In July I dared readers to step out and conquer a bucket list goal that required them to let go. To be wildly free. Something like dancing in the rain. For me that expression of whimsical freedom came in the form of sitting out on my roof eating ice cream sandwiches with my kids –…
Time
August Bucket List Life Dare: Seize the Summer Moment
It’s August. Our school district is clamoring for my attention again with registration forms in the mail and orientation reminders in my inbox. As much as I want to ignore it and pretend my mornings will forever be blissfully quiet with kids sleeping late, summer is winding down. School will be starting again. Soon. And…
Adventurers in Training
Living out a bucket list is not as much about the items on the list as it as about being open to – and inviting – adventure. It is about being transformed into an adventurer. Our family suffered two losses this past week. On Wednesday, my husband’s grandmother died. A spunky Brit with a quick tongue, she lived…
The November List
I was talking last night with a longtime friend when she mentioned her “November List. “What’s your November List?” I asked. She explained that for years she has kept a list of things which would usually get done in December, but felt too much like chores and marred the month. She made a point of tackling…
Bucket List Adventures Imperfectly Done
My family visited Nashville for the first time last week. We spent five days of our spring break in the city and checked off multiple bucket list goals (including seeing Nashville itself). We had a great time that promoted family bonding, even though we could have done better at making the most of it. Which…
Balanced List, Balanced Life
Do you feel like you spend your weekdays waiting for the weekend only to spend the weekend exhausting yourself with a packed calendar? Are you enjoying time as a family but often have a nagging feeling that you’re missing something or missing out on something? It may be because you have an imbalanced list of…
Seasonal Bucket List… Or Activity List?
Are you working your way through a “Winter Bucket List” right now? Have you been putting ideas down for a “Spring Bucket List”? It’s time we set the record straight on seasonal lists and what we call them. Because the name really does make a difference – in what goes on the list and in…
It’s Time
One question for you as we approach the new year: what is it time for? Instead of setting yourself a list of self-improvement goals that are bound to produce more guilt than change (if the statistics are right), take an optimistic approach. Think about the different goals or outings or classes you’ve had in mind…
Childhood, Halloween Candy, Autumn Fun, & A Confession
I hope your family had a fun Columbus Day weekend – with or without the requisite fall activities. Our family did a bit of this and that, including attending our high school’s last home football game. I had forgotten the electric excitement of being among the crowd cheering on the marching band – I mean…
One Way to Improve Your Kids’ Decision Making Skills
So much to do. So little time. But do you ever make your children choose? And could making them choose under the pressure of “not enough time for it all” backfire? It’s easy to want to avoid making our kids choose between activities. We don’t want them to miss out. We don’t want to shortchange…