Escape Adulthood

Live with Less Stress & More Fun

Archives for August 2014

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Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Super Mario Bros Aquarium Edition

• Just wow. This Super Mario Bros themed aquarium built with Lego bricks is amazing. This article has more pics and talks about how it was made. • Katerina Kamprani makes perfectly useless product designs. Be prepared to smile. • These Certificates of Awesomness are pretty rad. In fact, they have inspired Kim and I to do something similar to award Adultitis fighters. Stay tuned! • I've always been captivated by the fact that babies and toddlers can get away with just full-out staring at people in public. This dad runs with that concept by re-imagining what it would be like if he were to do the “annoying” things his kids do every day. • Keeping with the video theme, this video of a brutally honest business card exchange is 100% Adultitis-free and 100% hilarious. Finally, some posts from around here you may have missed: • Our silly take on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge • Dinnertime Shenanigans: Ye Olde Timey Dinner …

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Small Rebellion #9: Pay It Backward

Imagine placing an order at a drive-thru restaurant. (And yes, you definitely want fries with that.) You pull up to the window and begin digging out some cash only to learn from the store employee that the person ahead of you already paid for your meal. Wouldn’t that make you feel amazing? If you were having a bad day up until that point, what are the odds that your mood changes? This concept is known as “paying it backward.” It’s similar to “paying it forward,” which is the expression for describing when the beneficiary of a good deed repays it to someone else instead of the original benefactor. Paying it forward is a reaction to something that’s already happened. Paying it backward is starting the action in the first place. And it’s definitely a small rebellion. …

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Lucy’s First Day of School

The school buses are ready to roll. Students have their new shoes laced good and tight. New backpacks are filled with shiny new supplies. Butterflies are busy in the tummies of newbie teachers and students. The start of school in Wisconsin is here! This fall Lucy is five-years-old. Since she will not be attending a "school" in the next few days, I guess that means one thing...we are "officially" homeschoolers. Of course, our fellow homeschoolers (which in 2013 made up 3.4% of the U.S. student population) would agree that we've been homeschooling since she was a baby. Tru dat! What will Lucy be doing on the first day of school in Wisconsin? She'll be in East St. Louis with her family, at an in-service where her Daddy is speaking, to help a bunch of Head Start teachers fight Adultitis this school year. The day before we'll be at the St. Louis Zoo, where she'll get to see her favorite animal (cheetah!) up close and personal. It's pretty neat. I'm feeling blessed that she can …

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Why You Should Be a Hoarder

I’ve known since the day Lucy was born that I was going to cry on her wedding day. (An ugly cry, too.) I’d rather cry in gratitude over all the cool memories we created than in regret over the things I missed out on. Recently, Kim and I enjoyed a nice campfire chat with my family about what’s “next" for everyone. Discussion covered things like new homes, new renovations, and new additions to the family. At one point, we were asked, “So when are you guys getting your next house?” We were taken a bit off guard by the question. Was something wrong with our current house? We mumbled something about debt we had to pay off first. Although that was true, it wasn’t the whole truth. On our list of priorities, buying a bigger house or acquiring more stuff really isn’t that high. Yes, we would eventually like to own a beautiful home on a lake with a wraparound porch and a big stone fireplace. But our main priority is to stockpile memories. Rather than fill our home with stuff, we’d …

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Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Homer Simpson Tattoos Edition

• Lee Weir set a Guinness World Record for the most tattoos of the same cartoon character tattooed on the body. He has 41 tatts of Homer Simpson on his left arm. Which means he has room for more if someone makes a run at his record. Woo hoo! • I really enjoyed this unique tribute to Robin Williams that Norm MacDonald conducted via Twitter. • Tickets are sold out for the first ever adults-only sleepover adventure at The American Museum of Natural History, but I think they should plan more. Adultitis wouldn't stand a chance if there were more opportunities like this. • I think this life-size Mousetrap game looks pretty epic. • This illuminated musical swing set is on tour. If you want to bring it to your town (or backyard), check out this page. Finally, some posts from around here you may have missed: • The best thing you can buy for a buck (other than a McDouble at McDonald’s) • 2014 Escape Adulthood Summit recap …

