I wonder...

Have you ever wondered what animals think? I have, in fact I now know what they think:
*From Google Reader





















hope you feel edgamacated

Small Success

It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that. ( I noticed some of my friends doing this and thought it would be a great way to keep me motivated)

1. With the help of a friend I got our arts and crafts supplies organized! It's been in disarray for quite some time. Every thing has a home!
2. I've uncluttered and packed up two bedrooms; with the help of the inhabitants of the room, and I am working on the third room!
3. I've been going to the gym at 6:30 am! I've been terrible about being consistent with exercise since GMAC arrived. My knees are already feeling better.
   

Quality Time

Mistical Rose and I had some quality time at the arts and crafts center on post; we worked on painting some ceramics. It was fun and relaxing.

Rose picke out a "piggy bank"..... well a "locker bank"!

Look at that concentration!

Just the gals

The end product; she did a terrific job!

Camp, evening schedule

This is what I did for the rest of the day

Evening Colors Ceremony—5:00
We put down the flag, does this need further explaining?

Retreat — 5:45 pm
Every evening Scouts and leaders gather on the parade field for our camp-wide retreat ceremony. Everyone is in full class A uniform. We march and salute the big flag and watch the big flag go down.

Dinner — 6:00 pm
Immediately following the retreat ceremony, we eat dinner. We still have to be in class A uniform for dinner.

Evening Activity Period — 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Every program area is open for Scouts to visit, mostly to finish merit badges. (I had to work on woodworking)

Special Evening Activity Period — 8:30 pm to 9:45 pm
Monday we had to find thirty random items (Like five boys in exact same band uniforms), we were in third place. Tuesday was troop night we had a campfire and played Risk (I won). Wednesday was patrol night; each patrol fought each other in a variety of challenges, from obstacle course to tying one-handed knots (third place). Thursday was outpost (or campfire if you didn’t take an outpost merit badge) Friday we had STAFF HUNT the staff went out all over camp and we had to capture them and bring them to HQ, WE GOT SECOUND PLACE!!!

Camp, afternoon schedule

Here is my afternoon camp schedule.

Lunch — 12:30 pm
Like breakfast but with different foods.
Oh yah, for camping merit badge we had to cook over an open fire (only Wednesday). I learned important lessons, when pancakes look like scrambled eggs, you used to much water in the batter. And Burnt pancake batter is good drowned in syrup. And Grease fires are bad. And after you put out a grease fire, if you put more grease on, another fire starts.

Siesta — 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
All program areas and the Trading Post are closed and the Scouts are expected to be in their sites. How fun :P This is why I brought Risk with me. This is supposed to be a time to give the staff a break
.
Afternoon Instruction Period 1 — 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Camping Merit badge, it is my last Eagle required :) All we did was learn about a bunch of things that I already knew (4 years of camping) but did not “officially”.
Thursday night was outpost; we went with the camping guys from 4 on. We also built our own shelter, they told us to bring anything but a fire starter. The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared” so I brought duct tape. I was able to sit on the roof of my shelter.

Afternoon Instruction Period 2 — 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Electronics!! We got to solder (aka play with molten metal to connect other metals together). We made a little thing that beeps every few seconds, also we learned all about circuits and other things that I learned from The Magic School Bus. Fun class.

Special Interest Program — 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
SIPs are located at the different areas, I usually go to the pool one. We did things like water polo, beach volleyball, snorkel, Eskimo roll for kayaks…etc. I didn’t earn the patch because one of the days I was at outpost.

Crucian Dad AKA Mr porcupine

I have had a nagging shoulder injury for about a year now. I think I strained/tore a ligament while rolling in my Brazillian Jui Jitsu class (Mallu mom calls it wrestling with a bunch of sweaty guys in pajamas) Anyways Mallu's dad runs a Ayurvedic Herbal massage business.I thought that while I was there they could help my shoulder. They decided that acupuncture would be more beneficial than just massage. Well it was a little weird but it didn't hurt at all. I pretty much lay there, I even fell asleep once. At the later sessions the acupuncturist manipulated my arm with the needles still in. Well the verdict......... only 3 treatments really don't do much. My arm felt OK for a few days after the treatments but I think that if I could have had more treatments I would have seen a more permanent result.

--Crucian Dad

Camp, typical morning

We came back from Summer Camp recently…okay maybe not so recently we came back Sunday. Now I am posting :)

Typical morning.

Polar Bear Plunge—6:00 am

We all went down to the pool to have a EARLY MORNING SWIM. The water was really COLD, I think I might have frozen, who knows?

Morning Colors Ceremony — 7:45 am
We raise the flag that the staff gave us.

