I encountered a super fun blog recently, scribbled by a preschool teacher of the male persuasion (he recently wrote about being called a Non-Traditional Figure by a mayor from China). Called Put Me in the Zoo, it’s a spectacularly well-designed blog by Daniel Bigler with lots of fun (and funny) commentary, including some reviews (check out his take on Walter the Farting Dog). I take particular delight in the little things, like the piratey overtones, the graphical post titles, and the unique way he words things. Cool stuff.

And don’t miss his Toddler Property Laws. Classic.

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A few months ago, I announced right on this blog that my wife Kim had officially "retired" from teaching in order to work for the company full time. Usually that’s a good sign that things are moving in the right direction – and they definitely are – but it’s not like I don’t question the sanity of our decision.

Giving up a steady paycheck you can count on for little more than the hope of something better; trading in the school district’s generous benefits package for the prospect of picking out and paying for your own; these are things that most people would shy away from. Me, too. I was afraid of my own shadow as a kid, too anxious to do anything apart from what was safe and comfortable.

That retreat I went on in junior college changed everything, though. God introduced himself to me. It wasn’t the first time He had done it, but it was the first time I was actually listening. After that, there was no going back. I decided to follow Him, and He has led me on a journey of fantastic proportions. And somehow, without even noticing, I have become more courageous, and less anxious of the shadowy unknown.

I have become more reckless. Not in the riding-a-unicycle-for-the-first-time-on-the-Interstate sort of way, but more in the Dad’s-pushing-you-on-the-swing-and-you-beg-him-to-push-you-higher-and-higher sort of way. While in my morning walk this morning listening to my shiny white box of wonderfulness (a.k.a. my iPod) a song by Steven Curtis Chapman came on that totally hit home. The song is called Dive, and I could relate to the idea of being at this precipice, feeling the call to take a leap of faith and be swept away by the swirling dervish that is God’s grace…

My heart is racing and my knees are weak
As I walk to the edge
I know there is no turning back
Once my feet have left the ledge
And in the rush I hear a voice
That’s telling me it’s time to take the leap of faith
So here I go

I’m diving in I’m going deep in over my head I want to be
Caught in the rush lost in the flow in over my head I want to go
The river’s deep the river’s wide the river’s water is alive
So sink or swim I’m diving in

Kim’s last check comes in August. After that, we’re on our own. The way I see it, there are two ways this can go: 1) Very, very badly. Can you say bankruptcy and food stamps? 2) Very, very well. Spectacularly well. So well that when people look back they’ll forget how crazy of a leap it was and conclude it was obviously the right and easy thing to do.

I have come to the realization that this whole process is not about me. It’s way bigger than me. The thing that makes it all so scary is that it’s all so…public. Should we fail, everyone who knows us and everyone reading this will have the opportunity to laugh and make comments on how stupid we were to trust God. Perhaps. But there comes a time (at least one) in everyone’s life when one has the opportunity to take a tremendous leap of faith. The kind of leap where you’re not sure what (if anything) will break your fall.

If you refrain from taking that leap, no one will fault you. In fact, most people will praise you as wise, with a strong common sense. If you DO take that leap, you risk the ridicule of others, but gain the opportunity to "see behind the curtain," so to speak. To see, do, and accomplish things on a whole new level.

Kim and I are taking this leap, even though it scares the snot out of us. And I am writing this, because if God should decide to reward us for this leap of faith, it will be for His glory. It will be in His way, and it could even be dramatic, but it will go above and beyond what our team of dreamers is able to do ourselves. "What is impossible with men, is possible with God."

I’m pretty sure God will wait for the eleventh hour to really act, mostly to test our faith, partly I think because He has a weird sense of humor. I really believe He has option #2 in store for us, but even if He doesn’t, I have come to understand that even though falling down ain’t graceful, with God, falling down is full of grace.

Knowing that, I’m diving in. 

