Whitehorse's Blogging Place

JOBS AS A TEEN

2007-07-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

I never had an after school job but I did babysit on weekends.

When I turned 12, I started to babysit just about every weekend. Babysitters back then were in high demands.....people could afford to go out in those days....not like today eh.

I loved my jobs.......omg who wouldn't.....no parents, kids all in bed by the time you got there, all the junk food you can eat, tv or stereo all to yourself........and on the odd occasion, sneak a few girl-friends in.........oh what fun that was.......lmbo.

My wages were .50cents an hour and a $1 after midnight.......believe me, I sure made enough money after midnight to buy myself a new wardrobe...lol. It's so funny, back then a wardrobe only consist of a few pairs of slacks, blouses, a skirt/dress, and a pair of shoes. Never had to wear street clothes for we wore school uniforms. Not like today, I pity the poor parents who have to buy tons of clothes for their kids.

Oh wow, just looking back at the differences from generation to generation....mmmmmm

LEARNING TO DRIVE

2007-07-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

Never learned how to drive as a teenager........when I was allowed to listen to music in the car for me time......I would pretend....lol

I did learn how to drive when I was in my late 30s......had no choice. I moved to the country and had to learn quickly in order to find work in city and groceries.

Took a driver's course through MTO. Passed my driving test with flying colors. Only because for the parralel parking there were no cars in front nor behind........had an amazing guy testing me.........thank goodness, for my hubby tried and tried to teach me to parallel to no avail.......hahaha

The worse part in learning how to drive besides the parallel one, was trying to drive a stick shift. Forget it........shifting was okay once driving but when it came to a stop and go......wellllllll, needless to say I drive a Standard.......hehehe

HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS

2007-07-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

I did go to high school with my grade 8 classmates and also met some of my friends from other schools. You see, there was only 2 french high schools.....one was an all girls......yuck and the other...mixed.......woohoo.

I hanged around different bunches, depending on what was going on. Some liked to hang out at the beach and go to open music festivals........some liked to shop.......some liked to go to school dances.......and some liked to just hang around the malt shop. So depending on what mood I was in........well you get the jest of it.

I'm no longer in contact with any of them since I moved to the big city when I was 15 going on 16 and got pregnant.......you know the rest of that one.

I did try to contact one special person in my life years ago but found out she had died in a car accident......talk about being in shock!!!!!!!!!

MID TEENS!

2007-06-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

This teenager stuff was the worst time in my life.......I did those horrible things to myself.

Beginning stages of a teen was awesome till I hit the age of 15. I was stubborn and knew it all. Moved out of the family household at 15, near the end of grade 10. Lived with one of my aunt's who was not the best influence on me. Got into drugs/promiscuaty. Did not return to high school, for I turned 16 in September.

Mom & Dad had divorced during that time of my badness. Mom moved to the big city, so I too went with her. We came to an understanding that I would return to school. I did. Starting over again to be a better person. Wasn't easy moving to a big city, new high school, no friends, etc.

At the end of the first term in High School, found out I was pregnant........yup.......we were never taught how to protect ourselves in those days. Now remember, pregnant girls did not go to a public high school, they went to a home for unwed mothers. Well Mom and I checked it out and it wasn't for us. God love my mom, she went to my high school and fought for me to attend, woohoo, they said ok. That wasn't as easy as we thought. All the stares, the comments, you know what I mean, but you know what, had 2 amazing friends, one male/one female that stood by me and told me to keep my chin up. They were my angels when I needed them most PTL.
Oh yea, got out of GYM CLASS........hehehe

Mom & I came to an agreement to put the baby up for adoption. February was the month my little darling was born. OMG I loved her so. I named her Hope Elizabeth........Hope for a happy/amazing life. I did visit her for the first 3mths of her precious life at the Foster Home till the adoption became final.

After the depression went away, I returned to school to finish up grade 10. But by then, I was not the same person, lost a part of me. I never did return to high school in my teen years. Worked for Canada Post and moved out on my own. Became an adult way way to soon.

So I guess my greatest achievements would be that I returned home, held my chin up through adversities, had a beautiful girl, put her up for adoption so that she can have a better life, got a job and was self sufficient.

My worse was promescuaty, drugs, leaving home. But you know what, I didn't really learn a whole lot from this.........but it did make me a stronger person for the next obstacles......

Update on Hope, her name is Sarah now, she is 36. We caught up with one another about 10yrs ago. She invited all of us to her wedding. My youngest daughter was her Bride's maid, and the two youngest grand-babies were also in the Wedding party, ring bearer/flower girl. I was known as Mom #1. She had a wonderful up-bringing and I love her parents dearly..........they are awesome people.

Thank you heavenly Father for protecting my first born!!!!!!

PETS AS A CHILD!

2007-06-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

As a child did you have any exotic (i.e. those not indigenous to your area) or unusual pets? If not, did you have any pets at all? What kind? Did you give them standard pet names or come up with unusual and unique names?

