Nature and kids. It’s a magical combination.

I treasure memories from my own childhood, ones like rolling down that huge hill at Allen Park next to the Illinois River, and climbing the tree in my front yard on Shady Lane, with grandiose plans to spend the whole afternoon there.

These memories get richer with the years, don’t they?

One of my deepest longings as a parent is to provide these magical moments for our kids. I’m finding that with all things in life, when I give, I end up receiving way more than I ever imagined possible. This little story illustrates the gift my kids gave me, when I gave them an hour on the lake.

We are blessed to live a half mile from Lake Mendota, Madison’s largest lake. It’s a magical land of ice and snow right now. The kids are enthralled by this paradise (and so am I). We had my nephew over for a sleepover recently so we were all proud to show him our lake.

I was radically moved by our unscripted adventure.

Did you know if you scream out on the ice that the sound is absorbed and no one frickin’ cares? You can never be too loud and it’s pretty darn freeing.

Shadows on the lake are magic. They have a life of their own and beg you to play with them. You must say yes!

There are patches where there is very little snow and it’s like a real ice rink. You can slide around like a figure skater, twirling beautifully until you fall on your butt.

You can see all sorts of tracks on the ice, they tell an amazing story about what happened before you were there. We observed that our own footprints leave a stories for others to read. “Looks like some people had fun here!”

The kids discovered a GINORMOUS set of footprints that were spaced very far apart. We all imagined what kind of giant was out there on the ice. Maybe the Hulk? Big Foot? Wide wonderous eyes gazed into the distance imagining.

When snow drifts over the ice and makes higher sections, it’s super fun to crash through these elevated levels of snow with your feet. At first if feels like you’re about to fall through the ice, which is super freaky (and exciting). The simple act of walking and stomping became “a thing!”‘

There were large sections of ice untouched by tracks and footprints. Without prompting, they began writing and drawing pictures with sticks and footprints. You can draw a whole picture in the snow!

There were dead trees lying sideways, frozen in the lake. The ground that was once beneath them had eroded, and now their large and crazy roots were rising to the sun. A curiosity-fueled conversation began about why and how this had happened, leading to an impromptu lesson on erosion and root systems. Bonus fun, these dead trees provided some nice climbing.

The simple act of picking up HUGE pieces of snow and ice is fun. It makes you feel strong like a giant. You can pretend you are a major league pitcher and throw them and they crash into a bazillion pieces and it makes the most distinct sound. You can do this dozens of times and it doesn’t get old.

Sometimes chunks of ice remind you of things, like Superman logos and huge slices of pizza.

Seeing these kids free, experiencing their truly adventurous hearts uninhibited, hearing their squeals and the excitement in their discoveries, this sound reached into my heart and grabbed my inner-5-year-old by the hand and said, “Come on, let’s play.”

As an Adultitis-fighting mom of three, I tend to default to scripted fun. A + B = C. If Jason and I have a date night, then we have certain formulas for fun and adventure. If I have a few hours to work, then it must look a certain way.

These unleashed kids reminded me of the value of unscripted adventures and the supernatural power of nature to help set the stage.

What joy-filled experience is around the corner, waiting for you to walk out your front door?

Put on your sneakers or your winter boots.

Come on, let’s play.

When you have a map to anywhere and GPS in your pocket, it’s really hard to get lost. I think that’s too bad, because sometimes getting lost can lead to great adventures.

Someone shared the idea of a “Penny Date” with me, and I wanted to pass it along.

The first rule is to get dressed to out and grab a penny. Get in the car and let your partner choose a number between 10 and 20. This will be the number of times you flip the penny. Pull out of the driveway and begin your adventure. Heads is right, Tails is left. Every time you come to an intersection, flip the penny and turn the corresponding direction. Once you get to the number your partner picked at the beginning, stop. Look around. Make a date where you are.

Pretty neat idea, isn’t it? Of course, this could be easily adapted for different scenarios. I regularly go on date nights with my daughter Lucy, and this would work just as well with her. Not to mention outings with the whole family or a couple of friends.

You don’t need a map. Or even a lot of money. You only need a spirit of adventure and a little creativity to have fun wherever you find yourself, just like when you were a kid.

