"Sportsman-like Conduct" - Teaching how to be a Good Winner

My son is the youngest in his Wolf Cub Scout den and it really shows at times.  Tonight, they played a game with marbles.  He was a bit of a "poor winner" at times.  He pointed out when other kids missed and made a big deal when he did win.  I had to pull him aside and talk to him about cooperation and sportsman-like conduct.

He's still very literal, so before every meeting, I try to go over expectations of him.  As a kid, I would have found this insulting, but he's very black-and-white.  He needs extra reminders not to talk out of turn often.  I didn't think I'd have to state not to point at a kid that missed and comment on it, but I guess he does need to be reminded of this.  I'll keep this in mind before the next meeting and try to think of every possible scenario.

He doesn't mind that we do this and he seems to need his exact expectations spelled out.  It takes me out of my comfort zone to do this, but I have to put my kids' needs ahead of my discomfort.

Plus, his leader this year is pretty strict.  He is a colonel in the military (not sure which branch).  Even I feel more comfortable calling him "colonel" or Mr. S, rather than by his first name.

Thanks for reading!

 - Vanessa

Re-Painting my Daughter's Headboard

I decided to re-paint my daughter's headboard.  I am slowly but surely re-decorating the kids' bedrooms, and this was the next phase of decorating hers.  The hubby had put up a faux-canopy, but she's still so young and plays so rough that she it came down and the fabric tore.

I decided that giving her headboard a new look would be more appropriate.  Plus, she had drawn on it before with permanent marker.  Hopefully, this will deter her from doing that again, as well.

 Here was her headboard before:

I was a little lazy and scrubbed at it with soap and a rough rag, instead of completely peeling the old paint and sanding it.  The headboard is made of plywood, after all.

Here is a picture of the headboard with the first coat of paint:

I decided that since she is only 5 years old and my only daughter, that I would add some glitter.  I used purple and silver glitter in the paint.  It still wasn't sparkly enough, so I added silver and contrasting green glitter on top of the wet paint.

I painted it outside on the driveway, but heard that it is supposed to rain tonight, so it is finishing drying in the living room tonight.  When it completely dry, I will move it into her room.  My next step of their re-redecorating projects will be to get curtain rods and make curtains.  I have matching fabrics for both of their rooms.

Thanks for reading!

 - Vanessa

Re-Making my Son's Brag Vest

My son inherited my husband and my habit of picking at things when he's nervous or bored.  Because of this, he had stretched out the Brag Vest that I made him last year.  It started looking really bad because of this and the front looked too stretched out and saggy.  I agreed to make him one more and took this habit into consideration to make it a little thicker in places.

I recommend that all Cub Scouts have a Brag Vest!  It is a great way for them to display their accomplishments.  Right now is their big annual popcorn fundraiser, so this helps with his sales to be able to show customers what this fundraiser pays for in his scouting.

I took his measurements.  For the vest, I used his widest circumference measurement (his tummy).  I divided that in half and added 4 inches (2 inches on each side).  I also measured him from shoulder to hip and added a couple of inches.  He is a Wolf Cub Scout and will wear this for the next 2 or 3 years, so I wanted to add a little room to grow into it.  I rounded off the neck a little.

I basically did the same with the front side, but I put a little bit of a v-neck.

I then cut down the center to make the opening.

I have a sewing machine, but it is put away until I eventually have a house with enough room to be able to use it.  So, I sewed this by hand.  I pinned the ends together where they meet and sewed them together.

Here are some pics of the finished and final Brag Vest  :)

I used felt for this and am pretty happy with the way that it turned out.  I am a lot happier with this one than the first one I made.  I may end up putting a border or something on it later.  I'll leave it to my son to decide.  After all, it is his Brag Vest.

The only thing that I would change would be to use fleece material instead of felt.  Both materials and perfectly acceptable, though.  I only paid $4 for this material to make it versus paying $20 or more at the scouting store.

Thanks for reading!

 - Vanessa

Going-Away/New Teacher Present

My sister and her boyfriend are moving to Albuquerque at the end of the week.  My sister just graduated and has earned her teaching certifications.  I made her this as a going-away/decoration for her new classroom.  I hope she liked it!

Thanks for reading!

 - Vanessa

Trail Improvement Community Service Project

The Tanglewilde neighborhood reached out to some local organizations about doing a community service project.  They wanted a trail through their neighborhood to be improved and to be safer.  This trail leads from the neighborhood to the local middle school.  With kids returning to school, they wanted the trail to be better and safer.

There was a big group from Faith Lutheran Church there and many people from that neighborhood.  My son's Cub Scout pack was invited to join the work party.  My family was the only group from the pack, though.  There was also another Boy Scout there on his own to get community service credit.

This was the trail and the mountain of gravel when we got there.

The kids and I mostly contributed to raking leaves, cutting back branches, and pulling up weeds.

Some local firemen came out to show their support for a little bit, too!  They gave out hats, stickers, and pencils to the kids.

Here is some work in progress on the trail:

I am really glad that we were able to represent Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts for this community project!

 - Vanessa

Shi Update

I just got home from the vet and Shi Shi has both hip dysplasia and and arthritis.  Unfortunately, this is about the worst diagnosis possible, but they were caught early on, so it'll be manageable for the meantime.  She will never go back to being her formal self, but the medication will help.  I also opted to get the Senior Pre-Op blood work package to find out if there are any additional underlying problems, which the vet said is a very real possibility.  I really don't want to hear any more bad news about the dog, but it's best to find out all of the problems now.

It's been an emotional day.

 - Vanessa

My Dog, Shi

I am taking one of my dogs to the vet in about 3 hours and feeling nervous.  A couple of weeks ago, her hips/back legs started bothering her.  She has really bad days where she can barely walk and will cry out in pain.  I was waiting until I get my financial aid money from school, but am getting too impatient and tired of seeing my dog in pain.  My hubby got his paycheck.  Between that and a grant from Concern for Animals, we'll be able to handle the examination bill.  I'm not sure what I'll do if it turns out to be a bigger concern, but I'd rather know what's wrong now than let whatever it is continue.

I'm sure I'll have an update tonight or tomorrow.  I'm hoping for the best, but preparing myself for the worst.

 - Vanessa