Brownie Badge - Discover It. Mysteries, Maps & Mazes

The first Brownie badge we're going to tackle is 'Discover It. Mysteries, Maps & Mazes.'

Do you want to join in on the fun?! Go on, you know you want too!

Keep track of our progress on the "Brownie Badges" page of my blog. I'll highlight the tasks we've completed and the date of completion. It will help us keep track of what we still need to do.
DISCOVER IT Mysteries, Maps & Mazes

Complete seven (10 for us older Brownies) clauses, including at least one from each section.
Section A – Mystery
1. Make a masquerade mask.
2. Make a mythical creature from clay.
3. Make a mystery castle.
4. Create an awesome poster of some far-off mystery world.
5. Read a mystery novel and discuss your favourite part with the assessor.
6. Make up a secret code and share it with others.
7. Take part in a wide game at your camp and use torch or smoke signals.
8. Build a mystery hideout such as a tree hut, fort or shelter.
Section B – Puzzles, Webs and Mazes
1. Solve a Rubik’s Cube or similar puzzle. Show the assessor the order in which you solved the puzzle.
2. Make a puzzle or game.
3. Complete a jigsaw (with 300 to 400 pieces).
4. Visit a maze or make a maze.
Section C – Maps and Places
1. Take an adult on a route that you know. Tell or show that you know how to get there. Plan the route beforehand. You can go by car, bicycle or on foot.
2. Go and explore somewhere new with some other people, including at least one adult. Plan where to go, what to see, what to wear and what to take. Remember safety rules.
3. Ask another person to choose a spot not less than 300 metres away. Find your way to it by following the directions given, using signs on the ground, growing trees, landmarks etc.
4. Find out about your ancestors. Mark on a world map where your family come from. Go back several generations.
5. Show you can give directions to three places such as the nearest public phone, service station, church, police station or scenic spot etc.
6. Make a map of the area where you live. On it show your home, four places that you visit often and the safe route you take to one of them.
7. Ask another person to make up a list of directions for a mystery walk around your community. Use the directions to do the walk with your six or friends. See how many public signs you can find and discover their meaning.
8. Make a plan of your dream house and share it with a friend.

Stop Motion Music Clip

Lee posted this YouTube clip on Facebook and I loved it. It uses stop motion to create a very beautiful video clip to a very beautiful song. If you love the clip, watch the 'behind the scenes' clip as well and you'll be even more impressed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY&feature=related

Happy Birthday Tracy!

Brownie Badges - Where to start?!

A while ago I came up with an idea to finally gain all my Brownie badges. I was a Brownie when I was a kid, but not for long and I don't remember what (if any) badges I earnt. From what I hear, being a Brownie is a bit of a right of passage (much like being a Scout is for the boys). So, why not earn the badges now?! Better late than never I reckon.

Lu recently graduated from Brownie to Girl Guide and so gave me her Brownie badge book to copy. All going well we could move on to earning our Girl Guide badges too I guess.

So far the plan is to work through the badges one by one. Playing along with me are John and Rachel. If you're keen on joining us you are more than welcome. The more the merrier!! Flick me an email if you want to join us, or just follow along with my posts and have fun at home.

All the tasks are aimed to challenge a 8-9 year old girl, so as an adult you're not going to find to these tasks impossible to achieve. Most should be easy, but some will be a challenge even to us 'oldies'. But I can almost guarantee that all of them will be FUN.

Here are the rules for gaining a badge:

1. Brownies must complete seven of the 20 clauses or 'tasks' for the badge. However, as we are slightly older than your average Brownie, we think it's only fair that we must complete 10 of the 20 clauses to achieve the badge.

2. When an Assessor is required to complete the task, I will be sharing, telling or whatever is required on my blog. For the more practical aspects videos will be taken and linked up here. For others playing, you can share on your own respective blogs, or with our wee group if you wish. If you're keen to share your tasks and don't have a blog, I'd be honoured to post for you on my blog.

3. My 'six' (Brownie term for 'group') is John, Rachel, Lu and you! Any task requiring 'show and tell' with my six, will be with you all. For others playing, same as above, or you can create your own 'six'.

4. Time frames will be set. Otherwise, we'll be still working on one badge a year later.

5. All 20 tasks will be posted on my blog, with regular updates about how the badge earning is going.

6. When a task refers to 'take an adult' or 'ask an adult' we will be enlisting the help of one of our 'adult' friends.

Now for the fun part, choosing a badge to start with! Here are all the badges:

Animal World

Discover It. Mysteries, Maps & Mazes

Green Machine

Jazz It Up

Live It Up

Me, Myself & I

My Creation

On The Edge

Pen 'N Ink

Science Whiz

Technofunk

Trailblazer

After a team vote, we have decided to start with 'Discover It. Mysteries, Maps & Mazes'. Check back tomorrow for a full list of the task options and how first picks for tasks to work on.

He's almost here!

There's only two weeks before my nephew is due to arrive, so yesterday afternoon we took advantage of the late afternoon light and took some photos of the baby bump. I've collaged a photo from yesterday with a photo from 10 weeks ago so you can see how much he's grown!

At one point I thought I saw a foot poking out, but it may have just been wishful thinking as whatever it was quickly moved away.

The midwifes have told Lee that her pregnancy has 'textbook' which is awesome. Of course, does this mean he'll arrive on time? Lee and Morgan have been keeping track of everyone's birth date prediction. I've gone for the 22nd July (11 days after the due date) for several reasons. The 22nd is Lexi's birthday, no one else has gone so far past the due date, and both Lee and Morgan arrived late - and still do to this day - so I figure it's a good bet. No matter what date he arrives, I'm going to be there in the waiting room for him. I'm so excited!

Oops, I haven't blogged for a few days as you may have noticed. No big reason, just been doing nothing much.

