Okay everyone, are you ready to play?

This is your space to tell your daily (well, nearly daily) stories of your experience with the Free Love Give-Away, our Habitude Project for February. What did you try? How did it go? How is this little practice in transformation changing you or others? Do tell! Anytime you want to add a story or read a story, just click on the cute little heart up there, in the masthead (see it? my husband made it for me) and it will take you right back here to catch up.

If you need help getting ideas for how to spread a little love around you can order these, or read this post-and-comments, or try these ideas out with your kids.

Ooooo…I can’t wait!

It starts tomorrow! Are you so excited? You know what it reminds me of? Once, when I was ten or eleven, my family drove our camper to Southern California to go to Disneyland. We stayed at one of those KOA campgrounds with all the concrete and the nice showers. That night, if we climbed the ladder to the roof of the camper, we could see the fireworks exploding over Cinderella’s castle. We were delirious with anticipation. I feel sort of like that!

I’ve just printed up several sets of the collaged loved cards, and I’m going to be cutting, scoring and folding the night way. I always forget that making and spreading art always involves some project task that I really dislike. Assembling seems to be the big draw back for me lately. Thank goodness I have this on tape so my Hollywood crush can keep me company! (Even my kids refer to him as “Mommy’s little crush.”)

Congratulations to Bobbie, Meg, and Jamie for winning the Free Love Give-Away give away (wow, that’s a mouthful!). Oh, and special thanks to Melissa, who graciously gave her winnings up to the next gal. One act of free love already completed!

While you’re waiting for your order to arrive in the mail, here are some other lovely little ideas that will help spread a little love around….

Ten Free Love Give-Away Ideas

10. Scrape the ice off your neighbor’s windshield before you go to work.

9. Take a roll of scotch tape with you to the grocery store and stick coupons on the relevant boxes. (I stole this from Oprah years ago, but I still think it’s great. It would make my day if there was a dollar-off coupon on the Cracklin’ Oat Bran when I picked it up off the shelf!)

8. While you’re at the grocery store…make eye contact with your cashier, address them by name, and tell them thank you for helping you get through the tasks of your day.

7. Write your kid’s teacher a note – or better yet, remember the unsung school heroes: janitors, music teachers, reading specialists, the yard duty people, bus drivers and the lunch lady!

6. Bring your co-worker a cup of coffee from your local barista, or even just refill his/her mug when you head to the break room.

5. Put one of those crack-and-heat hand warmers in your mailbox for your letter carrier.

4. Brush your poor mangy dog.

3. Put that jar of coins you’ve been collecting in your cashier’s charity box.

2. Hold the elevator.

1. Where you’ve bee lurking, post a love note on someone’s blog. (Heather can use some counter-hate mail.)

Okay, ready? Drop and give me 5…..ideas in the comments below, that is…

For those of you who have requested a copy of Hiver, I’ve got ya covered. I accidentally left some crucial supplies at home today, but tomorrow (Wed) I will get everyone’s invoices in the email and ‘zines in the snail mail. I’ll also be mailing out the first round of Free Love Give Away Cards, so order today for shipping tomorrow!

Thanks to everyone who ordered early and is now writing me with lovely little props for Hiver! I sure do appreciate the feedback. Lord knows I need the strokes!

Love Ya!

As you may know by now, Jen and I are constantly in the current of an on-going mutual love fest. Today she posted about the life-changing ‘writing’ retreat we embarked on last Summer. It’s fabulously written and you really must go over and have a gander. But the main reason I’m waxing poetic about Jen today is that I just got her amazing Zine in the mail. Beginnings is a full-color, hand-drawn, wisdom-and-wit-drenched glossy piece of goodness guaranteed to inspire the most stuck amongst us. Go order right now while you still can!

