I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but I just feel like I need to do it. I don't believe in airing out your grievances on FB or posting your most personal moments for the world to see, but this is my world here and I feel the need to share.
My son smokes pot. There, I said it. It's ugly and embarrassing and disappointing, but it's my reality right now. He's had issues in the past that we thought were behind us and apparently are not. Lately there have been several situations that just didn't make sense to me. I wasn't convinced we were going down this road again, but I knew things weren't right. When we got the call from our Bishop that he's had a few reports that he was doing drugs again, I wasn't surprised. Mad, but not surprised.
When we confronted him, he was completely honest and open about the whole thing. Surprisingly calm and casual as he gave us the details of who he did it with, where he got it and his thoughts behind it all. I was not shocked at all with who he had been doing it with. As a mom, you sometimes just know things and I had known things weren't good with this one boy. Anyway, he said they were all "slowly" trying to stop. He liked it because it helps him to "chill". Really, no kid like him needs anymore "chill" in his life. He does nothing. Not a sport or a hobby or job or anything. Barely passing school and nothing from 3 till bedtime. Please tell me what is so stressful in that life that you need help "chilling". We let him know that there would be no tolerance for that and he would have to find somewhere else to live if he wants to continue on in that way. Of course, he says he'll stop. The only problem with that is that he thinks it's totally harmless so the only reason he is stopping is because we said so. I don't see any longevity in that.
After talking to one of the boys mom's, it became clear as to why he was so casual about it. They had done research and determined pot wasn't even actually a drug. Doesn't kill your brain cells or anything, totally harmless. The government even says it's safe, it's legal in many places after all. And of course, he's different then all those other people who get hooked on drugs. Not going to happen to him. Sickening I tell ya.
His girlfriends dad invited he and Glade over for a little chat in which he told him to never call her, text her, visit her, etc. He would not tolerate any more. I think I've only ever seen him cry twice in his whole life, and tonight was one of them. Now he's lost his one true love. It was seriously heartbreaking. But don't you see, pot solves all your problems, right?? My prayer is that he is now at rock bottom. It was a little frightening to think how he would handle that, but he's doing pretty well so far. He admits to not having any real feelings about the church, which also isn't shocking. He says he wants to believe, but just can't seem to feel anything. I suggested that maybe it was the filthy music he was listening to, or the friends he was getting high with or even the terrible language he uses that was keeping him from "feeling it".
He has agreed to try to bring himself out of this pit he's dug for himself and clean things up. He made calls to all the friends he was smoking with and told them he was done. He went in, on his own, and talked to his Seminary teacher and told him what was going on and asked for help/advice. He has agreed to meet with the missionaries a couple times a week to really learn what the gospel is about since he's spent the last 14 years sleeping through church. He was even a little excited about that part. I have no idea what his future holds, but at least for now he hasn't completely given up.
As for me, how do I feel about it all? It sucks. I look at most of the other families of the boys involved and you can see how those kids got mixed up in drugs. Not surprising. But what about my family. Are we THAT family? Am I missing something? I know I sound judgmental and maybe I am, but do people hear the news and say "you could see that one coming"? Honestly, I'm just tired and selfish. I don't want to lay awake at night worrying about it. I don't want to wonder what he's doing when he says he has to be somewhere. The natural me wants to lock him in his room and be his parole officer every minute of the day, but I just don't have the energy. I have given him more freedom than I was comfortable with in hopes he would do something good with it. Well, he didn't. Have I taken his freedom away? Nope, not even grounded. It doesn't help. He suggested I take away his debit card, but then he would just steal, just like before. He has always maintained he will get what he wants regardless of what we say or what we do. I was a little bit like that as a teenager my self so I get it. He's right, I can't really stop him. So I'm not making myself crazy about it. We talk, we encourage and we will test. We. Will. Test. If it's positive, it's not going to be pretty. Right down ugly actually. But we will stand firm, no drugs in our home.
There are some people who have to learn from a knock on the head. I'm afraid he might be one of those people. We love him and we have cared for him and taught him and forgiven him and now it's time to let him learn the natural way. I pray it will not come to that, but right now I just don't know. What I know is that we have done everything we know how to do. If he chooses that life, it will not be because he didn't know better. Not because he didn't see people he knew and loved suffer deeply for making those same bad choices. Not because his parents didn't care.. but because he chose it.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Puttin it all out There
Desert Twilight
Not a single picture. *sad face* Last night was the annual Nike Desert Twilight XC race. Because we are a charter school, we weren't allowed to race with the other public schools. So our kids raced in the community race. Kinda stinky, but at least they got to run. The race is huge! They had races starting every 15 min from 4 pm to 9 pm. People come from all over the state and sometimes even neighboring states to run this race. It's a lot of fun to watch all the competition.
