Mother's Day

A letter to my adult children.

Hi kids. I know that within the next few weeks you’ll be looking for ideas of what to get me for Mother’s Day. Like most mothers, I’ll say I don’t want anything, or I’ll give you some practical suggestions, and maybe you’ll listen and maybe you won’t. Lewi and Lily will almost certainly present me with a collection of handmade art, and I will love it, as I always have. But for you older three, I’ve put together a special request list to consider. I figured I would take advantage of Mother’s Day to be, well, a mother.  

These are the things I’d love from you, for Mother’s Day and beyond.

1.       Start a new healthy habit. Maybe it’s adding a little exercise, taking vitamins, or eating one more vegetable each day. Doesn’t have to be a big thing, but do one small thing to enhance your health and increase your longevity.

2.       Break one unhealthy habit. Stop eating late at night, quit smoking (yes, I know about that) and stop exposing yourself to second-hand smoke, cut back on alcohol. Do this while you are young, and save yourself from years of addiction.

3.       Mend a relationship. Reconsider some of the people from your past. Maybe it’s a friend with whom you’ve lost touch, or a teacher you didn’t fully appreciate at the time. If you owe someone an apology, make it. If you need to forgive someone—including yourself—do it. Fix your past so that you can move forward.  (Please note: this is not a request that you rekindle a boyfriend or girlfriend relationship. Your exes—even though they are great people—at this point are better as exes.)

4.       Resolve an issue. If you’re indecisive about something, choose and move on. It doesn’t have to be a huge issue, but if you’re on the fence about it, it’s time to get off.

5.       Save some money. You’re going to need it. So instead of spending you hard-earned cash on disposable items like clothing, movies, pizza rolls, and imported beer, sock a little away. Those little bits will add up, and you’ll be able to do something worthwhile, like take some special classes or invest in something with long-term value.

6.       Help me sort your photos so I can get them into books. Seriously. I would love to get this project done, but I can’t do it without your help.

7.       Plan on having dinner at home on Mother’s Day. I’m happy to do the cooking in exchange for the privilege of gathering around the table with all of you. It really is my favorite thing, just being with you. Doing the dishes—not so much. So I’d be thrilled if you’d clean the kitchen together after we eat.

8.       And since you’re coming for dinner, if it’s not too much trouble, maybe you could bring me some chocolate. I’ll start working on my healthy habits on Monday. 

Cookie Mom

Kelsey was a Girl Scout for many years. Both she and her amazing leader stuck with the troop for the duration. With Lisa’s help, Kelsey worked her way up the ranks to earn her Gold Star, the GS equivalent of the Eagle Scout. For graduation from high school, Kelsey requested a lifetime membership in the organization.

So when younger daughter Lily wanted to join Girl Scouts, we were delighted. There’s no telling how far she will choose to go, but for now she’s having a great time.

Because of Kelsey’s long history, we’re well indoctrinated in the way of the Girl Scout cookie. With five active kids, we have decades of fundraising sales experience, and these fabulous favorites are one thing we’ve never had trouble selling. Most people are thrilled to see us coming, and more than happy to purchase a box of Thin Mints.

When Lily’s troop was looking for parents to organize the sale, I volunteered to be a cookie mom. Last year there were three of us, and this year only two, but in reality that’s the perfect number. I kind of inserted myself into the position of lead cookie mom. I like the job because most of the time I can run my own game. Of course there are deadlines, and there are girls (and parents) who do not respect the deadlines, but for the most part we’re all getting the hang of this.

What few people realize is that GS cookies are a multi-million dollar enterprise. The majority of the organization’s revenue, at all levels, is generated through these sales. And the Girls Scouts have it down to a science. There are rules and procedures that must be followed, and precious little grace at the upper levels.

I’m still learning a lot about all of this, but here are the broad strokes: first, the girls take orders for the cookies. The girls get incentives based on their sales, some of the incentives are actually pretty good. My favorite incentive, new this year, is that selling 50 boxes or more means the girl won’t have to pay dues next year. Finally, an incentive for the parents!

The troop will retain something like 55 cents per box, and the local council also gets a cut. Some of the money travels up the food chain, and some of it goes to offset costs. The cookie mom collects all the paperwork and places the troop’s order. Troops purchases cookies by the case, so if the orders of a given cookie are not divisible by 12, your troop is responsible to the balance of the cookies in that case. Usually selling a few extra packs, or absorbing the cost and serving them at a troop meeting, isn’t too big a deal.

Once all the troops have ordered, the regional pickup is scheduled.  All the cases of cookies for all of the troops in a given area are brought to a central location so the troops can come to collect them. In our area, the regional pickup is at the local fire house, which is really the perfect location.

This year I volunteered to help with this, and it was actually pretty fun thanks to the uber-organizational skills of our regional cookie mom. Early in the morning, a moving truck began unloading dozens of skids of cookies, each stacked 10 feet high. Before we could tear open the shrink wrap, each skid had to be counted (twice). Then we could start organizing by troop. There is a pick-up schedule, so we go in order, counting and double checking, and when the troop’s pick-up person arrives, the cases are counted again, and then loaded into vehicles. Most troops have well over 100 cases, which requires a fairly large vehicle. There have been years when people in small cars have had to call for reinforcements, but this year everything goes smoothly. The math works out, which I find amazing given the complexity of the story problem.

Most of us still have to sort the cookies for our own troops, and we still have to help our own daughters with distribution, and some of us have a few extra boxes that we’ll have to sell. (I still have some of the cranberry—they’re delicious! Let me know if you’re interested!)

But when the last Samoa is loaded in, there is pizza and conversation, and the satisfaction of a job well done. I didn’t grow up a Girl Scout, but I’m proud to be one now.