Sarah says: This wine is much better the second night. Maybe since there was a little more room in the bottle, my furious shaking actually made an impact tonight - no chunks! I will stick with my previous assessment though - I wouldn't buy it again. I'll stick to my chocolate in ice cream/cake/candy/brownie form and my wine in wine form.
Speaking of chocolate - I got some Girl Scout Cookies this week! Seriously, is there anything better than a Samoa? They are hands down, the absolute greatest cookie in the world. With second and third places to the Thin Mint and the Tagalong, respectively. I spent 12 years as a girl scout - I sold and consumed A LOT of cookies. I have some of my best memories from my Girl Scout days (my marching band memories are #1 of course, Girl Scouts rank 2nd). I fully support the mission of scouts, and to this day I will say yes to any girl scout that asks me to buy cookies. The problem I'm having is that less and less are asking.
If you think I'm shy now - you should have seen me 20 years ago. It was painful. I did not speak until spoken to, and kept any response short and sweet (ie. yes or no). So, when we held cookie booths, and I was forced to ask if people wanted to buy cookies, it literally took every ounce of my being not to run and quietly hide. I specifically remember seeking out the friendliest of faces, and asking those people. The first 20 or so were always the hardest, but once I got a few sales under me, the rest went pretty well. I think we committed to 2 hours of cookie booth time at a time - it was always my most dreaded 2 hours of the year - and yet, so rewarding. Looking back, I realize how much it pushed me out of my comfort zone, and how necessary that was. My favorite part of the cookie booth sales, of course, was playing cashier. Figuring out how much people owed, calculating their change, counting how many boxes were left.... ahhh... that made it all worth it.
I've seen 4 cookie booths so far this year - guess how many boxes I bought from those booths? Zero. Why? Because no one asked me!! What?! Back in my day (really, am I old enough to say that?), we had to ask every person as they walked in/out the door. So, why are the girls I'm seeing these days just sitting in the chairs and waiting for the customers to appear. Isn't half the reason of GS Cookie sales to teach the girls business? Sorry ladies, business doesn't happen if you just sit and wait. And what is all this nonsense I see, Mom's doing all of the calculating and money handling!? I get the some of the younger girls can't do it on their own - but it's a learning opportunity people! I think most people that are buying GS cookies, are going to be patient while you explain to the 6 year old that the customer bought $8 of cookies, and gave us a $10 bill, so we give them $2 back. We are all missing the whole point. It makes me even more mad when I see a middle or high school troop with the Mom's doing the work... it's Girl Scouts, not Mom Scouts! ARG!!
I have been looking forward to Mary joining a troop since the day I found out I was having a girl. But seriously, not if it means I'm doing all the work. Mary will be the Girl Scout, I will the supportive parent. Yes, I will probably take the order form to my work to see if anyone there is interested, but only after she shows up in her uniform and cute smile and asks around. She will be doing her own sales too. SHE will be asking people at her cookie booths if they want to buy cookies. WE will figure out the money together. SHE will ask her grandparents if they want to buy any. SHE will ask her aunt and uncle. SHE will write their names down. WE will add or multiply together. I will encourage her to be the best Scout she can be. I will go through the badge book with her and help her arrange the activities to earn the badges that she chooses. I will not be making the projects for her. I will read the summer camp schedule each year, and help her pick ones that interest her and force her to grow, but ultimately she will be the one making the decision - I'll just be signing the registration form. I will help her learn the Girl Scout Promise. I will help her put badges on her sash, until she learns to do it herself. I will be her Mom - I will not be the Girl Scout for her.
Come on people - it's not about cookies - it's about teaching our Girls to be strong independent Girls! Stop holding them back. Who's with me?
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