This past weekend we were pretty much booked solid. Did not see Home Sweet Home very much. It was sad. cuz I like my Home!
Anyways, we did some community service down at The Cathedral of the Madeleine in beautiful downtown SLC. The Boys were down in the basement serving Cookies and Punch to the Church go’ers. (I ate 5 cookies, eek !) They did a great Job, so I didnt worry about not getting any additional family health insurance for this project.
We did this both Saturday and Sunday. The Cathedral has services like every hour I swear. We were pretty busy. Afterwards the boys played a little outside. The weather was a tad dark and gloomy, but we had a good time nontheless.

Today I am pretty happy.
Sometimes I get extremely cheery when I know others are having a bad day; I know – this is not a good thing, but sometimes I feel SO lucky that I am Not Them, that it just makes me very happy, so happy that I want to turn on some emergency lights and tell the world! For example:

Yes, this is in regards to Scouts, heeheehee. and the Dual Registration issue. I wanted to clarify w/the Commitee Chair that we would not get kicked out of Troop #1 if we joined Troop #2. Here is some snippets of the email I received:

Troop # _ will accept the mostly unheard of “dual registration.” However, be advised of
several things.
1. A Scout will not move forward in rank and towards Eagle in this troop if he is not fully a part of this troop and patrol. This includes actively participating and attending the troop meetings, activities, campouts, leadership, district and council
events, etc.
2. A Scout will have to pick which troop he is going to work through on his merit badges . . .
3. We . . . must be told the other troop number.
4. No approval is needed, just the agreement what is outlined here.
You asked “if it will affect the quality of the boys Scouting adventure if he does choose dual registration.” I believe it most definitely will! As you know, the Patrol Method is a foundation of Scouting. A patrol works together, learns together, camps and does activities together, relies on each other, performs leadership skills with each other, and gets to know each other. A Boy Scout patrol is like a basketball team. They work together to accomplish a goal. They get to know each other so they can work together better. Let’s say one of the team players decides he wants to play on the other team because they are going to win, or it looks like they are having more fun. What does that do to the original team? It leaves an empty spot and the team flounders. They won’t
trust him nor depend on him any longer. The “new” team doesn’t know if the player is going to be around for the season or just one game. It creates confusion. So you see, if a Scout isn’t doing his part of the Patrol Method, his Scouting quality will most definitely be affected.

I was ROFL when I read this! I wont really get into it, but my son has thee most MB is this Troop, he participates in every activity except camping (which is another long story for another time) and is one of 3 of the Highets Ranking boys in the troop. Totally cracks me up. The person that wrote this has no life and I do feel sorry for her, but that is her choice! I on the other hand, have a terrific life and after reading her message I am even more thankful to be living life in my shoes.

Now that the New Year has started we are once again back into Scouts. Our first meeting with Troop # 1, was a simple Court of Honor. Only 3 kids Rank Advanced and mine was one of them. He actualy ranked up in October, but this was the formal presentation. It was small, simple, yet very nice, little gathering. They used a little office furniture as it took place in a small room in the Church. My kiddo Ranked up to Life. He has 20 Merit Badges and he has worked very hard to earn every one of them. I am a Proud Mom.
We are still doing the Duel registration and Troop # 2 is working on their Electricity MB. I hear he is having a good time in this troop too (this is the mellow one) and, he still wants to do both troops! I am very comfortable w/this troop (unlike the other one) so I just drop him off and pick him up and never stick around, ha!
Anyways, We are both tired today. It is our first Stay At Home night all week. ugh. I really need this weekend!
XO

Well we just got back from a lovely Scout meeting. I just have to stop going to these things as I get way too stressed out! This time tho, I didnt really have a choice as I had to turn in all the Treasurers stuff as I resigned from being Troop Treasurer.
My son really likes the boys in the Troop. However, thats about the only thing he likes. I wont really get into it, but they do such lame stuff in their meetings that in my opinion, are a waste of ‘my’ time. He wont leave the Troop either. His best of all best friends, lets call him “M” is in the Troop. My Son and M have been together since the beginning of time, I swear, and he is a great kid too, so I totally understand him not wanting to leave the Troop.

K, next step. We, okay, I have been looking into different Troops and to make a long story a little shorter, We have been invited to join another Troop! This Troop is just starting, new kids, new everything. My son would be ASPL and be a major leader/teacher in this new Troop. He knows the boys there and are good friends w/them as well. So I think, wow, this is great! a new Troop, no stress, close to home, great friends . . . lets switch Troops! but nooooo my son wont leave the current Troop. Okay, fine, so I think, since he likes both Troops so much, lets do them both! The BSA does have wants called Duel Registration, where a boy can be in two Troops at the same time. Its kinda like if us adults would have two home based business‘. No biggie, right?
So I bring this up to the Advancement Chair on the first Troop and she pretty much freaks out: Why does he want to do both? is he not happy here? does he not like it here anymore? does he not want the structure of this troop? does he want to be a slacker and pick and choose the fun meetings in each Troop and bounch back and forth? She did not really say that last comment flat out, but thats what she meant and we both know it! ugh. She had me cornered and I did not expect that, so did not have any suave comebacks. errr.
Anyways, today then, I email the Commitee Chair and she basicly asks, What is the benifits of being in two troops and why would someone what to do that!? good gosh. We KNOW it would be twice the work, twice the time and twice everything: is that so hard to understand?! that a boy would actually WANT to do that !? I think it is very admirable that my son would want to be in two Troops. I am very proud of him. He is a great kid.
So we have a lot of things to think about. I just know that I am not happy in the current Troop, but I also know that really does not matter one tidbit! So its up to my kiddo. Whatever he decides is good with me. *sigh*

