My son Ben turned five recently. One of our favorite things about homeschooling is the freedom of schedule, which allows us to give our kids total control over the agenda on their birthday. And Ben was crystal clear on what he wanted. It started with cinnamon rolls and bacon for breakfast, followed by the opening of one present. Then a trip to the Lego store and lunch at Pizza Ranch (he loves the blueberry dessert pizza). When we got home, he requested that everyone change into their pajamas (which, I'll be honest, wasn't a tough sell.) The afternoon was spent putting the new …
When You Are Entirely In Over Your Head
This is a snapshot of a painting I'm working on. I'm happy with how this little guy is turning out, because it was touch-and-go for a while. There comes a time in every painting (at least mine) where I think, "Omigosh this is a terrible hot pile of garbage. This painting is unsalvageable. I have used up any art talent I had and am completely out of my league." But instead of retreating to a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, I persist, while every fiber of my being insists that I am playing the fool. More times than not, a little patience and a little persistence carries me to the other side, when …
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Mary Eickemeyer, January 2017 Adultitis Fighter of the Month
An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. Mary Eickemeyer's entire life is established on the idea that Adultitis can be beaten and she makes it looks easy, even though we all know it’s not! She has an amazing gift of creating fun and spreading the joy. She …
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The Thing About Easy
Building a business from scratch isn’t easy. Neither is homeschooling one’s kids. Or traveling across the country with them in a small SUV and two suitcases. Which brings me to fireplaces. Our basement has had a gas fireplace, but it’s in a really weird spot in the lower level and we spend most of our family time upstairs, so we’ve only used it maybe twice in the 8 years that we’ve owned the home. After this summer’s basement renovation, Kim and I created a little sitting area in front of the fireplace in the hopes of making it more usable. We also decided to convert it to wood …
Chasing the Next
"I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss of her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it. One.” This quote is from the movie City of Angels starring Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage. It’s delivered by Cage, playing an angel named Seth, who has lost the love of his life. In the end, it is these fleeting moments -- the ones that seem so insignificant, so intangible -- that become the most valuable. How easily we forget this as we chase the tangible: The big screen TVs. The home improvement project. The latest techno-fad. They seem to be substantive, on the surface. We …
How to Do Life Balance Right
Welcome to the new year! I love a fresh start. A blank slate. A chance to get things right. (At least for a few days. ;) Here’s a question for you. If this were your last year on Earth, how would you spend it? In my speaking programs, I spend a lot of time talking about “life balance,” which is a term I despise more than wet socks, mostly because no one can agree on what it means. Does it exist? Is it attainable? And if it is, what does it look like? Ultimately, deep down, when it comes to the concept of "life balance” (whatever it is), most people fear they’re not doing it quite …
12 Tips from This Year’s Adultitis Fighters of the Month
This year, we decided to shine a light upon some of the most remarkable Adultitis Fighters we've encountered, holding them up as dazzling examples of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. They don't possess any special superpowers, other than the rare ability to embrace and act on simple ways to have fun, spread joy, and not take themselves too seriously. We've culled some of the best Adultitis-Fighting tips from our twelve award winners from 2016. For some everyday wisdom that can help transform your life today while making Adultitis run for the hills, …
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Let’s Shine Together
This year has been a tough one for many people. It’s not hard to find reasons to despair. Every time you turn around, there's a news alert announcing another terrible event that has happened. And that's to say nothing of the jerky, divisive behavior that populates our social media timelines. I know I can't shield my kids from reality forever, but the conversations that arise when our lives are invaded by the world's darkness and violence are hard. I made this art as a reminder that there is also light, and it is stronger than the darkness. It’s easy to feel powerless and paralyzed in the …
Talking About Tinkering on the Mere Mortals Unite Podcast
I recently had the privilege of appearing on the Mere Mortal Unite podcast, hosted by Julie Ann Sullivan, who is a tremendous Adultitis Fighter. The focus of the episode was to give you permission to tinker, and in fact remind you that you used to do it all the time — when you were kid. We talked about what tinkering is, why you should do it, and how you can use it to transform your life or get out of a place of "stuckness." I also shared the magical benefits of a Tinker Project and how you can start your own to achieve breakthrough levels of creativity and uncover hidden opportunities. I …
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Fr. Dave Timmerman, December 2016 Adultitis Fighter of the Month
An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. Fr. Dave Timmerman is a Catholic priest, but not a very conventional one. Of course, he is a big fan of God and the Church, but he's not a big fan of living by rules that don't exist. We met him well over a decade ago, …
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