A Last Minute Residential
Top Ender had three Christmas Meals last week. Yes, I know I had two Christmas meals, but that's not the point okay?! Top Ender had three. It was on the last of these three, that she was sitting talking with a friend and some of the Guide leaders about the Baden-Powell challenge when everyone sort of realised at the same time that Tops needed to go on a residential before her 15th Birthday... which was in just four weeks.
Gulp.
Luckily, Top Ender's guide leader is amazing and after letting me know (at like 9 pm, as I picked Tops up from the third meal of the week) what needed to happen, she let me know that she would get it organised the following morning and the most that I would really need to do was get Top Ender somewhere in the UK the following evening.
As luck would have it, Top Ender was squeezed into a Residential taking place in London (so much better than the original plan of where I was going to have to drive her to not that far from Blackpool, in rush hour on a Friday night) and so I was able to throw her on to a train, with strict instructions to not get off until Euston, to check in with me every couple of stops and that she had better not lose her train ticket.
I needn't have worried.
Tops loved being allowed this extra moment or two of being an almost grown up and was met at the other end of the line by her Dad, who had even been able to work out which gate she would be coming into Euston at. They then travelled across London with her to the Girl Guiding HQ not too far from Buckingham Palace, where he deposited her and made his own journey home.
That weekend, Dan Jon, Flyfour and I spent a lot of time wondering what Top Ender was up to. It wasn't until she was back home on Sunday afternoon however that we found out about what Top Ender had been up to.
Tops had made friends with several of the girls, where they had then spent the first evening messaging each other through Instagram, Snapchat and other Social Media accounts that they all had, before going to bed so that on Saturday they could take part in a Real Life Monopoly Game all around London!
How cool right?! We are totally going to London in the Christmas Break to play a game as a family.
Top Ender completed her Baden-Powell challenge with almost four weeks to spare. We are so proud of her.
Honestly, Top Ender has almost become a different person because of the Girl Guiding programme (a better person!) and as a family, we are so grateful for the help in making her a better person, as it is true it takes a village!
Gulp.
Luckily, Top Ender's guide leader is amazing and after letting me know (at like 9 pm, as I picked Tops up from the third meal of the week) what needed to happen, she let me know that she would get it organised the following morning and the most that I would really need to do was get Top Ender somewhere in the UK the following evening.
As luck would have it, Top Ender was squeezed into a Residential taking place in London (so much better than the original plan of where I was going to have to drive her to not that far from Blackpool, in rush hour on a Friday night) and so I was able to throw her on to a train, with strict instructions to not get off until Euston, to check in with me every couple of stops and that she had better not lose her train ticket.
I needn't have worried.
Tops loved being allowed this extra moment or two of being an almost grown up and was met at the other end of the line by her Dad, who had even been able to work out which gate she would be coming into Euston at. They then travelled across London with her to the Girl Guiding HQ not too far from Buckingham Palace, where he deposited her and made his own journey home.
That weekend, Dan Jon, Flyfour and I spent a lot of time wondering what Top Ender was up to. It wasn't until she was back home on Sunday afternoon however that we found out about what Top Ender had been up to.
Tops had made friends with several of the girls, where they had then spent the first evening messaging each other through Instagram, Snapchat and other Social Media accounts that they all had, before going to bed so that on Saturday they could take part in a Real Life Monopoly Game all around London!
How cool right?! We are totally going to London in the Christmas Break to play a game as a family.
Top Ender completed her Baden-Powell challenge with almost four weeks to spare. We are so proud of her.
Honestly, Top Ender has almost become a different person because of the Girl Guiding programme (a better person!) and as a family, we are so grateful for the help in making her a better person, as it is true it takes a village!