March | 2012 | random olio

Whew! What a full week of creativity, exploration, and friendship. I just woke up from a 3 hour nap, so this blog post is just now coming out of my finger tips. I have LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem on in the background, because I need something to wake me up. Today is the Annual “Read Across America” Day, sponsored by the National Education Association. It is a day to motivate and encourage children across America to celebrate reading. They chose March 2, as the day to celebrate each year in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. You can read more about this special day at the NEA website link above.

What I have noticed this week (thank you Facebook) is how so many of my friends that are teachers have been doing activities and reading events to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday. What a fun way to encourage reading and honor a man for the many books that he wrote that inspired us all. What individual has not read a Dr. Seuss book? Or who does not know what Green Eggs and Ham is? The Cat in the Hat is one of my favorites. Today The Lorax movie is also launching in theaters nationwide.

Oh the Places You'll Go

One of my more adult favorites (that a friend gave me before high school graduation) is “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” I like:

“You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

For more fun sites for those of you with kids, click here and here to enjoy. In honor of Read Across America and Dr. Seuss go read your favorite Dr. Seuss book today!

You are in for a treat! Well, that or a good laugh. It is Girl Scout Cookie time! Yes, I was a Girl Scout. I went on the camping trips, did the work for badges and patches, rotated bringing the ‘treat’ to meetings, and sold Girl Scout cookies. I think my favorite part of all was selling cookies. Our troop was quite the adventurous bunch. After doing our regular door to door sales in our neighborhoods, many of us ordered cases and cases of extra boxes and we took them to local University dorms, fraternities, and grocery stores. This was successful because folks would purchase more when we had actual boxes in hand. One year I think I sold close to 3,000 boxes. The more you sold the better prizes you won (a trip to Kings Island, a 10-speed bicycle were two that I remember). I wonder if that would be the equivalent to a Wii or iPad today? I think when I started selling cookies they were $2.00 a box, now I think they are up to $4.00. Does that make me ancient?

Due to my many years of selling Girl Scout cookies, I can never resist buying a few boxes each year. The nostalgia I have of their taste is not the same, but I still cannot resist. I learned a lot about working an angle, selling, counting money, finances, sales goals, etc from my many, many years (was it 8 years, I cannot remember) of selling cookies. My one and only pain point for girls selling cookies today, is that each year I feel like the parents are doing the selling, taking the money, making the change. If I could give any piece of advice to troop leaders and parents, it would be to stop doing it for them. Let the girls do these tasks. I learned a lot and it made me that much savvier, smarter, and more knowledgeable about business transactions.

So now are you ready for your treat? The below video is me, age 9, on the local news channel. (It was a small town, so the news channel was small and very local). Be sure to watch to the end, and check out the old school computer and phone in the background.