Art of the start.

The children have been plotting out summer business plans; one hundred percent of which are some variation of selling items roadside.

Our daughter has had several ideas that hold promise, such as carefully working out a budget and profit/loss analysis for goods like homemade cookies ("two for a dollar") and lemonade ("fifty cents a glass").

Our son has also put a great deal of thought into his profit ventures, though his price points are slightly more aggressive.

If any of you are driving past our place later this summer and have an extra seventy dollars for a cup of water, well...that's the price of doing business.

With him.

As his parent, I look forward to appropriating a portion of any profit. I would urge you to purchase a tall glass of water. And one each for any passengers. Maybe you'll even get a discount. Then again...probably not.

And don't even think of asking for extra ice cubes.