According to the Interwebs, the first week of April is Laugh at Work Week. If there’s one thing work could use more of, it’s laughter.

Inspired by our most recent Champion of Childhood award winners who made an epic ugly cake for a co-worker, we are introducing a new Small Rebellion and we’d love to have you join us! It’s called The Ugly Treat Initiative, and the instructions are very simple:

The MISSION:
Step 1) Make a delicious dessert that also happens to be really, really UGLY.
Step 2) Bring it to work to share.
Step 3) Enjoy laughter and improved morale with your colleagues. (And possibly be awarded a primo parking spot for a month.)
Step 4) Share your stories and pictures online with the hashtag #smallrebellion6

You can tackle the mission when it’s most convenient, any time during the week. You can make cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, strudels…anything, really. Just make sure it’s sweet and tasty. And butt ugly.

The only other requirement is the sharing part, even if it’s not an official place of employment. Eating an ugly cake alone does not generate much laughter. And please, share this Small Rebellion with friends, families, and mortal enemies. The more the merrier!

Need some inspiration? Try here, here and here.

A few months back, we highlighted a Denver neighborhood that had banned children’s sidewalk drawings, calling them “a distracting and offensive blight.” Hopefully you don’t live in a neighborhood like that. (If you do, hopefully you’ve dutifully covered the sidewalks with chalk drawings.)

Well, it’s been a while since we hosted an “official” Small Rebellion, but we figured it was time for a new mission, and sidewalk chalk is going to be the star.

Although the fuel might be the anger for Adultitis-ridden doo doo heads who have the gall to ban chalk drawings from neighborhood sidewalks, the inspiration for action comes from Mindy and Matt of Nerdkicks.com, who were originally inspired by us. Kind of a weird full-circle thing. Here’s what they had to say about it:

“Kim and Jason recently joined us on the NerdKicks Podcast for a fun chat about escaping adulthood. Like you, we have been big fans of their methods and mantras, including: ‘adventurously live a story worth telling;’ ‘play hard, often and just because;’ and ‘boldly refuse to act your age.’

Our chat together was delightful, and it was especially fun to hear the Kim and Jason origin story. Throughout our chat, the theme of positively influencing the lifestyles of others kept popping up. We were inspired by Kim and Jason to do something fun and silly for our neighbors in the spirit of battling the sad symptoms Adultitis…

We came up with a fun concept and wanted to share it with you: sidewalk chalk inspirations!

The treatment is simple.

The Mission:

1. Procure sidewalk chalk, available for less than $3 at Target (for Extra Strength treatment, make your own chalk).

2. Collect inspirational quotes. We recommend consulting your favorite nerdy movies, Muppets, and childhood heroes.

3. Go to a public place and draw away!

Side effects may include amused smiles from strangers, dusty fingers, and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.”

So that’s it. Sidewalk chalk + inspirational quotes = neighborhood-wide banishment of Adultitis. We can imagine whole blocks filled with awesome inspiration quotes! Won’t you join us? Let’s see how many photos we can collect! Share yours online with the hashtag #smallrebellion4

Click here for more inspiration!

I didn’t know exactly what we would do in our household, but I did know that it would include the new Star Wars pancake molds I got for Christmas. That would be unique!

Well, I thought it would be, until I saw the pancake picture posted by Mark Tipperreiter a few days earlier. Apparently, Santa visits other houses besides just mine. Here’s Mark’s picture, featuring a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader, and Yoda. (Notice how you can actually tell what they are.) Clearly, the Force is strong with him. I assumed it would be with me as well.

I’ll admit I was a little bummed that my plan had been sapped of a little of its originality. But I reminded myself that it’s not a contest and I was equally excited to try out a new recipe I found at Seriouseats.com. Dubbed the “Best Silver Dollar Pancakes Ever,” they were promised to be “so light they practically levitate over the plate they’re put on.” Just like the X-Wing Fighter being lifted out of the Dagobah swamp. I want that.

Keep in mind, I have never made pancakes before. Ever. Not even out of a box. And the thought of putting that much sour cream (and no buttermilk) in my pancakes concerned me a bit. Here’s the recipe:

The Best Silver Dollar Pancakes Ever

 

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cake flour
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar

PROCEDURES
1) Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and stir until well blended.

2) Add the salt, baking soda, flour, sour cream, and sugar, and mix well. A blender works fine for this step.

