Scout Aggravation

The lady at the scout office was aggravated and insulted.  I was confused and frustrated.  How dare I suggest that on 'E-Trail to Eagle' my son's merit badges were all in there, all his advancements from Tenderfoot to Life Scout... complete!  "E-Trail to Eagle is NOT an official scout website" she screamed into the phone.  Then she managed to compose herself and apologize for her ruddiness.

You know when someone loves something.  I mean really really loves it then it's offensive when they encounter another human who does not study it and give it the proper understanding it deserves.  Welcome to the situation wherein you need to work with a scouting enthusiast.

In the past week I have had to deal with 6 of them.  It's an interesting road trip met with many detours and dangerous curves ahead.

My second son had met (albeit just barely) all the requirements to earn his eagle scout award, and just needed a couple signatures from them.  Now the scouters can smell a 'just barely' scout a mile away, and they don't appreciate the stench.  Where as I was just pleased he still wanted his eagle and was semi-willing to do the work to get there, the enthusiast just saw him as the weakest link in their eagle chain of command.

I won't even go into the problems he ran into getting signatures from merit badge leaders.  There were hurdles that he put there for himself and I don't like to rag on my own kids on the blog (at least I'm trying to repent of that).  But just know that it had been a bumpy stress-inducing road to get us through the last month to get to the point where we needed to enter the scouting enthusiast lion's den.  So we were already a bit frazzled.

Then came the day that my husband mistakenly decided to pick up the phone to call the book approval lady.  I realize she has an official title but I'm too inexperienced to know it.  And I am not ashamed of that fact either. See the apple doesn't fall far from the tree now does it?  The first book approver could not be reached via email or phone.  We just figured he was out of town.  Middle Boy had been the one trying to reach him.  We sorta did things hand in hand here.  I'd make my son call people (which he hated) and when he'd done his emotional quota for the day, one of his parents would step in and do a step for him on his behalf.  Like a good secretary would do for one's lazy boss.  Sorta.  On that day when T made the call, our son was actually out hunting down an elusive signature for a last minute blue card.  Here's how the call went...

"Hi are you available to look over my son's eagle application and book this week so that he can make the board of review this Friday?"

.... silience.... "May I ask why it is that your son is not making this call for himself?"  ...Sigh

"Well he should be, but he couldn't get through to the first guy and now he's out getting a signature, could you just let us know if you are the right person to call and we'll have him call you when he gets home or he'll get no supper tonight."  (Just kidding).

By the time we got to see the book lady face to face, her radar was on high and she was hip to us slackers. It made no difference whatsoever that we fawned over her dog who looked just like ours and had the same name!  She didn't care to see a photo.

She looked over his book like it smelled bad.  She took out things it didn't need and flung them on the table like they were radioactive.  She wondered why in world he had trouble on the computer with spacing the dates correctly (a problem no one had ever had before us).  We didn't need both the white and blue cards.  No extra photos besides the eagle project related ones.  Our essay was too warm and fuzzy.  Where was our list of accomplishments?!  No letters of recommendation in hand seemed to be the biggest no no.  Although when I pointed out to her that the website clearly stated that all the scout needed to do was provide names and information for people who could recommend you she acted like I was crazy. We looked it up later- guess what?  Not crazy.

So we left her house signatureless,  with our tails between our legs feeling like all was lost.  No board of review for us.  Leaving for college in 3 weeks and another board didn't meet until after our departure.  Christmas break would not work because, she informed us as we were about to leave,  "the board doesn't meet over the holidays."  Too bad for us.  Unless we wanted to foot the bill for a 500.00 plane ticket home just to meet with a board.  That seemed crazy.  Surely there had to be another way.

Well we found that other way...  Oh yes, we found it alright.  When you tell us no, we just figure well... we'll see about that.


To be continued

A Confusing Conversation With a Brazilian on FB

Hello Today I found his son in the transfer and talked with him

cool do you know where he is being transferred?

I think it was to not know right ribeirao saucer is much elder to me remember. kkkkkk But I guess he's in Ribeirao Pires. If I'm not mistaken he district leader

He is district leader. Did he meet his companion?

Mate it is a Brazilian I think also had a very Argentine then I'm confused but he was very excited because he would be transferred

thanks for the information

Nothing now will have to go to school. even more

good luck

Seen 6:01pm

Chat Conversation End

Summer Luvin'

Big Girl in a Hammock

Hello!

Summer is well underway and quickly slipping though our fingers.  I believe I am not alone when I confess that Summer is both anticipated and dreaded by the stay at home Mother.  All our solitude goes out the window and we have to fill the fridge constantly.  We're suddenly responsible for multiple social schedules and we dread those three little words "Mom, I'm bored."

I am happy to report that this Summer somehow has turned out to be different from Summers of the past.  I can't quite figure out why.  Perhaps I have wised up a bit about how quickly my chicks leave the nest.  With one son out of the home and another just 4 weeks away from his own solo flight I am anxious to make the most of our time left.  This has turned into a Summer of good memories. We took off our training wheels. We have joined swim team. We have hiked 50 miles along the Appalachian trail (not all of us).  We've gone to the movies. We've enrolled in art camp. We've done girl scout day camp. We've been to a baseball game. We have enjoyed an outdoor movie night in our back yard with friends.  We've made excellent food together.  We've gown flowers and tomatoes. We've cleaned out closets and rediscovered forgotten loved toys.  We have made mini crossbows that shoot matchsticks out of hair clips and popsicle sticks.  We've eaten popsicles. We've taken music lessons (piano and violin). We have set goals like learn sign language, and fill the entire driveway with sidewalk chalk.  We're getting there.  A beach trip awaits with more good memories (one hopes).  Then finally...  a farewell trip to Utah where we will leave Middle Boy there to start college, fend for himself, and make his own dang quesa dillas.  I hope he gets his Summer reading finished.  I'm trying real hard not to remind him to do it. I'm trying not to be such a Momma to him anymore.  But how will he ever finish his eagle if I do that completely?

Pondering the Nat's chances

Aaaannd they're off

our mico crossbows

There have been a few thorny days with all this rosiness however.  I managed to rip my toenail up from the bed (again!! argh! @#&^"). There has been fighting. The kids have stayed out past curfew. Or had kids over to the house until way late.  The boys have been hard to get up off the couch in order to do....anything.  We've been bit by mosquito's, we've thrown up in the middle of the night.  Teeth have been extracted and braces are about to be put on for the second time.  I've had concerns about my children this Summer.  Will they stay strong?  Will they be safe?  Will they make good choices?  But that is something I do year round.

Today we actually bought school supplies for my soon to be 2nd grader.  Don't laugh, in my area the supplies go fast!  You gotta shop while the shopping's still good or it's total frustration.  I suppose that is a sure sign that Summer is on the downhill slope.  There's still enough muggy hot air around to justify Slurpees though.  So I'll take all the warm lazy days I can get until the cool solitude of Fall comes around.  And then I will welcome that too.  I hope you are smart enough to catch a few fireflies, get some pedicures, lay in your hammock, grill outdoors, do slip and slides in the back yard, and make home-made ice cream for the next few weeks.  That is my plan at least : )

2nd place in the kick board popsicle meet!