Tuesday's Top Ten - My Favorite 80s Toys

"Toys, toys, toys in the attic/ Toys, toys, toys in the attic." - "Toys in the Attic" by Aerosmith

Don't worry, this post has nothing to do with scary dreams or screams like the song of the day, I just heard it on the radio this morning and it fit the theme, so I went with it. Today we are taking a trip back to the awesome 80s and I am going to introduce you to some of my favorite toys from my childhood. So hop into the DeLorean, put your Wayfarers on, sing along to my Wham! cassette, and let's go back to the future.

1. Cabbage Patch Kids - If you were a little girl in the 80s like I was, nothing could beat Cabbage Patch Kids, the adorable dolls with the chubby cheeks, yarn hair (or round bald head), and their very own unique birth certificate signed by their creator, Xavier Roberts. I got two for Christmas in 1984 during the Cabbage Patch hysteria that caused parents all over the country to stand in horrendously long lines and put their names on waiting lists, and my collection was started. Thanks Mom!

2. Talk 'n Play - This wonderful toy was the great-great grandfather to things like e-readers, Leap Pads, and the Leap Frog Tag reading tools for kids. I loved it! There were lots of tapes and books that went with it, and you could read along with the interactive stories and answer questions using the four rainbow colored buttons. This toy probably entertained me more than any other, except for my many Cabbage Patch Kids!

3. Roller Racer - This toy was so much fun! All you had to do was sit down and move the handlebars from side to side, and off you'd go! It didn't go fast and going uphill was nearly impossible, but it was a blast. My sister and I used to make up obstacle courses that we would have to navigate on the Roller Racer, usually ending up with one of us pushing the other about halfway through because Roller Racing was hard work! Ah, good times. :)

4. Skip It - These were fantastic! It was a simple concept, just slip your foot through the ring, whip the toy around, and jump over the plastic bar each time it came around. What made it so great was that it had a counter on it, so for competitive children like me, it created fun games of trying to jump more than my sister or friends, or if they refused to play with me because they knew they could never beat a Skip It champ like myself (that had to be the reason, right?), I would just try to break my own record, which was well into the hundreds. It was great exercise, but it was so much fun kids didn't even realize they were getting a workout! Just look at the girl in the photo. She is having so much fun in all of her 80s glory.

5. Popples - Popples were so great! They were cuddly stuffed animals with a built-in pouch that they could curl up in, turning themselves into a ball. One minute they could be dressed up in doll clothes drinking out of a baby bottle, and the next minute they could be balled up, bouncing off of your cousin's head. What could be better?

6. Lite-Brite - I don't think any child of the 80s can forget about the Lite-Brite. I don't know what it was about sticking those colorful plastic pegs through the black paper, but when the light box was turned on to reveal the glorious work of art you created, it was like a little bit of magic had happened right before your eyes. A classic 80s toy for sure!

7. Viewmaster - Another great way to pass the time before things like iPods, Nintendo DS, or iPads were created. Just slide a thin disc made of cardstock and plastic into the toy and the story comes to life. As easy as that and no batteries required! You know, people complain about how slide shows are so boring, but millions of kids in the 80s found these cartoon slides to be absolutely wonderful, me included!

8. My Little Pony - I am so excited that these lovable little toys are making a comeback. I had several of these, in various sizes and colors, all of which I sold at a swap meet for five bucks when I was 13. I wish I had held onto one or two of them because they were really cute and I had lots of fun playing My Little Ponies with my sister and cousin when we were all kids. I lived in the suburbs of Los Angeles so having a real horse was out of the question, so My Little Ponies were the next best thing.

9. Nintendo NES - The original Nintendo was so cool in the 1980s, so high tech, and at the top of every kid's wishlist. I did not have one because my mom thought I watched too much TV already (hmm...why would she ever think such a thing?!), but my cousin had one and I loved it! I would spend hours playing Super Mario Brothers (the first one was the best) and Duck Hunt. By today's standards, this game system is beyond primative and the graphics are insanely laughable, but back then, the original Nintendo was the king of all video games.

10. Pogo Balls - They didn't bounce that high, they were simplistic, and they looked like the planet Saturn, but I loved my Pogo Ball. I remember hopping onto my Pogo Ball and trying to bounce across the patio and back without falling off, which was quite a feat if you could do this, because if you didn't jump hard enough, you could stumble and fall flat on your face. But they were still fun and still totally 80s! And like the Roller Racer and Skip It, it was a something to get kids off the couch and outside to burn off some energy. Where are these toys now? I think they could find happy homes with a whole new generation of children.

This list could have gone on forever, so I'll just mention a few runners up before I get too carried away. Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, Puffalumps, Fisher Price Little People, Teddy Ruxpin, Pound Puppies/Pound Purries, and Pillow People. So much awesomeness went on in the 80s!

