A Nostalgia Thread: What is Something Your Mother Did

[Chattyaholic]

What is something your Mother did, when you were a child, that you as a Mother today do not do?

For me, it was ironing. My Mom would sprinkle the clothes with water. She used a pop bottle with a special top with holes. Then she would roll the clothes up and put them in a big bag and stick it into the refrigerator for a few hours before ironing them.

I rarely iron anything, unless it's something that was hanging in the back of the closet and I want to wear it but it has a few wrinkles. But as far as ironing all shirts, sheets, pillowcases, etc. I don't do it!! Thank goodness for material that "needs no ironing!"

 

[SC Minnie]

My mother used to make homemade biscuits. She still has the same 'cutter' (a vienna sausage can) that she had 40 yrs ago. It makes the perfect size.

I only make the frozen biscuits when we have them.

 

[hercamore]

Yep, that's exactly how my Mom used to iron. Sprinkle the clothes, and roll and refirgerate.

Of course, for a long time, she had to wash clothes using a wringer washer and she had no dryer, either. Just hung the clothes outside or inside on racks.

herc.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

My mom used to sew all the time. She even made Barbie clothes! When I think of her when I was a child, the first image that comes to mind is of her sitting at the sewing machine with a cup of coffee. She drinks coffee all day long. I couldn't even begin to know how to use a sewing machine.

 

[Blondie]

My mom used to sell Avon door-to-door in South Philly! She bought me a little girls version of her "kit." She only did it for a few months, but I used to love going out with her while she was selling Avon!

My mom had a sewing machine and made lots of dresses for both me and my Barbies! I would never attempt it, it just doesn't interest me at all!

 

[4cruisin]

My mom used to change the curtains with the seasons. She referred to it as "Lace Curtain Irish". She used to iron all my curtains for me when I first got married. Everytime I have to iron curtains, I know they won't come out as nice as she had them.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

My mother used to make some of my clothes, she used to iron everything, she made her own pickles (out of cucumbers that we grew in our garden) and canned her own tomatoes for sauce (again, from our garden). I don't do any of that stuff. Suzy Homemaker I am not.

 

[Mercy]

What is something your Mother did, when you were a child, that you as a Mother today do not do?

For me, it was ironing. My Mom would sprinkle the clothes with water. She used a pop bottle with a special top with holes. Then she would roll the clothes up and put them in a big bag and stick it into the refrigerator for a few hours before ironing them.

I rarely iron anything, unless it's something that was hanging in the back of the closet and I want to wear it but it has a few wrinkles. But as far as ironing all shirts, sheets, pillowcases, etc. I don't do it!! Thank goodness for material that "needs no ironing!"

Well I do still iron, I'm a little OCD about wrinkles, however since the steam iron, I don't have to sprinkle, roll, and refrigerate...LOL!!

However, my mom cooked every day, except maybe one weekend night each week. I'm lucky if I cook one meal a week!!

Oh, and my mom kept a spotless house, mine is not so spotless

 

[Marseeya]

This is so pathetic! I tried thinking of nice, nostalgic things that my mom did and I kept coming up with only the mean things she did when we were little. I did come up with a couple of nice ones though.

SC Minnie reminded me of the biscuits -- well, my mom made Bisquick biscuits and cut them out with a Vienna sausage can too.

She always had dinner on the table at 4:30 on the dot.

One thing I remember... she always ironed her nurse's cap. She'd starch it and then plaster it to the side of the refrigerator so it would be good and stiff. We used to love that.

 

[C.Ann]

My Mom always wore dresses (I hate dresses - was born a tomboy ) and she always wore an apron when she cooked or baked..

She also hung clothes out on the clothesline to dry and was a fantastic seamstress..

She also made these yummy donuts (one of the ingredients was leftover mashed potatoes); yummy Spanish rice; the best chicken soup ever (she would put elbow macaroni in it and the "soup" part was thick - like gravy); and she used to make this "foamy" melt-in-your-mouth pie in a graham cracker crust.. Unfortunately, she never wrote down any of these recipes and has Altzheimer's now, so I don't know how to make any of these things..

