debily

Archive for the ‘Scout’s Honor’ Category

Just because I don’t have enough on my plate each week, and just because I am such an overachiever who can’t seem to get enough, I scheduled a patrol outing for the same week we are doing our elementary music camp at church…and unfortunately, the same day I was scheduled for jury duty.  But we’ll get to that part later.  Right now, I wanna talk about our outing to Walls of Clay!

Walls of Clay is a little hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop type art studio just off the square in downtown McKinney.  For a small fee, you can paint your own ceramic pottery – everything from wall decorations to tableware to sculptures – and they will glaze and fire it and have it ready for pick up in about 2 weeks.  I had heard good things and figured this would be a great opportunity for my kids to explore their artistic sides, especially since they have such a non-artistic mom.  For added fun, we made it a patrol outing so there would be lots of friends there!

We had a good turnout of scouts and siblings, which allowed us to have a couple of “boy” tables and a “girl” table…something that made Crisana VERY happy.

We were personally on a shoestring budget for this, so the selection of pottery was pretty limited.  Crisana chose a little fish to paint.  Each child received four colors of paint to use on their pottery.  Crisana chose wonderful ocean shades of blues, purples, and a little yellow for accent color.

Trey had a harder time deciding since we didn’t have enough money to do what he REALLY wanted.  Finally he settled on a cross to hang on his wall in his room.  He chose a vibrant color scheme of reds, oranges and yellows.

When the painting was done, the owner was kind enough to offer a behind-the-scenes look for our boys.  She took them to the back room and showed them the kiln and discussed the firing process with the boys.  They saw what the glaze looked like and were able to see inside the kiln and and watch her load some items for firing.

It was a fantastic outing and our kids had so much fun…right up until the part where I remembered I was scheduled for jury duty.  About an hour and a half earlier.  And I had forgotten to take my exemption form by the Fairview Town Hall.  So, in a mad panic, I left the art studio and rushed home to get the form and get by Town Hall before they closed for the day.  All the while, I’m fuming at myself and nearly sick to my stomach over what the consequences will be: a huge fine?  having to return another day?  Of course, my children were convinced I was going to be arrested and thrown in jail.  Thankfully, however, when I reached Town Hall and penitently handed over my form with sincerest apologies (and my children in tow as PROOF of my exemption), the receptionist merely smiled and said “Thank you and no problem.”  As I exhaled for the first time in about 45 minutes, Crisana looked up at me and with big doe eyes and a concerned expression said, “So does this mean you aren’t in trouble, Mommy?”

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect reaction.

We had the most amazing experience yesterday!

With a very tight budget this summer, weeks of camp were out.  Instead, I created “Camp Mom” to help us pass the long summer days with fun and adventure.  Each week, I have planned one special outing or activity that we can do together.  Just for fun, I invited our Webelos patrol to join us for all of the activities.  We can work on requirements, belt loops, pins, electives, and still manage to have quality time together learning new things and making new discoveries.  It’s a win-win situation!

This weeks’ adventure was an outing to Allen Family Bowl in Allen.  We’ve been there several times and are impressed with their cleanliness, friendliness and professionalism.  Come to find out, it’s owned by the family of one of our neighbors and yes, that’s her daughter’s picture on the website.  She knew we were coming so she instructed her employees to give us the royal treatment…and they did.

I had called ahead to reserve lanes and ask about having one of the employees do a little talk with our boys regarding some of the requirements for their bowling belt loops.  Once all the boys had arrived, Scott came over and gave us a lesson in scoring, common bowling terms, and bowling etiquette.  He also provided the boys with a mini-lesson on proper bowling style.

The boys then had the opportunity to practice their skills by bowling a couple of games.  They were all eager to see the scores and compare themselves to the other bowlers.

After bowling for awhile, we had worked up quite an appetite.  So as part of our package, we were provided with snacks and drinks for all the children attending.

The maintenance employee, Tim, then came over and gave us the VIP tour.  You know, the one you’ve secretly wanted all your life.  We were able to go behind the scenes of the bowling alley to watch the resetting mechanism in action.  Yes, we got to go through that little door in the back of the lanes that says “Employees only”.  You know you’re jealous.

