Empty Nest in the Midwest

How do you stay active after your children have left the nest?

Scouting

Getting Out the Scouting for Food Neckerchief Slide and Helping Others

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This weekend this empty-nester Cubmaster is starting our annual Scouting for Food drive with the little Cub Scouts from our parish. I found my “vintage” Scouting for Food neckerchief slide in the drawer and put it on. (Instructions follow.)

We sent the Cub Scouts out to put a bag on every door in the neighborhood. Next weekend they will return and pick up bags of food. These will go to our local food bank. The Cubs are willing to put the bags out, but when they really get excited is when they find it filled with food the next week. And they go every year out no matter what the weather.

These are kids in grades K-5. I love that they have that natural instinct to help others. When we talk about how some people don’t have enough food to eat and it is our responsibility to help them, they are genuinely concerned. And I am grateful for the parents who go out with them and teach them that by giving a few hours of their time, they can really make a difference. When they bring all of the bags and bags of food in, they are amazed what they can do if they really are willing to help.

We did Scouting for Food every year with our kids when they were in Scouts. And my boys are very generous and caring. I think that service experiences like this really help to develop and grow that attitude. I remember making these neckerchief slides with them years back. It was a fun way to say “we are excited about helping others”. Or in the words of one of the points of the Scout Law, “A Scout Is Helpful”.

Scouting for Food Neckerchief Slide

Materials

  • empty film canister
  • label from a can of food
  • drill with 1/2 drill bit
  • scissors
  • glue

Instructions

  1. Drill a half inch hole in the bottom of the film canister. (Mom or dad might have to do this with a power tool)
  2. Cut the label down to the height of the canister.
  3. Wrap it around and trim the ends, allowing for a 1/2 overlap.
  4. Glue the label to the canister. The open end of the canister should be at the top and the hole you drilled should be at the bottom, so it looks like the can is open at the top.
  5. After the glue dries, slide your neckerchief through the 1/2 hole.

Notes

  • You can also photocopy and shrink the label. That way you can fit the “whole” label on the canister. Otherwise, when cutting, just get the most interesting part. Campbell’s soup labels and vegetable labels work well.
  • You can get empty film canisters from a place that processes photos. They will usually be happy to give you a bunch.

Chicken and Dumplings Plus Settlers of Catan

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Son 1 was home this weekend for a visit. So I made one of his favorites – Chicken and Dumplings. (recipe below) This recipe has a more biscuit like dumpling instead of the noodle type found in some recipes.

And we played Settlers of Catan. Our family has always enjoyed playing board games. Many years ago we started a family game night tradition of playing a board game during one of our weekend dinners. I always enjoy the extra time spent around the table and the friendly – or not so friendly – competition.

Settlers of Catan has been a favorite with our family over the years. We also took this one to many Scout camps. I have fond memories of playing this with the Scouts also. It is a strategy game where you collect resources and build cities. First one to ten points wins! It is good for ages 10 and up. The basic game can handle up to four players, but we have the expansion so all six of us can play when everyone is home.

So it was a nice visit with our son. He won the first game. And then later we had a rematch which The Husband won. And when Son 1 went back to Jefferson City, I sent a big container of Chicken and Dumplings with him. A little bit of home for him to enjoy later in the week.

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

This recipe is comfort food in a bowl. The dumplings are light, more similar to biscuits than noodles.

Ingredients  

  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 or 3 celery stalks sliced
  • 4 to 6 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1 medium onion
  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cups milk
  • 4 tablespoons oil

Instructions 

  1. Combine stock, celery, carrots, onion, parsely, pepper, and chicken in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
  2. Remove the chicken thighs. Cool enough to handle. Dice the meat into bite sized pieces. Discard the bones and skin. Return diced chicken to stock mixture.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk and oil to form a stiff dough.
  4. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls into the stock mixture. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Cool slightly. Serve in bowls.

Why Are We in a Tent When We Have a Travel Trailer?

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We own a Micro Minnie Winnie RV. And we love going out camping in the travel trailer. So why did these two empty nesters sleep in a tent this past weekend? Cub Scouts!

Even though my kids are all grown and away from home, I am the Cubmaster for the Cub Scouts at our church. (You can read more about why I am Cubmaster on my Scouting blog – ScouterMom.com) And this past Saturday night we had a pack family campout on the church grounds. This is a great way to introduce the little ones to camping and I’m happy to say they all lasted through the night.

I love having the opportunity to work with youth and especially to help them learn about how fun it is to have adventures, large and small. They learned about sleeping in tents, making campfires, cooking dinner, and I even made Dutch oven cobblers with them. I made a Ding Dong Cherry Cobbler and a Lemon Berry Cobbler. (pictures at the bottom) The 2nd grade Wolf den put on a campfire program with skits and songs. All of the kids ran around and played flashlight tag and made s’mores. Then in the morning we packed up and went home.

There are a fantastic group of den leaders in this pack and they did the bulk of the work. But the Cubmaster’s job is mainly one of support, organization, and encouraging all of the parents to get involved. And to be the Master of Ceremonies at pack events, which involved singing a lot of silly songs. 🙂

One thing my husband and I noticed is that Cub Scout pack events are much different when we don’t have a child of our own in the pack to look after. We had time to talk to the parents. The little ones came up to me and had random conversations. My husband (a former Scoutmaster) had the time to work with the oldest Cub Scouts (5th graders) and teach them about fire building and how to properly cook a Dutch oven cobbler. They enjoyed the attention and the opportunity to have a little more responsibility than the younger ones.

So we are looking forward to more adventures with the Cub Scouts and their families. It is worth it to see youth enjoying the great outdoors.

Ding Dong Cherry Dutch Oven Cobbler (left) and Lemon Berry Dutch Oven Cobbler (right)