Unfortunately we did not have pets as a child. I truly don't know why or remembering if I had ever asked for one. Family life was so busy, I'm guessing that we would never have the time to love them up.

I'm an adult now.........my oh my.........have sure made up for that missing link in my childhood.

Right now in my household we have 2 dogs, medium size beagles(black/white/tan) with curled tails like a huskie, one male, one female. The male is Buck, he's 2 1/2yrs and then there's Belle/Bella, she's 4mths old and such a BRAT........lol. Have a female cat (black/white long-hair) named Oreo.......obvious name because I love Oreo cookies.....lmbo. Last but not least, a blue/white budgie bird named Pretty Girl.....pain in my butt she is.........always giving me crap for something I do or say.......raise my voice or doing noisy chores......away she goes and tells me to be quiet.

I did have 3 dogs and 3 cats........but the good Lord took my Taylor (grey/white tabby), he was 18yrs old. My Bebe (black/white beagle with curled tail too) was only 4yrs old when she was hit by a car. Our animals don't leave the yard, but for some reason she decided one night to venture across the road and got hit by an unknown person, didn't have the decent demeanor to let us know......we may have been able to save her. The last one that passed was just a 6wk old female kitty(orange/white tabby) named Baby. Buck accidentally killed her......played a bit to rough with her. So needless to say I've had my share of tears and heartaches with animals. I would not change it for the world though.

If I had my way, I'd have a small animal farm with lots and lots of cats, dogs, birds, chickens, ducks, etc. etc. But I do have lots of deer, moose, coyotes, bears, racoons, porcupines, skunks, well you get my drift.........oh yea, we live in the bush.......haha thought you should know that. Yup, 2hrs from Ottawa and we are isolated......WOOHOO!!!!!

CAREER DREAMS AT AGE 10!

2007-06-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

At the age of 10, a lot of new changes happened for me. Moved to a new area and new school.

Our school was runned by nuns at that time........one teacher in particular I just loved, so I too, wanted to be just like her .

In December of that year, I watched the Nut Cracker Ballet on television. I was infatuated with the pretty, graceful ballerina, so guess what, lol......yup, a ballerina.

Being in grade 5, we started to learn about Hygene, Sex Ed, etc. A Nurse came to class to tell us the importance of immunization (at that time we were immunized at school) and what to expect later that year when she returned. So when the time came for our shot, we were not afraid of her or the needle for she was so gentle, kind, and very patient with us.....WOOHOO, finally decided to be a Nurse.

I was never anxious or scared at the prospect of being an adult. The thought never entered my mind then. All I had to worry about was homework, exams, discipline, friends, etc......

When I was in high school..............that's another matter....mmmmmmmmm

My dream careers at that time did not get fulfilled. I was engulfed with being a good Mom, which I took pride as my choice of a career.

WORKING PARENTS!

2007-06-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Dad worked while Mom stayed home with us till shcool age. Once in school, Mom got herself a part-time job in order to be home before we did. Then when I became a teen, she worked full time which left us alone after school for about an hour.

She made sure we didn't get into any mischief while on route to home. We had to do our homework & set the table for dinner .

My mom was awesome.........I sure miss her!!!!!!!!!

My Childhood Chores

2007-06-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

I always received an allowance every Saturday. Mom and Dad dished out $2.oo. In my time, that was a lot of money. We were able to go to the picture show, buy pop & popcorn, and have plenty left over for penny candy at the corner store. Yuppers......cost .50cents to watch a feature film......pop & popcorn I think was .75cents. So out of $2.00 minus the Saturday Matinee, I still had plenty of money for penny candy.......oh my, .75cents at the corner store was heavenly........lol.

Chores were given out when I reached 13yrs old. My brother & I shared doing dishes, taking out the garbage, and cleaning our room (shared room ). We did do the dishes together, one washed, the other one dried. That became a bit of a fighting match when we did them together. Poor mom, so she seperated us, the one drying, had to wait for the washer one was done in order to do their job.........which meant it took longer.....less me time. You would think we'd learn eh.........NOPE!

Now that chores were handed out, my allowance rose to a whopping $5.oo. WOOHOO! Hey, teenagers need more $$$$$......lmbo. All us girl friends didn't go to Saturday Matinees anymore. We all met at Woolworths to do some window shopping, buy nail polish........we weren't allowed to wear make-up yet........boohoo!!!! The store also had a soda fountain........yummies, the root beer floats were the bomb. Then we'd go do some more window shopping at Kresges, meet up with other friends and go to the park/beach and just hang out.

Those were the carefree days..........awwwwwwwwwww

Item collection or not?

2007-06-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

I really didn't collect anything as a child, but I did love marbles and would battle for the awesome colored ones and the big croquettes during recess at school........lol. As I've mentioned before, I was a very active participant in other things, like girl guides, church youth groups, etc.

Hey wait a minute....do you count badges???? In girl guides, I did everything that was needed to do in order to get a badge of that particular subject. Be it campfires, boating, good samaritan, first aid, etc....

By the time I outgrew girl guides, my uniform and sash was covered. BOOHOO.....mom never saved my uniform or got lost in the shuffle.

