Cub Scout Fun

This week at Cub Scouts was a continuation of last weeks Bobcat Badge theme.  Kelley and I made Popsicle stick puzzles for the Cubs to do with their adult partners and we got a little more participation out of the adults this time around.

 Each Cub got a baggie that contained 8 Popsicle sticks and a piece of construction paper.  Each Popsicle stick had a line from either the Cub Scout Promise or the Law of the Pack on it.

 The boys had their puzzles done in about 10 minutes and then we let them dry during the remainder of the meeting.

Aiden and Landon were nice enough to let me take pictures of their puzzles when they were done.  All of the boys were excited to get to take home their projects and I am hoping that their adult partners will hang them in their rooms so they can see and practice the hardest two parts of the Bobcat requirements.  



After we got done with our puzzles, we moved out to the courtyard and did a balloon pop game.  Each balloon had a Bobcat requirement inside and the boys had to read the requirement when they popped their balloon.  The reading was Not their favorite part, but it gave them some much needed practice.  I am really hoping that they will each work on these things at least a little over the next week and we will be able to All earn Bobcat Badges and Tiger Cub Immediate Recognition emblems after next weeks meeting.

I have also gotten started on the Family Scrapbook project for the first Tiger Trail achievement and I am working on getting the pieces together for the puppet elective, too. So we will have even more fun pictures to share in the coming weeks.

Art Appreciation Time with a building project thrown in for good measure ;)

I reorganized my art closet today and found some art that the kids have done over the years that I really enjoyed....

 Aiden made this in Kindergarten... I especially loved the snowman peeking out from behind the winter tree and the bee above the spring tree...

 This was Aiden's Hand Turkey from last year....

His Iguana that is now proudly displayed on his wall...

His Family portrait, including Mom, Dad, Aiden, the girls, Gus dog, Bastian and Tiger Butt (the cats)! 

 This dog and lizard were actually part of the same painting, but I thought they were great for a 5-year-old.

 We did make it to the Lowe's Build and Grow workshop on Saturday and though it was a more complicated project this time, we still made it out with three new firetrucks with movable ladders and new badges for their aprons.

The girls have also been working on some new artwork... 

 Painting is one of their favorite things to do.  Usually I just let them free paint on large blank pages, but this time I drew things for them to paint.

 Emma had done a really cute face (eyes, nose mouth) and then she tried to fill in behind them.  When she realized she messed up her picture she broke down into tears, so I helped her fix it and added some curly hair for her.

 Then I let them free paint some more... They also really love to paint themselves... This was one of the good free paint pictures from this week! 

"All about that Bass" vs. "I just need some space"

I started hearing "All about that Bass" on the radio a few weeks ago and I loved it.  It's got a quirky fun beat and in no time the hubby was showing me the video....and it makes the song even more fabulous.  I love everything from the preppy guy that looks like a man sized "Ken" doll to the other guy that was dancing around enjoying life and having a lot more fun.  

Then just a few days ago I saw this parody remake called "I just need some space."  Again it's got that awesome funky upbeat music, but this time the lyrics have been switched up and express a parent's need of "space."  I can soooo relate to most of the things in this song and my oldest is only 6.

I can't decide which song I like best...What do y'all think?

Lowe's Build and Grow reminder

Don't Forget to register your kids for the next Lowe's Build and Grow clinic for Saturday, September 27, 2014 @ 10 a.m.

Product Review Time: #Smiley360.com Chapstick dual-ended hydration mission

 I received a free sample of the new ChapStick dual-ended hydration lock from Smiley360 in exchange for my honest opinion of this product.  I also received 5 printed coupons to share with my friends and family locally plus a link to a printable coupon that I can share with everyone.

My lipped are typically slightly chapped so I was excited when I qualified for the ChapStick mission on Smiley360.com.  I have tried all sorts of lip balms and usually I am disappointed by having lips that were peeling more after I treat them than they were before I did anything at all. I have been using the ChapStick dual-ended hydration lock for about a week now and unfortunately for me it has had the same effect as most other chapsticks do, making my lips peel as soon as it starts to wear off.  I have used both ends of this new lip balm, individually and together to see how the results differed.  When I initially apply the ChapStick the product is very soothing and makes my lips feel very soft, but those nice effects only seem to last for 10-15 minutes, before my lips feel like they need another application.  I was really hoping this products effects would have been longer lasting, but at least the effects are nice.  

 As you can probably tell, these are "selfies" and I have not mastered the art of self photography, but I did want you all to be able to see the product and me applying it, so you would know for sure that I did try it out!  Overall I would give this product a 3 out of 5 stars.  It doesn't work any better or worse for me than similar products I have tried, but I did like having two varieties in one shot.  I do think it works better if the Moisturize and Renew are used alternately, but I will still be searching for a product to moisturize my lips without making them peel.

Our Cub Scout meeting was a success!!!

