Today was nostalgic and it made me wonder what it would have been like if a pandemic had happened when I was a child? Minus a Facetime chat with Nana, the toys we played with throughout our day were the same ones I had as a child. All I have to do is view today and I would get a glimpse of how things might have looked.

Big Wheel– My daughter got a Big Wheel for Easter. Although pink and purple in color and lacking the handlebar streamers, brake and back saddle box, it is almost identical to the Big Wheel I adored as a child. Some of my best childhood memories involve riding my Big Wheel around and around on our patio with my favorite Curious George doll joining me for the ride. My mom loves listening to the radio so the popular Top 40 hits from the era became my driving music.

At first uneasy, my little one quickly learned how to maneuver her new set of wheels. We are currently experiencing a cold spell so she has yet to ride outside but she is having fun pretending to be a mail carrier and rides all over the house delivering mail from room to room. She is writing, spelling and addressing letters while she plays! We attached a red lunch box to the back of her Big Wheel and that holds her mail along with Avalanche, her beloved stuffed pup. Big Wheels are recommended for ages 3-8 so like her Noteworthy Mommy, my mini me has several years to create some happy childhood memories on her Big Wheel.

Mr. Sketch Scented Markers– Another popular present was a set of Mr. Sketch Scented Markers. Smelling the markers made me feel like a first grader again! The scents haven’t changed in over forty years! My first grade teacher would put a big smiley face, drawn with a Mr. Sketch Scented Marker, on your ditto if you had turned in excellent work. And if you had behaved all day she drew a Mr. Sketch Scented smiley face on your hand before the bell range for dismissal. I don’t known if a smiley face drawn with a marker would motivate the children of this generation but it worked on me! My daughter enjoyed drawing pictures with the markers and making a birthday card for a friend. Our favorite scents were apple (dark green) and blueberry (light blue).

Family Game Night– UNO was the unanimous winner for tonight’s Family Game Night. How I loved playing UNO as a child! Over the years many unique UNO decks have become available. Our UNO deck is a Cocoa Cola collectors set with vintage Cocoa Cola artwork featured on the cards. It wouldn’t matter what UNO set we played with, the colors and the rules are the same and my family of three would be having fun together, creating childhood memories.