Lemonade Stand

At least once in their lifetime, somewhere in the grade school years, kids get a hankering to have a Lemonade Stand.

Some stands are well planned and thought out.  Some are spur of the moment.  All are cute and iconic childhood experiences.

At the end of last summer, my girl decided she would have a "lemonade stand".  She could not be nay said.  She would not be postponed.  

Fortunately, we had about half a bottle of Simply Lemonade in the fridge.  Seems I happened to be fresh out of the lemonade mix that every good mother keeps stocked in her pantry.

I only had three rules for the lemonade stand.  1.  She could not set up right on the edge of the yard.  We live on a busy street.  2.  She had to leave the front door open.  I needed to monitor things.  3.  I was to get a sizable cut of the profits.

She took said bottle, some plastic cups, and a fish serving tray and plopped herself on the front step with her homemade sign.  The price was steep.  One dollar per cup.  Sweet Cheeks must have been thinking she would be rolling in it by the end of the day.  She donned a "you better buy my lemonade or else" attitude topped off with some "you're lucky I'm even going to sell you some lemonade" for added effect.

She faced her best friends house in the hopes that they would somehow receive her telepathic message that she was officially open for business.  After a while, I informed her that they most likely weren't home. It didn't matter to her.  She could wait them out.  She can be stubborn that way.  She gets it from her father.  

Well, at long last, the neighborhood kids took notice (after I called their mothers and told them to send them over:) They came bounding across the street in search of some thirst-quenching deliciousness.  However, when it came time to pay, no one had any money.    In the spirit of true loan-sharking, we decided they could pay us back at a later date.  We might need a favor someday. 

And in two seconds, the lemonade was gone.  We had no money, but we had friends to enjoy, lemonade in our tummy, and the sun in the sky.  And life was truly good.

Much love and many laughs,

A