The Perils of Pickle

And the saga continues...
in my living room, I have a small sink with a cabinet underneath and one above. I have yet to determine it's purpose. I noticed that someone had written "mommy" in permanent black marker. Having recognized the writing, I called the culprit out. The discussion went something like this:
(Me): "Pickle, who wrote this on the cabinet?"
(Kaelyn): "Well, it's your name, mommy."
(Me, raised eyebrows): Are you saying I wrote that?"
(Kaelyn):Duh mommy...if it's your name, you musta wrote it!"
As the song goes...that's my story and I'm sticking to it....

The Joys of Parenthood

Tonight has been one of those evenings. It seems that when Pickle flushed the toilet in the second bathroom, it overflowed. She found this so entertaining, that she kept right on flushing. She was having a grand time when I waded into the living room. As the terror of the seven seas contemplated taking scissors to my only black skirt (she needs a Jolly Roger flag) I came to the realization that I am lacking, among other things, a plunger. Well, I'm off to Wal*Mart. I hope the living room carpet is salvageable! Isn't parenthood awesome!

Skylar Turns 9!

I just realized that this is Skylar's last year in the single digits. As foolish as it may seem, I cried over this milestone. Because of the challenges we are facing this year, we decided that a birthday party would not be possible. However, such a momentous occasion still merits recognition, so we decided to celebrate with a sleepover. When Ani turned ten, we celebrated with a sleep over. I awoke early the next morning to find all of our little guests scurrying around the roof, and there was enough soda on the floor to keep several colonies of ants happy. I was so traumatized that I vowed there would be no more sleep overs. It was with some trepidation that I agreed to allow my little angels to plan one. However, it was everything I've always thought a sleep over should be...makeovers, manicures and giggles. I myself was the recipient of a glamorous makeover that would have put Tammy Faye to shame. I fell asleep to the sounds of whispers and giggles about 1:00 a.m., then awoke bright and early to prepare breakfast for the girls who were of course bright eyed and full of energy. I think I enjoyed myself almost as much as the girls did! Perhaps sleep overs aren't so bad after all...well I'm off for a nap. :)

Denim Day

April 23, 2009: Please Support Denim Day USA by wearing your favorite jeans today. Let’s help correct the misconceptions surrounding sexual assault and send out a message against sexual violence!
www.denimdayusa.org

Earth Day!

Well, we may no longer be full time roadschoolers, but the adventures continue for the Ortega girls as we find interesting and fun stuff to do right here at home. My sister Roni turned us on to the Musical Circus at the Pasadena Civic Center: www.theorchestras.org. This morning we awoke at the butt crack of dawn to be in Pasadena by 8:00 am. The event actually started at 8:30, but I am well know for my habit of getting lost while driving just about anywhere...have I mentioned what a great driver I am? There, we met up with the girls buddies Jacob, Charlie and their awesome mom Amber. For the first half hour of the event we had a terrific time learning about and actually playing several instruments. Skylar's favorite was the violin, Haley's the flute and Kaelyn's the cello. Once we finished, we filed into an auditorium were we enjoyed the wonderful storytelling skills of Diane Ferlatte. Afterwards, we said good-bye to our friends and rushed home to change into jeans and sun hats and headed out to Burbank's Stough Canyon Nature Center to celebrate Earth Day! When we arrived, we picked some gloves out of a box, grabbed a trash bag and started pulling non-native plants from under the bridge. Since these plants are also a fire hazard here in dry Southern California, we were proud that we were doing our part to help out. Afterwards, we participated in activities and visited the different instructional booths. The girls had their faces painted, and decorated plastic flower pots where we will plant the drought resistant seeds we were given. We learned how to reuse old t-shirts to make practical shipping bags. We even saw a shopping bag made almost entirely of recycled tea bags! We also saw a terrific musical show called "All that Trash", which taught us all about recycling, reducing and reusing. We came home even more determined to do our part to go green! Happy Earth Day!

Placerita Canyon National State Park

Yesterday, the girls and I went hiking at Placerita Canyon National State Park, near Newhall. We wanted to take the Waterfall Trail, but opted for the shorter Ecology, Botany, and Heritage Trails instead. Altogether, are three hikes are just a little over a mile. They are very easy and child friendly, as well as cool and shady. Unfortunately, we went too late in the spring and the creek is already dried up. It was still a beautiful hike, and we really had a lot of fun. We did not, however, make it through the hike without mishap. Haley climbed into a tree and was immediately covered with ants. I quickly brushed them all off and she was not bitten but she was pretty frightened. Still, we had such a good time that the girls and I decided we would come back soon to try the Waterfall Hike!

Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team

After our near death experience with laundry cart bumper derby, I realized that I needed to find constructive ways to channel my little troublemakers'...um, I mean little angels' energy. I decided the time had come to find activities they are interested in. Like many other girls her age, Skylar like horses. Actually, it's more like an obsession. She has been begging for riding lessons since she was about four years old. To be honest, the closest I've been to a horse was at the fair. I sat my kids on a pony for a photograph. Clearly, I needed to enroll her in private lessons or a class. However, at anywhere from $45.00 to $90.00 an hour, I found the cost of lessons to be prohibitive. After several weeks researching the Internet, I was fortunate to find a web site for the Blue Shadows Mounted Drill Team. www.blueshadows.org This awesome non-profit organization not only teaches children aged 9 and up how to ride and care for horses. They also teach leadership skills, responsibility and how to be part of a team. They are mounted drill team that is based off of early cavalry drilling, so the kids are learning drill maneuvers.
Blue Shadows has two posts, one in Agua Dulce and one in Lakeview Terrace. Owning your own horse is not necessary. Skylar is currently in the beginners group at the Lakeview Terrace post. Did I mention the cost for this terrific opportunity? $15.00 a week! The class lasts from 1-2 hours. Did I mention the best part? Skylar feels that this is a dream come true for her and is happiest when she is sitting on that horse with the rest of the team.