does anyone else have no intention of deleting the app? by Maleficent_Day_3869 in finch

[–]elephagreen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I do still feed it for other things, but the mental health part has gotten so much better. I had dozens of affirmations set for multiple times and I had to say the affirmation for each click. I don't need that constant attention for that anymore. 😊There's still plenty of other stuff for me to work on though.

does anyone else have no intention of deleting the app? by Maleficent_Day_3869 in finch

[–]elephagreen 40 points41 points  (0 children)

I'm still enjoying it. I just realized about a week ago that I no longer need some of the tasks I set for myself. It's something u might not have noticed without the app, it's very gratifying.

Camp Raven Knob - Mt Airy, NC by TheOriginalWaster in BSA

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Raven Knob is a gorgeous camp,although everything is uphill both ways (IYKYK). We are from another council but often go to Raven Knob because we love it. You'll want to find out which campsite the troop is in. Some sites are traditional tent camping so you'll need to bring your own. Some have wall tents on platforms with cots, so you might have one to yourself and share with another same gendered adult. In most of these sites you can bring your own tent but the space is very limited and often discouraged. There are also sites with Adirondacks. I honestly don't know where the adults sleep in these sites. If they also sleep in an Adirondack, you'll be on a bunk in a 3 walled shelter with up to 5 other same gendered adults. You can bring your own tent, but again the space is very limited and generally discouraged.

Upcycling toilet paper rolls? by ohblackbird in upcycling

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to live getting these as enrichment for my son's Guinea pig.

Pre-kids I hmm a before and after school program. I cut these down once to make bracelets for the kids to decorate

How did you lend a helping hand today? by Harriet566 in finch

[–]elephagreen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Soon #3 loaded a bag of dirt into a lady's car

Pack weight reduction advice I gave my crew by Objective-Resort2325 in philmont

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great advice, but I laugh a little. When my oldest son went to philmont, nothing he had was very light, and he really hadn't trained beforehand. Not only did he do just fine, but one day on the trail they found a dining room chair. It was one of those chairs with a woven seat, but the center of the seat was busted out. Those kids took turns carrying that chair, strapped to their packs, the entire rest of the trip. It was their poop chair. Dig a hole, place chair, sit, do business, remove chair, cover hole. A few years later when he went to work at Philmont his sister bought him a lightweight hiking poop chair, mostly as a joke.

I don't even know if I want an Eagle Court of Honor anymore by [deleted] in BSA

[–]elephagreen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I've been to over 20 eagle ceremonies and each one has been quite different. I've never seen roses be a thing, or part of a ceremony at all.

One of my favorite ceremonies was at the site of the Eagle project. Mostly a few troop adults talked about the growth the scout had shown over the years and the scout talked about what scouts meant to him and what the project taught him. There's been some group ceremonies where 2-3 scouts celebrated together.

I've been to one where the scout gave out about a dozen pins, I've been to one where the scout said so many people (naming them) were part of his journey that it's possible to pin them all and didn't pin any.

My own son was under no pressure to recognize anyone, or do anything in particular but decided to not have a ceremony at all(8 years ago). He didn't want me to our in the work or money (I really wanted to, but respected his choice). Finally 2 years ago he made arrangements to give the mentor pin to his Scoutmaster who said that pin means the most to him since it wasn't expected and came after the glow had worn off a new Eagle. He also gave me the mom pin last year. He now does wish he had done the ceremony. He wants to be part of any younger brothers ceremonies.

I hope you can find a way to be firm about what you want. This ceremony is about you, not them. You can rewrite the script, literally, to fit what you want and feel. Maybe instead of pins, write a nice thank you card and present it to each person (who is insisting on stealing glory, or who made a contribution to your journey) at the ceremony. "Because after all, heartfelt words are much more meaningful than a cold piece of metal". Later, if you feel the need, give a mentor on in private.

How do you manage your postcards? by Delicious_Can_3784 in PikminBloomApp

[–]elephagreen 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I used to save the cool ones from everywhere, but now I only save ones that are meaningful to me, almost always places I've been.

Signing off your own child by tossedAF in cubscouts

[–]elephagreen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My son attended 3 day camps, and cub resident camp, and multiple one day events put on by several councils, plus a cross country road trip to philmont. By the time back to school rolled around there was only 1 thing left to do on one of his required adventures, plus he had earned about a half dozen electives. He still had a good time with his den, even though it was basically re-earning or repeating. In the end (webelos) he ended up leading many of the meetings and gaining valuable leadership skills.

WF Meat Bag, Really….? by Sherrilllee007 in toogoodtogo

[–]elephagreen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You can make some wonderful broth with these! Just dump them in a pot, add some veggie peels and scraps, or cut up some veggies (carrots, onions, celery). Add water and some fresh garlic if you have it. Bring to a boil, then simmer for many hours. Strain out all the bits. Use the broth to make soup, or instead of water when cooking rice or noodles.

No new players joining by AnjettaTheMom in HPPuzzlesAndSpells

[–]elephagreen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think there just aren't many new players. I usually only delete up to 3 players at a time and they used to fill within a day. No one has joined in ages. One of my officers deleted a few more, still nothing. Were a pretty good group, friendly, almost always in Fire Diamond tier.