3) Heat a griddle or frying pan until it is good and hot, film with grease, and drop spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle–just enough to spread to an approximately 2 1/2-inch round. When a few bubbles form on top of the pancakes, turn them over and cook briefly, no longer than 45 seconds.

4) Serve with warm butter and warm syrup. Try not to eat them all.

Source: Serious Eats

 

Kim laughed when I told her my plan. “What?” I asked.

“Well,” she began, “You’ve never made pancakes before and you’re starting with a new recipe and molds you’ve never used? Typical Kotecki.”

“What could go wrong?” I asked, in a manner that sounded eerily like my father.

Things started out ok…

But it didn’t take long before my podracer veered wildly off course.

Disappointed but undaunted, I gave myself a break. It was my first time in the pancake rodeo. Nobody gets it perfect right off the bat. I figured the Stormtrooper would come out better.

Nope.

I decided to step back a bit and try my hand at some normal, rounded, non-Sith-cursed pancakes.

Which actually turned out pretty good. I started to get the hang of spotting the bubbles and knowing when to flip them over.

With my confidence growing, I realized that with a little nudge of the spatula, I could call upon my vast artistic skills to create a licensed character after all…

Mickey Mouse!

And finally, here’s Kim trying to convince Lucy that not only is the mangled mess Daddy created actual pancakes, but they are also edible.

Maybe I did try to bite off more than I could chew. Perhaps there’s a scientific explanation having to do with the sour cream that made things more difficult? Did I put too much batter in the mold? Or not grease them up enough? Did I make some rookie mistakes? (No, can’t be that…)

Although not necessarily visually appealing, they were unbelievably delicious…and light. And all in all, we had fun, which was the point. It was definitely a break in our routine, and an interesting new twist on pancakes in the Kotecki household.

We’re gonna keep doing these weekly small rebellions and see how they go. If you want to make sure you’re the first to know about them, be sure to “Like” our page on Facebook and sign up to become a Kim & Jason Insider to receive our brief weekly dispatches.

Join us in the crusade against Adultitis. And may the Force be with you.

Fake laughter (aka practicing laughter).

Yes, you read that right, I said “fake.” Doesn’t fake laughter usually have a negative connotation?

I’m sure you’ve heard of the many benefits of real laughter in your life, like boosting the ‘ol  immune system, bringing you more energy, lower levels of pain, and protecting you from the dreaded Adultitis, which leaves you a stressed-out mess. But, did you know that fake laughter brings you the same exact results!? I learned this fabulous life-changing fact from Katie West, the Levity Coach. In her work as a certified life coach, she encourages the rediscovery of laughter and playfulness as a way to fuel the work of achieving your dreams. She shared in a recent blog,

“Pretending to laugh (or practicing laughter) can alter our body chemistry since our brains can not tell the difference between real and fake laughter.”

So, the benefits of “real” and “fake” laughter are the exact same! This simple statement is what gave me the courage to take the first step towards participating in her “15 Minutes With the Levity Project,” in which you gather in a public place and laugh for 15 minutes. My first (and only) objection to this idea had been answered right away… how would I laugh for 15 minutes straight? What would be so funny? As Katie assured, pretending to laugh is just as good for you. So, last Saturday fellow Wisconsin blogger Lance Ekum from The Jungle of Life joined Jason and me as we co-hosted the first Madison Laugh Flash. It was a blast!

Here’s a video about the event from the NBC news…

In preparation for the event, Katie shared with us that laughter is made up of three words… Ha, Hee, and Ho. When you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, all you have to do is belt out some fake laughter, and immediately your body will start to release endorphins and you’ll be feeling good. Much of Katie’s work falls under the umbrella of “laughter yoga,” an amazing movement founded by the Indian physician, Dr. Madan Kataria. This CNN clip is a good summary of what this is all about.

So, it’s time to be honest with yourself. Could you use a little laughter in your life? Do you find yourself dealing with the stress that accompanies adulthood? Would your body benefit from some natural stress-relieving chemicals? Do the people around you need an excuse to smile and chuckle? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then it’s time to incorporate a little (of A LOT) of fake laughter into your day. Before you know it, you’ll be laughing for real and making some real improvements in your health and in your attitude.

Get started right now… ha ha ha, ho ho ho, hee hee!

Become a fan of Kim & Jason on Facebook and get the first scoop on the crazy things we’re up to as well as other behind-the-scenes treats. Kim & Jason Nation unite!

