Hey everybody! If you're new to the scene, welcome to my blog, "Yasmin's Scoop." Because I am super busy with school and community stuff, I only blog once a month, but I promise I'll keep you updated on all the cool things me and my friends are up to.

One of the best things to happen this week is that my next door neighbor, Leah, just got a horse! No, it's not hanging out in the front yard eating all the apples from the tree. Its name is Leo (Leah says that's like the boy version of her name) and he lives at a stable just a few miles away. We went to see him yesterday and he's really handsome and gentle. He's so sweet and calm that Leah and I decided it would be cool to offer free horseback riding lessons to all the little kids in the neighborhood, using Leo for practice. Our parents and a riding instructor will be there, of course, but we wanted the lessons to come from us.

I love to ride almost as much as Leah and we thought it would be a nice way to help the younger kids who don't always have a lot of fun things to do. I started riding when I was four because my dad owned a really gorgeous stallion named Thunder and it broke my heart when dad said I was too little to ride such a big horse. So, I started off with a sweet pony like Leo and eventually I got to ride Thunder! I cried for days when we moved away and my dad sold Thunder so it's nice to be able to visit Leo and the other horses now.

Speaking of fun…last weekend I went with Jade, Sasha and Cloe to this cute boutique that had a ginormous shoe and purse sale. I got a sassy little clutch that was covered in tiny yellow and pink bows. Sasha completely FREAKED OUT and bought, like, three pairs of shoes that were on sale for $10! It was her whole allowance for the week but she said it was worth it. I guess I'll be sharing some of my sandwich with her at lunch as usual. But I have to say that even though she sometimes spends before she thinks, it was Sasha who came up with an awesome idea this past summer. We gathered up all of the shoes and clothes we hadn't worn over last fall and winter then Sasha called a kid's shelter and they came and picked them up so the kids could have clothes for school. It was a pretty neat feeling to know that stuff we didn't need was going to other kids our own age. And it was close to home, which was even better!

Anyway, I've gotta scoot because I'm helping Jade put together YET ANOTHER fashion show. I'm sure she'll be blabbing about it to anyone who will listen next week since she told me she's starting a blog, too. Next time, I'll tell you all about my adventures with Leo.

Bye for now!
Yas

Be like Yasmin:

*There are probably some women and children shelters in your community that could use donations. Go online and search for them and talk to your mom and dad about taking some of your 'gently used' items (like clothes, shoes, books you don't read anymore, etc.) to these shelters.

*If you're old enough and have your parents permission, think about fun things you can arrange to do with the younger kids in your neighborhood like hosting a movie night or having play dates in the park. Remember, you were little once and all you ever wanted to do was play with the big kids!