Flower Child

This morning as I was lying in bed contemplating whether I should get up now or later. (It's one of those rare days off work.)  I started to think about growing up in the 70's.  I started kindergarten in the fall of 1972 and started middle school in the fall of 1979, so my elementary school years were all during the 70's. Although I've kept a journal for years, I don't know that I've ever commented on some of the things that were just a part of my life.  So here's to being a child of the 70's and some of the things that were a part of my life:

1-The Sunshine family: A Barbie-doll style "Hippie" family consisting of a mom and dad and baby as well as a grandma and grandpa.  This family drove a truck with a  camper attachment, had a small, conservative home (nothing like the Barbie dream house), wore long dresses, and made pottery.  And they were "cute" (not "sexy" like Barbie).  My BFF and I spent HOURS playing Sunshine family and owned every accessory that was sold.  We always played at Corinne's house since she had no younger siblings (I had 5) to mess up the set up of the Sunshine family "compound" which usually covered her entire large living room, and the components of which required several very large boxes to store.  (I remember my mom driving me to Corinne's with the entire back seat of the family car, stacked to the roof with Sunshine family storage boxes.)

My personal Sunshine family which now sits on a shelf in a shadow box in my office.  (I had an "extra" baby: twins are so much more fun :)

See how awesome their Van/camper was?  They sold pottery and leather products out of it. 

2-Peace:

The peace sign, made by holding up two fingers, was an integral part of my 70's childhood.  Although I really don't think I had any idea about the political or ideological meaning of this symbol and its ties to the Viet Nam War protests and hippie movement,  I did use this sign and proclaim "peace" on a regular basis.
Instead of waving good-bye after our almost-daily play-dates,  Corinne and I always made this sign with our fingers and screamed, "PEACE" as we departed each other's company until the leaving friend was out of sight. 
I can still picture Corinne standing in the big window of her living room, making the "PEACE" sign, and screaming "PEACE" while my mom drove down her hill after picking me up from her house, while I returned the sign and screamed back "PEACE!" 
My mom noted that our "PEACE-full" childhood farewells to each other were, ironically, anything BUT peaceful. ;)

Raggedy Ann and Andy:  Raggedy Ann and Andy were popular during the 70's.  Corinne and I both dressed as Raggedy Ann (complete with yarn wigs sewn by our mothers using a pair of panty hose with the legs cut off as the skull-cap base for the wigs) for Halloween in kindergarten and 1st grade. We spent hours drawing pictures of Raggedy Ann and Andy, and had Raggedy Ann and Andy Room décor, dolls, and even cookie cutters.  (I loved eating Corinne's mom's Raggedy Ann and Andy cut out sugar cookies, made from her Grandma Gublers sugar cookie recipe.) And I think Corinne even had a Raggedy Ann and Andy metal lunch box, and we both had Raggedy Ann themed birthday parties.

Kay-Halloween 1973 (Raggedy Ann doll made by Grandma Monson) 

Also check out the gold velour couch and green shag carpeting, and FYI, we also had avocado green velour wallpaper with silver shiny designs adorning a wall in this house. 

We made these plates in school every year.  My picture of choice in 1973 -1st grade?
Raggedy Ann (in a tree house) of course :)

These plaques adorned my bedroom wall during my childhood and still hang on the entry wall into Luke's (my baby's) room.  They were hung when he was small, and I'm not sure he realizes they are still there.....he's almost15 now.  Shhh don't tell ;)

I had (and still have these dolls)

70's Raggedy Ann and Andy Cookie cutters-my mom still has these.

Blowing out 6 candles on my Raggedy Ann cake

Long dresses: Yep the 70's were the era of long dresses.  Check out the matching long dresses Corinne and I got for Christmas 1973.  ( I think these may have been made by my Grandma Monson.)

Baby Chrissy Dolls:  Corinne and I both got "Baby Chrissy Dolls" for Christmas 1973. (See the picture above.)  These dolls were awesome because 1-They were the same size as actual babies (they could wear real baby clothes) and 2-they had hair that could "grow" via a hole in the top of their heads.  (This hair could be pulled back in -via the string attached to the doll's back-  for a short hairdo.)

I could add more: gauchos, bandanas, the "shag" hairstyle, playing jacks at recess, Chinese jumpropes, crocheted ponchos, and week day primary, but this post is long enough. So here's my shout out to the 70's and my wonderful childhood.