CCI Puppies: Ceres is here and O'Hanna was released

Reflections from the Backcounter

Well, yesterday was the much awaited day for the arrival of Ceres our new CCI pup. We have been anticipating her arrival and unfortunately at the last minute she could not be flown to Arizona because of the heat. We were in a panic because of the fact that we were in Albuquerque at Arabian Youth Nationals. To the rescue came the CCI puppy raising Chair....Michaele Conners and Pat Lawson volunteered to drive to Oceanside and pick up the new baby and also O'Hanna. We were notified that O'Hanna was being released back to us last week because she was too stressed and timid. We are very sorry that she didn't make it but are thrilled to have her back in our family.

I have found the perfect answer to those who ask me, "How can you give up your puppy, I could never do it" Yes you could. Just watch the video below and you will understand

Top ten tips for traveling with teens

Reflections from the Backcounter

This has been a busy summer for our family and as a result, I have not had the opportunity to do menus and meal planning because we have been traveling so much. I thought it would be a great idea to share some of the lessons I have learned from being on the the road with my three teens.

So here it goes

TOP TEN tips for traveling with teens:

1. Allow them to sleep. Teenagers need infinitely more sleep than the average adult and their circadian rhythm is usually completely out of synch with that of the exhausted supervising parent. Just as the monosyllabic, grumpy, sleepy bordering on surly teenager is waking up and ready to engage in activities (5pm-7pm) the irritable wine deprived adult is ready to collapse into a heap and recover from the days activities(see below)

2. Herding cats is easier. Attention all feline wranglers. Teens are harder to wrangle than their feline counterparts. If you think it is hard gathering up a herd of those wily kitties, try to get a group of teens all together in one place at the same time ...on time. It never fails, just prior to departure one always goes missing and we can't even use catnip or tuna to entice them back to the herd.

3. Keep IPODS on hand. When the little darlings begin to bicker and the decibel level in the car is close to reaching that of a jet engine idling on the tarmac, do not panic! Merely, insert ear buds into teen ears and see immediate decrease in decibel level of noise and experience immediate depressurization of parental stress. No longer is a quick game of license plate bingo going to calm the troops. Those days are over and only electronic devices will stop the cacophany. If teen IPOD use fails, insert ear buds into parent ears ...Caution: always decrease volume before inserting ear buds into parental ear canals.

4. Food, food and more food. Food in the car, food in the hotel room, food in your purse and lots of money available to buy more food when they consume all aforementioned food.

5. Friends are a parent's best friend. Keeping teens connected with friends while traveling offers a huge benefit to parents who are attempting to engage teen in meaningful conversation. Warning to parents. Nothing you have to say has any meaning after 10 days on the road. GIVE IT UP. Plug teen into nearest wifi access and allow them to get a dose of facebook.

6. Carry phone/blackberry charger with you at all times. Get used to it. Your Blackberry is NOT for your use or for communicating with business contacts or work contacts. It is to be used solely for the entertainment of bored teenagers who need to immediately search Google, check facebook or when all else fails, play brickbreaker . Warning....Battery will always be low on this device. Forget the fact that you have plugged it in at night. Remember that teens are nocturnal animals who are most active after the sun goes down and parental awareness is in REM sleep. The Blackberry will be unplugged, used and tossed aside to slowly lose charge overnight while you are blissfully sleeping and thinking that all is well.

7. Request extra towels from the front desk and hide one for personal use. Invariably, you will find yourself naked, cold and trapped in a small hotel bathroom with only a pile of used wet towels on the floor or if you are lucky one dry fresh washcloth. If you have not requested extra towels from the desk, you will have only two choices, both unacceptable...1. run naked through the room littered with lolling teens and risk searing into their retinas the vision of beauty that you aren't or 2. dry off your body with a mildewed towel retrieved from the germ infested bathroom floor and risk contracting a skin disease yet to be identified but recently associated with a fungus found in the Amazon rain forest or the Cross country lockers at the high school.

8. Take them to movies. This will buy you 2-3 hours of uninterrupted peace that you can use for personal gain or if you are so inclined to watch the movie.

9. If in the US find a Costco. Food, snacks and water are essential and the best bargains are at Costco. Also hedge the bet and while you are finding the Costco scout out the location of the nearest ER that takes your insurance

10. Keep your sense of humor and remember...the family vacation will soon be a thing of the past as the little darlings graduate and go off to college and the rest of their lives. Just like childbirth the only memories that will populate your brain will be the pleasant ones of sun filled beach holidays and delicious restaraunt meals shared with teens who are actually interested in what you have to say and who engage in planning the next trip as they politely talk amongst themselves in the back seat on the way home. STOP daydreaming while you are driving and start looking for the nearest McDonalds...the pressure in the backseat is building and the hunger is palpable...chaos is next.

