What An Average Summer Day Was Like For A '90s Kid

Picture this: you are sitting in a classroom on hard plastic chair attached to a wooden desk. You are impatiently scribbling on the corner of the desk-top where the wood has chipped away (perhaps you are doodling the Super S or Chucky from Rugrats?). The teacher at the front of the room is reviewing the summer reading list with the class, (“blah, blah A Wrinkle In Time, blah”) but you can’t even listen because you are SO excited. In just a few short minutes, the class bell will ring, and the school year will be over. No more homework, no more waking up early, no more sitting in a hot classroom trying not to fall asleep!

You try to steel your heart as you imagine the three months of uninterrupted fun to come. As the clock ticks down, you can almost taste the sweet freedom (and that Ninja Turtle popsicle with gumballs for eyes), and are about to jump out of your chair.

Everything is perfect in the summer. You can’t wait to jump in your mom’s car and blast the Hanson Brothers, TLC, or Mariah Carey. 'Cause it's the '90s y'all, and that music is considered cool. There are so many amazing things to look forward to, painful sunburns to get, and computer camp in August! Even summer boredom is a blessing. So until the school bell rings, let's fantasize how you might spend an average lazy summer day in the '90s:

8:00 A.M. Wake Up Without An Alarm

Unlike the days where you have to be awake by seven in the morning to get ready and catch the bus on time, you can sleep in during the summer. But you are so excited to start your lazy summer day that you actually wake up pretty early. For once, your parents don't have to shake you out of bed. You jump out of your X-Men or 101 Dalmatians sheets with the whole glorious day ahead. The sun blazes through the window and you know — it's gonna be a hot one!

8:05 A.M. Watch Cartoons

Start your morning off right by flipping through your favorite channels (PBS, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, MTV) to check out if there is anything good on. You can watch Anamaniacs, Sonic The Hedgehog, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Tick, and so so much more. It's the cartoon hey-day, and you have no idea how blessed you are!

8:35 A.M. Eat A Balanced Breakfast

After logging in a half hour or so in front of the TV your stomach starts to growl. It's time to make your way to the kitchen for a healthy and ~nutritious~ breakfast. But there is a problem — you are out of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Luckily, your parents picked you up a pack of mini cereal boxes on their last trip to the grocery store, which is awesome! ... until you realize your little brother is awake, and now you have to divide them between yourselves. You trade, barter and beg him to take the Fruity Pebbles for the Lucky Charms. Ugh. Why does breakfast have to be so complicated?

9:30 A.M. Get Dressed For Fun

After wolfing down the cereal, it's time to change out of your pajamas and put on real clothes. You grab a comfy pair of cut-off shorts, your favorite National Wildlife Foundation t-shirt (the one with the dolphins), and a pair of Jelly sandals. You're lookin' good... but the look is missing something. Oh yeah! Your favorite piece of very grown-up jewelry:

Perfect.

9:45 A.M. Playtime!

If you aren't enrolled in camp yet, you still have to go outside and "enjoy the weather." Thankfully, there are plenty of great ways to entertain yourself! You can meet friends at the playground or basketball court, play with your Pogs, throw a frisbee, bounce on a trampoline, or run around with your Skip It. If you feel daring, you climb a tree or swing as high as you can go and jump off. It's almost like flying, right?

12:00 P.M. Prepare A Healthful Lunch

Now that you've worked up an appetite, it's time to run home to refuel. Sure, you could make yourself a peanut butter sandwich like your mom said, but why would you do that when there are Lunchables in the fridge! All Star burgers, cheese and salsa nachos, or make your own pepperoni pizza are so much more fun to eat. Plus, you could win a trip to the Nickelodeon Studios in Florida if you find the winning box. Seems like you'll need to eat Lunchables every day — you will do literally anything to get slimed.

Don't forget to wash it all down with your favorite summer drink:

1 P.M. Pooltime!

Time to head on down to the public pool where you can meet up with your friends in the afternoon. You play a round of Marco Polo, joust with brightly colored noodles, and have an oh-so-painful belly flop contest. You take advantage of the moments that the overworked teenage lifeguard is chatting up his friends to take running leaps into the deep end. The lifeguard half-heartedly shouts "No diving!"

3:30 P.M. Head Over To Your Friend's House For More Water Sports

Your friend just got a new Slip N' Slide, so of course you have to go try it out! After taking a few turns running and sliding, you friend breaks out their Super Soakers and you chase each other around the yard. Before you know it, it's getting late and it's time to head on home.

5:30 P.M. Bathtime!

Your parents run you a bath and demand that you get all that chlorine and mud off of you before dinner. Usually getting clean is so boring — good thing you have your Disney's Aladdin Gene Magic Bathtime! Making the genie sing "Friend Like Me" always puts you in a good mood.

7:30 P.M. Wind-Down

After your bath and dinner, you go to your room and play with a few toys. It's been a big day, so your games of Polly Pocket are brief. You turn your Furby around to face the wall so it doesn't watch you while you sleep, and get into bed. You're not quite ready to turn out the light so you grab your Gameboy and play some Pokemon Red.

9:00 P.M. Get Tucked In

You parents come up to tuck you in and turn off the light. You lay in bed but just can't seem to get to sleep. You think about reading a Goosebumps book, but then you know you definitely won't get to sleep. Maybe, if you stay awake long enough you can sneak into your parents' bedroom and secretly watch the late night talkshows without them noticing you on the floor. Maybe — you — yawn... Zzzzzz.

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