This was Brooklyn's first race. She started cross country and has improved so much. She went from running about 20 feet to being able to run 2 1/2 miles without stopping. She is really slow, like really slow, but I'm just so proud of her for sticking with it. She's even lost a little weight. She was able to run with all the other junior high teams for some reason and came in last. BUT, she finished five minutes faster than she had ever run it before. She was just under 20 min for a mile and a half.
Dalin, who is too young to actually be on the team has been running on the treadmill almost everyday after school. He ran 3 miles in 28 min one day. We let him run the community race as well. He was hilarious waiting at the starting line. Many people were running out a ways and coming back to warm up. He began doing that as well. Then we noticed him doing burpees right there on the start line. He was very serious. Then he kind of got bumped off the front line so he went clear to the very end just so he could be in front. Seriously cracking me up. He had a rude awakening about running on land vs. the treadmill though. He had a tough time. Now, he finished in just over 30 min. but he was very disappointed and in tears by the time I got to him at the finish line. He was experiencing that "i'm gonna puke, I can't breathe, maybe I'll pass out" sort of feeling for the first time. I just laughed and hugged him. He took off too fast trying to keep up with Rhett and then was just plain pooped. He said he even fell down from exhaustion while he was running. Apparently he got himself up and kept going, but he was freaked out a little. I assured him everything he was feeling was normal and how great he did. He's very anxious to get on the team.
Rhett surprised us all. I had him come watch some of the older boys at the finish line so he could see how hard they were running and how so many get passed when they think they are good and then someone blows by them right at the finish line. I was a little worried about him because we had been there for so long before he raced and I'm not sure how much candy he ate while we were there. I never even saw him at the start line. I feared he was over by the DJ bustin a move and missed his race. A friend assured me she saw him take off. Well, about 21 min in, we see Rhett coming up the home stretch. No way! He had never finished faster than close to 23:30 this far. He was over 2 minutes faster. He finished at 21:26. This day he looked like a kid who just gave it everything when he crossed the line. That's not been the case this far. I just wanted to grab him and hug him. Well, I actually did.. then I let him catch his breath and walk around a bit. He was really pumped about his time and vowed to never run a 23 again. On our way to the car, the very fastest kids were starting their race and he commented that in a couple of years, that was going to be him. I love it.♥
Glade and I have been running as well. I am just now getting off the treadmill and outside. It's tough. I've been able to get 3 miles but I'm really pooped at that point. I can't decide if I want to shoot for further or faster at this point. I'm pretty slow. Glade is trying to get to 13 miles in the next few weeks to help a friend of ours out in his 100 mile run. I told Stephen and Nick they are going to start training for the Turkey Trot since they have fall break for the next few weeks. Maybe this year we can all run with a purpose instead of just showing up. 2 more months!
Homecoming 2012
Stephen and Nick both asked girls to Homecoming. They were even lucky enough to be in the same group. After a little encouragement, they all agreed to forgo a restaurant and let me do dinner for them here at the house. It was a crazy stressful day and I was gone almost the whole time, but my mom and Whitley came through and got everything decorated so pretty and got the food going while I attended to my other commitments. They were truly heroes for the day! We made a simple meal of steak, potatoes and corn with rolls and cheesecake for dessert. We had one boy who fought us on the whole thing even stating he was afraid I would "mess it up". Well, his date was the one who commented "this is better than a restaurant!". He whispered to Stephen "I underestimated your mom." Thank you.Ü
Leader of the Month
Katy was the first one chosen in her class to be the "leader of the Month". She thought it was just no big deal, but was excited to have a new water bottle AND that it was filled with candy. During her parent/teacher conference, the teacher had nothing but great things to say about her. A friend of mine who works in her class tell me regularly that she's the best one in there. I took all that pretty loosely because they are in kindergarten and most kids are still really great at that age. But apparently, she really is great! Of course, I already knew that. Ü
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Somethin About a Truck
Lately I have been easily irritated by the world. I hate what it says to my family about how things should be. Last night I heard Somethin About a truck and it just really set me off. The entire "story" of this song is how all he needs is a girl in a dress with a beer, a kiss that leads to more and skinny dipping in the creek at 2 am cuz your too drunk to care. Wow. Really? The amount of times I hear the phrase "white tank top and cut off shorts" is bewildering. I know music has most often had questionable messages, but I feel like the message I hear most is "drink a lot and look sexy". I guess there's no question, then, why our daughters are running around showing as much skin as possible. The radio tells them that's what makes a man happy. Then get drunk with him, he's sure to like you! Seriously freaks me out. Maybe I'm just old, I know every generation of parents thinks their kids music is "of the devil". I listen to some of the songs from my youth and am shocked by how naughty they are. I never knew. I think the difference is, is that those songs mostly used a lot of innuendo and made more subtle suggestions. The songs today are blatantly saying very simple, seemingly harmless things, like wear a tank top and short shorts. No big deal there. Now throw in a dance on the tailgate, put a beer to your lips, lean the seat back, and oh my goodness, "blow my whistle"! Aaahhh!! I haven't even gone into the really naughty stuff that's just right in your face, like "boobies like pow pow pow".