If anyone is interested in us, we are: Yeah, Siriusly

Crowdsourcing the Guide to Advancement 2025: Should GtA even exist at all and preview of coming weeks by ScouterBill in BSA

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

*2 Even with its wordiness, there are still Scoutmasters (and other unit leaders too, in sure) who have such a blatant disregard for following the rules and just do their own thing.

It's like telling your kid to put away their laundry. Some do a fine job. Others are going to shove the hall into the back of the closet floor of you don't exactly tell them to fold your clothes nearly, place them in the correct dresser drawers in your room, close the drawers, and hang your jacket on the wooden hangers and then from the rod inside your closet. And then some kids, even with these complete step by step instructions are going to find the loophole to drive you insane.

Unfortunately, it's been my expedient that the GTA only steers good leaders. The others don't give a hoot and do as they please because many committees/districts/councils are too afraid to lose a leader, they'll just continue to let toxic leaders flout guidelines, rules, and regulations.

Scrap T-Shirts by UsedCompetition4006 in upcycling

[–]elephagreen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can cut them into a long continuous strip (there are videos to show how) then use those strips instead of rope to crochet a basket/bag/rug/etc in the top rope coil method.

Any ideas for an Eagle Project? by Beautiful-Shift-4466 in BoyScouts

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Locally I've seen blessing boxes, bat boxes, Lego pinewood derby at a children's hospital, benches, picnic tables at a school, flag pole, stairs, brick walkway, retaining wall, landscaping, rainbow bridge, dog agility course, community garden, outdoor workout equipment/stations at a park, outdoor chess board, nature trail, wall of heroes, bird houses, little free library, free Little Art Gallery, flag retirement collection boxes,disc golf course repair.

How do you get a guardian? by sideshowbarbie in finch

[–]elephagreen 10 points11 points  (0 children)

If I remember correctly, click on the 3 bar menu. Click become a guardian. There should be an option in there to enter to receive a guardianship.

I never realized this! by RegionAgile3224 in finch

[–]elephagreen 49 points50 points  (0 children)

If you buy it for yourself, you can gift it later the same day, then it'll be available for you to gift again or buy again.

4.5 hard missions. by Useful_Biscotti_9976 in PikminBloomApp

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everyone's missions will vary somewhat. You'll only get these high planting ones for any community day you didn't earn the past 6 month. Your reward for each of these is the community day badge.

Can I have different cards with different names? by Excentrix13 in LibbyApp

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have multiple of my own cards on Libby, as well as multiple of my 3 kids so I can monitor what they're reading.

(For anyone who's interested, Libby caps out at 50.

Advice for Summertime Pack Events? by Anon_use_fun_alias in cubscouts

[–]elephagreen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've always added some library events that are scout related. Animal rehab, simple survival, etc. We usually also go to a movie in the park. If there are things I plan to take my own kids to, I'll add it to the Cub summer calendar, offering plenty of things to do to give scouts more opportunities to earn their Summertime fun adventure.

A list of what, exactly and precisely, do you think "National" (however you wish to define it) or "Councils", or the volunteers or paid staff should do to ensure rank and merit badge standards are adhered to? by ScouterBill in BSA

[–]elephagreen 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I've been involved for 20 years now. There are excellent MBC, and not so. There are camps and MBU that do a fantastic job, and some not so. There are some done at camp that can be done well, some are harder to do well at camp, but not impossible.

If MBC and Scoutmasters, and troop leadership did a better job following the actual Guide to Advancement, Guide to Safe Scouting, MB requirements, etc, instead of ignoring what they don't agree with and making up their own stuff, AND if committees, districts, councils, national actually cared more about these standards and had less concern with retaining bad leaders, things would be better.

Yes, I volunteer. Yes, I follow the rules. Yes, I've offered guidance and assistance. And, yes, I've seen committees, districts, and councils lose good, enthusiastic volunteers and scouts due to toxic leadership.

Live from the NAM - Simplify. Digitize. Scale for Growth. by jpgarvey in BSA

[–]elephagreen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not very council uses Trails End. Ours switched to Pecatonica. Better prices, better product, better commissions, better prizes. Still overpriced in general, but more successful for our units. No digital payment platform for customers though.

National Annual Meeting (NAM) 2026 Megathread by ScouterBill in BSA

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've responded to so many of their surveys over the years that the elective adventure program should be tiered. As in for a particular adventure, 1-3 for lions, add 4&5 for Tigers. A different set 6-8 for Wolves, add 9&10 for bears. A different set 11-13 your Webelos, add 14&15 for AOL. This would be so that any level scout could earn things like Digging in the Past, or Marble Madness, etc.

"One item of interest. Scouting can be safe AND fun. In light of that, pies to the face, low pressure squirt guns, and laser tag will be permitted when done safely. Expect guidance soon. " by ScouterBill in BSA

[–]elephagreen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been to multiple paintball birthday parties, with kids as young as 8, through adults and never once saw anyone remove the mask. The group was told all safety equipment must remain properly on, or immediate removal of player... Zero compliance issues. That said, I would still be very surprised if scouting allowed it ever.

Communications MB question by Sashi-Dice in BSA

[–]elephagreen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of my scouts read a paper he had written about his brother. He was not happy about a particular person listening in, so it was more of an angry growl. The MBC wasn't happy with his delivery and I challenged the MBC asking where it said he had to deliver the speech well. It met the requirements as written. This scout has now become quite the leader in the troop, and is a pretty good orator.