[ This is a guest post about some rules that don't exist from our good friend and professional speaker, Laurie Guest. ] Kim and Jason have coined a phrase that speaks directly to my heart. The phrase is #notarule, and it challenges adults to look for ways to fight Adultitis, a disease that causes stress and decreases fun. Jason wrote a book called Penguins Can’t Fly +39 Other Rules That Don’t Exist. He invited others to submit suggestions for #notarule, and I had been on the lookout for a good example. I wanted to be included in the book, but unfortunately, I never found a worthy …
A Nine-Year-Old Declares the One Good Thing About Being an Adult
[This is a guest post by Champion of Childhood award winner Matt Haas (and his daughter Amelia.)] I just finished reading the latest installment of the Escape Adulthood newsletter and it reminded me of a conversation I had recently with my nine-year-old daughter, Amelia. We were driving home from school and she was lamenting that she “never wanted to grow up.” As a newly appointed Champion of Childhood, it was my duty to take a deeper dive on that comment and try and find a possible antidote to this dreaded disease. What did she know that we didn’t, and could it shine some light on this …
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One Minion’s Inspiring Message of Ridiculousness and Redemption
[ This is a guest post from a woman from Wisconsin. We've left out her name to respect her privacy, but she graciously gave us permission to post this because we think it's very awesome and downright inspiring She's a true Champion of Childhood. ] I haven’t worn a Halloween costume in years, but decided to change that for 2013. After 10 years of a tumultuous relationship (8 years of which we were married), I filed for divorce in May and have been riding the “rollercoaster of emotions” since, working through all the heartache and also adjusting to “sharing” our 4-year old …
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Using Social Media for the Good of Your Soul
This is a guest post by our friend, Ryan McRae. Ryan has a wicked sense of humor and a neat way of looking at things. You can find him at ryanmcrae.net, where you must check out his Man Card. Right now, the internet is blazing with how social media actually disconnects us; we spend too much time on it and we are always looking at our phones, etc. And trust me, I get it and I'm the most guilty person on the planet. But there is a way to use social media for the good of our souls instead of cluttering our lives. …
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Who Is Your Tonto? A Dude’s Guide to Adultitis-Fighting Friendships
Let’s face it. Adultitis not only affects our parenting, but it can affect our friendships as well. And men suffer greatly when it comes to having quality, well-developed friendships. It may be the John Wayne syndrome, thinking that we can do it alone, but even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. We might be perceived as weak or soft if we call up another guy to hang out, but we will miss out on great experiences and a rich life with out great friendships. Now already, you might be thinking, “I’m married and have kids. I don’t have time for friendships!” That’s the Adultitis talking and you need a …
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Soup That’s Dessert for Your Soul
This is a special guest post from Lisa Warsinske, who is a humorist speaker and improvisational queen over at Comedy Alley. Just finished chomping on the Kotecki’s latest book There’s An Adult In My Soup and I must say it was quite disappointing. Not one recipe. The pictures were all black and white. The articles made me feel that I’m missing out on something... *Insert needle on the record scratch sound effect here* Please ignore the first paragraph. I have to admit there are times my adult self seeps out. But I’ve got that in check now and I can’t wait to share what I thought of Kim …
Press Pause and Connect
(This is an excerpt of an article written for Kim & Jason magazine by motivational speaker, author, and triathlete Jason Womack. He is skilled at offering practical suggestions for dealing with the challenges of balancing work and other areas of life.) I was at a wedding last summer, at a winery atop the rolling hills of Oregon. At one point during the meal, the bride and her mom approached my table and said, “Hey, Jason, do you remember Billy Walsh?” It turns out she knew my best friend from 2nd grade! And in an instant, it all came back… Playing “Connect Four” for hours at …
Lessons I Learned When The Tables Turned
(This is an excerpt of an article written for Kim & Jason magazine by Marg Forbes, CEO of The Forbes Solution. Marg combines her accounting acumen and her emotional intelligence skills to make numbers less intimidating and more meaningful for small business owners.) My mom was 39 when I was born, and although I was a “surprise”, I’ve always felt wanted, loved and cherished. She had three other children, but I was always her baby. When I lived at home, I never went to sleep without a goodnight kiss. When I moved away, I talked to her on the phone or visited her every day. Over the …
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an interview with…Mark Sanborn
(This is an excerpt of an interview from Kim & Jason magazine with Mark Sanborn, the best-selling author of the “Fred Factor” on balancing work and family, having fun amidst the busyness, and lessons we can learn from kids) Kim & Jason: Your book, The Fred Factor, contains the example of a remarkable postman named Fred to demonstrate how passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. We found the book to be very inspiring and the techniques very simple. You make the benefits of being a “Fred” a no-brainer. In your opinion, why don’t we see more “Freds” …
Love Your Body, Love Your Life
(This is an excerpt of an article written for Kim & Jason magazine by Jill Fleming, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and amazing wellness speaker.) Do you love your body? I do now, but I didn’t always. Nineteen years ago, I went to college and gained 40 pounds in just 2 years. I had a very low self-image and made terrible lifestyle choices. I now refer to these lifestyle choices, such as eating junk food, inactivity, excess consumption of food or alcohol, sleep deprivation and chronic (uncontrolled) stress as “Crap Choices.” I made crap choices daily and I felt like crap! After earning …