Mom & Me Day!

Sarah and I haven't had a Mom & Me Day in a long time, so we decided to have one on Wednesday.  I left work early and we made a day out of it.

I don't get out much.  So I finally got a chance to checkout Destiny USA (our mall up in Syracuse).  They have been a huge quest to expand over the last few years.  I'm liked what I saw.

First Stop:  Revolutions at Destiny

Although this was our first stop, we didn't stay long.  Why?  How about a TWO hour wait for bowling!  Honestly, if I was my decision only, we would have skipped this, but Sarah was excited.  So we decided to walk around the mall.  They have a policy where they'll call you, but you have 10 minutes to make it back or you give up your spot.  So we decided to not venture too far.

Second Stop:  The Amazing Mirror Maze

It was "okay."  $21 total for Sarah and I, BUT we were out in less than 20 minutes.  Luckily (and I'm sure they have people complain about this), they do allow you go back through backyards.  So we made it last about 40 minutes until Sarah "finally had enough."

Third Stop:  Window Shopping/Browsing

Since we still had an hour to kill at this time, we decided to venture around and window shop.  We are huge fans of the FiveBelow store, so Sarah did a bit of shopping.  We also took a few minutes to checkout cool things like Billy Beez and Pole Position.  My daughter can't wait until she gets older to race against her dad.

Fourth Stop:  Revolutions at Destiny

Okay, we get the call and hurry back to Revolutions!  Let me put it this way....TOTALLY worth the wait!  This isn't your traditional bowling alley.  Bright balls, huge TV screens built into the alleys, black lights/neon all over, music blasting and more!  To stay that Sarah was enjoying it is a huge understatement...she LOVED it!

For the experience and the very cool atmosphere, I was impressed with the price.  Including shoes...we paid $21.00 for us to both bowl 2 games.

Final Stop:  Dave & Busters!

Sarah really wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese again sometime, so I figured she like Dave & Busters.  I have to say that I liked it just as much.  We lucked out and happened to be there on 1/2 priced game day Wednesday.  That helped a lot because we spent $60 total for both of us.  This includes food (which was yummy by the way) and games.  If it weren't for the half priced games, we would have eaten through our card credits in less than 30 minutes.  Instead, we were able to drag them out for over an hour.


All in all, we had fun!  I'll go back to Revolutions at Destiny and Dave & Busters (but probably only on Wednesdays); however, I do think we'll skip the Amazing Mirror Maze next time.  Not necessarily because it was bad, it just wasn't right for us.

Snowshoeing with Girl Scouts!

Our Girl Scout troop went snowshoeing this past weekend!  It was so much fun!  I honestly think that I would like to go snowshoeing again!

This event was organized by our Girl Scout council.  It was very affordable; only $4 per girl.  The event went from 1-3pm and we were actually snowshoeing for about 1.5 hours of that.  So...needless to say...we were all very tired.  We went up a lot of hills and sometimes off trail (don't worry with a guide), so it was fun but a workout!

The entire time, the girls were all "cool look at that," "do you see a deer," "I love snowshoeing," "this is the best Girl Scout event ever."  That was until we had about 15 minutes left in the trip!  Then it was "I'm tired," "are we done yet," "whose idea was it to go snowshoeing?"  Too funny!

Snow Day!

I wish it was a snow day for me, but I still had to work.  When I got home, we enjoyed a TON of fun sledding.  Of course, what is sledding without a few wipeouts!

Girl Scouts & Benefits of Participating in Cookie Booths

As I think that I have mentioned many times before, I am a Girl Scout troop leader.  My troop is composed of Juniors (4th & 5th graders).  I have been very fortunate to have amazing parents and girls who jump at the chance to sign-up for Girl Scout cookie booths.  Not as many leaders are as lucky as me.  I have heard from quite a few leaders that they are having a hard time getting girls to cookie booths.

