What's the best part of making a snowman? Rolling and shaping the first ball of snow? The contagious excitement of others who happen to see what you're up to? …
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Can Any Job Be Fun?
A cartoonist, a magician, and a dolphin trainer walk into a bar... Certain job titles seem to ooze fun. But I have a hard time imagining very many jobs that can't be made fun with just a little bit of effort. Kim and I are in California this week for a series of speaking engagements. We were able to spend Monday and Tuesday out and about in the San Francisco area before hunkering down and getting some work done in our hotel room today. We saw many examples of people who had fairly ordinary (and even mundane) jobs, but who interjected a level of fun into their work. …
Seriously
I believe that one of the many lessons children have to teach us -- if we have the wisdom to pay attention -- is to not take ourselves too seriously. Kids are unafraid to run around naked in front of strangers, wouldn't think twice about giggling in a fancy restaurant, and are willing to walk out of the house dressed as a Hawaiian cowboy ballerina at a moment's notice. Do we need to emulate their behaviors exactly? Probably not. (I'm sure your relatives will appreciate you being fully clothed this Christmas.) But we can follow their lead and take ourselves a little less seriously. …
Easy Bake Oven Enshrined
During our recent speaking trip to Washington D.C., Kim and I had the opportunity to see the first light bulb invented by Thomas Alva Edison. I am sure that when he was working out the details on this notable invention, struggling through all the not-quites and the near-misses, he kept a vision focused in his mind. "Someday," I'm sure he thought, "if I succeed, little girls and boys everywhere will be able to make tiny and marginally edible baked goods easily and safely. I can't give up now." …
Better Than Mr. T Cereal
Yes, the Kotecki boys ate Mr. T cereal growing up. We also enjoyed watching him on the A-Team and in his Saturday morning cartoon. My brother Dan even dressed up as Mr. T for Halloween one year, I believe. It is with this nostalgia that I bring you the Mr. T Virtual Playset, presented by Ironic Sans. I pity the fool who doesn't take the time to see what T looks like with a pompadour. [tags]Mr. T, A-Team, mohawk, pompadour[/tags] …
38.5 Minutes a Week
I read the other day that the average parent spends about 38.5 minutes a week in conversation with his or her child. Thirty eight and a half minutes!!! A week!!! I was never good at story problems, and I'm not sure I could pass algebra again, but even I can do that math: that comes out to only 5.5 minutes a day. And we wonder why we have things like school shootings, alarming teen pregnancy rates, record numbers of high school dropouts, and teachers that can't teach because they're spending too much time...parenting. …
On Any Given Thursday
Back in February when we were finishing up The Escape Plan Jason shared on his blog about the long-lasting effects of Challenge #36, which was born out of some happenings from Challenge #33. Basically Jason's Dad, Walt, who was an active participant in the 40-Day Challenge, wore a bow tie to work and it was a big hit. It even helped him land a big sale. The Escape Plan Challenge was: Accessorize your wardrobe today with a touch of childhood. (Sidenote: I really looked forward to reading Walt's comments each day, sharing how he accomplished each challenge. If you haven't read them, start …
Escape Plan: Washington D.C.
A few weeks ago when Jason and I were in Denver we had the chance to do some of the Escape Plan challenges and Jason shared them in his blog. As you probably read in Jason’s recent blog, Adultitis: Ground Zero, we just spent a week in D.C. We managed a delicate balance of work and pleasure. Jason had five speaking programs and we had a few half-days in the city to sightsee and enjoy our nation’s capital. We had the chance to do a few Escape Plan challenges that I thought I’d share. Here are some ways to fight Adultitis in D.C. #3: Says You: Do something that is typically seen as …
Make Me Laugh
So it's been said that the average kid laughs around 400 times a day. When it comes to laughing, the average kid kicks the butt of the average grown-up, who laughs about 15 times a day. I think this video serves as ample proof. Sure, the source of humor is not exactly Robin Williams doing improv, but the kid sure looks like he's having fun. And another note: A laugh is a laugh is a laugh. When Kim was teaching kindergarten, she'd come home every day thinking she was Jerry Seinfeld. Kindergartners are a very easy crowd. But if you can up your own laugh quota by getting a kid to laugh at …
Adultitis Prescription: Giraffe Slobber
One of the coolest parts of Jason’s speaking programs is when he draws. I’m his wife and have the chance to see him draw all of the time and it still ignites in me childlike excitement and wonder. How does he do that? In the early years at speaking programs he would draw on an easel with a big pad of paper and a thick black marker. We’re fortunate that technology has grown along with our audiences and now he is able to project his drawing onto a screen using a drawing tablet and LCD projector. It’s pretty neat. I enjoy watching the audiences sit at the edge of their seats as they watch …
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