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I find it somewhat perplexing that babies don’t come with instruction manuals. I mean, a little digital clock that I got with my subscription to Fast Company even came with a little sheet of directions, printed in many different languages (but not in Pig Latin, unfortunately.) And yet, even though raising a child is probably the most important undertaking a human being could ever be charged with, a microwavable burrito comes with more instructions than a baby.

Indeed, a quote from Harold B. Lee states, "The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the wall of our own homes." (Your hour-long appearance on Trading Spaces not withstanding.)

I know that there are a gajillion books on the market – my friend Jaimie has read almost all of them, and half of them tell you to do one thing while the other half recommends the complete opposite action – but there needs to be a clear-cut standard issue that comes with every new kid. And even though the Bible has a lot of good parenting advice, I think God could have done us all a favor by replacing Leviticus with some sort of gospel of Parenting. 

Now mind you, I know everything about parenting. All non-parents do.

Maybe someday I will write this much-needed book of wisdom, but for now, I shall share a top 10 list my father-in-law first shared with me. In a survey to one hundred 8th graders, the students were asked the question, "What do you think the qualities of an ideal parent would be?" Surprisingly, unlimited allowance did not make the list:

1. Spend more time with me.
2. Listen.
3. Allow my privacy.
4. Remember I’m growing up.
5. Trust–let me earn it.
6. Give me more responsibilities – then notice when I’m responsible.
7. Be more patient.
8. Don’t go ballistic when I do something stupid.
9. Be more forgiving.
10. Love me.

I think that’s a pretty good list to start with. It will at least buy all of you parents out there time while I put together my Idiot’s Guide to Parenting.

I just need to make sure I get it all down on paper before I actually have kids and it becomes immediately outdated…

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Chalkboard Columnist Allan Dash offers up some reflections from the mid-1940s about road trips and swimming lessons in the latest installment of Allan’s Alley:

If this was the mid-1940s, my excitement level would be growing daily right about now. That’s because in a few days – on August 1st to be exact – Mom, Dad and Little Allan would pack up the shiny black Buick with its white-sidewall tires and head east for our annual dose of surf, sand and sunburn in Ocean City, New Jersey.

These days, thanks to a boring highway, you can get from Philadelphia to the seashore in a little over an hour. 60 years ago, the two-lane road to paradise meandered through every New Jersey village it could find – places like Dorothy, Buena (“Byuna” to the locals) and Corbin City (population no more than 50, then and now). By the time we reached the salt marshes, with their pungent, bottom-of-the-boat smell, and the skyline of Ocean City hove into view, it seemed that we’d been on the road for days.

Ah, but the wait was worth it! There, towering over the sun-washed streets and striped awnings of the well-tended guest houses were the ranks of windows and red-tiled roofs of our destination – the mighty Flanders Hotel, grand dame of the boardwalk, with its sheltered porches full of ladies in flowered dresses and gentlemen in linen suits and Panama hats, gazing down – wistfully? – on a sparkling swimming pool full of noisy, laughing, splashing kids.

Of course, my first order of business was to join those kids, so within minutes of our arrival I was on the way to the pool. For the first year, however…

–>Read the rest of Allan’s Alley. 

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Some great quotes on the importance of play…

"Some relaxation is necessary to people of every degree; the head that thinks and the hand that labors must have some little time to recruit their diminished powers."
- Bernard Gilpin

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment. Go some distance away, because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen."
- Leonardo da Vinci

"People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness."
- John Wanamaker

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In this podcast, brought to you from Madison, Wisconsin, we discuss 8 Adultitis-Curing Movies. Also, Jason talks about the zoo, and Kim has a few things to share about a recent concert they went to. Plus, we offer you another chance to win yourself an Escape Adulthood book.

[What is a podcast?]

Listen now by clicking on the podcast icon below.

