GopherJudy

OMG!! I'm laughing so much I'm crying!

Wingnut,

It's ok if I lose 1 hour of my life, my life isn't that exciting! you can PM so I'll understand the monkey hippo joke!

Now, I'm not an engineer but I still quote Monty Python from the TV show & the movies & every once in a while I break out into the Spam Song, Lumberjack Song or Philosophy Song! So, what does this make me?

OK, I've remembered a few jokes from 7th grade! It's a shame I can remember these but not what I did yesterday!

Sorry if they were painful!

My son Mark told me this when he was about 4 years old, I don't remember where he heard it!

What do you call 2 banana peels?

A pair of slippers!

He told me that joke about 100 times a day!

Take care & happy yukking!

Judy (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

Scoutldr,

Thanks for the link, it brought back memories! I'll have to show my daughter what my uniform used to look like! I wish I kept it but I gave it to my younger cousin, I don't even know if my parents saved my sash!

Regarding Girl Scouts & camping, do they do any camping at all? My daughter is bridging to Juniors this week & I was hoping that when the troop starts up again in September that she'd be doing some camping eventually!

I still think the organizations should be separate!

Judy

You can tell your son that he can see his younger friend at pack nights & other pack gatherings & activities! Maybe that will help! Good luck!

Judy

Ed,

I tried posting this yesterday but was unable to, computer was toooooooooooo slow!

Regarding your reply to my post on page # 4, I have no clue if the troop is planning a backpacking trip & that's why the boys were told to bring canned items to cook for themselves.

If anyone knows if what I posted on page 4 about how my son & his troop will be cooking on the campout this weekend, will fulfill the Tenderfoot requirement # 3 I'd really appreciate it. I called his SM & left a message. Thanks.

Judy

Eamonn,

I get your point now! Yes, it is high for being made in a foreign country but it's probably priced high because it's a Jamboree item I guess.

On another thought, even though a jamboree shirt & hat are not part of the uniform, you'd think it would be made in the US as it has to do with Boy Scouts! Am I right on this?

Judy

P.S. I love that you call your wife "Her That Must Be Obeyed"!

I think the scouts should cook a nutritious meal & pop-tarts are tasty, my fave is the chocolate fudge one, but I don't think they constitute a nutritious meal!

Now, I have a question regarding cooking in camp for an overnight campout that my son & most of his troop will be going on May 21st. The instructions they all received from the ASM on meal planner is as follows:

Lunch - please bring a bag lunch (sandwich, snacks, fruit, etc.)

Dinner - Bring meals that can be cooked on a personal stove (made from empty coffee can)in mess kit (canned food - stew, beans, pasta, soup, bagged meals just add water)

Breakfast - cereal in individual box or Ziploc bag, bagel, cereal bars, no meals that need to be cooked.

Each Scout has to bring their own meal.

The troop is providing the water, hot chocolate, ice tea, milk, orange juice, coffee, tea, spices & condiments & evening snacks & desserts.

Now as the mom of a new scout, this will be his 2nd overnight camping trip with his troop, I was a little disappointed that the boys were told what to bring. I thought that the boys were supposed to plan their meal as a patrol & cook as a patrol. I would like to know how & if this cooking will fulfill requirement #3 for Tenderfoot? Their 1st camping trip it was pouring rain & very windy & I believe the leaders cooked while the boys assisted. I'm not sure & my son is asleep since it's 1:47am EDT!

I could see them using the canned food for lunch because it's quicker & I'm sure that they want to get in as much stuff as the can during the day, like working on skills & rank requirements. I just thought that dinner would involve a little more than opening a can of Spaghetti-O's or something like that. As a Webelo my son & most of his den did foil cooking on an overnight summer campout & they helped & prepared their own meal. The DL however did put the meals on the fire though. I think doing a foil meal for dinner would have required more planning & thinking on the boys part than the way it is now. It's not hard to buy a can of food! It would take more thought to get the right veggies - like potatoes, carrots, onions, etc. & pick out the meat or chicken & budget for that.

I also think that the scouts will learn from their mistakes & the new scouts will get better at preparing menus & cooking their food. I think we all learn from our mistakes, I know I still do!

Judy

I collect t-shirts from wherever I've been & I don't throw them out even though they don't fit me because I'm a "little" overweight but they are memories for me! I still have the t-shirt that I bought on my senior class trip back in 1975!

Eamonn,

is your point that Boy Scout items are NOT made in America? I would think that all Boy Scout items would be made in this country & not in a foreign country. I think it's rather sad that a Boy Scout Jamboree items are mad in another country.

