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.

Easter weekend

My little sister Roni and her son Rafa invited us to join then at the Los Angeles Zoo for "Big Bunny's Spring Fling" on Friday. Not only did we get to check out our favorite animals and the new gorilla exhibit, we got to participate in some fun Easter activities. We made bunny ears which we proudly wore as we hopped around the zoo, we had our faces painted and learned a lot about rabbits. We saw a marionette show, and even planted our own carrot seeds! Friday was also my daughter Ani's birthday! So after our zoo outing, I joined the other grown-ups for a celebration dinner at Chiba's in North Hollywood. If you like Sushi, they have the best Sunset rolls and Spicy Crab rolls I've ever had. On Saturday we went to a reenactment of the Easter Story at Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce. This is one of our favorite hiking spots, with its unusual rock formations. It has also been used as a location for several television shows and movies such as "The Flinstones" and the last "Star Trek". It was a wonderful place for the reenactment, and we all enjoyed it. Afterwards, the girls and I had our own little celebration. We dyed our Easter eggs and dusted them with glitter while we snacked on sugar cookies. Afterwards we made our traditional Resurrection cookies. Easter Sunday was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. After church, we joined our friends and family for dinner and a traditional egg hunt. It was special, because it was the first time my grand kids could hunt for eggs! I hope everyone survived there own exhausting weekend too....lol

Everett Jayden's Annual Easter Party

With Easter just a few days away, it was time for Everett & Earls Annual Easter party. This year it was held at a beautiful park in Canyon Country. I only got lost twice on the way, which according to the girls is a record for me. (Have I mentioned what a good driver I am?) The girls made out like bandits at the Easter egg hunt as they sought the quarter filled eggs. The Easter Bunny hopped by to say "hello" and take pictures with the kids. We blew bubbles and dyed Easter eggs. Skylar stopped to admire and pet every dog we saw. We had a great time at the party.
This weekend we stopped at Walmart for some Easter supplies and were pleasantly surprised to find out that the Easter Bunny was there posing for photos with the customers. I got a beautiful free 5x7 Easter photo of the girls. Photo packages are super affordable if you are interested. The Easter Bunny will be at Walmarts next weekend as well, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m.
This weekend, April 10, 11 & 12 will be Big Bunny's Spring Fling at the Los Angeles Zoo. Some of the highlights will be: pet live bunnies in the giant egg patch; make your own bunny ears to wear throughout the Zoo; explore the real world of rabbits at the Bunny Discovery Zone; visit with Radio Disney AM 1110 on Saturday for music, games, contests and a chance to win prizes; meet and take a photo with Big Bunny for a fee; have your face painted; songs with Dan Crow; Spring Fling Puppet Show. Sound great doesn't it? Maybe we'll see you there!

Update

I haven't posted for a while, and it may be a bit before i am able to post again. We are no longer roadschooling, although we continue to homeschool. As a matter of fact, we are going through some major changes. I won't go into too much detail, but it is a difficult time for us and we face some huge challenges and adjustments. Although at times I find our situation overwhelming, I have come to truly appreciate my family and friends for their love and support. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing people. I also realize how truly blessed I am to have such awesome children. Although we may face some tough times, I am certain that eventually things will be better than ever! :) For those who are close to us and have kept us in their thoughts and prayers, I thank you.