To subscribe to the RSS feed of our podcast and automatically receive all new shows, paste this url [http://feeds.feedburner.com/EscapeAdulthood] into a podcast aggregator like iPodder. Or, if you have iTunes, you can click on this little icon to be subscribed automatically:

 
Show Notes:

• Concerts on the Square– great place to Escape Adulthood.
• Henry Vilas Zoo – great free zoo with "name" animals.
• Read Patch Adams’ letter to Jason.
• Domestic Life Podcast by John & Kacy
• Bnpositive’s Blog by Jason Bean
• Vote for your favorite Escape Adulthood t-shirt (and maybe win one, too!)
• Congrats to Meredith Foster and Melissa Miles, winners of last show’s promo and owners of a brand spankin’ new Escape Adulthood book
• Super Magnets - have fun and amaze your friends!

Kim & Jason visit the monkey house…. 

Today’s Prescription:
Pick one of the movies we mentioned and watch it! And e-mail us at podcast@kimandjason.com with your favorite Adultitis curing movie.

Show Music: The Same by Terrace

Show Length: 40 minutes, 55 seconds

Feedback: We’d love to hear your thoughts! Add a comment below or e-mail us.

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My book promises that my prescription for Adultitis doesn’t require a steady diet of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese (I think that if kids had a hand in re-writing the food pyramid, it would probably have four food groups: chicken, macaroni, cheese, and sugar.)

But I didn’t say anything about grilled cheese.

I’m a big fan of cheese–it’s pretty much a requirement here in Wisconsin–and love a good grilled cheese sandwich. I found an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader about making a grilled cheese sandwich to satisfy grown-up palates. (Let’s face it: when we were kids, the sheer decision on how Mom cut the sandwich in half was the primary factor in how the thing tasted.)

Laura Werlin, author of Great Grilled Cheese, offers the best choices for cheese, bread and cooking methods to use when we crave a grown-up version of the grilled cheese.

"I have always loved grilled cheese, and I had a hunch that most of America did, too. I decided to take my love for that sandwich and combine it with my passion for cheese and cooking and create a fun and useful book that kids and adults would enjoy equally," she said.

For the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, Werlin said, any good melting cheese — Cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, fontina, Gruyere or Emmentaler — works best. And the bread? "I don’t think you can beat sourdough."

Here are a few other tips from Werlin:

• Bread: If you’ve got a heavy filling, then you need a hearty bread.

• Butter: Softened, salted butter is best.

• Cheese: Grate, don’t slice. Pile it on. Let it ooze.

Yes, oozing is good. Very good. It all gets me excited about a plan Kim and I have to open "Kim & Jason" restaurants someday. The idea behind it is to create a dining experience that will transport you back to childhood, but in a trendy, sophisticated, un-Chuck E. Cheese manner. We’ve talked about having childhood staples, but with a grown-up slant to it. For instance, grilled cheese sandwiches with gooey cheeses melted between thick, fresh bread…chicken noodle soup with fresh veggies and fat, homemade noodles…gourmet, build-your-own hot dogs…you get the drift. We also talked about making twisty straws standard.

But don’t wait for that day to come (it’s on my 10-year plan) before you go make yourself a nice and gooey grilled cheese sandwich. Check out the article for a free recipe. Or buy the book at Amazon for 50 scrumptious recipes covering everything from classic (and "almost-classic") grilled cheese sandwiches to quesadillas and sweet grilled cheese options.

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One thing I remember about grown-up parties (from my perspective as a five-year-old) was that they were b-o-r-i-n-g. No tails or donkeys to pin them on anywhere to be found. Now that I’m all "grown-up," I’ve noticed that most get-togethers still lack that needed bit of childlike "oomph."

HGTV.com featured some interesting tips by Lisa Konfruff on "how to get the party going with grownup games that will have your guests meeting and mingling in no time." I especially liked her idea:

Play the Two Truths and a Lie game. (This one is for later in the evening.) Have everyone tell three things about themselves, two of which are true, one of which is a lie. Everyone must guess which "fact" is a lie.

Be sure to check out her other ideas.

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Every morning I listen to the radio station, Life 102.5, WNWC in Madison and featured each day is a two minute segment called, ‘Lighten Up,’ by Ken Davis. Ken is a speaker, comedian, and inspirational communicator. He always manages to put a smile on my face at 6:20 a.m. and that’s saying something.