We’re very exited because us folks at Kim & Jason are joining forces with fellow Wisconsin blogger Lance Ekum of The Jungle of Life to host this Escape Event right here in Madison, during the Farmer’s Market on the Capital Square, Saturday, August 22, 11:00- 11:15am.

It’s called Laugh Flash and it’s a part of the very awesome social change experiment “15 minutes with the Levity Project,” founded by Katie West. She’s doing amazing things!

The idea behind this experiment is to create change through laughter and to bring a sense of joy into a public place. Escapees will be invited to spend 15 minutes laughing with us. That’s it! We will first gather at 10:45 am, meeting in front of the Wisconsin Veteran’s Museum to assemble everyone. At 11:00 am we will move over to the grass and start the laughing until 11:15am. Yes, 15 minutes of laughter. Giggles and chuckles will fill the air and connect strangers by hearing it and perhaps, even laughing themselves… it is contagious, after all.

It’s been said that the average preschooler laughs about 400 times a day, versus your typical “grown-up” who only laughs about 15 times a day. Yikes! Quite a discrepancy. Maybe that’s why we don’t see four-year-olds all stressed-out? It’s time to increase our average! Laughter can change our moods, shift our perspective, and bring people together. It’s powerful stuff and now more than ever, it’s needed! Laughter is, after-all, the best medicine.

I hope you’ll be able to join us and Lance as we tackle this Escape Event together. Bring a friend (or two)… the more the merrier!

Kim and I got talking about “our song” and remembered that it played a big role in the movie Karate Kid, Part II. The song I speak of is Peter Cetera’s “Glory of Love”, which was a #1 hit in the U.S. and won an Academy Award nomination for best song from a film.

We heard it on the radio while we were on our first date, Valentine’s Day, 1995. We both said how much we loved the song upon hearing it in the car on the way to Monical’s Pizza. Ironically (or maybe not so, considering it was Valentine’s Day), we heard it again while sitting in the restaurant. We each ended up buying the CD, and it ultimately became the first song we danced to as husband and wife.

Well, this weekend Karate Kid, Part II showed up on cable, and we realized that we had never actually seen the movie together. So after a busy weekend hosting family, we camped out on the couch and watched the old 80s classic together. I was surprised to learn just how extensive Kim’s crush on Ralph Macchio really was, and Kim was surprised to learn that I had created cardboard action figures based on the characters in the film. (They were pretty sweet, too. Their legs and arms were joined by pieces of rubber band, giving them authentic karate chop action. Hey, these are the sorts of things introverted creative types do…)

For those of you looking for a trip back in time, here’s a video with “Glory of Love” playing over some highlights from the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbuE_rbAh0A&hl=en

* * * * *

Ok, now on the WINNER of Escape Event #3 and a set of six movie passes — Club K&J member Lisa Warsinske of Wisconsin! Lisa and her husband Jim took a little inspiration from Driving Miss Daisy and Chevy Chase’s Vacation to create this classic Escape Event moment. I’ll let Lisa describe it in her own words:

I know, I know – the cost of gas… blah blah blah. BUT you have to find the fun!! This weekend, cool hubby Jim and I took (70 year old fun-loving) Mom to dinner. In and effort to participate in the Escape Event #3 and to have fun along the way – I taped an empty soda cup (complete with lid and straw) on the roof of the van.

It was taped on, not going anywhere and empty – get it? So we go for a nice drive around town…one son and I were in the back seat watching the folks on the street who would spot the cup on our van. There was honking and waving and pointing and yelling…

What fun ensued!!! People are PASSIONATE about letting you know there is a cup on your car. We just wave back and act like we have no idea what they are saying to us, or why they are pointing up. Mom was so funny riding shotgun, giving people a nice smile and oblivious wave accompanied with a cheery thumbs up.

One guy on a bicycle saw us enter Riverside park (LaCrosse, WI) and he rode his bike really fast to the other side to head us off and told us about the cup. Jim admitted to him that it was taped on for a joke and the guy says “Man. That’s a good one. You should video tape it. But hey – promise me you won’t do that with a fake baby!”

Other highlights: A teenager screamed “Taco Bell on the roof!” A man on a sidewalk called out “There’s a cup up there.” Which is fun to say repeatedly and fast. (There’s a cup up there. There’s a cup up there.) It makes my lips tingle with silliness.

