Old-fashioned things you've done in your day...

[AppleCori]

It’s interesting how styles and groups or cliques varied from school to school or in different areas.

I had never heard of greasers until that book The Outsiders. Even then, I really didn’t know that was based on reality.

Bell bottoms were out of style where I went to school, I guess. I don’t remember anyone ever wearing them.

Do you have your washing machine in the basement, OH? I do. In my next life (or my next house) the laundry room will be next to my bedroom.

 

[Pink Elephant]

My sister and I both had 'em (the same one), and the little ones I babysat used them as well.

Our house, too, and every single home I babysat at, and all plain white cribs. All the mothers used rubber sheets, too, back in the day.

I'm certain crib mattress were still vinyl back in the day, but rubber sheets were a nursery staple for the time.

 

[Pink Elephant]

Hubs and I had a standard water bed and a hybrid. My dad taught me hand signals when I started riding a bicycle. My driving instructor in HS was rather surprised that I already knew them.

I blew a fuse several years ago and had no tail-lights. This was up in N. WI. So...I went to using hand signals. Nearly got hit a few times. I don't know if they don't teach them anymore in driver's classes, or what, but apparently, no one knew what my arm hanging out the window (in sub-zero weather, mind you) meant.

husband and I, talk about the lack of skills this generation possesses behind the wheel, so I'm not at all surprised over the confusion that ensued related to your hand signals while driving.

 

[Pink Elephant]

LOL! I did this earlier today. I spilled some of Thomas' laxative, which is sticky, sticky stuff, on the kitchen floor.

I filled a small bucket with soap and water, soaked a rag in it, and "scrubbed" the sticky patch with my right foot, while holding on to the counter with my hand.

(I can't scrub with my left foot, and I'm not steady standing on my left leg. Neuro issues and a very bum knee. If I ever get pulled over for a roadside sobriety test...)

I then rinsed and dried using the same method.

They'd have to admit me to a rubber room if I did such, being the fastidious fuss-nut that I am! LOL!

 

[Pink Elephant]

I trained early, but walked very late due to hip issues, so my mother had a kid who, before she turned two, would scream "potty!!!!!" if she had to go. My mother would grab me and haul blue blazes to get me to the potty on time.

So, my mum used to proudly tell people that i was toilet trained before I could walk. She neglected to tell them that I couldn't walk more than several steps at two.

My sister also trained young.

I also remember the first time my mother saw pull-ups. She picked up the package, looked at the picture on the box, read the description, turned to me and said, "Why would you put a child in a diaper to help potty-train them?"

I'm convinced that cloth diapers were the push for early toilet training back in the day. My mom used to say that it was the mothers who were trainer, not the kids. I believe it.

 

[BusynMember]

I was and still am against spanking and have four kids who never ended up in jail. I am not sorry about this decision. Part of this decision was cultural. Most Jewish families did not spank and I agreed with that long after I stopped being Jewish. I am sure some Jewish families spanked but it was not something one spoke about or heard much about. It was not really accepted, at least not where I lived.

I never saw a farm my entire childhood...lol...and nobody drive a pick up truck there. Where I live now everyone does

 

[Pink Elephant]

I have/had varicose veins, but only in my right leg. Years of working sitting on my behind after years of working on my feet.

Right leg I think because of favoring my left. Drove me crazy for years, and kept me from wearing shorts back when I otherwise had the legs to do sow.

I say "had" because I took a heavy fall about 10 weeks ago in the kitchen, chipped the edge of my tibial outside and below the knee, and landed hard enough to knot only bruise my tibia further down the leg, but rupture a nasty knot of surface varicose veins on the outside of my calf.

My whole freaking lower leg turned into one massive bruise, which has finally cleared up.

My leg is not swelling or anything, though I do have knots on my knee, so I assume collateral veins are developing.

I had been thinking of getting surgery to get those veins removed as they ached a lot.

For anyone bothered by varicose veins, I highly recommend medical treatment as opposed to nearly breaking your leg on a wet kitchen floor.

I've been so lucky, as I still don't have a single varicose vein, and I'm hoping it stays that way. One of my best friends has them (bad), and she says they cause her a lot of discomfort and pain.

