Hello Magpie! It’s *8Things Thursday. Time to check in with our Gratitude. What *8Things are you genuinely grateful for today? I”ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours…

This week I’m feeling particularly grateful for music, and the way it can carry you through. I find  I have two big go-to playlists. “Summer Songs” and “Winter Tunes.” Here are some Winter songs I just can’t do without:

1 . Over the Rhine’s The Long Surrender
2. The Civil Wars
3. The Milk Carton Kids (all their music is free here.)
4. Sarah McLachlan’s Wintersong
5. Eddie Vedder’s Ukelele Songs
6. Low Anthem’s Charlie Darwin
7. The Weepies
8. The Swell Season

What about you Magpie? What *8Things are you grateful for?  Put the short version in the comments, or grab a button for your blog. Give us permalink below so we can stop by! Your list will help others find their gratitude mojo when it’s running a little thin. Thanks for playing!

Hello Magpie! It’s *8Things Thursday. Time to check in with our Gratitude.

Last week my poor Sammy dog was sick. This is his 12th year on the planet, and his 6th year with us. Things seem to be breaking down a little as he’s been in and out of the vet A LOT this fall. So this week for *8Things, I’d like to celebrate with 8 pictures of our little monster.

What are you thankful for this week? I’ll show you mine, if you’ll show me yours…

What about you Magpie? What *8Things are you grateful for? Put the short version in the comments, or grab a button for your blog. Give us a permalink below so we can stop by! Your list will help others find their gratitude mojo when it’s running a little thin. Thanks for playing!

I’ve not been very grateful this week. I opted for being pissy instead. Specifically I’m pissy about my ratio of housework-to-writing. My kids help. My husband contributes. We even have an occasional housekeeper. We don’t keep a spotless house by any means. And yet I struggle with the unending entropy that is an organized/clean/functional home. I don’t want to be a housewife, and yet at least half the day every day (plus evenings) I am.

A former housemate of mine once pointed out to me that I was bitching about a beautiful 6 bedroom home. (OuchandThanks.) So before she has to say it again, I thought I’d focus my gratitude practice this week on housewifery. (This friends, is where a spiritual practice really is a discipline.)

What *8Things are you genuinely grateful for today? I”ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours…

I’m grateful …

1. we have enough clothes to do 8 loads of laundry a week.
2. no one has to go without shoes — as is evidenced by how many pairs of them are around the house. (Just two generations ago, my Grandfather’s family only bought shoes for the oldest two kids.)
3. we’ve been able to house so many friends in our downstairs room — Rebecca, Sharon, Souren, Josh, and Kristen have all lived with us from 3 months to 3 years at a time.
4. I can see the city glow at sunrise from my bedroom window.
5. the kitchen can hold all the appliances needed to host 18 for Thanksgiving.
6. we have the money we need to run kids to the naturopath, dentist, orthodontist and hair dressers.
7. ditto for jazz choir, piano lessons, and the occasional cooking class.
8. for my responsible, creative, kind kids — because they are pretty damn AWESOME.

What about you Magpie? What *8Things are you grateful for?  Put the short version in the comments, or grab a button for your blog. Give us permalink below so we can stop by! Your list will help others find their gratitude mojo when it’s running a little thin. Thanks for playing!
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*If you have a little extra time this week Magpie, please give me a hand! How do you reduce resistence around house-work and parenting requirements? For those of you who are reluctant homemakers, how do you make peace with your momhood/dadhood? And if you are a work-at-home-parent, how do you protect your work time from the siren call of dirty socks?

It’s starting to get grey here in Seattle, and my disposition is following suite. So I know that a gratitude practice will be part of the discipline-of-will that I will need to get me through. Thanks for practicing with me!

