My friend Genny is hosting a thoughtful project this month, based on a book she read entitled, One Month to Live. Although I certainly won’t know when my 30 day clock will begin, it’s an interesting prospect to consider how I’d use my time.

In high school I made a “life list” and I’ve considered writing a reprise to that — all the destinations I’ve yet to travel, and the goals I’ve yet to achieve. But this project is quite different. With only 30 days, I find myself thinking more about what I wouldn’t do, than what I would do.

I wouldn’t
…go anywhere, see things or fill my life with adventure, like I would on a bucket list that I might take decades to cross off. I wouldn’t achieve, reach goals or buy things.

I wouldn’t watch the news, or listen to anyone who shared the negative side of it.

I wouldn’t answer the phone or sort my email inbox.

I wouldn’t resent, regret, worry, or feel obligated, angry or hurt.

I would
…pick and choose the small things that have brought me joy.

I’d live at the cabin, like we do in the summer.

I’d fill the freezer with filet mignon and shrimp, make fancy dinners with my daughter and bake chocolate chip cookies from scratch with my son.

I’d rise early and go to bed late, watch the sun illuminate the lake as I drank coffee with my husband, and watch it blaze red at dusk as we sipped Merlot.

I’d go for walks.

I’d toast marshmallows with my kids and ride bikes to Dairy Queen.

I’d blog every day, leaving my own “Last Lecture.”

I’d take pictures.

If friends and family visited, we’d talk and laugh, and share good news.

I wouldn’t talk about dying in 30 days.

And I’d thank God if he let my last 30 days be healthy ones.

What would you do with your time, if you knew you only had 30 days to live?

(Works-for-Me Wednesday is backwards this week, so I’m asking what works for you!)

We canceled our cable and Internet last spring when we moved to the cabin. I wasn’t happy with the Internet service and knew TV and Internet wouldn’t get used in an empty house, so we saved ourselves about $300 to cancel everything. But now we’re faced with the reality we’re moving home from the cabin, and have none of our electronics hooked up. I called to install a phone line, so we’ll go with DSL this time. But I’m so conflicted about the television.

Up until three years ago, we’d never had cable or satellite television. The four network stations we received were enough, despite their sometimes fuzzy reception. But we’d moved to a remote area that required a 15-foot-tall antenna to acquire a signal, and even then it was iffy.

So we plunged. We got Dish Network, which catered to our perceived need to plug in and zone out. And because of it, we are now the proud parents of two Disney Channel addicts.

And I’m thinking about pulling the plug.

I purchased $15 rabbit ears for our TV and found that we receive one channel perfectly and about three others so-so, if I jimmy the antenna. The kids noticed the TV was on, after three months off, and were very excited, but I didn’t have the heart to explain my evil plan.

I’m inspired by friends like Holly who have done the same thing. This cold-turkey loss of cable may induce some drama in our household, but I’d love to think that it might also lead to better family communication. I guess we’ll see.

I brought up the discussion on Twitter, and Beth at Life with Two Little Vikings suggested I offer up some kind of family reward for the money we’ll save (which would total at least $30 per month.) This may ease the discontent that will surely be communicated when our daughter hears the news.

I’d love to hear about your experiences related to quitting cable, as well as more suggestions on making the switch. Thanks so much!

Good News About Youth and the Adults Who Empower Them:

The “Curriculum”
Off to College
This Quiet House

What does passing the torch mean to you? Is it teaching? Passing traditions? Doing the right thing? Or good news about youth?

Join us each week for Pass the Torch Tuesday.

Former PTT posts.

Our kids (ages 9 and 11) have long understood that “I’m bored” is not an acceptable expression in our family.

It’s not that they don’t get bored, but as parents we expect the kids to take ownership for their own entertainment. Our kids are better at choosing the fun stuff, and we’re better at running the household and managing the family.

Early on, our kids learned that even indirect expressions of boredom - like sibling squabbling and other irritating behavior - meant that they would lose the relative freedom of choosing their own fun activity, and get put to work by Mom or Dad.

Here are six strategies have contributed to our kids’ ability to direct their own activity.

• We ask the kids to brainstorm weekly activities they’d like us to do together. They understand we are cost-conscious, so their favorites are “bike to Dairy Queen” and “tube down the Apple River.” We’ll probably try Letterboxing too. And I add my standby activities as well — library visits, picnic in the park, nature hike, and museum field trips.

• We maintain a summer calendar and scope out which activities are time-sensitive. This gives us something to look forward to and the structure ensures we all know what to expect. Our weekly schedule includes about three hours of schooling (reading, workbooks, journaling, science experiments), regular chores and a field trip or family activity.

• I include the kids on daily errands and projects. Preteens are very helpful with grocery-shopping and post office runs, as well as yard work or staining the deck. If we keep the work to just an hour or two, it isn’t so taxing and they always know there’s a play date or fun activity to look forward to. My kids also prepare their own breakfasts, and take turns making a simple lunch for the three of us. This way we all feel productive.

• We schedule many opportunities for playing with friends - at least three times per week. Since the kids know they can depend on this, they seem more willing to play with each other on the off-times. And whether the kids are at my house or the friends’ house, I can usually work during this time.

• We provide fun stuff the kids can access on their own. We have a craft bar filled with paint and creative supplies, and computer and Playstation games they can use on a limited basis. Craig plays guitar and Darla reads and journals.

• When our kids tell us they don’t know what they can do, we usually respond with an empowering question, like, “What will you do about that?”

While every family experiences a different dynamic, this system has worked for us. And in the long-run, I hope that their ability to self-direct will help them to make healthy choices as teenagers, when risky choices may become more available. What do you do to encourage your kids to find their own healthy entertainment?

This week Shannon is asking for boredom busters, and I’ll be combing her site for morsels of inspiration. I encourage you to join me!

Here is a way for school counselors, teachers and parents to help transition their preschool students into Kindergarten. It’s a slideshow called “A Day in the Life of a Kindergarten student.” It’s an idea that could easily be replicated in other districts.

You know that I rarely share anything useful that’s related to the kitchen end of the house. But I’m relatively good at reading directions, and putting various ingredients into a container. In fact, despite last year’s nightmare before Christmas mishap, our whole family has become rather proficient at creating fun dry mixes for family and friends.

So when I found this recipe for spiced chai tea mix, I knew I’d found this year’s teacher gifts. We love chai tea, but it’s such an expensive treat, we rarely endulge. Because many of the spices were already in my pantry, it cost a total of $22 for about a gallon of dry mix — probably one-third the cost of store-bought dry chai mix.

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup instant tea
* 1 cup of sugar
* 1 cup of dry milk
* ½ cup of dry creamer

Spices:

* 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon of ground ginger

* ½ teaspoon of salt
* ½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
* 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
* 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne (careful, careful!)

Spoon a couple of heaping teaspoons into a mug of hot water, stir, and Voila! Steaming chai tea. Of course, you can add more or less to taste, and you can vary the ingredients to match your love of spices.

It was an easy mixture for both kids to make, and we had lots of practice figuring out fractions as well. We measured all the amounts with only the half-cup and 1/4 teaspoon. My eight- and eleven-year-old often had to think twice, but measured accurately. They’re very excited to give their home-made gifts. Works for me!

What’s your favorite teacher gift?

Visit Rocks in My Dryer for more great tips.
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