Month March 2012

Weekend in the Ozarks Part II and some catching up…

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We had so much fun celebrating Tootie’s birthday in the mountains, we decided to go again for the E-man’s.

Hubs had to work, so it was just me and kids this time.

I highly recommend the Lost Valley Trail for children. It's only 2.5 miles and it boasts a cave, falls and a grapevine for swinging.

Tawanda!

 

This tiime, we had a picnic at the falls.

End result of hike.

 

Slumber party in the loft. The E-man is already asleep. Tootie and I sat up late reading.

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On March 12, the Girl Scouts organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. I took Tootie to the Birthday Bash at the Clinton Library, where we mingled with girls from all over the state.

There was quite a crowd!

 

Hanging with Juliette Low...

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We wrapped up cookie season with a booth sale in the rain…

Here, the girls are waiting to pounce on unsuspecting Lowe's customers.

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And then, this past weekend, I bravely agreed to let Tootie and the E-man have a sleepover on the same night.

Which is how I ended up with five kids roaming the hallway in the wee hours. I made it until 1:30 a.m. before calling it a night. Hubs says that around 4 a.m., they came into our room asking for ice cream.

I — allegedly — told them that was fine and to go help themselves.

Hubs claims that I was sleep-talking nonsense and that he wisely ushered them back to bed.

Outnumbered and outwitted.

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And in closing, here’s a picture of my two naughty dogs, who spent last night dragging out pots and pans and eating my bento lunchbox.

This time, I blame Bandit.

 

 

Freebie Friday: Little Rock Mamas t-shirts

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Happy Friday, everyone!

This week, I’m putting five of our hot-pink Little Rock Mamas t-shirts up for grabs.

To enter: Leave me a comment below in which you describe your mothering style in one word. Are you a free-range mom? A little helicoptery? Hippy? Traditional?

And now here’s a photo of the shirts:

Kristina, right, is wearing one.

What is a volunteer?

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We don’t wear party dresses.

You won’t see us in the high-society magazines.

Most of us could never afford that $500 or $200 or, hell, even a $100 ticket to a sparkly, champagne-laden fund-raising event.

No, we are the women in the trenches. We sport broken nails, paint-spattered arms, sore muscles.

We wear jeans, not sequined party frocks that cost as much as that donation we’re making to some charity or the other.

Makeup? Who has time?

And if we do have time? It comes from Walgreen’s. Not a cosmetics counter.

Some of us are single moms. Some of us work two jobs, just to get by. Some of us spend every weekend teaching and embracing and loving YOUR children.

Some of us suffer from chronic illnesses, like lupus.

Still, we plan, we work, we cherish every triumph.

We are the women who are teaching your girls how to be strong. How to be leaders. How to defy stereotypes and redefine the role of women in today’s society.

We are 3.2 million strong. Among our ranks:

The first female war correspondent. Two astronauts. Journalists. Singers. Athletes.

We are Girl Scouts.

We get our hands dirty.

We wear jeans. And sneakers.

We like going incognito.

We clean cemeteries and investigate and document the lives of those buried in these old, forgotten graveyards. We work in community gardens, organize bedding drives for homeless children.

We take care of our senior citizens. Our soldiers.

We recognize unsung heroes because we understand what it is to work and not be recognized.

So no, you will not see us at galas or balls or sweetheart dances.

Our daughters will never be debutantes. Because the work they do? Well, it’s not recognized in social circles.

But we are so proud of them.

You won’t see our pictures in high-society mags.

You won’t hear about the things we do or see the things we see.

But our mark? Its imprint is deep.

And our girls? They are tomorrow’s leaders.

And us?

We are the ones teaching them to be leaders.

Because we know a true leader does not need public recognition or praise or a glossy photo to prove her value.

We know that anonymous sacrifice and offerings are far more precious, far more gratifying than acts that are spoken of publicly.

We believe in what we do because we see the results every day.

We believe in the girls of tomorrow.

We believe in grubby clothes and dirty fingernails.

We believe in getting things done.

We are Girl Scouts.

And we are proud.