...i remember

It doesn't feel like it's been that long ago since I've been a teenager.

It has though.
I'm reminded when I see all the things my 12 year old does... what I used to do when I was a preteen and a young teenager.

I remember my mom taking me to a mall in Kansas City (which turned into the "gang mall" and then no one went there anymore, and now it's empty... sad b/c it was THE mall to go to!) quite a few times so I could spend my hard earned allowance on a store called Hello Kitty.

This store had the scratch & sniff stickers, Hello Kitty pencils, pens, erasers, dolls...
and I'm sure a little of everything that had Hello Kitty on it.
For some reason, I just remember the pencils & erasers.
I was SO happy at this store.

My mom was such a great mom in taking me & sometimes my friends to this store.

When I take my girls to the mall, or shopping in general, it brings back all these memories on the things I just HAD to have. For Maddie, this store is Justice. I literally hate that store. They only sell things in hot pink, hot yellow, lime green, orange & turquoise. It used to be Katie's store as well, and she does enjoy visiting it and looking around. Oh, and it's full of clothes that have the Peace sign on it, and this weird guy that has a name Fred with a backward R and he literally looks like a weirdo. Plus these talking popsicles??? I don't get it.

Katie is at the age where I remember being when I enjoyed the Hello Kitty store. She likes to look in the pen section at Target, and find all the pens that come in pink, turquoise and purple. I remember loving pens. Now, I settle for the 12 pack of Bic pens that are under a buck. Love those cheap pens. They write better than anything else.

Katie also is playing the game of MASH. Remember that one? The one that tells you if you're going to marry either: Chris, Chad, or Greg, and if you're going to have 10, 5 or 2 kids... and if you're going to drive a lamborghini, station wagon or a car... or if you're going to go to Acapulco (that was THE place to go, apparently when I was a kid), Bahamas or Hawaii for your honeymoon... and if you were going to live in a Mansion, Apartment, Shack or a House. There were plenty of things to add to the pile, like a career, what city you were going to live in... and a few other things....

Oh, I remember those days. It was funny b/c not too long ago, Maddie wanted me to play it with her. I didn't know what to say when she said it was my turn to pick. So I said "Greg Wiggle, Barney, Anthony Wiggle". She laughed her head off.
Literally, in those early baby days, those guys were all I watched.

Maddie's completely in love with her fingerless hot pink gloves that are sequined. One is now missing. Too bad. She can't play her jazzy hot pink harmonica without her gloves.

I remember loving my plastic charm necklace.

I remember wearing two different colors of socks. On one foot, the red sock will be on top, with the white sock on the bottom, and on the other foot, the red sock will be on the bottom with the white on top. Not to mention wearing those safety pins on our shoes with beads in them!

I remember my mom & I having our initials (and maybe a butterfly) on our EYEGLASSES! Or, was it just my mom's glasses? I don't remember, but WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!!!

So, I sit back and watch my girls, and see all the things they think is so cool. I wonder in 20 years we'll look back and think "WHAT WERE WE THINKING?" about certain fads we have today. I'm pretty sure the skinny jeans the guys wear is going to be one of them.
At least, I hope it is.

Here is a picture of those scratch 'n sniff stickers. Remember them now?
Ahhh... those were the good days. Glad the parachute pants are gone. Glad we no longer have to roll our pants. Glad those little initials are no longer "cool" to wear on our glasses.

Loved my childhood.