When you were little, were you ever afraid of the dark? I sure was. From horns and hair to scabs and skeletons, thinking about what lurked among the shadows was an all-you-can-eat buffet for my imagination.
In fact, I may not have made it through childhood without that humble but powerful life-saving device known as the night light. Although small in size and wattage, it did a remarkable job of keeping the creepy-crawlies at bay. Without it, I’m sure I’d have long been digested in the belly of a slimy beast from the netherworld known as “Underthebed.”
Many lives have been saved by the simple night light. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been needed if we only believed the advice from our parents: that there really aren’t any monsters under the bed; they’re only in our imagination.
But alas, parents are never very convincing.
Perhaps that is because grown-ups…(Read the rest of this article in the Clubhouse)
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Club K&J members get exclusive access to Cereal Box Chronicles, the monthly column written by Jason, as well as other sweet audio and video content. (Learn more.)
Every Thursday, we pick out one of the cool things from the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand and give it away. Yep, for free.
This week’s prize is a Gumball Bank. With the troubles Wall Street and the banking industry is having, can you afford to store your gumballs anywhere else? This plastic gumball bank offers to make saving money fun…and chewable. The bank measures 8.5 inches high. Gumballs not included.
Here’s how to enter:
- Just leave a comment on this post, answering this week’s question: “What do you think is the most valuable currency of childhood?” (And anyone who says “money” is instantly disqualified.)
- Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm CST on the day of the post. We’ll pick a winner from the list of comments on the following Friday.
- We’ll contact the winner by e-mail to find out where to send the prize.
Good luck! And don’t miss any of the other cool stuff for the young at heart at The Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand!
**UPDATE: This week’s winner was Eric:
Baseball cards were our currency. You hung onto the good ones, traded the dupes, used them to build relationships, and to expand your knowledge of the universe. They were valuable enough to keep for the long term and yet cheap enough to put in the spokes of your bike.
Even though this week’s contest is over, you can still buy your very own Gumball Bank at the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand. And stay tuned next week for the next chance to win!
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Photo by Saffanna
Move over, blood! In a move that is sure to outrage vampires everywhere, chocolate milk has been declared the official drink of Halloween.
This according to the Milk Processor Education Program. You know, the Got Milk? people.
(On a related note, I can also tell you it is the official drink of pregnant women looking to reach their required daily intake of calcium but are sick and tired of regular milk. Well, at least pregnant women named Kim.)
Of course, this is part of a marketing ploy designed to encourage moms to buy more milk for their kids. What I want to know is who made them the boss? How come they get to decide what the official drink of Halloween is? Maybe I’ve been inundated with too many campaign commercials, but don’t we get a vote in the matter? Certainly there are a few other options that should be up for nomination.
What say you?
By the way, if you love chocolate milk but are too lazy to spend all your time stirring, you won’t want to miss our Moo Mixer Supreme. It also makes a great gift for other lazy people in your life. Check it out in action in the video below:
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In this episode of the Escape Adulthood Show, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we talk about llamas (again), the hidden danger of sour candy, our latest trip to Boston, and share 6 easy but awesome Halloween costume ideas.
The Escape Adulthood Show is a Club K&J exclusive. Members can listen to the show in the Clubhouse.
Club K&J members get exclusive access to Kim & Jason Radio, featuring every episode of the Escape Adulthood Show and other cool audio content. (Learn more.)
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #35: Hero For a Day: Do something to make the day of a child.
In almost all of Jason’s speaking programs he talks about a problem that many adults have, which is that they live by rules that don’t exist. One example he gives is how I accomplished Challenge # 11 during our original undertaking of The Escape Plan. I decided to eat dessert first. Why? Because there’s no rule saying I can’t! It was glorious! In yesterdays intergenerational program (ages 5-105) Jason asked the kids “How many kids here would like to have dessert first?” The entire flock of five-year-olds through high schoolers excitedly cheered!
He then went on to remind the adults that when we were all little we felt this way, and our parents assured us that it would ruin our appetites. Right then and there we made a secret pledge with ourselves that when we grow up we will have dessert first whenever we want. Upon saying this he asked the adults, “Raise your hand if you’re over the age of 18 and you’ve had dessert first in the last month.” Out of 300 adults, about five (proudly) raised their hands.
After an event in which this interaction played out similarly a few weeks ago, a mom came up to us afterwards and said that she had promised her kids that over the summer one night they would have only ice cream for dinner. The summer came and went and she hadn’t done it, so she was feeling very guilty. I assured her that it would come as a welcome surprise on a Monday night for dinner during the school year. She agreed!
Surprising kids with a dessert only dinner is a simple and surefire way to make their day. Share with us in the comments of the Escape Plan what you do to make the day of a child this week.
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The fifth page of Monsters, the new adventure starring Kim & Jason, has been posted in the Clubhouse. Go check it out here. You can also start from the beginning by clicking here.
If you’re not a Club K&J member, you might want to consider joining today to follow the story line as it develops. It’s only $4.95 a month and features a lot of other cool things, too. Learn more.
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Like reading Kim & Jason? The duo is starring in a brand new project called Monsters. Go behind-the-scenes and follow the adventure as it unfolds as a Club K&J member! (Learn more.)
