As you finalize your plans for New Year's Eve, it's natural to become overwhelmed by how fast each year goes. If you're like me, you're amazed that we only have two years left in this decade. Wasn't it just yesterday we were stocking up on canned goods and batteries for the turn of the century? A good song to listen to this time of year is Kenny Chesney's, Don't Blink. It inspires me to start the new year with an even greater appreciation for each new day and opportunity. If this isn't an Escape Adulthood anthem, I don't know what is. I love the video, which starts with the wisdom of a …
Archives for December 2007
12 Days of “Illini Wishmas”
by Minette Sternke As I noted on a comment on one of the 12 Days of Wishmas, I decided to try to replicate it to some extent here in Illinois. These are GREAT snowy weekend activities! Instead of making reindeer food for the 3rd Day of Wishmas, I decided to actually go visit a reindeer ranch nearby. They have brought reindeer here to Illinois from Alaska! You can pay for a tour and get to feed them "reindeer cookies" (otherwise known as graham crackers!). One of the reindeer's name is Jingle Belle. One apparently decided I was a tree - and was rubbing his antlers up against me! On the …
The Hoop and a Stick Theory
My friend Matt pointed me to a story from reveries.com that matches up with his personal "Hoop and a Stick" theory of raising kids which states that all kids need is a hoop and stick -- and certainly nothing that requires batteries -- for a good healthy upbringing. Here's a snippet from the article: It also turns out that the best way to encourage kids to exercise is simply to “give them a ball, jump-rope or hula hoop” — along with more in the way of “active play time.” That’s according to a report due out in next month’s American Journal of Preventive Medicine. This gets me thinking about …
You’ll Shoot Yer Eye Out
Anyone out there who doesn't love the classic 1983 movie A Christmas Story? Not sure it needs to be played in a continues loop on Christmas, but still. Did you know that you can actually visit the house where the movie was filmed (not sure if the furnace ever got fixed) and buy your very own leg lamp to display proudly in your window? Don't believe me? I'm as serious as a kid with his tongue stuck to a flag pole. Brian Jones makes fishnet-stockinged leg lamps for a living. And the house? He bought that on eBay. Read the remarkable story in Guideposts Magazine. I double dog dare ya. …
You Name It
You've heard of "Name That Tune"? How about "Name That Tree"?! A dear friend shared with me yesterday that every year they get a real Christmas tree. They have the family tradition of naming the tree. One year it was Bruce the Spruce, another year Ralph. This year their tree's name is Leviathan. (I asked her to repeat the name like three times over the phone). Yes, Leviathan. You know, the Greek fabled sea monster! (He's the green freaky guy in the picture.) Do you think there's much Adultitis in their household this holiday season? It's hard to be a stressed-out mess when you look over …
Adultitis Case Study #4: Christmas
The Cure Adultitis Institute has released a new public service announcement, just in time for Christmas. It can be the most joyful time of year, unless someone with a serious case of Adultitis shows up. It's a crucial time of year to spread the word about Adultitis. And look on the bright side: both Ebeneezer Scrooge and the Grinch were Adultitis survivors. There is hope. …
Capture the Clarity
Jason and I got the chance to sneak away recently for a weekend of warmth to Ft. Myers, FL. There's nothing better than putting lotion on your sunburned cheeks while watching The Weather Channel report that your zip code is getting pounded with inches of white stuff. With all the talk about life lists this past year, I was motivated to check another thing off the list before the end of '07, so when the opportunity arose for us to go parasailing, I jumped on it. Jason recalled that he had it on his life list to not only parasail, but to parasail in the Gulf of Mexico. So, it was meant to be! …
The 12 Days of Wishmas: Day 12
Since the last day for our 12 Days of Wishmas was on a Wednesday, we decided to imitate our online store by providing gift wrap. Especially this time of year, people are so excited to get their gifts wrapped for them. One less thing on the to-do list. (I have to say that I do love our wrapping paper!) Since there are only three wrapping days left, here are 5 tips to help it go smoothly, without inducing a nasty case of Adultitis. 1. Establish a Wrapping Station. Keep the mess localized. A card table works well, enabling you to move it around to the best location at the time (living …
The 12 Days of Wishmas: Day 10
I'll never forget the shock and awe I experienced the first time I had recess duty for my kindergartners after the first snow. There they were- all of them- sitting in piles of snow eating it, as if the sky had rained down snow cones for all! Their little faces would get so red, after being exposed to the snow that would inevitably miss their mouths (it's hard to aim with huge mitten on!). Edible snowmen. Well, you don't have to risk losing your nose to frostbite to have that much fun. Visitors yesterday were invited to build their own edible snowman. Don't worry, the snow isn't yellow. …
Stop Cooties
The disease we primarily focus on around here is the dreaded condition known as Adultitis. Grown-ups everywhere are stricken with the symptoms, and sometimes I feel like the fight is an uphill battle. The disease can also affect children, in the form of Juvenile Adultitis. Nasty stuff. But there is another childhood plague that is also quite serious. It's been around for a long time, at least since the widespread establishment of public education. I am speaking, of course, of cooties. Even though we spend most of our time treating grown-ups who have forgotten what it was like to be a …