May 14, 2025

Things I Did That My Kids Can't

 And I really wish they could!

Like...

Looking through the phonebook for a good pizza place that delivers...

Talking on the phone while standing in the kitchen, twirling the cord around my finger...

Strapping these over my play sneakers and going around the block after dinner...

Waiting all week for Saturday night to see who the guest stars were on this favorite show...

Eating the best pudding out of a can after pulling off and licking the lid, careful not to cut my tongue on the edge...

Playing with real toys made of wood, and not plastic...

Going to the mall with my friends on a Saturday afternoon...

And pulling this slightly scratchy blanket made by my grandma that my mom had forever over me while I lay on the couch, safe and sound at home with the sounds of my sisters upstairs and my mom making dinner, while waiting for my Dad to get home from work.

Anything you would like to add?

Have a happy Wednesday!

Billie Jo

27 comments:

  1. We had that blanket in green, aqua, and white!
    My kids never went to McDonalds with brown and yellow straws. ( 1980s earth tones!)
    My kids never stood on a line for the Original Star Wars.
    My kids never listened to Sesame Street Fever on a record player.

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  2. The mall photos bring back memories, more fun than online shopping. I'll add disco and the Jack in the Box chicken supreme.

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  3. I remember all of those shops at the mall...they were the best.
    We had so many afghan blankets like that all made by my Grandmother. I actually still have a pink one and cream colored one.
    I still believe we had the best childhood!!

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  4. The best childhood ever! Mine was just like yours, down to the roller skates. We played outside on our neighbors playground singing "found a peanut" at the top of our lungs and didn't go in until the street lights came on.
    I feel bad for the children now. Their lives are so different.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  5. I cant say how much I love this post. I'm like YEP YEP YEP on each one of these.
    That pudding... it didnt even taste right - but still delicious LOL

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  6. Yes! We really did have the best childhoods!! Spencer Gifts had some pretty risqué merchandise and it felt almost naughty going in there to look at them!! LOL It's sad that kids can't just go outside to play (without digital distractions)! I enjoyed your post!! xo

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  7. Those are all so true! Looks like the phone in our kitchen growing up.

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  8. This takes me way back!! Can't wait to show this to my kids...Thanks Billie Jo for the sweet memories.

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  9. I love this! I think they all were part of my childhood too, right down to the ripple afghan!

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  10. Love it, Love it! I remember all these things. Weren't those skates something else? And the Love Boat, what a fun show to watch. And those old phones... they were so simple, and you could hear the person talking to you! Oh my gosh, I just noticed Orange Julius! That was the popular place to go. And there's nothing like a blanket over us that was crocheted by a loved one. Such sweet memories. Thank you, Billie Jo. : )

    Have a blessed week.

    ~Sheri

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  11. Wow, you bring back so many memories! Yes, I did all of these things too. I was a huge Love Boat fan! I used to walk to the store, a distance of several miles, with friends during the summer. I'm not sure many parents would let their 10-12 year old do that much anymore. This was a fun post. I enjoyed my visit here today!

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  12. Those bring back a lot of memories for me, too. They really were the good old days and we didn't even know it then. We still go into the mall but most stores are empty and it's not what it used to be. Online shopping destroyed that. I think technology, though good for a lot of things, definitely took away so much simplicity of what once was.

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  13. You bought up a lot of memories here!

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  14. I remember clomping to the store in my Dr. Scholls to get something for my mom, she gave me a seven cent coupon to redeem. Seven cents off. Shh, we also could put .75 in the cigarette machine, and out came Marlboro Light 100's. There were still jukeboxes in restaurants. We did not carry water bottles, in fact when they started selling water in bottles, I thought, "Who would buy that?!" Same with the wings from chickens...but buy them, they did!

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  15. Our phone cord had a real long cord so we could walk around the kitchen!!
    We used to be outside playing and once the street lights came on we all had to go home.

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  16. I practically lived in these roller skates. Wore them with saddle shoes, remember them? We still have a wall phone, and our teenage granddaughter asked what it was; she had no idea! I LOVED that pudding!

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  17. What a trip down memory lane! I have recurring nightmares where there's an emergency and I can't properly dial for help. Rotary angst! We gave up our landline for good today. It feels so odd...

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  18. Making a go kart out of pieces of wood we had and tying a rope for the steering and taking it in turns to push someone in it, while in the middle of the road. Making a kite out of straws and a plastic bin liner and having hours of fun. Running through the sprinkler on a hot day (sure they can still do that now, but I doubt they do). Great memories. Rita

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  19. We still have an afghan that is close to all the colors in your childhood one

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  20. Yes, all of this reflects me living in Greece.
    I would like to add that in the afternoons I would go downstairs to my friend's house and call her, that's how we met and not on the phone!!

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  21. Enjoying finding the toys in boxes of cereal. Xx

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  22. Such a fun post! Thanks for the memories, my friend. xx

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  23. I remember the old phone books. I do still have one that I got a few years ago. But rarely need it as I can see things online. Phil's sister made a blanket for us when we were married after we came back from England. I remember having on a couch. Now it's on his twin xl bed..same size as mine. At least one of the grandmothers of his made 2 blankets. Rarely use them now and thinking about washing one and take it with me to Christian convention in June. I am staying there for 2 nights in a lodge. It's not as expensive as a hotel. Thanks for the post you shared as it is good memories from last century!! God bless!!!---Becky

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  24. This post brought back many dear memories. Thank you, Billie Jo! I'm adding the playground equipment from my childhood, bike riding without helmets, and who needed "trained neighborhood watch people" when there were the neighborhood moms paying attention to all the kids while we played outside from breakfast to dusk. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  25. I remember so many of these. We sat on the floor a lot. A blanket inside or out under a tree...to read, watch tv, do homework! I loved it!

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Thanks so much for saying hello!

Billie Jo