House of Estrogen

May Madness

The holiday period around Thanksgiving and Christmas is always such a frenzied time with holiday parties, wrapping, shopping, Santa visits, and family gatherings. I have come to the realization though that with school age children, May is just as busy, if not more so. It seems we are running non-stop - shopping for graduation and teacher gifts, graduation parties, end of year parties, pool opening party, kindergarten orientation, middle school orientation, rising kindergartener parties, end of grade testing, field day, end of year picnics, fifth grade service project, end of year Girl Scout parties, Girl Scout progression ceremonies. The list goes on and on. For the most part, it is all good. It is all fun, but also... it is all exhausting. We're bouncing from one calendar entry to the next.  It hasn't left much time for blogging, but I thought I'd share a few pictures from the weekend. Once we get through this crunch time, I hope to be back to blogging more often.

Spring Cleaning

A little Starbuck's time while J.C. was out of town downhill biking in Snowshoe, WV. As one of his buddies put it, he "pre-broke his face" before going. Nice. Thankfully, he didn't come home with any more bumps, bruises, cuts, or stitches than he had when he left.

ACC tournament championship game

Coldest Cookie Booth EVAH

Normally, we put the cookie boxes out on the table for display. On windy days, sometimes a couple will blow off. Today, entire cases of cookies were blowing off the table. I was warmer yesterday at a cookie booth while it was snowing.

I'm not entirely sure I will ever thaw out.

House of Estrogen Rocked the Mall

2012 marks one hundred years since Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of America. Local Girl Scout councils have been hosting 100th anniversary celebrations all year, but the signature event was this past weekend in Washington D.C. - Girl Scouts Rock the Mall.  Along with 250,000 other Girl Scouts from around the country, we headed up to our nation's capital for the big event. We arrived on Thursday evening, checked into our hotel, ate dinner, went for a swim, and began noticing packs of Girl Scouts everywhere we turned.

Friday morning, we took the metro into the city. Our first stop was the ticket booth for tours of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. My attempt to get tickets from our congressman before our trip had failed, so we stood in line instead.... success!

Next up - Washington Monument where some of us were happier than others. (Four years old + wonky schedule + travel + big city = meltdown)

Next, we checked out the Obamas' pad. We weren't able to score a private tour of the West Wing like we did on our last trip to D.C., so we were stuck with peering through the gate instead.

Next, we raced over to the National Archives to drop off Elise with a friend to do a Girl Scout badge program there. The rest of us walked over to the Air and Space Museum. Nina really seemed to enjoy hearing about her great-grandfather's role in WWII, and I loved showing her his plane, photos of his aircraft carrier, and telling her all about his time on Guadalcanal. She is old enough now to really appreciate some of her family history, so that meant a lot to me. Here she is in front of his plane, the Douglas SBD Dauntless.

After a speedy lunch at the museum, we hotfooted it back to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing where our paper currency is printed. If you've never been there, the tour is really fascinating. Strollers weren't allowed, so I carried a very tired forty pounds of dead weight for much of it. As soon as the tour was over, J.C. and Addie went back to the hotel for a much needed snooze.

The girls and I continued our whirlwind tour of D.C. at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. We saw Dorothy's ruby slippers (and learned a bit of trivia... Dorothy's shoes are silver in the book, but since the movie was in technicolor, the decision was made to have red shoes that would show up better against the yellow brick road.), and Lincoln's top hat. There was a doll house exhibit that Nina loved, and we all really enjoyed seeing the first ladies' china and dresses. Nina was so excited to see Michelle Obama's inaugural ball gown.

After walking what felt like 50 miles that day, I told J.C. that I wasn't moving another inch for dinner. We made due with appetizers at the manager's reception in the hotel lobby for dinner. My feet wouldn't take me any further than that.