Adultitis be gone!

By the way, this whole Ice Bucket Challenge thing is a stellar example of how the world is aching for silliness, but oftentimes, we just need a little permission. Making a video of yourself dumping a bucket of ice water of your head is pretty silly. People don’t make a habit of doing things like this.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t.

When someone else is being silly, it gives us the cover to jump in and be silly ourselves.

Be a permission granter. Go first.

Our society is over-sanitized. We emphasize order and cleanliness and anti-bacterial EVERYTHING. But when kids do what comes naturally — get messy — good things result. Not only does Adultitis throw a hissy fit, but according to a 2012 report by The National Wildlife Federation, playing in the mud provides benefits to immune systems, hearts and skin, as well as kids’ emotional wellbeing and learning skills.

According to Dr. Joel Weinstock, director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, “Children raised in an ultraclean environment are not being exposed to organisms that help them develop appropriate immune regulatory circuits.” For their own benefit, Dr. Weinstock argues, “Children should go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt and not have to wash hands when they come in to eat.”

In addition to Adultitis prevention and health benefits, messes are an especially effective way to create memories with the people you love. (Not to mention the awesome photo ops!) Here are five magical ways to turn messes into memories:

Mud Day

A while back, a teacher at a childcare center told me that they had celebrated International Mud Day. Flyers were sent out ahead of time instructing the parents to pack an extra set of old clothes (including underwear!). On the big day, they used a garden hose to transform a dirty patch of ground into a glorious mud hole and gave the kids permission to go crazy. The children rolled around in the mud and squealed in delight as they covered their teachers in the brown slime.

I was smitten by the concept, and was so happy to learn that International Mud Day is a real thing. This year’s day of splashing, rolling, squishing, sliding, making mud pies is June 29th.

For more photos, resources, and the history of International Mud Day, go here.

For an afternoon that won’t soon be forgotten, just add mud.

Flour Game

Get a teacup or small bowl and pack it tight with flour. Regular, white flour. Flip the cup over onto a plate, remove it, and carefully place a Lifesaver candy on top. (Some people use a coin of some sort, but candy is better in every way.) Then everyone takes turns cutting the flour with a knife, taking care not to disturb the Lifesaver. The person who makes the Lifesaver fall has to fish it out with their mouth. No hands — or feet — allowed.

It is a game in search of an occasion. It’s perfect for birthdays, Christmas parties, even National Flour Month, which is March, in case you’re wondering.

Big Top Living Room

Build an extravagant and elaborate living room fort. Every kid has made a simple, makeshift fort with sheets and blankets, but there’s no doubt the experience and know-how of an adult can add a lot to the party. What extravagant, elaborate fort could you create with clips, clamps, rope, rubber bands, bungee cords, and duct tape? Think multiple rooms, secret passageways, and maybe even different levels!

Our friend Scott used a canceled flight as an opportunity to spend the entire day in his hotel room making an impressive fort of epic proportions, utilizing mattresses, end tables, sheets and bed spreads. If you do this one right, it should take you one or more hours to complete. When you’re finished, bask in the glory of your accomplishment by watching a movie or having a picnic inside.

Barbarian Spaghetti

Next time you have spaghetti…don’t use plates. Just plop the spaghetti in the middle of the table, and have the meal participants pull their portions toward themselves. If you want to keep the messiness to a minimum, make sure to use a plastic tablecloth and clean up will be a breeze!

Now, would the idea of Barbarian Spaghetti make Martha Stewart hyperventilate and possibly slip into a coma? Probably.

Is it messy and cheap and simple and silly and childlike and fun?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

And what are the odds that the participants will have created a scene they will not soon forget?

Exactly.

Dinner of Bad Manners

Host a dinner in which good manners are strictly forbidden.

That’s right, forbidden.

Anything goes. Elbows on the table. Napkins optional. Burping welcome. Slurping your spaghetti. Talking with a mouthful of meatballs. Rudely demanding for the peas to be passed pronto.

