I had an interesting childhood. I was the oldest of five. One year after Mom had me, she had my little sister. Jean was born with Spina Bifida, and had MANY health problems. A year and a half after that, Mom had twins--hyperactive boys that got up at 5 am no matter what. Then two years later she had my baby brother, who had a learning disability in a day when nobody knew what to do about it. My father had a hereditary mental illness, so our house was often chaotic. That being said, Mom knew how to make things special without spending any money (we had no extra). I remember many cookouts, playing on the swing set, and digging for gold in the sand box. When we could scare up a couple of quarters, we went swimming at the park a few blocks away. Our neighborhood was full of boys, so Jean and I played basketball and GI Joe's instead of more girlish pursuits. Mom is one of eleven kids, so about twice a month we'd go up North to Grandma's and have an instant crowd of playmates and the best cooking imaginable. I have always hated the cold, so the weather in Milwaukee was not my favorite. I did enjoy a good snowball fight though.