This morning he was speaking my language. He told a story about a six-year-old boy who was somehow taking an hour to walk home from school, a walk that should reasonably take him twenty minutes. Ken shares that for children the shortest distance between two points isn’t a straight line. It is is the line that gives the most opportunity for fun, and life, and love.

Listen to find out what happens to this six-year-old on his walk home from school.

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When many of us think of our "job," the first word to come to mind is not often "yippee!" But did you know that as an employee, you actually have the choice about whether or not you enjoy your job? Yes, the sheer act of deciding to like your job is the first step in making your nine-to-fives (or ten-to-sixes) more enjoyable. If you’re an employer, did you know that creating an atmosphere in which employees love their jobs is not only not as expensive and time consuming and touchy feely as you might think, but can also save you gobs of money in advertising as well? Sometimes, the quickest way to sidestep Adultitis is to simply change the way you think…

Read the interesting insights from marketing guru Seth Godin.

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It’s always funny to see a kid wearing grown-up clothes. Ironically, I find it inspiring when I see adults breaking free from the ‘rules’ of adulthood as they add that hint of playfulness while getting dressed in the morning. What you choose to wear and the accessories that go into your ‘look’ tell a lot about your personality and who you are. Here are 8 ideas to let people know you are Adultitis-free.

For Him:

1. Put your best foot forward. How about some novelty socks peaking out under those dress pants?

2. Come on, save the day! How can you not feel five again when sporting your favorite superhero t-shirt.

3. Time to Escape Adulthood! A signature watch, whether it is a classic Mickey Mouse or your favorite sports team. (Go Cubbies!)

4. Don’t be a pain in the neck. Try adding some fun to your tie selection. Give your suit some extra pizzaz and get some free smiles throughout your day.

For Her:

1. Let your ears do the talking. Unique earrings! I used to have ladybug earrings. Subtle, yet fun.

2. Walk the walk. Whether your childlike spirit shines through in cowboy boots or flip flops, pick some shoes that will help you on this journey back.

3. Pick a purse with personality. I love the purses made out of real license plates…talk about traveling back to childhood.

4. Do pigs have two tails? Give yourself a new look and feel refreshed by the youthfulness that is pigtails. If your hair is too short, try some simple & fun barrettes or clips.

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You don’t have to have a degree in Education to be a teacher. I believe we are all teachers. It’s what you choose to teach that defines who you are. Last Sunday Jason and I met with some friends for lunch. All four of us have been employed as teachers at one point in our lives. We were talking about how if you really want to learn something, you should try to teach it. This is so true.

When I started teaching Kindergarten 5 years ago, I found myself loosing patience with adults outside of school. Because I spent 7 hours a day reinforcing the basic values of friendship and social skills, I had those same expectations for those around me in my adult life. I didn’t realize it, but I was relearning those simple life skills over and over each day - simple things like respecting others, being kind, sharing and expressing ones’ feelings with honesty and openness. Jason will attest to the fact that there are few things that frustrate me more than when I witness adult behavior that could be corrected with the skills learned in Kindergarten.

Jason and I have been encouraging others to Escape Adulthood now for the last 5 years, however I’m finding that now that my focus is shifted to teaching and encouraging adults, instead of five-year-olds, I am experiencing a steep learning curve. I am certainly not one of those teachers who say, ‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ There are tons of resources out there for living a simpler life and acquiring the childlike faith to embrace life with peace and joy. However, living this lifestyle minute to minute is easier said than done. My goal is to share real ideas that will work and the inspiration to put these ideas into action. One of my favorite parts of Jason’s book is the eleven tips for each of the eight secrets, which makes 88 tips in all. I get so sick of articles and books that only talk theory. Give me some real-life practical ideas I can implement today. Our podcast is also a huge resource for ideas, encouragement, and inspiration as you make those daily choices that shape who you are. So, we will walk this journey together. As I embrace this lifelong lesson plan, I am elated to know that by the end of this lesson, maybe I, too, will have learned a thing or two.

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