Brownie anyone?

Wasn’t it just last week I was talking about my son and his long anticipated jump into Beavers? Now it’s my daughter, my oldest daughter. She’s been a Spark for the last two years. I guess it was bound to happen. But my daughter is getting older. And with getting older means transitions, moving on, moving up. My girl is now a Brownie, the step after a Spark and before a Girl Guide.

My son and younger daughter enjoyed staying up late and celebrating.

Seeing my daughter getting her Brownie pin reminded me of my Brownie days. Like my daughter, I loved being part of Girl Guides. I loved hanging out with my friends and camping and learning new things and earning badges (even though I burned a batch of rice krispie squares). Of course my daughter wasn’t as lucky as I was. We got to wear those lovely brown bag dresses as uniforms.

Myself (left) and sister (right) proudly displaying our Brownieness

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Don’t know if I’m ready for camp

My little girl guide

Well Mother’s Day is coming this weekend. I’m sure many mom’s are anticipating a wonderful breakfaast of burnt toast and cheerios served in or on or near the bed. Perhaps some nice flowers and a homemade card (as long as the gifts aren’t on this list, you’re probably okay). Well my Mother’s Day gift this year is having my seven year old at Girl Guide camp. This will be her first sleep away camp. And for that matter, mine too, as a mom anyway.

Most moms might be excited about having one less child in the house and it will be nice to not have the usual early morning fights over who has built the tallest Lego tower. But instead I’m seeing flashbacks to the first day of kindergarten (read Scary Mommy’s post to refresh your memory of what that feels like). I remember entering the school playground anxiously with my then four year old daughter. Turns out I was the only anxious one as she ran into a playground full of kids she didn’t know without hesitation (man, I wish I had that gift). The whole kindergarten thing didn’t really hit me until I stopped at a stop sign and noticed her empty car seat in my rearview mirror. Then tears.

And now I see the cycle starting all over again with camp. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for her, but I think I’m secretly hoping at night she misses me, just for a second. I know I will when I walk past her empty room.

Cookies and decoys

Yesterday my husband took our two oldest to the Sportsman Show here in the big city. It’s a funny place to be since we’re not very sporty people. We don’t fish or hunt or play hockey or even watch hockey. It’s all because of my daughter. She was asked to bring her sweet smile to sell cookies for her girl guide troop and earn her cookie selling badge of course.

It seems like a bit of a contrast, girl guide cookies and hunters, but I guess everyone gets hungry.

The show was a great treat for my son. He sat on every ATV available. He tried out binoculars. He wore a life jacket. He even played a target game. The old men at the booth tried to give him pointers on how to get a good shot. Of course it didn’t help that the pellet gun was longer than my son. I don’t even think he could pull the trigger. It was like an amusement park.

At the end of the day my daughter walked away thinking about her cookie badge. While my son held on to his ATV memories. Thank goodness for living in the big city and gun laws.