Mama Diaries

Monday, April 14, 2014

Lemonade Stand

Lemonade stands seem to be a part of just about every kid's childhood.  It was no exception for my kids.  When my daughter was five, she had her first one.  We used a large cooler for the table, covered it with a tablecloth, and set up shop.  Traffic was good on our street.  Every time a car passed, my daughter would shout at the top of her little five-year-old voice, "Lemonade, lemonade!  Come and get your ice-cold lemonade!"

And since people happened to be very nice in that neighborhood, they all stopped.   Even the mailman, who was on a walking route, stopped.  (We gave him a free one.)  After an hour of being out in the hot summer sun, we poured the last cup and closed shop.

"How much money did we make, Mom?" my daughter asked when we came back in the house.

I counted the coins. "Twenty-one dollars and twenty-five cents!"

At twenty-five cents a cup, I'd say that was the best we ever did, and it was an experience neither of us will ever forget!

(Now my son sets up lemonade stands.  The sales aren't as good as they were for my daughter almost ten years ago.  He has to get resourceful by going around to the neighbor's houses and ringing their doorbells.  I guess times have changed!)  

49 comments:

  1. That sort of thing will eventually fade into the past. Sad but true...

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    1. I hope not. It's such a big part of growing up!

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  2. Shows he has the intelligence to show how to sell his lemonade.
    Hope he does well.
    Yvonne.

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    1. He did well the last time he did it. We'll see if he has the desire to to another one since that one was so much work.

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  3. Wow, 21 bucks! That is a good haul. Kids of a neighbor of mine did one a couple of years ago to raise money for the huge Gulf of Mexico oil spill. They kept running out of lemonade, so I suppose it was a success.

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    1. It's nice when kids have a cause they're saving for. A few years ago, my kids had a lemonade stand to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund.

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  4. Your daughter had a good day.

    Maybe this summer someone will have a yard sale on your street. That is the PERFECT time for a lemonade stand. Your son will be in lemonade heaven.

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    1. You're right - that is a perfect time to have a lemonade stand - as long as it's not raining!

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  5. My sister and I did a Kool Aide stand once. Unfortunately, we drank most of it.

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  6. Lemonade stands are always fun. Your daughter made a great profit, good for her.

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  7. My sister made a maraca stand once. she used the cups put rice in them or something and went round door to door selling them. When there were neighborhood garage sales she would by stuff from other houses and re-sell them at our place twice the price.

    LittleCely's Blog

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  8. oh how cute. I always wanted to do a lemonade stand when I was a child.

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    1. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever did a lemonade stand when I was a kid.

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  9. 21 bucks is quite the haul. Not sure anyone can get that now

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    1. It's never happened again. We're lucky if we get $5.00.

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  10. Not only is 21 bucks an amazing turnout, but I'm just glad to hear they didn't get shutdown by some Captain No-Fun, because true story, if you don't have a license to operate, even a harmless children's lemonade stand is technically "illegal."

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    1. Wow. I wonder if some nasty Captain No-Fun ever shut down a child's lemonade stand for not having a license to operate.

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  11. Goodness, that IS a lot of lemonade!! Sounds like a great day :)

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  12. it's crises and don't we feel it :(

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  13. Times have definitely changed. I used to do "candy sales" and would buy bin candies, then send my siblings to let the neighbor kids know. I didn't make great money, but enough to make me happy--and to buy more candy. That's what matters, eh?

    True Heroes from A to Z

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    1. Ha! So your siblings did the work? Good management, there! ;0)

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  14. Wow that is good!
    My kids haven't asked to do that yet.
    I did it as a kid, but I think only my mom bought a cup.

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    1. Maybe someday they'll ask you. The neighborhood in Cleveland where this occurred, was like a step back in time - old Victorian houses and people who would hang out on their front porches, or stop on the side walk to have a friendly conversation. Much different than any other place I've lived.

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  15. Pretty good for a Lemonade stand. It is nice you did that with them.

    Brandon Ax: Writer's Storm

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    1. It's good to have childhood memories like that.

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  16. Those lemonade stands were a boon to me when I was a kid. They always paid my way into the Saturday afternoon movie!

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  17. Oh, sounds fun! I would do something like this!

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    1. You should! If you have some neighborhood kids, get them together to do it.

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  18. I never had a lemonade stand. No wonder I'm a failure at life.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. You are hardly a failure! I never had a lemonade stand when I was a kid, either. I think we've both turned out all right! ;0)

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  19. Sounds lovely!
    .. your children are very entrepreneurial.!!
    I used to love making lemonade with my children when they were younger.. never had a stand though.. gave the neighborhood kids drinks for free! ( maybe the summer heat affected our business minds!)

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  20. I think I only ever had one lemonade stand when I was very young, during a yard sale. I wanted to do one when I was eight or so but we lived in a very quiet neighborhood where people rarely passed by and we didn't have the money to buy everything needed at that time, without guarantee of making it back. Disappointing then but now I sell food and drinks all the time so it makes up for it since I'm making more money. haha

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    1. There you go. Maybe if you have kids someday, they'll have a lemonade stand.

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  21. I'm glad you can still have lemonade stands. So many areas have the police shutting them down (like they don't have anything better to do). How dumb to go after kids' fun summer pastimes.

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    1. That's crazy! I saw another blogger comment about technically needing a license to operate one. Bureaucracy!

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  22. Love this, I think this is a great way for kids to learn entrepreneurial skills and value of money. Even with Bubba's sales talents, I suppose the market for lemonade is down unlike before?

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    1. I agree. Unfortunately, kids are too busy on computers and video games to have a stand, and adults are too busy to stop and buy a glass of lemonade.

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  23. Sounds like a lot of fun. I hope stuff like this never fades away-- home-made lemonade is the best!

    Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2014, My Latest post

    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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