Making Lemonade

Classic summertime fun continued today when the boys ran their own lemonade stand. This picture was snapped just after the first pitcher of home made strawberry lemonade was overturned after an unfortunate accident involving the sun umbrella.

I'd left the boys to tend their stand (after spending 20 minutes getting everything set up just right) and two bites into my raisin bran the boys all came in, some crying, all lamenting that the lemonade stand was ruined, RUINED!

I left my cereal to turn to mush and helped the boys reestablish their business. Luckily the home made old fashioned buttermilk brownies (chocolate mint and chocolate chocolate) were spared, as was the pitcher of regular lemonade. The table cloth and sign advertising home made strawberry lemonade, however, were soaked with spilled fluid.

After going over the ground rules (no hounding customers, man your stations at all times and people do not like to buy lemonade from boys who pick their noses) the boys were eager to start collecting money.

When the first 50 cents hit the money box, Isaac decided he was going to buy a toy from the garage sale. It took a lot of convincing, and a lot of reminding thereafter that there would be no spending money until AFTER the lemonade sale was over.

When it was finally over, the boys got to split about $30 after paying me back for supplies. (Don't worry, I was really generous with them.)

Isaac bought a plastic wallet (25 cents) from the garage sale to keep all his money in. I've urged him to keep it at home in a drawer, but he insists on carrying it around, just like dad.

Ethan bought a pair of roller blades ($2) and a video game that plugs into the TV (also $2).

Thankfully, Jonah was talked out of the $10 TV set and decided to save his money for Pokemon cards. Then when I wasn't looking he bought a tiny little clock that you get free when you sign up for Children's Book of the Month Club so he could learn how to tell time. ($1)

I can tell the boys worked hard because I'm exhausted. After I got everything cleaned up and put away, they all asked me to pour them a glass of lemonade.