This morning, Alex, Vicki, and Amanda went with me to the Submarine Force Museum (my office) with Alex’s cub scout pack. The kids had a great time checking out the boat and participating in the summer activity learning about damage control.
Category Archives: kids
Thoughts On A Week At Pony Club Camp
This past week Alex and Vicki spent five days at Ayer Mountain Farm participating in Shetucket Valley Pony Club’s annual camp. They are part of Mystic Pony Club, but our club had been invited to join them at camp. The ponies stayed at camp all week, but Alex and Vicki came in the morning and went home at night. They had two riding lessons per day and chores and crafts in between. I (Anna) was there every day with Amanda helping out and watching over the kids. It has been an exhausting week, but it was a very rewarding time spent with the kids.
The kids got to experience several different things during the week. Besides regular instruction twice a day they also tried fox hunting with hounds (in the walk-trot group), Alex got to jump cross-rails for the first time ever, Vicki cantered over ground poles, they both did pony club mounted games and they crossed the water on the cross country course. Alex even got to have a lesson with two other boys his age. Amanda was quite the little trooper, hangin out all week and she got lots of attention from older and younger girls.
So what are my thoughts after spending a week at pony club camp?
Well, I believe Pony Club is good for the kids. It exposes them to other kids who also ride and gives them opportunities to do things with the horses they would not get to do otherwise. Horse kids are generally good-natured, hard-working kids. I wish there were more boys involved, but such is life with horses…in a few years Alex may come to appreciate being a boy among lots of girls.
As in any organization, volunteers make a difference. There are individuals out there that sacrifice their time for YOUR children. I wish more parents appreciated this fact, not just in Pony Club, but across the board in kids’ sports and recreational activities. Salute those energizer bunnies that make things happen.
I ‘ve decided I want to ride my horse more. I need to have some sort of goal with my riding. King is 18, but to be honest he isn’t really showing any signs of slowing down. Watching other people ride all week makes me want to ride too.
Being at camp all day made me exhausted and I want to get in better shape. Who wants to be walking around in breeches and a tucked in polo shirt and not be in shape? Besides it will make me a better rider (theoretically).
All in all, we had a great week at camp. The weather was good, the kids behaved, the ponies behaved, and nobody left in an ambulance (though one girl broke her arm and another fractured a rib). Below are some more pictures.
Just another ride
This weekend was supposed to be filled with trail riding and overnight camping with the horses. However, the threat of severe weather yesterday caused us to cancel some plans.
The clouds were still looming, but we went out this morning anyway. We met a group from Mystic Pony Club at Stepping Stones Ranch next to Arcadia in RI. We had an extended warm up period as everyone tacked up, and then headed out for the ride.
We had 15 riders total in the group. It was the first time we had taken Calli out for a ride somewhere else. While she was a little nervous at first, I moved her to the back of the group and she calmed nicely. Amanda rode in the Buddy Saddle behind Anna on King. Alex got to try out a new pommel pack as an incentive to do more long distance riding.
We were in the saddle for 2 hrs- by far Amanda’s longest ride yet (she’s not quite 27 months old).
After we got back, we ate our picnic lunch and headed home. Now we are watching some Pentathlon and then it is back outside. We still have to get everything ready to go again because the kids have pony club riding camp all week! Maybe the weather wi cooperate with horse camping next weekend.
A new breed in the rabbity
You never know what you will find in our rabbit cages…
Amanda decided to climb in while the cage was empty. She actually had a good time playing in the cage.
The story of the pillowcase
A long time ago in 2001 I made a pillowcase for Rob to have on the boat. It had pictures of us at our wedding, pictures of Baron and Daisy and other couple and family pictures. Well, the kids found it in my stack of sheets and proceeded to put the pillowcase on a pillow. They got upset about the dogs being gone and decided to sleep on the floor in Vicki’s room, Alex with his head on Baron’s picture and Vicki with her head on Daisy’s picture…it made me cry.
What I learned at Cub Scout camp
I have spent the week at Camp Tadma with 4 Webelos (including Alex). Growing up, I spent 2 summers working on summer camp staff, and attended camp every year except one. Therefore, the idea of what to expect at camp what not new to me. I have also previously attended Camp Tadma as a Day Camp leader. The program at camp has definitely improved over years past. Even so, I Iearned things about myself as a parent and the society we live in.
1. Fitness is no longer important to society as a whole. I would estimate that only about 25% of the leaders at camp were physically fit. While most of the staff was in decent condition, the overweight staff were obese, not just overweight.
2. The rules don’t apply to everyone. It is disappointing to see how many leaders are willing to allow their group to do things directly contrary to camp policies. For example, pocket knives are prohibited in camp for all scouts some groups not only allowed knives, they permitted knife usage in ways against BSA policies.
3. The foundation of scouting principles is lost on many parents. For example, the 9-10 year olds that came to camp with 12 sodas for the week. The parents that came to camp 3 times to visit their kids and refill the candy and snack supplies. The scouts that brought suitcases of toys.
4. A surprising number of problem scouts have involved parents. The behavior problems, such as tantrums, are overly tolerated by other leaders because the scout’s parent is present.
5. “Tough Love” builds more responsible kids. The scouts that are obviously held accountable at home are overall better behaved and more respectful. While this seems pretty obvious, it is reaffirmation of what I believe to be correct.
I know Alex enjoys scouting, and I know the things I teach him and other scouts I learned from my own scouting experience. However, I frequently find myself wondering if I am spending too much time parenting others instead of focusing on my own family.
Sometimes you have to make time
After having been sick for a week, I felt like I was way behind on farm work. But if you always do the work, you don’t have time for the kids. So this evening, Alex and Vicki collected the worms, and we headed to the pond. It wasn’t a fabulous catch, but as the song says, they think we’re just fishin.
Farm girl
Today I am a stay at home Dad so Anna can chaperone a field trip with Vicki.
You know you have farm kids when the 2 year old is quite happy helping with chores in a princess dress and then finds a nice mud hole to dig in. Now she is learning how to drive her tractor. We saved it from the older kids and just got a new battery installed. I think it is going to be hard keeping Alex and Vicki off…
Compassion
Last weekend, I wrote about the North Stonington 5k, but I left out the details of something that happened. During Vicki’s 1/4 mile race (which was 2 laps around a field), she ran by Madison. Madison is 5 and goes to church with us. Vicki noticed Madison was crying and not at all happy about racing around the field. Vicki stopped and put her arm around Madison’s shoulder, walking the second half of the first lap until Madison got back to her parents. Then, with a smile on her face, she ran her second lap, well behind the main group.
On Monday, we cooked 2 freshly harvested roosters on the rotisserie. Alex and Vicki pulled the wishbones, and Alex won twice. Since Vicki didn’t win, he gave her one of the two wishes.
As I think about both of these events, I consider that my children are much more compassionate than I am, and can only conclude they learn it from their loving mother, and my beautiful wife.
Great goats!
Today, Alex and Vicki spent the day with Great Goats 4H Club at Cedars of Lebanon Farm. They learned about getting ready for shows and how to show a goat. They also learned about showing chickens, sheep, and dogs. It was a very educational day and we got to meet a lot of other families who are new to showing goats. While we are not joining 4H yet, we do plan to attend some fair shows.