Sorry if I don't get your point as I have a headache & my brain cell isn't up to par!

Judy

Bob,

That's so great to hear! You made more of an impression on him than you thought you did & were a great SM! It also says something that he invited you to his wedding even though you hadn't seen each other in a few years. He will probably tell his future children about you too! It's nice to hear of stories like this.

Regarding the Raccoon Hunt, if it's anything like the "Bear Hunt" that my son's DL took him & the rest of the boys in his den as a Webelos I, it should have been interesting! My son "saw" 3 Bears, which is pretty talented since there aren't any bears on Long Island except for the ones in Cub Scout Packs!

Judy

Scoutldr,

Thanks! I wasn't able to get into Girl Scouts til I was in 6th grade 1968-1969 so it was a "few" years ago! I remember my Cadette uniform, dark green skirt, white blouse, same beret as Juniors, I think the knee socks were dark green & the handbook had a lavender color. I can remember most of that but don't ask me what I ate for dinner yesterday! LOL!

Judy

OMG! My son & I were hysterical laughing! All the jokes were great. I didn't read the "feminine product" one to my son, I don't want to have to explain that to a 10 year old!

NIScouter my son loved the Mahatma Ghandi joke! He kept repeating the punch line!

Wingnut I'm sorry to say that I don't understand your monkey & hippo joke, can you explain that to me please? Thanks!

Keep the great jokes coming & if I can think of one, I'll post it!

Judy

OK OGE & Semper!

I'll get my walker & my 8-track player with my Partridge Family & Rocky Horror tapes & we can go crazy man! I'll try & find my pet rock, I think it escaped! LOL!

Torribug, the only part of the uniform the leaders told me to buy for my daughter when she started Brownies was the vest! I think the whole uniform should be worn & they have so many choices too! When I was a Junior I wore the green dress with snaps, the green web belt, the green purse, the green knee socks, the green beret, the green sash & I think there was a bow I wore around my neck but I'll be darned if I can remember much about that & we had to have the handbook, which had a blue cover! My daughter didn't even have to have the Brownie Handbook! When she bridges to Juniors she will have to have the Junior Handbook but just the vest with the appropriate Junior insignia!

The times they are a-changin'!

Judy

I don't think it's a good idea either. I was a teenager in the 70's when girls were trying to get into Boy Scouts, etc. & I thought it was wrong back then & I think it's wrong now. There was even an episode on "The Brady Bunch" when Marcia was trying to get into a "boy" organization & then Peter "retalliated" by joining a "girl" organization. There is an organization for girls it's called Girl Scout!! I see nothing wrong with organizations just for boys & one just for girls!

On another note & I guess showing my age again, when my son Mark visited a troop as a Webelo I, the SM was female & I was rather surprised! I thought that the leaders in Boy Scouts were all male! Now I'll go & get my cane, my pet rock, my mood ring, put on my bell-bottoms & my fringe vest & put on Partridge Family album! LOL!!

Judy

Sorry to hear that none of the boys earned their AOL. Since the boys have to have completed the 5th grade if they haven't turned 11 I would think that you would have to have the ceremony when school is finished. I an idea what our pack uses for Pack Graduation with a little variation, like having the SM of the troop they want to join & a few of the Boy Scouts too! First have those Webelos bring in the flag, post the colors & start the Pledge of Allegience. The CM can call up each of the boys & then call up there parents. The SM & the Boy Scouts are to the side with their troop flag. The parents remove the Webelos neckerchief & slide from their son & the SM can hand out the Boy Scout neckerchiefs & slides to the parents & the parents can put them on their son. The SM can have the boys go stand where the Boy Scouts are & they can all recite the Scout Oath & Law & be welcomed into the troop. The SM can say a few words to the boys & then a short speech to everyone. The new Boy Scouts can do the retiring of the colors. Then refreshments & cake & cookies can be served.

I'm not sure if you can use a bridge as part of the ceremony if they haven't earned their AOL, sorry for my ignorance on that.

If you can use a bridge, then have the boys & their parents on the left side of the bridge, have the DL take off the Webelos neckerchief & slide & hand them to the parents so they don't get mixed up or lost & then have each boy cross over the bridge 1 at a time as the CM announces their name, have the SM receive the boy at the other end, do the Scout Salute, have a Boy Scout put the Boy Scout neckerchief & slide on the new Boy Scout. Do that for each of the Webelos & then after all of the boys have crossed over they can gather around the troop flag, recite the Scout Oath & Law with their SM & new troop. The SM can make a short speech & when the ceremony is over, the new Boy Scouts can retire the colors & refreshments can be served.