 

[Pink Elephant]

I remember green stamps. I also remember another stamp that was purple with a good border. A&P used to give those out.

My mother used to pay me for sticking the green stamps into the books for her by giving me a percentage of the stamps. When I collected enough stamps on my own, I got to pick something out of the catalog for myself.

Anyone remember gas station and grocery store premiums? I remember glasses and mugs from gas stations, and everything from pots and pans, to dishware, to towels, at grocery stores.

I also remember when banks gave out premiums for opening accounts. Things like toasters or mixers and the like. My dad opened an account and was offered a selection of premiums. One was a baseball glove. He chose that. The banker, who had watched him sign the papers with his left hand, was rather confused when dad asked for a glove for the left hand,e.g. for a right handed player. My dad said, "Oh. It's for my daughter."

Banker: ?!?!?

Oh, I forgot one: hand towels and washcloths in laundry detergent.

I remember green stamps, too. One of the big things back in my day was collecting pennies from different years, and filling a book-like collectors folder with them. There was round cut-outs for each year. I remember they had them for nickels, dimes, and quarters, too.

Yes, I, too, remember washcloths and hand-towels coming in boxes of laundry detergent. Seems like another life ago!

Also, when breakfast cereal had toys and figures and things inside!

 

[Pink Elephant]

Did anyone else rip their jeans? That was big in style for me. We would buy new jeans and cut them up and ripped them mostly in the knees. We went to school like that. Drove parents nuts. Few wore jeans that were not ripped in my area. I had a lot of bell bottoms, all bought new, all ripped. All with threats that I would never get new jeans again if I was going to cut them up. It didnt stop me. I loved that look. I think some wrote on their bell bottoms too but I don't think I did that much.

That was the hippie influence in my area. We did not ever wear straight jeans unless we were a greaser and they wore black straight jeans.

Was I the only oddball that went to a school where the kids split into different groups with different types of attire? Only the preps were sort of clean cut looking but many of them stole and did drugs too.

I refused to wear unripped bell bottoms because I did not want ANYONE to mistake me for either a prep or a greaser. I had a dislike for both jocks and the school hoodlums and although I sort of dressed like a hippie, I had no love for them either as I was not political and was anti drug and anti smoking.

Anyone wear a boy's ring with yarn around it to git your finger if you were going steady? That is what we did at my school. Or we wore the boy's ring on a chain around our necks.

I had lots of boys who asked me out but never got to go steady. Boys expected sex. I would not do anything more than make out. Even boob touching didn't happen until I was at least 19. I am the only my babyboomer I know who was a virgin when I got married. I wanted to be good...I thought this was one way to be good. I was very different lol. Anyone else?

High school was a place where I felt I didn't connect to most people but I was a loner so I stayed to myself. Anyway....

Ripped bell bottoms anyone? Going North? Anybody? What signified going steady? Anyone else determined to be a virgin when married? I actually got this from my mother who abused me. She convinced me to "save yourself for marriage." I am not sure she believed I had.

If only you knew how poor my family was, SOT, it would have broke my mom and dads hearts had we destroyed our clothing. When we got something special we cherished it for the life of us. I remember the lead-up to September when school started... mom would take us shopping for a new school outfit and new shoes (if needed), and out first day of school we'd sport our new clothes. Always made me feel so good inside.

 

[Pink Elephant]

I was and still am against spanking and have four kids who never ended up in jail. I am not sorry about this decision. Part of this decision was cultural. Most Jewish families did not spank and I agreed with that long after I stopped being Jewish. I am sure some Jewish families spanked but it was not something one spoke about or heard much about. It was not really accepted, at least not where I lived.

I never saw a farm my entire childhood...lol...and nobody drive a pick up truck there. Where I live now everyone does

Spanking, was part-and-parcel to my moms mothering ideals. We all got them when needed, so I think that sort of west the stage for me to spank when I became a mother. I never beat my kids, but they did get their bottoms paddled when needed.

 

[Pink Elephant]

It’s interesting how styles and groups or cliques varied from school to school or in different areas.

I had never heard of greasers until that book The Outsiders. Even then, I really didn’t know that was based on reality.

Bell bottoms were out of style where I went to school, I guess. I don’t remember anyone ever wearing them.