A whole volleyball team stopped their game at the beach to scream “STOP!! You have to Stop!!!” Mom just smiled and waved cute. I find our outing a fine combination of the Chevy Chase “Vacation” movie with a little “Driving Miss Daisy” thrown in.

A fine combination, indeed! Cheers to Lisa and Jim for an absolutely stellar Escape Event performance!

This weekend is Kim & Jason Escape Event #3. It’s an opportunity for every Club K&J member to join together to do something fun and childlike!

The secret messages detailing the unique challenge and new rules have been mailed out, confidential e-mail reminders have been communicated, and the grand prize has been revealed.

Now it’s time for the fun to begin! A full recap will be posted next week.

Club K&J Members: Here’s the secret link to all of the important information you need. Have fun!

Non-Club K&J Members: What are you waiting for? Quit missing out on all the fun, and join this instant! Cost of membership is about the same price as a single gallon of gas in California. Seriously.

Club K&J members (and their friends and families) were invited to take part in the Escape Event, which was held on April 27, 2008. The challenge was to “do something childlike that is music related in some way, shape, or form.” We chose 3 finalists to compete for the top prize, all of whom did a great job of tackling the challenge.

We want to thank everyone who participated and especially congratulate Judy for her creative approach. You can watch the video she submitted here:

Do something childlike today that is music related in some way, shape, or form.

Kim and I had some fun mixing music and food. Lots of people joined in on the fun, sharing with us stories, pictures, and videos of the event. All Club K&J members who participated were eligible to win a cool prize: an iPod Shuffle from Apple. We pored over all of the entries, and decided on three finalists. The rest is up to YOU!

Take a look at the following entries (listed in alphabetical order by last name), and decide who did the best, most creative job of fulfilling this task. Then vote for that person in the poll below.

Finalist #1: Sue Gudenkauf

From Sue: “For Escape Event #2 I remembered lots of fun time at Camp Courageous of Iowa singing (and signing) camp songs. It was a blast to try to remember the words and the melody and the signs. I totally enjoyed reliving this musical memory from my younger years!”

Finalist #2: Judy Irené

From Judy: “Since I will celebrate my 50th birthday later this year at a SF Giants baseball game, I decided to use the Do-Re-Me event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the SF Giants moving to San Francisco AND the 100th anniversary of Jack Norworth’s writing of the unofficial anthem of baseball, Take Me Out to The Ballgame.

On Sunday, like the 7th inning stretch, I got the whole neighborhood involved! I enlisted the help of family, friends, neighbors, cats and stuffed animals to record the song event, Bob Dylan style — you know, the infamous video of him holding up the words to the song?!

We sang the song and took pictures of everyone involved holding up the phrase they wanted to and talked about our favorite baseball memories. Baseball is THAT kind of past time that families and friends have incredibly fond memories of.

Then, we all gathered round and made a video of the entire event using Ed Meeker’s original 1908 78rpm phonograph recording of Take Me Out to the Ballgame that includes the full set of verses most people don’t realize exist!!! If it doesn’t make you want to yell ‘Play Ball’ and get to your next baseball game, nothing will!!!”

Finalist #3: Walt Kotecki

From Walt: “My musical challenge today was to pull out the old accordion. It’s stored in the basement now so I had to wipe off the dust from the case and drag it into the family room. As always, the sheet music was in the case. I have a nice selection of Christmas tunes and I have been know to ‘brush up’ during the holidays and ‘treat’ the family with my musical skills. But today I promised myself no Christmas songs, just oldies and polkas.

My childhood was filled with music in my house. However, very little of the sweet sound of music in my house came from me and my accordion which usually sat in the corner collecting dust in my bedroom much like l found it today. Two of my older brothers played the guitar which was cool for the 50’s and 60’s. My other older brother by 7 years played the accordion back in the day when playing the accordion was really cool. Me, I was stuck playing the accordion in the 60’s — not cool! Every week I would get dropped off for my 1/2 hour lesson. I literally dragged it up 20 some wooden steps hoping it would bust on the way up or wishing the lid would spring open and I’d watch in horror and evil happiness as the accordion bounced off the steps as I imagined that my playing days were finally over. In spite of my resolve not to learn to play the accordion, I still managed to learn some songs. And by some miracle, when I do pick up my accordion I still amaze myself that I still know where my fingers are supposed to go (but I admit, it’s not a pretty sound!)