I hope this helps! Good luck & let us know how it turns out! Take care!

Judy

I think it would be a good idea for Scouts to post, I thought that they were able to already! I'm sure even Cub Scouts would have things to post, like questions they thought of or tell what activities they're doing & the fun they are having. It would be great to have the boy's point of view. The same with Boy Scouts. My son is a new Boy Scout & maybe "conversing" on a board with older Scouts he'd get an idea of what it's about, etc. from other Scouts besides the ones in his troop. I had more to write but my daughter, who's 8, starting playing "Jingle Bells" on the piano & all thoughts left my head!

Judy

I think the school resource officer should have asked the boy why he had nails in his pocket before arresting him! (If that was mentioned in the article I didn't read it yet so sorry!) Then when the boy said it was from a Scout project, he could have been taken to the principal's office, called a parent & have the parent come to the school to verify instead of arresting the boy! I think they overreacted! I'm lucky that Mark rarely puts things in his pockets!

Judy

Our pack hands out rank advancements at the B&G because by the middle of February that's when the boys have finished all of their requirements since starting around the middle of September. The only exception is the Bobcat which is awarded at the 1st pack night after it's earned. After the ranks & belt loops & beads, etc. are awarded we usually have our meal. We have it at Sports Plus & they have great banquet rooms! After the meal is the AOL ceremony for the Webelos II's, then we have dessert & then the bridging of the Webelos II's to Boy Scouts. The Webelos II's also receive a gift from the pack, a portable hiking stool for each of the boys & they each receive an AOL Plaque that the CM makes. When the B&G dinner ends the boys are given wristbands for the rides & tokens for the games & they can play til they have to go home! This is paid for by the pack & all of the scouts' dinners are paid for by the pack. The CM makes program booklets, list what's taking place, the boys of each den & their DL's are listed, each den on a separate page & there are congratulatory ads in the book as well!

At our monthly pack nights, awards are given out, such as bead, belt loops, pins, Webelos Activity Badges, patches, etc. About the 3rd week in June is when we have Graduation Pack Night & the boys receive what else they've earned & then we have a little ceremony where the boys move up. The Tigers will be called up & their DL will remove their neckerchief & slide & the parents will be handed the Wolf neckerchief & slide & when all the parents have them, they put the new neckerchief on their sons! The same thing for Wolves & Bears. The Webelos I's graduating to WEbelos II's will receive a gift, last year the boys received a mess kit, the year before they received canteens. This is all paid for by the pack. After the all of the boys receive their awards we have a picnic outside, weather permitting or we have several 6 foot heroes & other food for everyone to eat! I think for our pack it works very well like this.

Judy

I clicked on the link but I did not see any survey under Hot Items? Did they remove it or do I need stronger glasses? Thanks!

Judy

I think it's important to get the parents' permission also. I know when I sign a permission slip for my daughter Lori for Brownies, there's a spot to check yes or no if her picture can be published. I also agree with Torveaux, use 1st initial & last name, not the full name because there are too many whackos in the world. Good luck!

Judy

I think what would help overweight females like myself who have problems buying any pants that fit right or finding the correct size would be to have uniform pants with an elastic waistband, a little extra room in the abdominal area but NOT like maternity pants & of course pockets! All of the pants I wear have elastic waist & pockets! I would still have to wear my blouse outside for previously stated reasons but at least I'd have official uniform pants that would fit me! There are times when people are overweight & look like me that the shirt should NOT be tucked in because it would make me look more horrible than I already do!

Judy

Torveaux,

Question regarding the pants your son & the boys in his den wear to school. Are they in a private school & wear their school uniform pants (which I assume would look similar to blue scout pants) to den meetings or do they all just wear the same jeans?

I think the Webelos that were a year ahead of Mark's den some wore the tan & some wore the blue & I don't think any of them had the pants, they just wore their jeans. The Webelos I's now I believe all the boys wear the blue shirts & jeans, none of them wear the pants. I don't know if any of them are near outgrowing their blue shirt & are going to go to the tan shirt. I guess it all depends on the DL.

Doesn't the Webelos neckerchief & hat & the blue loops on the tan shirt set them apart from the Boy Scouts?

Everyone has their own opinion on this & that's fine. Take care!