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Our Silly Take on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

We inevitably got called out in the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that has taken the interwebs by storm. We happily accept the challenge from Michelle, our book agent, plus we will be donating $100 to ALS research. We enlisted the help of some friends for this one... By the way, this whole Ice Bucket Challenge thing is a stellar example of how the world is aching for silliness, but oftentimes, we just need a little permission. Making a video of yourself dumping a bucket of ice water of your head is pretty silly. People don't make a habit of doing things like this. But that doesn't mean they won't. When someone else is being silly, it gives us the cover to jump in and be silly ourselves. Be a permission granter. Go first. …

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Dinnertime Shenanigans: Ye Olde Timey Dinner

When you’re a kid, dressing up all fancy for dinner is exciting. Although it can be fun for grown-ups too, it doesn’t take long for Adultitis to creep in when one begins to worry about which fork to use or whether or not you have spinach in your teeth. The premise of an Olde Timey Dinner -- one of the highlights from the 2014 Escape Adulthood Summit -- is to keep the fun and ditch the pretense. You don’t need to attend an Escape Adulthood Summit to experience the fun of Ye Olde Timey Dinner. Here are some tips for hosting your own: WHAT to EAT You can serve whatever you want, but the most important thing is to use the good china. If you need some convincing, read this. Even Kraft Macaroni & Cheese takes on gourmet status when served on fancy plates. (If you don’t have any fancy plates, just put the lights down low and light a few candles — instant fancy!) If you need some inspiration, we had fun putting a childlike spin on the traditional seven-course format with the …

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Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Portable Treehouse Edition

• I am not the camping type, but I do love me a good treehouse. The Tentsile Tree Tents were conceived as a treehouse that you can take with you anywhere. Me likey. • Yes, give me the Tentsile and this water trampoline, and I'm ready to tackle the Great Outdoors. (via SwissMiss) • Kaleidoscape Play Studio is a place where random play and art collide. It's in Anchorage Alaska, and I sure would like to visit sometime. • I learned about the project #100HappyDays from my friend Lizzy. I've said before that every day is a holiday, it's just that most days, what to celebrate is up to you. This is a neat and easy way to record and remember your daily celebrations. • This is a fascinating video that compares just how similar Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are in their playing styles. Eerily similar, in fact. Here's what I think is interesting. Maybe the fact that I grew up a Bulls fan makes me biased, but I always felt that as GREAT as Kobe Bryant is, he was always just a shade …

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The Best Thing You Can Buy for a Buck (Other Than a McDouble at McDonald’s)

A few months ago, I teamed up with a company called Snippet to create a new type of ebook that contains lots of interactive “discoverables” like video, photo slideshows and conversations on social media. The book is called "Tinker," and it's filled with 20 simple ideas – small experiments, if you will – that will get you thinking in new ways and get your story moving in exciting new directions. Last week I was interviewed by Matt Gartland about the book, and the conversation covered things like publishing, speaking, and how Kim and I got started on this crazy journey. Spoiler alert! In the video above, we reveal a special coupon code (pssst, it's TINKERTOY) that you can use to get the book for half off during the month of August, which is now over a third gone. The Snippet itself is only $1.99 to start, but with this code you can snag it for a buck. Insanity!!! Get Tinker here. …

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Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Water Slide Photography Edition

• Krista Long is the photographer behind “I Love Summer,” a series of high-speed photos that captures people at the exact moment that they emerge from a water slide. I love these so much! • An awesome map of the most liked cereal in every state. • I must say that I am surprised by how much I love Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. I'd never read it until I had kids, but I relish every chance I have to read it now. This interesting article from Aimee Bender on the NY Times blog helped me understand why. • Wouldn't it be cool to fill 100 water balloons in less than one minute? Now you can, thanks to Josh Malone from Tinnus Enterprises. This changes EVERYTHING, you guys! (via Kickstarter) • Dutch artist Telmo Pieper collaborated with his 4-year-old self by taking old childhood sketches which he then recreated as digital illustrations by applying realistic light, color, and texture to the hilariously deformed shapes he imagined in his youth. The series is called Kiddie Arts …

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