What *8Things are you genuinely grateful for today? I”ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours…

I’m grateful …

1. for the last few flowers from my garden.
2. for the good memories of my grandparents that come with the assembly of our Dia de los Muertos shrine.
3. that the puppy is finally bonding with me and coming to ask for random petting and loves.
4. that the older dog has not passively agressively peed in the house for a record-making 3 days.
5. for the opportunity to see our dear friends in Vancouver this weekend.
6. I got to laugh with the fun-loving members of Pomplamoose at their Seattle show last night.
7. to read Eden’s fantastically scary horror story that she wrote for school this week.
8. that Melaine challenged me to write a book by 04 May 2011. (For reals.)

What about you Magpie? What *8Things are you grateful for?  Put the short version in the comments, or grab a button for your blog. Give us permalink below so we can stop by! Your list will help others find their gratitude mojo when it’s running a little thin. Thanks for playing!

I don’t know about you, but we have a recurring bout of First World Issues around here. Folks in our house can get pretty whiny at times. That’s why I enjoy this little gratitude practice. It grounds me in the reality of how bountiful my life really is — even on the tough days.

What *8Things are you genuinely grateful for today? I”ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours…

I’m grateful for…

1. my sweet yoga instructor who kept saying our stretches were “delicious.”
2. Claire and Noah who are coming over for homemade mac-n-cheese tonight.
3. homemade mac-n-cheese.
4. an unexpectedly sunny day here in the Pacific Northwest.
5. the dogs finally being off their medications.
6. a doctor who caught that my iron was low in time to prevent a chornic pain flare up.
7. coffee with Jen Payne Saturday!!
8. a weekend without a lot of commitments.

What about you Magpie? What *8Things are you grateful for? Put the short version in the comments, or grab a button for your blog. Give us permalink below so we can stop by! Your list will help others find their gratitude mojo when it’s running a little thin. Thanks for playing!

In it’s next incarnation, *8Things is going to appear on Thursdays as a gratitude practice. (‘Cuz you only preach the sermon you need to know, and Tapping Into Gratitude is one of my greatest hits needs.)

What *8Things are you genuinely grateful for today? I”ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours…

Introducing….Addie the Grublet!

I’m grateful for…

1. The messy joy that is white puppy “helping” in the winter veg garden.
2. The headache I’m rockin’ right now because it means I’m finally gonna move out of the PMS to just the MS. (Fewer symptoms during the MS part.)
3. The financial ability to see the acupuncturist, the naturopath, and to buy insanely costly supplements.
4. Watching my kids walk to middle school(!) together.
5. Today there will be sun. (It makes me hum this.)
6. Growing enough tomatoes to be able to make sauce.
7. Starting my day with a soul nurturin’, brain-feedin’ TED talk by Brene Brown.
8. Learning to blog again, every day. (So juicy!)

What about you Magpie? What *8Things are you grateful for?  Put the short version in the comments, or grab a button for your blog. Give us permalink below so we can stop by! Your list will help others find their gratitude mojo when it’s running a little thin. Thanks for playing!

I wasn’t going to give in to his tantrum, but 72 hours of non-stop cymbal banging can really convince a gal. So, on behalf of Pinkerton–and anyone else out there who doesn’t like endless clicking (or endless cymbals)–we are now going to feature link love on *8Things. I’ll curate the best of the web for you and serve it up in a tidy list. This week: a soulcare feast with a side of funny.

(Pinkerton, I hope you’re happy. Now step away from the noise makers…)

*8Things for a Soulcare Feast (with a side of funny)

1. First of all, let me just say, if the photo in this blog’s banner doesn’t warm your soul, nothin’ will. (Pastry Child Photography)

2. You are enough. Even if you don’t lead a charge of thousands. (Tracey Clark Blogs)

3. How to deal with criticism.  (Huffington Post)

4. Are you too sensitive? Or not sensistive enough? (Blogasana)

5. How to avoid giving up. (Savor and Serve)

6. Need a jump start? Ten ways to get your act together. (Stratejoy)

7. How to stand in your own power in the work place. (Intuitive Bridge)

8. Bwah ha ha ha….

What about you Magpies? What *8Things have you found on the web this week that you think are worth passing around?  Grab a button and play along. Put your favorite link in the comments. Thanks for playing. (You inspire us!)

