Last week I wrote about my favorite books from my childhood. I decided to stay within this theme and think about other aspects of my childhood that I enjoyed. When I think of my youth, lots of it consisted of being a total couch potato and watching hours of TV (cause I had nothing better to do with my life). While there were a vast majority of choices as I scanned through the television, Nickelodeon always caught my attention, because come on, they have some of the most iconic shows ever! If you want to take a trip down memory lane, continue reading to see my top four favorite TV shows as a kid.  

#4: Spongebob Squarepants

Let’s face it: we all watched this show as a kid. This was just a way for me to completely relax because in all honesty the show is pretty stupid, but hey, I loved it. This show just brought a bit of joy into my life, I knew that everytime I would watch it, I would get a good laugh out of it. Each character, while quirky in their own ways always found a way to make me laugh. In the end, the show will always find a way to make a kid smile… and isn’t that the point of all good television? 

Not only was the show relaxing, but looking back at it now, there were actually a ton of adult jokes sprinkled in that totally flew over my head as a kid. I mean they have to have a little something in it for the parents who are forced to watch it by their kids right? 

While some may see it as a mind-numbing series, there are a few minor things that kids can take away from it. For one, Spongebob always has a positive attitude and is never afraid to be himself and this is how all children should live their lives, just truly being themselves. Not only this but he has an extremely good work ethic which instills the message to kids that they should have the same hard working qualities. 

It is evident that the show has a ton of great qualities and is a must-see for anyone in search of an amazing childhood. 

#3 Victorious

Ok, so as we all know, Victorious recently came onto Netflix and I can’t even lie, I have re-watched the entire series… but I am sure the majority of you have as well. With catchy songs, and a great cast, this show hooked me at the start. Not to mention there are a few attractive characters throughout … Beck. 

There are tons of great moments throughout the show but one of my favorites is when Trina did her one woman show. And came her iconic song about Chicago Chicagooooooo (I am sure if you have watched the show you definitely sang that in your head). Over all, this show was just very entertaining and I knew that each time I watched it I would be able to hear some catchy songs and see a silly series. 

#2: iCarly

Carly Shay finds her normal  life turns upside down when her internet show “iCarly” blows up. With the help of her best friends Sam and Freddie, they begin to develop the show as they see it become a huge success. 

iCarly was definitely one of my favorite shows as a kid. For one, all of the characters were so funny! Everything was over the top and exaggerated but that is what made the show so enjoyable. Carly’s brother Spencer always had something up his sleeve. As an up and coming sculpter he was always looking for something to build or make. I have never tried them but I need to try his ever famous … spaghetti tacos!

While Spencer is a major asset to the show other important characters include Gibby and T-Bo. For some reason Gibby loved to dance with his shirt off which was always funny and he appeared frequently on the “random dancing” segment of the show. And then there is T-Bo, ever wanted to know if you could put food on a stick? Ask T-Bo. From bagels to tacos you could find him selling pretty much anything at the local smoothie restaurant. 

This show is a must-see for anyone who loves Nickelodeon. It was a big part of my childhood and would recommend this show to everyone boys and girls alike. 

#1: Drake and Josh

And my favorite childhood show… “Drake and Josh”! Drake and Josh could not be more different from each other, one a rock star, the other, a nerdy teen. However when their parents get married they have to find a way to get along with each other. They go through hilarious adventures especially when it comes to their little sister Megan who is constantly pulling pranks on them and calling them boobs. 

To start, the theme song is bomb so the show already starts off on a good note. While the show includes slapstick humor and is a bit cheesy at times, it is so entertaining to anyone who watches. 

The show also holds a variety of lessons for kids. For one, the most important part is that it teaches the youth how to overcome their differences. As I said before Drake and Josh were polar opposites of each other yet they learned to get along. It also holds a huge theme of family throughout. They are always looking out for each other which is very important to instill in our youth. 

“Drake and Josh” will forever be an amazing show and I encourage all of you to go back and watch it if you have not already!

I hope that you enjoyed these TV series and if you have any others that were in your top choices feel free to leave a comment and I will be sure to check them out! Happy-bingeing.