As you might imagine, the kids reeally look forward to this. And I’d bet my last dollar the parents do, too. Even though Miss Manners might flip her lid, we all need permission from time to time to take a break from the rules, blow off some steam, and not take ourselves so seriously. And who knows? You could actually turn it into a teachable moment about why good manners are important.

Your turn: What’s your favorite idea for turing a mess into a memory?

In a story that seems ripped from the pages of The Onion, a middle school in Port Washington, New York has banned tag and cartwheels and balls of all sorts in order to cut down on injuries to children during recess.

Yet another example of adults ruining everything.

And we are one step closer to living in a society where we all wear Nerf clothing and drive on streets paved in Nerf in our Nerf-covered cars to our Nerf-wrapped places of employment.

Kind of makes me want to invest in Nerf stock.

Back in the day, if you didn’t accidentally cut yourself on some sort or metal-edged toy before 9:00 in the morning, you weren’t doing childhood right.

And now dodge ball is demonized, Red Rover has been neutered, and it’s illegal to throw a football around at recess. How long before recess itself is banned?

It’s easy to point fingers at the school officials. The main reason they’ve concocted this ridiculous new policy is most likely to avoid lawsuits. Which is a legitimate concern in our sue-happy society. If I may state the obvious, however, the idiots who sue people for stupid things AND the policymakers who try to stay one step ahead of them are both demopgraphic groups made entirely of adults.

There are plenty of fingers to go around, but they all point to one problem: grown-ups.

It’s a crystal clear indicator that Adultitis is winning the war. Make no mistake: we will continue fighting the good fight. I’m not advocating giving kids bags o’ glass for Christmas, but then again, I’m not sure which extreme is more terrifying.

Instead of turning into a society of wimps living painfully boring stories, let’s keep in mind that life is a contact sport, and no one gets out alive.

No matter how much Nerf you’re wearing.

What do YOU think about the decision to ban balls, tag, and cartwheels at recess?

Egads, we’ve already sped past the middle of August, haven’t we? In my role as a Professional Permission Granter, I feel that it’s my duty to remind you that summer is almost over.

That being said, I encourage you to make an effort to make at least one more awesome memory before the door hits summer in the tooskus. One more big fling. One more crazy scene.

It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, of course. A Frosty run to Wendy’s could fill the bill. Especially if you’re wearing your pajamas. Or you take a new friend. Or you order in a fake accent. Or all of the above.

In case you’re really stumped, here are six more ideas:

• Play Ding Dong Ditch 2.0
• Build a Tree Swing, Teepee, or a Sweet Watermelon Homestead
• Make a Giant Backyard Version of These Classic Childhood Games
• Take the Video Camera Outside Create a Unique Home Movie
• Make Some Glowing Chalk
• Build a Campfire and Play One of These Games

Now there are no excuses, as I’ve removed the hard “thinking” part and left in the fun, um, “fun-having” parts.

I have a friend who has twin girls, and as they grew up, she would remind herself to make the most of the passing time by saying, “I’ll never have another second grade summer” or “I’ll never have another fifth grade summer.”

You could say the same about yourself. (Although I’m guessing you’re not in fifth grade anymore.) Your summer next year will look different than your summer this year. You’ll be older, of course. And so will your friends and family. But there may be people in your life or opportunities you have now that won’t be around next summer.

Make the most of this one before it’s too late.

Let us know in the comments what you’re gonna do before the summer winds down!

A giant one that’s ten feet long, of course!

Banana splits are pretty good at thwarting Adultitis. But 10-foot banana splits have been known to give Adultitis the hives.

If you wanna make one for your next party, they seem pretty easy to put together. This tutorial uses a carpet tube and this one uses a simple rain gutter (both were covered in heavy duty aluminum foil.)

If you wanna go crazy, eat it for dinner.

If you wanna go easy on the waistline, try these Banana Split Bites instead.

Photo from OhHappyDay

This is a photo by Allard Schlager of a real live tulip field in The Netherlands. I am convinced that you could live one hundred lifetimes and never see all of the wonders this world has to offer.

It makes me wonder why we rely on drugs or alcohol or even television to enhance our reality. At best, they are cheap imitations. A more productive option might be to practice seeing the world through childlike eyes.

