sweetspiritpamh

Thanks so very much for ya'lls input. My son is a big 6'2'' 235 lb. boy who will be getting his eagle next month and with ya'lls recommendation ideas I found the best place was online at campmor.com so I guess this will be his eagle present from us because what I read it will get a ton of use after he graduates and goes into the military to defend our country.

My son really wants a Thermarest Trail LARGE self Inflating Mattress, he is really sold on it but it is very pricey. Does anyone have suggestions to find one at the most reasonable cost possible?

our troop has a great dutch oven pizza that we cook on charcoal go to http://www.troop68.org/ then go to recipes then under main dish find the dutch oven pizza in photos

This is a little off but this is what made girls in scouts get the message clear. On a weekend on Friday night our group about 45 scouts spent the night at NASA space camp. Really cool experience of sleeping under the stars. Just before we left NASA we let the girls go into the gift shop to buy something small. They sold candy there.Some bought candy instead of the cool t shirt that said I camped in space. Well second night of our trip we were going to sleep in cabins at the state park. We had always told them no food or scented things in the tents on camping trips. Part of the group was a older group of kids from our town. Apparently their leader had never stressed the NO FOOD rule. Well after getting everyone settled in the entire group went on a hike to see the scenery. When we got back about a hour later we heard lots of yelling from one of the other scout groups girls.Appatently the raccoons in this park were so used to people they even could figure out opening the latches that were on the cabins.The raccoons had torn up the bags trying to get the stash and one girl found her day pack about a half mile down the lane. They were having a field day on that candy bought in the gift shop. My girls never forgot it and got real serious about making sure no one tried to bring anything into sleeping quarters again.

My son got home at 1:30 this morning after completing his Ordeal in the Longhorn Council. They made it though 70 mile a hour straight line winds and flash flooding. Glad everyone made it home safe and sound yet water logged. I am sure it was memoriable, then they went to our troops eagle ceromony were 3 young men who started as tigers together all got there way though together to eagle. Quite remarkable I beleive.

Learning about shopping was a awesome lesson I have watched my son grow with. We live in day of cell phones so when my son went the fist time he took his list into Wal Mart and asked me to shop somewhere else in store. Before going the check out he called me to come look over his cart for suggetions. I am a very frugal shopper. I first time he accepted my ideas. Since then he has been able to make some pretty mature choices. I will always remember the time he found out that the sirloin steak was on sale and actually cheaper than making hambugers with buns, cheese, lettuce and tomoto. Our troop typically plans on 8-10 dollars for a big Saturday Breakfast (omelets are their favorite), Lunch, Dinner, and a easy Sunday Breakfast. Then on the trip home everyone brings about $5.00 to stop at Dairy Queen(a Texas small town Burger and ice cream Place. The troop usually charges between $10-$15.00 for the camp out because they have a old school bus and that goes in the gas tank and then the program supplies(ex. ammo) has really jumped in price last camp. Its not a cheap weekend but I really believe to do quality program it costs nowadays even for a tightwad like I am.

My sons troop has dutch oven contests during their meetings at least 2 times a years and the boys really love it. Then they are really excited about taking their new recipes to camp. Check out http://www.troop68.org/ and go to the recipes page. A couple of weeks ago they did a dutch oven pizza contest and I was really impressed with the results, some patrols had cheese in the crust and put the local Pizza joints a run for their money. When boys get to create it's really quite fun to see how self supporting they can be.

My sons troop takes their older boys on a high adventure trip to the Weminuche Wilderness Area. They tell me it is fabulous. Last year before going I found a book A Falcon Guide Hiking Colorado's Weminuche & South San Juan Wilderness Areas A Guide to Southwestern Colorado's Greatest Hiking Adventures. My husband said it was quite helpful and in talking to friends who are real backpacking fans they told me this area is ranked according to the Backpacker magazine as a great trek. My son is looking forward to this trip again this summer. The photos my husband brought back last year needed to be on a calendar they were so breathtaking.

My sons troop thanks the charter organization with a FREE pancake breakfast for everyone at all the services that day. The church family really likes it because many organizations have pancake breakfasts as fund raisers. And this is a way to give back to the community that is their for them.Of course having a boy led group is important for the community to see in their scout shirts really taking the lead. It still needs adult to be their but the boys are really doing the work.

