The F Word

It is THAT time of year again where kids go around with their best Oliver expressions and violate no solicitation orders all over the neighborhood.  Nope, not Halloween, but fundraising season.

Having both kids in school means I get to hear both kids go on and on about the cheap dollar store crap prizes and how they HAVE to have the googly eye glasses that will be lost in less than 5 minutes and the inflatable sneakers that will pop the moment they take a step in them.   Not to mention the trip to Larosa's with their friends.  Can't I just organize a play date with their school friends at Larosa's next weekend?  No?  Ugh.

When B was the only kid in school, it was easy...one kid, lots of grandparents each buying a little and BAM: up to 26 items and lots of cool prizes comparable to that of goods you find at the dollar tree:  light up Shoelaces that weren't long enough and broke the first time he tied them; a key chain (really, he's in KINDERGARTEN; he doesn't have keys!) that went on his backpack and fell off the next day never to be seen again; and a water bottle "bag" that was impossible to clean out and stunk after one use with water causing it to be thrown away.  Sigh, totally not worth all the effort of mommy driving up to the school to pick up the stuff, deliver to family across 3 states, hold frozen items in my freezer for months, forgetting to give it out. I think I still have some in there. 

And now there is TWO of them!

Both kids came home with big eyes full of all the prizes they would get and saying that we needed to sell as many things as we can (translation: MOMMY will be selling items).  They want to race in the inflatable shoes and squirt each other with the water gun shaped like a flashlight.  All for the low price of my time and sanity.

The problem is I have TWO kids selling now but our family has not doubled since the last fundraiser.  So now everyone has to choose which kid they like best or order less so they can help both kids out.  Either way, less orders each = less prizes.  How do families with 3, 4, or 5 kids do this????

After this ends, the word fundraiser is going to be banned from my house...until next fall when we start all over again!