The next morning, we got up bright and early. Elise, Nina, and I went down to the metro station where we mingled with dozens of Girl Scouts all dressed just like us in their "Rock the Mall" t-shirts. One troop leader (with about 10 girls and 4 adults) asked me if we were going to the mall. I told her that we were meeting up at a friend's hotel first, but that we were eventually going to the mall and that she was on the right platform to go that direction. I said, "Just take the blue line to the Smithsonian station."  She said, "Oh... I thought I needed to take the yellow line."  I said, "Well, it depends on where you want to go, but the Smithsonian station is closest to the event, and it is only on the blue line." She said, "Oh, well we were planning on going to some of the museums first." I said, "The Smithsonian station is closest to the Smithsonian museums as well." She said, "OK, I guess we'll just take whichever train comes first!"  That didn't sound wise, but I decided not to push it and just left her with the information I had already given her. The next train that came along was the yellow line. We needed it to get to our friends' hotel. We hopped on, and this troop did as well. The next stop was the Pentagon. The doors opened, and this same troop leader started yelling, "Get off! Get off! Get off! This is our stop! Everybody off! Get off! Get off!" Their group jumped up and quickly moved off the train. No sooner had she gotten all of them off than we heard her yell, "Wrong stop! Get on! Get on! Get on! Get on!"  I felt like I was watching a sitcom... total comic relief early in the morning. I'd love to know where they eventually ended up. 

We made it safely to our meeting place. Elise went off with the eight other girls in her troop to the Crime Museum for a badge program there. (They all reported back afterwards that the Crime Museum was "scary".) Another mom and I took all the Daisy and Brownie little sisters to the Natural Science Museum for another Girl Scout program.

We arrived before the museum opened to this crowd of Girl Scouts waiting in line. I feel so sorry for anyone who picked this weekend for a family trip to D.C. for sight-seeing.

Despite the wall-to-wall Girl Scouts, the girls all had a great time. We lost Nina for a while in the gems and minerals exhibit. She dissolved in a puddle of tears when I found her, but she definitely learned her lesson about wandering off in a sea of people all wearing the same t-shirt.

This museum was right up her alley though - the insects, bones, rocks, crystals, and gemstones.. she loved it all.

One of the girls was brave enough to hold the hissing cockroach. Ick!

For lunch, we headed over toward the Washington Monument to find the rest of our group. Ever tried finding a needle in a haystack?  Kinda like finding a particular picnic blanket at Rock the Mall. Here's our view of the Washington...

and the Lincoln...

and the Rock the Mall stage

It was really energizing, overwhelming, and amazing to see all those Girl Scouts in one place. There was dancing and singing. There were speakers. It was hot, and we didn't stay all afternoon, but it really felt special to be celebrating this historic milestone of Girl Scouts in such a big way. I hope the girls will always remember this weekend, even if they don't quite yet grasp the significance of it.

Later in the afternoon, we met up with a friend of mine who came in from Northern Virginia, and we visited with her and her daughter for a while.

Then it was back to the hotel to find J.C. and Addie who had spent the day at the zoo.

Our final day, we took one last lap around some of the monuments and memorials before heading home. We went to the WWII memorial,

the reflecting pool (which is not so reflective right now... actually quite ugly),

and the Lincoln Memorial.

Are you exhausted yet?  I'm wiped out just typing this and thinking about it.  It was a fun, busy, blur of a trip, but for their first visit to D.C., the girls really hit a lot of the major attractions. I'm not sure my feet will ever recover from all the walking, but we all had fun "rocking the mall"!

Happy 100th Anniversary Girl Scouts!

From a Disgruntled Cookie Mom

Dear Parents of Girl Scouts who have never been Cookie Moms,

When you get an email from the cookie mom begging and pleading for volunteers to work a booth because there are still troop cookies to get rid of, don't reply back with "X is done selling cookies this year."  It is not the responsibility of the cookie mom to sell all troop cookies. It is the responsibility of the whole troop. If the troop doesn't sell all the cookies, then the troop eats all the profits, literally. Just because you want to be "done" doesn't mean you get out of helping the troop get rid of troop cookies.

