Sam and Soph from Sydney are two of the latest people from around the world up for the Escape Plan Challenge. They're fed up with Adultitis, and are posting the details of their adventure on their blog, The Fountainside. The Escape Plan is fun, and it's made even funner (I know, "more fun," but "funner" is funner!) when couples and friends tackle it together. As of this writing, they're almost a quarter of the way through. So far, they've added some art to their fridge, enjoyed a mud mask, wrote down some big dreams, determined that Soph's mouth can hold only 56.52173913% of the total …
Archives for September 2007
Celebrate More
To continue my series helping adults move “Beyond the Elementary,” in order to overcome stress and acheive success, here's lesson #3. 3. Celebrate more Are you a party animal? Apparently the students at UW Madison are and have earned the award of America's #1 party school (we're so proud). As Jason jokes, the folks handing out these awards have obviously not spent much time in a kindergarten classroom lately. Five and six-year-olds know how to celebrate! …
Making Schools Better: People Trump Government
It's back to school week here in Wisconsin, which reminds me of how much the school system in this country stinks. Not the teachers (well, not most of them), but the system. It's broken. I'm not exactly sure why school boards are run by people who don't know the first thing about running a school (having gone to school doesn't count), or how it's possible to spend almost $9,000 per student on education in this country (which has tripled since 1965, while national academic performance has not improved) and yet still want to throw more money at it. It shouldn't really surprise me, as anything …
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5 Ways to Prevent a Stressful School Year
There is something about the new school year which brings a healthy balance of anxiety and optimism for both kids and parents. This year will be even better than last year. There are still many unknowns and things out of your control, but overall a fresh start is always a good thing. With this hope in mind I have five things you can do to prevent a stressful school year. 1. Do not over schedule yourselves. 2. Do not over schedule yourselves. 3. Do not over schedule yourselves. 4. Do not over schedule yourselves. 5. Do not over schedule yourselves. The reality for most kids between …
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When Mosquitoes Attack
The other night Kim and I were on one of our famous walks. It was late, and our steps were guided by the full moon's glow and the occasional street light. We were immersed in a great conversation brainstorming about the business. As we passed a park, my wife, who has a bladder the size of an infant leprechaun, spotted a port-a-potty. She had to go. Did I mention it was dark? Ink black dark. My role as husband meant that I was enlisted to hold the door open for her so she could see what she was doing. (Although in my experience, the less I'm able to see in those things, the better.) No …
Meet Marilyn Schoberg
We'd like to introduce you to our newest featured fan, Marilyn Schoberg. She was the August S.W.E.L.L. prize winner and has been a long time reader of our site. • Hometown... Born in Monroe, WI; I've lived in the Elkhorn, WI area since 1975. • My biggest dream... To move somewhere warm. • My inspiration... My husband, who, in his 50's, taught himself how to play harmonica. He's become an in-demand blues musician all on his own. • When I was a kid, I... had a large imaginary family (since I'm an only child). My favorite summer pastime was lying across the foot of my parents' bed in …