The world is filled with awesome things. Look around and be amazed.

I love drive-in movies. Always have. My parents took us to a few double features when I was little. I remember my brothers and I getting to watch the first movie and then having to lay down in the blanket-packed back of the red station wagon for the second (and more adult-oriented) one. Last summer we took Lucy to see Brave and The Avengers at a drive-in theater about a half-hour from Madison. (She too, fell asleep during the second one.)

For the life of me, I don’t know why this American classic is an endangered species. Some of you may not have a drive-in theater anywhere near your home. Happily, I recently found a post about screening movies in your own backyard. Although it may require a little up-front money, it’s hard to beat the savings on concession stand food and overall convenience. (Plus, I’m willing to bet your bathrooms aren’t as gross!)

AmberLee (and her husband) cover everything you’ll need to consider, including ideas for the perfect spot, tips for what kind of projector to get, and even how to make your screen. Action!

Photo by AmberLee at GiversLog.com

I’ll just state the obvious, because we’ve all thought it: We need more giant rubber duckies floating around in our lakes, rivers, and harbors. We also need more artists to think of ideas like this.

The giant yellow ambassador of fun pictured above is the work of conceptual artist Florentijin Hofman, who states:

The Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn’t discriminate people and doesn’t have a political connotation. The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties: it can relieve mondial tensions as well as define them. The rubber duck is soft, friendly and suitable for all ages!

The duck in question is about 46 feet tall and 55 feet long and is currently hanging out in Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. Hoffman is well-known for larger-than-life works of whimsy. Here are a few of my favorites:

Signpost 5. Three (really) grand pianos washed upon the shore.

The Big Yellow Rabbit.

Fat Monkey – look close; it’s made with flip flops!

The Steelman.

Thank you Florentijin, for helping fight Adultitis with your wonderful work! You, my friend, are a Champion of Childhood!

I’ve written before that one of the BEST parts of being grown-up is having the ability and the know-how to take awesome things from childhood to a new level of awesomeness.

The sweet photos above? No, they were not created by some guy in a small plane or captured with the iPhone of a blimp pilot. They were taken by a camera attached to a kite.

Yes, a freaking kite. You know, that thing kids play with on windy days? In fact, Kite Aerial Photography is a real thing. Google it.

Imagine the possibilities! You could get some killer shots of your kids’ baseball or soccer games, your family reunion picnic, or your vacation to Florida.

But please note: you will not just want to duct tape your fancy camera to a kite. That’s something a kid would do, likely resulting in the garnishment of a decades’s worth of allowance money. Grown-ups, however, have come up with plans for rigs you can build to protect your baby at least a little bit.

You can check out 57 other awesome photos taken via kite on this post by Darren Rowse. Who knows, maybe it will inspire you to take kite flying to a new level of awesome.

Training began about a month ago. Perhaps that wasn’t enough time to prepare, especially if you have a hard time jogging around the block without feeling like you have to hurl. But Kim and I had each other to hold ourselves accountable and, as you can see from the photo above, Kim was all business.

She had some help from Lucy, who provided moral support and coaching.

Ben, on the other hand, seemed content to play the role of little devil on the shoulder. Here he his tempting Kim to take a little break.

I chose a more unorthodox race day preparation routine.

Perhaps you have heard of the Iron Man Triathlon? Well, I am convinced that it’s a race for wimps, particularly compared to the Run Free Race, which we ran in temps that felt like -4º. It may not have been the best choice for a first marathon.

Despite Ben’s best attempts, Kim was well-prepared and ran a strong race. Here she is at around mile number 18:

Afterward, she admitted that her best tip was staying hydrated.

Kim ended up finishing in an impressive 3:13, good enough to qualify her for the Boston Marathon, if she wanted to run it. I will admit that I had a more difficult go of it. But I did finish. Here is me trying not to overheat.

All in all, this recent addition to our Bucket Lists ended up being a great experience. Would I do it again?

Possibly.

But I’d probably need two jars of pre-race peanut butter next time.

Oh, as you may have figured out by now, the Run Free Race (and much of this post) was almost entirely fake. It truly was “the greatest race that never was.” But it begs the question: can anything really be called “fake” if thousands of people are doing it too?

