Brigham Graduates to Bear

At our last Pack meeting, (which is, incidentally, only the 2nd Pack Meeting Brigham has ever been to as a Scout himself), our Briggie was awarded his Wolf badge. It signifies that he has completed all the requirements needed to advance in rank in Cub Scouts from a lowly Bobcat to a slightly-less-lowly Wolf...to a great, big 9-year-old Bear.

The Pack Meeting was about "Compassion", and the activities revolved around learning about what people with disabilities must overcome to navigate life.

There were some clever games...which the boys all took as fun...but hopefully taught them a lesson to be appreciative of their gifts.

Learning to navigate as if blind...

They had to sort change with big gloves, and tie their shoes with their hands taped together...

How about "Simon Says" with ear plugs and goggles covered in vaseline?

At the end, Brig had to prove he was a true Wolf by eating a plate of raw meat (turkey lunch meat) without his hands.

Go Brigham!!

It was a fun night...and we're very proud of Brig reaching this milestone in his Cub Scouting journey...

And now...ON TO BEARS!!

Renassiance Festival...Round Two

I got to go back to the Ren Fest with my older girls this weekend...I had lots of extra fun because we had a really big group...and it was rather a motley crew of Scouts!!

So one of our challenges was to find Robin Hood!!

We had 11 girls from my own Cherry Bomb troop, plus two Boy Scouts, Joseph and Adam. Then, because Kate was taking her SAT's, and I had both Joseph and Savannah with me at the Fest, I had no one at home to babysit Brigham and Nicolette...so I had to bring them along, as well.

Then I had 3 moms and one dad who came to help out. So, I brought Jason as well to keep the other dad company and kinda keep up with the Boy and Cub Scouts, in case they didn't want to stick with the girls.

Jason chaperoned the Boy Scouts so they could get in on the fun and merriment of the Fest!!

So, I ended up getting to spend the day not only with my beloved Scouts, but almost my ENTIRE family as well!!

Having already done this year's Fair once with my Daisys, we were extremely efficient with the older girls, because i knew the layout and requirements of this years patch Program. We got to do all the fun stuff...explore encampments, watch the performers and parade, see the joust, and play the games.

Learning about herbs and cures at Ye Olde Apothecarie

Medieval armory instruction at the Paladin Society

Sword-swallower at the Hanseatic League

And, of course, the Tournament of Knights and Joust!!

This year, the girls were REALLY into getting fox or coyote tails, so that was the big purchase....but there was also plenty of pixie dust, elf ears, and dragon claws as well.

And we even managed to find the dastardly scoundrel, plague of the rich, and hero to the poor...Robin Hood!!!

There he is!! Robin of the Hood!! If only Kaitlyn were here...she'd start singing "Men in Tights"

 Now...if only we can get him out of that tree to collect the bounty!!

Brighams First Blue and Gold Banquet

Brigham started Cub Scouts just as Joseph graduated to Boy Scouts...

The night of our Belated Valentines Day Bike Ride, we had Brighams first Blue and Gold Banquet. It was important because he was awarded his Bobcat (hurray!!)...

I had such an amazing day on this day...but at the Blue and Gold I was in a terrible mood. There was some internal drama on my part involving Scouts, and I'm sorry to say that I am not a strong enough person to have let it slide...it ate at me and festered inside me all night...and I'm afraid it shows in the photos, because although I am there to support Brigham and am happy for him and proud of him, I am overall upset and cannot manage a smile.

*sigh*

But I AM proud of my Briggie-buddy...and love him so very much...and am glad to know that he is doing Scouts correctly and with honor.

Brigham helped with the flag ceremony...what is that face he is making?

Brigham invites me up as he is awarded his Bobcat badge...he STILL has that face!!!

The new CubMaster, Bro. Quinton, explains the badge...

This was cute...as a "Bobcat"...he had to "bob" for apples...

My "Thank You" for being a Cub Scout leader...biggest slap in the face ever...aaarrrggghhhh...forget it...it's really not worth this angst on my part...

Finally!! A smile from mom!! See? I AM proud of my guy!!

So, all in all, it was a good night for my Brigham...and despite everything else, I am happy to have shared it with him...

Starting a New Scout Year

The start of a new school year means the start of a new Scout year.

I have been serving as the Palm Springs Ward Cub Master for almost a year, now...and I LOVE working with the Scouts. One of the saddest parts about me moving is that I will no longer have that calling. I have committed to stay with the pack until the end of September...hopefully giving me time to finish projects that I started earning with "my boys", but also time to train a replacement.

This week is our first Pack Meeting of the new Scout Year, and we're starting things off by having a party...a POOL PARTY!! Yeah!!!

