Saturday morning cartoons, smiley face lists and a 1980 T-Bird!

What was a typical Saturday morning like?

Describe the family car.

Did you have certain responsibilities around the house....did you get an allowance?

Back then, Friday nights were spent at the roller skating rink...and on Saturday mornings, I would sleep in.  I would usually wake to the sound of the vacuum cleaner outside my bedroom door...and the smell of household cleaning products. My Mom was a school teacher and Saturday was her day to catch up at home.

There would be music playing from the stereo that my Dad had rigged to play throughout the house...speakers in every room and on the patio too.  If my Dad was still at home and not partaking in one of his hobbies, he would be mowing the lawn or cleaning out the utility room.
After a few minutes in the kitchen, I'd be relaxing with my cinnamon toast and watching some cartoons...The Smurfs...my favorite.

I did have chores around the house, and I was expected to help out, but my Mom was one of those people who loved to clean. She would occasional leave me notes...I mean lists of things to do. I was expected to finish the list...right away. At the end of the list there would always be a smiley face, as if she thought it would make me happy to clean, unload the dishwasher, put away clothes, and write my thank you notes. Sometimes I got an allowance and sometimes I didn't...mostly, I got what I needed and did extra chores to earn money for something special.

My Dad was a salesman. He drove a company car. He would trade it in every 2 or 3 years for another new company car. They were always big FBI type cars...the one I remember the most was a brown Ford Thunder bird. The company car was our family car, because my Mom had a very sporty little Datsun 280 ZX. It was a 2 seater...sometimes if we all 3 went somewhere in that car, I would lay across the floor of the hatch back....perfectly safe, of course.

Today....in my house, things aren't really that much different. Saturday mornings the kids (and I) sleep in a little bit...the house smells of coffee, not cleaning products, but I do fold laundry and David mows the lawn. The Disney channel is on throughout the house...and cinnamon toast is  frequently on the menu...unless David makes a big breakfast, which he really does like to do. We take turns going on a run...then we move ahead with the rest of the days plans. To me, the best Saturdays are the ones we spend at home.
The kids have chores that they do when we ask them to. No charts, or chore boards....we have tried...but this just works better. I have even left lists a few times, but no smiley faces. There is no weekly allowance, but if someone is saving for or really wanting something, we will find a few extra chores that pay pretty well.
Our family car is more like a station wagon, than the sedan of my childhood years....an SUV...funny thing though...it is a Ford!

Memories are fun! Share your memories or a link to your post in the comments here!
Enjoy your week!

Next weeks questions:

Where did your family do most of their shopping?

Can you remember a really fun surprise?

What do you remember about talking on the telephone?