Lemonade, Anyone?

The First Little Nguyen apparently has a Summer Vacation Bucket List, although he doesn't refer to it as that. While there are a couple of outrageous ideas on it that are completely unfeasable (such as vacationing for a week at the beach with all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins in both of our families, or watching all six episodes of the Star Wars saga in one sitting), there are several great ones that a perfectly reasonable: go fishing with Dad, camp in the backyard, go to the planetarium, see Beezus & Ramona, and have a lemonade stand. Fishing? Check. Backyard camping? Check. Planetarium? Check. Movie? Check. And today, he finally got to check that last item off his bucket list! Lemonade stand? Check!

We spent the first few days this week scouting out a perfectly shady spot in our neighborhood. Thanks to a friend of ours who does NOT live on the perfectly quiet (i.e virtually devoid of activity and not a great location for those seeking out a financial windfall of cash) Nguyen family cul-de-sac, the First Little Nguyen was able to begin making his plans and set up his mini-business in a more well-travelled spot.

Making his banner

On Wendesday, the First Little Nguyen spent the whole day making a banner to advertise his venture. I explained that it would be most appropriate to consider giving some of the money he made to a charity or to the collection basket at church. I asked him to think about that while he worked on his sign. It didn't take long for him to choose, either, since CNN was on in the background providing coverage about the horrors of the Gulf oil spill. So, he chose to give a bunch of whatever he made to people in the Gulf region. Very, very sweet...and I do hope that charity that receives the little white envelope containing about $3 from a boy named Benjamin will consider what effort he put into earning that money. That was the wonderful part of this experience.

All done!
Thursday was a flurry of business activity at our house. A trifecta of business activity, if you will. After I took him to shop for supplies, he mixed a batch of lemonade to chill overnight in the refrigerator. Then, he emptied his Snoopy bank, sorting out all of the nickels, dimes, and quarters for the cash box he had "rescued" from the recycling bin. He washed that plastic strawberry container, cried it carefully, and taped three plastic cups to the inside bottom in which to sort his change. Then, he packed up all of the supplies in the car so they would be ready by 7:00 a.m. this morning. Passing by, he said, "Mom, I at least hope to make a dollar." Me, too. It would be a crushing blow to learn that a lemonade stand is really an activity thought up to give a child something to do on a hot, boring, summer day rather than a way to rake in some good dough.
A little monetary help from Snoopy
Counting out coins for his "cash box"

7:00 a.m.? Ummm, yeah. No. It took some convincing to help him understand that we might want to wait until a little later in the morning to set up shop, and even that didn't stop him from waking up at 6:30 a.m. to re-prepare anyway. As I remind myself often, His excitement and determination will carry him a long way in life. Don't squelch that! I am also often reminded that he is exactly like me: intense. But seriously, though. Sometimes with the First Little Nguyen, I feel like I am just along for the ride (more like being chained and dragged behind a speeding car!). He has it all planned out and is racing ahead at breakneck speeds. Again, just like me.

Setting up shop
Workers, poised and ready

Our shady spot was ready and waiting for us, and it became clear very quickly that we had selected some prime real estate for the inaugural lemonade stand. What luck! Home renovations were already underway on a nearby home which meant lots of contractors, workers, and inspectors potentially looking for a cold drink. And, more importantly, it probably meant repeat business!! Within minutes, our makeshift table (thanks, Dad for the sawhorses!) was set up, covered, and stocked. The Second Little Nguyen set up chairs for us and spread out a blanket on the ground.

Two brothers, taking a break...

Such a happy smile!
My first dollar!

Leaping for joy!
Makeshift cash box
Think anyone will see if I sneak another cupful?

A curb-side lemonade break
Whew! Small business ventures are exhausting!
It wasn't long before some of the workers headed over for refreshments. I really do have to say that contractors may operate on their own schedule as far as working goes, but where drinking lemonade is concerned they are quite reliable and timely! They, of course, came back for a few refills. Before long, the Golden Egg of Lemonade Stands came by in a red, white and blue box truck. You guessed it: the Postman. Now, this little man was quite nice, and he gave the First Little Nguyen a crisp dollar bill and told him to "keep the change." He requested "two ice cubes and fill 'er to the brim." The First Little Nguyen looked at me with a befuddled expression when he said this. Lots of new business lingo for the Little Entrepreneur. The Postman then explained that if Benjamin filled the cup to the brim, he could keep the change. Again, my child shot a puzzled look my way. The Postman found it mildly amusing that the Lemonade Man did not understand his requests and asked, "Is this your first Lemonade Stand, young man?" The Little Entrepreneur replied with a head nod and a firm, "Yes, sir." The Golden Egg chatted us up a bit more before heading on. Thank you, Mr. Postman, for being an all-around nice guy instead of the sour lemon that some postmen can be and for indulging my child's summer desires. Here's me blowin' you kisses. Smack.

Serving Aunt Susan
As he reveled in the newfound fortune and how much his pennies were going to help those shrimpers in the Gulf, a black car pulled up. As scheduled, out popped Aunt Susan with Annie and Noah! Yay! Visitors who like lemonade! Noah tasted the lemonade but seemed to prefer the grapes more, and the Little Nguyens loved that their aunt, cousin, and second cousin came to take some Gulps for the Gulf. They played for awhile until Thomas had to, umm...use the restroom. Thank goodness that a potty-training great nephew had come to visit, as he came equipped with a potty in the back of his mom's car! Thomas was a bit unsure about this, but eventually relented and tried out Noah's potty. Whew! Crisis averted.

The Little Nguyens with Annie & Noah (who came prepared with his own pint-sized chair!)
All in all, it was a fun summer thing to do and I was glad the little guy could knock it off his bucket list. Lemonade stands were something I used to do at least a couple of times each summer. Given that Avenue N is not burgeoning with traffic, I never made more than the postman could give. I think all of the planning, calculating, creating and organizing was a learning experience in itself for Benjamin. All I really had to do was sit in my chair in the shade and watch while the Two Little Nguyens turned on their cuteness to drum up some business. To me, that's the sweetest thing I can do with a summer afternoon.