My brother Marion and I actually got paid once for playing at our neighbor’s wedding. We played two songs the whole night. One was Rambling Rose and the other was Beer Barrel Polka. I still can’t figure out how Marion played the polka on his guitar!

My playing days finally ended when I convinced my mom that Harold the instructor wasn’t any good and that her and dad were wasting their hard earned money on my lessons.

P.S. After an hour of ‘music’ my wife said, ‘Nice concert!'”

Place YOUR Vote!

Who did the best, most creative job of fulfilling this task?

Kim and I decided to mix music with food. Here’s what we came up with:

Everyone was invited to play along, and Club K&J members were eligible for the prize: a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker from Williams-Sonoma (valued at over $100) AND a copy of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book.

Hundreds of people voted, and Jim, who made an Easter Bunny out of Rice Krispies, came out on top. He stole the hearts of voters, and also did a pretty good job of getting out the vote. His co-workers made up badges to wear throughout the week, encouraging people to vote. Very cute.

So congrats on the big win, Jim! And congrats to everyone who spent some time turning an ordinary Saturday into one with a little childlike fun. Take a look at all the finalists — they ALL did a great job of showcasing their childlike spirit and creativity. And rest assured that we already have the next Escape Event in the works. Stay tuned for details!

Make a childlike moment in your kitchen. It could be resurrecting an experience from your childhood or creating a brand new one.

Kim and I decided to make homemade Shrinky Dinks. Lots of people joined in on the fun, sharing with us stories, pictures, and videos of the event. All Club K&J members who participated were eligible to win a cool prize: a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker from Williams-Sonoma (valued at over $100) AND a copy of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book. We pored over all of the entries, and decided on six finalists. The rest is up to YOU!

Take a look at the following entries (listed in alphabetical order by last name), and decide who did the best, most creative job of fulfilling this task. Then vote for that person in the poll below.

Finalist #1: Jill Gaudio

From Jill: “When I was a little girl I sometimes used to ‘cook’ with my dad. He would give me a little bowl and let me go wild with it. Here’s some of the ingredients; water, oregano, salt, pepper, ketchup, syrup, thyme, cinnamon, mustard, graded cheese, barbeque sauce, etc. I would mix all of these ingredients into my bowl of water and then hand it to my dad. He would pick up a spoon, put it up to his mouth, and pretend to take a sip. He even made the slurping sound, and me, being a believing kind of kid, thought he liked my soup!

So I thought it would be fun this weekend to recreate this ‘soup.’ And it was! My roommate thought I was completely insane, but I had a blast! Thanks for the opportunity to relive one of my best childhood memories!!”

Finalist #2: Joyce Halm

From Joyce: “With a chocolate cake mix I made a dozen cupcakes. After letting them cool, I put a knitting needle through them to connect them. Then I took the cup ice cream cones and cut the tops off. I frosted the cones with chocolate frosting. I put the row of cupcakes (9) on the knitting needle & set them up on the ice cream cones to make legs. The row of cupcakes is the body. I frosted a straight pretzel for a tail. I then used graham crackers & shaped them into ears using frosting to cover them. After that I added small green marshmallows for the eyes and pink for the mouth. Put it all together and you get a WIENER DOG. I added a sign which said, ‘IT’S BEEN A LONG WIENER.'”

Finalist #3: Jim Peters

From Jim: “Those who know me will agree that just finding my way through the kitchen is in itself a major challenge! (It has frequently been said that the best thing I make for dinner is reservations!) So, actually creating something intrigued me. The first question I asked was, ‘What kid doesn’t like Rice Krispies Treats?’ Having never made them, I thought this might be a reasonable challenge.

But even I felt that simply making Rice Krispies Treats wasn’t all that spectacular. Noticing that the date of the Kitchentertainment Event was basically One Month ‘Til Easter, I asked another question: ‘What kid doesn’t like bunnies?’ or even more specifically, ‘The Easter Bunny?’ Thus, the goal of my challenge: to make Rice Krispies Treats that not only maintain some degree of edibility, but also bear some semblance to the Easter Bunny!” (View Jim’s slideshow below.)

| View | Upload your own

Finalist #4: Natalie Regis

From Natalie: “My childhood love of the Easy Bake oven fueled my grown-up love of all things cooking. To help me escape adulthood I brought out my childhood toy to bake up some kitchentertainment!”

