On Selling Chocolate Bars

Our dear children have once again returned from school with chocolate bars to sell.  Actually, only the 3 oldest came home with them but let me tell you all 5 were VERY eager.

Now, they happened to come home on a week in which we had GORGEOUS weather.  The kind of weather that is uncommonly warm for the month and the kind that melts chocolates.  The kind that has dear children whining after walking from the 4th to the 5th neighbor's door.

Now, I happen to actually enjoy going door to door once I'm out there BUT I vetoed all chocolate sales last week.

This afternoon saw us summoned :) to a generous neighbor's house, a neighbor who waited all last week for the kids to show up.  So off we went to sell chocolates, play with toys and generally sit around and enjoy some tea.  It was a marvelous hour but by the time we left for home I needed to get cracking at supper.  So we trotted in fits and starts for home.

One dear boy was whining for his forbidden sucker.  A couple others were too tired to run for very long periods so picture us in a straggly line, running for a bit, walking for a bit, mom calling out bits of encouragement mixed with idle threats, mom swinging a bag with two boxes of chocolates and two skirts.  I'm sure it was a comical picture.

ESPECIALLY to the two guys I DIDN'T notice standing on the driveway on the opposite side of the road!!

I had already turned the corner and headed partway home when I heard Leah and Sam calling for me to come back.  I turned around and they had come to a dead stop at the edge of the sidewalk.  They were glancing somewhat nervously at me and I knew right away that something was up.  I called to Cara and Cody to keep on running home and that we would be right there.  They of course didn't listen and stopped to see what we were doing.  Then they started heading back to us.

In the meanwhile a gentleman just home from a hard day at work drove up in front of his house and put the truck into reverse.  He was intending to back into his driveway and get into the house to eat some supper and put his feet up.  I'm sure of it.

But no!  First Cam went and stood on the end of his driveway calling Cara and Cody to come.  Then, they started coming, first going past his truck to Cam, then going back to his window thinking it was someone they knew wanting to say hello.  Then slowly making their way back across his driveway all the while totally oblivious to the fact that this guy was now on minute 3 of patiently waiting for this mother to get her act together and get her kids OUT OF HIS WAY!

I finally did and we all trekked back to see what had gotten Leah and Sam all tied up.  They announced that some guys across the street were asking to buy chocolates.  Or more truthfully, when they had seen Leah's box of chocolates they had yelled, "CAN WE BUY SOME CHOCOLATES?!" and scared the dickens out of my poor meek, mild and quiet children.

My mashed potatoes were getting further and further behind but believe you me, I wasn't going to pass the chance up to sell some chocolate bars!  I gathered my ducklings around me, checked for traffic and made my way across the street all "Make way for Ducklings" style.  My heart stuttered a bit when I saw what we were getting into.

A little pit bull pup came running across the driveway toward us and instantly two of my quiet children were shrieking and wailing and setting the guys to laughing.  They kindly allowed me to try and calm and gather my kids together (all the while laughing all joke-of-the-year style) before sending this super obedient doggy back into the house.  With the dog gone it was down to business.

By now I was somewhat frazzled.  Nice guys but they were big, tough, tattooed men.  My age, not little teenaged boys trying to pull off an act.  They were the real deal.  And they were both peeling off a $20 and needing change I didn't have.  It also crossed my mind that we had already kept them waiting those same 3 minutes, plus, I was proving myself to be a bit of a scatterbrain with too many kids and chocolate boxes to keep track of.  Sigh!

Then they offered free chocolate sales person advice.  "Next time just say you don't have the change.  We'll just buy more chocolate."

Yup, uh huh, kind sirs, you just wait and see.  Next time we'll be all prepared.  We'll come confidently strutting across your yard, bang on the door and let you know we have 15 bars that have your name on them.  Also, I would like to offer you a coupon book from Girls Craft Club.  $10 please.

Gulp!

Or... maybe not.

Because I was too chicken to talk them into buying 25 more bars than the 8 they already had, we still have more chocolate bars to sell.  We'll keep you posted if any sale tops this one for excitement!