Last Jamboree my teenage daughter went on staff and even though it wasn't very much to sign up to volunteer to help work by the time you added the airfare, special uniforms, extra expenses it still came to about $1000. But she said it was worth every penny. This time she wants to go as a day visitor and have her brother who will be the summer before his senior year go as a scout and not a staffer to get full experience out of it.I believe our web site said its $3000. plus air fare so its very pricey on my budget.

The Tejas district color guard from Arlington Texas will be going for their 3rd Presidential Inauguration. They take 44 scouts and the director, Dr. Bill Spencer has it down to a science. Contact him for some ideas. They spend 10 days there and every minute is full. There web site is http://tejasdistrictcolorguard.org/ It is a take your breath away trip according to my kids. Last time 3 kids and husband got to go, this time just my son is making the trip. But I'm still very excited for him.

Our troop 68 in Arlington Texas has a wonderful building that the scouts and scouters built with their own hands. On paper it belongs to our CO but it is designed for scouts use. I believe there are 2 boy scout troops (1 regular and 1 special needs), and a cub pack, and a girl scout troop that regularly use it. It is also used by many troops traveling through or coming to Arlington Texas as a sleep over stop.So if your group is ever in the area call and make reservations. There are pictures at www.troop68.org. The scouts are very proud they have such a great place to call home. By the way it is less than 1/2 a mile from the New Dallas Cowboy Football Stadium, 1 mile from Six Flags over Texas, Texas Rangers Professional Baseball Park and just a 1 and 1/2 mile from Hurricane Harbor Water Park. Its in old downtown of our little town, right in the middle of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. If you are not aware our little town has 365,000 people in it.

Troop 68 in Arlington Texas has a 60 passenger bus. you can see pictures at www.troop68.org The troop requires that every boy for every event ride no matter even to a simple field trip in town. That way everyone gets to wherever safely and on time. It may be old school but now after being a driver with out reimbursement for many years in cub scouts and girl scouts its nice that everyone chips in and bears the responsibility of helping pay for gas.

In Arlington Texas we have a entire troop of young men with some form of disabilities. It is Troop 517 from Longhorn Council. I am sure they use many creative ways to get the Boy Scout Program out. Steve Barnes is the scoutmaster and maybe if you could communicate with him he could give you some ideas to help each boy to do his best.

I really understand how you feel. Just today we were able to get my son (15) in to see a child's heart specialist. We just found out 6 weeks again our new doctors (because of a insurance change) would not sign my son off for his Boy Scout physical. In our area its a 6 to 8 month wait to get in. I called and pleaded with this really great professional. He double booked and scheduled $10,000.00 worth of tests to take every caution possible and then signed his scout physical. He is going on his 1st 7 day Weminuche trek in Colorado starting this Friday. Talk about last minute even though it didn't start out that way. Our old doctor and heart specialist believed our sons mild condition should not slow him down in anything even playing Texas High School Football in the fall.

My husband was just looking for a new external frame pack. The internal frames he feels ride to close and make him hot. We did a ton a research and he felt like the Kelty Tioga would be good for his needs. I went to a local outdoors store and the young man their wouldn't sell it to me even though I assured him that was what I was looking for. So I searched the web and found a really nice ex-scout who has a online business and got it from him for a ton cheaper than what I would have gotten it for local. The website was http://riverroadandtrail.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

The health department requires that the ice maker machines be emptied every 48 hours. It is new ice not something already used.

Fort Worth is were Tandy is based and have always been very helpful and helped me get the best quality and best price available. Be sure and get your tax exempt card denoted for Boy/Cub/Girl Scout. Where ever I go I ask it never hurts to try and get whatever they are willing to share with you. A real helpful tip in Texas is getting our Ice donated from grocery stores that have a seafood counter. They have to empty the entire bin every 48 hours and they fill in our ice chests and take it to the car for me. We then make home made snow cone syrup and have a extra treat our scouts have come to enjoy every camp out. The recipe for our snow cone syrup is 1pkg unsweet kool-aid mix, 2 cups of sugar, in 1 16 ounce water bottle. Put ice in cups and pour flavor mixture on top.

