One of my favorite parts of this time of year is the sweets... Christmas cookies, fudge.. mmm! My very thoughtful sister-in-law brought over some of our favorites, knowing that I wasn't going to get any made this year (with Lucy's arrival and all). Some of my best childhood memories involve making and decorating cut-out cookies with my family. I'm sure the finished products weren't always the most appetizing (think LOTS of sprinkles), but my dad always seemed excited to eat them and proud that we worked so hard. (What a great dad!) We recently got a message from Terry and Terry Estness, a …
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Adultitis-Free Christmas Tree
This is the first year in quite some time that Jason and I have been able to put up a Christmas tree. Having the business grow slow and steady over the last eight years, we were able to manage cash flow a lot easier while working out of our home, which wasn't always easy on the life balance side of things. Looking back I think the experience forced us to manage the balance, in order to save our sanity. One year we even had our very own Charlie Brown tree. Now that we've been in our office/retail shop for over a year, the dust has finally settled and our home has turned into a place of refuge …
Fun Family in Florida
One of my favorite Christmas movies of all time has to be A Christmas Story. Every scene seems to be a classic... the leg lamp, the tongue on the flagpole, the bunny suit at the end... constant laughter! (We actually have a special A Christmas Story themed interview coming soon for Club K&J members -- stay tuned!) One of my favorite scenes from the movie is the "mama's little piggy" scene, where Randy, Ralphie's kid brother, is encouraged by his mom to eat his mashed potatoes and meat loaf like a piggy. Hilarious!! Check it out... to save you a few minutes, the scene is found at 6:20. …
No More Party Poopers
As I mentioned in a recent podcast, I had a baby shower a few weeks ago with a crazily silly shower game. Woman everywhere have to admit that shower games are inherently a source for easy diagnosis of Adultitis. Those who think these games are silly and chilldish are typically silently suffering with a severe case. Those who not only enjoy the games, but want to be in charge of them, are typically Adultitis-free or at least only Stage 1. (Do you know what stage you are in? Check now!) Have you heard of this game? It involves real diapers and about five different candy bars. The …
Halloween Happiness
A surefire way to Escape Adulthood this week is to carve a pumpkin. I know, it seems too simple, but sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones. On my morning walk (or waddle, as Jason calls it), I love seeing all of the jack-o-lanterns adorning the walkways and stoops of houses in our neighborhood. They bring a smile to my face. When you're living with Adultitis, you often find yourself making excuses for why you are not having that extra fun. You haven't carved a pumpkin yet this fall because... well, it's messy, for one. Plus, you haven't even bought a pumpkin, so you'd have to take …
Tip of the Week: Laugh Attack
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #32: Laugh Attack: Do something that will get you to laugh out-loud (one that puts you in danger of peeing your pants a little bit). It's not news how important laughter is. As Jason says in his speaking programs, "Laughter is the natural stress release valve." Even though it's a challenge these days with bad news everywhere, it's actually more important than ever to be working toward those 400 laughs a day that four-year-olds are managing. With Halloween just four days away, why not have a little fun this week, ensuring …
Goofy Dads
I was blessed to have grown up in a household with a super fun dad. Every 4th of July I would wake up to the sound of fire crackers being set off outside my bedroom window, along with patriotic music blaring from the living room. Every April 1st he'd wake us up with a big story for us about school being canceled or a snow storm that hit overnight. My dad is one of those fun dads! I am confident Jason will be one of these dads. Afterall, it is true what they say about marrying someone like your dad. Jason proves this theory on a daily basis. We ran across another fun dad last week at a …
Tip of the Week: Dress Up Day
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #36: Dress Up Day: Accessorize your wardrobe today with a touch of childhood. Jason has always joked that I have never had a problem with this challenge. In fact, sometimes I go a bit too far. (Read about what I was wearing the night Jason and I first met.) Who knew, however, that expecting a baby would end up helping me accomplish this challenge everyday. As Jason mentioned in a recent post, this baby bump is quite the conversation starter. Last week we were in four states in five days, so we were exposed to a number of …
Making Chores Fun
September has been filled with ideas to make your work more fun. But, what about those (often overlooked) folks who work at home? I'm talking about the moms and dads who choose to forgo careers to raise their rugrats- the hardest jobs of all. It's hard to imagine making diaper changing and high chair tray cleaning fun! If you don't, though, Adultitis is sure to set in... big time! I found this cool article written by a mom who was getting frustrated with the busyness of the chores of life, which were keeping her from playing and spending quality time with her toddler... until, she …
On Pies and Pirate Hats
My dad turned 55 last Sunday. One of the cool things about my dad is that he has always kept his childlike spirit alive and well. Anyone who has spent any time reading his entries on the Escape Plan blog know that quite well. I didn't notice it as much growing up as I do now, although moments of my mom rolling her eyes at his antics seem to go back as far as I remember. So maybe it's not that I didn't notice it back then as much as I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. Maybe I have enough years on me now to know that not every dad is as willing to let that childlike side come out to …