When you see the cookie mom at the mall working at a cookie booth because your daughter is "done" and the cookie mom has had to drag her own daughter out there to work yet again, don't say, "Oh! I didn't know we had a booth out here today."  That just tells the cookie mom that you didn't read her email begging for people to work the booth. She'll likely get really pissed off when you don't read her emails. It is disrespectful.

When you call the cookie mom from a booth and say, "Where is Mr. X with the cookies?", and she tells you, "Didn't you get the email saying that the booth was starting at 12:30 instead of 12? Mr. X should be there by 12:30", don't say, "Oh, uh, I don't know."  Again, that just tells the cookie mom you didn't read her email. It pisses her off, and you don't want to piss off the cookie mom. Otherwise, you might get stuck with the job next year.

When you actually read an email from the cookie mom begging people to work booths and you respond with, "Can't you just transfer the cookies to other troops?", to the cookie mom, that comes across as, "What, are you stupid?" especially when she spent the night before driving to three different houses all over town transferring cookies to other troops.  It isn't that easy. Toward the end of cookie sales, every troop is looking to offload the same cookies. Nobody wants the Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Shortbreads you have in stock. They want the Thin Mints and Caramel Delights.

If you're a troop leader, don't go out of town the first two weeks of cookie sales. That just puts more pressure on your already frazzled cookie mom. If you don't go out of town, you won't tear your ACL skiing and won't have to have surgery the last week of cookie sales which stresses out your cookie mom even more.

When the cookie mom shows up with a car full of cookies at the Girl Scout meeting to give everybody the additional cookies they ordered, when she asks you, "So, what did you need?", don't look at her like she is stupid and say, "Remember? I sent you that email asking for two boxes of Peanut Butter Patties?"  NO! she does not remember. It was one of the 87 cookie related emails she has read in the last 2 days, most of which were about ordering, transferring, or trading some number of cookies. She did not memorize your order. Just politely tell her what you need.

For the few of you who do read and respond to cookie mom emails and help out with booths the last week of cookie sales, you are a rare breed, and cookie moms everywhere love you and appreciate you.

Signed,

Disgruntled Cookie Mom

Feminist, Lesbian, or Communist?

I thought my biggest Girl Scout obstacles this month would be counting change, keeping up with the cookie inventory in my garage, and finding good booth locations. Now, Indiana State Representative Bob Morris decided to add to my plate. According to his letter to lawmakers, the Girl Scouts are a radicalized organization that promotes the homosexual lifestyle, sexualizes young girls, encourages abortion, and is a tactical arm of Planned Parenthood. Morris believes that all Girl Scout role models are feminists, lesbians, or Communists.

Wah?  How have I been involved in Girl Scouts since I was in first grade and never known this? Have I been living under a rock?  And all this time I thought those camping trips were for fun, for girls gaining independence, and for bonding with friends.  I guess I have been completely brainwashed by the Girl Scouts' radical agenda, and I didn't even realize it. 

Well, heck. I try to be a good role model to the girls as cookie mom. While at booths, I teach them how to count change properly while handing out pro-choice pamphlets with the change. While going door-to-door selling cookies, I encourage good manners, looking people in the eye, and always saying thank you, especially to the homosexuals who buy cookies.  I guess that makes me a feminist, lesbian, or Communist. Decisions, decisions!  I'm fairly confident I'm not a lesbian. I suppose I could be called a feminist, but that sounds kind of boring compared to the other two. I think I shall be a Communist!  Yes... a Communist I shall be. I will sell cookies while wearing my rainbow stripe t-shirt with "pro-choice" on the front and a hammer and sickle on the back.  That's the Girl Scout way.

Anyone want to buy some Girl Scout cookies?

Cookie Mom Humor

The job of Girl Scout Cookie Mom isn't one I would ever characterize as "fun", "enjoyable", or "full of laughs".  Better descriptions would be "time sink", "mind-numbing", or "pit of despair". I took this video tonight, then watched it and realized how totally pathetic my life as a Cookie Mom is. Check out the way I laugh at about 0:41. This is about as exciting as life gets during cookie season.

