Daisys, Brownies & Plastic, Oh My!

Macy bridged from Daisy Scouts to Brownies last weekend. The ceremony was sweet and it was a fun get-together to have on a Sunday afternoon. It also brought me back to my days of scouting - all the awards ceremonies, pot lucks and picnics we used to have. I always saw them as events for us girls, but as an adult I realize it's also a nice way to bring the community together.


I offered to bring something for the party and, ironically, was assigned to bring bottled water. After much contemplation, I decided to just do it and not be the weird, tree-hugging, hippie mom. Seriously, a lot of thought went into an alternative, but bringing a drink dispenser full of water would still necessitate bringing disposable cups.

Instead, we used it as a lesson at home. The Girl Scouts have incorporated environmental lessons into their curriculum since I was a Scout~

"Through Girl Scouting, girls see the earth as their home. Whether they're learning about endangered wildlife, developing creative recycling projects, or working towards such earned grade-level awards as the Environmental Health Badge or the Eco-Action Interest Project Award, girls focus on care, conservation, and responsibility and ensure the safety of our planet for future generations."

So we used those ideas to create this, which we brought to the reception in addition to our bottled water~

We had a good conversation about bringing our own drinks in reusable bottles but how sometimes we need to do things like this. We talked about doing the best that we can and inspiring others at the same time so that we can continue to live in a place like this where the deer and the antelope elk roam.

(And on a complete tangent, I saw a suggestion on Facebook for a "Plastic is the new cigarette." tshirt, which I thought to be very funny. Can someone make that? Because I'd totally buy it! Come on CafePress!)

What to do when your boy wants to be a Boy Scout...and you disagree.

I knew the day would come, but have put off the Boy Scouts conversation with my oldest son until now. He came home last night with an "I want to be a Boy Scout!" sticker on his shirt, directing us to the informational packet in his back pack. Now Mr. Greenhab and I are faced with a difficult decision. Do we swallow our morals and let him join, or disappoint him because of our own, grown-up, beliefs?

If you're not up on the subject, the Boy Scouts of America have repeatedly disallowed openly gay members as well as atheists and agnostics.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), one of the largest private youth organizations in the United States, has policies which prohibit atheists and agnostics from membership in its Scouting program, and prohibit "avowed" homosexual people from leadership roles in its Scouting program as directly violating its fundamental principles and tenets. BSA has denied or revoked membership status or leadership positions of youths and adults for violation of these foundational principles. The BSA contends that these policies are essential in its mission to instill in young people the values of the Scout Oath and Law. (source)

So here we sit weighing the (good) lessons he'll learn, the skills, friendships...with the bad. If we allow him to join BSA, will we be teaching him that it's okay to exclude people based on their sexuality or religion? What if they wanted to exclude his little brother who is African American?

By allowing him to participate in an organization that thinks being gay or atheist is wrong, wouldn't we be supporting that view too? Just as the BSA think these folks would push their beliefs and ideas on Boy Scouts, should we be concerned that the organization might push it's myopic views on our son?

Or, should we be allowing him to form his own views on the subject? Should we even be broaching such a heavy subject like that with him? At this point, he just knows that his Girl Scout sister gets to sell cookies, do fun art projects and go camping. Is a 5 year old able to weigh "cool stuff" against moral values?

I'm really interested in knowing how everyone feels about this, so please tell me your thoughts. What have you done? Do your sons know about BSA's policies? How do they feel? How do you feel? Please, views are bound to vary greatly, so let's be respectful.

Meatless Monday: Scrambled Quinoa

It's been awhile since I've posted a Meatless Monday dish, but I made the best lunch today, so I had to share. I had a craving for scrambled eggs with veggies, but really needed to use up the leftover quinoa, so I combined them all into....Scrambled Quinoa!

I used roughly 3/4 cup quinoa (cooked), 2 eggs, and 1 cup of fresh spinach. Saute the spinach in a dash of olive oil, then add pre-cooked quinoa and heat for two or three minutes, stirring. Whisk the eggs, then add them in as well. Stir like you would when you're scrambling eggs. Season to taste. I used some of Paula Dean's garlic and salt that comes in the grinder...I think I'm addicted to it.

One could also add more quinoa and veggies and call this vegetable fried quinoa. Whatever you call it, it's good!

Be sure to stop by Midnight Maniac for other fabulous Meatless Monday recipes!

Ben's Bells...a lesson in kindness

As Felix and I left preschool yesterday afternoon we heard a quiet tinkle coming from a nearby tree and spotted this hanging on its branch~

It's a Ben's Bell and, much like the Toy Society that I blogged about a few months ago, Ben's Bells are left somewhere for an unassuming passerby to find and be reminded to spread kindness.

"Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families, and nations." ~Paramahansa Yogananda

The story behind Ben's Bells touched me and reminded me of two friends who also lost their little ones way too early. So, in honor of Thomas and Ryan, we purchased a Be Kind ornament and an ILY Ornament to pass on to someone new.

Do you practice random acts of kindness? Don't you think life would be a little bit sweeter if everyone did?

Dear Mother Nature...

Dear Mother Nature;

It's kind of hard to convince people of this whole global warming thing when you do this on May 15th.

I mean, I know you've been doing your job for billions of years and everything but, if you want people to go easy on you, you could stop sending snow in the middle of spring. I'm just saying.

Your friend,
Kellie

Can we talk socks?

I got a new bag of socks for Christmas (really, try not to be jealous!) and I've already had to relegate most of them to the rag pile due to holes. They were a generic brand, so I wasn't particularly surprised when they started to become threadbare at the three month mark, however, I've also had Champion and Danskin brand that haven't lasted longer than six months.

I can assure you that I'm not out running marathons each and every day. As someone who works from home though, I pretty much wear plain ol' sweat socks every day around the house, without shoes. And I may do the occasional Tom Cruise / Risky Business impression...but nothing that should really wear socks out this quickly.

Does anyone have a sock recommendation that can stand the rigorous daily activity of a work-at-home mom / housewife?