Ever make shadow puppets when you were little? As kids, my sisters and I always loved it when our begging would finally pay off and we'd get to have an evening watching our home movies on the old movie projector. (It was a lot of work to set-up, mom assured us.) As dad got the film ready to go, along with that one random hair projecting on the wall, our tiny hands would make all sorts of creations. Butterflies were the easiest. Our speaking programs are filled with visuals, which means that we have an LCD projector and screen set-up at every gig. Inevitably, every intergenerational …
Archives for November 2007
Family Dinners: In Praise of Good Parenting
Lately, Kim and I have felt that we've spent a lot of time ranting on bad parenting. A lot of that is attributed to our mission. Although it largely involves helping grown-ups tap into their childlike spirit to create lives that are less stressful and more fun, we also want to help children have good childhoods to look back on. However, anything we will ever be able to accomplish in this arena absolutely pales in comparison to the impact individual parents have in the lives of their own children. It's easy to point out the negative (it's been the bread and butter of the news media for a …
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EA #25: Simplicity Amidst the Chaos
In this episode, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we interview Kristin van Ogtrop, the editor of Real Simple magazine, about balancing all of the things that come with being a busy editor, mom, wife, pet wrangler, friend, loyal daughter, and enthusiastic sister. We also talk about parade balloons and offer simple ways moms can escape adulthood. Just click "Play" to listen to the show... …
Kim & Jason Interviewed on Marcia Wieder’s Dream Talk
We were recently interviewed by Angee Robertson on Marcia Wieder’s Dream Talk program. Marcia is known as “America’s Dream Coach,” and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show. This hour-long teleconference was recorded live and was only made available to members of Marcia’s Dream Circle. Until now. Listen to the candid interview about how you might be sabotaging your success and how to keep Adultitis from interfering with your dreams. We had a great time, and even had a chance to field some questions from callers. …
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Let’s Blame Santa for Childhood Obesity
Well, I guess it was only a matter of time. Something had to be done. You see, kids are fatter than ever. And they're only getting fatter. Of course, we can't address the primary cause of the problem (parenting) because it is nearly impossible to question people's parenting skills -- it's a touchy issue that can make the abortion debate look like a civilized afternoon tea. Since we can't make parents be better parents (which might include doing stuff like making sure their kids don't sit in front of a video game for hours on end every day, putting a stop to the purchase of piles of junk …
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Dennis Miller on Happiness
Whether you agree politically with Dennis Miller or not, you have to admit that he is quite the wordsmith. Everytime I see him on TV, I find my inner voice reminding my consciousness to "pay attention" and "listen closely." Boy, he's a fast talker. It's fun to listen to him! The other night we were flipping channels and caught the end of his interview on The O'Reilly Factor. O'Reilly asked him about his thoughts on Kiefer Sutherland. …
How You Live
Very few songs summarize our message as well as this one, "How You Live" by Point of Grace. I hope this song inspires you to drink milk from your wine glasses at dinner tonight. Lyrics... …
Grandparents Getting Jipped
(Warning: This is a Dr. Phil style rant that I just need to get out.) I feel sorry for grandparents these days. Many are getting jipped out of enjoying their hard-earned role as the "fun adults" in their grandkid's lives. So many grandparents are forced to be very "parental," playing a major role in disciplining their grandkids. This was not the case a few generations ago, when grandparents were allowed to spoil the kids rotten... which is how it should be! Yesterday in church we sat a few rows behind a grandma (about 65) and her five-year-old grandson. The boy's parents were not with …
5 Minutes for Mom Highlights Our eBook
Recently, our latest eBook, "79 Ways for Busy Moms to Escape Adulthood," was highlighted by 5 Minutes for Mom in their regular 5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere feature. That was pretty cool. While exploring their site (I know, I'm not a mom, so what?), I also stumbled upon a pretty cool store selling old fashioned pedal cars. Jalopys, firetrucks, and Model Ts were just a few of the types they were offering. Which made me wonder: will we someday see websites selling "old-fashioned" Hummer pedal cars? Anyhoo, feel free to download that eBook for Busy Moms. It features Kim & Jason …
Halloween Happenings
Recently I shared about some Halloween plans that were being developed at Maze Lumber in IL. Jason's dad, Walt, had managed to come up with some ideas that were proving to be not only playful, but also profitable. Even though he decided to dress up as a mean lookin' nun, he sure exhibited some Adultitis-free behavior this Halloween. (Especially while riding his scooter around town!) I'm excited to share... Walt's "Top Ten" observations from the day. 10. The food was well received! (hot apple cider, apple cider donuts, with some other sweet additions) 9. Upon seeing the costumed …