Final Presentation

Thank you everyone for engaging with our blog over the past couple of months. Here is the link to our final presentation for our e-marketing class overviewing our experiences and tools we used to make this blog successful. We hope you enjoyed your road trip down memory lane!

Final E-Marketing Presentation from Alexa Hairsine

What Was Your Movie?

One childhood memory most people can relate to is being easily captivated by many things, especially TV shows and movies. We would watch them over and over again, much to the dismay of our parents.

I don't know about you, but I can't really explain why I felt the need to repeatedly watch certain shows or movies. I think a lot of the time I probably just enjoyed seeing a specific scene or character.
The movie I watched to excess was the Wizard of Oz. Something about the transition from black and white to color was so magical to me. The singing was delightful too.

 I would always get scared when the Wicked Witch of the West would appear, so naturally I would look away from the TV while she was on. Most of the time I would lose interest a little over halfway through, but that didn't stop me from dressing up as Dorothy for Halloween nearly three years in a row.

   Now that I've shared mine, what was the movie of your childhood?

Guess the theme song

Happy #TBT

Play this fun game of guessing theme songs of your most favorite TV shows from back then. It’s OK if you start singing along. . .  I know I did a few times.

I didn’t know a few of these. There are some tough picks. Have fun!

Fur Baby Appreciation

Growing up, I had the pleasure of living with many different animals. Most of them were mine because of how much I loved and enjoyed taking care of them.

Short Tailed Opossum

 My first pet was a hamster I received for my 5th birthday. Since then I have owned everything from lizards to birds. I even had a short tailed opossum at one point. 

Every time I entered a pet store I wanted something new. As I've gotten older my love for animals has remained the same, but I have my animal buying habits under control. I always look forward to going home for breaks since I currently have 2 rabbits and a parrot waiting for me.

Happy National Pet!

Chuck e Cheese's vs Jeepers

Which was your favorite??

Which was your favorite place? Jeepers or Chuck e Cheese?

I have a lot of memories from Jeepers but not many from Chuck e Cheese's...except the pizza! Chuck e Cheese's have some great pizza. But Jeepers was a better place for me because they have indoor roller coasters.

                                                                          

10 Reasons Why McDonald's Was Iconic

As bad as it may sound, I have many fond childhood memories related to McDonald's. Before they started offering "healthy" options with Happy Meals like milk, yogurt, absurdly small fries, and apple slices, it was a joyous place to be. I remember when nearly every location had a play area before they started to downsize and eventually do away with most of them. McDonald's was so committed to the fun, child friendly atmosphere that it was like going to a mini theme park for me.



Here is a list of 10 reasons why McDonald's had it going on:

1.  Happy Meal toys. Bonus when they were based on the movie you were obsessed with.
2.  McNuggets. There was something so satisfying about peeling the skin off the nugget and eating it separately.
3.  Hi-C fresh from the tap.
4.  Playing a weird hybrid of hide & seek/ tag with random kids you met on the playground.
5.  Breakfast. Mainly the hash browns.
6.  McFlurries (when the machine was working). I'm still confused as to why they made the spoon look so much like a straw.
7.  The characters: Mayor McCheese, The Hamburglar, Grimace. Iconic.
8. That feeling of rolling into school late after a doctors appointment with a McDonald's bag in hand.
9.  The triumph you felt when your parent actually stopped instead driving past.
10.  The excitement of getting handed the colorful Happy Meal box.

Easter Egg Dying

One of the many traditions that I remember around Easter time is dying Easter eggs with my family. We started this tradition when I was old enough to dye eggs, and it has continued ever since. My egg dying skills have definitely changed throughout the years though. 

When I was younger I used to just drop my egg in all of the colors and just hope for the best. They would always turn out funky colors and not so pretty. As I got older, I put a little more thought into them and started using wax crayons to write on them before dipping them in the dye, and even putting rubber bands in patterns around the egg. I thought I was really being creative using these techniques that I had discovered. 

Well, this year I decided to try something totally different. This year I bought a tub of Cool Whip and some neon food coloring. I spread the Cool Whip in an aluminum tray and then added drops of food coloring on the top. I swirled the food coloring with a toothpick to create a marble looking design. I then rolled my hard boiled eggs in the surface of the Cool Whip and the food coloring, creating a marble design on the egg. I let them sit and soak the color in and then rinsed them off, and I had vibrant colored marble eggs! It was such a cool and different twist on the normal Easter egg dying event that we do every year. We were all impressed with how the eggs turned out and definitely look forward to using this technique again next year!

