Last week I walked down memory lane and posted ten birthday gifts I received and loved SO MUCH when I was a kid.
This week I have ten childhood memories. These things were often part of our daily life and were some of the little things I loved then.
1. Going to town to get ice cream cones.
Every now and then, we’d all pile in the car or van or whatever our family vehicle and mode of transportation was at the time, and head off to town. We’d go through the drive thru at Dairy Queen, placing our order into the dilapidated speaker for chocolate or vanilla or butterscotch dipped ice cream cones. I can still close my eyes and picture the menu board and the back of the building we’d circle around to head through the drive-thru. I can feel my teeth sinking into the butterscotch, breaking the hardened coating and sinking into the vanilla beneath. Delicious!
2. Feeding the ducks at the park.
Our park had a pond and lots of ducks! We loved to take bags of old bread and go throw it to the hungry ducks. They’d gather quickly to snatch up each and every crumb. It was always best when there were fuzzy, bobby, yellow ducklings trailing behind the mama ducks.
3. Taking bike rides.
Sometimes our family would all pile onto bicycles in the evening for a short jaunt. Sometimes only a couple of us would head out the lane on our bikes. Sometimes I’d take bike rides by myself. No matter how it was, bike rides are a definite memory and part of my growing up years. I loved them.
4. Swinging on our backyard swings and porch swing.
I can’t do too much swinging anymore without getting rather dizzy. One of the misfortunes of aging, I suppose. But as a kid, I spent hours on the swings in our backyard and clocked quite a few on our front porch swing as well. I’d pump and pump until I was flying up in the air, sky coming to meet you, then back till you could look down upon the grass. I loved kicking off my shoes, trying to send them arcing as far as possible. My brother and I made up a game we’d play on the front porch swing as we floated back and forth, back and forth, chains creaking. We’d run a broom handle through the arms and chains of the swing, providing us with a place to hang on to and a “seatbelt” of sorts. It was great!
5. Picking raspberries.
We had raspberry bushes growing along one end of the garden. I loved looking for this favorite fruit of mine. It was so exciting to watch the bowl pile full. And even tastier, to pop berries in your mouth plucked straight from the bush.
6. Swimming.
For a few years, we had a swimming pool that was about four feet deep and I loved it. It was big enough to splash and jump from the ladder and play with a floatie and go under and do hand stands and I was the perfect age and I spent a lot of happy hours splashing under the summer sun.
7. Playing with my Barbies and Strawberry Shortcake Kids.
This list could never be complete without the mention of my well-loved Barbie dolls and Strawberry Shortcake kids. I would set up elaborate houses for them in the corner of the living room and pretend all manner of adventures for them to go on.
8. Rollerskating in our basement.
I received a pair of rollerskates one year and I adored them. My brother had a pair too, and we played roller skating rink and made round after round in our basement.
9. Playing with my dolls…Cabbage Patch and My Child…
I can’t leave these dolls off the list either. I spent hours rocking and caring for these dolls. My Cabbage Patch dolls….Sigmund Shane, Azaila Myrrhl, Mindy Lynnette……and My Child dolls, Bruce and Andrea. SO MUCH FUN. Did you have Cabbage Patch dolls? I’d love to hear what yours was named!!!
10. Playing school.
I went to a private church school and I would keep my old schoolbooks and create my own classroom with them. I’d come home from school and commence to teaching my class and making my rounds. {once again in our basement} I was pretty sure I was going to be a teacher when I grew up!
Remembering sweet memories is a gift indeed! I hope my memories prod your precious childhood memories to wash over you with fond remembrance today! 🙂

memories can be a wonderful inspiration in our lives right now. I wanted to quilt like my grandmother. It didn’t happen right then. But my grandmother always encouraged me to sew. When i was in my early forties i finally took that dream and made it come true. I still quilt today. It is still a passion that I love to share on with others.
This is a beautiful memory! My own Grandma loved to quilt and made a quilt for each of her twenty-five grandchildren, plus a lot of others!
How special for you to carry on this love of quilting and think of your Grandma as you do.
So fun! I don’t remember what my Cabbage Patch dolls names were. I played with Barbies and strawberry shortcake a lot and rode my bike a lot. I was just telling my kids how I had a battery operated radio and hung it on my handlebars and jammed. 😉 Fun memories. Also, my grandpa picked one of us kids up every Sunday, took us to the donut shop and brought back donuts for the family.
I love the visual of the radio hanging from your handlebars!
And the story of your grandpa taking you to the donut shop and bringing back donuts for everyone……….I love that it gives me the perspective of the memories he was creating for you. It’s not always easy to view it that way when it’s the day we’re living today. So fun!
I remember Sigmund and Bruce but can’t really recall the other dolls. How well I remember two little kids on the porch swing playing their made up games. 😊 All precious memories. Thanks for jogging my memory.
I know! Memories are so fun!