Judy

I'm sorry to say that I will still wear my uniform blouse outside, it really looks better on me like this. I'm not trying to be a rebel, but the last time I wore any blouse tucked in was about 12 years ago! I do have a weight problem & try to hide my fat but I also have a female medical problem (no I'm not pregnant!) and when I can find a job again & have medical insurance, I can go back to the doctor & possibly have surgery. If I wore my uniform blouse tucked in I would really look horrible & probably be asked too many questions!

Judy

Torveaux,

I would say the DL said to have the tan/olive green uniform because then they'd have it already for Boy Scouts! As I stated, there were 4 new boys who didn't have the blue uniform so I guess instead of having them buy the blue uniform & then have to buy the tan/olive green one a year & a half later for Boy Scouts it was easier for everyone to be in the same colors - tan & olive green! That's only my guess! I would have had to buy Mark new pants if they continued with the blue uniform as his legs grew faster than his arms, he had outgrown the pants by graduation pack night!

Judy

My son crossed over on March 20th, he's in a NSP & had his 1st troop meeting on March 22nd! It's not easy for parents to let go but I kept preparing Mark that as a Boy Scout he'll have more responsibilities & that I won't be involved in his troop meetings like I was his den meetings (I was the AWDL). I told him it's up to him to have requirements signed off on, the SM it not going to be chasing him to sign off completed requirements! I remind him of these things before every troop meeting because it's still new to him. I told him that I will help him with requirements & anything that he needs help with but that he has to do the work & I'm there to guide him. We have one father that registered because his wife wanted him to because she wants him to go on the campouts to "babysit" their son & her sister's son! They are a handful but they have to learn to be responsible for themselves.

The 1st troop meeting was also a parent meeting & they went over stuff with us while the boys did what they were supposed to be doing. I stayed for the 2nd meeting & then the others I stayed for a little while, after the opening ceremony & the pledge of allegience, I'd catch Mark's eyes & let him know that I was leaving by pointing to the door & then would return about 15 to 20 minutes before the meeting ended, depending on what my schedule is as my daughter has her Brownie meeting the same day but from 6-7:30pm every other Tuesday & Mark's troop meetings are from 7:30 to 9pm. Since we're staying with my parents, sometime my father has to get my daugher to bring her home. Mark also has karate on Tuesdays & Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30pm! He's happy about his

"independence" & I've been telling him that the older he gets, the more he can do & the more responsibility & independence he'll have.

His 1st overnight campout he was excited about going & the fact that I didn't have to go! He had a great time that weekend despite the heavy rain & wind! He went to Spring Camp this week, I had explained to him that I thought it would be a good idea for him to get used to being away from home & me but still be close to home for the first time, the camp's about a half hour away.Also, this will prepare him for summer camp when he goes with his troop in July to a camp in NJ. He understood, was excited & was the only boy from his troop to go & he didn't have school, was closed for vacation. He did have fun, made new friends & worked on 3 merit badges (Camping, Cooking & Orienteering). I dropped him off on Sunday night & Monday night he called wanting to come home! I asked him to please give it a chance & call me Wednesday if it wasn't working out. Well he called me Wednesday morning to come & get him, he hadn't really eaten, only breakfast & candy bars because he didn't like the food! Also, he was homesick & was afraid that something was going to happen to me & that my parents' house was going to burn down! Now my son is a worrywort, always was & probably always will be. His father died when he was 2.5 years old & Mark's biggest fear is that I'm going to die too! I explained to him that I'm not going to die yet, I have a long way to go! Now for my parents' house going on fire, I have no clear where that fear came from at all. I picked him up Wednesday before lunch & asked him what merit badges he had worked on & if he got his cards signed off on. Well, he worked on the badges but he never got the cards signed off! I told him that it's his responsibility to have them signed off as soon as he completes the requirements. We did go to where it MB counselor was & he went up & asked him to sign off on his cards & told the counselor that he was going home. He said,"He was sorry to see him go & it was nice working with you Mark". When we got back to the car & asked to see his cards & I told him he got quite a bit done for 2 days & then asked why only 2 cards were signed off when he did 3 badges? He said he forgot one & to just go home. I explained to him that he needs to get it signed off or else he's going to have to do it all over again! He kept wanting to go home & I told him that as an incentive, if he goes back to have the Orienteering signed off we can go to McDonald's for lunch. OK a slight bribe, but I was hungry & I knew he was hungry too! He went back & he was glad that he did because he had 6 requirement signed off! I reminded him again that he has to remember to have requirements signed off on, that nobody is going to chase him to sign off on his rank advancements in his handbook or merit badges requirements on the blue cards!