Did I mention the fact that this freaks me out? Let me just also add that the music part of these songs are super fun. Of course they are desirable. I've also noticed that our love songs are mostly about sex as well. Oh how I miss the sweet songs about missing your smile, or watching you sleep. Now I just hear, let's just stay home and have sex all day, then you'll know how much I love you. Or, "does it turn you on at all...". Super romantic words there. What happened to love and commitment and romance? Sweetness and innocence?
When my 18 year old daughter reported her first kiss recently, it was met with a little skepticism. No one goes that long without kissing. I think I even heard one mention that by that age, they've all had sex and if they say they haven't, they're lying. It's just common consensus among the world that random sex with whomever is just normal and acceptable. I even read an article that encouraged it so you can experiment with what YOU like. I give total props and a sincere "way to go" to any of those teens who make it through this mess of a world in one piece. Sex and alcohol are not harmless and normal. They are dangerous and life altering. Who's singing about that?
PS, funny post after my recent one about how much I love music Ü
Friday, September 14, 2012
As Good as I Expected
I may have blogged about this before, but the Wildflower Bread Co has a pasta dish called butternut squash ravioli. I had it for the first time last year. I believe I described it as "fall (autumn) in your mouth". The problem is that they only serve it after 3pm. Well, I don't do a lot of things without Glade so it makes going to dinner with my mom a little challenging. We do lunch often, but not dinner. Glade would totally not love eating at the Wildflower Bread Co, so I've waited for just the right opportunity to go and partake of this joyful experience. Glade was out of town for 8 days. So last weekend mom and I planned our outing, but life got in the way and we just couldn't make it work. So tonight, our last chance, we made it happen.
I was a little nervous about my brain making it better than it really was, but nope... my very first bite I think my eyes rolled to the back of my head in sheer pleasure. Exactly as wonderful as I had remembered. The only problem was when there was only one little bite left. What was I to do??? I ate it.. sadly.. with a vow that I would be back. Or I would find a recipe, but that's highly unlikely. It's in this nutty sauce with a bit of nutmeg.. oh man.. pure Heaven. Glade may just have to suck it up and go with me next time.
After we ate, we still had about an hour to kill so we jaunted over to Hobby Lobby. Seriously, that, right after "fall in your mouth". Someone pinch me. There was this beautiful Christmas tree, only it wasn't a Christmas tree, it was a FALL tree. My mind was reeling with the possibilities! My tree up for 2 whole months! Oh man, this could be bad.