If any of you have some Easter egg dying memories or techniques to share, please share with us in the comments. 

Happy Easter everyone!

Opening Day- Baseball

 

It's Opening Day

What's your favorite opening day memory? How did you spend this day with family/friends when you were younger? Is it still a tradition today? 

Elementary School Graduation Song

Happy #TBT

Can you remember the song you sang at your 5th grade graduation?

We sang Lean on Me by Bill Withers.

Brenda Song makes an appearance on Station 19

Happy #TBT

 

Do you remember this girl? Brenda song, also known as London Tipton on Disney Channel's Suite Life of Zack and Cody, made an appearance on ABC's TGIT newest addition, Station 19. I was a fan of Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Those boys were always up to something! I always found humor in watching the boys get in trouble. And the twins' mom was hilarious. 

What is your favorite memory of Suite Life of Zack and Cody? Were you a fan of London Tipton?

Snow Days!

Having my first real snow day in college brought me back to the childhood joy of getting the day off school due to winter weather. All winter I would perform my ritual to encourage snowfall by wearing my pajamas inside out and asking (begging) God to make it snow. I heard that putting a spoon in the freezer or under your pillow would do the trick, but I never tried it out.

Most mornings were met with disappointment when I was awoken by my mom at the usual time to get ready for school. Having a delay was cool, but never good enough for me. There was nothing quite like looking out the window to a blanket of snow and no where to be.

TOYS R US is Closing

It has been confirmed that Toys R Us is closing down all store locations in the United States. Are you as heartbroken as this little girl? Describe your most favorite Toys R Us experiences. And try not to breakdown like this little one!

Barbie vs Bratz

Were you team Barbie or Bratz? I was a mixture of both, even though I probably have far more Bratz dolls currently flooding my basement with all the other old neglected toys

I remember I used to go hard when playing with dolls. They would have complex personalities and relationships full of drama. A lot of the time I would have multiple characters going at once, meaning I would select about 5 different dolls and assign them each their own names and characteristics. Then I would connect them all together somehow as sisters, friends, enemies, etc.

I usually didn't do all of this alone, of course. I would have a friend or two to liven things up with their dolls and add to the drama. I even had a Bratz house, car, and party bus with functioning lights and radio.

Sometimes I would mix a Barbie in with the Bratz dolls and pretend like she was the eclectic stepsister. However, Polly Pockets had to be played separately because the size difference was just too weird.

Club Penguin

Happy #TBT

Did you play Club Penguin when you were younger? How much did you play? Do you still play now?

I really LOVED club penguin. I remember having multiple accounts! I played a lot; pretty much every time I came home from school (after I finished my homework, of course). I remember playing Club Penguin with my friends too, especially that one mining game. OH, and I cannot forget the mountain race game!
                                                                                           

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

I received my cap and gown for graduation today, and it hit me that I am no longer a child anymore. After receiving my cap and gown, I took a moment to reflect back on my childhood and what I thought I wanted to be when I grew up.

It's crazy to sit and think about all of the ideas I had about professions when I was younger and how much I have changed. My sister and I used to play school all of the time when we were younger and each one of us would take turns being the teacher. We had an overhead projector, chalkboard, and dry erase board, so we thought we were pretty legit teachers. After being the teacher countless times, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. I used to tell all of my family and friends that I would be a great teacher since I already had all of the tools they used in my basement to practice. Being the kind family and friends that they are, they said that I would make a great teacher one day.

Well, I grew out of the teacher phase quickly once I hit middle school. In middle school, all I cared about was fashion. I would design outfits, make sketches, buy fabric samples with my allowance, and create design boards. I thought that I was going to go to fashion week at a very young age. Fashion in middle school is not that top notch either. People would wear jean skirts with Uggs, and tank tops over t-shirts. These out of the ordinary styles inspired my sketches for sure.

Then high school rolled around, and I could care less about fashion. I wore my hair in a ponytail everyday with sweatpants and t-shirts and did not care one bit about my appearance. This made me realize that I would probably not exceed in the fashion world. In high school, I had the opportunity to take business classes. I took marketing, management, and accounting and really enjoyed those classes. When I came to college, I decided that I wanted to major in business administration with a track in sports management. I loved all of my business classes, but decided that the sport management program was not a good choice unless I wanted to be an agent in sports, which I did not. I changed my track to general business at the end of my junior year and I am so glad that I did. I will be graduating this May with a degree in Business Administration and have already accepted a full-time position.