Breakfast — 8:00 am

Self explanatory I guess, we ate food. Every day we had a bowl of cereal, than we had something like bacon and eggs or pancakes or something else. Like all the other meals there was a scout that was the designated waiter (Aka poor soul that has to run and get food and eat quickly before we want seconds, thirds, fourths...etc.)

Morning Activity Period — 9:00 am to 10:00 am
This is the first Merit badge period. I took Woodworking, where I learned to attach hinges, make blueprints, build a box, build without nails (use dowels), cut edges, and draw out measurements (not all at once).

Morning Instruction Periods — 10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Woodworking is a two period merit badge, so I was still working.

Family Day at Camp

Yesterday was Family Day at Scout Camp. The boys got to show is around their campsite and we watched the Troops compete in a bunch of games in and around the pool. Every year they have a theme for the games, this year it was Mardi Gras.

yep those are the boys under the masks!

look closely, you can see Inch just missing pushing out the greased watermelon out of the pool.
Most of the boys are 2-3 years older than him

U and 3 others scouts had to make a human canoe and race other troops. The won their first heat and came in third in the finals

After the games we watched the formal retreat ceremony. This camp has a unique tradition of respecting the Flag with a retreat and pass and review. It is really cool. The marching isn't exactly done with military precision but not bad for a bunch of tired sweaty kids.

Lining up with all of the other troops

Marching begins

Well they are "kinda" in step ;-)

After retreat the family ate dinner togetherand everyone got ready for the final campfire. This is where all of the campers are recognised for all of their accomplishments for the week. The Order of the Arrow also puts on a really cool show. The OA is the national honor society for Boy Scouts. It uses American- Indian styled traditions and ceremonies. The boys are elected by the peers for best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. This was the first year that the boys went to camp as "Arrowmen" so they were able to participate in the pageant. As we were walking to the campfire all of the boys in the padgeant lined our path.

Inch playing the of the indian brave very seriously

"U" had a little harder time composing himself

The braves walk into the campfire "U" is the far one centered in the picture

Inch played the part of the storyteller

This was G-MACs first year visiting camp and Mallu and Rose last visited two years ago. In the past I have either gone to camp with the boys as an abult leader or come for the games and stayed the night. This was the first year that I was just a visiting parent, it was kinda nice! No pressure no responsibilities.

"U" was really happy to see his family, Especially G-MAC

As one of the leaders Inch had a tent all to himself

Rose Eating with her big brother

Daddy and Me

Well it really has been a busy week for us. Lots of things that we wanted to post about but just never did.

The boys have been gone to camp for the last week and I have taken this time to really pour a lot of attention into Mystical Rose. Usually the boys, especially Inch, get the lions share of the attention because ....well they are just bigger and louder. Its not that we just ignore Rose but she has such a giving soul that she really thinks of others needs a lot. Well this week we were able to go to the pool almost every day (notice how dark we have both gotten) and I have been able to read to her a good deal from a story that we started months ago. But while it has been a very nice week. We were all just commenting at lunch yesterday how much we all miss the boys.

--Crucian Dad

Off to Camp

Well the boys just left for Scout Camp. One whole week, they always look forward to it every year. The camp is located right on the Mason-Dixon Line. In fact the in the campsite that our troop stays in, the adults sleep in Pennsylvania and the kids sleep in Maryland!
Please pray for Inch, he is the Junior Assistant Scoutmaster this year. As the highest ranked boy he is in charge of the whole troop(26 boys!!) He will have 3 adults to back him up but the way BSA works is that the boys truely run the troop. Its amazing to see how much this little fact really matures the boys.
--Crucian Dad

Yes that is Mallu Mom peaking from behind the boys

Packing the Trailer

There is a lot of stuff for just one week

Saying goodbye
the boy on the left is NOT our child he just wanted to wave for some odd reason

We are now Homeowners...almost

Here I am again, Inch writing because my mom has "no" time.
Well after some haggling, we signed the contract for the house on ***** (no we will still not tell you where it is) Here is a picture of my parent signing.

I wonder why they do not sign the bottom... Is that just outdated? Anyhow we will probably be moving in after we close.
I AM SO EXCITED WE WILL FINALLY GET A TREE HOUSE
Thank you for the prayers! Keep praying! Hope closing goes smoothly!
-Inch

P.S. I think my mom does have time but she uses it up on unimportant things like feeding the family :).

Another G-MAC First

We finally decided to take G-Mac to the pool for the first time. At first she wasn't so sure to what to make of the water, Mystical Rose and Mulu Mom helped to ease her in.

All was going good until Mulu tried to take her a little deeper into the pool. I think it was also a little cold for her.

So G-MAC decided to wait with Dad and just watch.

After a few minutes of seeing her brothers and sister enjoying the pool. G-MAC decided to try again and this time she really enjoyed it



--Crucian Dad