It would have ended as a perfect night when we found the perfect ruffle for my curtains AND a coupon to buy it with, but the lady refused to cut it for us because it was 8:00. Seriously, you are telling me I can't purchase something?? Unbelievable. I guess I'll go buy it at JoAnn's. But once I got over that, I enjoyed my long drive home with the windows down. No, not because it was so nice out. My A/C has been out all week. Hair. A. Mess. But whatever!! Awesome night with my Mom and my hubby coming home any minute. Life is good. ♥
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Music makes MY world go round
I love music. Lots of music. All kinds of music. Well, not all kinds, but most. I can fit a song to whatever I'm doing. Today music helped me run. That's the case most of the time. I ran two whole miles without stopping today. Slowly, but I still did it. Then I finished with a "sprint" quarter mile. I always have to find a song I know will get me through. One day it was Let it Rock. That's right "because when I arrive, I I'll bring the fire..". If we're thinking of fire, there's always Fire from Camp Rock "I'll be bringing you the fire..gonna light it up.." Speaking of Camp Rock, It's On says "Show me show me show me show me show what you got, Come on come on come on come on ready or not". Today as I ran my "sprint", it was all about Imma Be and guess what, Imma was!! Seriously, it doesn't matter the song, I can make it fit. Running brings out the beast in me, full confidence. I like to wake Whitley up with the sweet hymn "wake up! and do something more.. than lay in your bed all day". Yep I change 'em to fit what I'm doing. Call the kids to dinner with the always favorite "dinner time! dinner time! Din-ner time. D I N NER Dinner dinner time, hey!!" In giving encouragement to my children I like to sing the wise words of Hannah Montana "life's what you make it, so let's make it rock!" or "We're all in this together" from HSM. The list goes on and on.
I can't even imagine what kind of dreamy fog my life would be if music broke out at all the right moments like it does in the movies. How awesome would that be?? I can almost not leave my house without singing "Gotta go but I'll be back soon" from Oliver. If I even hear 3 notes from "Arms of the Angel" I just have to go watch that movie!! Don't even get me started on the many songs I get mushy about relating to Glade. ♥ Or Christmas music!! Then's there's all the great church music. There is truly a song for everything!
Monday, September 10, 2012
I had a dream...
My mom's dad, Grandpa Manary, passed away when I was only 17. I was never super close to him and have only a few memories of him. We spent the night at their house often and what I remember most is 1) him hacking up a lung first thing in the morning as he was having his coffee and breakfast very early in the morning (he smoked like a chimney) 2) he always slipped us these little pink mint candies under the table and 3) he had a little farm we could go to and pick berries. That's about it.
Last night I had a dream about Grandpa. In my dream he had a very special and expensive arrow, a flaming arrow, that he LOVED. We all knew he loved that arrow. Well, some guy came and asked him to give up his arrow so this guy could shoot it on a specific date. He promised grandpa that if he let him have it, all his family's physical ailments would be healed by the following Monday. So grandpa gave up the arrow but didn't tell anyone. When I found out what he had done, I gave him the biggest kiss and hug (which I don't ever recall doing as a kid) and as I was hugging him, he said into my ear " I love you Laurie Bucket".
That was the whole dream. But it was one of those dreams that you can't stop thinking about all day. It just made me really happy.♥ I just found this ONE picture, grandpa is on the very end.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Rhett's First Race
Friday, September 7, 2012
No, you have it
This morning started out like all others: hurry and get dressed, eat your breakfast, stop playing and get busy...all the same things. After family prayer, we always go to the table to read scriptures. We pretty much have "spots" at the table. The only problem is that Bo and Katy like the same spot. She mostly sits there but occasionally Bo wants it and then we have an ordeal. The thing is is that it's the spot right next to me. So it makes me have to choose, which totally sucks. Today, they both had one cheek on the chair waiting for the other to give in. Glade took the "you know you are putting your mom in a bad position" route this morning. After explaining how this can't end with anyone happy, he asked them to figure out a solution.
Bo offers up the "switch every day" solution. Katy doesn't think that sounds so great since she is being booted. I suggest maybe a weekly basis. That she can sit there for today since it's the last day of the week and then Bo can have it next week. She gets up and comes to me crying on my shoulder. I explain to her that she should think of making Bo happy and that she still gets it for today. It was then that she raised her head and mumbles "I want Bo to have it today". I tell her it's ok, she can finish out the week and still have it but she insists he sit there instead. She continues in her soft crying as we praise her for being so sweet. This starts the tears for Bo and he comes over and joins in our hug. Now we're all crying, including most everyone else at the table. I let her know that Jesus is smiling down on her right now because she is acting just like He would and that's how we're supposed to be. We then sing the little line of the song that says "I'm trying to be like Jesus...". We continued in our little three hug for another minute as we got control of our sniffles and then she walked over to the other chair and let Bo have hers.