So far we’ve heard what each of the presidential candidates think about many issues. Except for one notable one: Adultitis.
What do Senators Barack Obama and John McCain think about this crisis affecting so many American lives? The Adultitis Guy sits down with each candidate to grill them with no-spin, no-holds-barred questions. Club K&J members can watch the videos in the Clubhouse!
Watch Barack Obama’s segment here.
Watch John McCain’s segment here.
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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.
The other night, Kim and I were in North Dakota for a program. A young high-schooler and his mother were in the audience, seated about halfway back. The kid had a cell phone and he spent the entire program texting friends.
Well, almost the entire program. You see, there’s one point of my program where I share some Adultitis warning signs. I say, “You might have Adultitis if you’ve gotten to the point where your cell phone has become a body part.” Then I show a slide of a guy with a cell phone taped to his head.
The mom nudged the boy, who looked up, shared a brief laugh with her, and promptly went back to his texting.
That my friends, is what we call irony.
Something that drives me crazy (and I’m sure anyone who is passionate about helping people improve their lives) is when someone you’re talking to doesn’t think you’re actually talking about them. Of course, I realize that I can’t make anyone change. They have to do it themselves. But sometimes I wonder if I’m even getting through.
Sometimes I want to go up to people in my audience, shake them, and say, “Hey! I’m talking about YOU!!!”
To which, they’d probably reply, “I get your point, but you don’t understand. My situation is different.”
Of course, the world would be infinitely better if everyone did what we told them to do, right? Every professional speaker thinks that way, or at least they should. That’s what helps fuel their passion to help make a difference.
But the truth is, we all think our situation is different. Every last one of us.
We think, People should learn to budget their money better. People need to take a look at their priorities. People should do a better job of raising their kids. But us? The person we see in the mirror? Don’t even go there. After all, our situation is different.
Our situation is the exception to the rule.
Nice try.
That’s such an easy cop out. And we all use it. It puts up an invisible force field that prevents any criticism from being hurled in our direction. Any helpful advice is immediately deflected because our situation does not apply.
The sad part is that when we embrace that attitude, we miss out on wonderful opportunities to improve our lives. Our relationships. Our careers. Ourselves.
Don’t be so prideful to think that your situation is so much different than everybody else’s. Nobody’s perfect. We all have lots to learn. There is a nugget of gold in every piece of advice. The key is to lower our force fields, take the advice that comes our way with a grain of salt, and figure out how to apply it to our unique situation. Ask yourself, “Where is the truth in this? How can I apply that truth to my life?”
Meanwhile, as you read this blog, encountering the bits of advice here and there, know this:
YES! I’m talking about YOU!
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Every Thursday, we pick out one of the cool things from the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand and give it away. Yep, for free.
This week’s prize is a Suede Dominoes Set. Challenge dad to a game of dominoes! Not sure how to play? No prob, this nifty red suede set includes 28 “Double-Sixes” wooden domino pieces and complete playing instructions.
Here’s how to enter:
- Just leave a comment on this post, answering this week’s question: “What game that you play as an adult most makes you feel like a kid?”
- Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm CST on the day of the post. We’ll pick a winner from the list of comments on the following Friday.
- We’ll contact the winner by e-mail to find out where to send the prize.
Good luck! And don’t miss any of the other cool stuff for the young at heart at The Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand!
**UPDATE: This week’s winner was Minette:
I don’t have as much of a chance to play games as I’d like *sigh* - but I love playing Yahtzee - and you HAVE to yell “Yahtzee” at the top of your lungs when you get the Yahtzee! I’ve always just loved getting the numbers in the various slots and adding them up. (Yep, I work in the financial business now, too!) My sibs and I had to come up with 3 or 4 letter nicknames for each other since we all have the same initials. I’m “Min”, my sister is “Ace”, other sis is “Marv”, brother is “Bro”. (We weren’t always that creative!)
Even though this week’s contest is over, you can still buy your very own Suede Dominoes Set at the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand. And stay tuned next week for the next chance to win!
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We’ve compiled an eBook filled with every single Halloween-related Kim & Jason Weekend comic ever created. From Trick-or-Treat excursions to Jason’s drawings come to life and his candy trading post, you’ll have fun reliving the duo’s Halloween antics. It’s conveniently formatted for both easy screen viewing and printing — why not print out your favorites to decorate your workspace or home for the spooky season!
––>Download it in the Clubhouse (Club K&J Members Only)
Related Posts:There’s no question that the presidential election is in full swing. (And it can’t get over soon enough, if you ask us!) With about a month left to go, there are still a lot of undecideds out there. We know pretty much where each candidate stands on the issues — well, most of the issues. One particular area has gone virtually unnoticed. Nobody has asked either of the candidates the tough questions on Adultitis. Where do they stand? Should it be encouraged? Defeated?
This Friday, we’re inviting all Club K&J members to tune in to KimandJason.com for an exclusive Presidential Forum on this very important issue. It’s moderated by “The Adultitis Guy” and you can be sure of this: he holds nothing back. Hard hitting and informative, this debate will answer any questions you have about how the candidates feel about Adultitis. You are NOT gonna want to miss this. Here’s a preview:
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