Saturday, February 18, 2012

What I learned from a little green box of cookies!

Tonight’s post is dedicated to my friend Natalie who also happens to be the girl scout cookie mom for the Id’s (youngest child) girl scout troop. 
Not only is Natalie the cookie mom, she’s also the smart@$& who gave me sh*t yesterday because last summer when I started this blog I said I would do “365 days of family fun”.  She bet me a drink that I couldn’t keep up with that.  Well, for 2011 I was doing great . . . primarily because I wasn’t going to let Natalie be right.  In 2012, I’m now admitting I was smoking crack and there is no way when the children are in school and sports that you can accomplish daily family fun!  So, Natalie, yes, I owe you a drink, and it will be a great excuse to “have” to get away. 
For "family fun" these last three weeks, I, along with more than 30,000 other moms, dads, grandmas, etc, have been the cookie mom for the Ego’s (middle child) brownie troop as well as helping ALL THREE of the girls sell more boxes of cookies than I can count. 
Here’s what I’ve learned from the infamous little green box of chocolate and minty goodness:
1)      When your friend (who shall remain nameless . . . but it begins with a Nat and ends with alie . . .) cons you into becoming the Daisy troop leader for your youngest child, the greatest payment you can give her in return is to tell her that you’ll be the leader and she’ll be the cookie mom.  This nameless friend will never try to con me into anything again!!!  She may also never eat another box of cookies!
2)      When you are at a cookie site sale with your girls, it could be a very effective selling strategy to have them there with a sign that says “will dance for money”.  Oh, wait . . . I mean . . . that might be completely inappropriate and should never be encouraged.  However, you may not be able to control your laughter when your 9 year old comes up to you and says “mommy, someone just gave me $11 for dancing”.  Apparently, after 2+ hours in the freezing cold the girls started doing a little “cookie dance” and people thought they were so cute that they didn’t even buy the cookies, they just made donations to the cause. I have never had a prouder mommy moment.  At least now I know the Superego (the oldest child) can have dancing as a fall back if college doesn’t work out!  J

This is the Superego with her friend and note the freezing mommy in the background (and no, that's not me, just someone who looks like me - thanks Jess!)
3)      Yes, the following scenario will look like you are doing some kind of illicit merchandise deal in the middle of a supermarket parking lot - The site sale is over, you are loading your car and have your big wad of cash in your hand and out of nowhere someone comes rushing out of the grocery store and says “can I please get some thin mints”, and your response is “I think we can work something out”.  As we were closing the car door we sold 6 boxes to people who lined up.  I had no idea these things were as addictive as crack, so much so that people will stalk you in the parking lot!! 

Huge props to all the girls out there selling their hearts out, and to all the mommies and daddies and grandmas and grandpas who freeze their butts off at the site sales each day!  And a huge thanks to all of the generous and kind people who are so sweet when they buy cookies and also when they say “not today, thank you”.

2 comments:

  1. I can't wait to get my girls in scouts! They're only two years old now, but Daisies? Here we come!

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  2. Just make sure you have a working iron for all the patches on their vests! :) Admittedly, it does take me back to my own girl scout days and really is fun for me too.

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