Campouts and clean houses

Last Saturday was another busy day around our house. The Patriots "B" team, on which Jeremy is playing until his ankle is back to full (or fuller) strength, had a game in the morning. They lost, bummer. There's a post coming in the next day or two about football stats, so I'll leave game details for that post. The day started off cool and rainy and we weren't sure how the game would go. But the rain stopped in time for the game and picked back up for the next event of the day. A scout campout! Wow! Camping in the chilly rain......makes me glad it's BOY scouts and not GIRL scouts! Lots easier for me to bow out of that one! We weren't sure who would be making the trip for the campout. Jonathan and Jeffrey were both a 100% for sure because they had been practicing some things to move up another rank and wanted them "checked off" by a scout leader. Jeremy and Josiah couldn't decide. So, I pulled out all the stops...it was the "Do you want to go camping with daddy and have fun and play outside and all that fun stuff??!!! or Do you want to stay with me and ALL you'll be able to do is help me clean the house....it's going to take hours and you won't be able to play on the computer or watch TV or play outside....you'll just help me clean the house and do any schoolwork you've not finished for the week." Can you tell I was a little hoping for a weekend of some peace and quiet?? :-) Well, believe it or not, Jeremy and Josiah chose NOT to go camping. I know, it's a little (I mean ALOT) crazy! I was almost ready to go camping after my speech! So, right after lunch with the team after the game, Michael, Jonathan and Jeffrey headed north to somewhere for a messy muddy camping adventure. We'd heard on the radio that the chance of rain was 100%. I guess no one told the Scout troop that we are fair weather campers. I mean we camp only in April and October (not too cool, not too hot), we never go far from home, have been known to just turn around and head home when we've forgotten our pillows and couldn't get a fire started, and NEVER camp in the rain!! I guess that's what Scouting is about, right. Try things you never have before.

So, Jeremy and Josiah and I head home to start our afternoon of blessing our home and my husband (isn't that a nice way to say cleaning the house! :0) Then, we get a call from Michael. I'm sure there were tears (of joy) in his eyes when he told me that because of the chance of severe weather, the scouts WEREN'T spending the night. They were just going to do the activities that were planned and then come home. No tent-pitching in the mud. No soaking wet clothes. No sleeping on an air mattress!!!
Here's the troop that showed up for the campout.

Doesn't he look GLAD to not have to spend the night in the rain?!?!?!

So, it turns out I DID get a weekend of peace and quiet. The house really is so much more peaceful when it's clean and it was so nice to have Michael and everyone at home. We didn't watch a lot of tv or play on the computer. It was just a wonderful weekend of sitting INSIDE and listening to the rain!!