I really care about you. So in today’s *8Things I’d like us to pay attention to resistance. Because its is sucking up a lot of your brilliance, time, and creativity, and I don’t want that for you. For us.

Right now, even as I type, the man next door is mowing his lawn. It is insanely loud. Earlier he was pressure washing the deck. (Also loud.) Apparently it is home improvement day at the neighbor’s house.

As a migraineur I really dislike noise. I work without music. I drive without the NPR. I “shush” my children.

Even though I have no control over the making or not-making noise, I am involved with it. I am committed to being frustrated at it. We are in relationship, Noise and I — and it is a toxic one.

I don’t want to be in a relationship with Noise. I don’t want to struggle. I don’t want to be mad. I don’t want to resist.

Rachel Cole said something recently in this post at Jamie Ridler Studios. She said “Stay in choice.” Rachel helped me realize: I have a choice around this terrible Noise.

Choice One: Resist it. Get angry. Be annoyed.
Choice Two: Accept it. Notice it. Let it be.

I heard a story on the NPR recently about a meditation practice that helps people with tinnitus. It doesn’t make the ringing in their ears go away, but it helps them to stay in choice. They choose to notice it, to accept it, and to let it go. The result? Reduced anxiety. Increased productivity. More ease.

When I choose to resist something I have to be in relationship with it — I have to engage with it, and hold an internal dialogue about how much it is bugging me. But if I choose to accept it, it can live over there–outside of me–and the tension my body holds around it can dissipate.

What about you, Magpies? What are you resisting in your life? How can you stay in choice around those things? What helps you practice non-resistance? (Tequila doesn’t count.)

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…

*8Things for Non-Resistance

1. The weather. I chose to practice non-resistance with the mantra “It’s not personal.” Also, I like to ask myself WWLID? (What would Laura Ingalls do?) Answer: nothing. She wouldn’t know it was fantastic in San Diego or Hawaii. She’d just deal. (Laura Ingalls is my go-to guru for simple living.) 
2. Noise. I chose to practice non resistance by wearing earplugs, moving to another location, or listening to this song.)
3. How long everything takes. I kinda suck at this one. Maybe you have suggestions?
4. Computer programs that don’t work the way they say they will. I choose to practice non-resistance by reminding myself that most of these are free, and people are trying their hardest. Also, tequila. (I cheat.)
5. The fact that I can’t eat baked goods, bread, or beer. (Gluten) I choose to practice non-resistance around this unfortunate turn of events by remembering that discovering this allergy reduced my migraines by 80%.
6. Crumbly kitchen counters. I choose to practice non-resistance around this 1) by being grateful the my kids cook for themselves, and 2) by telling myself to stop fuming and “Just wipe the damn counters off already!”
7. The reality that my children need to be fed 3 times a day. (Really? Didn’t you just eat, like, yesterday?) I choose to practice non-resistance around this by practicing gratitude that we can eat 3 times a day. 
8. Chronic pain. I choose to practice non-resistance to this by acknowledging what I’ve accomplished, asking for words of affection when I feel like a looser, and refusing to give up.

What about you Magpies? What *8Things do you want to practice non-resistance around? What helps you practice non-resistance?  Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalinkin the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing. You inspire us!

One of our soulful suppers as captured by Pastry Child Photography.

*8Things For Soulful Suppers

1. simple dinning – tossed salads, grilled something, crusty bread, fruit
2. pretty settings – eating outdoors, vintage glasses, flowers in a jam jar
3. earth lovin’ – cloth napkins, local veggies, real plates (even at the picnic)
4. collaboration – everyone cookin’ in the kitchen, shucking corn, shelling peas
5. right-fit dinner time - early for the family with toddlers who sleep by 6. middle for the couple who has to commute home. late for the night owls who dine like New Yorkers.
6. ‘sert – no cook cheesecake, melon balls, strawberries and cream, a shared bar of good chocolate. (I like dessert!)
7. gratitude – a moment of silence, holding hands in a circle, a poem, a prayer
8. right-fit amount – enough to feel gently full

What about you Magpies? What *8Things make for a Soulful Supper in your book? Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing. You inspire us!