It is crazy to think that I am going off into the real world and starting a new life in just a few short months. The small action of me picking up my cap and gown caused me to sit back and think about how I got to this point in my life. I could not have done it without the support of my family and friends. I learned to persevere and to never give up on my dreams.

Memories of Early Childhood, or Maybe Not

Why Can't we Remember Our Early Childhood? was originally published on the Huffington Post by Jeanne Shinskey. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/greater-good-science-center/why-cant-we-remember-our_b_11297100.html

There has been a phenomenon recently brought to light that is called "childhood amnesia." This concept can describe why children and people can not remember memories before the age of three years old and sometimes even four years old.

People believe that babies and infants do not remember being so young is because they do not have fully developed memories. Infants and toddlers can form short-term and long-term memories though when they are young. They remember certain actions and how to turn on certain toys or make certain sounds that they have heard before. Of course this memory capability they form is not the same as adult memory, but it continues to develop as they grow older.

It is believed that stories told to children help create the memories that they have and share from when they were younger. When parents reminisce with their young children about events that have happened in the past, they are teaching their child narrative skills. This teaches them important things that they should remember and how to structure talking about the memories so people can understand what they are saying.

Even though they are still experimenting with the idea of childhood amnesia, there is progress being made regarding the cause and how it impacts children. While researchers are still studying this concept, it is important to remember that even if children cannot remember certain events from when they were younger, the events leave a lasting trace and influence their behavior today.

Hand games were LIT

Happy #TBT

Hand games

What was your favorite hand game from back in the day? Mine was definitely Slide Baby. I could go on for days, I was the queen!

Quick Facts on Adolescent Experience and Development

Your Most Epic Childhood Memories!

This post was curated from The Top 50 Most Common Childhood Memories by Maiana Lima on Scribd.com

https://www.scribd.com/document/356002477/the-top-50-most-common-childhood-memories

According to Srcribd.com, a poll revealed that for about 73% of people the most potent memories tend to have occurred in the summertime. What’s more is that the beach specifically played a large part in their childhood memories. This comes as no surprise seeing as childhood summers are usually laid back and full of fun, playful activities designed to beat the heat and eliminate boredom. Below is list included some of the glorious things (big and small) that made our childhoods worth remembering.

21 Summer Based Memories

1.    Going on vacation

2.    Swimming

3.    Watching your favorite shows all day

4.    Popsicles and snowballs

5.    Playing on the playground

6.    Going to the arcade

7.    Collecting rocks

8.    Playing tag

9.    Rope swings

10. Hide and Seek

11. Going to the park

12. Hearing the ice cream truck and scrambling for money

13. Playing in the sprinkler

14. Drawing on the sidewalk with chalk

15. Staying up late

16. Road trips

17. Playing with friends until dark

18. Catching lightening bugs

19. Building sandcastles

20. Sparklers on the Fourth of July

21. Running around barefoot

What Our Old Memories Reveal About Us

Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/longing-nostalgia/201504/what-your-oldest-memories-reveal-about-you

"The childhood memories we choose to hold on to reveal aspects of what we consider important."

The memories we dig out of our cognitive map have some kind of meaning to all of us, differently. We hold on to these memories because we feel some kind of connection to the situation/experience we're thinking of. 

"How that individual understands the meaning of those experiences contributes to their sense of self."

For some, memories create an understanding of who they are. It doesn't matter how big or small the memory is; it brings some sense of identity to the true self.

Question for you: How would you describe your deepest memories? Do you think they formulate a perception of who you are today?

Nintendogs

One of my fondest childhood memories is begging my parents everyday to get a dog. I was very persistent with asking everyday, and even sometimes creating short PowerPoints to display the different reasons why having a dog would benefit me. Eventually, my parents got tired of my persistent asking and mediocre PowerPoints, and decided to take action. The only thing was, the action that they decided to take was buying me the Nintendogs game for my Nintendo DS.

At first, I wasn't very happy with the solution that they came up with. I thought that having a virtual dog was no fun and did not even come close to what it felt like to have a real dog. Then, I learned everything I could do within this game. Not only could I have one dog, but I could have multiple! I was thrilled to have different breeds of dogs running around my virtual house. I became addicted to the game, everyday after my homework was done I would log onto my game and take care of my dogs. I got to feed them, give them baths, walk them around the neighborhood, and even teach them different tricks for treats. I loved taking care of all of my dogs everyday.