One thing’s for sure. It definitely was ridiculo.us.

One of the worst parts about growing up (I know, there are many): outgrowing your Big Wheel. Yes, upgrading to a two-wheeled bike is cool, but nothing beats the pure joy of operating an old school Big Wheel tricycle. Being that low to the ground is kind of like driving a Ferrari.

One of the best parts of being grown-up is having the ability and the know-how to take awesome things from childhood and making them even…awesomer.

I give you the grown-up version of the Big Wheel, with alloy V-Brake and levers, a plush custom seat, a pneumatic 26-inch front wheel and molded 14-inch plastic wheels to promote epic Power Slides. Plus tassels!

I don’t know about you, but I want one.

These tips are for those times when you want to roll old school.

1. Pick a place that is shaded to increase the lifespan of your snowman.
2. The best type of snow comes when the temperature is right around the freezing mark. If your snow is too dry, spray a fine mist of water over it with a hose. Or you can use a spray bottle or a watering can with a perforated spout.
3. Start by forming a snowball with your hands. Keep adding more snow to it until it’s too big to hold. Then place it on the ground and roll it in a direction opposite of you. Change directions as you roll it, so as to make the ball as spherical as possible.
4. Flatten the top of the bottom ball and the bottom of the middle ball before stacking to improve stability. Repeat for each segment.
5. Lift every snowball with your legs and not your back.
6. If your snow balls are too heavy to lift, take a page out of the ancient Egyptian “Pyramid Building Playbook.” Use a wooden plank as a ramp and roll the torso to the top of the base.
7. For extra stability, place a stick down the center where the sections meet.
8. Once assembled, pack snow in between the three balls to help keep the whole thing intact.
9. The face should point away from the sun to avoid melting too quickly.
10. Experiment with size. If you have a lot of snow, you may be able to make a giant snowman. But don’t forget about how awesome and whimsical tiny snowmen can be.
11. Use kitchen tools like serving spoons and butter knives to sculpt out finer details.
12. Spray the finished snowman with water to freeze the top layer of snow to keep it from melting too quickly.
13. Sticky snow can be used to add a nose, muscles, a beer gut, or other anatomical features.
14. Old plants are a good source for hair.
15. Collect old clothes that are too worn to donate in a special “snowman clothes box.”
16. Add those little red & white peppermints for cheeks. The pink will leak out into the snow and give your snowman rosy cheeks.
17. A great place for accoutrements is the fridge. Perhaps there are some cucumbers or carrots or celery stalks that are on their way out to the garbage? Old tomato slices make great eyes!
18. Don’t have coal for the eyes? Rocks work just as well.
19. Use reflectors or solar-powered LEDs for eyes or buttons to make your guy stand out at night.
20. You can paint your snowman with a spray bottle filled with a mixture of food coloring and water. (FYI Red makes for great bleeding wounds.)
21. A snowman isn’t a snowman until you give it a name. Be creative!
22. Feeling ambitious? Make snow-versions of your whole family. Or create an entire scene: family dinner, poker table, crime scene or create some shark fins around your guy.
23. Take a picture because it won’t last forever!

Do you have any tips to share? Add them in the comments!

“That sensation is absolutely one of the most extraordinarily joyous sensations that a person will ever experience.” –Bill Martinelli, The Skipper (now known as Skip Martin)

I gotta be honest, even though it’s been a while since I’ve been skipping, it’s probably in the top five, for sure. It IS hard not to feel joyous when you are skipping! And I love how he made a business out of skipping. But this is the quote I related to most:

“We started running, and I hated it immediately, like I always did.”

Skipping. The alternative holiday weight-melting activity for Adultitis-fighting anti-runners.

Most of the time vandalism is mean and perpetrated by jerk heads.

But what if an act of vandalism is done is a spirit of cheerfulness and actually adds or enhances beauty? Is it still called vandalism?

Cara shared this community tradition on our Facebook page:

There is a tradition in our town to sneak out in the middle of the night and decorate a random bush/shrub/tree by the side of the road. Part of the fun is to pick a really busy street and to not get ‘caught’ by passing cars. By Christmas Day, you will see dozens if not hundreds of decorated trees by the highways. (My daughter and I hit one up just last night!)

