Like Girl Scouts for Grown-ups

You know those nerdy little over-achievers who will do just about anything for a prize or a little praise? Well...I'm one of them. I love earning things. It makes me ever so happy. When I was young, Girl Scouts provided an outlet for all that ambition. I was a tomboy. So, I got to do all my tomboyish stuff and actually get fun little merit badges for my sash. Ahhh, the joy of it all.

Then, I grew up.

No more merit badges. I had to work a lot harder for praise and recognition. And, it was actually work. I no longer received kudos for being my awesome self. Toastmasters provided a taste of what I missed in that I could earn recognition for public speaking, mostly just for the effort I put into it. But then, my thirst was finally quenched. I discovered the Mary Jane's Farmgirl Sisterhood.

I first discovered Mary Jane's Farm magazine, a magazine for ladies dedicated to organic living. Mary Jane Butters is one of my heroes and an empowering female role model. She manages to do all the "un-girly" things I like to do while still maintaining her femininity. The Farmgirl Sisterhood is a club of sorts where members can earn merit badges for living the Farmgirl life and having a Farmgirl attitude. It's like Girl Scouts for grown-ups.

Badges are broken up into categories. These are Cleaning Up, which includes badges like Shopping Green and Water Conservation; Each Other, including Community Service and Know Your Roots among others; Farm Kitchen, two of the badges being Know Your Food and Organic On A Budget; Garden Gate, including Grow Where You're Planted and Heirlooms Forever!; Make It Easy, with Build It Green and Relaxation; Outpost, my favorite, including First Aid and Glamping; and Stitching and Crafting, which pretty much speaks for itself. To add even more complexity, each badge has a beginner, intermediate, and expert level.

I finally get to earn badges for things I want to do again. In fact, I'm being rewarded for living according to my values. Eating mostly organic, researching CSAs, going camping, and using environmentally-friendly cleaning products are all things I would choose to do anyway.

So, for all the nerdy over-achievers out there and all the ladies who just want to have some fun, check out the Farmgirl Sisterhood. It's a hoot!