Tuesday's Top Ten - Parental Catchphrases

"Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright/ They just seem a little weird." -"Surrender" by Cheap Trick

Remember those things your parents would say when you were a kid that just seemed so stupid at the time and mostly went in one ear and out the other? Have you ever caught yourself repeating them to your own children? I know I am not a mom, but as a nanny, I have listened to myself in horror as my mother's words escape my mouth on a regular basis. Here are my top ten catchphrases that I heard as a child, many of which I have used, confirming my suspicions that I'm turning into my mother.

1. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." - I say this at least once a week at work, sometimes several times a day. I used to hear this one all the time (I kind of had a big mouth...and a smart mouth) and of course it never registered for more than a few seconds. Still, I have hope that the girls I take care of will take these words to heart in a way that I never did. It really is good advice. Just this morning I told the seven-year-old this very phrase, followed by, "And calling your sister a Poo Bottom is definitely not nice!" Sigh...

2. "Don't talk with food in your mouth." - Why is this one so hard to remember? You'd think that when the kid has food spilling out of his/her mouth as they tell you some pointless story that goes on forever, they would correct the problem, but no. As a child I had good manners, I just chose not to use them a lot of the time. Sorry, Mom!

3. "Be nice to your sister." - But why? She was super annoying and always started it! Funny how little sisters are still doing that today... I don't know why it's impossible for siblings to just play nicely 100% of the time, but it is. And even though these five words hold practically no meaning whatsoever to a child, especially a kid who is mad and trying to shove her sibling out of her bedroom, I still find the words flowing from my mouth with the hope that just this once they will sink in. Maybe, just maybe, the child will slap herself on her forehead and say, "Duh! I should just be nice. I'm so sorry for being mean and I'll never do it again." Ha!

4. "Your face is going to freeze like that." - My dad used to tell my sister and me this all the time when we made faces at each other. I remember rolling my eyes at him, knowing that there was no way my tongue would be permanently sticking out of my mouth while my eyes remained crossed and stretched, my fingers pulling them as far to the sides of my head as they would go, but he just kept saying it...for years. This is one I don't say now because it just sounds so ridiculous, but the girls tell each other this, then discuss at length how cool it would be if they could freeze each other's faces whenever they wanted. Oh, to be a kid again (written with a huge amount of sarcasm!)

5. "Just pretend you're asleep." - Now this one might have just been at my house. I tended to be somewhat of an insomniac, even as a baby and small child, and I don't even know how many times my mom told me this when I was whining loudly that I couldn't sleep. I have said this one a time or two when the girls don't want to go to bed. It works just as well now as it did back then. Yep, they don't find pretending to be asleep all that great either.

6. "Keep your hands to yourself." - Man, parents just try to suck the fun out of life, don't they? I will admit that I use this one all the time. Last week I told the five-year-old this as she was reaching across the car toward her sister on the way home from school. Her response? "If I keep my hands to myself, how can I pinch her?" Oh, the honesty of a child. But really, is there any other short phrase that encourages children to respect other people's personal space in a more effective way? I think not.

7. "I'm going to count to three." Why do we say this?! Who cares if we know how to count to three? The kids don't. I know that I always waited until my mom got to two-and-a-half (I was spoiled, I admit it) before I stopped misbehaving, and now I'm on the other end of that threat. I will always follow through with a time-out or some similar form of discipline if I do reach three and nothing has changed so this is pretty effective, but c'mon. Counting to three is a stupid threat, especially when you hear a parent say it in public. Sometimes I want to count along like I'm singing the end of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", just to see what they'll do. "For it's one, two, three strikes you're out of the old ball game!" That could be pretty funny!

8. "Just try one bite. You might like it." - No, I won't. I am the world's pickiest eater, and if I try something new, there is a better chance I will lose my lunch all over the table than find a new food I want to add to my plate. Still, I tell the girls the same thing. The thing with them is that they almost always end up liking the food in question! Then they realize that I am right and everything is peachy keen jelly bean. Whenever I was told this, I proved my parents wrong. So I guess I was right then too (and a little too concerned with being right all the time)!

9. "When I was a kid..." - Just finish that sentence on your own. I got this one a lot from my dad. Especially in regards to watching TV. "When I was a kid, we watched whatever Grandpa wanted to watch. I never got to pick the shows." Whatever! Unless it's a funny story about how life was in the olden days when dinosaurs roamed the earth (like my childhood in the 1980s, a whole other millennium), young children couldn't care less how bad you had it when you were a kid. But still, adults can't resist using examples from their childhood to try to educate the younger generation on how easy they have it. I only do this to illustrate a point about how much things have changed in the last 20 years as kind of a history lesson, and to show them that their life isn't so totally unfair and horrible. What? That's what my parents thought they were doing too? Bummer.

