Homecoming Came And Went

My daughter was sooooo  involved in the homecoming game and activities this year and I was suprized. Not only did she decorate a shirt up to wear, she made her own homecoming mum. Now, I checked prices and found that these mums can cost a fortune....our local grocery store had some for $70. and I was shocked. She made hers for only $20, buying materials from Michael's.  Game day came, she wore her mum during school and then afterwards, went to some friends house to paint up the faces and arms in the school colors....wow! and she even painted her face as well. I was shocked. This doesn't seem like my darling teen. She has gotten more out-going these days. She's loving her new job working for a Veterinarian, and things are good. Pretty soon though, she will have to take her S.A.T. test for college.  Hopefully, that goes well.

Horses And Resonsibilities

Being at the barn isn't only about the riding....it's about the clean up as well. Horses need to have their hooves picked to get all the junk out of them so they can have a nicer ride, and so it's a better feel for your horse too. This is a friend of my daughter's who is learning about horsemanship. Having a horse is a wonderful experience but as my daughter can tell anyone, it's not easy. We have had our horse, Frenchie, for 3 years now. My teen goes out to ride, pick hooves, brush, give baths, and totally spoils Frenchie with apples and carrots. Frenchie has been in several competitions with my daughter for walk, trot and canter. She also jumps as well. It's been rewarding having her, and also seems to keep my daughter well-grounded as well. Always remember, that having a horse is an enormous responsibility, even if you do have a full-care barn.

Keeping The Lines Of Communication Open

How do you go about keeping your teen out of trouble? Sometimes it just seems that some girls are easier to raise than others. I have had 3 daughters and the first one was a little harder to raise than the second. My youngest daughter, my sweet teen, is just very easy going and seems to listen to what I have to say. Since she was young, we have always had a great relationship. Now that she is almost 17, it seems that she is getting more independent and wanting to do more for herself. I have found that keeping her interested in some sort of sport, but not keeping her TOO busy has worked for me. I have found that by her having time to have fun, chores to keep up with, her horse riding and competing, with a bit of relaxing time to do nothing has worked! This has lead to her having a part-time job so that she can learn to manage her own money and things are still going smoothly. Horses are her life, her future and she has learned all the basics of keeping her horse, as well as the clean up, so she's learned how to have some sort of responsibility. Not everybody can manage a horse though but there are so many sport opportunities out there to enjoy. Talk to your teen, see what interests that they may have....be open to what they say, and try to keep your avenues of communication open....that's what has worked for me.

All Sports Can Lead To Injuries

We all love sports. We hear all the time about football players or baseball players getting injured. Riding horses is also a sport that can cause injuries..... actually for the past couple of weeks, my teen has been going through a really tough time. Frenchie, our horse, has had a bit of trouble with her hoolves lately, making her unable to be ridden. My daughter went out to the barn every day to treat and wrap Frenchie's hoolf, but she wanted to ride, so she got on 3 different horses and was thrown off all 3 times. Each and every time, my hard-headed teen said that she was okay and didn't need to go to the Dr.......until one morning, she tried to get up for school and just couldn't get out of bed for a little while. I called our chiropractor, who takes care of her back and asked her to take a look and we were sent for x-rays.....and those came out okay, and then we were sent for an MRI.....take, thank GOD, came out alright, so she is being treated for a bruised back.. I am so thankful that there were no breaks, but also have to say here that all sports can lead to injuries. My daughter always wears her helmet, and I am grateful for that, but I have now let my darling daughter know that she needs to stay away from the other horses for awhile and let herself heal. I must say that while the Dr was telling her of what COULD have happened, we both cried as my daughter doesn't want to give up her hobby. You cannot take away a child's dreams but it's always wise to be as cautious as possible.

Miss Frenchie

This is Frenchie, my daughter's horse, and she is a beauty....however, look at those feet! Her hooves are really dirty because she has been tromping around in the mud. We keep Miss Frenchie at a barn that provides alot of care, but my daughter still has to take care of cleaning and picking her hooves, and giving her baths, and riding her, teaching her as well as her grooming. Having a horse was a long-time dream of my daughter's and she has done really well with the upkeep. Having a horse is a very large responsibility. Buying the horse is NOT the largest expense....it's the upkeep, food, etc. Not only that, my daughter is into equestrian jumping so that's even more responsibility. As a mother, I DO shreak when I see her jumping over the jumps they have to do, but with a helmet and a good teacher, it's good. School is going wonderfully, and her junior year is half over. Her job is still VERY part time and she'd love to have more hours but her job is busier during the holidays and summer so right now things are a bit slow. Does your daughter have a hobby, or some sort of entertainment that keeps her busy?

The Horse Show

My daughter went to her second horse show this past weekend but it was her 1st jumping show.....She was so happy, and yes, I am a proud mamma, as she won 1st and 2nd place in the walk-trot- and the walk-trot-canter. She placed 3rd and 4th in the classes on the jumping. She has a really nice riding position but it turns out that when "Frenchie" saw the judge sitting in the booth, she decided to go a little faster than she should have. All in all, it was a great experience and we are very pleased. This picture is of her on Frenchie, with her trainer, Miss Carla.