Don’t you wish you could be a little kid again? I know I do. No more hours of homework, no big responsibility, everyone just wanted to take care of you, and the best part… the one thing you did have to do – just have fun. I have so many great memories as a kid, and believe it or not, a lot of them revolved around the books that my parents used to read me before bed. Whether it was because my parents would always read in different voices or the fact that I got to stay up a little longer, I always loved a good bedtime story. 

There I was, lying in bed all tucked in and getting ready to read some fabulous books (back before high school when my love of reading died – thanks annotating). My parents would come in, read me a few books and I remember always being so happy. Happy to be surrounded by my family. Happy to have a nice laugh before bed. Just pure bliss. 

While all the books they read to me were special, there were a few that stuck out to me the most. Here are my top 4 favorite books from my childhood.

#1: Horton Hears a Who

I am sure that most of you have read this book, but for those of you who have not, here is a short summary: Horton the elephant is busy taking a dip in the pool and hears a small speck of dust talk to him. Horton believes that there are small people living on the speck and he places it on a clover vows to protect all of the people living on it. However, the Sour Kangaroo believes Horton is crazy and does everything in her power to get Horton away from the speck. 

I love this book not only for the story line, but the way my parents would read it to me. Whenever my dad would read me the book, he would always use a different voice for each of the characters, my favorite one was what he used for the Who’s. He would talk in a high pitched, squeaky voice (because they are so tiny) and it always made me laugh. 

It is a perfect book for kids because it teaches them that anyone can make a difference, no matter who they are – every voice matters. Throughout the entire book the same phrase is repeated over and over, “a person’s a person no matter how small”. Children will also walk away knowing the importance of caring for others as Horton does throughout the entire book.

#2: Where the Wild Things Are

This one is a classic. Everyone knows the story- Max, a troublesome boy is sent to bed without supper. His room then transforms into a jungle and he sails across the sea until he stumbles upon an island home to the “Wild Things”. He becomes their king and plays with the monsters. However, he becomes homesick, and decides to return back to his house where he finds a hot dinner waiting for him. 

I loved this book because it was all about the imagination. And just like in the previous book, my parents would always imitate the characters. We would always compete on who could roar the loudest just like the monsters. This was always so fun and I have so many great and funny memories associated with it. 

I think this book is great for any child who loves to use their imagination. You get to see where Max’s mind takes him and it really reminds me of my childhood where my imagination would run wild. 

#3: Miss Nelson Is Missing

This book is one that I don’t believe is as popular as the rest. The premise of the book is pretty simple: the children of room 207 take advantage of their nice teacher until one day she goes missing and the kids must deal with their vile substitute teacher. 

For me, I don’t really know why I loved this book so much. I just thought that the book was exciting and interesting as a whole and as a kid, that’s all I needed. This book is also a bit of a mystery on who the substitute teacher really is and if you couldn’t tell from my previous blogs, I have always been a sucker for mysteries.

This book teaches kids about manners and how to treat adults. They once had a very nice and easy going teacher, however the children never listened and basically would take advantage of her. When they have a strict substitute teacher, their behavior suddenly switches. Overall this is a great children’s book and would encourage you to read it if you never have before! 

#4: Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

This book is a great read for someone who is not having the best day. The book pretty much goes like this- Alexander basically has the worst day ever. Everything seems to go wrong throughout his day, he bumps his head, loses some friends, doesn’t get the shoes he wants, gets picked on by his brothers, doesn’t get to watch the TV show he wants during dinner, and the list goes on. It is pretty evident that this is not exactly a great day for Alexander. 

I loved this book, because it was just SO relatable. Everyone has had these types of days, the ones where literally everything seems to go wrong. Everything just piles on and it seems like your world is crashing down. Alexander dreams of going to Australia to maybe get away from his horrible day, but his mom tells him, some days are like that… even in Australia. 

I think this book teaches young kids that it is OK to have a bad day. They are inevitable. By the ending of the story the mother tries to show Alexander that you really can’t run away from your problems. Overall I think the book is a must-read because it teaches us how to deal with rough days even if it seems like you are having a terrible horrible no good very bad day. 

Now that you have read my top four favorite children’s books, let me know in the comments if you agree with my selections or if you have any other suggestions. Happy reading!