"But if I'm honest, I'm pretty sure I get more out of Girl Scouts than they do,"

4/30/18

 I read something today in a Facebook Girl Scout Leader Group,

"but if I'm honest, I'm pretty sure I get more out of Girl Scouts than they do,"  

That statement is so true. I have been leading my daughters Girl Scout Troop for 11 years.  For years at our fall ceremony I have thanked my scouts parents for giving their daughters the gift of scouting.  Fact is I would like to thank them for giving their daughters to me to mentor them.  I have I have watched them grow from shy little daisies thru their awkward middle school years and into high school.  Finding their way and watching their personalities come out.  

I started this post a while ago but after camping this weekend I am able to wrap it up.  Both troops went camping together again since our numbers are down it's the only practical way to go camping.  Only 3 Seniors went, 5 Cadettes and 5 adults.  It was a fun weekend full for adventure, laughter, "spoons" and silliness, they even accomplished a badge and the Cadettes worked on their journey.  We have been working on the MEdia journey and also the Outdoor Journey.  They each chose which issue they wanted to address and are making individual PSA videos and having the other girls be part of their video.  They each had to do a storyboard and come up with a plan to get the other girls involved, so they show leadership.  There was some ad libbing in each of their videos.  Now for the fun part and suspence for the rest of us.  They need to put edit and put their videos together and then plan a "Premiere Night."

As I have said so many times before they girls inspire me to lead them.  And so this weekend they inspired me to make a video using iMovie I put together a short trailer of this weekend.  

They give me Courage, Confidence and Character to try new things

5/15/18 

These girls challenge me every day to be a better version of me. In January I told my older daughter she inspired me to stop being afraid and to stop standing on the sidelines watching. Shortly after that I started my transformation and Oola journey. These girls not just my daughters but all of them are helping me to face my fears. Within one week I have tried a high ropes course and rode a horse. All because of them showing me their courage and confidence to try new things.  I am grateful, thankful and blessed to be a Mom and Girl Scout Leader.  

Cadette PSA Videos

5/21/18

 

As a troop throughout the year my Cadettes worked on the MEdia Journey and the new Outdoor Journey.  So when we were camping in April the girls shot their videos and took pictures for the final take action project I gave them the choice of making a PSA (Public Service Announcement) for either journey.  Two of them chose to do MEdia and two of them chose Outdoor.  My co-leader and I gave them all both journey's because they worked on both.  They earned all of the badges for for the Outdoor Journey this year, Night Owl, Primitive Camper, Trailblazer and their take action was creating the PSA, educating others.   All of them also earned the steps for the MEdia Journey Monitor, Influence and Cultivate.  For Cultivate, which is the Take Action Project they created the PSA's.  Each girl had to come up with a message and create a storyboard before they made their video.  They each had to lead the others to help them with their individual videos.  I hope you like their final projects.

Abby's PSA "Don't Trash My Camp"

Regan's PSA "We Are More Than One Stereotype, We Are Unique"

Briana's PSA for Outdoor Cadette Journey

Amy's PSA "Smile You Look Good Like That"

I got a random leader survey from GS USA so I told them what I thought...

Apr 4, 2019

 I got a random leader survey from GS USA.  They asked what I thought of my experience in Girl Scouts so I told them, they gave me a small box but I just kept typing.

I think that work needs to be done on fundraising.  Cookies are our thing but they can be better.  Councils bordering each other should be the same price because families sometimes cross the boarders and then question why ours are more expensive than theirs.  I also think that the rules for outside fundraising need to be loosened up.  Not all girls like selling cookies.  All troops don't sell thousands of cookies, especially as they get older and less girls in the troop.  But troops need money to survive. 

I am a proud Girl Scout Mother of 2 girls, an Ambassador working on her Gold Award and a Cadette working on her Silver award.  I am also a proud mother of an Eagle Scout.  I have supported both organizations for many years.  I think they both have given my children opportunities to do things that they might not have had otherwise.  I am also the proud Girl Scout Leader of 2 troops, for 12 + years of over 50 girls in total through the years.  Each troop is down to 3 girls now, but these 6 girls are committed and have been together since they were Daisies.  I have watched these girls grow from shy and silly children into confident and courageous young women.  Not only have the girls developed strong friendships, but the adults have too.  We have so many great memories together that I cherish.  At the end of every ceremony I always thank the parents for giving their daughters the gift of Girl Scouts.  Because I really believe that it is a gift to be part of this organization and watching their daughters grow has also been a gift.

