Trash or treasure and the adventure within..

When I was seven this friend of mine, I think her name name was Rebecca or maybe it was Elizabeth, well her name is irrelevant now, but anyway, she had miniature 'Hello Kitty' erasers.. and they smelt like strawberries.. How I coveted that rubber collection (no pun intended)..

When I was nine, I had the She-ra Crystal Castle & of course to go with that I had her brother He-man and his Castle Greyskull, including all their sidekicks, good and bad.. I loved that castle and that kickarse warrior woman more than life itself and was devastated when it was left behind in an interstate move..
Well, the list goes on, before and after these ages.. Four it was Holly Hobbie, 5yrs old I was obsessed with all things Strawberry Shortcake, six it was Rainbow Brite and her Sprites, I'm pretty sure by eight I was besotted with Punky Brewster and by eleven I had bought and read every Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden girl detective books I could possibly find..

I am now 35.. I am a mother a few times over, I have teenagers and little ones, I am a grown up, and last month I bought a set of She-ra dolls for my kids.. Ok, who am I kidding I admit it, they were for me.. My kids don't give a toss about any of the above toys.. The magic they imbued in my childhood has not transcended time, and there is no joy in my children's eyes when they look at them.. But I tell you what, sitting in the toy room with my new but old purchases it was like time stood still, stars lit the room and some romantic melody hummed its own tune in my head.. I was back in my childhood, completely in love, so pure and innocent..

As much as I giggle at my collections {and I have collections of all of the above plus some} and how I laugh at myself over my ecstatically zealous reactions at finding mint condition Cabbage patch dolls in Thrift shops etc, I really do appreciate the energy and relationship these inanimate objects have with who I am and have become today.. They ARE me..

We have so much 'spirit' and creative imagination when we are young, its really sad when life casts shadows over it.. I'm trying to bring back the magic, my 5yr old and the 18mth old (although she isnt yet understanding), go on big extensive "Treasure Hunts"!! We scour opp shops, trash & treasures and secondhand vintage markets. Looking for what hopefully as it states is, albeit someone else's trash, our very own exciting and beloved new treasure.. Sure we come home with a lot of what many would only call crap, but sometimes we also come home with pearls, that have created whole scenes or activities of unimaginable fun we build upon everyday.. I'm not going to apologise for being a big kid at heart, or having a slightly eclectic and eccentric collection of 'stuff'.. Instead I'm going to enjoy the moments I share with my kids building whole new fantasy worlds they can get lost in, and occasionally sneak in an play with these treasures all by myself..

I think everyone should go treasure hunting, and decide to make it their best adventure yet..
I'm definitely not about to stop...

Anyone feel like storming Skeletor up in Snake Mountain with me??? ;)

Mama, Madly xox