Do you have your washing machine in the basement, OH? I do. In my next life (or my next house) the laundry room will be next to my bedroom.

Yep, washing machine sits in the laundry room in the basement. In my next life I'm going to live in a Ranch styled home! Everything on one level. One thing I'm learning, is how much I hate stairs now that I'm getting older.

 

[BusynMember]

Haha. I wanted an upstairs washer and dryer but our newly purchased house has hookups in the basement.

Old hand, me and the kids I went to school with we're so spoiled, at least materially. I was much less so than most in my area but I was not poor and was stubborn and my mom, my main parent, was so mean to me. I had a strong idea about who I wanted to be (I still do) and I loved the look of ripped jeans and I was going to rip them. If my mom had stopped buying me clothes, I probably would have gotten a job and ripped my jeans that I bought. It was a statement. "I am not a jock. I am not a greaser." My few friends were all VERY rich and also ripped their jeans. And none of the parents stopped buying clothes for us. I would have NEVER allowed my own kid's to do that unless they 100 percent bought their own clothes. I would never have wanted to bring my kids up in a rich neighborhood where their peers got everything materially that I feel kids should have to work for, like even old cars. I am Soo different as an adult than where I grew up.

I did not see particularly happy kids, rich or not. I saw drugs, drugs, drugs, shoplifting while they had $100 in their pockets. I saw suicide attempts.

The parents gave toys and paid for dancing school and drama school etc. but there was a lot of "me first" even with young kids...traveling to Europe without the kids, nannies, their own activities. I enjoyed being just a part time worker, none of my kids ever saw daycare, I was the neighborhood mom. I was home after school. I loved being the neighborhood driver. I did not have money to buy my kids the best and biggest but they all say they had good childhoods, even the two that had harder times for a while. Goneboy was the only one who did not and he didn't come until age six. He wanted American wealth, which he heard about in his country of origin. He is living a wealthy life today, but he has limited ability to feel and give love....in my opinion not a happy trade off.

Anyway, I enjoyed my life much more once I fled Rich City, Illinois. I never went back. I never mimicked my upbringing. And if any of my kids had cut up their jeans they would have had to work very hard to pay us back and probably would have had to wear very cheap jeans for a long time after. I didn't spank them, but there was discipline. And there was a strong work ethic in our home. I wanted independent kids who could take care of themselves, valued hard work and looked up to kindness over material items. Besides Goneboy, who came to the family late and under difficult circumstances, only Bart is materialistic. My other three are laid back, down home and very kind with what I consider the best values....that of kindness first.

 

[Copabanana]

A mangle. Yes.

I went to high school where girls had to wear skirts and hose! No pants let alone jeans. Let alone ripped jeans.The only acting out with style was makeup and hair, except for tight sweaters.

 

[BusynMember]

Oh, freshman and sophomore year we had to wear dresses. Junior year....it all changed overnight.

 

[Pink Elephant]

Haha. I wanted an upstairs washer and dryer but our newly purchased house has hookups in the basement.

Old hand, me and the kids I went to school with we're so spoiled, at least materially. I was much less so than most in my area but I was not poor and was stubborn and my mom, my main parent, was so mean to me. I had a strong idea about who I wanted to be (I still do) and I loved the look of ripped jeans and I was going to rip them. If my mom had stopped buying me clothes, I probably would have gotten a job and ripped my jeans that I bought. It was a statement. "I am not a jock. I am not a greaser." My few friends were all VERY rich and also ripped their jeans. And none of the parents stopped buying clothes for us. I would have NEVER allowed my own kid's to do that unless they 100 percent bought their own clothes. I would never have wanted to bring my kids up in a rich neighborhood where their peers got everything materially that I feel kids should have to work for, like even old cars. I am Soo different as an adult than where I grew up.

I did not see particularly happy kids, rich or not. I saw drugs, drugs, drugs, shoplifting while they had $100 in their pockets. I saw suicide attempts.

