Escape Adulthood

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14 Fantastic Christmas Gift Exchange Ideas

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One of the best parts of Christmas is opening up an unexpectedly awesome gift from a thoughtful giver. Even better is watching someone else open up the perfect gift you found for them. Unfortunately, the gift-giving part of the holidays often contributes a big part of the stress most people feel during the season. It’s not easy trying to find something nice for everyone on the list while fighting the bustling, crazy crowds and keeping the budget from ballooning like Santa on a post-Christmas cookie eating binge. A lot of families and work colleague save money by doing gift exchanges in which every person buys a gift for just one person, rather than everyone in the whole family. Names are drawn, a budget is set, and gifts are purchased. It’s budget-friendly, but can become a bit stale. Not anymore! Without further ado, here are some creative ideas for adding a fun twist to the standard gift exchange... Alphabet Gift Exchange. Draw names as usual, then have everyone …

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An A-Z Guide for Summer Memory Making

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Well, it happened. The longest day of the year has come and gone. It’s always a bit depressing for me, because I know that now the days will only get shorter and shorter. (And it feels like summer only just arrived!) I can’t help but wonder if I’m taking full advantage of the warmer weather. After all, a good summer is one that’s jammed with good memories. If you can relate, here are a couple thoughts… First, it doesn’t have to be overly organized. We asked a bunch of people on Facebook for their favorite thing to do outside as a kid, and not one person mentioned anything about an organized sport. Which was interesting to me, as organized sports are often are the biggest culprit in creating summer clutter and busyness. Secondly, money isn’t a major factor either. Although one might consider a trip to Disney World a slam dunk memory machine, it just isn’t so. Dave Ramsey asked his community about their best summertime memories, and Disney World wasn’t mentioned once. In …

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A Better Alternative to New Year’s Resolutions?

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New Year's resolutions are okay, but I like tinkering better. A resolution feels like a stern, rigid taskmaster who shames you when you fall down. But tinkering is a curious friend, nudging you into new adventures in which you uncover things you didn’t know about yourself. With a resolution we say, “I’m going to immediately change forever.” When we tinker, we say, “I wonder what would happen if I tried this for a little bit…” Instead of committing to a resolution, I recommend starting a Tinker Project. A Tinker Project as a playful endeavor of any size or scope that gives you permission to experiment with something that’s been tugging at your soul, without regard to any particular outcome. It’s a chance to chase your curiosity and try something new. It’s about venturing into the unknown, just because, where the act of exploration is reward enough. A Tinker Project is meant to be pretty flexible. It could be a year long, or just a few days. You could use it to …

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Living a More Adventurous Life is as Easy as ABC

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My friend Dave (a recent Adultitis Fighter of the Month) has Mondays off. They started becoming a little stale, so he decided to shake things up. Although he's an avid traveler, Dave realized that he actually explored very little of his home state of Wisconsin. One day, he pulled out a map, landed on a city named Amherst and set out to make a day of exploring this unfamiliar town. Next week, he went to a city that started with the letter "B" (Babcock), followed by Columbus, and has continued his quest through the alphabet. (He's currently on "H".) Most of the towns are quite small, but they all have something interesting about them, whether it's an old covered bridge, an obscure museum, or a unique little park where he and his dog Lily can hang out. And not surprisingly, these adventures turn out to be pretty economical. As we settle into the summer here in the northern hemisphere, I thought this was a neat idea worth sharing. It's proof that you don't need to jet off to faraway …

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5 Rules You Should Totally Break This Week

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It's been almost two years since Penguins Can't Fly was published. It features forty of the most common rules that don't exist, but with each passing day, I am even more convinced that there are more like forty million, keeping us enslaved to Adultitis without us even noticing. A few weeks ago, I asked Escape Adulthood Insiders to share some of the so-called rules they most love breaking. I got so many good ones! This week, I wanted to play mild-mannered reporter and pass along a few of my favorites, because I they are great reminders for everyone. Thou shalt only observe morning once a day. (Melissa LeFever) "Why can't we start the day over whenever we need? Sometimes we need a couple chances in a day to get it right. I learned to break this rule when I had my worst parenting day ever. I told my daughter that the day started over after nap because we both needed a new start. It worked. We started with a fresh plate and fresh attitude. Sometimes we need discipline and …

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New Adventure Club Challenges for September!

