Tuesday, October 25, 2011

So It Begins...

Well, it looks like we're finally on our way to having our own Girl Scout troop.  Kat and I are both trained up.  We've been "approved" by the woman who handles membership in our service unit (who used to be Kat's ledader...).  (Don't get me started down that path...) We now have our official troop number from Council.  We also have at least one girl who wants to be a part of our troop!  Tonight I'm heading over to the church where we've been told we can meet and see what rooms are available since there are several other troops meeting at the same time.  There are some older girls meeting as well at the same time and I hope this doesn't cause a conflict.

OK.  I was going to let sleeping dogs lie, but I guess I have to explain that last comment at least a little.  You see, I'm beginning to feel a bit used and the pawn of some service unit politics.  It's not Loretta's fault, she was just going with the flow.

I had been told that there was a need for older girl leaders in our service unit by Loretta (who runs/owns the daycare that Boo goes to and who's daughters were in Scouts with Kat).  Me, being me, said "sure!".  Loretta said that there was a want for a 6th grade only Cadet troop.  Ok by me, I like that age.
Anyhow, at the first leader's meeting I went to for the service unit there was much cheering by everyone when they introduced us new leaders and they were told I was starting the 6th grade troop.  Fast forward to last week's meeting when Jane (the one in charge of membership) and Loretta (the go-to woman for older troops in the service unit) were both out.  Well, to say that my opinion of Jane from when I was a girl member was accurate is a true statement.  And Kat and I aren't the only ones.  Anyhow, it seems that the older girl leaders are mixed on the idea of a 6th grade troop and some are actually hurting for girls themselves.  So, yeah, I'm feeling a little bit played, but I'll make the best of it.
Kat and I are good at going with the flow and doing it our way within the system.  If it turns out that by the end of the year we merge with another troop, that's fine.  If we end up with a great group of girls, I want to keep them until they graduate, and add more 6th graders as they come along.  Then we won't be just a 6th grade troop any more, which makes some of the younger girl leaders unhappy.  Oh well, tough nuggies.  I'm not going to spend (what's left of) the year bonding with and growing with a group of girls, only to have to find them new homes come next fall.  Nope, not the way I do things.  And Jane can just deal.

Despite how negative those last few paragraphs may sound, I'm actually very excited about all of this.  I'm really looking forward to having something to do and somewhere to go and something positive outside of my family.  As much as I love my boys and we have a fairly comfortable routine right now, I need to do this for me.  I need to be doing something other than just work, work, work and family stuff.  There's not enough family time as it stands, but there's also not enough "me" time either.  This is something that I truly enjoy and will keep me happy.  And as everyone knows, if Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  (I try not to inflict my crankiness on the world, but, I don't succeed very well...)

So, as exhausted as I am from work right now (we've had record numbers of both opened and closed cases the past 2 months) I really am quite excited about this.  I may not like some of the program things that have come out from council in the past year or two, but like Loretta said, just wait a few years and it'll all change again.  And since I have a long enough history with the program, I have no qualms about pulling stuff from the "old days" and doing it in addition to or instead of the "new" stuff.  (I'm not a fan of making my girls do a program or activity just because council or national says we have to... we'll do what the girls want and if they want to spend a few months learning new crafts than so be it.  I may try and figure out how to tie it in to the "new" stuff, but you know what, only if the girls really want to.)

So, now that I've rambled on way longer than I intended to, I'm going to sign off.

Peace to you all and may your undertakings be both grand and fun.

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