I recently read an article about a celebrity chef. In it, he talked about his nightly ritual with his wife: “At around 11:30 or 12:00, we talk. Not just, 'How are you?’ I like to have a soulful conversation with her, a meaningful conversation. And then after that, I fall asleep within two seconds. I am just beat. I am beat." I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Are you freaking kidding me? A soulful conversation? At midnight?! In which you are so "alert" that you fall asleep within two seconds of having it? Granted, I am not in the room with them, but I'd love to ask the wife just how meaningful these late-night conversations are for her. Look, everyone says they have their priorities in order. "Family first!" is the familiar cry. But Adultitis is eternally tempting us to let our focus slide to other things. Our pride and ambitions can drive us to chase wealth, status, and adulation, often at the expense of the people we care about the most, while we expertly rationalize …
Relationship hacks: 7 awesome date night ideas that bring the fun front and center
Want a relationship that not only lasts but gets better and better as you go along? Without a doubt, one important ingredient is regularly-scheduled date nights. Contrary to popular belief, date nights aren’t just for people who are dating! What starts out as a normal and frequent part of every relationship becomes an endangered species once a few years and children and pile up. It’s worth pointing out the “scheduled" part of regularly-scheduled is key here. Don’t expect to magically “find” time. You’re more likely to have an errant asteroid hurtle through Earth’s atmosphere and magically “find” your house. Think about it: if you need to have an important meeting with a client, you don’t wait to magically bump into them at a coffee shop — you schedule it! We schedule all the important stuff in our lives, and this is as important as it gets. Ok, now that we have that squared away, what are you going to do on this freshly scheduled date night? Dinner and a movie? Oh hells no. …
The Adultitis-Free Way to Win an Argument Every Time
At the most recent Escape Adulthood Summit, a woman named Kate shared an awesome technique for winning arguments. It all started on a simple premise agreed upon by Kate and her husband. They decided that no matter how angry they were with each other during the course of an argument, if one of them said, "Lincoln Log!" they would both have to laugh. (Actually, the word they used was "raccoon," but she joked that it was already taken. Lincoln Log seemed fun -- you can use it if you want. So does cantaloupe. Or sasquatch. Use your imagination!) She described a typical scenario. An argument begins and quickly escalates, with both sides angrily stating their cases. In the heat of the action, just as Kate prepares to unload with both barrels, her husband says, "Raccoon!" At first she thinks to herself, "I CANNOT believe you pulled out "raccoon" right now; I was just about to bury you!" But inevitably, giggles burst free. Before long, both parties get some instant -- and much-needed …
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How to Adultitis-Proof Your Wedding
A wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life. But it can also be a breeding ground for Adultitis. This sinister foe downright salivates at events involving formal wear, the merging of families, and an expectation that everything is supposed to go perfectly. Is it possible to Adultitis-proof your wedding? Yes. But it requires a mindset that decides you're going to have fun no matter what the caterer messes up or your mother-in-law does. It also helps to incorporate some ideas that send the message to you and your guests that Adultitis is not invited. I've been collecting some of my favorite best Adultitis-free invites, favors, photo-ops and more on a Pinterest board. What are YOUR favorite ideas for Adultitis-proofing a wedding? …
How We Spent Our 13th Anniversary
Kim and I always do something childlike on our anniversary. One year we went to the circus. Another time we visited Toys "R" Us on Times Square. This year, we took the kids to Medieval Times. Actually, that happened the day AFTER our anniversary. On our real anniversary, our sister-in-law watched the kids so we could play hooky and have lunch on a beautiful day. (Pretty childlike in its own right, I guess.) At lunch overlooking Lake Monona, we had a chance to chat about many things, gloriously uninterrupted. We reminisced about our anniversary adventures. We talked about the logistics of bringing the kids to a funeral the next day. It was for a friend's mom, who passed away suddenly only two weeks after her husband had retired. We talked about the fleeting nature of life, silently hoping that such a thing would never happen to us. Then I asked Kim a question: "If this was our last anniversary together, how would you wish we'd have spent it?" …
What Are The Chances?
I can't imagine having a better business partner, wife, or friend than Kim. When I slow down enough to pay attention, it's really quite amazing how well we fit together. And it boggles my mind how many things had to go right in order for me to meet her. A whole lot of dominoes had to fall just so in order for us to end up at that Oogie's restaurant in that small Illinois town on the same December night with the purpose of singing Christmas carols. (Even though our reasons for being there were quite different.) I mean seriously, winning the lottery might be more mathematically likely. Is there such thing as fate? Many people think life is just random series of unrelated events, coincidences, and dumb luck. I don't know. Perhaps fate is an outdated and silly romantic notion. Perhaps not. Hat tip to Jenna for sharing the awesome Oscar Nominated short film, Paperman. …
Making Memories Stick: One Sentence Daily Journal
My memory stinks. And I'm not even forty. Perhaps that is why I am so interested in simple ways to record the cool stuff that happens in my life. Then when I'm old I can actually have some idea of what I spent my life doing. …
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When It Comes to Relationships, Our Days Are Numbered
4,363 days. That's how many days Kim and I have been married, as of this writing. I was inspired to figure this number out after attending a breakout session by Steve Wilson at the AATH (Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor) Conference in Chicago last weekend. He explained that he and his wife Pam don't count the years they've been married, but the days. And if you were to ask either of them on the spot what day they were on, they'd be able to tell you. (I want to say it was over 10,000.) And here I thought I was lucky getting hitched in 2000 because I'd always be able to tell how long I'd been married as long as I knew what year it was. …
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You Are The Milk to My Cereal
Pretty much how I feel about my wife. I lucked out big time. [ You Are The Milk To My Cereal. Acrylic, graphite, and Sharpie on newsprint. 10 x 7 inches. ] …
Ode To My Parents
"I've come to realize that making it your life's work to be different than your parents is not only hard to do, it's a dumb idea." -- Paul Reiser, Familyhood …