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Welcome to September! Adultitis is certainly excited about the calendar shift, as the lazy days of summer ramp up into busier times - especially for anyone affected by the back-to-school season. Well, we refuse to surrender, and we’ve got four new Small Rebellions specially designed to upend the Big A. They’re part of the Escape Adulthood Adventure Club, where we send free stickers (kind of like merit badges) by mail to the first 100 folks who complete the challenges and share their escapades online. Rally your friends, your family, your co-workers — or even just your little old self — and tackle any or all of these challenges. They’re all great ways to make memories, make a difference, and make Adultitis mad! Adopt a Pet (Rock) - Find a lonely abandoned rock and give it a new leash on life. Decorate it, accessorize it, name it, bring it to work…let your creativity run wild! (For sticker eligibility, tag @escapeadulthood and use the hashtag #eaac005) Project Play Dough - …

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The Escape Adulthood Adventure Club is Here!

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I am so excited to announce our newest initiative to take down Adultitis! We call it the Escape Adulthood Adventure Club. How does it work? Every month, we'll give you some fun ideas for fighting Adultitis (we call them Small Rebellions). If you do any of them -- by yourself, or with friends, family, or co-workers -- you can officially consider yourself in the Club! And if you are one of the first 100 people to share your exploits online, we'll send you a rad sticker (sort of like a modern-day merit badge) for free! The only question is, "Can you collect them all?" Join a community of freedom fighters making memories, making a difference, and making Adultitis mad. Click here to discover the first four Small Rebellions and learn how to secure the stickers for each one! …

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Time for a Knock Knock Party

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Last week, my daughter Lucy ran a pancake stand to raise money for Kindermusik. (Full recap here.) Although it caught one couple expecting to score some lemonade a bit off guard, everyone hailed it as a great idea and wonderful success. And it was, for many reasons, not the least of which were all the lessons Lucy learned in the process. But another unexpected benefit was the opportunity to get to know many of our neighbors better, as well as meeting some for the first time. Although I am always wary of waxing on about how much better the olden days were (I’m not that old yet!), it sure seems like neighborhoods were closer and more tight-knit a few generations ago than they are now. People are working longer. Kids are involved in more scheduled activities outside of the home. It often seems like the only thing we do in our homes anymore is sleep. But Lucy’s Pancake Stand reminded me how important that neighborhood connection can be. And how bringing it back is not as hard as …

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How to Host Your Very Own Escape Adulthood Party

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Once upon a time, there was a friendly, kind, and generous woman named Joan. She attended an Escape Adulthood Summit in Madison and wanted to bring back some of the magic she experienced to a group of her friends. So she hosted the first ever Escape Adulthood Party. And a great time was had by all. Joan didn’t ask for permission. She didn’t have an advanced degree in party planning. She just did it. And Kim and I were just tickled pink about it. We have always thought this fight against Adultitis was bigger than us, and we are delighted whenever our suspicions are proven right. The three Escape Adulthood Summits we’ve put on have been magical experiences, but the spirit that brings them to life is bigger than any one person, place, or parcel of time. Joan created a spark, and we set out to help fan the flame. And so, two years ago, we went to work putting together a guide to inspire and encourage others to put on Escape Adulthood Parties of their own. After all, who …

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Undercover Alias: Why You Might Want a New Name

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Whenever I get a coffee at Starbucks, and they ask me for my name, I always tell them "Jason." While this is completely honest, it's also completely devoid of fun. The next time you buy a coffee or put your name in at a restaurant, use a fake name as your alias. It could be a normal sounding name, the name of a fictional character, or something completely unusual like Cantaloupe or Melmac. Just make sure it’s fake! Of course, you can do this with friends, too. At a conference I was speaking at recently (howdy OAEYC peeps!), two female attendees decided to make the random names that were printed on the side of their Coke can their aliases for the day. "Hilda" and "Kenneth" had a great time with this bit of silliness. As usual, the simple things are the best ways to add a bit of whimsy to your day. They can make long days go faster, turn annoying customers into afterthoughts, or create memories that last years and years. Now if you'll excuse me, Han Solo needs to go get …

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