever your size. She's been doing it for years.

My daughter runs full tilt at life and has the cast collection to prove it. (Every year, her goal has been to avoid the Emergency Room - something we have yet to achieve.)

Much to my delight, she's a reader. She loves good YA Fiction and these days we swap books and binge-watch Netflix series together.

She looks out for me, making sure I am taken care of on my birthday and Mother's Day (she's flipping amazing like that).

She has an amazing gift with children and animals - she loves them and they respond to her. It's incredible to watch. (There's a list of people waiting for her to turn 14 so she can babysit their kids; she's even been asked to be a birthday party fairy at the end of the year).

She scrolls the DC Rescue pages almost daily, looking for dogs who need love and she's warned me that "If I EVER find a stray dog, mum, I WILL bring it home."

As an animal lover she's a bit of an activist, insisting that we switch to cruelty-free household products after researching animal testing for a school project. These days it's Earthwise and Eco Store all the way, and you should see the look I get if I dare to load caged eggs into the shopping trolley. Daggers, I tellya.

My girl is hard working and self-motivated; I have never had to nag her to do homework, which is kind of amazing. When she puts her mind to something, she's a force of nature.

My lovely girl is fun-loving and likes to keep things light. I wanted to throw her a 13th birthday celebration like what we did for Dash, but no. "You can throw one, mum," she told me, "but I won't be there." (Nothing deep. nothing that might get a bit intense is allowed).
No amount of wheedling or cajoling would change her mind. She's a girl who knows what she wants and won't be budged; she's been that way since before she could talk.

Hardworking, fun loving, hilarious and BRAVE

So no 13th"bat-mitzvah-type" scenario for this one.
Just a fire night with a few friends, and a couple to sleep over. That's It.

I was lucky she let me even do a bit of fancy decorating. "Not a themed party, mum! OK???"
I managed to convince her to let me make it a bit pretty, a bit of "starry night" decor. but nothing too much.

Here's a collection of some of my girls' most iconic blog posts, illustrating the personality that we have been blessed with in her.