The terrible awful I did...

I pride myself as being a really smart woman until I do something really stupid.

Which is what I did tonight.

If you have read my blog, you know about my years of cub scout volunteering.

As you may also know, I am done with cub scouts as my boys are both boy scouts now. 

We do not have the best Boy Scout troop around, it is just a plain and simple fact.

We have a scoutmaster who has been running things for WAY TOO LONG!

He is controlling and set in his ways.  Our troop has lost many families because of it.

The troop is like a 'rogue' troop and he does not encourage or like when scouts do activities that are sponsored by counsel.  For those of you not in the scouting 'know', a counsel is in charge of all of the troops in an area.  There are about 10 towns in our counsel and our counsel plans activities for all of the troops to participate in.

Well my boys signed up for one such activity.  My youngest, who has been a boy scout for 5 weeks had to go and get a card signed off for by the scoutmaster and he sent him away without it! Now he signed off on the same card for my oldest scout last week.  When my oldest scout pointed this out, the scoutmaster dismissed him too.  

Evidently he is upset that boys in the troop are going on this activity, WTF??!! It isn't like they are organizing a trip to hang out in the sand pits and drink keg beer!  They are going to earn Merit badges!!

Well my boys came out to the car and told me what happened.

I simply lost it!

I have dealt with this tool for 5 years and because of my role in cub scouts always had to hold my tongue.  I could tell you story after story about all of the Ahole things he has done over the years.

Tonight was the straw that broke this camel's back and 5 years of frustration came pouring out.

I pointed out to him that it makes no sense to me why a scoutmaster would not want his scouts to experience all that the scouting world has to offer.  He offered lame excuses and your basic bullshit.

I would not back down, it was heated.  No f bombs(thankfully) flew.  However I did also have the opportunity to tell him exactly what I think about his 'white trash, idiot, couldn't hold a job at WalMart' wife.  I didn't use that description out loud, but I made my point.  My 15 year old summed it up as, "you looked really pissed mom!" The problem is that this was not how I wanted things to go down.  My 15 year old is fine with it, he deals with this man too so he kind of knows.  

Now for my 11 year old, not so much. Now he is worried that he will be treated differently in the troop and all the other things an 11 year worries about.  The boys want to stay with their friends in the troop so it isn't like we are going anywhere at this point.  

Now it is just me and my walk of shame over the terrible awful I did tonight.  He better hope I don't look up Minnie's recipe for pie, cause I am still pretty mad.

Lent and Crack...

Sometimes as a Catholic I feel I live a double life.

Don't worry, I'm not out there hitting the crack pipe or anything crazy like that.

I grew up Catholic but, we were a little laissez faire at times(which I still am).

I think it is a little crazy.  I teach Sunday school. I think to myself sometimes that I am the last person who should be educatin' these kids as to the ways of our religion.

I didn't believe in God for a very long time.

I still struggle with my beliefs... there I said it!

Anywho, I discussed with my Sunday school class before lent began what we should give up.  They are fifth graders and came up with totally lame ideas, things that really weren't a sacrifice.  

I tried to give them an example of what I might give up, but I hadn't really worked that out yet.  Truth be told I don't always give something up for lent.  I try to use it as a reminder to be a better person, ya know... a little less biotchy.  Believe me I can always use some reminding of that.

I started thinking out loud to my class...hmm...what would really be a sacrifice.  I thought about shopping and didn't need to think much longer about what I needed to give up...

do you know of it?  It is a little paradise of products.

creams, lotions, polish, body wash, lip gloss...

I was dropping some serious cash there on a regular basis.

So I gave it up and gave it up good.  

I did go in there today to purchase conditioner, which was a necessity purchase

and exempt(I believe) from my Lenten sacrifice.

Then came the Crack...

yes, as the label says, it is a habit forming hair fix.  

There you have it.  I went from conditioner to Crack and I am trying 

to reign myself in at this point.  

My hairdresser used this stuff on my hair and I couldn't believe it. It held 

a style with minimal spray. It made my hair feel and look so good. 

I had to have it.  So I got it. Now I have some 'splainin to do.

I started talking to myself, as I usually do...
I guess I am just not the good Catholic I play on Sundays.

I still eat meat on Fridays I reminded myself.

Who do I really think I am?

I was then reminded of an incident when I was a kid.  No self-respecting Catholic would be short a good childhood story.  I think maybe this was the beginning for me

not taking lent as serious as I should.

Who remembers this?

ah yes Boo Berry... As a kid of the 1970's I lived on this stuff.
Especially on Friday nights during lent when it was either fish sticks or cereal.
Well, one ill-fated Friday evening during lent was
big doings for my small town.
An ice arena was opening that night and classes were starting.
We ate quick and got over to the arena.
All the kids were waiting off the ice to be called to their class.
As I was called, I guess I was nervous.  I stepped on
the ice and no sooner did my blade hit the ice but so did my dinner.
Yes, purple Boo Berry cereal all over the ice.
I was mortified.
 To this day do not believe
in cereal for dinner.
As for lent...there's always next year.


(I have not been paid to mention my shopping addiction to Sephora, 
my recent addiction to crack 
nor have I or will I seek recovery 
from the makers of BooBerry for the trauma experience those many years ago on the ice)