A Scouting Solution

Thomas decided to not move on to Boy Scouts. Bob and I are definitely okay with that decision. In fact, we were to the point that we would have said no had he wanted to join.

We have a scout master who is busy in school and forgets everything. He has been sexist in the past. He's just not leader material. Nice enough guy, though. We have an assistant SM that is a nice guy but is openly bigoted toward gay people. Uhm, that just doesn't fly with me. If it weren't for that one huge character flaw, he'd be semi-okay -- except for the fact that he, too, is somewhat sexist. We have another assistant SM who farts and belches out loud at meetings. I'm talking committee meetings, pack meetings -- every time I've ever been around her, she's passed gas in some fashion. The worst about her, though, was the time that we attended a district pinewood derby race a few years back. We were at our fairgrounds. Another mom and I went outside for a break. We were sitting in my car and saw this woman walk through all the parked cars. Then, right in front of us, she dropped her drawers and urinated all over the parking lot. The possibility of a boy seeing this was extremely high. The mom and I sat there with our chins on our chests. The woman was looking around as she was relieving herself, locked eyes with me, and was shocked. She pulled her pants up and went running.

The funny part about this story? (As if there could be a funny part!) There was a indoor public restroom about 50 feet from where we were.

Everyone is human, and everyone is flawed. I have more flaws that I dare admit to here. However, I'm not bigoted toward gays, I don't think I'm sexist, and I know not to fart, belch and pee in public. Those are not qualities I want leading my son.

So...today for some reason I remembered that there is a program called The Lone Scout. I called someone in the know in our district and she told me who to call for further info. I have put my call in and am awaiting response. I am hoping that Thomas will be able to do this. He should, because one of ways you can register is:

Boys being home schooled whose parents do not want them in a youth group.

Yup, we qualify for that. For the reasons stated above, and much, much more. I guess I should say not any youth group, but that specific youth group.

I have looked over the merit badges at Merit Badge Dot Com and I like what I see. So Lone Scouting will be a solution. We would still be able to participate in district events, service projects, and camps.

My husband is tired of my whining...

I whine when I'm on my computer. Why? Because it freezes, it doesn't support a lot of things I want to use, and it's old. We purchased my computer in 1998. Yeah, I'm on Windows 98. Really, I don't whine that much. Only when it freezes -- which is about once a day.

My husband, with the help of Thomas, built a new computer two? years ago. I don't get to use it because if Bob isn't on it, Thomas is. That's okay.

Well, we're getting just enough of a tax return for Bob to build me a new computer. Supposedly I won't whine anymore. He's been married to me for nearly 18 years, he should know by now that I will always whine.

Am I excited? Not really. I wanted a notebook. Desperately. I envision endless homeschool possibilities with a notebook. Bob refuses. Why, I don't know. (Probably because that's what I want. I have a theory that he just does everything contrary to my wants, needs, desires...but that's a post for a different blog, which I don't possess.)

Then it dawned on me. I can take my old faithful to the school room and have what we want: Word and Excel. I can buy a printer cartridge for our old, icky Lexmark printer, and we'll be set. I doubt Bob will hook it up to the internet upstairs, but that's okay.

So am I excited now? Yes, I guess I am. I hope he gets the parts ordered this weekend.

Nothing On My Mind Until Now

Nothing much has been on my mind lately. I just looked and I haven't really blogged a lot. I guess I've been in deep thought, trying to get my house even more organized, trying to get through school, life....ignoring the calls from family members asking me when I am going to put Thomas in real school. Ahem.

I guess one thing that has been on my mind a lot is math. My son is very good at math concepts. He's very good at fractions. Some things click, some don't. Bottom line is that he hates math. Math is our biggest stumbling block in our day. Now it is my opinion that math will be done every.single.day. Period. When your child takes two hours to get his math done, that really screws up your day.

Okay, part of our problem is that we don't start school with the early birds. We get up, do our chores, eat breakfast, do spelling and grammar, then Thomas does reading for an hour while I watch the view. By then it's 11 and we start math. At 12 DH comes home for lunch and from the second he walks in the door, Thomas is pumped up and bouncing.

Thomas and I had yet another long talk about school and how much we are missing out on, how many fun things we could do. Such as: This week we have played Perfection every day, we have worked on a couple exercises from Audiblox, and we have played the Memory game. All very fun things, but good for helping develop short-term memory and speed. If anyone reading has good ideas for games of these types that don't take too much time, please share.

At any rate, Thomas decided he'd start an 8:30 bedtime. It has been 10. Which means his night-owl mother will have to get her butt to bed earlier. It also means we'll be getting up at 6:30, what I call an ungodly hour, and we'll have to see the bear until he leaves. Oh wait, the bear is my husband. He likes his solitude in the morning. So this will be an adjustment. Thomas wanted to start school at 7, but I talked him into 7:30.

Our plan is to do everything BUT math until we're done, and then we'll all sit a the kitchen table with math. I hope this works. He'll be tired and focus will be an issue, but he'll also have two adults to work with not just one.

I wish the math fairy would come to our home and sprinkle her math dust on us. Wouldn't that be the easy way out?

Hmmmmm...

I think I'll tuck myself back under my nice, comfy-cozy rock and do some more deep thinking now.

Question of the Day

About four in the afternoon, we were still doing school. We started talking about the current war, then about vets. Thomas sat back and reflected. I could tell he was really thinking hard about something. Then he made a quizzical expression, I was expecting a deep, profound question from him.

"Mom, did my grandpas fight in the Viet Nam War or the Civil War?"

Now, I'm a good mom who supports my son. He is highly sensitive and I deal with that very well on a daily basis. But not today. I burst out laughing. In fact, it might be because I was very tired, it was late in the day, or I was feeling extremely blue today, but I laughed so hard I had tears coming down my face.

Thomas has come a long way because he actually started laughing in with me. Whew, I didn't hurt his feelings.

I looked at him and told him to think about how old both grandpas are/were. I see the light bulb pop over his head. "Oh, DUH, mom, the Civil War was in the 1800s. They were in WWII."

Thank goodness he figured that out and joined me in further laughter.

Tonight while he was at the train club with his dad, I called my dad. I told him what Thomas had asked. My dad roared! He then said he feels as though he were in the civil war. Three of my father's grandfathers were in the Civil War. I think we may have to go off on a tangent tomorrow, get my genealogy out, and go through our war patriots.

We have one known that served in the Revolutionary War. We have oodles that served in the Civil War. The day my granddad signed up for WWI, it was over. How lucky was he! Both of Thomas's grandfathers were in WWII.

My great-great-great grandfather fought in the Mexican Wars. I know nothing about that period and I need to do some research, and quickly.

Sometimes when you're down and out (I was having an awful day today mood wise) one simple yet innocent question will make you laugh and snap you back into reality.

God, I love my kiddo! (Just not when he wakes up grumpy, as he's been doing the past two days.)