*8Things: Not to Miss this Summer

1. Any time it’s over 80, I’m dropping everything so we can go swimming at one of our urban beaches.
2. Walking every night through our vegetable gardens. (Dad made me square-foot raised beds!)
3.  Walking with the kids to the Farmer’s Market for fresh cheese, fruit pies, and local produce.
4. Hosting our annual 4th of July open house.
5. Kousin Kamp at my parent’s new island home with EIGHT cousins!
6. Yurt-camping with friends.
7. Seeing the 21yo perform in his first profession show (West Side Story), and watching the 11 and 13yo sing tunes from Wicked at camp.
8. Eating outside as often as possible. (Who wouldn’t at this table?)

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What about you? What *8Things do you intend to do with your one wild, precious summer? Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing. You inspire us!

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The Art of Noticing: Going with the Flow

Last week I was whining. Our house had been broken into  and most of our electronics had been stolen. The kids needed help processing the trauma. My laptop was gone with two non-backed-up articles that were due that week. Every time I tried to do something on my borrowed computer I realized I first had to download a program, or grab an image off my website, or re-write something I’d lost. Even the small things — like that fact that the back door was boarded up so we couldn’t easily let the dog out to pee — were making me crazy.

I knew it was going to be a tough week, and I was ready to go with the flow.  My mantra was “Practice Non-Resistance.” I said it A LOT. But I was still very strained. I was trying to go with the flow, but the river was so damn rough it kept bashing me against the rocks, and then I would start flailing.  The feeling was very familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then suddenly while I was walking up the stairs one day, I remembered.

This is what it feels like to have toddlers.

When you have toddlers every task becomes a challenge. All you want to do is get in the car. But first there are fits about not wanting to wear shoes. And then someone has to go potty. And then you forgot to pack the goldfish crackers — and lord knows you do NOT want to be caught in the pediatrician’s waiting room with two children under 4 and no goldfish crackers. A task that should take a few seconds ends up taking 20 minutes. It’s maddening.

When I had toddlers I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t really notice anything. So this time, when that familiar feeling arose I decided to pay attention. To take notice. What does it feel like when I am resisting my reality? And what have I noticed helps with that?

I didn’t have enough resources on this list last week. I struggled. I need more equipment in my non-resistance tool box. So I’m asking you to make your list with me this week so we can help each other out.

*8Things: Noticing Resistance (and what to do about it.)

1. When I am resisting my reality, my breathing becomes fast and shallow.
2. When I am resisting, I drop the f-bomb a lot.
3. When I am  resisting my my throat gets tight.
4. When I am resisting I waste a lot of time complaining in my head.

(Now that what to do about it part…)

5. When I am practicing non-resistance I take full, even breaths.
6. When I am practicing non-resistance I say to myself, “It’s okay,” or “This too shall pass.”
7. When I am practicing non-resistance I swallow to relax my throat.
8. When I am practicing non-resistance I take action on the task at hand.

What about you? What are the tell-tale signs that you are resisting the reality of your “now”? And what have you noticed helps you practice non-resistance?  Give us your *8Things list and contribute to the giant pool of wisdom that keeps us all afloat.  Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink(not your homepage address) in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing!

The Art of Noticing: Excess

It’ s Lent and most of my friends are giving something up. Sugar. Bread. Television.

Many a year I too have given things up for Lent. Yet I have to admit, even when I was a traditional pastor, I never really got the connection between forgoing Snickers for 40 days, and the suffering of a man who was crucified. I know it’s a lot more complicated than that, both in theology and practice. I know that theoretically the practice of fasting during Lent can connect us to our mortality, help us see the need for forgiveness, and make us more aware of the suffering of others. But for me, well, it always just felt like “New Year’s Resolutions: Round Two.”

