Lemonade Stand
Photos by Heidi Ryder
Since having kids, Labor Day is always a bitter sweet holiday for me. I love the long weekend, but it means the end of summer and I’m not handling this whole ‘time flies’ thing very well. Emme is heading into Kindergarten and Sailor is starting pre-school! In an attempt to savor these sweet years I seem to get a bit nostalgic. I love a throw back to the ‘good old days’ and it isn’t lost on anyone that our kids are growing up in a much more complicated world. The idea of taking some time to focus on the simple things is absolutely a part of my Happy Place and leading up to Labor Day we took full advantage.
As a kid I remember loving getting the green light from my mom to make a little lemonade stand or bake sale. I mixed up every flavor of crystal light in the pantry and raided the Oreo jar. Looking back I had some very generous neighbors because I actually made some money! For our sale we used what was left of the ripe lemons on our trees, cracked open the sugar jar and went to town. I tasked Nick with making a really simple Pinterest inspired stand and I pulled out some brightly colored linens and serving pieces. The girls and their best friends were so excited!
We set up shop on the front lawn and took some time to enjoy the kids making a mess, collecting their coins, and having so much fun. Again, we have some really incredible neighbors. The kids made 10 dollars for their fro yo fund and I’m pretty sure a Labor Day tradition was born.
I totally understand how busy life is. I often get lost in the chaos and sacrifice these special moments. But when I think about the moments that matter most, they are always the most inexpensive and SIMPLE. The way it feels to take that precious time far outweighs the juggle and clean up :)
What are some of the moments from your ‘good old days’? I’m always looking for new ideas and a reason to send Nick to the hardware store with a project! Ha!
Xx,
Jo
