Stuff and Mom's Newest Love

Warning: pictures mostly unrelated. Enjoy anyway!

I was dropping Kaeden off at his new babysitter's today, and as I was driving away with a suddenly empty vehicle I realized how much stuff he comes with, and I was faintly embarrassed. It is one of the reasons I a.) Love my Ergo, and b.) don't ask people to babysit a lot. I mean, for a baby-less person, who wants all that crud in their home? And for those with kids, who wants MORE crud in their already crowded home?

Case in point, this is what I dropped off with Kaeden yesterday for a roughly 7 hour stay:

Car seat that hasn't been washed for two weeks, possibly there was an old cookie hiding in there

Play Pen (thankfully in it's carry case)

Diaper Bag filled to overflowing

Stroller

Blankie (not a blanket, definitely still a blankie)

Stuffed animal

Movies

Lunch

What I had left in the car with me for my day out on the trails:

Helmet

Water bottle

Jacket and gloves (neither of which I used, yeah for 50 degrees & sunny!)

Snack

That's just sad. Why does a not even year old kid require more to go out in public than I do? To be fair, I already know basic things that Kaeden isn't ready for yet, like changing myself and using a toilet and putting myself down for a nap and so far, not killing myself. 

For that seems to be Kaeden's current past time: Finding the best ways to make my heart stop and my brain to scream "Oh my....!" He is good at going up steps; not so good at down. He thinks everything can go in his mouth, including DVDs, cat's tails, power cords, remotes, cell phones, and dog toys (can you guess which one I've given up telling him no?)

He does know about the whole "Not for crazy insanely curious toddlers" thing too. He knows about it in that he will grab whatever it is he wants at that moment, see the adult turn to him and start speaking, and he will turn and run in the opposite direction from said adult. 

Yes, I said running. He's not very fast, and he can't turn very well which is to my advantage. It's kind of like herding a soccer ball with it's own opinion. It is not like herding a cat. A cat can turn and evade and jump and leave you behind at any moment. Kaeden will eventually run into something, or look behind him to see if you are keeping up and tangle his feet and fall down. But generally after he has already put the object of his current desire in his mouth. 

In other news, I finally did what everyone has been urging me to do since Kaeden arrived: Find a hobby. More specifically, a cheap hobby that involves talking to people. I've been interested in endurance riding for awhile now, but since it is practically non-existent in Vermont and I am rather without funds at the moment, it wasn't something I could pursue at all, except for my late night purusings of such blogs such as Haiku Farm.

But then, through the power of Facebook and Craigslist, I found the following ad posted by a local endurance rider who I'd friended on FB, mainly to drool over her many beautiful pictures: 

Want to really RIDE?! :)

Perfect opportunity for rider with experience who no longer has their own horse, misses riding and doesn't want to have to pay for a lease: need help conditioning endurance horses--need to be able to ride walk/trot/canter for several hours at a time, in all

weather--cheerful, positive attitude a must, we want to have FUN; we see some amazing places, fabulous trails, wonderful horses, quality tack, and great opportunities

to learn about different breeds (Arabs, gaited horses, QH cross, etc) styles of riding and fun camping trips, endurance competitions as well as potential to earn income

if qualified to work the really green training horses. I ride daily, usually 10am, rain or shine. You can find me on Facebook (Brenda Casebeer). Be aware that I am just south of Molalla, it's quite a drive for some people, and I'm looking for someone wanting to commit to a couple days a week (or at least regular once a week) 

Needless to say, I found this during one of my late night drool peruses of Craigslist (which I've been told isn't completely healthy) and I jumped on it, sending her a FB message that I tried not to sound too desperate. To make a not so long story even shorter, I went last week and rode a Spotted Horse gelding named Abe. We rode, at my best guess, maybe 8 miles in the typical Oregon drizzle, up and down hills and through the woods. I loved. Every. Soaking wet. Moment. It helped that even though it was the first time I'd ridden since June, it was on a gaited horse who was short, stout, and uber comfortable. 

I immediately felt looser. Just better all around. I had horse dirt under my nails, so what if there are still dishes to be done? The power of horse dirt!

I have now been lucky enough to plan things out so this will be at least something that happens once a week. I found a sitter who is cheap, friendly, and down to earth with kids of her own, who is on my way south so it's not out of my way to drop Kaeden off. Yesterday, the first drop off, was majorly stressful for me. Partly because of all the stuff, but more because every time I set him down to go bring in more stuff, he cried. Like a truly lost in the woods little kid cry, and he kept trying to follow me. Eventually I made it out the door, and the report I got when I picked him up was good: He didn't want to nap, but she managed to settle him down, he ate a ton, and he had overall a great day. 

This is a huge relief for me, because I know I've been becoming a hermit and that it's not good for Kaeden. For whatever reasons I've just not gotten my butt out of the house to go make friends or find stuff to do with other people with kids. 

But now, once a week I will drop Kaeden off to play and I will go ride. Yesterday was even better than the first day, it was a perfect Oregon day for a ride: Bright and sunny and not too cold. I also rode a younger, fitter Arabian with more trail experience who was a blast to ride, I found my balance point at the trot even though there wasn't room to trot for very long, and I found a new friend. It was just Brenda and I, and we talked about everything, and I felt so comfortable with her, even though she's a bit older than my mom. Topics included horses we've known, crazy horse people, life stress, foundational garments, the lack of privacy on a trail, endurance stories, upcoming endurance rides and how to prep for them (I learned that full seat breeches are not a good idea for endurance riding) and of course silence. 

My new goal is to whip my butt into shape (actually more my legs and core) and get my life fixed enough so I can go to the first ride of the season, the Home on the Range Ride, which this year is just after my birthday. 

Life is looking up. Now I must to folds laundry. And make a menu and a grocery list. And taxes. And make breakfast.