Without giving too much away, just let me say that one of the big themes in Beginnings is to dream big…Mondo Beyondo big. I tried very hard to be a good little girl and make my Mondo Beyond list last night – but I fear it might be a little tame in comparison to Jen’s heart-stopping list here. But still, it marks where my dreams are at in this moment, so I’ll Polaroid that here and now for future reference.

MONDO BEYONDO 2007

LIVE in Italy long enough that it feels like home.

TRAVEL each year to a far off destination until we feel like international pros.

SPEAK-TEACH in venues all over the place about art, spirituality, and all things Magpie-y and Urban Abbess-ish.

GET OVER my body issues and be at healthy weight once and for all. (actually this feels the most beyondo)

KICK ASS at being one or all of the following: Surfer. Pool Hustler. Yoga Guru.

SING my lungs out in front of a big crowd (and sound fantastic…maybe a little like her or her.)

GAZE out my apartment at Central Park before going to the Met to spend a day writing in the café overlooking the sun-filled sculpture garden.

FIND my long lost friend gay-best-guy-friend from college and be deliriously, platonically in love again.

INDULGE one week a year in a fabulous all-by-myself (or with one perfect partner) writing/creating retreat.

BE FEATURED in one fantastic interview with Ira Glass, or produce one fabulous story with him and the TAL crew.

EAT fabulous all-organic high-flavor food with Anne Lamott and a gaggle of girlfriends on a regular basis.

WEAR only handmade orginals like this, or this every day of my life.

ADOPT one fabulous child (or better yet a set of siblings) from anywhere improvrished and scary.

What are you dreaming about today? Put the link to your Mondo Beyond in the comments!

I wish I was one of those people who can leap out of bed, wash their face, a sweep their hair back into a ponytail and look fantastic — like Gwyneth Paltrow going for a run, or Jennifer Gardner, yeah, like Jennifer Gardner!

Sadly this is not the case. My skin after all is nearly 40 years old and my weight is …well…let’s just say since I’ve had kids, it’s probably more than either of those pretty skinny things weighed while they were pregnant. Nevertheless, this is what I am going to do today or I’ll never ever even get out of the house.

Sometimes, I am just so lazy.

Thankfully, Samson needs more dog food and he only eats this special food which is – I kid you not – is subtitled “for fussy eaters with special digestive needs.” It must be bought at a special dog food boutique which is half way across town and at which the staff lectures you on giving your dog a tiny piece of bagel because “wheat is not good for them.” Thankfully, I have a fistful of five-dollar-off-coupons from my earth-friendly coupon book, and I plan on talking them into letting me buy a bunch of bags at once. I’m gonna lay on the “be environmentally friendly by not making me drive out here more than once” lecture. Here’s hoping!

I’m not sure how I became this urban mama, with two kids in public school, the kind of dog you can put in a satchel, a knitting addiction, and a studio –but I sure do like it!

Speaking of being an urban mom, here’s something from Eden this week:

“Momma! Our dolls are eating sushi and then we are going to take our stuffed animals to the dry cleaners!”

Yes, my children do actually have a plastic sushi set. They’re such urban babies!

Speaking of urban babies, here’s a book recommendation for the still-in-the-board-book-stage set. I think its tres adorable!

Urban Babies Wear Black

In order to stave off the midwinter duldrums, my urban babies are going to the indoor public pool this weekend. Here’s hoping your weekend is super fun too!

In the past six months I’ve been twice inspired by the Beatles. First, I saw Polyphonic Spree at an outdoor Summer concert. There was much chatter amongst the crowd as to whether or not PSpree was knocking off the Beatles later psychedelic style, or creating something new. The PSpree choir was small that night, and they had changed from last tour’s white choir robes to a new military-esque jacket and a ‘by any means necessary’ kind of stance — fists in the air, determination in their voices. I missed their former dreamy hopefulness, but at the same time I resonated with the energy coming from the stage that said, “Enough is enough. Peace. Must. Come.” It reminded me of the Beatles, determined in their songs to paint a picture of an alternative but possible reality: that the world could be as one; that all we needed was love.

