When my sister, Kathy, and I were little, we used to take the stickers off of Dole bananas, tear them into tiny pieces and put them all over our cheeks. The one of us who wore the “sticker” freckles got to play Ginger from Gilligan’s Island while the other got to be Mary Ann. We coveted those banana stickers like nothing else, and each time a new bunch of bananas came home from the grocery store ensured my mom several hours of peace and quiet while my sister and I would act out scenes from our favorite television show.
We had a very full life growing up…lots of vacations, friends, family events…but the banana sticker freckles is one of my clearest and fondest memories. Something brought on by an everyday object / moment is still cemented in my mind, today.
When you have three daughters, like I do, you get a pretty neat opportunity to see creative genius at work…every.single.day. Not a day goes by that I don’t have some little person coming to me and asking if I want to see their newest play, gymnastics routine, rock concert, modeling session, etc. Sometimes, when I’m extra lucky, I even get a big ticket to a “very special show”.
I never really quite figured out the plot of today’s show… something about Leah being a big, mean bear…lots of screaming, panic and then giggling…then as always, ending in a big song and dance production.
And, as I do with all of the “big, special shows”, I wonder… “Is this going to be a banana sticker moment for them?”
Remember…it doesn’t always have to be the biggest, most grandiose moments in life that become special occasions. Life, the every day, in between, simple banana sticker moments… those are often what memories and special occasions are made from.
What is a “banana sticker” moment from your life? What everyday moment is cemented in your memory as a special occasion? I’d love to hear it in the comments section!
I’m honored to be partnering with Hallmark in 2012 as part of their “Life Is a Special Occasion” campaign. As always, all opinions are my own.
It sounds like your kids give you incredible joy. I wish you and your family joy, happiness and peace throughout your lives.
I’ll admit, they drive me super crazy sometimes, but I do love the heck out of them! Thanks for your kind thoughts!
Oh, how I love this story Kristen, thank you for sharing your banana sticker moment. Also, that next to the last shot….so fun!!!
Thanks so much, Liz!
Oh I love this! The banana stickers, so great! My kids also love putting on shows for me. One of my favorite times is when they say, “Hey Mom, can you come sit down so we can dance for you?” It often involves gyrating (by the boy), falling down, sommersaults and running up into my face…I love it. Those are my banana sticker moments, and I hope they are for them too.
I’m absolutely sure they are for them as well!!
Right now it’s the little moments when my kids tell me they need me! They’re growing SO quickly, and sometimes they just don’t need me. It’s kind of hard letting go… so I cherish it and try to be really present in the moment when they do need me.
Jen – I can so relate to this. My ten year old never fails to come in after we are already snug in bed & asks one of us to tuck him in again. I know someday he won’t care if we tuck him in or not, so I’m trying to really remember how special that is!
This is such a beautiful post. I have two younger sisters, and this post reminded me SO much of our house growing up. There are tapes upon tapes of our “shows”–often involving our youngest sister as a tap dancer–and dress up was a daily staple. I love our banana sticker moments. 🙂
Oh how I wish we had tapes of our shows. I need to video my kids more often. It’s good to know that as an adult, those things are special to you!
First of all, your daughters are OH SO CUTE! Adorable! 🙂 Our banana sticker moment? Ever since we started living together, my now husband would always, every morning, give me a forehead kiss. That was probably the best thing of every morning and just reminded me of his love!
Thanks so much, Marnely!
My husband does the same thing… every, single morning before he leaves for work. Love it!
I love this post Kristen!!
Makes me wish we had our girls a little closer together.
Growing up with a brother only 13 months younger than me, I do remember some of our moments………like stuffing pillows under our shirts and ramming into each other and giggling until we fell over.
LOL – and then eventually someone got hurt, right? 🙂
I loved this!! Abbi turns 3 tomorrow (YIKES!!) and is entering the stage of doing plays and dances and performances. So much fun. I have so many memories from my childhood of doing plays and concerts – and even haunted houses around Halloween time. To this day, my sisters, brother and I often talk about these moments and laugh about them!
I can’t believe Abbi is 3 already! Crazy how time flies. It sounds like you and your siblings had tons of fun together! Thanks for sharing!
We are enjoying every moment with Caleb. His new thing is to grab my face and give me big kisses. He even gave me a hickey last night on my cheek because he sucked so hard:) I just love our silly little guy!
Too precious. My kiddos are getting big and we don’t have as many of these silly fun moments or it’s just different. The dress up basket has gone untouched for over a year ; ( Kristen I have to tell you are not coming up on my google reader any more, I just realized today that I had not seen you in my queu for a while so I typed you in directly ; ) Have a great day!
I love this. They look like they are having such a wonderful time! We definitely try to make the most of every moment – I remember those banana stickers 😉
I was thinking just last night of how strong the memories from our childhood are, and how vividly I remember everything about my Grandma’s house and backyard. I had cousins who lived close, and my nearest in age girl cousin and I played dress-up non-stop. Because of my Mom’s aunt in New York City, I had the best dress-up trunk in the whole wide world. Those fantastic clothes are my banana sticker moment. Still remembered oh, so many years later! Love the picture of you and your sister, which I took!
Wonderful! What a fun house of girls you have. And, whoa, your younger picture looks so much like your girls.
This is one of my absolute most favorite posts of your ever. I loved reading about your childhood and seeing pictures of your children in action. Some of my favorite moments as a child revolve around being the daughter of a farmer – riding in tractors, swimming in a cool tank at the end of a long day, and picnics in the peanut field. Country living = pure joy.
My sis and I would play Gilligan’s Island, too! What fun! My daughters (now 24 and 21) used to put on “Funny Shows” when they were younger and we loved watching their performances! Ah, ENJOY those VERY SPECIAL SHOWS!
My baby girl just turned one. I can’t believe how quick it flashed by! She loves to play with my hair (future hair twirled for sure). As soon as I get there to pick her up after work, the first thing she wants to do once I have her is give my hair a few twirls, lol. It’s definitely becoming a banana sticker thing for us.
Thanks for sharing the pics of your girls. It’s clear to see much fun is had during their performances!
I don’t have any kids having moments, but I remember one of the few times I wasn’t trying to get my brother to go away: we put big pillows on the floor, and then took turns “launching” each other off the couch into them. Picture it: you sit on the couch and pull your knees up to your chest. Then, your little brother sits leaning against your legs… and you kick your legs out and your brother goes flying. Whee!
Your girls look like they’re having the best time ever, AND no one is likely to break any small bones.
So adorable, Kristen! These pictures had me grinning from ear to ear. I know your children will have wonderful banana sticker memories!
I love your shared story of the banana stickers! And the photos of your girls…way too precious. I have some of that going on here, too. Such a blessing, those girlies are.
We used to do shows growing up too! I was quite bossy, but then again, I’m the oldest. Thanks so much for this story and for sending me on my very own walk down memory lane.
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