I've shown this particular video near the end of every speaking program I've done over the past several years. It chronicles an adventure Kim and I had in Colorado Springs in which we became VERY close friends with a herd of giraffes. It usually gets a pretty good reaction from the crowd, including laughs and giggles of both delight and disgust. The video is a little misleading, however. …
Be Honest
Jon & Kate Plus 8 Plus Adultitis
Over the past few years, I have watched more Jon & Kate Plus 8 than I care to admit. The wifey got me into it a few years ago. It's not like we watch every episode, but it always seems to be on, and we get sucked in by something cute one of the kids says (like "I got to hit the tiñata."). Initially, I thought watching it made for pretty good birth control. Then Lucy came along and I began thanking my lucky stars that there weren't five more of her in there. Now that I'm doing more of the grocery shopping, I am bombarded by the tabloids alerting me to the latest "scoop" on this couple now …
9 Things I’ve Learned From My Wife’s 9 Months of Pregnancy
1.) Pretty much everything on TV and in the movies is wrong. I know, this is a shocker. But I grew up in a household of men (except for the one that we call Mom), and have pretty much no firsthand experience with anything feminine or pregnancy-related. I have come to find out that TV shows and movies have led me horribly astray. I've learned that the water doesn't always break in a restaurant or crowded public place (in fact, 90% of the time it happens right before the end of labor.) I've learned that the entire labor process takes a lot longer than a 30-minute sitcom would have you believe. …
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Drop The Invisible Force Field
You know how some people become so frustrated by the antics of their crying baby that they resort to shaking them violently? Sometimes, when I'm speaking, I want to do that with audience members. …
Tip of the Week: Instant Karma
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #20: Instant Karma: Right an old wrong. In 2005 karma was given a primetime slot, starring as the central plot point on My Name is Earl. Whether you call it karma or not, most people believe that "what goes around comes around." Another way to look at it is the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When you're a kid and you have a fight with a friend those two simple words can turn everything around- I'm sorry. Sometime your mom makes you say them, and sometimes you just know you need to, but …
Ignore What Mom Said
Well, not all of it. Let me explain. Brett Farmiloe has neat post about the things our mothers told us and how they affect our adult lives. Some of the instructions, if they've stuck with you, serve as beacons of good behavior and great advice. "Remember to say your please and thank yous." "Wash your hands." "You could have called." "Stop picking your nose." Challenge #11 of the Escape Plan is You're Not The Boss of Me: Do something your parents would never let you as a child. Most parents want the best for their kids, and the rules they pass down to us reflect the culmination …
Star Wars According to a 3-Year-Old
Grown-ups have a way of complicating things. We are addicted to subtlety. Nuance. Shades of grey. One of the things I admire most about children is their ability to cut to the chase. They're honest. They tell it like it is. And they don't mess around with unimportant details. This video gives the rundown of Star Wars Episode IV from the perspective of a 3-year-old. One important life lesson: don't be like the shiny guy. The shiny guy always worries. Even 3-year-olds know that worrying is a stupid waste of time. Proof yet again that kids are experts at spotting Adultitis. …
Be Like Abe
Kids are honest. One day when my nephew was four he was playing a board game with my mom, his grandma. In the middle of the game he stopped what he was doing abruptly and said, "Grandma, did you know you have gray hair?" She laughed and assured him that, indeed, she knew that. Increasing his intensity, he insisted, "No Grandma, REALLY gray... and you have a yellow tooth, too." Ah yes... the honesty of children. They tell it like it is. …
Do You Suffer From Sunday Night Dread?
When I was a kid, there was nothing worse than a Sunday night during the school year. The foreboding end of weekend freedom was perilously near. As the sun set and the clock ticked older, the pit in my stomach grew and grew. I did well in school, but thinking ahead to a week of early mornings, boring lectures, bad lunches, stupid bullies, and unexciting homework was hardly a thing to look forward to. I was suffering from Sunday Night Dread. …
The Biggest Dreamer of All
Few people in history have exhibited the intense and authentic childlike qualities of Martin Luther King, Jr. Knowing the weight of his message and adversity he met on his journey of justice, he should've had a major case of Adultitis. I do not believe that he did, however. Here's why... He dreamed BIG. REALLY big! He was curious (and brave) enough ask some of the hardest questions ever asked. Why? Why not? What if? He was honest, speaking the truth that was in his heart, even when others weren't open to what he had to say. …