 

[jbthi]

I remember my mother and grandmother washing the lace curtains. They would starch them and put them on a wood frame "stretcher". There were pins all around it and I remember sticking my fingers on it.

Monday was wash day. My mom had a wringer washer and hung the clothes on the clothes line outdoors. It was an all day job. We always had ham and bean soup that day.

When I was very young my mom would catch rain water outside and heat it on the stove to wash my hair at the kitchen sink. Then she would rinse it in vinegar.

 

[figment52]

wrong thread - sorry

 

[poohandwendy]

Wow, the only thing I can really think of is making our clothes. I also sew, but not clothing. (I quilt)

She did iron more than I do, also. The clothes nowdays are more wash and wear than they used to be.

 

[SplashMom]

My mom was a freak about ironing! She still irons her underwear!! I don't like wrinkles but she was waayyy to obsessed! The other thing she did each spring and fall was wash down all the walls and ceilings in the entire house (including 5 bedrooms)! Some people in the community did that if they had wood or coal heat which caused dust but we had oil heat--not dirty! She could never tell where she stopped because it was never dirty but it had to be done anyway! We weren't allowed to decorate for Christmas until the cleaning was done, which was our reason for helping out!

 

[minkydog]

This is so pathetic! I tried thinking of nice, nostalgic things that my mom did and I kept coming up with only the mean things she did when we were little. I did come up with a couple of nice ones though.

SC Minnie reminded me of the biscuits -- well, my mom made Bisquick biscuits and cut them out with a Vienna sausage can too.

She always had dinner on the table at 4:30 on the dot.

One thing I remember... she always ironed her nurse's cap. She'd starch it and then plaster it to the side of the refrigerator so it would be good and stiff. We used to love that.

Marseeya, we're on the same wavelength. I know my mother must have done some things right, but I can't recall at the moment. But your memory of your mom starching her cap--my mom did that. We always had little rivulets of dried starch on the side of the fridge. and she shined her white Clinic shoes with paste shoe polish

 

[bevtoy]

My Mom always polished the silver, I don't even want to own silver......
She was a seamstress, she ironed clothes..(Only rarely do I iron)
I am a far better cook. She played the piano, I donated the piano to the Long Term Care unit she stays at, they need it and I don't play.
I love my Mom but she has a sharp mind and a sharper tongue........
I try to be kind when ever possible. She had a hard life I think......my life has been better due to her teaching me many things, she is wise.

 

[Marseeya]

Marseeya, we're on the same wavelength. I know my mother must have done some things right, but I can't recall at the moment. But your memory of your mom starching her cap--my mom did that. We always had little rivulets of dried starch on the side of the fridge. and she shined her white Clinic shoes with paste shoe polish

Oh right, the shoe polish! That stuff stunk, and I bet it got us high but we didn't know it. I think she was a little like Tom Sawyer with it. "Look how much fun it is to rub this on my shoes" and then we'd be begging to do it.

Now when you go into a hospital, nurses are wearing scrubs and crocs instead of the pressed white dresses and stiff caps. Having grown up with that, it just seems off to me to go into a hospital these days. How about you?

 

[Kitty 34]

My Mom cooked a full fledged breakfast every morning for 5 of us before heading off to her teaching job.

Mom polished her silver all the time

Mom made a yummy chocolate bread pudding but unfortunetly lost the recipe years ago.

Mom plays Bridge

 

[MUFFYCAT]

she hated cooking like I do

 

[slo]

I remember having to stand with new pants on, that were way to long, and my mom pinning them to the length she wanted them. Then she would sit at her sewing maching and hem them .
*I don't own a sewing maching , I don't "hem" , and if I did own a sewing machine I would have no idea how to use it

I remember my mom sitting at the table and eating pickled pigs feet
*I don't eat pickled pigs feet because I think it would make me sick to my stomach (No offense to those DISers that love pickled pigs feet of course )