A few months later as we walked through Central Park on vacation in New York, we came across the memorial to John Lennon. It was small and pretty non-distinct — there were much larger memorials to more obscure figures in the massive city park. Lennon’s was a circular plaque in the sidewalk, surrounded by benches where people gathered regularly to chat on their cross-town foot commute after work. It was a simple spot, lovingly attended, scattered with petals and roses. In the center of the plaque a single word…”Imagine.”

I thought of John and the Beatles — their musical and political influences felt and sustained across decades and generations. I recalled what I knew about their assertion that all we needed was love, and their imagination that spun out a world of equity and peace. I was sad Lennon’s dream had failed, that we as a people had failed. But then, my thinking shifted and I began to think that if PSpree was still singing, and people were still bringing community and roses to a plaque in Central Park, then maybe it wasn’t so much that we’d failed as that we were still working on it — perhaps the imagined dream was still in progress. Maybe it was true, that all the people could live as one, that all we need is love.

I know, it’s corny. Super incredibly impossibly corny. But I just can’t help hoping it’s true. Or at least, true enough to make it worth the effort to keep working on it.

So here’s what I say: let’s do it. Let’s make it our first Habitude to spread a little love around.

I, the Magpie Girl, hereby pledge to commit a random act of love every day for the month on February. Not just on Valentines Day. Not just to people I know, but to whomever I chance to encounter. Random, tiny, real acts of love to everyday people in everyday ways.

What do you say? Should we be lovers?

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will live as one.”

P.S. The first three people who say “I’m In” in the comments below will get a special gift — a set of Free Love Give-Away cards, the next hand-made treasure at Buy Magpie!

Everyone who comes to my house in the winter is greeted with this.

I mean that literally. It’s hanging off the front door knob.

If you do not use it, you are either foolish, or deluded or quite possibly both. Anyone who lives with children who are in grade school — or preschool, or in playgroup, or who ever darken the door of a McDonald’s ballpit – all of these people know that the indoor play season is one ripe with germies and creepy crawlies of all kind. Hand sanitizer Must. Be. Used.

[NB: My husband, Paul, also recommends one of these. He’s become an evangelist for these things. Oh, and for people the web over who are typing comments right now about the virtues of good ole’ soap and water, I get it, okay? But sanitizer beats the line to the ladies room...]

If anyone knows of a hand sanitizer that is nice smelling, doesn’t turn your skin into ash, and is maybe even affordable, please let me know. The best recommendation will receive a complimentary Magpie-Girl magnet! Which isn’t actually strong enough to affix a crayon drawing to the fridge, but is kinda cute because it has my little birdie on it! (Guess who discovered printable magnet paper! Oh, the cleverness of me.)

This Fall I heard Judith Levine when she was interviewed on National Public Radio about her latest book, Not Buying It: My Year Without ShoppingNot Buying It: My Year Without Shopping. In both the book and the interview she detailed her year in which she and her partner bought nothing but heat, water, garbage service, and the ingredients for home cooked meals. No magazines. No movies. No Gifts. No clothes. Nothing.

Ironically, I rushed out and immediately purchased a copy of Not Buying It. (In my defense I did try to get it from the library, but there were 163 people ahead of me on the library hold list.)

The book is spare and simply written, a piece of non-fiction describing a project. (Now fully worth-it in paperback!) I had to laugh a little that Levine’s “buy nothing” year did not extend to anything she needed for work, or to the remodel that they were doing on their second home in upstate New York. (Something Levine giggles at about herself as well.) Still, the woman isn’t angling for sainthood here – just some personal growth—and maybe a nice sustaining book contract.