This year, my Girl Scout Troop has graduated to the Junior level of Scouting. We started off the year last week by starting to earn their first Junior badge...the Pet Care badge. The girls brought their pets to the troop meeting and presented them to their fellow Girl Scouts. They had to research their pet...finding out about it's ancestry and traits, calculating the cost of caring for it, diseases that it may contract, etc. etc. They really did a great job researching and presenting. They also had to commit to care for their pet for 2 weeks, and record the activities they did and the amount of time each activity took.

Then, the other night, we met at Pet Supermarket, and the girls had to go inside and pick their dream pet, and then find out about everything they needed to care for it and what each item cost. They had a GREAT time at Pet Supermarket...they got to hold kittens, ferrets, and parrots...see reptiles and fish up close and personal, and go on an imaginary shopping trip for their dream pet. Afterwards, we hopped across the street to Chik Fil'A for a treat. The girls had a great time!!

Abi and Oriana meet a parrot...

Amanda talks to Ms. Karen about Angelfish. Kaliayah told Ms. Karen that she looked like Kim Kardashian...but with shorter hair!!

Jessica poses by a particularly cutie-pie bunny rabbit...

...while Oriana is more intersted in the ferrets...

watch Out, Amanda!! You have an African Grey Parrot on your head!!


Danya and Kalaiyah meet and greet our colorful little friend...


Not to be outdone, Savannah and Katherine try out Parrot love, too...Savannah got a GREAT shot of the parrot kissing Amanda on the cheek!! You'll have to check it out on her blog at Tropical Peaches .

We had the COOLEST associate helping us out...she answered questions, let us hold pets, and was enthusiastic about letting the girls learn!!

Savannah got up close and personal with a fuzzy ferret...she didn't like their musky odor!!

All the girls really loved petting the kittens...

It's so great to see both my Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts growing and achieving. I think Scouting is such a great program...there is so much to see and learn and do!! I'm really excited about this years Scouting adventures!!

Josephs Arrow of Light

Joseph got his Arrow of Light on Wednesday!! We are SO PROUD!!

But I can tell you that we had a lot of fun...it was kooky and corny like all Pack Meetings should be. The theme was "A-Camping We Will Go", and the kids and I got to the church early to set up all our tents and camping supplies to make the church look like a real campground. We even built a "bear cave" and filled it with teddy bears, and made fake "waterfalls" over all the doors.

After Pack Meeting, we had Joseph Court of Honor and Arrow of Light ceremony. I told a story about how a Cub Scout is like an acorn...he starts off small and simple...but with great potential. as he grows with Scouting, he becomes strong, dependable, valuable, and helpful...and soon, as he continues to grow in Scouting, he will reach beyond the forest trees and soar with the Eagles (I got choked up at that part and had to pause). Then we awarded him his Arrow of Light.

Then...he changed from his Cub Scout blue uniform shirt to his Boy Scout khaki uniform...

We also made a really cool shadowbox of patches and belt loops to display, and a banner to display his "fun" patches and awards.

This is a close-up of the shadowbox (sorry about the glare...)

And this is the shadowbox WITH the Arrow of Light (above)....

And these are all the "fun" patches that he earned that we put on the banner. Pretty cool, huh?

And now...off to a new adventure...Boy Scouts!!!

Junior Ranger Day at Shark Valley

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On Saturday, the 11th of April, I took my Girl Scout and Cub Scout troop to Everglades National Park to take part in their 2009 Junior Ranger Day, held at the Shark Valley entrance. It was a FABULOUS day!! The Park Rangers were GREAT with the kids...

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There were tables set up displaying different shells, bones, and skins of animals found all over the Everglades. The kids were allowed to touch and explore and ask lots of questions, which they loved.

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Then they met Ranger Rick (no, seriously), a law enforcement Park Ranger who told them about what he does for National Parks.

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Then Ranger Nate and Ranger Greg played some games with the kids and we all got to go on an awesome tram ride through the park.

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We stopped at a tower that you could climb and see 15 miles in any direction all around the park.

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The view was AMAZING...and there were so many animals to see (especially those incredible gators!!)

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We also went on a little hike in a Hardwood Hammock, where our VERY observant Abi spotted a baby Burmese Python lounging in a tree. Burmese Pythons are invasive species and NOT GOOD for the Everglades...but they have pretty much started to take over. The little guy was less than a foot long, and so well camouflaged, I'm just REALLY impressed that Abi spotted it!!

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Then it was back to the Visitors Center for lunch, and a meeting with the Everglades mascot, Alisha the Alligator!
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We had a little ceremony where the kids got a badge, a certificate, and an AWESOME new patch. After that, everyone got cake!!

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I had taken my own kids to Junior Ranger Day LAST year, and it was so fun that I just KNEW I had to get my troops out there this year. We had a lot of VERY last minute cancellations, and so several kids missed it, but boy!! They sure missed something AMAZING!! This is an activity that I would do again and again...

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Now that my girls and guys have been through Big Cypress AND Everglades, they just need to visit Biscayne national Park to earn their Junior Ranger patch from the National parks service.

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Keep posted...we'll be working on THAT soon!!!