Sometimes when life gets stressful and all too busy, I like to take a moment to remember the good old days; before the teen years, before drama or difficult homework. The days when my biggest concern was which friend I was going to invite over to play or what my doll was going to wear for the day; the early years of life.
Put on your jelly shoes and grab your cabbage patch doll. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at some of my favorite things as a little one.
Favorite Meals (mom always served meals with fruits and veggies too!):
- Tacos
- Build your own pizza
- Build your own sub sandwich
- Thanksgiving meal
- Chips and cheese
Mom said I was creative with my food even back when.
Favorite Shows:
- Raffi
- Sesame Street
- Barney
- Mr. Rogers
My family can still to this day sing all of the Raffi songs because I watched him so much.
Favorite Movies:
- Wizard of Oz
- Willy Wonka
- Little Mermaid
- Kid Songs
Favorite Games:
- Skip-Bo
- Scrabble Jr.
- Chutes and Ladders
- Candy Land
Some of my Favorite Memories:
- Houseboat trips, camping, swimming
- Dance (especially when I was older and got to dance with Bets). I enjoyed it all: tap, jazz, hip-hop, ballet, lyrical…
- School: Halloween parties, first day of school, brand new sharp crayons, recess, field trips, friends.
- Vacations and outings with my family: road trips up north, Nebraska, Arkansas, Wisconsin Dells, Disneyworld, the Zoo, etc. I loved spending time with my family.
Being the cheerleader at my brother’s games: basketball, football, baseball (eventually I played basketball too!). I spent a WHOLE LOT of time at these sporting events.
- Playing Barbie’s with my cousins and my friend, Laura.
- Going to grandma’s pool in the summer- It will forever be called “grandma’s pool.”
- Holidays, Birthday parties, get-togethers with my huge family, friends, sleepovers, movie nights with my family…
I could go on and on about my favorite memories from growing up. Life was so simple then and it warms my heart to take a moment to reminisce on those days. I need to try and simplify my life now.
I need to remember to make every day count, to look on the bright side, to tell the people in my life just how much they mean to me, and how much I love them, to stop waiting for a better time to do something because there may never be a better time than the present, to stop feeling sorry for myself because I am sick and just live the life I was given and live it fully. Things could be a whole lot worse.
I need to stop worrying about what other people think, that I’m not working out as often as I think I should, or that I’m eating far too much peanut butter and chocolate. Life is too short for that.
Life is busy. We are all busy. But we absolutely must remember to take the time to do what matters most to us. Spend time with the ones you love. Don’t hang on the past or any regrets. Do little things with a lot of love.
If you don’t know by now, I am a very sentimental person. I am also very emotional and I don’t hide my emotions well. I’m a gushy lovey-dovey person. I love love, and have a lot of love to give. This post turned into a real gushy one and I’m proud of it!
Have a LOVELY Thursday my friends! I will if you will.
P.S. There’s still time to enter into the Sneaky Pete’s Beverage giveaway!
LOVE the Jelly Shoes intro (I totally forgot about them until that moment)! You are so right my friend, you must relish in every day. A friend of mine Trish writes the Grateful life and really helps me remember that! Totally suggest reading – its like a big deep breath of fresh air 🙂
I will have to check it out! Thanks!
Sigh, the good old days. I miss them, too. When did life become so complicated? I’ve been wondering lately if maybe we all just make it more complicated than it needs to be. Do you ever just stop and ask yourself, why? Why are we stressed, busy, constantly worried, etc. I’ve been trying to work on letting go a bit, breathing more, and being in the moment.
Sigh, the good old days. I miss them, too. When did life become so complicated? I’ve been wondering lately if maybe we all just make it more complicated than it needs to be. Do you ever just stop and ask yourself, why? Why are we stressed, busy, constantly worried, etc. I’ve been trying to work on letting go a bit, breathing more, and being in the moment.
It’s easy to forget what life is really about—surrounding ourselves with the people we love and living the best life possible. Let’s help each other remember!
Ahh, Skip-Bo. Those were the days. There are so many games and innocent that I miss. Recently, I was reminiscing about the wonders of pogs. Remember those?
Oh my gosh, yes. Ridiculous. So fun to collect them but not so fun to “play” with. Total flashback!
Lovely post. I miss those days too … some days more than others. I loved Raffi’s music too as a kid and used to sing and dance to his cassette tapes (my sisters made fun of me about it, especially when I’d play it in the car. I’d get really mad.). I also grew up dancing, like you, and my family took a trip to Wisconsin Dells as well (I grew up in Michigan, so it wasn’t too far away). We have that trip on video and it’s pretty funny. I think I was around three years old. Oh, the good ol’ days for sure … sigh.
Raffi!! I loved him. I have his newer CD and play it for my Grade 2’s a lot!
Your paragraph about needing to live in the moment and not feel sorry for yourself is something I need to do too.
He’s still recording?!?