Escape Adulthood

Live with Less Stress & More Fun

Archives for August 2015

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Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Free Stress Edition

• This Craigslist post just made me chuckle. (Hat tip to Jenna) • Follow this link and you will have what it takes to fold the world's best paper airplane. You're welcome. • Kim and I have toyed with the idea of getting "couple's tattoos." I am one part undecided about what to get, and two parts chicken. This dad gets tatts made of his son's doodles. Hmmm...I have often commented on how adorable Lucy's little drawings are... • This great article from FastCompany by Harvey Deutschendorf covers all the bases: 7 Habits of People Who Have Achieved Work-Life Balance. Achieving balance is actually quite simple, although it's certainly not easy. Finally, some posts from around here you may have missed: • The What the Hell Approach to Living a Great Story • Anticipate Edits …

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Diagnosis Adultitis

[ This article by Kim Krueger (featuring photographs by Hillary Schave) first appeared in the August 2015 issue of Brava Magazine. You can see the full spread here. ] Diagnosis: Adultitis Kim and Jason Kotecki Have the Cure When I meet Kim and Jason Kotecki, they are cozied up in a corner booth at Manna Café, on Madison’s East Side, wearing simple T-shirts: hers a vintage grey and covered in charming “Where the Wild Things Are” characters; his a royal purple, with a cuddly looking skunk and the words “Adulthood Stinks.” In front of Kim sits the pumpkin chocolate chip muffin we’d already bonded about over email. (Manna has “dangerously good homemade pastries—MMM!” she had warned. And she was right.) Kim had closed each of her emails to me with the signature “Smiles & Shenanigans,” and I could already see that it suited her perfectly: She’s one of those people whose smiles went straight to her eyes. If you’ve ever offered a child a Popsicle and watched her eyes light …

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The Complete Guide to Raising Your Kids to Be Rulebreakers without Ruining Their Lives (or Yours)

Kim and I are well-known for encouraging people to be more childlike and act more like kids. A few brave souls have asked (although I suspect there are countless others who have wondered): How does this philosophy impact our role as parents? In other words, how does a parent walk the line between teaching kids to break rules that don’t exist, without descending into total anarchy? Great question. While it’s true that our kids regularly say “#Notarule” in its proper context during normal conversations, any speculation that our kids are living in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory is grossly over exaggerated. Here are some thoughts on the matter. Your mileage may vary, but I believe there are some useful nuggets here, wether you're a parent or not. A Parent’s First Job is Parenting. First and foremost, we are our kids' parents, not their friends or playmates or butlers. No one else has this job, so if we don't do it, our kids will be screwed, destined to live life as soft, …

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Anticipate Edits

I recently had a conversation with a scientist about how scientists are kids who managed to grow up with their curiosity intact, and now get to play with even cooler toys. She expressed frustration that for a scientist, the Adultitis often sets in when submitting one’s work for review to the scientific community. The paperwork alone can be a nightmare, but most often it’s the curse of common knowledge that’s the real culprit. Sometimes new theories appear pretty "out there," challenging the very foundation of the status quo. It’s tempting to label the authors of these theories as kooks, dismissing them out of hand. Certainly, there are times when crackpot theories really are crackpot theories. But it is awfully dangerous to allow dismissal to be our default reaction. For instance, there once was a man named Iggy who put forth a theory that had the potential to save countless lives. But it flew in the face of the established scientific and medical opinions. The crazy thing is, …

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Saturday Morning Sprinkles: Fun with Mugs Edition

• Lance Curran is a dad who turns his kids into superheroes using coffee mugs. So cool. • With every American suburb filled with houses colored various shades of brown and grey, I think this would be a refreshing (and colorful!) change. • Here is a canvas utility bag we can get behind. Made in the USA, too! • These First World Problem pills are just the most clever way to raise money for a good cause. No Adultitis here. Finally, some posts from around here you may have missed: • How to host your very own Escape Adulthood Party • Contrary to Popular Belief, You are not an Octopus …

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