In the end I was inspired by Levine, and by what stepping off the hamster wheel of consumerism revealed to her about herself, and by extraction what the experiment reveals to us about ourselves. I recognized myself when she quipped, “what if I discover my authentic self and my authentic self is shopper?” I agreed with her about marketing when she asserted, “almost nothing that is advertised is actually necessary.” (Except for the Swiffer. I mean, have you tried that thing?!) Most of all, I was struck when Levine observed this danger in our consumer society:

“…just as it promises to buy us love, the marketplace also frees us from relationship, releases us from needing other people. As long as you’ve got a credit card in your pocket, you can go it alone.”

(Hmmm. Methinks we’ll need to unpack that quote in a later post, n’cest pas?)

After discovering Judith, I had big plans to go the no consumer route — for 30 days. I thought I could take November as a sort of a mini-attempt, like running a 5K before training for a marathon. But Christmas loomed ever-so-near, and right about that time I moved into my studio so I could justify buying just about anything “for work.” (Bookshelves? Hand printed wrapping paper for drawer liners? Beads, buttons, bangles, a goldfish, a bag of crystallized ginger? Definitely all work related.) But it did get me thinking heady things about transformational theology; and whether we find ourselves or create ourselves; and what it means to make New Year’s resolutions or Lenten promises. And I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to try one good deed a month (or most months) of the year? Thirty days seems imminently doable, and I might pick up a few much needed good habits. Not to mention, the generation of good writing material and possible worldwide fame. (Look what happened to the gal from the Brown Dress Project – she ended up hanging with Good Morning America!) And maybe, just maybe, I could work up to 30 days without buying anything.

So, much to my husband’s chagrin (“What have you signed me up for now?!), Habitude – The 30 Days Project was born. Here is my proposition my friends. You and I, and maybe a couple of others, we’ll take on one mildly transforming life habit a month. None of them will be too challenging, and it’s totally fine if you flub up. We’ll moan and groan to each it to each other on this website (my comments es su comments) or on your websites. And maybe, just maybe we’ll get a little more Zen in the process. (After we briefly act all bitchy and complain-y.)

Curious? Confused? Mildly intrigued? Stay tuned for the announcement of the February Habitute!

This is Jen. She’s what you might call a firecracker. About six months ago, she decided to get back into acting, so in spite of the fact that she has no singing or dancing experience, she landed a part in the Radio City Music Hall’s holiday show in Toronto. (You know, with the Rockettes!) Very little stops this girl from moving forward. Except maybe a cement wall…

A few days ago something went wrong and Jen’s car hit a cement barrier while going 65mpg down I-5. This would be scary enough for anybody, but Jen has the special circumstance of being a little person. Since cars aren’t designed for someone of her height, none of the saftey measures (seat belts, airbags) protect her as well as they would protect me. I think Jen’s a little shorter than Eden, who’s height prevents her from sitting in the front seat. If the airbag is too dangerous for Eden to sit up front, it can’t be much better for Jen in the driver’s seat. I felt shitty enough the last time I was in a car accident and that was at 15 miles an hour with a seatbelt that hit me in the right spot on my shoulder!

Jen has two black eyes, a very broken nose, a swollen brain, and a very sore back. She’s terribly dizzy and in a lot of pain, plus she’s plauged with crash nightmares. Not to mention that since the show closed a few weeks ago she’s out of a job.

Thankfully, Jen’s here in Seattle with her parents and her friends and family are being very supportive. Please join me in saying a prayer and directing some healing energy towards Jen today.

Thank you!

I got a little nod from Minti today for an article I wrote called Mantras for New Moms. They sent it out in thier monthly update as an example of how to write a good advice article. Ahhhhh…thanks Minti!

BTW, I’m over here at Minti, Jen Lemen’s a advice master over there and Jen Payne pops in now and again as does Cate’s godmother, Susan. Check it out and join the parenting fray.

In other good-on-you news, I’ve nearly sold out Hiver, with only six copies left. If you’d still like to order one click here.

I’m hoping to post tomorrow about the process of writing an actual book. If you don’t see a post up about it in a day or to, send me emails and give me a VAK (virtual ass kicking.)