To help keep the pack organized I created a Code of Conduct Board that the boys helped to put together.  They seemed to have fun matching the rules with the corresponding pictures and then gluing them to our board.  I also had all of the boys put their name on a behavior tracker and once they get 10 stickers they get a slip-knot bracelet.  They really liked the idea of getting a bracelet and I am hoping that this is going to motivate them to be good.  My assistant Den Leader and I seem to have the wildest two in the bunch, so it's probably good that we are taking the lead, but we are doing so well that we may inherit Tiger Den 1 too if we're not careful.  Hey, the more the merrier, right?

We even have a couple "honorary" Tigers that are more than happy to get to participate with their big brothers.

 We could have played the "Bobcat Dice Roll Game" for a little longer tonight, but we had to wrap up for the night.  The boys really seemed to enjoy that game so I think we are going to play that again next week and I have a couple more games up my sleeve. 

Tomorrow is Regional Park day for a few of the boys after school and that will give me some extra time to talk to our Assistant Den Leader and start planning for next week.  I did have a chance to talk to a couple of the parents for Tiger Den 2 tonight which was nice, I hope to have a little more time to get to know all of them and get them a little more involved too.  The ones I got to talk to said they thought the meeting went well, so I must be doing something right. :)

Stay tuned tomorrow for a blog post review and then we will be back to Cub Scouts in full swing I am sure. :)

Tiger Den Mother-to-Be?

 I want Aiden's Cub Scout experience to be awesome so that he stays interested and excited about being a Tiger Scout.   So, I have been working very hard for the past week to get my online courses taken so that I qualify to be an Adult leader.  Now that I am qualified... Now what? ... Now for the fun stuff!  I have been all over Pinterest and Den Mother Blogs, collecting information and resources as I go. Here is all the stuff I collected on Pinterest (you can even follow me to keep updated when I add things).  I got great meeting ideas, ideas for games, ideas to get the other parents involved.... And I pinned and pinned and pinned away to my hearts content.... Some things I put in my Cub Scout board and others I picked up and put in my other holiday boards.  Then I set to work trying to come up with an agenda for our next meeting and I think I have everything ready to go.... 

Our Pack had gotten quite small about the time baseball season came around last school year. So, needless to say, we are lacking leaders and organization.  I volunteered to help do what I can and so far I seem to have been given the lead role for our Den, plus tracking achievements for the Den.  I am still a little in "awe" of this role, but I have embraced it and even asked one of the other Den Mother's to be an assistant for me.  (From what I have read we need to ask the other parents if anyone else wants the role and if no one does than the jobs will be ours, if they do I guess we put it up for a vote.)) 

For our upcoming Den meeting I have created an agenda for the Den portion of the meeting (our Pack meets weekly with individual Den meetings after the opening ceremony).  I have also made a Bobcat poster with help from my Tiger Cub for use at the meeting and during some of our games.  I created a Den "Code of Conduct" board to award good behavior at each meeting, with rules and corresponding pictures that the boys can choose to add to our board ( I think I made a few more than will fit on our board, but we'll see, plus if a few get left off the boys will feel more like they are setting the rules).  Along the side of the board there is a section for cloths pins that have each Cub's name on them to track their behavior, I need to talk to the other parents, but I was thinking that if the Cub had to be spoken to more than once about their behavior they would be moved from green to yellow and their adult partner would pull them to the side for a 5 minute time out, if they have to be spoken to again they will move to red and they will sit out for 10 minutes or until the conclusion of the Den portion of the meeting and their adult partner will discuss with them why their behavior was unacceptable for the Den meeting.  I am hopeful that the boys will embrace our rules and follow them without too much trouble since they were involved in putting them together.

For our games we have the first character connection to get through and we have a "Say the Truth" Game and a "Bobcat Dice Roll"  

 Tomorrow nights meeting will also include a visit from our "Popcorn Kernel."  She will be going over the ins and outs of the popcorn fund raiser that we are doing and getting the boys amped up and ready to sell, sell, sell!!!  Aiden has got a little start on his sales with 3 under his belt so far.  His goal is 30 sales so that he can earn a special sales badge, really he wants to sell like $3000 worth to get all the really awesome prizes, but I think we will be lucky to get to 30. I hope it's not too hard to settle the boys back down after that presentation...LoL....

I have been enjoying what I have been able to put together for the Den so far and I think this is going to be a really fun year!  I have sent my meeting reminder e-mails out for Tiger Den 2.  All I need to do now is find my leader's bag to put all my supplies in and load the car before the meeting and we will be all set.

This is a mash up from Wednesday to today!

Monday = CraZy Sock Day!!!

Tuesday = CraZy Hair Day!!!

Wednesday = Sports Team Support Day!!!

Thursday = CraZy Hat Day!!!

Friday = Remember to wear your Walk-a-thon shirts!!!