The parents gave toys and paid for dancing school and drama school etc. but there was a lot of "me first" even with young kids...traveling to Europe without the kids, nannies, their own activities. I enjoyed being just a part time worker, none of my kids ever saw daycare, I was the neighborhood mom. I was home after school. I loved being the neighborhood driver. I did not have money to buy my kids the best and biggest but they all say they had good childhoods, even the two that had harder times for a while. Goneboy was the only one who did not and he didn't come until age six. He wanted American wealth, which he heard about in his country of origin. He is living a wealthy life today, but he has limited ability to feel and give love....in my opinion not a happy trade off.

Anyway, I enjoyed my life much more once I fled Rich City, Illinois. I never went back. I never mimicked my upbringing. And if any of my kids had cut up their jeans they would have had to work very hard to pay us back and probably would have had to wear very cheap jeans for a long time after. I didn't spank them, but there was discipline. And there was a strong work ethic in our home. I wanted independent kids who could take care of themselves, valued hard work and looked up to kindness over material items. Besides Goneboy, who came to the family late and under difficult circumstances, only Bart is materialistic. My other three are laid back, down home and very kind with what I consider the best values....that of kindness first.

My advice to you, SOT... take your time walking down the stairs. No rushing. I've taken a few spills and luckily weathered the storm, but I know people who weren't so lucky, so, slow and steady is the name of the game.

I remember the term "greaser" which applied to mostly kids who truly were greasers... greasy oily hair, zit-filled faces, cigarette in mouth, etc.

I always had to work so hard for everything I had, so learned at a young age to take care of everything I owned. I still possess that quality today. So careful I am with everything.

If one of my kids would have destroyed a pair of their pants, I would have cried. I used to cringe knowing September was coming, because we were always so broke I'd loose sleep at night wondering where I was going to pull enough money together to outfit everyone for the start of the year. Had actual breakdowns over stuff like that.

 

[Pink Elephant]

A mangle. Yes.

I went to high school where girls had to wear skirts and hose! No pants let alone jeans. Let alone ripped jeans.The only acting out with style was makeup and hair, except for tight sweaters.

When I stared elementary school, the school yard was segregated into two sides, one side was the boys side, while the other was the girls side. That was in the late 60's.

 

[New Leaf]

The bread man came to my house. I can remember running out to the truck as he would roll up the back door and all of the fresh goods aroma wafting through the air.
We had milk delivered. The ice cream truck would come in the summers and drop off a big chunk of ice on the road that broke into pieces for the kids to grab. We rode our bikes through the neighborhood, remember the banana seats? Attaching cards to the spokes so they would make noise.
Mosquito trucks would come and spray.
Buster brown shoes. Keds for gym, the only sports sneakers.
Dressing up to go out to eat, go to the doctors, fly on an airplane.
Nana’s matching outfits, pillbox hats and fox fur.
Five and dime stores, penny candy.
Three channels on our black and white tv. Ed Sullivan on Sundays “Folks, we have a realllly good show tonight”. The Beatles played and all we could hear was the teenagers screaming. Tom Jones show with ladies throwing their hotel keys and underwear on the stage.
Walter Cronkite and serious news.
All the tv stations showing President Kennedy’s funeral. Came home from school and found Mom crying.
Everyone knowing each other in the neighborhood.
Home made costumes for Halloween.
Borax dry hand soap.
Dick and Jane readers.
Welches small jelly jars that we could use as cups with Flintstones and Jetson characters.
Bozo the clown.
Captain Kangaroo.
Jackie Gleason.
TV dinners.
Mom and Dad’s bridge night.
Sodas only on special occasions.
Whew what a walk down memory lane.
Thanks for the fun thread Old Hand!
Leafy

 

[GoingNorth]

I never ripped my jeans on purpose, but they used to wear through and rip on the thighs and on the butt (horseback riding didn't help).

My parents wouldn't let me wear ripped jeans, so mum patched them, which made the rich kids, in their ripped designer jeans, laugh at me.

I started doing embroidery on my patches, and wound up starting a fad amongst the "freaks".

 

[New Leaf]

Our jeans were lowrider bell bottoms, left them long and dragging on the ground. What a “style”. I embroidered my jeans too, GN.

 

[GoingNorth]

When I stared elementary school, the school yard was segregated into two sides, one side was the boys side, while the other was the girls side. That was in the late 60's.

Same here in grammar school. We had a co-ed recess area when I went to junior high school in the suburbs in 7th grade.