Maximizing your child’s scouting experience
Maximizing your child’s scouting experience Through the years I have done just about everything related to scouting. I have been a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Eagle Scout growing up. As an adult I have been a den leader, cub master, and adult helper with my kids. The one thing I have always noticed is the kids that stick with it and succeed in scouting typically have parents that are involved all the way. The boys that have parents who just drop them off and pick them up usually were less likely to advance and usually they would drop out. I have always seen scouting as a family affair. And as a dad I felt it was my obligation to help out and be involved any way I could. Whether it was volunteering to help during a fund raiser or if it was to step up and become a leader. Here…
Why you should consider Microsoft Game Pass Ultimate
Why you should consider Microsoft Game Pass Ultimate Microsoft Game Pass Ultimate is an offering from Microsoft for Xbox One users and PC users. It combined the Microsoft Game Pass and Microsoft Xbox Live Gold into one offering and one price. So with this new service you get the benefits of Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass. If you have an Xbox One and have gamers in your house you should definitely consider purchasing the Microsoft Game Pass Ultimate. What is Microsoft Game Pass? Microsoft Game Pass was launched in 2017 for the Xbox One ecosystem. The idea is a Netflix like service for gaming. You pay a monthly fee and with that fee you get digital access to about 100 games. You can download and play any of those games as long as your Microsoft Game Pass subscription was still active. Most of the games that Microsoft created were…
Simple Back To School Tips For 2021
Simple Back to School Tips for 2021 2020 for most people was a year to forget. It was a year full of lockdowns, sickness, frustration, working from home, schooling from home, and even in some cases unexpected family loss. For those that had to do the whole schooling from home this was a new experience and presented a long list of hurdles. Trying to juggle working from home and helping with schoolwork. Or maybe you had to go to work and deal with the school work after you got home. But now that we have a vaccine and more and more people have already experienced this virus, here is to hoping we can get back to some normalcy in 2021. A new year brings new hope. And a new year also brings kids having to return back to school. Some states are allowing kids to go back with little to…
Our 2020 Brocation
Our 2020 Brocation Every year my 3 sons and myself set out for an annual brocation. Typically my wife has to work right before school starts so the boys and I go on a short vacation with just the guys (hence the term brocation). For the brocation we try to keep it cheap, we drive in a cost efficient car to save gas, we brown bag breakfast and lunch when possible, try to do outdoor locations that are free or inexpensive, and stay in cheaper hotels or camp out. In recent years my oldest son is working a job that he doesn’t get a lot of time off so we have been traveling to his house and making his house the brocation base. This year we just traveled a few hours from his house to the south/southeast part of Kentucky in the Cumberland region. Cumberland Falls Our brocation started just…
Fishing trip essentials
What you need to fish In my previous post Take A Kid Fishing I discussed the benefits of taking your kids fishing. In this post I would like to provide a fishing trip essentials list to help you prepare for you fishing trip. There is nothing more frustrating then taking a kid fishing and you just don’t catch a single fish and most of the time the reason you don’t catch a fish is you don’t have the right equipment. It can be discouraging not only for you the parent but also for the kids. And if they get discouraged they may just give up after one fishing trip. Be prepared When you decide to embark on a fishing trip the first rule to follow when catching a fish is to be prepared. Make sure you have everything you need to catch a fish before you head out. If you get to…
Burnt Toast : Just Make Another Slice
Burnt Toast : Just Make Another Slice The little things in life pick at us. They drive us crazy bit by bit until we break and go off the deep end. When you have kids the little things can be amplified and turn into big things quickly if we let them. But as adults we must learn that even though our toast gets burnt we just need to make another slice. But how do we keep our cool? How do we overlook those little things that drive us nuts and let the little things stay little things? I talked about previously how to use the scout laws to be a better parent but here are some ideas to help us overlook that burnt toast. Use the little things as a learning experience When your child does something small that bothers you, use it as a chance for behavior correction. Stop…
A Few Quick Tips to Help Foster Families
5 simple ways to help foster families My wife and I have been fostering for almost two years now. During that time we have had several foster children in our house and we have had several months of no foster children in our house. Fostering is not easy. But it is rewarding. Knowing that you are doing your part to help a child in need and making a direct impact in their life can fill a hole that you never knew existed. But foster parents are in short supply and the challenges of fostering puts a strain on them and causes them to stop fostering. Here are a few simple ways you can help foster parents and share the load. Provide respite care In my state in order for a foster child to be watched for an extended period of time the family that watches them need to be approved…
Hematite Lake Trail at Land Between the Lakes
Hematite Lake Trail at Land Between the Lakes Living close to the Land Between the Lakes we like to head out and hike the trails and take in some fishing at Kentucky Lake. I had heard that after several years in the works that they finished the rehab on the trail around Hematite Lake. My youngest son and I went out and decide to give it a try. When we arrived you could tell it is already becoming a popular site for hikers and visitors. The parking lot was full and people coming and going. The trail is an easy hike and is a short 2.25 mile hike. The weather that day was good for mid February so a lot of people were out trying to take advantage of the weather. My son and I headed straight ahead and found some spots that would be good to launch a kayak…
Review: Pizza Warehouse Paducah KY
Review: Pizza Warehouse Paducah KY Location Pizza Warehouse is located behind Kentucky Oaks Mall in Paducah KY. It is at 451 Jordan Dr A, Paducah, KY. It is located in a mini mall which limits the parking situation at peak times. In this same mini mall is an Cold Stone Creamery, a pet food store, escape room, and a kids entertainment place called YaYa’s Island. The movie theater is just down the street also so if you want a full day of fun the location is convenient to keep the family busy. The inside is half bar/ half restaurant with a highly industrial look and feel. Time We ate around noon on a Saturday. The location was fairly empty when we got there but started to fill up quickly and was quite busy by the time we got finished. I have visited this location at other times and they are…
Productivity Hacks for the Busy Parent
Productivity Hacks for the Busy Parent If you ask a parent if they can do something the most common response is “We are just too busy”. Between school, work, sports, scouts, and church it is amazing we have any time to just have some family time. You go all day and by the time you cook supper, do homework, get baths it is time for bed and you have lost your day. To battle this I am going to share some productivity hacks to help you be a more efficient parent and maybe help lessen the stress. Prepare For the Next Day the Night Before Starting off your day the right way can reduce stress and anxiety all day long. I don’t know how many times a rough start to my day has just ruined a good portion of my day. By preparing as much as you can the night…