My Favorite Stuff I Had As A Kid

I felt a little bad about mentioning all that stuff my parents denied me as a child. So I figure it's only fair to talk about some of my favorite things I had. Because, you know, people totally care about that stuff.

My Earring Tree -- It looked like a rainbow, and it was sparkly. I think it mostly delighted me because having it meant my ears were pierced, and everyone knows you're nobody till you get your ears pierced. (Erika trivia -- I got my ears pierced on October 19, 1985, my seventh birthday. Or was it my sixth birthday in 1984? I must check with my mom to see if she remembers. I know for sure it was the same year she got the blue drapes for the living room, because she took my picture modeling my new earrings in front of her new drapes.)

Albert the Running Bear and Violet the Exercise Bear -- In second grade, Mrs. Gilvary had an Albert and a Violet that everybody took turns taking home for a night or a weekend. We all loved them. For Christmas that year, I got an Albert as a present, and then I won Violet in a class raffle of some sort. Mrs. Gilvary's class was the best. (Erika trivia -- I was so mad when I found out that Kurt Knott said that my Albert wasn't a real Albert because his sweatsuit was blue and Mrs. Gilvary's Albert wore a red sweatsuit. I'd really liked Kurt Knott before that, and that just ruined my whole opinion of him.)

My Chalkboard -- My parents probably got it for me thinking it might be a fun way for me to learn things. But mostly I remember using it to play school and yelling at my imaginary students. And coloring it by turning the chalk sideways and scribbling with the whole side of the piece.

My Pencil With The Replaceable Points -- I have no idea what they are actually called, but it was, as I remember, sort of a precursor to the mechanical pencil. They had a bunch of plastic tips inside them, with lead points, and once you wore down the lead, you'd take that tip off, push it down through the top of the pencil, and a brand new one would come out! You never had to sharpen your pencil! That is the one and only thing in my life that I had before anyone else I knew.

My Books -- At one point, I owned every book in the Baby-Sitters Club series and every book in the Sweet Valley Twins series. The former was my favorite; I can still remember the thrill I felt every time I opened a new one to read. I don't know what's wrong with kids today that they need Harry Potter as an incentive to read. I was happy with the stories of a bunch of dorky girls with after-school babysitting jobs. (Erika trivia -- I only had up to #41 in the BSC series and don't think I read anything after that. So if anyone wants to get me the rest for my birthday, I think that's a very appropriate gift for someone who is turning 30. I don't remember where I stopped collecting the Sweet Valley Twins books, so obviously, I was not as much of a fan as I thought at the time.)

My Phone -- My favorite thing about it was that it had a "hold" button. I thought that was very grown up. (Erika trivia -- In middle school, Krista Shellenberger gave me a diary as a present. There were two keys with it, and I dropped one down into the phone through a little space by the hangup button. It remained there until the phone stopped working in college.)

My Roller Skates and My Skate Case -- Oh, the days of Saturday mornings at Great Skate. (Erika trivia -- my seventh birthday party was held there. Among my gifts was a Derek Barbie and the Rockers doll from Darcey Mesaris.)

My Caboodles -- Ever since Kelly Leiter got one, I wanted one of those things so bad. Snoopy Snowcone Machine bad. Partly because they were so darn cool, and partly because having one meant I would probably also have some makeup to put in it. And for my 12th birthday, I got three. A little one (from Steph Moulthrop) a medium one with two trays that slid out from the middle (from Darcey Mesaris) and a huge one with a mirror and two trays that lifted up from inside (from my mom). And funnily enough, they all matched. That was the best birthday ever. (Erika trivia -- That was the year I had a joint birthday party with Steph Moulthrop, and I got really mad about something and ended up going upstairs to sleep in my bed. I went back down eventually.)