Escape Adulthood

Live with Less Stress & More Fun

Archives for August 2013

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5 Fun-Having Ideas from Awesome Folks Like You

With summer saying sayonara, my speaking schedule is back into full swing. One of my favorite parts is talking to people afterwards, and hearing the neat things they do for fun with friends and family. In fact, many of the ideas I share in my presentations, including Sticky Cup, Pajama Run, and Spatula City are from audience members. One of my fatal flaws is forgetting to write them down. I always think I'll remember them, but do I? Nope. Well I'm happy to report that I've been a bit more consistent of late, and wanted to share some recent gems: …

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The 2013 Escape Adulthood Summit: First Thoughts

"Because this is better." That's the answer Chris Guillebeau gave at the annual World Domination Summit when he was asked why it was worth pouring all the effort and money and man hours into putting on the annual event in Portland when he could easily reach more people through his blog and bestselling books. This past weekend, I knew exactly what he meant. …

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How To End Your Summer in Amazing Fashion

Egads, we've already sped past the middle of August, haven't we? In my role as a Professional Permission Granter, I feel that it's my duty to remind you that summer is almost over. That being said, I encourage you to make an effort to make at least one more awesome memory before the door hits summer in the tooskus. One more big fling. One more crazy scene. It doesn't have to be anything expensive, of course. A Frosty run to Wendy's could fill the bill. Especially if you're wearing your pajamas. Or you take a new friend. Or you order in a fake accent. Or all of the above. In case you're really stumped, here are six more ideas: …

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Why Children Are Creative Geniuses

My friend and professional freak David Rendall sent me an awesome quote from Youngme Moon's book, Different: "Here is why children are such creative geniuses: Because they aren't as old as we are, which means that they aren't as experienced and they aren't as rational, either. And this liberates them, to approach the world without prejudice. And so they will look at a Tupperware bowl and they will see a miniature boat; they will be handed a silver spoon and their first thought is to dig with it. To be occasionally inspired is one thing; to be chronically inspired is another. Children are chronically inspired, for the simple reason that they aren't bound by well-worn mental heuristics, they aren't encumbered by habit or convention or the arbitrary rules of propriety. They are mischevious and subversive; they heed their inventive impulses, even as we have been trained to suppress ours." This all begs the question: did this creative genius leave us forever upon our entry into …

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What’s The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Deep-Fried Foods You’ve Ever Tried?

Earlier this month, Kim and I took the kids to the Wisconsin State Fair. As embarrassing as it is to admit, it was our first time in attendance, even though we've lived in Cheeseland for over 13 years. I am glad it only comes once a year, as I'm pretty sure we consumed a week's worth of calories in the one day we were there. Cream puffs, cheese curds, corn dogs, elephant ears...we didn't even scratch the surface of all the deep fried things we WANTED to try, but our shame quota could only be pushed so far. You know it's been a nutritionally-challenged day when your clan devours a dinner at McDonald's because it's the closest thing you've had to real food all day. Anyway, I'm not sure where the state-fair-fried-food-on-a-stick phenomenon got its start, but Wisconsin sure holds its own on variety. However, I did not see a deep fried cereal option. If I had, I'm not sure I could have resisted. Apparently deep fried breakfast cereal was debuted at the San Diego County Fair in 2012 by …

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Pardon the Mess

I'll admit it: I prefer a tidy house. I feel good when the dishes are done and the counter is cleared. I'm easily disturbed when piles stay piles for too long. I like the structure of a good plan. Is it an Adultitis-fueled trait? Perhaps. But I do find that I am more present, relaxed and creative when clutter and chaos is minimized. In general, I don't think it's a terrible trait to have. And I don't believe that an Adultitis-free life is one that disregards any sense of order. However. I do find it helpful to regularly remind myself of some simple truths: …

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Meet Emma Klues

The Small Rebellion is a playful group of escape artists who share a joyful, indomitable childlike spirit and are not afraid to let that spirit come out to play! They’re united by a common goal of fighting Adultitis and the doo-doo heads who embrace its ideals. Quite frankly, they’re pretty much the coolest people on the planet. Here's one right now... • My name is... Emma Klues. • My hometown is... Champaign, Illinois. (Live in St. Louis, MO now!) • My biggest dream...is to always make time for play. • My inspiration...is watching how often and easily kids laugh. • When I was a kid, I...played "Boxcar Children" with my sister which is both sad and awesome in hindsight that we opted to pretend we were orphans exploring the world and surviving together. …

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Take a Bath in Warm Towels

Matt Haas has already been designated an official Champion of Childhood, but here's another reason why he deserves the honor: In my (childish) mind, there is little in this world that is more fun, joyous and just plain silly than giving someone a bath in warm towels. No, this is not a typo. We all have had to take baths and then use a towel. But if you have never had a bath in warm towels then you still have some Adultitis that needs to be scrubbed off. Here’s how it works: Take an entire load of still-warm towels fresh from the dryer and bring them to the nearest couch or chair. Look for the person who most likely needs a hug, smile or giggle and gently distribute the entire load of towels on them making sure to cover them in their entirely, leaving only a small area for them to breathe freely. Stand by for the inevitable euphoric groans as the heat embraces their entire body. Be prepared for the inevitable wiggling and make sure you redistribute towels to cover any exposed …

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Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

"How do you do it?" That's a question I've been getting a lot these days. That's because my life is a bit weird. I grew up with a stay-at-home mom and a dad who worked a normal 8:00 - 5:00 shift. Of course there were little league games and school events and birthday parties on the weekend, but for the most part, the basic structure of our weeks and months were pretty static. My life now is nothing like that. I am on the road about 125 days a year. Sometimes, my family is on the road with me. Most of the time, they're not. Every single one of our 52 weeks is different from every other. The only constant is that there isn't one. Kim and I run a business together and are in the midst of preparing for our second annual Escape Adulthood Summit. We are both work-at-home parents, split childcare duties, and also homeschool. Bambino number three is on the way, which means we'll have three kids five and under. It's pretty crazy. Let me be clear. I'm not complaining at all, because I …

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Butter On One Side

So Kim asked Lucy if she wanted to help her make grilled cheese sandwiches. Convinced it would be like frosting a cake, Lucy signed on. Kim gave her a butter knife and told her to make sure she just buttered one side. And this was the result. One of my favorite things about hanging around kids is being regularly reminded that there are always new ways to look at things. When confronted with old problems that demand new solutions, our first step might be to develop a new way of seeing. …

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