My first ever subscription was to Highlights. I pored over the pages reading the stories and poems. At the end of every issue there was reader art, and I remember always looking to see if anyone from my hometown had submitted anything (once I saw a picture sent in from someone just a few towns over!). My next subscription was to something completely devoted to dinosaurs. I can't remember the name, or even find it on the internet, but I loved it. Every issue came with a new set of bones. At the end of the year I had built a glow in the dark model T-Rex with them. Because of that magazine I had grand ideas of growing up to be a paleontologist. Around this time I also loved looking at Smithsonian. Obviously it was my parents' magazine, but they didn't mind sharing. ;)
The next stage in my life belonged to Teen Beat. I didn't get them, but my best friend did and we drooled over posters of Jonathon Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa, Hansen, and Leonardo DiCaprio (who is still drool worthy, if I may say so myself!).
When I turned 16 my grandmother gifted me a subscription to Seventeen. Strangely, I don't remember anything about it. What I remember of that magazine is definitely from more recently than 10 years ago; my sister in law gave me a stack of her old issues, and I enjoyed all the beauty and fashion tips. But I don't think I used them at all when I was 16 lol! Actually.... I wonder if my mom was intercepting them because she thought they were inappropriate. I know she's done that with the laundry lol! Hrmm, I should ask her. Maybe my memory is just faulty.
When my hubby and I got our own place I ordered Cosmopolitan. I wished I could be more like those chic 20somethings. They finished school, they had careers. They had nice apartments and full closets of edgy and sophisticated clothes. I wasn't the target audience. I was in the right age range (still am, really), but I was somewhere else in my life. Not to say I didn't appreciate the advice, the articles, the horoscopes etc. I just felt like half of the magazine didn't apply to me. After my subscription ended, I faithfully bought the latest issue off the stands for months, even after I got pregnant and it applied to me even less.
Soon after (maybe even a little bit before) my first son was born I traded in Cosmo for American Baby, Parents, and Parenting. I couldn't get enough! It was a little bit of overkill, I'll admit it. At least two of them always seemed to be featuring the same topic each month. I didn't mind. I got new advice, but maybe more importantly, I got reassurance that a lot of the things I was doing- but unsure of- were actually OK. We all want to be great parents, and there's no one right way to do it. That was probably the most important thing I learned (this was before I found Cafemom.com, where I would have learned that eventually anyway).
As my son got a little older I tried Family Fun. Love it still. It's just chock full of stuff to DO! Things to MAKE. Matthew loves looking through it to see what crafts he wants to try, recipes he wants to make. I think our favorite has been rainbow cupcakes. Such a simple idea! A little bit of a pain in the ass to make, but they are so fun, and so worth it! Every issue I find myself ripping out pages to keep. EVERY issue. When I got pregnant again I did American Baby and Parenting again. They ran out and I didn't feel the need to renew them. I'm a much more confident mother this time around. I still could use Parents, now that I have more than one age group. And with Matthew in kindergarten this year I've found myself in unfamiliar territory again. So I'm planning on ordering that one soon. Around this time, just so it wasn't all baby, all the time, I had a subscription to US Magazine. All the Hollywood gossip! I ate it up, but couldn't justify renewing it.
A few days ago I got my first issue of REDBOOK. Jillian Michaels is on the cover. A sign I need to start using her 30 Day Shred DVD again? Probably lol! My first impression of the magazine, and I said it to Eric was, "It's like Cosmo for moms!" It seems to have the perfect blend of love and marriage advice, (affordable) fashion and trends, and parenting and home life. I think I picked a winner, and I'm really looking forward to more issues. And guess what. There was a question submitted from a reader only a few towns away from me! ;)
Just as important as my magazines are my other subscriptions... the blogs I love to read! I love peeking in on someone else's life without feeling nosy about it. I'm pretty new to the blogosphere, but already these ladies have me laughing and crying, cheering and jeering! You can see a few of the blogs I follow on my sidebar. Maybe one of them is yours! If it is, thank you. For the entertainment, for the advice, for inviting me into your routine, and of course, for being here to read my blog as well.
Have a great day ladies!
Our life in magazines seems to be pretty similar. I am in love with Redbook and Fitness. Both are just what I need at this point in life.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great Sunday.