I think now we just have to remind them that they have to ask their SM to sign off on completed advancement requirements, that if they have a question to ask the SPL or the SM or ASM & that they're responsible for any announcements regarding activities, fundraisers, etc. I'm sure it will sink in soon! My son will finish 5th grade around the 3rd week in June & he won't be 11 til Sept. 2nd. There's another boy who has the same birthday as Mark & another one who won't be 11 til Sept. 22nd! They are the younger boys in the patrol & troop as some in his patrol turned 11 before the Blue & Gold!

Your nephew sounds like he's doing great! He's lucky to have you to help & support him & to have his independence & you will be more comfortable to drop him off at his meetings! Please tell him I said to keep up the great work & I wish him success in reaching his goal of Eagle! You're doing a great job too! Take care!

Judy

My 3 cents worth (inflation!) I think it's important that the complete uniform be worn, especially in Boy Scouts. When my son Mark joined Cub Scouts as a Bear in Sept 2002, I had asked the CM about how much it would cost between uniform & activities & explained as a single mom (husband deceased in April 1997) that money was a little tight. He explained that the registration fees include the subscription to Boys Life, the handbook & the neckerchief & slide at graduation. He told me that I didn't have to get the pants & that Mark can wear clean jeans without holes in them. Also, if I had money problems & he couldn't attend something, he would take care of it. I took Mark to get his shirt, hat, neckerchief, slide, etc. & I wound up buying the pants because it looks good having the whole uniform. I bought the shirt bigger & the pants bigger so they would last longer. He would wear the pants to his den meetings but he was the only one in his den to wear the pants & he asked me if he could wear his jeans to the den meetings instead. I said yes but he had to wear the pants to Pack Night, Blue & Gold Dinner, march in the Memorial Day Parade & to Pack Graduation. When he graduated to Webelos I & had his 1st den meeting the DL said that the boys had to wear the tan shirt & olive green pants, we had 3 graduate from Bears & 4 new boys as Webelos I's so it wasn't like 7 boys were buying a 2nd uniform. I bought Mark a shirt that was bigger & the same with the pants. My mom hemmed them & he had like a 6-7 inch hem in his pants, I had bought him a size 12 pants! He's grown & I've lengthened his pants & I have to lengthen them again. I'm sure he'll have outgrown the pants by the time he starts 6th grade in Sept, which means I've gotten 2 years out of the pants! His shirt will last another year I think!

What I'm getting at is that you can buy the clothes a little bigger & then they'll "grow" into them & they'll have them longer than if you bought the "correct" size! I didn't really have the money to buy the Cub Scout pants but I thought it was important for Mark to wear them. Yes, I know he didn't wear them to all of the den meetings because he wanted to "fit in" & there were times that they were doing very messy activities & were told not to wear their uniform but to wear old clothes so that if they got paint or anything else on them it wouldn't matter.

I did the same with my daughter's Brownie vest when she joined in 1st grade! I bought her a large, it was too big but it fits her perfect when she started 3rd grade in Sept. I remember seeing some of the 3rd graders last year & they had on such a small vest it looked ridiculous! Sure it fit them fine in 1st grade but not in 3rd!

In Mark's Troop, he crossed over to Boy Scouts in March, I believe that most of the boys where the complete uniform. Some of the older boys don't, there was a leader change & the new SM took over in Sept & he's still turning things around & getting the boys that were there several years before he became SM back on track (into patrols, being boy run, uniforms, etc.). I know that some of the older boys do come right from a sports activity from school & don't really have a chance to change because they're rushed.

As I said, I think it's important to have the whole uniform & for new scouts, give them a month to have the complete uniform. They might not have the money at first and/or the Scout Store might be out of stock on the size shirt, pants, belt, had or socks that is needed.

I hope that I haven't bored anyone to death with this or rambled aimlessly!

Judy

Fotoscout,

I'm still learning about the Boy Scout program since coming over from Cubs. Whomever I've spoken to it seems that there sons go away for a week of summer camp outside NY state, but that is only a few troops. I've been to Baiting Hollow with my son as a Webelos I & II & since it was only overnight & one time was for Webelos Woods, obviously the program is different. I'll find out when & where his troop camps.

CTBoyScout101,

I sent the SM the link & he saved it. He said he would look into it for next year. They already have a place for summer camp this year.

Judy