13th January 2007

shhhhhh

posted in Uncategorized |

In 10 days, the dotter will be (gasp!) five years old.

Five.

Where did the time go?!

(Oh-so-cliché, but oh-so-true.)

Anyway.  We are planning a party.  Sigh.  Yes, we have reached the age/point wherein birthday parties are Da Bomb.

I’m seeking horse-themed party invites.  Spirit themed party invites would be best, but, alas, as in all things marketing, Spirit is a thing of the past.  I can find “Cars”-themed invites.  “Bratz”.  “Backyardigans”. 

So far, the invitees are all the “K”-sounding kids plus one or two outliers.  C, her One And Only True Love.  K, her BFF.  K, another almost BFF.  A and B, the twins, who I adore–not only are they disgustingly cute little blonde-haired-blue-eyed mopheads, but they are always sunny and cheery.  Always.  Think Stepford Twins.  And maybe M and A.  All girls, except for the hapless C.

On the gift agenda is purchasing a car booster seat, to replace our long-suffering Britax Roundabout.

And then there’s the item to which “shhhhhh” applies.

Down the road to the highway, you turn right onto Old Hills Highway, rather than follow the paved road left.  Cross over the very beginnings of Way Cool Creek Canyon (up here, it’s Wellhouse Wash).  Drive up a hill.  Take a left onto a well-hidden dirt driveway.  Drive the winding driveway about three-quarters of the way towards the highway.  There’s a barn.

It’s a horse boarding facility.

They have horseback riding lessons.

The lesson provider may–may–take OmegaDotter.  Depending on how mature she is, and how well she behaves.

So I was thinking, a test-lesson.  For her birthday.

Shhhhhh.

(There will also be, of course, other gifties.  I’m leaving it up to OmegaDad–all I have to do is keep reminding him to keep it light.  Otherwise, he’ll drown the girlchild in stuff.)

So I’m enlisting my (vast hordes) of readers to keep me on the straight and narrow.  I need a nag.  Not a horse-type nag, a human-type nag.  The horse-lesson provider is available all days except Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Email me at omegamom_01 at yahoo dot com this Friday to make sure I have contacted said provider and made arrangements.  Please.

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There are currently 7 responses to “shhhhhh”

  1. 1 On January 13th, 2007, kris said:

    birthday express has horse related party stuff. i’m sure they would have horse related invitations. we have a couple party stores like that around so you might also. good luck. i used to ride when i was a kid. they have ‘pony camp’ at the stables i used to go to. took my son for one of their 6 week camps. he was the only boy and the girls weren’t very nice so that took care of that. it is too bad as his father works with horses and he could probably have a pony if he was interested. isn’t that always the way it is? i would have killed for a pony when i was a kid.

  2. 2 On January 13th, 2007, Kate said:

    Kris–YES! I discovered BDay Express this afternoon, after I posted this. I found the horsie package. Problem solved! I’m sorry the girls were little queen bees to your boy–what a bummer!

  3. 3 On January 15th, 2007, Anonymous said:

    You will go down as the best mother ever for doing this for her. As a horse crazy kid who is now 33 and still in love with the beasts, this is the best thing you could do for her!

    Long time lurker - could not handle the pressure last week to de-lurk (or whatever) but this post got me too excited!

    Erika, horse loving fellow China adopt mom, whose 2 year old daughter had her first solo ride at 16 months, and is able to stop start and for the most part turn on her own.

    Yay!

  4. 4 On January 15th, 2007, Kate said:

    Hi, Erika! I’m glad you delurked! We’ll see how it goes–the dotter is rather small, and the lesson provider (horse teacher? Is there a “real” name for these guys?) may nix it. I’m impressed that your kiddo was up on a horse all by herself at 16 months–wow! I managed to get the dotter up on a pony at age 3.5; before that, she was thrilled with the idea of horses, but they were too big in reality.

  5. 5 On January 16th, 2007, Anonymous said:

    Yes, they are big - I understand her worry about that. Hopefully the barn has some good lesson ponies/small horses for her to get some confidence on. Of course horses can be like dogs - most of the time, the bigger the more gentle. A good pony though, is worth its weight in gold.

    I live in the north east, and our term for horse teachers is trainer. Or riding instructor, but that is a mouthful.

    I sincerely hope that she has an enjoyable, safe time. And a happy birthday. Looking forward to the update.

    I also want to say that I really enjoy your blog. Thanks for writing!

    Erika

  6. 6 On January 18th, 2007, Anonymous said:

    Hi! Another horse loving (almost) adoptive parent delurking! I’ve been following and enjoying your blog for a while now, and I feel a special connection to your daughter since I was also the horse-obsessed girl in a totally non-horsey family. I’m 38 and still riding. I’m always so grateful to my mom for letting me get involved in horses, even though she knew nothing about them, and was a little intimidated. If your daughter embraces and sticks with the sport, it can bring her great joy and satisfaction for many many years. My childhood friends who did gymnastics and soccer can’t still play their sport, but I have a horse and still compete regularly and it’s such a great and fulfilling part of my life.

    Who knows if it will stick, but if it does, it is a great activity for kids. (Expensive for their parents, but that’s another story).

    Don’t forget to bring an apple for the pony!

    Stephanie

    I’m so happy you’re getting her a lesson. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did my first one.

  7. 7 On January 18th, 2007, Anonymous said:

    Hi! Another horse loving (almost) adoptive parent delurking! I’ve been following and enjoying your blog for a while now, and I feel a special connection to your daughter since I was also the horse-obsessed girl in a totally non-horsey family. I’m 38 and still riding. I’m always so grateful to my mom for letting me get involved in horses, even though she knew nothing about them, and was a little intimidated. If your daughter embraces and sticks with the sport, it can bring her great joy and satisfaction for many many years. My childhood friends who did gymnastics and soccer can’t still play their sport, but I have a horse and still compete regularly and it’s such a great and fulfilling part of my life.

    Who knows if it will stick, but if it does, it is a great activity for kids. (Expensive for their parents, but that’s another story).

    Don’t forget to bring an apple for the pony!

    Stephanie

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