MY DARLINGS

2007-06-10T06:58:00.001-07:00

IMAGINARY FRIEND

2007-06-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I had an imaginary friend. I never had that in mind and don't believe that I wanted one. My life was so busy I guess, that there was no need.

Once I became a mother, Oh My Goodness, there were lots and lots of imaginary ghost living with us.........lmbo.

Whenever something went missing, broken, messes, etc.....I would hear: " Not me mum.......I didn't do it!!!". So needless to say, I had names for these ghosts..........lol. You got it:

The Missing Ghost, The Broken Ghost, &

The Not Me Mum Ghost.........hehe.

Now that hubby & I are alone.........May the all

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DAYS!

2007-06-07T06:06:00.000-07:00

I attended several elementary schools. We never owned a home, so we rented houses instead, therefore the moves.

Let's see, I can remember being in grade two, now in those days, the teachers used discipline. Some good/some bad. I hated that school so much......we were bused because we lived so far in the country. If you were out of line for just the smallest thing, they used several means of punishment. You either got the strap or ruler on the hand/knuckles/butt. The worse one ever, the humiliating one......they put a dunce cap on your head and brought you to the kindergarten class, placed you on this tall stool in the corner facing the kids.......I once was sent there.......could you imagine how I felt, especially when your bro was in that class!!!!!!!!!! PTL......we moved that summer.......woohoooooooooo

Now on to grade 5/7. Fun and lots of learning going on here. Introduction to sex education, let me tell you, lots of red faces in this class......lmbo, mind you it's not the same sex ed like it is today and to be honest, I'm glad. The fun stuff was the different types of arts and crafts. I learnt how to paper mashee, oh the mess and the goo between the fingers........fun. We also did stamping on copper plates with a stick which had an tip to it, don't know what the tool was called though.
Recess was the best.......skipping/dutch, dodge ball, marbles, and a game I cannot remember the name......you place a rubber ball in a nylon sock (remember now, no such thing as panty hose back then grrrrr), place your back on the wall of the building and swing the sock ball between your limbs and say some stuff.......lol. Oh yea, the best part of this school.........we all fell in love with our grade 7 teacher. MMMMMM, tall dark and handsome single male teacher. I guess I forgot to tell you, catholic schools always had nuns, but for some reason we had a male....so you can just imagine how much we learnt in his class eh....NOT.........lol

Another move for us.....boohoo, sure hard leaving friends behind!!!!!!!! This was grade 8 and the final year before high school. Three things sticks to mind. We had a lunch room, nothing but tables and chairs, but it beat sitting at a cramped desk. The fashion at that time was mini skirts....oh my. When you attend a catholic school, you wore uniforms (which I would like to see all schools go back to). The colors at this school was pink and burgandy......love it but what we all loved most about it was the type of material it was made out of........you guessed it.........shrink, shrink, shrink,........yippee, we were in style.......lol. The school never said anything to us because it was our last year and they did not pressure parents to replace them. The boys sure liked that a lot, especially at our age, the old hormones just a cruising in overdrive.......hehehe. Now being a teenager, spent most of the weekends sleeping inand partying with the gang.

SHARING A BEDROOM AS A CHILD

2007-06-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

My brother & I shared a bedroom from the time he was born till I reached puberty. Oh, how I disliked sharing a room with a bratty bro...lol (remember? he like punching me). You know that saying:"Out of sight, out of mind!!!". Boy oh boy, he sure liked that, the taunting behind closed doors....grrrrrrr.

I never played in our room. No sooner I'd go in there to listen to the transistor radio, bratty would follow. I had no privacy what-so-ever.

Every now and again, Dad would let me have the keys to the wagon so that I could listen to the radio station which carried my favorite tunes...like "Henry the Eighth I am I am", "Hey, Jude", "Jail House Rock", well almost everything from the Herman's Hermits, Elvis, & the Beatles...woohoo. Can you picture me in this small wagon, music blarring and me just a singing and bopping away.......lmbo.

Oh what good times those were......until.......you guess it, the battery died!!!!! That's why I only got the keys every now again......boohoo!!!!

VACATIONING WITH FAMILY AT AGE 7

2007-06-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

One hot summer day, the whole family packed up our red and white station wagon for a two week vacation to Sturgeon Falls. My bro and I were so excited that we kept bugging Dad:"Are we there yet? How much longer?". He replied:"It takes 2hrs guys, why not play I Spy my little eye". Well that lasted for about an hour.....lol

The whinning started........mom suggested we look out for Volkswagons and play punch buggy. Oh that sounded like fun.........poor mom..all she kept hearing from us:"Not so hard" My bro liked to punch me and now he had an excuse to do without getting into trouble.....lmbo

MOMENTUS EVENT BEFORE THE AGE OF 3

2007-06-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

Mom told me this story over and over again.......lol

When I was still in a crib and in diapers, I found my artistic side. Yup at the ripe old age of 2. Took off poopy diaper and drew all over the walls.....hehe