Let's Play!

I was being silly tonight on Facebook with a friend from High School and it was fun! We are both busy mothers but we haven't forgotten how to have some fun when the kids are asleep!

I'm reading a book by Robert Fulghum called, "What On Earth Have I Done?", which is a bunch of short essays of random musings. He has a chapter called "Play" and he explains how some people are players and some are not. He tells of being in a grocery store and cruising by a lady with oddball items in her cart and saying, "I like the groceries in your cart better than mine, want to trade?" She smiles, checks out his cart and says, "You got a deal!" They take each other's cart and roll away. Later on they meet at the checkstand knowing they would keep their original groceries, but they had a few moments of enjoyable madness. The lady knew the game, she was a player.

Much to my daughter's dismay, I am a player. She, being a teen is none too pleased with me when I "act out in public" as she calls it. I've sung songs to dogs in Santa outfits, showed other moms how to do a booty shake in the foyer of the YMCA, hula hooped in Target and other various embarrassing things. But the difference between me and her, I don't care what people think. If someone joins me, all the better. I have a friend that did the conga while singing "Copacabana" while she was being filmed by her daughter's friend and it was wonderful!

Why do children corner the market on being childish? Who says we have to be old fogies? Peter Pan had the right idea, "I won't grow up".

So go ahead and color with the 64 pack crayons, it's alright to blow bubbles and eat ice cream till you get a tummy ache. The world is a crazy place, but there's always time for play, so spin and spin and fall down, then laugh uncontrollably. It'll do you some good!

Cookie Time is Here!

Yes, it's the most wonderful time of year...Girl Scout Cookie Season! 2 1/2 wonderful months of begging, pleading and cajoling, pleeeease buy Girl Scout Cookies.

My daughter has been a Girl Scout since she was in kindergarten and I've had my share of sitting in the freezing cold, burning heat, wind, sleet and snow, o.k. not the sleet and snow part, but it could happen...selling Girl Scout Cookies. In fact last year, I sold on my birthday AND had a school fundraiser at the skate rink that evening, Happy Birthday to me!! I've put more hours boothing (which is selling cookies outside establishments, for the unschooled) then I did at my actual job!

Selling Girl Scout Cookies is a fine art. When they were cute little Brownies, all they had to do is smile all cutesy and the cookies are sold. As Juniors in their green uniforms, they had to finesse their skill, offering up what the cookie selling will bring them, white water rafting, camping in Yosemite and how grateful they would be if you could please help them reach this goal. Or if they would like to donate to the troops, Girl's home or homeless shelter. People were pleased that they were doing a community service.

As teen Cadettes in nondescript khaki, most people don't believe they are actual Girl Scouts! Where are your badges? Some even asked them to recite the promise. We hear stories about when cookies were fifty cents and gruff old men say they only support the Boy Scouts! Hmph! After all these years of selling, our girls are getting clever. They have gimmicks, wearing sandwich board signs, they sing, they offer partnerships of cookies with videos people are renting (Thin Mints for romance movies-fresh breath for kissing, Do-Si-Dos for westerns, and cleverly All Abouts* for Woody Allen films because most people don't know what they're all about), they offer that cookies go great with items in their cart, milk, beer, laundry detergent?

So I implore you, when you see these cookie wielding soldierettes in front of your local grocery, video store or bank, please don't pretend they're invisible! Say hello back when they greet you. On a diet? We have Trefoils, only 170 calories for 5 cookies! Diabetic? We have Sugar Free Chocolate Chip. No cash? We take checks! Worried about having too many? Cookies freeze well! Don't eat cookies? Buy some to donate to our charity. Already got some from your Girl Scout daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend's child, etc? Thank you for supporting the Girl Scouts!The girls get a thrill hearing stories about, "When I was a Girl Scout", so feel free to share. They're working hard and learning sales skills, supply and demand, perseverence and Girl Scout pride.

This happens once a year people-limited time offer. We only get .75 from the $4.00 price. We trudge out every weekend, usually 6-8 hrs. a day for a whole month so we can raise money for our summer trip to Washington D.C. You know you want those Samoas and Thin Mints, so be kind to yourself and to the girls, indulge!

P.S. My daughter has sold over 500 cookies for the past 3 yrs. That ain't chopped liver!

*All Abouts were discontinued this year which is very sad. Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos are safe to eat, the bakery supplies their own peanut butter.

I Will Remember You

Yesterday I found out that a friend of mine died last month. Our kids went to school together in Elementary. We started PTA and volunteered at school together. She was a lovely lady and a caring, wonderful mom and now she's gone, leaving 3 children and a great husband behind. I don't know what happened to her, I didn't want to press her son. I just know how I felt and it was shock and sadness. It always takes something like this to shock your system and re-think how you live your life. You go through the same thing everyday always taking for granted that your family, friends, loved ones will be there the next day. I spoke to my daughter about this and let her know how important it is to be thankful for your friends and family because you never know when they'll be taken from you. It made me want to reach out to my "Christmas Card Friends". You know, the ones you fill in on your life when you exchange cards. I use to write letters and send cards regularly when I was younger. Now with technology, it would seem like it's easier to keep in touch. But I think it's the opposite effect. Since we are able to reach out so quickly, we don't bother. We can wait, when I have more time, etc. And then another year passes by. Take a minute, drop a line, make a phone call and reach out to someone. It just might make your day....and theirs.

I've been DEMOTED!

So I've been notified by my teen daughter that my husband and I have been demoted from the #1 and #2 spot on her friends list on Myspace to #9 and #10. The person who gave her life, fed her from my body, taught her everything she knows today is now #10. *Sigh* I guess I should've expected this when she would rather spend time with all her friends than me. When she spends more time hugging and talking and sharing secrets. When I am nosy and annoying to her and the only time she is civil to me is when she wants something. When she's upset because she thinks I'm invading her privacy when I go on Myspace and because she thinks I'm the "Myspace police!

It's a thankless job being a mother. She is my only child and gone are the days when she depended on me and thought I was the most awesome person she knew. It's very depressing and it's hard to let go. I wasn't ready for this day to come so soon, but I guess I have to deal with it. I should appreciate that she still kisses me when I drop her off at school, but I'm sure next year that will change. She is going into High School and it's very hard to believe. When I look at her, I still see the 3 year old that would give me Monkey Love. Goodbye Monkey Love, ooh ooh, aah aah. :(