I’m not sure who is responsible for the cleanup, but this seems pretty harmless and crazy fun. I suspect that anyone against the actions of these townsfolk — and you know there are some — might be suffering from a bit of Adultitis.

Our world needs more joy, more whimsy, more silliness. That’s why I support Christmas vandalism.

I couldn’t agree more.

Imagine these being installed in airports.

Imagine these being installed in the offices of all law firms and insurance companies.

Imagine these being installed in every single government building, especially the ones in Washington, D.C.

I dare say that these could bring peace to the Middle East.

Get on it, Congress.

This is a cool story (and video) of how a dad sent his son’s favorite toy train into the stratosphere. Pretty amazing what one can accomplish with a weather balloon, an HD camera, a GPS-equipped phone, and a little imagination.

And after watching the video, it appears as though the train had the time of his life.

Hat tip to thekidsshouldseethis.com

It’s time for another official Small Rebellion (a small but mighty act of defiance against Adultitis and the rules that don’t exist)!

Pajama Runs are great, because they fit into busy schedules, allow you to break a few “rules,” and for the price of a few simple ice cream cones, you get to create a memory you will never forget.

The Mission: Put simply, a Pajama Run is when you surprise someone by taking them out for a late-night ice cream treat in their pajamas. In fact, EVERYONE involved needs to be wearing pajamas. Anyone can play — you can “kidnap” your kids, grandkids, parents, or friends — and you can include as many people as you want. Bonus points if the people you surprise are already in bed (feel free to wake them up with pots and pans and wooden spoons or some appropriate music). For best results, maintain the mystery by keeping the destination a secret for as long as possible. If you have kids and you’re feeling extremely rebellious, do it on a school night.

Are you in?

Share your adventures online with the hashtag #smallrebellion5

Here’s a video that goes into a bit more detail:

And here’s a cool story about a mom who organized one of the most epic Pajama Runs ever.

I think it’s funny that even as our cars get more high tech, outfitted with GPS systems, heated seats, and hands-free calling, they still come equipped with glove compartments.

Glove compartments!

Although the glove compartment in my car is jammed with a great many things — manuals, napkins, straws, ketchup packets, pens that don’t work, and the like — gloves are not among them.

I got thinking about glove compartments when I was in Houston a few weeks ago for a speaking engagement. One of the audience members talked about a friend’s dad who always carried a few spare kites in the trunk of his car. That way, whenever they were out driving during superb kite-flying weather, they could just pull over and have some fun. And oftentimes, he would hand out kites to children.

Now I don’t know about you, but it seems like anytime I want to fly a kite, the wind is MIA, and when the wind is in the mood, I never have a kite handy. So, in my estimation, Kites + Trunk = Brilliant! Especially so when you consider how cheap, light, and space friendly they are.

One thing’s for sure: there are few activities more capable of extinguishing a day’s worth of Adultitis than flying a kite for fifteen minutes.

They may not fit in your glove compartment, but perhaps it is time to designate a spot in your vehicle as a “the kite compartment.” Or perhaps your glove compartment needs to be renamed the “bubble compartment,” the “googly eyes compartment,” or the “silly string compartment.”

Adding random whimsy to your life is easy with but a teensy bit of preparation!

Update!

Want more ideas of fun things to store in your glove compartment? Here are a few shared by folks on our Facebook page. (If you haven’t already “liked” the page, you’re missing out on some great ideas for escaping adulthood from some awesome people!)

• Word search.
• A pirate eye patch.
• Window crayons, for writing note on other people’s cars.
• A collection of antenna balls to suit the season or your mood.
• A bottle opener/cork screw. Just in case.
• Glow sticks for keeping the kids entertained at night.
• Car games and a list of lifetime Eye Spy things.
• A super ball.
• A deck of cards.
• A towel for wiping down rain-soaked swings and slides.
• An extra $20 for emergency purchases, especially at shops that are shaped like the thing it sells: like a hot dog or a donut or twisty ice cream cone.
• A bright green eject button, just in case.