We recently started back on the road for a fall filled with speaking gigs. One thing Jason talks about is to "Stop living by rules that don't exist." This is a major way to fight your Adultitis. Living by this philosophy is exactly what gives the typical two-year-old the bad rap as "terrible." In defense of parents of toddlers everywhere, let me point out that two-year-olds are in the business of testing everything, discovering the world around them and how they fit into it... which doesn't always look pretty. Jason and I joke that inevitably there's always a two or three-year-old throwing a …
Archives for August 2008
EA #33: 5 Tricks for Fighting Fall Frenzy
In this episode, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we talk about the Olympics, uncover an interesting distinction between coal miners and office workers, and share 5 tricks for fighting fall frenzy. Just click "Play" to listen to the show... …
[Read more...] about EA #33: 5 Tricks for Fighting Fall Frenzy
Mighty Mustaches
We held an Adultitis Clinic last weekend, and face painting was involved. It was the first time I have ever attempted face painting, and it was not without its challenges. One little seven-year-old girl had a specific request, but held back because she figured I wouldn't know what it was. Well that was all it took to stoke my competitive fires, so I urged her to tell me. Needless to say, I think I became the first face painter in the history of the world to paint a "shuga gliduh" on a little girl's face. A sugar glider, as I came to find out, is a small nocturnal animal from …
Tip of the Week: Different World
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #1 Different World: Spend at least 15 minutes immersing yourself in a field you know nothing about. Something I loved about teaching kindergarten was the genuine openness and enthusiasm the kids had for learning something new. I would joke with Jason after school that I was really more like a salesperson than a teacher (good practice for our business, I guess). Working with kids is all about "selling it." Or, as O'Reilly would cringe at "spinning it." For instance, if I had a math lesson to teach them about greater than and …
Being the Gooey Center
A month ago I wrote about the importance of taking a proactive approach to avoiding fear, a bad night of sleep, and ultimately Adultitis by staying clear of the evening news. Jason and I got a chance to be the gooey center of a death sandwich on Sunday, appearing on Madison's CBS 5:30PM news. When we arrived on set and got our mics on, the anchor shared with us that they were all thrilled we were on the programming for the evening because they had so much bad news to report. Apparently, the hours before had been filled with body after body being found throughout the state of Wisconsin, leaving …
Tip of the Week: Instaparty
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #2 Instaparty: Find a reason to celebrate and do something to celebrate it. This past weekend Jason and I attended the wake of one of my former kindergarten students. She was ten and had battled cancer for the last 3+ years. Wakes are hard no matter what, but this one was probably the hardest one I've been to. With older folks who pass away, you can look back and celebrate their life and all that they were able to experience. In this case, I'm pretty sure everyone in that long line heading into the funeral home felt a sense of …
Adultitis Clinic: August 23, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Stop by Kim & Jason HQ to treat any symptoms of Adultitis and join us for a day of fun and frivolity! Revitalize your childlike spirit and help a good cause, too! Here’s some of the fun things we have planned: • Face painting for kids and grown-ups! • Meet Gary, our GIANT teddy bear! • Sweet treats for only 25¢! • Jelly bean taste testing! • Meet the “Adultitis Guy!” Our goal is to raise $1,000 for Care Net, a local organization that offers hope and help to young mothers. We’re donating 10% of every single sale to the cause. …
Be Happy Now
The street upon which our office/shop is located is getting torn up right now. There are gigantic trucks digging holes, dirt everywhere, lots of loud noises and large tubes lying around waiting to be put underground. It's a little boy's dreamland, and Jason and I saw this firsthand. While walking into the office we came upon a young mom and her two-year-old son in a stroller. They were parked on the sidewalk in front of our shop staring at the construction site. I immediately looked in the direction they were looking, to see if something cool was happening, but all I saw was a couple of guys …
The Problem With Next Year
Popular comedian Bernie Mac died last Saturday. He was only 50 years old. I was always impressed by his energy, enthusiasm and passion. I read an article about his passing and was struck by a particular passage: In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977." Now I don't know what Bernie meant by "soon" in regards to his retirement, but …
Tip of the Week: Says You
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #3: Says You: Do something that is typically seen as inappropriate for someone of your age. You've seen the movie, "Big" with Tom Hanks? (If you haven't, you need to do that before attempting this challenge.) Tom definitely sells his role as a 12-year-old stuck in an adult's body/life. The classic scene, of course, is when Tom and Robert Loggia play the big piano at the toy store. Jason got a chance to try out that same type of piano at FAO Schwarz this past week while visiting the big apple. He took off his shoes and placed …