Quest for Happiness [Day 26]

Amazing!! (source fanpop.com)

So I might have mentioned once or twice that I am celebrating a birthday in just a few short days.

As I love reflecting today seems like a good day to take a look back on some of the things that I loved growing up.

I'm turning the big 2-4 so here is a list of twenty four of my favourite things growing up. I was a '90's kid through and through.

1. Backstreet Boys: I used to jam to their cassettes while playing barbies and had a huge crush on Brian.

2. Barbies: I loved playing barbies and could do it for hours. I had a wicked limo and pink VW beetle for them to cruise around in, and one of the “Folding Pretty Houses” that did not fold easily at all! Julia and I spent hours playing barbies and had a massive collection by the time we outgrew them (I was probably about 15 when that happened)

Source: IMDB

3. The Babysitters Club: I was a member of one of those book clubs that mailed you a new one every month and I loved these books. The movie was also fantastic! 

4. Spice Girls: I was obsessed with them, I always wanted to be Baby Spice or Ginger Spice when we played Spice Girls in the driveway with the neighbourhood kids. 

5. Titanic: Sometime around grade four I learned about the Titanic in class and became fascinated (seems a little morbid looking back). I still have many books about the ship and the sinking, growing up in Halifax I also was able to visit museums and sites related to the sinking aftermath.

6. Sweet Valley High: Once I outgrew The Babysitters Club I moved on to this series, which was a little more difficult since it was out of print by that time. I scoured yard sales and flea markets and eventually came to have the complete set which I probably read through four or five times. I also loved the short lived TV show in all its cheesy goodness. 

7. Saturday Morning Cartoons: They are truly a lost treasure. I remember getting up early to watch Inspector Gadget, Spiderman, The Little Mermaid, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Care Bears, to name just a few. 

8. Will Smith: I loved his catchy rap beats, especially the Willenium album.

9. Saved By The Bell: This was probably the best show ever shown on TV. I've probably seen each episode at least five times, but never grew tired of it! 

10. Dinky Cars: One summer when we went camping in P.E.I my brother and sister and I created a huge track in the mud and spent hours playing with those little cars.

POGS (Source: Wikipedia)

11. Marbles: Our backyard had a sweet place for playing marbles. I don't know that I ever actually understood the rules but I loved carrying them around in my pockets!

12.  POGS: Again, not sure I understood the rules but I had quite the collection going for a while. 

13.  Beanie Babies: I spent many hours playing with my Beanie Babies and loved when you could get the little ones in your Happy Meals. I think my favourite was a black poodle because it looked just like our puppy, Meeko. 

14. Walkmen: I had this giant silver portable disc player that I carried to school every day in junior high. It was heavy and ugly but I adored it.

15.  LFO aka Lyte Funkie Ones: They were one of the less well known boy bands but I was a big fan. No lie I still have Girl on TV and Summer Girls on a frequent play list.

Source: Wikipedia

16.  Hit List on YTV: It was the easiest way to stay up to date on music news back in the day. 

17.  Family Channel: We first got this channel when I was about ten, and I became addicted immediately. It was the most watched channel on my TV until I was about eighteen. Smart Guy, Clarissa Explains it all and Phil of the Future were some of my favourites. 

18. TGIF on ABC: I used to come home from dances and watch Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Teen Angel. 

19.  Full House: I grew up with this show, it was a weekly staple in our family. The Tanners were like an extension of my family. 

20. Mary-Kate & Ashley: Following Full House I spent many hours watching the straight to video Mary-Kate & Ashley videos and reading the accompanying novels. How the West was Fun is my absolute favourite. When I worked in Alberta we actually used to go rafting near where they filmed it which was awesome!

21.  Original Nintendo: I never really got into Nintendo, my brother and sister took it much more seriously (and were way better at it than me!) but I spent quite a bit of time watching them play it and what kind of 1990's kid would I be if it didn't make the list. 

22. Hair Mascara & Glitter: Looking back it is absolutely disgusting but before a dance at the rec centre I would add all kinds of hair mascara to my messy mane. I also slathered myself with goopy glitter.

Polly Pockets (source: retrojunk.com)

23. Polly Pockets: I always lost the figures but I had all kinds of empty homes for them that kept me entertained for hours. 

24.  Journaling: I was always writing in a notebook. Usually about boys I had a crush on, carefully encoding them by using initials rather than full names- clever I know!

So that about sums up my childhood (or at least the more materialistic side of it!) Looking at a list like this I'm actually feeling my age, most of the stuff on this list wouldn't fly with kids today.

Do we share any common '90's interests or did I leave out anything you loved when you were a kid?

            Keep Smiling :)