10. "You can do anything you set your mind to." - This one is 100%, totally and completely accurate, and I tell the girls this as often as possible. Of all the things parents can tell their children, this one ranks right up there with I love you. It instills confidence, self-esteem, and the warm fuzzy feeling you get when you know someone believes in you. I follow this one with, "...because you are strong, hardworking, and very, very smart." I hope they are listening when I tell them this, even if they ignore every other word I ever say.

Someone to Understand

"When all you ever really wanted was for someone to understand." - "Film Noir" by The Gaslight Anthem

A couple of days ago I had a moment at work that reminded me why I do what it is I do. Being a nanny and a teacher is rarely easy, and it's way messier than it is pretty, but then there are times like this when it's so worth it.

The oldest child I take care of is almost seven, and basically a mini-me as far as personality and eccentricities go. I was a very overly emotional child (and still an overly emotional adult in some respects), cried at the drop of a hat, and never thought I was fully understood by anyone. This child is the same way. If someone so much as looks at her funny, she'll burst into tears, become hysterical, and not be able to stop. Enter Shannon, or GoGo as they call me (different story for a different post). I have been working with her on this issue for months, trying to give her the tools to calm herself down and be in control of her own emotions, and she is doing so much better now. Well, the other morning on the way to school, she told me that I was her "Go-To Girl" because I am the only one that understands her and can help her with her problems. I was so touched that I almost cried in the middle of the freeway during morning rushhour traffic(see what I mean about being emotional?). The smile on her face was so peaceful, not a look that she wears very often, and I realized what a difference I have made in her life. Maybe that's why I became her nanny, which happened in a very coincidental way (next post).

Anyway, I just thought I'd share that little story with the world. That way the next time I have one of those days that is full of stopped up toilets, temper tantrums, spilled milk (someone will cry over it, for sure), and time-outs, I can remember why I do the job I do, and am happy to do it.

Picture Day

"Look at this photograph/ Every time I do it makes me laugh." - "Photograph" by Nickelback

This is my school picture from second grade. My cousin did my hair, which I thought was just about the coolest style a kid could have, and what can I say about the totally rad kitty cat sweatshirt I was wearing (with a matching purple scrunchee!)? It was 1989 and I thought I was so awesome. So what I want to know is, when did I go from being a total ham in front of the camera to running away and hiding whenever I hear someone yell, "Say cheese"? Maybe it's just part of growing up and getting older. The world may never know.

What made me think of this photo in particular is that today is picture day for the girls I nanny for. They were so excited when I dropped them off at school this morning, that it took me back to when I too loved school pictures and would smile big for the camera, showing off my missing and crooked teeth for all the world to see. Thank goodness for braces!

School pictures are a funny thing. This one was actually a reshoot because I was not only blinking in the original, but I think I was starting to sneeze too. It was horrible! Doesn't everyone have at least one picture like that? I didn't like any of my high school yearbook photos at all, but looking back at the early elementary years is a lot of fun. I laugh at the clothes and the hair, remember old friends and teachers, and most surprisingly of all, remember how truly excited I was to be in the spotlight, even if it was just for a second in the school cafeteria.

My Three Songs

"Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take you/ Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama." - "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys

After dropping the girls off at school this morning, I was flipping through radio stations in their way cool minivan (I drive that thing four times as much as my Mustang, which actually is cool!) and came across three songs that instantly transported me back to the eighties. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was wearing my purple Converse All-Stars, bicycle shorts (c'mon, it was the times!) tons of plastic jelly bracelets, and rocking a side ponytail with a day-glow scrunchie.

First up, "Kokomo". Man, I loved that song! I think I spent most of 1989 singing it, including recording my own versions on my portable tape player. Yeah, I know exactly how awesome I was. This song was summer, the beach, and best of all, was sung by The Beach Boys and John Stamos (Uncle Jesse!) on "Full House", my favorite show as a kid. What could be better?

I am a constant flipper of radio stations, so as soon as "Kokomo" ended, I hit the next button and started singing along to Paula Abdul's "Straight Up". What little girl didn't love Paula back in the 80s? She had catchy songs that were fun to dance to, even if I thought my choreography might have been just a little better than hers. I was a very confident, if not deluded child.

Paula gave way to some stupid song I didn't care to hear, so I changed the station and, I'm seriously not making this up, I heard the song stylings of New Kids on the Block, singing "Hangin' Tough"! I don't think I've heard that song on the radio in about twenty years (boy do I feel old!), but there it was, in all of its 80s glory. Wow. I will admit, the New Kids were one of my very first obsessions. I was the six-year-old with the t-shirts, cassettes, VHS music video, even a beach towel featuring the New Kids. Joey McIntyre was by far my favorite. Now, I find their music absolutely hilarious, but back then, I sang loud and proud. Today, I started singing but then just burst out laughing.

So, those are the three songs I heard today that reminded me of my childhood. What a blast from the past!