Finalist #5: Minette Sternke

Today, I was inspired by the Wishmas events, specifically the edible snowmen. I remember wondering back in December if you could make edible snowmen from popcorn balls. So, today I decided to try this. I found a recipe for popcorn balls on the Internet that looked easy (butter, marshmallow and vanilla over popcorn – how hard could that be?). Well…I proceeded to melt the butter and marshmallows. Once the marshmallows were melted, I was to add vanilla then pour the melted marshmallows & butter over the popped popcorn. I reached into my cupboard, pulled out a bottle of flavoring, thinking it was vanilla (but of course not checking the label!). I opened it up, added a little bit, then realized I was NOT smelling vanilla but something else entirely. I had added peppermint flavoring instead of vanilla! Ah, well, I decided to add red food coloring too just to get into the spirit of things. My twin sister and I have tried them and decided peppermint popcorn balls aren’t quite so bad after all!

I made one popcorn ball snowman with some very wicked red eyes and pretzel stick arms, then made “regular” popcorn balls out of the rest of the batch. I’m taking them to a meeting tonight to see if anyone wants to share. Here are pictures of the “wicked snowman” and the rest of his kingdom of snow balls!” (View Minette’s slideshow below.)

| View | Upload your own

Finalist #6: Mary Beth Updike

From Mary Beth: “I looked through my niece’s cookbook (kids in the kitchen) and found a recipe for face paint. I decided that would be a lot of fun to do and very childlike. It was a simple recipe, it only takes cornstarch, cold cream, water, and food coloring. But the possibilities are endless. I had my niece’s help making the face paint and she decided on the colors we made (black didn’t work out, it turned puke green as she put it). She wanted to have her face painted as a butterfly, and I chose much simpler and put hearts on my cheeks. It was a lot of fun to do and a keeper recipe for a rainy or cold afternoon. Thanks for the challenge!

The pictures are of my stirring, Merlyn’s stirring, and us with our faces painted.” (View Mary Beth’s slideshow below.)

| View | Upload your own

Place YOUR Vote!

Who did the best, most creative job of fulfilling this task?

Wanna make your own Shrinky Dinks? Here’s how.

The first ever Kim & Jason Escape Event is next Saturday. Do something childlike in your kitchen. Have fun. Make history.

Find out all the details here.

Imagine, tons of people all over the world, joining together to do something childlike, all on the same day! That’s the idea behind the Kim & Jason Escape Event, and we’re inviting YOU to make history by participating in the first one ever. The themed activity of the day will be in the same vein as the challenges in The Escape Plan: something open-ended that is designed to produce as many different results as the people who participate.

We also thought it would be neat to make it into a friendly competition. If you are a member of Club K&J, we’d love for you to send us your story, your photos, and even a video of how you solved the challenge. The best, most creative entries will then be voted on by…YOU! And the winner, besides basking in the adulation of K&J Nation, will win a super cool prize. Sound like fun? We thought so! So here’s the plan for the first official Kim & Jason Escape Event:

• The Date: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008.
• The Challenge: Kitchentertainment – Make a childlike moment in your kitchen. It could be resurrecting an experience from your childhood or creating a brand new one.
• The Contest Rules: Anybody can have fun with the challenge, but only Club K&J members can be eligible for the prize. The challenge must be completed on the actual day of the Escape Event, and entries must be submitted by 8 a.m. CST on Monday February 25, 2008 in order to be considered.
• The Prize: A Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker from Williams-Sonoma (valued at over $100) AND a copy of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book.

We invite EVERYONE (and that means YOU) to participate in the first ever, history-making Kim & Jason Escape Event. Even if you don’t want to enter the contest, it will be a great experience to do something fun on a day when you know that scores of other Club K&J members are joining you in the festivities.

Submitting Your Entry:

In order to be eligible for the big prize, you need to be a current member of Club K&J (Join today!) Once you complete your challenge, send an e-mail to clubkj@kimandjason.com to let us know how it went. Share all of the exciting details, and feel free to attach pictures to the e-mail as well.

If you’re really ambitious, you can even share a video with us (but don’t attach that to the e-mail!) Instead, simply upload your video to YouTube and include the link to your video in the e-mail you send us. (Uploading videos to YouTube is free, all you need to do is create an account.)

We need your submission e-mail by 9 a.m. on Monday, February 25. We’ll choose the best, most creative entries as finalists, and then open up the voting to everyone!