Watching her from my porch across the street reminds me of the summers I spent growing up. It’s gotten me all nostalgic. I am most reminded of my childhood when I hear cicada’s on a hot humid day. Then I think about how wonderful it was to grow up when I did.
There was never a shortage of kids to play with where I lived. My parents couldn’t afford summer camp so we spent our time exploring our neighbourhood. Unsupervised.
We didn’t know anybody with a pool (excpet the alcoholic down the street…) so instead we kept cool in the creek behind our house. Or in a sprinkler. Or sometimes just a hose.
We’d sit under bridges. Or hang out under trees.
Playing with Pound Puppies, Popples, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony.
We would make bracelets out of gimp and make each other friendship pins to decorate our shoes with.
We would put a tennis ball in a knee high and play Hello Hello Hello Sir against a brick wall (only if our parents weren’t home – the bouncing drove them nuts).
Now tell me – what are your favourite memories of growing up? What fond memories have stuck with you through the years?
Gimp is very relaxing. It’s like knitting. The same pattern over and over.
And yes – I remember walking to Shoppers Drug Mart with a nickel and a dime (stolen from the dime bottle, member that??) and I would buy a banana popsicle (Popsicle Pete!) and it was like 2 popsicles when you broke it in half!
And oh my god – how awful that I told you that. Kelly or Angie must have told me and I was trying to be like them bitches to spook you.
My fear of creeks stem more from Kelly’s near drowning episode and not from a random body in a garbage bag.
Again – for that, I apologize…
I remember many a time visiting your house growing up and wanting to read all your books especially Sweet Valley High – I was more of an indoor girl. I do recall the creek behind your house and to this day creeks scare the crap out of me because of when you and your friend told me that a dead body was in the random garbage bag floating around. Nice… Nowadays there is no way we’d let our kids out on the street you grew up on, way too busy! Can you imagine that we were allowed to walk down to the Shoppers Drug Mart by ourselves?
But I do love me some gimp and the best part about Joshua going to camp is he’s making it now and has brought some home for me to do and sadly I spent Saturday night making a bracelet and a keychain.
fashion plates OMG i’d spend hours making stylin’ gauchos!
Really Kelly? NONE?
Our Lizzie Borden towel spinning game was not fun??
(okay seriously – what the fuck kind of game was that anyways??? I would freak if I saw/heard my kids playing that!)
Jumpsies? What is that??
And Bo-lo bat? No idea…
You’re only 7 years older…how can I not know what you are talking about?
The significance with the tennis ball was that you had to lift your leg ans swing the ball under it every time you said “sir”.
And also watch out for it when your older sister tries to whip you to death with it.
And it wasn’t just you – I tried getting the Speak and Spell to say “boobies”
Chinese Jacks? Same as “Jacks”? What’s the difference?
Well…everything old is new again, right? I bet it’s just a matter of time!
I bet nobody owned a helmet – did they??
My kids have a helmet on their head if they have wheels under them – bike, skateboard, scooter or rollerblades…
*sigh*
yes – cartoons were a Saturday morning only event in our house too.
Your summers sound a bit more organic than mine were!
That’s exciting Jen! Have you bought/sold yet? When’s the move?
Check my fb wall – my friend Kim posted that she bought safety pins and beads for her girls to make some! I predict a comeback!!
Ahh 7-Up! Yes that one too!!
And really – the skip its they have now? That have ribbons and have built-in counters? lame!
That is such a coincidence. Just the other night, some friends and C and I (all forty-somethings) were talking with our kids (ages 12 – 17) about the things we did as kids. I was I was trying to explain Hello, Hello, Hello Sir to them and they just didn’t get it. They wanted to know what the rhyme meant and what was the significance of the tennis ball in the panty hose and what are panty hose?!?! I didn’t have a great answer for them – It was just what we did.
Jumpsies was a lot of fun – I think attaching all the elastics together was more fun than the actual game. I remember a lot of double dutch (so much fun) and does anybody remember the Bo-lo bat?
I also remember trying to get your Speak and Spell to say dirty words. (I was a terrible babysitter – sorry!)
PS. I was a secret fashion designer too! Sorry Kelly!
OMG what a blast from the past! Whatever happenede to Fashion Plates?? Why hasn’t anyone done an updated version? Thanks for the memories!
I forgive you!
Marley and Eva really have these parallel lives! There are four older girls across the street who come to sit under our tree and play. They have set up an outdoor school, have chalk, and run the circle time very precisely. For “recess” I bring them Mr. Freezes or chocolate milk. I have never been more happy to serve in my life.
I don’t really have any fond summer memories. If I do, they go way back to Jasmine Square. Avondale just wasn’t my time.
By the way, Hungry Hippo is banded from my home. Too stressful 🙂
Tomorrow I think I’ll teach M to stuff a ball in my old panty hose and cut loose! Good idea.
Ahh see, it depends on where you are in the world..
In Alberta, we rode horses,
watched TV on Saturday Mornings only!
had boats made from milk cartons float down the ditches
shot gophers with BB guns ( yes, so not proud of that one….:( but dad said they would hobble the horses with those damn gopher holes!!)
played hide and seek
Baseball
swung in Tire swings
and made forts
Had the odd Barbie but only till GI Joe found her and buried her in a mudslide.. or floated her down the ditch in the milk boat
I grew up on the outskirts of town. There were lots of kids but we were too far to go into town as a regular thing until we were older. We zoomed up and down the road (which was gravel for a long time) on our bikes and played in an old abandoned barn. It’s a wonder no one was killed but it was so much fun!
we would have been BFFs for SURE! god i loved the lemon twist…and yes Racheal – chinese jacks…my mom and I played that all the time!
I had fashion Plates and loved it! And the lemon twist too! You definitely bring back some good memories for me as well.
Man, that brings back a ton of memories for me! I did ALL that stuff too. Abby is getting to the age where she wants to play with other kids in the neighbourhood but WE DON”T HAVE ANY!! We decided to buy a house in a newer development across the street from a park with the hopes that she’ll make some friends. I only wish her childhood was as awesome as mine was. BTW, I’m totally going to make me some friendship pins for my sneakers.
You found a lemon twist?? That was my fave!
We also played a lot of clapping games, 7-up (a ball against wall game), jump rope, jacks, Chinese jump rope, Chinese jacks, and made lots and lots of bracelets. Thanks for the nostalgia!