This year as a part of my post-Christian reality I’m finding a spirituality that fits– even around Lent. As a part of that journey, I’ve been thinking a lot about Excess. Here in America, even when we are in lean times there is still Excess. Excess worry. Excess entertainment, drinking, and junk food to numb the worry. Excess outrage at the power-that-be. The modus operandi for our consumerist culture is ”MORE”. So much so that even in times of crisis, we find ways to over-indulge

So for Lent, I thought I would spend some time noticing the Excess in my own life. Then I thought I’d ask God-and-the-Universe to show me how I might both release the Excess and transform it into Abundance for someone else during this giving season. It’s an experiment. I want to get curious, don’t you? So here it goes–my list of *8Things that I have too much of in my life.

*8Things: Excess

1. Televisions/Movies:  I don’t have a TV, but damned if I don’t consume a lot of movies and shows on Hulu and Netflix.
2. Email. Not sure what to do about that one.
3. Sugar. I’m not supposed to eat it, and yet is is always in my house.
4. Sleep. I could really stand to be a bit more of an early riser.
5. Negative Self Talk. Wow. There would be so much more productivity in a day if I didn’t spend this much time with my Gremlins.
6. Debating About What’s The Most Important Thing to Do Next. (See number 5.)
7. Diet Coke. I quit it like most people quit smoking. It’s snuck back in.
8. Toiletries. Why do I keep buying lotions and potions?!?!

Hmmm. It was harder to come up with *8Things then I thought. I guess my half-assed minimalism and determination to Do Less  has been effective. If I had made this list a year or two ago it would have involved lots more loot. (Especially clothes. My year without clothes really honed my closet down to an effective minimum.)

Based on the things I noticed here, the most logical thing to give up for Lent would be Television/Movies. Frankly I don’t feel strong enough to do that right now. It enjoy the escape at the end of the day, and having something on in the background is the only way I power through my most hated daily task — making dinner/cleaning the kitchen. Plus the $7.99 a month I spend on Netflix really wouldn’t make much of a dent in the Tsunami Relief efforts.

I’m leaning towards sugar. Sugar and Diet Coke. If I give these things up I can redirect about $10 a week towards a charitable cause. Plus both of these things are driving me more quickly towards death, so giving them up makes me more aware of my own mortality and my desire to not get there any sooner than necessary. (That’s kind of Ash Lent-ish, right?) So there we have it. I’m giving up sugar and Diet Coke for Lent.

I’m sure Jesus would be very proud. ;-)

What about you. What is your list of *8Things: Excess? What do you have too much of in your life? Where is there Excess that drains you? How can you transform your Excess into Abundance for others? You’re answers are sure to inspire us.  Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink (not your homepage address) in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing!

The Art of Noticing

The Art of Noticing: Old Things, New Eyes

LaLa’s sun, courtesy of Leanna Ramsey-Corrales, Which Way is Home Again.

Yesterday my yoga instructor asked me to “contemplate the characteristic of Surya, the Sun…” She always asks me this. She never forgets. Why? She’s on a on a DVD, so there is no variation to this routine. I have heard it so often I have become numb to the instructions.

But not this time. This time I actually thought about the Sun and her characteristics. Living in northern climes as I do, I am usually desperate for the sun. For Light. For heat. So much so that these are the only characteristics I remember about the her. But yesterday as I looked at the sun — well, at the watery hint of her existence, there, behind the clouds — I came to notice stunning things about her.

*8Things: Characteristics of the Sun

1. The sun warms whatever she touches.
2. The sun grows things — with the help of others. (rain, oxygen, earthworms…)
3. The sun has no fear of running out of energy in this lifetime.
4. The sun is universally loved.
5. The sun goes on burning, even when no one is noticing it.
6. The sun is egoless.
7. The sun, while needed by all living things, is not strained by her necessity.
7. While the sun may appear to grow stronger or weaker, that comes from viewing her from a fixed perspective. At her core, she is consistently energized and un-depleted. 
8. The sun does the work of her life without effort or strain, but simply by be-ing

Is there something omnipresent in your life that you need too direct your gaze to once again? Can you see something old anew? We’d love to know what you are re-discovering today. What is your list of *8Things: Old Things: New Eyes?  Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink(not your homepage address) in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing!

