Cub Scouts? Really?
Recently I was asked to be an assistant den leader for Hunter’s Bear den. I don’t know how it happened, but I accepted and I have the shirt to prove it. We just received six new boys and that boosts our numbers up to eight. At the last den meeting we discussed finances, and figured out how much it costs to feed a family (“Stop poking that… Now divide the total you spent on your meal by the number of … hey, are you listening?… people in your family.”), how to look for a new car (“I want the pickup truck” “How many people are in your family?” “Five.” “That would only work if some of you rode in the back.” “Okay!”), and played “Monopoly Junior” to practice our entrepreneurial skills (“But I wanted to be green!”.)
At the last pack meeting we had a Raingutter Regatta where the boys raced their wooden boats; And at our next pack meeting we will have the infamous Pinewood Derby. Hunter has a plan for making an awesome car. So now I have figured out the difference between a den meeting and a pack meeting, and I mostly understand how the Achievements work. The Arrow points and Belt loops are still a bit mysterious, but with the help of MaryAnne the seasoned scout leader, I should be up to speed soon.
Read MorePirates from Grammar Island
Hunter’s class put on a play called Pirates of Grammar Island. It was very fun to see all of the kids talking and singing about all of the different parts of speech. Hunter was one of the imperative pirates, so he liked to order people around. My favorite line was when the other imperative said to Hunter, “don’t put carrots in your nose!” and of course Hunter had a nice orange carrot to stick in his nose for that part. Believe me, since doing this play we have all been more aware of the imperatives being barked out in our house –especially by Mom and Dad.
I’ve been tagged by Korby
The rules: Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names; then goes to their blog, leaves them a comment by letting them know that they’ve been tagged and invites them to read your blog.
1. I still get mail for Korby at my house. Somehow even after 7 years and 6 moves, the credit card offers and Huggies coupons have been forwarded.
2. I’m a big procrastinator. I put off everything unfun for as long as possible.
3. My most recent obsession is finding an outdoor climber/slide for our backyard. But the stingy side of me refuses to buy it new, and I’ve been looking for a great deal.
4. I spent Saturday baking and delivering cinnamon rolls as a fundraiser/service project.
5. I’m trying to convince Rob to change his career to a cranberry farmer in Oregon; for several reasons I won’t get into now.
6. I used to try hard never to laugh out loud when watching TV and movies because I thought it was dorky. Now I love to be that dorky person laughing and not caring what other people think.
I tag… I haven’t caught up enough on everyone’s blogs to know who hasn’t been tagged yet. Those who haven’t done this one, consider yourself tagged.
Read MoreRomney’s Top 10 Excuses
At the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C. the other night, Mitt Romney gave his “Top 10 Reasons for Dropping Out of the Race.” I thought they were actually pretty funny and worth reprinting for anyone that missed them. They are:
10. There weren’t as many Osmonds as I thought.
9. I got tired of corkscrew landings under sniper fire.
8. As a lifelong hunter, I didn’t want to miss the start of the varmint season.
7. There wasn’t room for two Christian leaders.
6. I was upset that no one had bothered to search my passport files.
5. I needed an excuse to get fat, grow a beard and win the Nobel prize.
4. I took a bad fall at a campaign rally and broke my hair.
3. I wanted to finally take off that dark suit and tie, and kick back in a light-colored suit and tie.
2. Once my wife Ann realized I couldn’t win, my fundraising dried up.
1. There was a miscalculation in our theory: “As Utah goes, so goes the nation.”
And for a little more fun, I found the Top 10 List that aired on the David Letterman show back in February that gave their top 10 reasons Mitt Romney dropped out. You’ll have to let me know which you think is better. Here’s the David Letterman list:
10. Harsh Midwest weather was murder on his split ends
9. Wants to devote more time to his rap persona P. Mitty
8. Polls show public doesn’t want a president who looks like a casino greeter
7. Just couldn’t compete with the Ron Paul juggernaut
6. Unveiling a new line of honey-roasted romnuts
5. That b****** Zogby had it in for him
4. Apparently America is not ready for a white male president
3. No Number 3—writer suffering from Mitt withdrawal
2. There was that little problem of nobody voting for him
1. Lost all of his money betting on the Patriots
To Mothers of Young Children
I absolutely loved the talk given by Elder Ballard at the last general conference. He spoke of mothers and gave encouragement and advice for them (and also fathers) of young children. Often times our church is presented as having a low regard for women and an expectation of perfection and complete submission without questions. I have always thought this an extremely inaccurate and ignorant view of our beliefs, and this talk expresses my beliefs on parenting, and particularly motherhood:
There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family… What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.
I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life. If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent’s life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child’s life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent’s normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes. This eternally important work falls to mothers and fathers as equal partners. I am grateful that today many fathers are more involved in the lives of their children. But I believe that the instincts and the intense nurturing involvement of mothers with their children will always be a major key to their well-being.
We need to remember that the full commitment of motherhood and of putting children first can be difficult… There are moments of great joy and incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony, and frustration. Mothers may feel they receive little or no appreciation for the choice they have made. Sometimes even husbands seem to have no idea of the demands upon their wives.
As a Church, we have enormous respect and gratitude to you mothers of young children. We want you to be happy and successful in your families and to have the validation and support you need and deserve…
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