Me, I am my kids' teacher

Lydia and Grant had been wearing me out to have a Lemonade Stand. They did one last fall and made $15 that Lydia had promised to give to Cross & Crown. But she wanted to add to it. I was a bit ashamed that the $15 had been sitting in a jar on top of the piano all of these months.

So they opened for business last Thursday. We opened in time to get the after school crowd from the Catholic school across the street, and the public school a few blocks away.

I did a quick teach on marketing. She was making signs to sell her lemonade for 50 cents. I suggested that if she gave it for free, like she did last time, she might make more. So she offered "free" lemonade and popsicles. I suggested she just tell her customers that she would take donations, and to always smile!

Sure enough, no one who didn't receive a complimentary drink gave less than a dollar ... including the guy driving the fancy car who gave her $20. We told him he could have lifetime free refills when he whizzed back by in his smokin' hot convertible.

When he held out his empty cup for the refill, he asked her what the money was for. She told him it was for the mission and to send some kids to camp this summer.

Then he asked why she didn't tell him that in the first place and he gave her $40 more!

Cha-ching!

Thrill. Be still our palpitating hearts!

They (including Lydia's friend) sold some more, and offered some to our neighborhood homeless guy ... who has asked us for work a dozen times, sifts through our recycle bin and once stole a rake.

When they closed down and came inside to count the bills and coins, they came up with

$100.20!
(this also included her math for the day!)

She's going to take it to Cross & Crown on Monday and maybe it'll pay for camp or a little fun for the kids at Rock Island and Underground (www.crossandcrown.com).

Meantime, we are counting the days til school's out, and doing a little more math. Roughly ten days left of school multiplied by $100 a day (har har)! Cha-ching!

Our neighbor joked we should haul the grill out to the curb and really open for business.

Might as well dream big!

Posted in: on Friday, May 18, 2007 at at 9:42 AM