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Addicted to Girl Scout Cookies!
I can usually mark the exact day when my New Year’s Resolutions fall completely apart. This year, it’s today, Jan. 9, with the announcement that it’s Girl Scout Cookie time. 
Why I cannot resist this particular confectionary temptation as opposed to the scores of other boxes of cookies I’m faced with everyday remains a mystery to me. I don’t think it’s not being able to say "no" to a 10 year-old little girl earning her cookie badge -- although that is certainly a difficult maneuver. No, there must be something else that attracts me year after year.
Is it their unique marketing techniques? I can’t remember the last time a Girl Scout actually came to my door selling cookies, but I certainly buy dozens every year. My husband gets hit up at work from co-workers with scouts. I have order forms thrust into my hands at the hockey rink or baseball fields. There are even Girl Scout cookies on Facebook. And just when you think you’ve dodged the ordering window, there are card tables set up outside of the grocery store entrance with enough shortbread inventory to rival a London Costco outlet.
I can’t imagine that the manufacturer would dip the Thin Mints in a chocolate liqueur or lace Trefoils with Oxycotin -- that’s got to violate all sorts of child labor and alcohol laws. But there is some habit-forming biochemical that makes me sneak a few Tagalongs from a brown paper bag first thing in the morning.
And as I muse every January over my weakness for the tasty treats, I know there are certainly some very frustrated Keebler elves wondering as well. (I mean they bake cookies in a tree for goodness sake, and there is no mobile sales team hawking Fudge Stripes door-to-door -- even if they are uncommonly good.)
Now, I don't want to be too harsh on the Samoa-Selling Scouts -- I've got two little girls coming down the direct sales pike myself. It won’t be long before I, too, am among the throngs of parents selling cookies for a cause. Maybe that’s when I’ll finally learn the secret to their success.
Or at least have found an appropriate 12-step program to control my Do-Si-Dos® habit.
[Photo: Times files of the tasty addictive treats]
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Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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