Aiden proudly wore his Tiger Cub hat for CraZy Hat Day at school.  He was very responsible and it came home just as nice as it was when he left.
Our neighbor Janie was nice enough to come over and watch the girls for about an hour and a half so I could go to City Park for the Walk-a-Thon.  Although I did see a lot of running going on....LoL...

 I loved the "Minion" theme for the Walk-a-Thon, the shirts turned out super cute!

 We walked and ran and jogged for 30 whole minutes.  There were tables set-up with water bottles for all the kids, labeled so the kids knew which one was theirs.  Aiden was super red by the end of the 30 minutes, but he completed 21 laps (I think) and raised $72.50 for his school.  I am Very Proud of Aiden!

This morning we went out to the Imagination Library Festival at Mayfield Farm.  We got to check out the giant slides, the popcorn popper, and the giant tire swings.  There was a nice ceremony and kids from Ingleside singing too.

Aiden was brave enough to go on the really big slide with his Daddy... Emma thought about it and then went back to the smaller slides on the other side of the hill.

All of the kids got a bag with goodies in it and Aiden had to have his picture taken with the corn before we left.

If Goodwill doesn't have what you are looking for in a Halloween costume, make The Dollar Store your next stop.  They have ninja, knight, FBI, disguise glasses and much more.  Even if you bought 10 items to create your look it's still a great deal!!!  Aiden and I actually stopped in today to get some supplies for our next Cub Scout meeting.  I found a couple of games to play and wanted to make a Bobcat Badge poster, but we needed a couple of things. One of our games required a large die.  I had found an article suggesting making one out of cardboard, but hey when they are 2/$1 I say that is thrifty enough.  We did buy a package of round stickers to accent the die with to make them easier to read, but these will come in handy in the future too, I am sure.  Aiden was more than happy to help and he put the stickers on both die for me.  We also needed a Bobcat reference board for our game.  At first Aiden was resistant to help, but once he saw I had the stick glue out and he found some glitter to add, it was on and he was having fun.  I am hoping the games we play on Tuesday are a hit and we can ge the den past the Bobcat badge so we can move on to the more fun Tiger Trail achievements. 

I'm so sad :(

This blog post will be a little different than my usual ones....since my hard drive crashed today :( and it is not nearly as easy to type or insert pictures on my tablet..... Sooooo....Today was a big day at work for Josh, he had his physical and drug test to get his permanant position secured.... Now we just have to see if they can get his results back by tomorrow so he can start orientation on Monday..... if not they are talking about moving him into the same position as a temp until the next orientation comes along..... I'll take it either way we can get it..... Aiden wore his Tiger Cub hat for spirit week and tomorrow he will participate in the walk-a-thon!!! He is very excited and says "Thank you" to everyone that is sponsoring him!  The girls rashes are no worse, but no better....I guess I will keep up their treatment for the next 2 or 3 days and take them back to the Dr. If they are still showing no improvement.....I am thankful that I am still able to do some of the tasks for my assistant job from my tablet until I can get my computer fixed or take over Josh's PC.  Til next time :)

Spirit week continues for Aiden :) and a rash ensues for the girls :(

Monday = CraZy Sock Day!!!

Tuesday = CraZy Hair Day!!!

Wednesday = Sports Team Support Day!!!

Thursday = CraZy Hat Day!!!

Friday = Remember to wear your Walk-a-thon shirts!!!

Let's Go Hokies! Let's Go!

In other news today, the girls missed their first day of school.  About a week ago I noticed small blister like bumps around their elbows.  A couple of days ago Emma started to look like she had 5-7 bug bites on her one arm.  Today at bath time Emma was almost covered from her elbow to her shoulder on the top of both arms in red bumps that looked like bug bites.  After seeing her 5-7 bites on Monday I had treated their room with bug spray while they were at school.  So, I didn't think it was bugs anymore.  Plus, Isabella still had bumps around her elbows. I called the Dr's office and got them an appointment and called Head Start to let them know they would be out today, which did not go over well with the girls at all.  The Dr thinks Emma is having an allergic reaction to one of the soaps we use and thinks both girls have slight eczema. So we are going to try some hydro-cortisone on both of them and add in some prednezone(I know that's not spelled right) for Emma and we shall see if this clears up.  They are anxious to go back to school tomorrow so they are really very happy that the Dr said it's OK.

Aiden is so excited about Cub Scouts that he wants to wear his Tiger Cub cap to school for CraZy Hat Day "cause it can be any type of hat, Mom, and I really like my Tiger Cub hat.... Can I please wear it?"  We put his name in a secret place inside his hat and explained to him that he has to be very responsible with his hat and not let anything bad to happen to it.  Plus, he has to make sure he doesn't lose it.  He agreed to be super responsible, so it looks like I will be delivering a proud Cub Scout to school in the morning.  Aiden is also getting geared up for the Walk-a-thon on Friday and super thankful for the sponsors he has secured.  Thank you to everyone that has already pledged to support him!  Anyone else that would like to sponsor him, just let me know by Thursday night so you can be added to his pledge sheet in time.