Thursday, July 30, 2009

Thursday

My, oh, my.  It seems like it should be at least Friday.  I'm really not one for hoping days pass quickly.  Although this week just seems like a long one.  I'm just tired I suppose.

Today the family and I are taking a trip for a couple of days down to Baltimore and DC.  Robbie needs to work on some activities for his Weeblos badge and Arrow of Light.  We're very much behind schedule with only about 7 months to finish nearly everything.

I'm finding that the Weeblos requirements are quite confusing.  I'm sure that's why we've been so slack this year.  I like checklists and to know exactly what I need to do.  I find the Weeblos book to be all over the place.

With that said, one of the things Robbie needs to do is have a working knowledge/understanding of the government, the history of the flag and the National Anthem.  So, we're taking the kids to Ft. McHenry in Baltimore where the Star Spangled Banner song was written during the war.  We've been there before but the kids were much smaller.  Six years ago in fact.  If you visit Ft. McHenry, you can actually buy a Star Spangled Banner flag and have the park rangers fly it up the flagpole there at the fort.  They will then fill out a certificate saying that your flag has been flown at the fort.  It's a very cool gift idea and heirloom as well.

A Star Spangled Banner flag can be identified by it's 15 stars and stripes.  But, instead of trying to count the stars look at the stripe right under the field of blue.  If it's a red stripe, then you've got a Star Spangled Banner flag.  Cool huh?

After we visit Ft. McHenry, we'll head down to DC to the Smithsonian to go and see the actual Star Spangled Banner flag.  I'm quite excited about that.  After that visit, we'll probably wander the Mall and visit some other museums.  

It's my hope that through little trips like these we'll be able to instill in our children a love for the country that so many have fought and died for.  In our case, we're going to need to live for it in order to return it to the way the Founding Fathers & Mothers envisioned.

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