The HomeComing Dance

Tonight is my daughter's homecoming dance and she is going. We ended up buying her dress at Ross for a great bargain price, and the heels, she already had. Hair cut ended up costing around $12. and the ticket for entering is a mere $7, so I think that we managed it pretty good, however, the cost of those professional picture packages were a little more than planned but we went ahead and bought the $25 package because I think that she deserves to have something for her memory. Now, most of you who keep up with my blog know that my daughter is not a "dress up" type of gal......she's really into her jeans, but I am so happy to see her actually want to go this evening. Whoops, it's almost time to go so have a good weekend everyone!

"I'm Tired" She said

Yes, I heard those two words that a teenager likes to say during the summer, and I think that she has a valid complaint, at least some of the time. Her working hours are not very much so it allows her to have free time along with days off to have some summer fun. The best of both worlds, especially when the paycheck comes in and she has something to deposit into her account. Getting a good night's rest is very important to a teenager, especially when they are working or having other activities that draw alot of energy. I try to make sure that she is getting enough protein in her diet as well as enough to drink so that she stays hydrated. At least I have NOT heard the words "I'm Bored!" Thank goodness.

Back To School

It's been terribly hot and today was the first day that my daughter had to go back to school....but not to class. My daughter started band camp this morning. I happened to pass by the school on a run to our local Walmart, to see that the whole band was outside doing some warm-up excercises. I was glad to hear my daughter tell me yesterday that they were only going to be outside during the morning hours and after lunch, inside. What a relief, not only for them, but for me as well.
This year, she is a sophomore. Time is sure flying these days. We will be having her quinceanera in 12 more days.

So Much To Do.......So Little Time

How do you allot equal time to all the things that have to be done in a day? In a teen's world, Friday night, Saturday and Sunday seem to be really what matters most and what all they can do and see during that time. What about Monday through Friday? School, schoolwork, various household chores, and sport activities need to be dealt with so that there's enough time to get it all done. I don't believe in all homework, every night with nothing else to do. I think that a teen needs to have time allowed for homework, time for some rest, and time to have some sport activities on the side. We have a horse, so we try and go out to ride about 4 times a week, 3 times during the weekday. I also allow my daughter to come in and get a much-needed snack before hounding her about her homework. Telephone time, well, that's well deserved once most of the other things are done.Publish Post

Know Who Your Teen Hangs Out With

I am writing this because I heard someone say yesterday that their teen would do whatever they wanted because they(the mother) couldn't be with her 24/7. However true, there are still things that can be done to protect your teen from hanging out with the wrong crowd. That's where all the trouble normally begins. First of all, your teen needs to have many friends....casual friends and good, close friends. There are things that you can do to help keep your teen from getting into too much trouble, and that's to find out who her friends are, and make sure who she hangs out with is someone who's not getting into trouble all the time. You can meet some of her friends during the times they want to go to the mall, especially if you are doing the taxi-thing. You can also meet the parents if they go to spend the day or night with them. I have found that keeping my ears and eyes open really helps. Talk to your daughter about what kind of friends are appropriate and let her know the consequences of hanging out with someone who gets into alot of trouble. Keep an open line of communication with your daughter. Also important, know where she is going to be when she goes out somewhere and who is doing the picking up and dropping off.

Report Cards

I have been keeping a close eye out for the report card that was coming out. We are very fortunate in our school district that we have an online way of checking out our children's grades at any time. I must say, I like it so much because there have been times when I found a zero or two on one of her classes and I was able to point it out to her so that she could go to tutoring and make up what she needed to so that she could keep her grades passing. I was very pleased when she brought home (3) A's, (3) B's and (2) C's, but those C's were not far from being B's. Whoppieeeeeee!!! Being in band has really made her more aware of making better grades. Band has done so many good things for her and I am so proud. Right now, I can honestly say that things are going great. So, if I could only get my teenaged son (19) and his girlfriend from arguing so much, things would really be hunky-dorey....

High School Marching Band

This past week has been a little easier with band not marching every day after school anymore and there are only 2 games left. I have really enjoyed being a part of the band and all it entails. I used to be in the band when I was in high school. The only difference, I played clarinet and my daughter plays the flute. I believe that her being in the band has made a huge difference in her world. She not only has to learn band marching steps, but she has to keep her grades at a passing level, meaning that as soon as something even comes close to the question of getting low, she has to attend to it right away. I think that this is a great experience. She has also learned how to be part of a family, a "band" family. She has truely learned from this experience and I hope that she continues on in the band for all the years she has in high school.

Safety Helmets

Helmets are so important in quite a few actities. Riding a horse might seem like something that you don't need a helmet for, but believe me, it's so important. Helmets are also great for bike riding, riding a skateboard, skating and other such outdoor activities. Being safe is number one in any sport that you choose to take on. Yes, you might think that wearing a helmet looks funny, but it's all about safety. My daughter loves riding her horse so much, and even though they are walking, it's still important. Never underestimate your safety.

Tackling a Clean Computer Desk

Hi Everyone... I am participating in this tackle it Tuesday today. I have a big stack of paperwork on my computer and I got on it this morning and got it done. I guess, I need to keep it more cleared off, seeing how my darling teen gets on this computer every day and I want to show her an example of why it should stay fairly clean. This not only helps ME to see where everything is, but it helps her to see why it stays clean is also good for her room as well. You know, teens do love trying on clothes in the morning before school, and then changing their minds about what to wear. My daughter just came to me this morning with 2 different outfits, wanting my opinion about them. Actually, both were suitable, but teens seem to look at things pretty critical. Anyways, this tackle was good for me today.