Peace,

Julia

Reflections on mothering

Reflections from the Backcounter

The chance to spend time away from the day to day grind with my kids is truly a gift. Although a mom never truly gets away from the duty of mothering, the change in pace is energizing. Having said that we have already been to the laundromat to launder our mud encrusted jeans and the business of nagging the kids to pick up after themselves never ends. Hopefully, the opportunity to experience the shared passion of horses and showing will help to solidify our bond during the turbulent teenage years. I look at all the parents who are here to support their children and I realize the commitment they have made to enhancing the lives of their kids. I know that this is going on around the country on soccer fields, at swim meets, dance competitions and baseball fields. This investment of time and energy in our children is truly priceless. I know that they will look back fondly on our crazy early morning calls to the barn, our laughter about our horses and our long hours on the road.

Peace,
Julia

Arabian Youth Nationals: The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat

Reflections from the Backcounter also known as the barn:

Day 3: Held hostage on the show grounds. Dust, sun, manure and nervous tension threaten the integrity of my cardiovascular system let alone my gi tract. This is anxiety personified and the stakes are high. Not only are we dealing with the uncertainty of a national competition but we must also factor in the unpredictable variable of a living breathing member of the competition team, the fragile horse. Doing well at nationals is like going to Las Vegas. You can never beat the house. Your favorite youth competitor can deliver the ride of her life and still not make the cut . Yesterday we added another layer of complexity to the equation when my oldest daughter got tossed off of her horse onto the concrete pavement and we had the distinct pleasure of spending the next 6 hours in the University of New Mexico Emergency room. Luckily, no broken bones but plenty of bruises and of course a new layer of fretting for the already nearly frenetic mother. Add to that a less than enthusiastic teen age brother who is clearly put out at having to spend his precious summer break hanging around a barn and my nerves are frazzling. Hopefully, they will all look back on these experiences with fond memories and a desire to reproduce the

experience for their children.... and to think I was worried about the menu......at this point we are ordering pizza...daily...

Peace,

Julia

Road food: SOS

Reflections from the Backcounter

Road food!!

Keeping the ducklings fed while traveling is a constant challenge. Teen age appetites and my wallet are on a collision course with bankruptcy!! I am always looking for ways to feed them healthy fare and avoid restaurants and fast food chains. Having said this it is a challenge and I am being tested! I expected that there would be an available microwave in this hotel but to my dismay there is not even one on the premises. I am now rethinking my entire vacation menu plan and have to come up with ways to feed the crew cold food or premade food from the grocery. We can heat water in our little coffee maker..I am having a flashback to my freshman year in the dorm. I remember eating a lot of dry packaged soup and kool aid!

On a positive note, we made the road trip with a minimum of fuss and bickering. We have graduated from the "Are we there yet" phase of parenting (they know better than to ask that inflammatory question when they are perfectly capable of reading the road signs) to the "Why can't I drive on this straight stretch of semi-truck infested road?". Still a challenge and at the end of the four (or was it six) hours, my nerves were stretched taught on the way to being frayed.

And now the little darlings have the audacity to be hungry and somewhat disdainful of the leftover sandwiches that are being offered to the teenage god of hunger...I need some ideas

Menu ideas

Rotisserie Chicken from the grocery

French Bread

Bagged salad

Carrot sticks

Egg salad (Made from purchased hard boiled eggs)

Tuna Salad

Ramen noodles ( I hate them but the kids love them)

Sandwiches/cold cuts/PB and J (Hard for us because one of the kids has a peanut allergy)

Not a crisis but a challenge..I could use some ideas...Please send them to me and I will report back! I am confident that someone will have a better plan...I am the mental equivalent of burnt toast! Luckily, breakfast is provided...on for coffee..I am sure I will perk up with a little caffeine

Peace,

Julia

View from the road

Well, the Clampetts made it all the way to Flagstaff without losing a bicycle or a suitcase from the exterior of the car. Road trips are infinitely less fun these days as I watch the fuel gauge consuming my meager wallet. Filling up on the road can actually induce hyperventilation. Hyperventilating at the fuel pump is fraught with difficulty as one can get more than a little high on the fumes! Maybe that is the key...self medicating with fuel fumes to ease the pain of the purchase! A quick eight hours of sleep and back on the road across the Northern Arizona moonscape and on to New Mexico. A long six hour trip across dry harsh landscape.
Peace,
Julia

Arabian Youth Nationals or Bust!!

Reflections from the Backcounter

Early morning riding, sore muscles, saddle sores and many tears have built the foundation for the highlight of the show season: Arabian Youth Nationals. In Albuquerque, New Mexico hundreds of youth from around the country come to experience the thrill of participation in a national competition. Accompanied by their entourage of parents, friends and family each competitor will have the chance to show their stuff and have a chance at winning the roses. This is an exciting time and we are packed and ready to go. After twenty two trips to Walmart, a returned bicycle rack and the purchase of a roof top cargo holder we are ready to hit the road albeit looking a lot like the Clampetts of Beverly Hills Hilbilly fame. Our roadster is adorned with the usual campaign slogan: Youth Nationals or bust and the driver (mom) is prepping for the 8 hour drive a thon by studying a map to determine where the Starbucks stops are...hopefully, evenly spaced two hours apart to allow for achievement of steady state caffeine levels.

Blog posts may be sparse in the next ten days but that all depends on the hotel internet access and my caffeination

Peace,

Julia