When I was little I loved hearing bedtime stories. This was a nightly tradition. I had the chance to read my two nieces a bedtime story tonight. So, I squeezed my long legs into the bottom bunk of their bunk bed, with two exhausted girls, one on each side of me, as we shared one pillow. They picked out “Berenstain Bears, The Bad Habit.” Reading about “Sister Bear” and “Brother Bear” brought back some great memories. That’s definitely something I miss about teaching kindergarten — the stories. 
Today was a long day. After yesterday’s whirlwind, we went down to see my brother and his wife and my new nephew, Caden. My blast from the past came during the Super Bowl when my neice offered me a stick of gum. I can’t remember the last time I had gum that wasn’t spearmint or peppermint flavored — you know, the grown-up flavors. She had three different kinds; I chose grape. A few chews in and I was a kid again, smacking on some Big League Chew. I loved that stuff. It reminded me of sitting on the bench in Little League, cheering for my teammates while pretending to me a big leaguer. It’s amazing how your taste buds can conjure up such specific memories.
When I was of Brownie age, I learned how to braid hair. I really enjoyed it and wanted to practice every chance I got. My younger sister wasn’t too into that idea, so I practiced on mysef. To this day, I’m much better at braiding my own hair than anybody’s elses. My hair is not that long now, so I made two short french braids in my hair today. I have a feeling these suited me better in my Brownie days. 
Comment by Jaimie on 2/6/2006 @ 8:53 pm
I loved to read when I was younger. (actually, I still do). One of my favorite series when I was in middle school/junior high was “The Babysitter’s Club”. Pulled out one of the books from a box in my parents’ basement and started reading it tonight….I still enjoy the stories! 
Comment by Marci on 2/6/2006 @ 9:03 pm
I don’t think that as a child I was very thrilled when my mom told me it was time to take my nap but I bet sometimes it felt good to crawl under the covers for a mid-day snooze. And as an adult, the thought of laying my head down at my desk after lunch would be awesome!
The other day we were having a hard time getting our middle grand child Kerrigan to take her nap. I was pressed into service and I tried to settle her down. I walked into her bedroom, grabbed a handful of books, wiped her tears, told Kerrigan to lay down and I’ll read her some books. I sat alongside her bed and read 2 books. She was like a wiggle worm and I thought this isn’t going very well.
Then I asked her if she wanted grandpa to take a nap with her. She smiled and nodded her head, yes. I said I would lay down right next to her bed. She asked me if I wanted a pillow and I said I was OK. I’ll just rest my head on my fat arm. Then she asked me if I wanted a buddy. I said OK and she picked 1 out for me. Then Kerrigan asked me again if I wanted another buddy. I said sure. Then she asked me if I needed a blanket and I said I’m OK. A moment later I said maybe I’ll take that blanket. She tossed it down to me and I put it over me. Then Kerrigan said, Grandpa, do you want me to cover you? I said sure. So she jumped out of her bed and rather efficiently grabbed the blanket and tossed it over me and then adjusted just right so it covered me. She smiled with approval, hopped back into her bed and FINALLY CLOSED HER HUGE BROWN EYES and we both fell asleep. I like MDN(mid-day naps)!
Comment by Walt Kotecki on 2/6/2006 @ 10:02 pm
One of my most favorite things to do as a kid was to read. I would read at every opportunity including when I was supposed to be sleeping. I would grab my flashlight and pull my book and head under the covers to avoid detection at bed check. It never really worked, Mom and Dad seemed to have x-ray vision (that and the blankets weren’t that thick). So before I went to work, I grabbed a book and a flashlight, crawled into bed, and pulled the covers over my head to read. I really enjoyed “hiding” and probably would have stayed there for a long time if I hadn’t had to head off to work!
Comment by Jenna on 2/7/2006 @ 9:18 am
For this one, all sorts of ideas ran through my head, go shoot hoops-practicing my free throws, go swing, play in a sandbox, play with toy tractors, help my dad with farm chores, but none of them could quite do it in the winter time in WI when I was working til way after dark. So, I thought of another idea, I used to love it on very rare occasion mom &/or dad would buy a 16 oz bottle (real glass bottle) of Pepsi. Just the sound of bottle being opened - fizzz; feel of glass on lips - cool; the feeling of the curves on the bottle & the old red & blue Pepsi label. Now all that said, they’re a little harder to come by these days. 
But I was able to find the 8 oz bottles of coke (that’ll work, especially since my younger sister & I always had to split a 16 oz one). So, got home, broke out the bottle opener (when was the last time I used that?), heard the fizz, & took a big drink. Ahh - the memories!
Comment by Sue on 2/8/2006 @ 5:43 pm
[...] Dreary-ness, that begins with ‘D’. The thirty-fourth task: Think about some of the things you liked to do as a child. Pick one and do it.I’ve always loved the idea of superheroes, people with superhuman abilities fighting crime and all that sort of thing. The idea of being able to do things that mere mortals could not is an idea that I constantly think about. Which abilities would be the best fit for me, and what would my weaknesses be. [...]
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