Tim talked with the boys about how it works and had a non-participant bowl to allow us to watch the resetting mechanism in action.  The boys were mesmerized with the way it worked and didn’t even seem to mind how noisy and crowded it was back there.

We were even able to watch the ball return in action and see how that contraption worked.  Tim even took the cover off the ball return at the lane entry so we could see it from both ends.  The sounds of “ooh” and “aah” were matched with “AWESOME!” and “COOL!” as the boys saw for the first time what’s inside that neat gizmo.  And of course there were gears and moving parts aplenty.

Even though no one broke 100 (including yours truly), we all felt like we’d scored well beyond that with all the extra attention and time the employees gave us.  It was a great success and a super way to kick off Camp Mom!

Most of you don’t know this, but I have a deep fascination with Texas thunderstorms.  Seriously.  Like to the point where I have dreams of being a storm chaser.  Of getting up close and personal with nature’s fury.  Of facing a tornado head-on and living to tell the tale.  Of one day in heaven getting to ride the roller coaster that is updrafts and wind shear and straight line winds.

That is, until I had children.

Suddenly, the intensity of severe weather sparked fear into the depths of my being.  No longer did I desire to be in the middle of the vortex, but instead sought to be as far away from any hint of danger as possible.  Those cravings for adventure were pushed aside to make way for the monotony of safety and security.

Despite the fact that my children are older, nothing can paralyze my very core like the threat of severe weather.  And if you add someone else’s children into the equation – children that are under my direct care and are dependent on me for their safety and well-being – well, then, you’ve just exponentially multiplied my motherly fear factor.

So when the skies started to turn unfriendly last night, my defenses went up.  Way up.  Instantaneously.  Outwardly, I do a pretty good job of maintaining a calm exterior, of keeping up a sense of humor and optimism, and of minimizing the inner turmoil I am experiencing.  But don’t let that fool you.  If I hadn’t been sitting down, you would have heard my knees knocking.  If I hadn’t been wearing a baggy t-shirt, you could have seen my heart pounding.  And if I hadn’t had to carry a 5-gallon bucket and a water bottle and a laundry list of other items, you would have seen my hands shaking.

As our boys worked on their leather projects, we began to notice a definite shift in the winds.  The edge of a large complex of clouds began to appear, and iphones began chirping throughout the camp.  Images on radar showed a huge storm, about an hour away, heading straight for our camp.  Currently dumping large hail and heavy rain, the storm also showed possibilities of rotation and tornadic activity.  Shortly thereafter, as we sat atop the hill in an open area, we began to notice lightning.  One strike at first, very far away, but then more frequent…and closer.  We had only been to two rotations, but we felt certain we wouldn’t attend many more.  The phone calls were coming faster and more frequently, showing the speed of this storm and warning us to seek shelter while we still had time.  We waited and watched while the camp leaders observed and assessed the weather, trying to make a determination on whether camp could continue or not.

The rotation finally ended and we were able to go and eat dinner.  However, our group had already made the decision to evacuate.  This storm was severe, we had ten children plus one papoose between our three leaders, and we weren’t willing to take any chances with their – or our – safety.  In record time, we checked out all eleven children and hustled away to the parking lot as quickly as we could.  As we walked, we noticed the dark skies, the flashes of lightning and the ever-increasing wind.  Jaime had only her son with her, so as soon as we reached the parking lot the two of them got in the car and hurried home.  Jane had her son and four other boys from her den, but they had met at her house, which was only a few minutes’ drive from the camp.  They all piled in and made it home before the storm even hit.

My situation, however, was a little different.  I had one boy whose parents met me at a nearby gas station.  I had two other boys who lived close to each other to take to their homes.  And then I had about a 10-minute drive from there to get to our own house.  We were looking at about 30 minutes’ worth of traveling before I could get my children safely home.

We got to the gas station where the first boy’s mother was there and waiting for us.  I felt so relieved to know that at least he was in the care of his own parents and said a prayer that his brothers would arrive quickly and they would make it home safely.

But that was as far as we got.

We only made it a couple miles down the road before all hell broke loose.  The sky went green and we were in the midst of some of the worst weather Mother Nature could throw at us.  Swirling winds, bending and twisting the branches of trees, driving rain pouring in sheets from the sky, and constant flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder.  Visibility was near zero and with the debris flying around, not to mention the quickly-flooding roads I began to wonder if we could even make it to the first house.

