A (not so) typical childhood

My childhood was pretty ordinary. On the last day of school each year, I would say good-bye to my friends, knowing that I would not see them again until the first day of school in August. I would then spend my summer doing the things that well-rounded farm kids do:

I sewed...Every 7-year-old needs their own serger.

And then I modeled my outfits in the 4-H Style Revue...

There are a lot of things to say about this outfit. First and foremost, isn't it astounding that I was able to find canvas shoes that coordinated with the not-so-subtle shades of pink and green in my jumper? This was my first 4-H sewing project, which I was unbelievably proud of. I was so proud that I wore it to my first day of 2nd grade and for my 2nd grade class picture. My classmates must have been soooo jealous!

I know it's hard to pull your eyes away from the neon outfit, but let's focus on my hair for a second. My mom would perm my hair, which was nothing out of the ordinary, given the fact that it was 1990. Where I went wrong was never begging for a tube of gel, so I just brushed it out every day, and wore it in either a A) pony tail or B) side pony tail. The bigger the better.

I baked...Every young girl bakes bread, right? Okay, maybe not, but most kids did have glasses that big in 1993, I swear. Notice that, while I was still rockin' the perm, by this time I had discovered hair gel.

I raised pigs and showed them at the county fair...

For those of you wondering how you show a pig, it's a fine art that involves a small whip and lots of chasing. Don't tell PETA.

I also raised steers, and showed them at the county fair...

That's me in the turquoise jeans & and giant hair bow holding my French braid in place. I can tell that you're ready to head out the door in search of your own pair of turquoise jeans, but I think I may have bought the last pair. In 1995. The interesting thing about this picture is that the guy behind me seems to be struggling, while I look like a pro, when in fact, I was usually the 100 lb. girl being dragged around by my 850 lb. beast.

I realize that most kids do not spend their summers working on 4-H projects, which has me curious about how you raise kids in the city to not be bratty &/or lazy. I do plan to teach my unborn children to sew and bake, but something tells me that our homeowners' association has rules prohibiting certain pets that fall under the category of "livestock."

Ten points to the first person that can tell me what the 4 H's are in 4-H!