We forget how simple things like, making brownies or oatmeal out of the box, can be so challenging to a child - even if they have tried it SO many times, they still struggle and need guidance. If all I teach my kids while they are little is to make these things, and make them well, then I have trained them for feeding themselves through college. Because let's face it, unless we went to culinary school, most of us lived on bagels, brownies & oatmeal in the dorms and apartments through the college years.
Actually, cooking oatmeal the right way is a science. My brother-in-law poors in barely enough water and cooks the hell out of it & considers it ready to serve. My husband does the same, then wonders why it tastes so gross. It takes more love than that to make it good. As a lover of oatmeal, I am really good at cooking it, instant or not, and don't mean to toot my own horn, but it's sodelicious when I cook it, the right way. Quick oats into the bowl, cover with water, microwave 1 1/2 minutes, make a well, add milk to thickness desired, 2 spoons sugar and mix. Perfect texture, consistancy and oh so good!
Cooking brownies as well - you can't just follow the box, you have to add some love! Chocolate chips or chocolate sauce! Caramel or butterscotch chips make it worth it. Wrap them individually while warm and you are a master of baking.
Now if I could only be as good at on the spot marketing.
That is as well a learned skill; how to talk to someone you haven't met, introduce the product & walk away having had a nice conversation, without feeling like you are selling something. Still learning!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Marketing Terror
Ok, so today I tried out my rusty marketing skills in Friendly's. I am a coordinator for an au pair agency and have been out of the marketing scene for a few months.
What was I thinking? As I was sitting there with my kids, who were actually behaving very well and gobbling up their ice cream (so there was no noise at my table), I couldn't help but overhear the mother sitting behind me discussing with her mother her childcare issues for her preschooler & infant. She was planning on driving one child to one babysitter for a day, then another place, blah blah blah, on and on they went. They were talking back & forth, fast & furious about the topic. This was a perfect opportunity for me to introduce the au pair program - right??
WRONG! I reached into my bag & pulled out a partially crumpled mini brochure, squeezed myself out of the booth nearly knocking my toddler out of the highchair, stepped over to the ladies behind me & fumbled something to the effect, "I couldn't help but overhear that you were trying to coordinate childcare, and I happen to work with an au pair agency. I have a brochure here....." you get the picture - and what I am writing sounds much better than what I actually said, believe me. Ugh! "I wasn't eavesdropping," I managed to squeeze into my blabbering. But of course I was! Not only am I a terrible on the spot marketer, but a lousy liar as well.
After sitting back down at my table, feeling like I had just stepped off of a bad airplane ride, my kids were rolling their eyes at me asking WHY I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE AU PAIR STUFF ALL OF THE TIME, and the table behind me fell silent. I could just about hear their eyes making remarks to eachother, one raising an eyebrow, the other smirking as if to say, "What was that all about?" Both afraid to say anything more about anything because the crazy lady behind them is EAVESDROPPING! A few very short moments later, they got their check and decided to go. Actually, it seemed like they bolted out the door and continuously looked back my way to make sure I wasn't following them. I felt like a stalker, with kids, eating ice cream.
Just to make matters worse for me today, as I left the retaurant with my now grumpy kids in tow, I bumped into a real estate agent I recognized. Asking him if he would like any brochures to hand out to clients in search of childcare, I was able to successfully hold a conversation about it. However that was short lived and I was once again able to ruin it.
"Is this your son?" I asked regarding the 6ish year old child with medium length hair and boy colored striped clothing on standing beside him. "Actually this is my neice..." Awkward silence. Need I say more?
I am closing up marketing hell for one day & having a much deserved cocktail
What was I thinking? As I was sitting there with my kids, who were actually behaving very well and gobbling up their ice cream (so there was no noise at my table), I couldn't help but overhear the mother sitting behind me discussing with her mother her childcare issues for her preschooler & infant. She was planning on driving one child to one babysitter for a day, then another place, blah blah blah, on and on they went. They were talking back & forth, fast & furious about the topic. This was a perfect opportunity for me to introduce the au pair program - right??
WRONG! I reached into my bag & pulled out a partially crumpled mini brochure, squeezed myself out of the booth nearly knocking my toddler out of the highchair, stepped over to the ladies behind me & fumbled something to the effect, "I couldn't help but overhear that you were trying to coordinate childcare, and I happen to work with an au pair agency. I have a brochure here....." you get the picture - and what I am writing sounds much better than what I actually said, believe me. Ugh! "I wasn't eavesdropping," I managed to squeeze into my blabbering. But of course I was! Not only am I a terrible on the spot marketer, but a lousy liar as well.
After sitting back down at my table, feeling like I had just stepped off of a bad airplane ride, my kids were rolling their eyes at me asking WHY I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE AU PAIR STUFF ALL OF THE TIME, and the table behind me fell silent. I could just about hear their eyes making remarks to eachother, one raising an eyebrow, the other smirking as if to say, "What was that all about?" Both afraid to say anything more about anything because the crazy lady behind them is EAVESDROPPING! A few very short moments later, they got their check and decided to go. Actually, it seemed like they bolted out the door and continuously looked back my way to make sure I wasn't following them. I felt like a stalker, with kids, eating ice cream.
Just to make matters worse for me today, as I left the retaurant with my now grumpy kids in tow, I bumped into a real estate agent I recognized. Asking him if he would like any brochures to hand out to clients in search of childcare, I was able to successfully hold a conversation about it. However that was short lived and I was once again able to ruin it.
"Is this your son?" I asked regarding the 6ish year old child with medium length hair and boy colored striped clothing on standing beside him. "Actually this is my neice..." Awkward silence. Need I say more?
I am closing up marketing hell for one day & having a much deserved cocktail
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