Praying furiously and trying to keep things calm, I made it to the final intersection before our turn.  I decided to call ahead to see if I could pull around back to drop off rather than trying to run from the street to the front door.  She instantly informed me we weren’t going anywhere.  We were to pull around back and come in to her house until the worst of the storm passed us by.  I didn’t argue.  We pulled in to her driveway and got as close to the garage as possible.  One by one, I helped the children pile out of the car and race inside, only to have each one in succession wipe out on the slippery garage floor.

We hung out there for about 20-30 minutes, during which time the storm gradually passed over us.  Watching the radar we could see just how severe it had been, and how fortunate we were to be in the cover of safety.  When I was confident the weather had settled down, I loaded up one last time, delivered the final camper to his house and drove home.  Although our power had been knocked out, I was so happy to be under the shelter of our own roof!

Today, I am grateful for God’s protection…over me, over my children, and over “my boys.”

It’s Twilight Camp!  The week of Home Depot 5-gallon buckets, bug spray, sunblock, swaps, and sweat. The week of sack suppers, camp t-shirts, spirit awards, and bottles and bottles of water.  The week of coolers and bandannas and porta-potties and – believe it or not – fun!

Having been a walking den leader last year, I was well acquainted with what to expect.  The difference this year, however, is that this year our boys are attending as Webelos.  Generally, Webelos have their own week of camp so they can work on more advanced requirements.  But with the redistricting of the past year, our district is much smaller so we combined Cubs and Webelos into one week.

No matter.  There were still the requisite favorites:

BB’s…

…and archery…

…and crafts.

But there are always new things to enjoy, discover, and learn.  Like new sports, such as disc golf:

…or new and creative neckerchief slides.

(yes, those beetles are neckerchief slides.  And boy, do they look real!)

There’s always time for fun with friends…

for grownups…

…and kids alike.

And there are special prizes for best and most creative swaps…which Crisana won for papoose!

Sure, it’s hot.  And dirty.  And stinky and sweaty and gross.  But I wouldn’t trade these moments with my son for anything in the world.

Our weekend madness continues.  Between Six Flags, an ice cream party, a birthday party, a baseball game, and church we have hardly had time to be at home in the past 72 hours.  Sure enough, after church today, we headed over to Finch Park for an end-of-year party and awards ceremony for Crisana’s daisy scout troop.

The parents all came and everyone brought food to share.  The grill masters cooked burgers and hot dogs while the kids played in the splash pad or on the playground.  From our vantage point at the pavilion we had a perfect view of all the goings-while being far enough away not to have to listen to it!

It wasn’t long before the girls discovered the ring pops.  And as everyone knows, a ring pop is good for one thing and one thing only: being a pacifier.

Everyone hung out and played and ate to our hearts’ content.

We recognized the volunteer parents and girls who will be graduating from our Daisy troop into a Brownie troop next year, and welcomed in two new families whose daughters will be joining our troop in the upcoming year.  As a final celebration, each girl received a package of patches, including her Daisy petals.  Crisana also received a patch for participating in the Connor’s books program, a patch for selling over 100 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, a patch for World Thinking Day, and a “fun” patch to celebrate continuing in Girl Scouts that says “Still a Girl Scout.”

And with that, our weekend madness was complete.  Now on to home for a few hours’ rest before Twilight Camp begins tomorrow.  The life of a Scouting mom is never boring!

You remember all those cookies Crisana sold for Daisy Scouts?  Well, they were good for more than just a patch, bandana, set of colored pencils, and grooming kit.  They earned her a ticket to a Daisy Scout Ice Cream Party!

As with all Girl Scout events, only one adult was allowed to come with her.  I was chosen as the lucky one, and we managed to make our way down to the Joanne Fogg Service Center in Dallas.  When we arrived, there was a long line of Daisy Scouts waiting to have their pictures taken.  Or maybe they were just marveling at the elephant made out of boxes of Samoas.

My heart broke just a little as I looked longingly at all those wasted boxes.  I pray that they were, in fact, empty and that some other soul enjoyed their chewy, chocolatey, caramelly, coconutty goodness.