I don't think a Mormon Ad could have been scripted any better. What a beautiful experience to watch your little ones feel the Spirit and learn sharing and sacrifice at such a young age. I know those lessons are ones that need practice our whole lives, but they are off to a good start. ♥
Thursday, September 6, 2012
To go or Not to go
I was faced with an awful decision this weekend. Some good friends of ours are thinking of buying some property in Colorado and are going to see it this weekend. Glade is going with and offered for me to come as well. Hello?? Four days in the beautiful (and cool) mountains of Colorado... Yes!! But then came the kink. Rhett has his first high school cross country meet this Saturday. He's really nervous about the whole thing. He has been amazing at getting up every day at 4:45 to get himself ready to go to practice. I've been shocked and very proud of his dedication. He is the fastest one on his team and he's only a freshman.
This doesn't actually equate to much. The tough part is that he's had no one to push him or pace him. So he's going into this meet completely blind. He could give someone a run for their money or come in dead last. We have no idea. I wouldn't miss a weekend away in Colorado for very many things, but I really feel like he needs me right now. It's a super hard position to be in. Not many people understand Rhett like I do or know the things to say to get him to be in a good place emotionally. I'll be surprised if he gets through this meet without tears. Maybe he'll prove me totally wrong and be just great, but I'm afraid to put that to the test. So I send my sweet husband to a place it's killing me to miss, all alone. He's going to enjoy green, 70 degree weather while I'm stuck here. Oh the torture!
My Obsession Continues
Then we started peeling pears so we could can them. I bought a big box yesterday. Well, they are still not ripe enough. We had already peeled four or five so now what to do. I looked up pear recipes and found this pear raisin cookie recipe. It was actually really good! I need to go buy more raisins and walnuts to make another batch now. Yum!
And of course, since the oven was on and my kids had already devoured the bread I made the other day, I had to whip up a few more of these. I started adding gluten to my recipes so maybe that has helped make it a little less crumbly and more soft. I dunno, but really tasty.
So while I should have been on the treadmill, I was filling my kitchen (and belly) with all these delicious little treats. Now I feel like a big fat toad. Blah! I also tried burning my itty bitty candle and couldn't smell a thing. Glad I didn't spend any money on that one. Tonight I make taco soup to take to bunko and drool over all the fun fall gifts that will probably show up. Tomorrow I'm going to go to dinner to eat butternut squash with my mom and then it's probably back to my hot hellish reality.... It's not fall where I live. It won't be for a very long time. But for now it's been a fun couple of days pretending. ♥
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
I'm a Freak
I'm wondering if I've used that title before, it fits me a little too often I'm afraid. As I get older, I get weirder. Today I made arrangements for Whitley to take care of Katy so I could go to the MALL. I haven't been there in forever. I happened to get an email from Bath and Body works offering a free candle with any $10 purchase. I'm a sucker for free. AND, I just happen to need a $10 Bunko gift for next week. Seems logical to me! So I met mom at the mall and we spent a good 40 minutes sniffing things. Apparently I'm a little too in touch with my olfactory sense. I love to smell things. Well, not all things... but anyway, we smelled every new candle/soap they have. Spicy pumpkin, Cinnamon apple, Fall leaves... you get the idea. The decision was a tough one! I brought home two little candles (one for me and one for bunko) and a candle holder (also for bunko). Now where's my free candle?? It was the tiniest little thing you ever saw. Seriously, like a tea light but slightly taller. Total disappointment. But now I have to decide which one to keep. Oy.
On the way home, I passed by the airport I will be using in December and got all choked up about going home again. This could be a long 3 months. I needed to pick some things up from my friends house and while there, we discussed my candle dilemma. Which got me thinking about the boutique I go to every fall. There I go again, getting all mushy about the boutique coming up! I can't even imagine how these next few months are going to be if I get all crybaby like this. Then I started stressing out about being all emotional the whole time and that it's probably going to just fly by and then it will just be summer all over again!! Did I mention I'm a freak? Breathe...inhale the spicy pumpkin... enjoy. ♥
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Labor Day Weekend
What a fabulous long weekend! Friday started it with a nice date night with good friends seeing the movie The Odd Life of Timothy Greene. So cute! Saturday I stayed home most of the day doing nothing and little projects. I painted my half wall in my kitchen, don't love it, and my entry table. We made homemade pizza and stayed in for the evening. Sunday was fast Sunday and my allergies were going crazy! Makes it hard to stay focused on your fast when your sneezing every 15 seconds. Not fun at all. That night we all went to Smith's for dinner. That was a really nice night, almost the entire family was actually there! Kent even came. It was nice to see him again.
