Yesterday was our work on scout crap night - I mean work on scout stuff that helps my boys learn to be well rounded young men. Before my middle son can go to Kenya to work on his Eagle Scout project, he has to fill out eight pages of paper work and get signatures from all kinds of people. After spending 2 hours writing all this up, I took Brayden to the house of the person who is supposed to approve his project. The man wouldn't pass it off until Brayden filled out more information and faxed the paperwork off to get a signature from the community representative where we are going. When Brayden came back to the car and told me this, I said, "Are you kidding me? The village where we are going doesn't have electricity, let alone a fax machine." Hopefully they will settle for a signature of the U.S. representative from the organization that we are going with because other wise we have a big problem on our hands. I don't understand all this paperwork etc. If a boy wants to spend two and a half weeks of his summer vacation to go to Africa and help build one hundred desks so school children don't have to sit in the dirt, help finish two more school buildings and help build water cisterns so the villagers can have clean drinking water - I say, "Outstanding - sign him off!"
Last night I also helped my youngest work on his rifle shooting merit badge worksheet. After spending all day at school doing school work, this is no small feat! Last Saturday we spent all day in Salt Lake at a Hunter Education class for the boys so they can get their hunting permits. My youngest has no interest in this, but his dad insisted that it would be good for him (guess who got to do all the work though.) Anyway, the only real reason I agreed to have him go through with three days of working on an Internet class and to spend a Saturday from 8 AM to 5 PM in a class room was so he could get his rifle shooting merit badge. In order to get that merit badge though, he has to pass the stupid hunter safety class and fill out a worksheet. He passed the written test and sat through all kinds of video's etc. but then it came time for the shooting test, which he failed miserably. When the teacher tried to talk Ken into retaking the shooting test, he refused - he was absolutely done from having to sit through a class all day and I don't blame him. You don't just ask a developmentally delayed kid to set himself up to keep failing. So the teacher told us to come back when he has his next class in June and Ken can retry the shooting test. I tried to explain to the man that we had a six hour round trip and that we had done all the work, including passing the written test. Ken isn't going to go out shooting - he just needs the merit badge,but all the instructor could say was, "Have him practice." If the scouting program is to help boys get confidence and succeed - shouldn't they adjust the requirements for developmentally delayed kids? At this point, I want to say bag it - I'm tired of having to jump through their hoops!
On a positive note, I am becoming a very well rounded mother learning how to shoot rifles, fish and other things so WE can get our Eagles. Why couldn't they just sell cookies like the girl scouts and call it good?
Like so many other people, my favorite girl scout cookies are the thin mints. I found this recipe for a similar cookie and I can't wait to try them!
Thin Mint Cookies
In a bowl, mix 2 eggs, 2T. water, 2T. cooking oil, 1 box of Devil's food cake mix and 1/2c. cocoa powder. Cover and let side for 20 minutes.
On an ungreased cookie sheet, place 1/2 inch small balls of the mixture. Place them about 2 inches apart then flatten with a large spoon.
Bake for 8 minutes at 400*. Let them cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, melt 1 package of chocolate chips in the microwave. Drop 2 to 3 drops of Wilton's Candy Mint flavoring into the melted chocolate. Spread the chocolate over the top of the cooled cookies.
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