Their first activity was to decorate a paper doll and two outfits.  There were even googly eyes available to glue on the dolls.  So they can see.

Neither Crisana nor her Daisy Troop buddy quite understood the concept of “paper dolls” but instead chose to glue the outfit directly on to the doll.  Whatever.  I guess it’s all acceptable in the world of “art” and “creative expression.”

The girls were then divided into three groups.  Each group had the opportunity to rotate through three activities.  Our groups first activity was the swap.  In keeping with the theme of the day, the swap was an ice cream sundae.  Strawberry-flavored, with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

It almost looked good enough to eat!

The next activity was to pin the cherry on the ice cream cone – an ice-cream themed variation on the old standby of pin the tail on the donkey.  It was so funny seeing where those little red circles ended up!

And finally, it was time for some ice cream!  Though the pickin’s were kind of slim by the time we arrived, there was still enough for us to load up on toppings and fixin’s.  We couldn’t leave without a visit to the scout shop where we picked up a special ice cream patch to commemorate our memorable day.

And thankfully, we managed to enjoy it without any screaming.

Today we had a beach party!  In Texas!  In 90-plus-degree heat!  In a parking lot!

Seriously, it was the annual McGowen Family Carnival, one of our major fundraisers for the year.  We were looking forward to being able to go to the carnival this year, since we missed last year’s because of Taylor’s graduation.

Now that my scouts are Webelos, I’m more and more convinced that we need to be involved in leadership and service opportunities.  So as we began receiving information about the carnival, the other den leaders and I decided our boys would create and man a booth for the carnival.  We generated the ideas based on requirements from their Bear Handbook (since they could technically continue to earn arrow points toward Bear until the end of May), planned our meetings and home assignments so that every boy could have a part in creating the booth, and developed a volunteer schedule that allowed every boy and family to spend some time serving as a volunteer and some time enjoying the carnival.

Our first task was to create the game.  We decided on an obstacle course, with 5 different activities.  Since the theme was a beach party, our activities were based on that:

• walk across a balance beam while being sprayed with water guns (“go surfing”)
• jump into a kiddie-pool filled with sand (“jump on the sand”)
• hop through 7 tires (“walking on the hot sand”)
• toss a ball into a bucket (“beach ball toss”)
• try to toss bean bags into cans attached to a wooden pole (“tiki toss”)
• earn a prize (hawaiian-themed tattoos or bubbles)

During our den meetings in May, the boys were busy creating the items for the obstacle course:

covering cans with brightly-colored tissue paper

and painting and decorating the surfboard.

We had scouts who took on projects at home, such as creating our can catcher, painting the stripe on our surfboard,  and making the sign for our booth.  We also had scouts who donated money or items to give away as prizes.  It truly was a team effort!

The day of the carnival was HOT and sunny, despite all the rainy, cool days we’d had in May.  Bright, blazing sunshine with not a cloud in sight.  But that wasn’t a problem for our boys.  They were excited and eager to help everyone have a good time.

I was so proud of the boys for their leadership and willingness to serve!

Our sign was by far the best one there!  The boys decided on the name, and we had one family who worked together to create this amazing sign.

It may have been hot, but I think our boys and leaders all had fun, regardless!

And of course we had to show off our new cheer!

Even with all their hard work, there was still time for a little fun.  First Trey took his turn…

And then it was Crisana’s…

But the best part is always the time spent with friends.

When my children were babies, our Saturdays weekends revolved around activities where we could be assured of being home in time for afternoon naps.  At least one of us would be tied to the house for a good three hours between lunch and dinner.  Sometimes I’d sigh longingly and be anxious for the day when we could have the ability to do whatever we wanted for however long we wanted.

That day has arrived, and sadly it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

Take today, for example.  The day began with a special scout activity for boys in Pack 303 and Troop 303.  We met up at the historic Pecan Grove Cemetery in McKinney to place American flags on the graves of deceased soldiers and service men and women.  We listened to a brief history of the project, which was developed by a young man in Troop 303 several years ago as part of his Eagle Scout project.  That young man was later killed in action in Afghanistan, and is now buried in Pecan Grove cemetery.  This project has taken on greater significance since his death as it represents part of his legacy.  It was definitely worth waking up early to be a part of this significant community service project.