Monday, being Labor Day... I made the kids work all morning! They did really well in getting all the jobs done without too much prodding and whining. Since they were all so helpful, I took them to Taco Bell for lunch. Ulterior motive there, kitchen stayed clean. Stephen, Nick and Dalin all went with Glade to help him paint cabinets at the rental house. They had worked all day Saturday and part of the afternoon Monday putting in planters out front of our house as well. They look really good and I'm excited to actually get some plants in there!
That morning we had done a little work on the treadmill. Saturday morning Rhett went out running with Jake so Jake could pace him a little faster than what he gets at his normal practices. He did really well, despite the tears. This morning I had him do sprints. He was running one minute at a time as we increased his speed. His last one, he did at 12 mph. He only lasted 30 seconds on that one, but he did it. He only cried once this time. When I asked why he was upset, he said he wasn't. Then I asked why he was crying and he said he didn't know. I told him he should be feeling so strong and proud right now, but for some reason... doing hard things makes him cry. Even when he's successful! I was very proud of him. His first meet is next Saturday. I also had a great morning on the treadmill! I was supposed to do 3/4 of a mile today. I upped my speed a little and went for a mile and half!! I was so super deduper happy. And sore the next day. BUT, I'm doing it. Now, my back is a little sore today so I'm going to take it easy tomorrow when I get back on, but so very exciting for me!
That afternoon we went to the Bryants for a swim party and then back to our house for a BBQ. I think we ended up with ten families there. It was crowded and busy, but I think everyone had a really good time. I did at least. We broke out the water bottle launcher and that was a huge hit. The kids had a blast, ended up soaked and even the adults enjoyed watching. One of my favorite things is being surrounded by such great people who I adore! If only I had taken a few pictures...
Forever in my Mind... Hopefully
Bo got to go to a birthday party this weekend at an indoor skate park. I was a nervous wreck leaving him there. The very first line of the waiver I signed mentioned highly likely... death... permanent paralysis... All scary stuff. We outfitted him with knee and elbow pads, a big helmet and his scooter. This place was designed for littler kids so that made it a little better. I did leave him with a plea that he not try anything tricky or try to do things other kids were doing and reminded him of how much Rhett hated wearing a cast on his arm. I kissed him soundly, professed my love for him and headed home.
Upon my return, I got to watch him for just a minute before I let him know I was there. First, I was grateful the whole way there that my phone had not rung so nothing too bad must have happened. As I watched him scooter up and down the ramps, I was impressed with how easily he got on and off the scooter without interfering with the flow of traffic. The song "Party Rock" was playing and just as the part says "Every day I'm shuffling..." and the music gets all fun, he drops his scooter, hops up onto the platform and starts completely jamming out. Helmet, pads and all.. that kids was groovin! Then in a final show of coolness, he does a giant tuck jump off the platform and gets back on his scooter to finish his ride. It lasted all of 20 seconds and I, of course, have no record of it. Only in my mind. That little toothless cutie puttin it all out there. I'm so grateful for those little moments. ♥
Crazy Scout Mom
I'm on a mission. My next two boys (Rhett and Dalin) will get their Eagle Scout awards ASAP. I hate scouts. I think it's great for them and I understand why it's important, but it doesn't make me hate it any less. We tried with Stephen and Nick to do the "driving as an incentive" approach and failed miserably. They don't care at 14. We were not going to earn it for them so we stayed completely on the sidelines. Well guess what? I have an almost 18 year old and a 16 1/2 year old with no licenses. Without a license it's also hard to get a job or go on dates. Two things I think are important. So I'm doing it differently with the next two. When they joke about Mom earning an eagle award, I'll proudly say "yes I did!" I don't care.
We spent Sunday morning, 2 1/2 hours of it, filling out merit badge packets. Looking up information no 11 year old needs to understand and trying to write it in a 3 line space. I have scoured the internet for any Merit badge clinic in the vicinity for them to attend and bugging the crap out of all our leaders to make sure everything gets recorded and handed to the right person. The beauty of this tactic is 1) Dalin still enjoys doing it and actually feels excitement and pride in earning them 2) He and Rhett can do most of it together, two birds.. one long stone.
Nick has done everything to earn his Eagle except all the final paperwork. We have resorted to grounding him until it all gets finished. No more sidelines for me, cracking my whip. If Stephen wants to have any time behind the wheel, he has to have shown me some progress on his. He has one more merit badge to earn and a few to get signed off. Then he has to actually do the eagle project. Seriously, let's get this show on the road! The part of me that hates conformity is in a serious uproar right now.