I think I am done ranting and raving now. sheesh.
XO

Today I am home, took the day off work. I have opened all the windows to air out the place. However, it is still very cold outside, but right now I need the fresh air more than I need warmth.
We have been so busy this week; yesterday was our only night home and then the kiddo and I did gobbs of homework. Tonight we are off again, this time for a Eagle Scout Mentoring meeting.
I personaly, want out of this BSA troop we are in. I am fed up w/all the parents. I dont fit in with them and I dont like most of them! But I am staying involved because of my son, he really likes some of the kids there. The kids in the Troop are great and I love every one of them; its just their parents that I dont care for. So yesterday I resigned as Treasurer. I cannot take it anymore. They spend money like it grows on trees and I want no part of it anymore. Okay, so its not MY money, its the Troops money, but I dont like to associate w/people that manage their funds that way. It drives me crazy, which I know I should not care a whit! but I do care, and the only way to get away from it all (cuz talking about it with the committee didnt work) and start Not Caring, is to quit. So I did! and ya know, I have no more stress! it is very nice. This week has been too stressfull all around and this will just make it better.
I need to take better care of myself anyways. So I am. Starting Today. so HA !

Wednesday Morning. Oh. Joy.
My eyes seem to be sticking together. I think I need to clean my contacts or get to bed earlier.
I am still a tad upset about last night at Scouts. They held their monthly Board of Review. This time there were four adults drilling these poor kids. I mean really people, these kids are 13 and under! I swear its worse than a job interview. (they say that is what they are teaching these kids, how to perform in a job interview and learn life skills) I say it again, they are only 13 years old ! They are still kids, not some robot trying to advance in life; they are just tying to make it thru each day as a teenager.
Anyways, needless to say, my son did not Rank Advance to Life. We knew that he would not, because the board failed the two previous kids as well and those kids are SPL (Senior Patrol Leader, as in, he leads the entire troop!) and ASPL. What-Ever.

We had our lovely Commitee meeting for Scouts yesterday. I happen to be the Treasurer and am in charge of the checkbook/monies. I dont think most of the people like me very much as I am always complaining that the leaders spend too much money. We figure that our budget will be approx $10K for the year. Get this: right now we have $1500, ha! We are not sponsered by the Mormon church cuz we are non-denominational, meaning we are a mix of everything, so we get no money from the Church. We have to earn it all ourselves. Personally, I think that is better than getting the funds handed on a silverplater and given to the Troop just for the sole reason the member are LDS.
Anyways, we have a lot of fundraising to do if our Troop wants to camp and what-not. But we have new people and they have new ideas so I think it just might work! All in All, it was a good meeting yesterday (surprise surprise).

Yesterday a few of us Parents had Board Of Review training for Scouts. It was a very good training session, but I just don’t agree w/some of the rule the BSA has. Of course, it is mostly the religous stuff. When the Boys ‘rank up’, they get reviewed by a groug of Parents; its like a interview. They ask the boys tons of stuff, like . . . what Leadership qualities they have and give examples, are they living the ’scout spirit’, and what they do in thier daily life to support their ‘duty to God’. This is where it gets tricky. According to BSA, a Scouts HAS to believe in a higher entity, spirit, God, or whatever you want to call it, in order to be a Scout. Well ! Me and my son, um, dont realy believe much in what we cant see or touch, we dont go to church as we sure as hell dont believe in any type of ‘higher entity’. I believe that we make and control our own lives, there is no one else but ME that makes my decision, runs my life or leads me in a certain direction; I take full responsibilty for my life.

Anyways . . . So now if my son wants to rank up in scouts to a Life, we will need to figure out a way to say what the Board wants to hear about God and religion, and to tell the truth, but do it in a sneaky way as to not incriminate ourself and flunk the Review! eGads,that one is going to take me a while; figuring out how to word the correct answer to: How, or What, do you do to support your Duty to God?

Originally Posted Aug26 2:11pm

Okay, we get this very nice invitation to attend a Eagle Scout Court of Honor from one of my sons friends. This is thee highest rank a Scout can achieve. So put the invitation aside, and pull it out like 15 minutes before we are to leave. However, get this, there is no fetchin’ address on the invitation! All is says is Butler West Stake Center. OMG. Like where the heck is that!? I know it is a Mormon Church, but do you know how many Mormon churches are in Salt Lake City !? Every other corner, sheesh. So I start searching on line to find the dang thing, but can find no listing of Mormon Church address anywhere, I have been doing this for at least 30 minutes now and its too late to go. I thought about calling the kid, but I am sure he was at the church way before hand, so that is point is moot. Good Gosh, I really wanted to go too! I wanted to see what a Eagle Scout COH is all about, and . . . I wanted to see how the Mormons do one. Well now my kiddo has to explain to his friend in school tomorrow why we did not show up.

But it really ticks me off. They just expect everyone to be Mormon and know where each Stake is! Well they should be conciderate and put the damn address on the invitation if they want us Non-Mormons to come. Or – maybe they did that on purpose, so that we would Not show up – ya never know . . .