My son has joined the cub scouts. Yes and I can hardly contain myself from taking pictures of anything he does with his uniform on. It's just too bloomin cute!
I remember when my brother joined and did stuff. They would go camping and eat candy and pie in the tent late at night (I never knew about the rain and the treacherous conditions or lame excuses for toilets; a hole in the ground...) and did I mention eating candy late at night? Well, at least you know where my priorities are. Candy. Late at night.
So we signed him right up~candy late at night...life doesn't get any better. My husband goes and buys sub zero "mummy" style sleeping bags for the fifty degrees which constitute the bottom of the temperature scale for us at this time of year. I throw in a bag of cookies and some chex mix (for the tent late at night). and wave good bye.
They get there, park in the right spot but are told it's wrong and hike about a mile and a half to another check point where they are told they don't belong and must hike back down. In the process, they missed the first couple of "functions" and Ben is SURE he has missed badge earning opportunities. Cheech tries to comfort him with "Yeah, but look what we have for our tent...late at night!" It does little good. They barely make it to the correct campsite to set up get the two foot high air mattress blown up ( for safety reasons...don't want creepy crawlies on you late at night: just candy bits) and zoom through lunch JUST in time for? The three mile hike. Yep. Do you know where it goes? To the first place my husband visited and was told he didn't belong. He begins to mutter those first few critical lines of the Boyscout oath: "I promise to do my best. To do my duty...." and then I think it went along the lines of "To not scream and yell. To help those who are unorganized and to eat candy late at night in this tent...and not feel guilty." Amen? Is that what you say at the end?
Well, they walk and walk and WALK. The game they are playing is "pick up trash" Whoever gets the most wins a prize. That's all you have to say to Ben. He is all but bludgeoning the other scouts for their garbage so he can win. When this is over and everyone has hauled their exhausted heinies down the hill (that now feels like Everest) They must prep for dinner: magic chicken. Wanna know the secret? Acme. They ship it in. FABULOUS! I truly love this and laugh my head off. They send over ALL the trimmings too: stuffing, dessert, corn.. My son eats like a king, carb overloads and passes out before nine PM. Poor Bear scout.
Cheech enjoyed the candy...late at night...by himself.
Me? I stayed home, in bed with my daughter. We did our hair, our nails, watched a movie, ate popcorn...but I ate candy late at night....in bed.
I missed my Paul Bunyans. But they had the time of their lives. There are going to be so many story opportunities from this. I can hardly wait.
Hope you join me for the next fun scout adventure: it's the haunted hayride in November...
OHHHHH BOY! Stay tuned !
