Eagle Scout Project Underway...

Josh has been in Boy Scouts since he was little. We've always encouraged him to get his Eagle Scout, a very small percentage of boys achieve that rank and we wanted ours to be one of them. In his younger days, we didn't need to encourage much because he had so much fun going camping, backpacking and learning so many new things. The progression came very easy and then Mer was born...and was sick all the time...as much as we tried not to let it make an impact on his life, it did. Everything else in life slowed down and the focus was on Meredith and her constant illness, doctor's appointments, hospital admissions, tests and surgeries. Marc's involvement in Scouts was reduced and that had an impact on Josh's involvement as well.

Marc had been the advancement chairmen until the troop decided they didn't want him to hold that position anymore and sent him a short, curt email to let him know. He kept everything up to date, nothing was behind but they had made a decision without ever calling or talking to my husband. That also impacted Josh.

Josh all but stopped his involvement with the troop for about two years...he started high school, marching band, harder academic classes...his life was progressing as expected. He did, however, continue to staff Golden Acorn (a leadership training course) for those two years...which kept a foot in the door of Scouting. He loved and learned so much from GA, it was for him...a true life skill learning course...not so much when he was a participant but when he went back and was on staff.

He tried going back to the troop a couple of times but they wouldn't include him in the "inner circle" of the troop. One particular adult would not speak to him and even now that he's back in the troop and has been there on a regular basis for a while...that man still doesn't speak to him. Looks right at him and doesn't speak. This man holds a position in the troop...I personally think he doesn't want Josh there and doesn't want him to get his Eagle.

Soooooo...Josh has always wanted to do an Eagle Project that would mean something more than building a birdhouse, painting a wall or other things you might read in the paper. He wants to be able to tell his children that he did a project that really meant something to both him and the organization it's benefiting.

He decided to do his project for New Beginnings Center, a domestic violence shelter in our town. After contacting many stores and getting a lot of No's...Walmart allowed him to set up tables outside their store and solicit for personal care items and cash donations.

This past Saturday he collected over $1,000.00 in cash donations...in addition there were over 500 personal care items donated.

We couldn't be prouder...despite the obstacles, he's standing strong and soaring towards his Eagle.

I'm the Boss...I'm the Boss!

Ok, so I posted about liking the quiet time and here's what I'm pondering this morning.

I have a lovely, sweet daughter...will be five this year. I also have a great teenage son, who will be 16 this year.

Teenage son takes sweet daughter on a walk yesterday and by the time they got home she had fallen out of two swings...swings that aren't even ours. He puts her in swings that people have in their front yards, does he go to the front door and ask if it's ok to use the swing...Nooooooooo...they are just happy as larks to use the swing. Does he test the swing to see if it's sturdy...I doubt it, haven't asked because I'm afraid of the answer he'll come up with. I cringe and envision someone coming out of a house with a bat or something to shoo them away but that hasn't happened as of yet...I'm still holding my breath.

So yesterday she falls out of two different swings...hey, if they try out one and no one shoo's them along then why not more...and then I hear her out playing, he's with her so I didn't give it another thought. He comes in to show me this little movie he's taken of her while outside...he was so proud, laughing, saying it was great.

He shows it to me and I get to see my sweet daughter who is still four, outside beating an ant pile with a stick and he's telling her to say, "I'm the boss, I'm the boss" over and over again as she's beating the ant pile. I'm watching, he's laughing saying...isn't that great Mom...and as I'm sitting in my chair watching, I'm just really shocked at what I'm seeing.

This is my teenager teaching my sweet daughter to beat things and say, "I'm the boss, I'm the boss". Where does he come up with this stuff, he's not like that at all.

She starts kindergarten this fall and I envision her beating some poor little girl or boy who's been mean to her on the playgroung saying, "I'm the boss, I'm the boss". I further envision that it's ***Me*** that will be called to the school to explain where she might have learned such a thing...at which point I will go to the high school and get my teenage son to bring him to explain where she learned such behavior.

I mean really, I can see it now...the principal and teachers wondering if this child's mother is at home dressed in leather, with chains, leather boots and whips...doing things...yes, those types of things...the type's of things you're thinking right now, with her husband and yelling, "I'm the boss, I'm the boss."

Leaves me wondering...did teenager hear something ;)

Sanity Time in the Early A.M.

It's early here and I'm the only one awake.

I truly relish this time. I can remember when I couldn't wait for dh to wake up so I could "chat" with him about whatever might be running through my head at the time but times have changed and now I love my peace and quiet time.

I can get ready for when Mer wakes up. She talks from the second she wakes up until she passes out in her bed at night. Every second of every day. She has a leapster and that's helped a bit, I get short breaks from the talking while she's playing with that.

I can remember my mom talking a lot when I was young, I know that I run my mouth a lot, especially when I feel good...my dad used to say he was exhausted listening to me. These days he says things like, "I can remember when your mom talked that much, thank God she doesn't anymore."

Kind of ironic actually because I can remember he liked his quiet time in the mornings, he would get his coffee, send Dancer (gorgeous yellow lab) out to get the paper and then sit in his recliner and do the daily crossword while drinking his coffee and trying to relish in the quiet of the morning.

It's ironic in the sense that I used to hate being quiet in the mornings and now I like it. I doubt he would believe that, even now that I'm older but I really do enjoy the peace.

Seeing the sun come up, hearing the birds sing, the dew on the grass, trees and flowers, having time to ponder over things, giving Mer a hug when she gets up...all things that I like about my early morning quiet time.

I wonder if my Dad likes some of the same things about his early morning time, I'll have to ask him.

I don't really know why I've been an absent blogger of late...ok, maybe I really do know and have been fighting with myself about what I can or will post.

There became a time when I wanted to post about some topics but I wasn't sure how people would respond, especially those in my extended family. The more I thought about it, the more conflicted I became and then I just stopped posting.

I'm going to push myself beyond my concerns and get back to blogging. It was a great outlet for me and I need to have an outlet...after all, I'm always looking for my ever...just out of reach...sanity ;)