John introduced me to "Misfits". It's a UK TV show about 5 teenagers doing community service who get struck by lightening. As a result they develop 'powers' based on their personalities or insecurities. (And as John would say) Hyjinx ensues. We've been watching it online over the last few nights. It's been fun hanging out, downing the ginger ale and chips in front of the telly. The cats join us, so it's like a whole flat party.

What else, hmmmm..... work is. . . well. . . . let's just say that I'm working really hard on being positive and keeping myself in check. I think it would be very easy for me to get in to a downward spiral of negativity right about now. I just have to have faith in myself, hold my head high, grin and bare it. Probably shouldn't say to much more for fear of starting a rant and once I get started I might never stop. With this blog being in writing it probably wouldn't be my wisest move to let rip on here. Ya never know who might be reading.

With that said, I think I'll call it a night. I have a photo shoot with Lee and her bump tomorrow afternoon, followed by dinner at Grans. Then I have Sunday all to myself. Sweet.

The Devil Wears Prada, Dog Soldiers & Dogma

The Devil Wears Prada is fast becoming a classic of the 'naughties' decade. Not only is the movie great, but the book it's based on is a great read. Author Lauren Weisberger has written several other great books and has become one of my favourite autheors. She does a modern day chick lit with both humour and grace.

Andy Sachs is a wannabe journalist in New York city, but the only job she can get is as the PA to Miranda Priestly, editor of Runway Magazine, a job hundreds of girls would kill to get. Andy has to learn to survive a job with the boss from hell if she wants to get anywhere in her career.

Anne Hathaway stars as the spirited, yet somewhat naive Andy. Meryl Streep pulls out all the stops as the hellish Miranda Priestly. Together they are a powerful duo. They are supported by the wonderful Stanley Tucci as Miranda's long suffering 2IC, one of my personal favourites Adrian Gernier (in fact I think he's number 1 on my 'to do' list) as Andy's non-understanding boyfriend and Emily Blunt debuts in the role that launched her career, as Emily the number one PA for Miranda.

This story is perhaps not the most original movie out there and it's definetly a coming-of-age story for the main character and even for most of the secondary characters as well. Perhaps that's it's mass appeal. That or the actors are all brilliant in their performances. Perhaps it's that we all want a wee bit of that glamourous life that Andy finds herself in or that we all dream of getting past that horrible boss for the life and career we so badly want. Whatever the reason, there is something in this story for everyone to enjoy.

While the guys might not be that keen, I think you might be surprised, and if not then you'll at least earn some brownie points for watching it. Girls, you'll love it. Even if it's just for the Adrian Grenier factor.

Yes I've now watched Dog Soldiers. I was told that this one was more funny than it is scary. Being told this before I watch it makes me nervous straight away. How scary is it if I need pre-warning that it's not really scary?! If it's not really scary, then surely I don't need the warning!

A team of British Soldiers are sent on a training excersise in the Scottish Highlands. The routine excersie is disrupted when they come across the leader of a special operations team leader seriously injured and alone after his entire team have been destroyed by a mysterious force. Local farmgirl Megan comes to their rescue, but the team soon realise that the house they are taking refuge in is home to a family of super werewolves. Now all they need to do is survive until morning.

The only actor I recognise from this horror film is Kevin McKidd of Grey's Anatomy fame. Here he uses his real Scottish accent and he's much sexier than using a fake American one on TV. Other stars include Liam Cunningham, Sean Pertwee, Emma Cleasby and Thomas Lockyear. If you know who any of those people are then you are a more intuned with British film than I am.

Yes this was scary. And, Yes this was funny. At times the movie pushes the line between scary and just ridiculous, therefore being funny. Though I must concide that while the line is pushed, it's not often crossed. There's a lot of blood and guts, hence my requirement for the lights in the room to remain on, but somehow it's not to much. With all the death (and I don't think that's giving to much away seeing as it is a horror movie and horror movies tend to be filled with death and horror. . . ) you do slowly become accustomed to it by the end, perhaps lessening the horror and increasing the humour. Or maybe that's just me?!

Anyway, it wasn't as bad or as scary as I thought it was going to be, although I don't feel any need to watch this again any time soon. Girls, you'll earn the brownie points for watching this movie this time round. Boys, unless you're not a horror lover (and I'm yet to meet a bloke that's not), you'll enjoy it.


Dogma is a movie that's either loved or hated by those that watch it. Personally I love it. It's completely ridiculous and it mocks religion, so yes I love it.

Two fallen angels are attempting to get back into heaven through a loophole in church dogma, but if they do all hell will break loose and life will cease to exist as we know it if they do. It's up to a human, an apostle, an angel, a muse and two proliphic prophets to stop them, all with the backing of a missing God.

Dogma stars some great actors - Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Linda Fiorentino, Jason Lee, the popular Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith (Jay and Silent Bob) and cameos from Janeane Garofalo and Alanis Morissette. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are a great acting team and alway compliment each other so well, which they do here again. Salma Hayek is passionate and Chris Rock is the filthy mouthed, comedic actor we know and love. Alan Rickman adds some fantastic acting, as only he can. But it's Jay and Silent Bob doing what they always do, that make us laugh so much.

For me, I love the controversy that this movie stirred up. I love that they didn't try to be PC, but the complete opposite. They take a religion and mock the bollocks out of it. As a non-religious person this amuses me, but for many others it wasn't so funny. I can apperciate that, but it's just a movie and should be taken for the light heartened, good natured ribbing that was intended.

This movie is defiently not for everyone. As I said earlier, people either love it or hate it. If you're a religious person, then perhaps you best not annoy yourself by watching this, but if you're not, or if you can appreciate a good laugh when one is presented then go for it. Don't say that I didn't warn you tho!