The thing that saddens me is the relationship between Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.  I do not agree with the changes made to Boy Scouts over this past year and I feel it has devalued the organization and the rank of Eagle Scout.  I don't think that Robert Baden-Powell and Juliette Gordon Low would be very happy with the way things have been.  They were friends and that friendship is where our journey began.  In the beginning we celebrated Thinking Day because it was Robert Baden-Powell and his wife Olave Baden-Powells birthday, the founders of the Scouting Movement.  I think that some need to be reminded of that.

I also wish that the Girl Scout Gold Award got more recognition.  People including myself always say is equal Eagle Scout.  But in fact I have learned recently while my daughter is working on her project that the two are not equal.  Girl Scouts requires more hours, must be sustainable and gets less recognition.  Another difference is that Eagle Scout is considered a rank and Girl Scout Gold is an award earned.  I would love to see the statistics how how many girls earn Gold compared to Eagle.  In my daughters troop that was once 25 Brownies and now 3 Ambassadors only my daughter is going for Gold.  In my sons Cub Scout Pack that was once 21 went down to 3 for the last 4 years in Boy Scouts all 3 earned Eagle Scout.

I probably could have gone on more but like I said the box was small and I'm surprised it didn't stop me from writing what I did.

What is ArtsyBE?

 "I want to be artsy like you," ~Beth 9/8/10

artsyBE defined

artsy- enthusiastic about, making a strong, affected, or pretentious display of being artistic

or interested in the arts

be- to exist, occur; take place, to have identity with: to constitute the same idea or object as,

to take place, to come or go

ArtsyBE is the act of doing something and being artsy.  ArtsyBE is a state of mind, body & soul.  Being artsy is findng that place, that thing that frees you and gives you peace.  ArtsyBE gives you a peace that you enjoy separate from the everyday life.   

When you live an ArtsyBE life you are living your best life.

ArstsyBE-say what you want to BE and BE who you want to BE.

Start by making your BE List.  A BE List is like a bucket list because that's what people know, but it's different because it's about BE-ing not just DO-ing.  

What kind of person do you want to BE?

What are the steps, the parts of that one thing that will make you BEcome that way?

What do you want to do, to occur in your life while you are living?

Your BE List is about BEing your best person while you are living not focusing on what you want to do before you die.  

BE honest and ever changing, BE flexible. When you find something you love share your passion with others.

Artsy BE

artsy BE 

BE grateful

BE thankful

BE strong

BE kind

BE real

be-YOU-ti-ful

be YOU be TRUE

BE fearless

Let it BE

Queen BEE

BE calm

BE happy

BE the change

BE inspired 

BE artsy

50 year Reboot

 I'm 50! 

I started this blog the year leading up to my 40th birthday.  I started it as motivation for me.  Eleven years ago I was feeling lost.  I was lost in my childrens lives, but exactly where I wanted to be.  That might not make sense to you but it's exactly how I felt.  During the past 11 years I have found myself and lost myself a few more times.  Now I just turned 50 and I'm waking myself back up and giving artsyBE a reboot.  I'm doing and BEcoming the me I used to BE, I'm supposed to BE and I want to BE.  As we all know the world as we knew it was lost for 18 month with the Covid pandemic.  The year 2020 was hard for everyone, but before the world around me shut down my family suffered a tragic loss.  In January 2020, my niece Abbey Mae Luffman died suddenly due to a short battle with ITP, she was only 16 years old.  Abbey was a smart, witty, smiley, athletic, beautiful girl, full of life.  When Abbey got her drivers license she chose to be an organ donor.   I have always approached life a little differently than those around me, my eyes are always wide open, always paying attention to the world around me.  I see things even more differently now and make sure to LIVE every day BEing the best I can BE.  

Like I said I'm being honest, I'm far from perfect, and I'm going to let you see the real me.  Previously I didn't post pictures of myself in my blog, but moving forward I'm going to embrace it.  I still feel lost every once in a while.  Every day isn't easy, some are harder than others to stay focused.  But whenever Ken asks me where do I see myself I still see myself here, being an artistic wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.  Taking it one day at a time, each step closer to BEing the best version of me and sharing my passion with others.  ArstyBE is the only vision I have every had besides being a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.  So in future posts I will fill you in on things that have happened since my last post in 2019 and moving forward.  

Kayaking on Mason Lake in the Adirondacks on my 50th birthday