Looking back now, I realize that this game did teach me a lesson. It taught me that having a dog would be a lot of responsibility. In order for my dogs to survive, I needed to take care of theme everyday, several times a day. I am glad my parents gave me the game so I could learn everything I needed to do before I got a real dog. I miss my Nintendogs, but I am happy that I finally have a real dog to take care of.

Tamagotchi

Happy #TBT  

 

Oh, Tamagotchis!

 

Who remembers tamagotchis? I remember having about four of these things. Yep. I took care of all four of them. I was addicted! I remember one of my friends asking if she could take care of at least one of them for the day. Nope, didn't happen! The best feeling of owning a tamagotchi was when I first got them; pulling the tab, bringing it to life. What was your favorite moment of the tamagotchi era?

Sweet Memories

It is pretty much a universal childhood experience to ask your parents for candy in line at check out and be met with disappointment when they tell you to put it back. On certain occasions, however, I would get lucky and one of my parents (usually my dad) would say yes! I loved Push Pops, Pop Rocks, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Gummy Worms, Jolly Ranchers, and Kit Kats to name a few.

Many of us have fond memories from the past associated with candy or other sweet treats. I assume this is because it was how we were rewarded and often bribed. When you went to the doctors, you got a lollipop. When you got dressed up, rang someone's doorbell and said Trick or Treat, you got a handful of sweet stuff.

I even remember when my dad would go to the gas station he would come out with Tootsie Rolls for my brother and me. For that reason I actually associate the smell of gasoline with Tootsie Rolls. I also loved visiting my grandmother at work, even more so because she kept a jar of Jolly Rancher's on her desk.

Looking back, sugar was our drug of choice and there is little we wouldn't do to access it. Perhaps one of the most elusive candies to get our hands on were those strawberry ones that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Favorite Childhood TV Show

HAPPY MONDAY!! 

What was your favorite TV show as a child? Why was this show so special to you? Describe your favorite episode.

Hit Clips to Spotify

A wave of nostalgia hit me as I watched Justin Timberlake perform at the Super Bowl LII halftime show. I first remember listening to Justin Timberlake when he was part of the famous boy band, *NSYNC. I remember having sleepovers with my older cousins and they would put on their CD's and we would dance, sing, and swoon over the band like every other girl our age. This got me to thinking about the different ways that I used to listen to music when I was younger, and the one way that stood out the most to me was the Hit Clips. Hit Clips were mini key-chain radios that you could bring with you anywhere. The little "clips" of music were on the key-chain as well, and they were interchangeable, so you could stay up to date with the most current tunes. The clips were short, about one minute, and were very low quality. I remember that I had every clip of *NSYNC song that they made for the Hit Clips. I would take it with me everywhere that I went, and I was so proud to show everyone that I had all of the *NSYNC Hit Clips. After Justin Timberlake's performance on the Super Bowl, it got me thinking to how much the way we listened to music has change in just a short amount of time. I remember having Hit Clips, then a portable CD player, then the first iPod, then listening to music on my iPhone. I feel as if everything changed and evolved so quickly as I was growing older. After the Super Bowl, I went on to the music streaming service Spotify, and saw there was a custom Justin Timberlake playlist, which included music from when he was a part of *NSYNC. This brought everything that I had been thinking about full circle for me because I was so amazed that I used to listen to one little short, low-quality clip of this man singing, and now I am on a music streaming service, on my mobile device, that has a whole playlist dedicated to his music over the years.

"Only '90s Kids Remember"

As a millennial, the rapid advancement of technology throughout my childhood was an incredible thing to witness. However, some believe that the whirlwind of social media and smart phones are actually what leaves young people aching for how things used to be a short time ago. For this reason, we hold onto childhood memories tightly and take every opportunity to cherish things that remind us of it, like movies, songs, games, and trends. It is not necessarily that these things were uniquely special or revolutionary, but when you're a kid everything is wonderful and those things were ours.
Ironically, we often use the internet to induce nostalgia and escape our comparatively stressful, dull everyday lives. Personally, waves of nostalgia can wash over me at any time, and for a second I am transported back to the simplicity and warmth of childhood. It can be comforting to look back on how things were when the world was new to you, so this blog will reflect that sentiment.
Hope you enjoy!