This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #39: Court Jester: Play a practical joke on someone. Isn't it funny how a simple date on the calendar can have the magical ability to bring out a distinct playfulness in individuals. You all know people, normally suffering from moderate to severe cases of Adultitis, who come to life on days like Halloween and April Fool's Day. It's all about having permission. So, why wait for that one or two days out of the year to have a little fun? Start today! We're spending September sharing tips and ideas on how to have more fun at work. …
Indulgences From Childhood
Saturday afternoon Jason and I ended up at the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for the recipes for the weekend. (Jason treated me by making three very yummy dinners!) As many couples do in the grocery shopping situation, we split up to divide and conquer our list. I was about done and I went looking for Jason, only to find him walking from the cereal aisle looking like this... Yes, this is the actual picture of him from that exact moment that I took from my new iPhone. I instantly started laughing hysterically- for a couple of reasons. First, because it's just more proof that I am, …
Tip of the Week: Sick of it Day
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #40: Sick of it Day: Take the day off. Do anything you want, but no work and no chores. Consider it a sick day or at least a “sick of it” day. If you live in the United States, this one should be easy this week, since today is Labor Day. The reality is, however, that often times when presented with a day off our natural tendency is to fill it with things that "need" to get done... yard work, laundry, cleaning projects, etc. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and let it all go. Enjoy the long overdue laziness of this final …
Jump off the Conveyer Belt
We recently started back on the road for a fall filled with speaking gigs. One thing Jason talks about is to "Stop living by rules that don't exist." This is a major way to fight your Adultitis. Living by this philosophy is exactly what gives the typical two-year-old the bad rap as "terrible." In defense of parents of toddlers everywhere, let me point out that two-year-olds are in the business of testing everything, discovering the world around them and how they fit into it... which doesn't always look pretty. Jason and I joke that inevitably there's always a two or three-year-old throwing a …
Tip of the Week: Different World
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #1 Different World: Spend at least 15 minutes immersing yourself in a field you know nothing about. Something I loved about teaching kindergarten was the genuine openness and enthusiasm the kids had for learning something new. I would joke with Jason after school that I was really more like a salesperson than a teacher (good practice for our business, I guess). Working with kids is all about "selling it." Or, as O'Reilly would cringe at "spinning it." For instance, if I had a math lesson to teach them about greater than and …
Being the Gooey Center
A month ago I wrote about the importance of taking a proactive approach to avoiding fear, a bad night of sleep, and ultimately Adultitis by staying clear of the evening news. Jason and I got a chance to be the gooey center of a death sandwich on Sunday, appearing on Madison's CBS 5:30PM news. When we arrived on set and got our mics on, the anchor shared with us that they were all thrilled we were on the programming for the evening because they had so much bad news to report. Apparently, the hours before had been filled with body after body being found throughout the state of Wisconsin, leaving …
Tip of the Week: Instaparty
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #2 Instaparty: Find a reason to celebrate and do something to celebrate it. This past weekend Jason and I attended the wake of one of my former kindergarten students. She was ten and had battled cancer for the last 3+ years. Wakes are hard no matter what, but this one was probably the hardest one I've been to. With older folks who pass away, you can look back and celebrate their life and all that they were able to experience. In this case, I'm pretty sure everyone in that long line heading into the funeral home felt a sense of …
Be Happy Now
The street upon which our office/shop is located is getting torn up right now. There are gigantic trucks digging holes, dirt everywhere, lots of loud noises and large tubes lying around waiting to be put underground. It's a little boy's dreamland, and Jason and I saw this firsthand. While walking into the office we came upon a young mom and her two-year-old son in a stroller. They were parked on the sidewalk in front of our shop staring at the construction site. I immediately looked in the direction they were looking, to see if something cool was happening, but all I saw was a couple of guys …
Tip of the Week: Says You
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #3: Says You: Do something that is typically seen as inappropriate for someone of your age. You've seen the movie, "Big" with Tom Hanks? (If you haven't, you need to do that before attempting this challenge.) Tom definitely sells his role as a 12-year-old stuck in an adult's body/life. The classic scene, of course, is when Tom and Robert Loggia play the big piano at the toy store. Jason got a chance to try out that same type of piano at FAO Schwarz this past week while visiting the big apple. He took off his shoes and placed …
9 Lessons From the Bump
As the baby bump grows bigger and the end of November seems to approach more rapidly with each day, I'm having fun reflecting on the lessons I'm learning along the way... lessons that are specific to my situation of carrying our first baby (KoJu as the RodeoClown calls him/her, "Kotecki Junior"), but these lessons can also be applied to anyone looking to live life with less stress and more fun. 1. Take care of yourself. Eat foods that are good for you, drink water, exercise regularly, breathe deep, stretch daily, sleep long enough, and make an effort to stay on an even keel. 2. Don't …