If you are the parent of a Girl Scouts, consider the many benefits of signing your daughter up for booth sales:

Money Earned For Your Daughter's Troop

The more girls who participate at booth sales, the more booth sales you can have and this means more money for the troop.  Now, leaders and troops do different things with cookie money.  We personally use the majority of cookie money for troop trips.  Active participation in booths means that my parents rarely have to pay for troop trips because the troop

Girls Acquire Money Skills

The only time an adult volunteer handles money at one of our cookie booths is when it is too windy for the girls to do it themselves.  While my girls are older and already have some money experience, the adding and subtracting and learning to count money back is a valuable tool.  For our area, Girl Scout cookie prices have increased to $4 (they were $3.50), which will make it much easier on them. Trust me when I say that my girls will be excited to not have to worry about those quarters anymore!

Girls Acquire Customer Service Skills

What I like about cookie booths is that even the most quiet Girl Scout (the one who you usually have to engage at meetings) comes out of her shell at cookie booth time!  These girls love engaging with customers.  They have come up with many cookie slogans, marketing tactics and even dances based around each cookie!  Knock on wood, we have always encountered great customers.  My proud moment is even a customer says "no," my troop girls still respond with "thank you anyways; I hope that you have a great day!"

Teamwork, Teamwork & More Teamwork!

Perhaps what I love most about cookie booth sales is that all Girl Scouts work together.  I'm sure that one of my seasoned pros could easily run a booth by herself, but they would rather work with their Girl Scout sisters and this makes me proud.  In the past, each girl develops a system themselves where they each get to spend time as the cashier, the stocker and the greeter.  At the close of each booth sale, I always hear "how did we do...never how did I do?"  As a Girl Scout leader, I am truly proud of the teamwork!

Cookie Rally!

This past weekend, a group of my Junior Girl Scouts hosted a Cookie Rally for our service unit!  They worked really hard on planning, making supply lists and then manning the stations at the cookie booth.  Our service unit uses an event like this to get the girls pumped up and excited about selling cookies!

As a troop leader, I can’t begin to explain how proud I am of these girls!  They hosted and ran a service unit event for 50 girls!  Yes…50 girls!

Fun activities included cookie twister, cookie goal necklaces, cookie themed duck tape headbands, decorating clipboards, cookie races and more!

I can't post many pictures due to privacy, but here are a few that I can share:

I Miss Summer!

This cold weather is making me miss summer!  I'm not one to complain about snow (after all, I love to go sledding), but I can deal without the VERY cold temperatures.  I'd really like it to be above 0 sometimes!

Here is to thinking about fun, warm summers!

Girl Scout Door-to-Door Cookie Sales Start Soon!

Starting Saturday February 1st, you may notice a little Girl Scout knocking on your door asking you if you’d like to buy Girl Scout cookies.

Girl Scout cookies are not only tasty, but they help support a great cause. Did you know that after the bakery is paid, all money stays within council? 

Each troop receives money from the cookies they sell. Regardless of how each troop chooses to spend this money, it goes towards creating fun, safe, educational and adventurous experiences for our girls and, of course, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Don’t be afraid to ask a Girl Scout what their troop will be doing with cookie proceeds…in fact, most girls will be proud to tell you about their wonderful plans.

Over the past few years, our area has seen an increase in Girl Scouts. This is something that we adult volunteers are very proud of. This means that you’ll likely be asked to buy cookies from multiple Girl Scouts. While their adorableness and good manners are likely to reel you in, it is completely understandable that you don’t need 100 boxes of cookies! I feel for all the teachers who will probably be asked by no fewer than 10 Girl Scouts.

But, please keep in mind, these girls have worked very hard to set goals and are excited to contribute to their troop and local community (did you know Girl Scouts love to volunteer)? So if you aren’t interested in buying cookies, don’t be afraid to say “no,” but please remember that you are dealing with a child.

Be polite, but be honest with them. I know if you told any of my girls that you already purchased cookies, their reply would be “Thank You for Supporting Girl Scouts.” And, trust me….we all thank you!!!