M.I.A.

Photo Post Mashup

Things have been a bit busy and stressful lately, and my blog has suffered. My parents are mostly moved in though, my dad is finally out of the hospital, and while he is definitely weaker, he seems to be getting around OK, so it is time to lighten things up around here. This post is a mashup of all the photo posts that have gone unpublished in the last couple of weeks... a little bit of everything from House Of Estrogen life. I promise no hospital or moving truck photos though... just the fun stuff.

First, a little family bike ride on a rail trail. J.C. got a flat tire soon after we started, so this ride ended up being just the girls.

 

It was great family time on a pretty spring day.

 

 

We were all pretty wiped out when we got home.

 

Next up... hanging out with our cutie-patootie friend S at the company picnic,

 

and a ride on the carrousel there.

 

Next, Nina's Girl Scout troop went mining for gems which is like Nina's idea of heaven. The girl loves rocks and gems... little budding geologist.

 

 

 

Last, Elise and Nina had Field Day this week on a blistering hot day, but it sounds like they had a great time. A friend sent me this picture of Nina and two of her good buddies.

 

See... we aren't all doom and gloom around here. I think we're finally coming up for air after a rough couple of weeks. Again, I really appreciate all the emails, comments, prayers, meals, phone calls, and thoughts through all the crappola we've been through lately. Thank you. It means the world to me.

A Break from Cookies

We still have one more week before the end of the cookie sale, but Elise's troop decided to take a much-needed break from cookie booths this weekend. They signed up for the Scouting Out Tryon Palace Girl Scout event in New Bern, NC.  I agreed to go along as a chaperone. Younger Girl Scout sisters were invited as well, so I brought Nina along. I always seem to sign up for these events thinking they sound fun at the time. Then, as the date approaches, I start to dread the long drive, squealing girls, inevitable squabbles, and lack of sleep. I always end up having fun though, so I need to get over the dread. This trip was no exception. The drive was long, the girls squealed and fought, I didn't get much sleep, but we all had fun.

 

I think I have been to New Bern once before, but I had never visited Tryon Palace. It is the original governor's palace for the state of NC and dates from the 1700's. New Bern is North Carolina's second oldest town, the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, and just generally a charming, quaint little town on the waterfront.

The girls toured the palace

 
 

and gardens.

 

They made butter,

 

toilet water ("ewwww!!!", they all exclaimed until they found out it was perfume!),

 

and sewing kits.

 

They learned what life was like for girls in the late 1700's and early 1800's. They played games from the time period,

 

and learned how to write with a quill.

 

 

After a long, tiring day, we drove to Washington, NC, to the Girl Scout camp, Camp Hardee where we spent the night. Camp Hardee, on the bank of the Pamlico River, is so pretty and peaceful. One of the girls who had been to summer camp there previously said that dolphins swim by every day about noon. The girls were up past midnight, of course, and the "mattresses" were as thin as cardboard, but I somehow managed to catch a few winks. With all the time and energy I put into cookie sales, it is nice to see and use the camps that are paid for with cookie money. It helps remind me that all the cookie stress and burden goes to a good cause!  Now I just need to keep telling myself that over and over for another week until we are done!

Too Many Cookies, Too Little Blogging

It's February. <Sigh> Most people think Valentine's Day, snow, skiing, or Leap Year when they think of February. In the House of Estrogen, February means one thing... Girl Scout cookies.

It means firemen losing their fire station for a day,

 

trucks parked outside, gear hanging on hooks,

 

so that 9000+ cases of Girl Scout cookies could take over the fire house.

 

Aren't firemen the best?  Not only do they fight fires, save people from burning buildings, and rescue kitties from trees, but they load Girl Scout cookies too! 

 

February means our cars no longer fit in the garage.

 

February means our weekends are spent delivering cookies

 
 

or working at cookie booths.

 

February definitely does NOT mean blogging. When the cookies are gone, and my life is returned to me, I'll be back. In the meantime, let me know when you are running low on Thin Mints... I've got you covered.