We had to leave quickly, however, to be able to get Trey to his soccer game on time.  Since my mom had gone to the zoo with us yesterday, she had stayed overnight so she could come see their games.  It’s been an interesting season with both games and practices cancelled due to rain, but I guess the important thing is that our children have had fun and we’ve seen an improvement, albeit a slight one, in their soccer skills.

Once again, we made a fast getaway to get home and changed before our Cub Scout end-of-year party and parent meeting.  One of the parents had graciously volunteered to host a swim party for all the boys and their families.  With a den as large as ours, that can be quite an overwhelming number!  But we had a great turnout and the kids all had fun!

By the time the party was over and we were headed home, it was around 8:00.  Trey and I had been gone since about 7:45 that morning!  And there were still baths to do, stories to read, and prayers to say.  And I needed time to prepare for Sunday morning worship with my preschool friends.

Yeah, maybe this whole “busy” thing is overrated.

Ahoy, there, mateys!  ‘Tis I, the Dread Pirate Debily, and I’m here to tell ye landlubbers about my adventures with the scurvy young lads of Pack 303.

‘Twas their great “Graduation Campout” of ’09, and the weather had been a-fright all week.  Stormin’, and thunderin’ I tell ye.  But those scalliwags they set a course for adventure and fun and pitched their tents right beside me ol’ pirate ship at Camp Wisdom.  ‘Twas fine sailin’ weather after all, and the lads brought the wee’uns and the old’uns to share the adventure.

‘Twas midafternoon when the seadogs turned sour and we found ourselves in the midst of a fierce battle between the Tigers and Wolves, Bears and Webelos.  There was a’splashin of the water balloons, and a’hurlin’ of the water, and the leaders were a’fightin’ to stay dry.

The fightin’ was fierce, and the scalliwags were everywhere.  But the leaders fought bravely, aye, they did.

Aye, our cubmaster was a’lookin’ a lot like Cap’n Morgan.

The seas between the ships became afoul but those lads fought through the mud.  Tough little buggers, I tell ye.

Then it was time for the eatin’.  Aye, we were feastin’ like royalty on hot dogs and macaroni and cheese.

Those lads donned their Class A uniforms for the crossin’ over ceremony.  No more piratin’ for them.

They were a’showin’ their Bear badges for the last time.  ‘Tis time to walk the plank, mateys, and cross over to Webelos!

The lads journeyed to the circle where the crossin’ over was to be.  The mosquitoes were thick, but those hearty boys just made the best of it.

And then it was time to walk the plank!  The lads, they lined up and took their paces.  The parents lashed the scalliwags with the new neckerchief and shiver me timbers!  They were Webelos.

Mighty Scorpion Patrol, ready for action!

You remember back in October when I bragged on Trey for selling so much popcorn?  And how he was the #2 seller – for the second year in a row – in our pack?

Well, apparently Circle 10 Council noticed, too.  And because of his efforts, Trey won a day of fun at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco.  It was a day full of activities, beginning with a tour of the stadium which – although we couldn’t hear a word of it – was still enjoyable since we had access to suites and all the amenities.  There were kid-friendly games and fun on the mezzanine level, including bounce houses, a hula hoop contest, games, and giveaways – all with a live Radio Disney remote broadcast.  We were treated to – of all things – a PIZZA party, which – ironically enough – was delayed while we waited for the pizza to be delivered.  Let that one sink in for a minute.  We enjoyed visiting with scouts from other packs and troops in the Circle 10 Council and watched our very first professional soccer game.  Though FC Dallas lost 2-0 to Chivas USA, it was a great experience and we loved watching all the pomp, pageantry, and excitement of the world’s most popular sport.

The only problem with the day was that I came to the park with a sweet little boy, but left with a creature quite different.  Trey went through an amazing transformation in the few hours we were there.  Take a look at his amazing metamorphosis….

It all started innocently enough.  Just a boy and his patches.

Then his face started to turn blue…

And eyes magically appeared on his forehead…

These were no ordinary eyes.  They were scary, red, glowing eyes…

And then he grew fangs…

And scales…

And a mean, mean face.

But underneath it all, he’s still that same sweet, fun, happy popcorn-selling scout!