Molly's first Guide camp.....

Molly wandered off to school Monday morning in an absolute haze. Tired out. It was tempting to keep her off school sine she looked so zonked out. But, being a bad parent, I figured she'd do fine.

Monday night she felt really crap. Tuesday morning she felt tired AND crap. Still she went in. Tonight (Tuesday) she felt a bit better.

The reasons for all this tiredness: Molly's first guides camp. Brwnies, as fun as it was for her, was just a bit too sedate for our lovely, little action girl. Molly enjoyed the nature walks, the crafts, the other stuff they did. But Guides has already proved far, far better. Granted, every week she seems to come home with some new request for money for this event or that event, but what the hey, it's all for a good cause etc etc.

This weekend she went off to Paxwold. In many ways it's a perfect first camp. Indoors, in dormitory style bedrooms inside a purpose built Guide outdoor centre. Just one weekend and limited to younger guides only. She was a little nervous before going but had been reassured by the fact that it was only for the weekend and she'd be back home before she knew it.

We dropped her off on Friday evening and spent all night wondering what she was doing, then we spent all Saturday doing the same, and most of Sunday. We needn't have worried though, when we picked up a tired, tired little girl on Sunday around 3, we realised she'd had a great weekend. And most importantly hadn't missed us a bit. Which, as painful as it is to realise, is exactly where she should be right now, moving on, moving away from us. Horrible but necessary.

The weekend was spent doing guide-y things. They headed off to the supermarket on Friday night with lists of things to get. Each group was responsible for one meal during the week - planning it, buying it and cooking it. There were crafts, nature hikes in the mud, and lots and lots and lots of fun over two very, very late nights and packed days. Lights officially went out at 9:30 or 10, but from the tiredness etched into her face on Sunday we reckon it was a little later than that both nights that the girls actually got to sleep.

A fantastic weekend, now all she can talk about is the Guide camp in May when she's away for a whole week.

Molly's first (big) gig - The Girl Guide Big Gig 2009

Molly went off to London yesterday (Saturday) at 8am and got back home at 10:30pm. The reason? Her very first gig ever. It's the annual Girl Guides mega event gig - this year it was Wembley Arena. And she was very, very, very excited to be going.

The line up: JLS, Pixie Lott, Alphabeat, The Noisettes, Scouting For Girls, Tinchy Stryder, The Saturdays, Alexandra Burke, Chipmunk. Sadly (yeah, right) N-Dubz couldn't make it. A terrible shame. I can cope with many things for Molly, but having her come back a fan of that lot of mock-chav idiots is not one of them. The rules around Big Gig performers include requesting they don't drink before going on and refrain from inappropriate language/comments. But in the case of N-Dubz I find their very existence completely inappropriate.

Anyway, Molly had the greatest time. Loved JLS, The Saturdays and Alexandra Burke. Alphabeat were mad she says. Not so keen on Scouting For Girls or Chipmunk.

All of which means I'm now more determined than ever to find some good gigs to go to with her in the next few years.