Troop 68 in Arlington Texas does their own summer camp. They go either to Colorado or New Mexico according to my husband and son it reminds them of something from a MASH show. It takes tons of dedicated adults to help get it organized and put together but they wouldn't have it any other way. My son says it is 10 days of eating GREAT food, lots of fun and well worth the the hard work done by all. The last 2 years my son has been in the honor patrol and while they are eating Sirloin steak as a reward on the last night the rest of the troop is eating pork chops not bad for camp food.If you are interested in seeing photos or reading about what badges and stuff they work on check out their site www.troop68.org Last year they had a choice of 18 badges to work on. They even took some to the fish hatcherey to work on that badge.

Several years ago, I had a girl in my scout troop who refused to eat Friday Nights dinner. I told her just as I would my our children that without eating dinner NO DESSERT would be had. She was in 2nd grade and in hindsight a very stubbord spoiled young girl. Now she may be stubbord but I am more. When she didn't get to eat dessert, she moaned, pouted, and came pretty close to crying, she even yelled at me saying she was going to sue me. I stood my ground. The next morning she refused to eat a very good breakfast but I was really getting worried, their was no easy of communicating with her family. This was her first trip and she really didn't want to do anything, sing those silly songs, help clean. But by lunch she was on cooking duty and discided to give her own cooking a try. She was either really getting hungary or tired but eat everything on her plate. For dinner she couldn't get enough. Sunday morning breakfast was a hit and then her mother had told me when she as soon as she got home she had to call her grandfather right away to tell him it was the best food she had ever had in her life. I don't quite know what happened but she never gave us a hassel again. And matured to become quite a successful scout. Her mother later told me the scout had never had a adult tell her that she had to do anything before and how her missing a couple of meals made life better for all around her. In the end unless someone is medically unable to eat everyone should just try. No special meals. It makes it easier and for some reason camp for just tastes better maybe because you are outside all the time and just need it.

You must not live in TEXAS. We have long sleeved shirts for the winter but when its over 100 degrees outside you are going to be hard pressed to get any male boy or adult to be real excited to do anything outside in our temps in a long sleeved shirt. Short sleeved is what most need for summer wear.

This was the same for my husband back when he was the Cubmaster. We had this one parent who kept saying nothing was quite good enough. She was comparing our pack with her nephews in a really rich area. Well my husband did his very best humanly possible with which he had to work . My son bridged over in March and no one would commit to take over. The following August my husband helped to recruit 50 new cubs and parents. He had everything all set up so in October he left. The new Cubmaster was a Eagle scout with a son in the pack. We felt pretty good about leaving all in great shape. Well that same parent that gave my husband all that grief was then calling saying we had really done a good job and the new person wasn't really up to par. Now less than a year after that the pack has folded and parents were calling asking my husband to take back over. BUT I SAID NO. He is now a ASM of a great troop and after all there is only so many hours in a day.

Troop 68 in Arlington Texas does have the history and much of it is archived in the troop web site, you can get ideas from www.troop68.org our troop has a alumnae association and it is very strong to keep the long heritage and legacy alive and going for many years to come. Just last Friday 1 of our troops most active eagles passed away. He received his Eagle from Troop 68 in 1938 and has been very very active supportor of the entire scouting community. He was so beloved and his family felt so much of what scouting did for him. They are waiting 11 days to have his funeral because the troop was at their annual summer camp in Colorado for 10 days and could not disappoint todays scouts. So they are waiting till everyone is home and has a shower before having the funeral next Monday afternoon.

http://www.star-telegram.com/obituaries/story/145528.html PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE ABOUT A TRULY OUTSTANDING LEADER Whats amazing about this man is he passed away right after the troop took the road for their annual 10 day summer camp in Colorado, the family has been so mindful of Bos' connection they are waiting till everyone is back and has a chance to shower before holding the funeral. He truly is a amazing leader and inpiration to all who knew him. Any Many knew him from far and wide.

This is not a tin foil meal suggestion but has been a hit for over 35 years in my book. Tradionally on Sunday breakfast many troops just get something quick so they can get cleaned up and ready to go. Well nowadays this one is easier than when I was a girl. We celebrate Sunday Mornings with a Jungle Breakfast. Get indivuial cereal or cereal bars, peice of fruit, juice box, and maybe even a muffin or something like that. Then the adults or the oldest patrol hide the food. We make sure everything is in ziplock sandwich bags. DO NOT put out the night before or you will have some unwanted guests.Its like a old fashioned egg hunt except everyone is looking for their breakfast, no one eats till everything is found. When everything has been found sit down to the table with milk from the gallon and all is good.My girls are older now and still remember the fun of looking for their breakfast.