A Mama and her Cub

Last week my son, Caleb was to attend cub scout Camp with daddy, but when daddy hurt his leg it was deduced that he wouldn't be able to go... and in stepped Mama to take his place. I will admit that when I realized I was to go to camp I was very apprehensive. I had never gone (daddy and Caleb went the year before). I always pictured cub scout camp as, well, for boys. Would I be the only mama to go? Would I have fun? Better question, would Caleb have less fun now that mama was going?

Since it was kinda last minute I had very little time to reflect. Friends reassured me it would be great. Caleb was very excited to share the experience with his mama, and assured me he'd keep any small critters out of our tent. It urns out three other mamas from our den were going as well.

So we packed our old 4-Runner, rolled down the windows and put back the sunroof and cruised the near 2 hr drive to some good 80's tunes. I remembered how much I loved road trips. And Caleb was an excellent navigator.

In Short, camp was pure awesome.

The first day, we checked in and then unloaded out gear into one of the already setup Boy Scout tents. Think military canvas tents on a concrete slap with two metal cots and the squeakiest springs ever. After we got settled, it was clear Caleb was worn out already. He was asking to take a nap at 2pm! Since it was Free Time until dinner (all meals included!)  we just wondered around and hung out with our fellow den members (Caleb is a Bear, in case you know the rankings of the scouts).

Just before dinner we were gathered in our camp pavilion and briefed on how Camp Magness works. This is also when we got to meet the staff and wonderful counselors. There were even girls! In the last ten years Cub Scouts have included girls and they are called "Adventurers." I so would have been an Adventurer as a girl if this was around back in my day.

The Camp Magness theme this year was "Medieval Times." Here, Lost Creek Camp director, Ian, aka, "England" gives us the skinny on rules, regs, and schedules.

And introduced us to the Lost creek Staff in a jolly manner to all the boys delight.

That first night, shortly after dinner Caleb just couldn't stay awake for the skits and asked to go to bed early. So he was asleep by 7:20pm! I was worried he was sick and we'd be leaving for home the next day.

Friday dawned and after a restless night, we were eager to start our camp adventure. Each morning we started the day with breakfast at 7am, then a Flag raising.

The campers were split up by rank, so all the Bears in our camp at Lost Creek were in the Silver Group. Lead by our fearless, leader, Eagle Scout Dan, whom spoke in an accent (although not the greatest one) the entire day. He was a real joy for both parents and kids.

Friday was filled with rotations to prescheduled stations for the boys to learn skills benefiting their journey through scouting.

Skills, such as paddle boating...

Here, Caleb and a fellow scout lead the way to the next rotation. It was his turn to hold the flag befitting our Silver Group.

Sling-shot practice.

Here Archery Director, and Eagle Scout, Colton, a.k.a Robin hood, demonstrates the need for guards to shoot on the Archery range.

 Caleb was very cautious and slow to load and aim his bow and arrow at first. After some guidance from one of the Counselors he began to get the hang of it, even learning to aim with deadly accuracy.

The hay bale on the left is Caleb's. Notice the arrow shot bulls-eye, with a second arrow nearly bulls-eye again. How cool is that?

By the end of the day Friday the clouds were gathering, and the gang was starting to slow and get tired. But we still had the BB Gun Range left. During a full downpour Caleb tried to hear the instructions from Eagle Scout Topher.

But when it came time to practice with his rifle Caleb became frustrated and gave up, in tears. I sympathized and encouraged him to try again. Thankfully, Topher had seen his distress and calmly talked him into trying again, getting him in position and helping him shoot a few rounds at the target in the now hailing storm.

After this episode I realized how amazing all these counselors are with the kids. I was impressed with not only their knowledge of each of the skills, but also with their ability to handle a child on their level. Not just with Caleb, but with other kids within our group. From the shy, and unsure, to the hyper active kid bouncing from question-to-question and tree-to-tree. All handled swiftly and smoothly. This, to me, was as enlightening as the camp itself.

Because what is camp if it doesn't challenge you to grow and see yourself in a new light?

What would be camp without embracing nature (A Pondarosa Pine will smell like Vanilla or Butterscotch)?

Learning your way with a compass?

Learning the top 10 essentials to pack and prepare for an outdoor adventure?

Or feeling the quiver of your legs as you climb to the top of the fire tower?

Saturday, our last day of camp, we watched the clouds gather for yet another afternoon thunderstorm, and realized what a grand adventure camp was for Caleb and I.

And for this cub scout mama, I had a blast.

As did Caleb.

Boy, am I glad we have three boys so we can continue to get to go on this wonderful scouting adventures!

Until next year!



A Sticky Situation

Tonight is a big night for my men. It is the coveted Rain Gutter Regatta for the Cub Scouts. Its significance only shadowed slightly by the Race Car Derby at the end of the scout season. So it was left to me to get Justin's new Cub Scout Assistant Den Leader Shirt properly badged and ready for the big event.

In the past I dragged out my historic sewing machine (no really, it was passed down to Justin and I from his grandmother (God rest her soul) and it is so old and beautiful that it only has 2 numbers for the model and takes a forklift to get from the closet to the dinning table) to sew on Caleb's badges. This time, at the suggestion of a fellow scout mom (thank you, Rachel!) I decided to splurge and buy the "Magic Badge." And boy, was it magic.

After making a repeated run to our main Boy Scout store I finally got the supplies I needed (see above picture). And if you have never had the opportunity to be inside a Boy Scout store, you are missing out. The badges alone are worth pawing through and shivering in delight at the variety and potential! Add in knives and woodworking material, maps and compasses, and your world will be complete. It is a young survivalist wonderland.

And without further adieu I pulled out the instructions in attempt to finish before dinner and my boys needed to leave.

I was dismayed to see that the shirt needed to be washed and ironed before the badge transfer. Yikes, should have read these days before. Oh well, one must do what one must do. So I skipped the washing and went ahead to ironing the wrinkles out. I pulled out the included instructions and the "Official Placement of Insignia" sheet before I proceeded. I am notorious for misreading or gleaning instructions and totally botching up a project, so I was determined to read twice and place once. After all, this was Justin's shirt and he'd be representing my work. No pressure, right?



1. First you remove the outer top paper for the patch that fits the badge you are working on. There is even extra space for tracing and cutting out patches for badges not listed on the paper. Press the badge firmly into the sticky backing. I used the handle of my scissors to really rub it in.
2. Next, as you lift the badge you will see the sticky stuff coming up with it. If you do not, then stick you finger nail into the sticky goo to loosen it as you pull the badge. This will usually cause a chain-reaction and it all come up in a perfect shape to the badge. If it isn't, press the badge back into the patch firmly and try again. Also, try flipping the paper over and rubbing the backing into the badge this way.
3. Last as you pick up the badge you will see bits sticking out around the edges. Just tuck these into the back and no one is the wiser!
4. Then press the now sticky badge into the proper placement. Once you are sure you have it in the right place use a handle or hard, smooth object to press into the clothing (I used the handle of my scissors).
5. The instructions recommend tossing the shirt into the dryer for 10 minutes to set the badges and goo together.

It took me a much shorter time to put all these badges on and I didn't need the Hulk to lift my sewing machine for me. It was a good day for this scouting mom.