Lemonade Stand On Mother's Day - Baking Adventures In A Messy Kitchen

This isn’t about baking, it’s about three kids who decided that they wanted to run a lemonade stand.

We had a beautiful weekend of hot summer weather, and a little while after Margot came over to play, Nathaniel approached me for what he clearly thought would be a fruitless mission: he wanted to know if they could set up a lemonade stand. He had his arguments ready, not knowing anything about the irresistability of his request. Of course they could run a lemonade stand!

The four of us (me, Nathaniel, Margot, and Juliet) set out for the grocery store and as we walked, the kids talked about what they were going to do if they made a hundred dollars. We stopped off at Margot’s house to pick up a jug to mix it in, then headed back to the kitchen to make the lemonade and draw up some signs.

The older kids ran off to make a sign while Juliet helped make the lemonade. That seemed fair, since she doesn’t write yet, but excels at stirring.

Margot and Nathaniel did a nice job on the sign, but made some modifications after I talked them out of charging 75 cents per cup.

We headed outside, set up the stand, and Margot and Nathaniel conferred over the toy cash register they brought outside, already planning something exciting with their profits.

Contrary to all adult expectations, they made their first sale fairly quickly. Fist bump!

They soon discovered the power of Juliet to attract customers and make sales. I’m not sure if it was her sales pitch — “Lemonade! It isn’t sour!” — or her enthusiasm and general cuteness.

They actually got a decent amount of customers, from people walking by to bike riders to drivers pulling over in their cars. And people were great tippers! Two people gave them five dollars each for a cup, and well over half didn’t ask for any change at all. The kids were very excited about all of it once they got over their nervousness about pouring, spilling, and making change when asked.