Brownies

You are probably thinking I am going to write about the yummy chocolate kind, chewy and yummy, maybe the Rocky Road kind with gooey marshmallows on top or with fudge icing on top . . . but, no, I am not talking about the Brownies that you eat.

I am talking about the little girls, 7 and 8 years old, dressed with matching orange shirts, the ones that knock on your door every Spring and Fall selling the infamous Girl Guide Cookies, yeah, those Brownies.  I am a Brownie Leader, just starting my 6th year as Brown Owl of my local unit.  

Tonight was our first meeting of the year.  Time to get reacquainted with the returning girls, to see if they have matured at all since May.  And time to meet the new girls and see what challenges they will add to the mix.  Time to start harassing parents for the help and support needed to run the unit efficiently, I mean meet the parents and see how they can help.  

Now that we have met the girls, it is time to start planning . . . crafts, games, outings, Thanksgiving, Halloween, badges, cookie selling, songs . . . the list of ideas goes on and on forever.  If only there was the same amount of time in my day to plan the ideas that I have in my head!  Only time will tell how many and which of these ideas I have bouncing around in my brain will actually come to life.  It looks like we have a small group this year (only 11 girls as of right now) which will make things like crafts easier to prepare but it will make other things (such as outings that require minimum numbers) more difficult.  Every year has a new set of challenges and I hope that I am up for it this year!

First on the agenda is to sort through the mountain of enrollment paper work that I have accumulated and  figure out what stays with me and what I get to send off to Head Office . . . and then book our first outing to the Pumpkin Patch.

Brownie Camp

It's over!  And I survived!!!  Seriously, though, it was a lot of fun!

We had camp at Camp Opemikon for the North Gower Brownies, Girl Guides and Pathfinders this past weekend.  

Camp Opemikon is located on Christy Lake near Perth, Onatrio

It was a busy but fun filled weekend of crafts, games, campfires and hiking.  The weather was perfect.  Everyone went home happy and exhausted!  Especially the adults!

The cabin, Clements Lodge, that the Brownies stayed in.

I was VERY impressed with my Brownies.  This was their first time at camp and even though we slept in the cabin while the older girls slept in tents, they did amazingly well.  They all stayed the entire weekend and not one of them even asked to call home.  Despite a few "I miss my mommy" tears the second night, they all slept well.  Only once was I woken during the night for a trip to the outhouse!

The Girl Guide/Pathfinder tent area.

Brownie year end camp is always a little bitter sweet for me.  On one hand, it is a fun, exciting way to end the year and it is nice to look forward to having my Monday nights free for the next three months.  But at the same time it is sad and disappointing as at least half of my girls won't be back next year, as they are moving on to Girl Guides.  And of the ones that can come back for another year, there are always some that don't.  It really is amazing how attached you can get to these kids with just one evening a week!

Our huge campfire on Saturday night!

Right now, I am going to enjoy my summer break from Brownies, hopefully finding some time to do some planning and organizing for next year!  And I will look forward to a new year of fun, excitement, new friend and new challenges as Brown Owl of the 2nd North Gower Brownies.

Hiking Trail were we went for a hike Sunday morning.

We now return to our regular scheduled ramblings . . .

Phew!  Garage Sale weekend is over and I've had a few days to recover.  New Moon Rabbit Rescue raised just over $1200 for the bunnies.  As much as I love being able to help out this wonderful organization, run by two of my dearest friends, I am so glad that it is over!  It was four long, exhausting days of hard work!

Now it is time to focus my energy into other things - BROWNIES - two more meetings and camp and then we are done for the summer.  Yee Haw!  It is another one of those things that although it is a lot of fun and very rewarding, it's nice to have a break.  HOUSE WORK - the place looks like a tornado went through it.  GARDENS - so far so good there, but soon it will be time to plant the veggie garden, then it gets busier!  And of course, WORK - I am still venturing into potty training hell every day - although yesterday, one of my boys ASKED to go to the potty and then actually PEED - is it a break through or a coincidence?  Only time will tell!

And of course above everything else is FAMILY TIME!  There never really is enough family time.  My little boy is growing up so fast, I just can't keep up with all the things he's learning and doing.  And soon (by soon, I mean should have been done last week!) we are going to have to take him for his first haircut.  It makes me sad.  But I've always said that I'm not going to be one of those moms who cries every time her baby reaches a new milestone!

So, if I disappear from blog land again in the next little it while, it is either because I have gotten lost in this disaster of the house - please send help!