The Art of Noticing: What helps me feel better.

Yesterday I was turning the pages of my Moleskine calendar and was shocked to see how much the the year has already been scheduled in. “Time flies,” we say. And it does seem to speed by, to pass us in the blink of an eye.

 How can we experience — really experience — the life we are living? Does being present to our everyday help us recognize the sacred? Does paying attention  reduce our stress and fill us up? Can the The Art of Noticing give us what we need to save ourselves and others?

I think so.

Let’s start with *8Things. What *8Things help you feel stronger, healthier, better? Don’t make resolutions to do them every morning. Don’t create a plan. Not yet anyway. Just take a moment to ask you body/mind/spirit, “What help you feel better, friend?” I’ll show you mine, if you’ll show me yours.

*8Things: Feel Better

1. I feel ”cleaner” when I drink water.
2. Sun salutation or laps in the pool help me feel bright and alert.
3. I feel calmer if I make my bed and wash my bowl.
4. I am more loving towards my family, if I have some time to myself each day.
5. I feel super nutured if I read in the bathtub.
6. Clearing my desk clears my head.
7. Bare-bulb lighting nurtures my spirit.
8. I feel jolly when friends come to eat at my house.

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What are *8Things you notice helping you feel better? We need your good ideas, because “there ain’t no place to go but together.” Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink (not your homepage address) in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing!

Hello Magpies!

I’ve had a little trouble keeping up with  *8Things now that I’m teaching on line classes. My plan now is to offer the play-a-long once a month. If you want to know when it’s up, follow me on Facebook or Twitter and you won’t miss a beat.

Today’s list is inspired by this lovely early birthday gift from Trenda Plunkett of Tarot Mama. It made me think about our unsung Superpowers. I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours.

1. Writing Blessings.
2. Homeskillet-style cooking.
3. Building SoulTribes.
4. Reading Teenagers.
5. Embracing Whimsy.
6. Gremlin Taming.
7. Traveling with Children.
8. Being Dangerously Compassionate.

What is your  *8Things : Superpowers list? Do tell! We need your good ideas, because “there ain’t no place to go but together.”   Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing!

I have a one-track mind these days. Okay two tracks. Track One: survive the emotional tsunami that is getting the kids Back to School. Track Two: Pontificate about standing in your own power.

We’re playing second track for you today at Magpie Girl with *8Things That Help You Feel Powerful.

1. Reading writers who voice inspires mine. Anne Lamott. Stephaine Kallos. Sue Monk Kidd. Mary Oliver. These women help me return to my own true voice. (Maybe our Muse’s are first cousins?)

2. Listening to Mumford and Sons. Those boys are singing my song.

3. Walking around the house in my low-cut black tank and my black lace undies. (Not bad for 40.)

4. Nigiri. Something about raw fish powers up my brain and body and makes me feel STRONG.

5. Coaching moments where the energy is really flowing and the Muse is afoot. (My friend Josh calls me “The Sage” when that happen.)

6. Taking long strong strokes down the length of the swimming pool.

7. Warrior’s Pose.

8. Anything with cleavage.

What  *8Things: help you feel powerful? Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalinkin the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing.

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Want to learn how to stand in your own power? It’s the last week to sign up for Power Stories: tips and tales for standing in your own power. This 6 week online course helps you learn to make confident right-fit decisions, and to live out of your own intuitive core. Begins Monday, Sept 13th.  Click here for more information.

Today at *8Things I’m thinking about all the little clues I carry around that show me when I’m not standing in my own power. If any of these show up, it’s a sure sign that I need to stand a little stronger. I use them as a warning sign to help me clue in and change my approach.

*8Things: Warning Sign

1. Saying “Whatever” too often.
2. Sighing and saying,  ”You just decide,” when in a disagreement about plans.
3.  Not sending back a coffee  that’s not what I ordered, or a meal that’s not prepared well.
4. Not asking for a discount when I know it’s standard business practice to give the deal if asked for. (Like at a car rental place.)
5. Feeling generally resentful. (A good sign that I’m not standing in my own power somewhere.) 
6. Rampant jealousy. (This often indicates that i’m not doing what I truly want to do — a weak power stance.)
7. Letting people cut in line in front of me/not speaking up about rude behavior.
8. Feeling regretful of my decisions.

 What behaviors act as  *8Things: Warning Signs  for when you aren’t standing in your own power? Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing.

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Not to be a broken record, butI don’t want you to miss out!  So..if you need help learning to stand in your own power, my new course Power Stories: tips and tales for standing in your own power is Pay-What-You-Will through September 3rd. ($100 regular prices). Click here for more information.

1. Signature Towels:  To cut down on laundry, each kid has $7 towel from Walmart. If you picked Sponge Bob when you were 5, you’ll probably still be using that towel when you are 15.

2. Floating Toys (with various abilities to remain inflated)

3. Coloring Book Pages: I’m sure these will still be affixed to the basement-kitchen walls when the scotch tape has long gone yellow with age.

4. Fishing Gear all tangled in the corner.

5. Shell Collections. I’m pretty sure these procreate when we aren’t looking. Currently the entire picnic table is covered with them.

6. Bottles in the Bathroom: Half-filled bottles of sunscreen, everyone’s preferred shampoo, and the pre-requisite sticky calamine lotion for the mosquito bites.

7. Flip Flops. A big basket of these is at every door. Good luck finding a pair in your size that hasn’t lost it’s mate.

8. Marshmallows. There’s a bag in the upstairs pantry, one in the basement kitchenette, and a third getting crow-pecked by the fire ring.

What makes your family get-away iconic?  Whether it’s a favorite camp spot, Camp Wanatakee, or something in between; give us your  *8Things: Family Cabin list and take a walk down memory lane.  Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing!

Today is our last day in Copenhagen, our ex-pat home for the past 2 1/2 years. (more here and here) I wouldn’t say it’s been a great fit for us, culturally. Families who like to invite strangers in and talk to people on the bus do not acclimate well to Danish culture. But the city itself is at is most charming right now, as though tempting us to stay. I often say that CPH is like an elderly Aunt who has kept herself well. I’d like to remember the good bits, now before I go. 

*8Things: To Treasure about Copenhagen

1. Knowing it’s time to pick the kids up from school by the sound of the church bells.
2. Watching the swans nest in city lakes that were once castle moats.
3. Martin encouraging us with the linguistically unique inhaled Danish ”yes” enthusiastically while we tell him a story.
4. Listening to Cate’s friend Johanna speak English and Danish with an Estonian accent. (Like a mini Soviet agent with golden ringlets and a penchant for knock knock jokes.)
5. Riding my bike through the city with my basket full of herbs, flowers, and strawberries.
6. The yellow and rosy-brick buildings with their green-copper turrets.
7. Drinking too much and eating too much with the Neilsen’s in their garden. (Ah! The courtyards!)
8. Walking thru the University Haven with Cate and watching it unfold from snow covered cemetery-silence to ducklings and daffodils.

What’s your list of *8Things: Honoring Places? What do you want to remember about a significant place in your life — your home town, your family’s summer cabin, a room of your own?  Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing!

Just a quick list this week…it’s too nice to stay inside and type. What are *8Things you simply must do this Summer?

*8Things: Simply Summer

1. Eating outside.
2. Popsicles.
3. Staying up to late because it’s still light out at 10pm.
4. Guitar on the porch after dinner.
5. Pigtails.
6. Inflatable wading pools.
7. Raspberries.
8. Smell like chlorine.

What’s your list of *8Things: Simply Summer? Be present to them now and create a little cache of sunlight in your soul.   Grab a button and play along. If you put your list on your blog, give us the permalink in the Mr. Linky below. Thanks for playing!