This latest digital issue is FREE to download!
In this issue…
When we were kids, delighting in the little things was second nature. This issue is jam-packed with stories, tips, and ideas on how you can use strategies from childhood to better appreciate the magic and importance of the little things in life.
Features…
Excited Over Little Things by Jason Kotecki | How to recapture the magic of simple pleasures.
An Interview with… Seth Godin | The ever curious marketing guru and best-selling author of “Purple Cow” and the recently released “Meatball Sundae” shares his thoughts on Adultitis and being childlike.
Why Cupcakes Take the Cake by Rachel Kramer Bussel | Rachel co-writes the
blog Cupcakes Take The Cake and shares several reasons why when it comes to sugary goodness, nothing beats cupcakes.
Press Pause and Connect by Jason Womack | Speaker, author, and triathlete Jason Womack offers two little ways to maximize your relationships with the people in your life.
It’s Cool to Be a Big Kid in an Adult World by Rich DiGirolamo | Who said work can’t be fun? Rich shows the way.
Escape Plan: Northern California by Kim Kotecki | Discover five awesome ways to escape adulthood the next time you visit NoCal!
Lessons Learned When the Tables Turned by Marg Forbes | Do you find yourself in the demanding role of caretaker for a spouse or parent? Marg shares some valuable insights on how being childlike can help.
Introduction to DigiScrapping by Dianne Rigdon | Digital scrapbooking is all the rage. Dianne provides a primer to get you started on your way to creatively capturing your favorite memories.
The Fine Art of Play by Lisa Rickwood | Lisa shares how a little thing like laughter can make a BIG difference.
Unfinished Tales by Ian Tyrrell | A delightful reflection on books and stories, especially the “Neverending” kind.
Consider the Hideously Disgusting Millipede by Doug Kotecki | An interesting take on insects, toilet paper, and the little things in life.
…Plus much, much MORE!
*Download The Issue Now*
(You can also buy individual printed copies -OR- subscribe to Club K&J to receive every issue when it comes out.)
Technorati Tags: escape adulthood, Kim & Jason magazine, Seth Godin, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Rich DiGirolamo, Jason Womack, Dianne Rigdon, Marg Forbes, Lisa Rickwood, Ian Tyrrell, Doug Kotecki
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Tomorrow is the first day of February, which tends to be a hard month for folks here in the northern midwest . The Christmas lights are down, spring is still out of reach, and it’s still dark and cold by 5PM everyday. Enough said.
Ready for a jump start?
Thanks to our dear friend Lindsey over at the Enjoy the Journey blog, Jason and I were inspired to take her recommendation and go see The Bucket List last Sunday. With the two lead roles being Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, we knew we were in for a treat.
HOLY COW.
I’m with Lindsey, this was one of the very best movies I’ve ever seen! If it’s not an “Escape Adulthood Movie” I don’t know what is. The premise is two oncology patients end up in the same room, with the same news… only a few months left to live. They decide to make a “bucket list,” a list of things to do before they kick the bucket.
When these two friends finally decide to give themselves permission to tackle their list together, they discover a freedom that reminded me of a child during summer vacation. The possibilities were endless. The scenes of them accomplishing some of their life dreams were so childlike and fun- like Freeman racing his dream car on the track, and Nicholson leaping enthusiastically out of the plane. It was invigorating.
It really put things in perspective. I don’t want to ruin all of the good parts for you. Just check out the trailer and set a date with yourself to see this movie.
And while you’re at it, start your own bucket list today. Don’t wait for permission from a guy in a white coat with “bad news” to live the life you’ve always dreamed.
Related Posts: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 set of Jumbo I Love You Cookie Cutters. These jumbo cookie cutters say I love you in a giant way. This set of three oversized metal cookie cutters definitely makes a statement. Each cookie cutter is approximately 6 inches tall and is dishwasher safe. The perfect way to say I love you for Valentine’s Day, Anniversaries, and other special occasions.
Here’s how to enter:
- Just leave a comment on this post, answering this week’s question: “What is your favorite Valentine’s Day treat?”
- Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm CST on the day of the post. We’ll pick a winner from the list of comments sometime on the following Friday.
- We’ll contact the winner by e-mail to find out where to send the free 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 Marilyn:
I love Strawberries in Champagne!! My hubby and I enjoy it every year on Valentine’s Day. It’s so romantic and sooo good. The kiddo’s get Strawberries in cream soda.
Even though this week’s contest is over, you can still buy your very own Jumbo I Love You Cookie Cutters at the Kim & Jason Lemonade Stand. And stay tuned next week for the next chance to win!
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“Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.” –Willy Wonka
In this episode, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we interview Willy Wonka employee and candy creator Eric Wesner, about his fun and unique job in the candy industry. We also talk about jelly bean jewelry, cooking with exotic flavors, the largest snowflake on record, and the first-ever Kim & Jason Escape Event. Just click “Play” to listen to the show, or you can subscribe to the show in iTunes…
Show Notes…
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• Take a wacky ride through the official Willy Wonka website.
• News: The Young And Experimental - Generation Y’s Hunger For Exotic Flavors� (IT News)
• Want to have a chance to win the Cuisinart ice cream maker and Ben & Jerry cook book in our upcoming, first-ever Kim & Jason Escape Event? Become a member of Club K&J today!
• Check out our cool thing this month, Jelly Bean Jewelry.
Win Stuff: You can win a $20 gift certificate to the Lemonade Stand by letting us know, “What is your favorite candy of all time?” E-mail us or leave us a message at 608-554-0803.
Show Music: Coyote Sleeps by Ethan Elkind
Show Length: 42 minutes, 36 seconds
Shout Outs: Thanks to Eric Wesner!
Feedback: We’d love to hear your thoughts! Add a comment below, e-mail us, or give us a jingle at 608-554-0803.
Technorati Tags: podcast, stress, escape adulthood, Adultitis, Eric Wesner, Willy Wonka, candy, jelly bean jewelry
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Monday was the 50th birthday of everybody’s favorite building material. LEGO artist Sean Kenney — is that a great job or what? — whipped up this birthday cake as an homage. (Yep, it’s entirely made of LEGO bricks!)
Sean has an impressive portfolio of work — gotta love this Homer Simpson sculpture — and has nearly one million LEGO pieces in his workshop!
Great job, Sean! And happy birthday, LEGO!
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Sometimes the assumption is that all of this childlike stuff is reserved for those artsy, creative “free spirits.”
Not true.
We all could stand to be a little bit more childlike; it’s just that it looks different depending on the type of person you are.
Take the Etch-A-Sketch for example. It is regarded as one of the classic American toys. My brothers and I had one growing up, but I never really got into it. Now that may come as a surprise to you, considering my artistic nature. But here’s the deal: my brain is not an Etch-A-Sketch brain. It doesn’t think in horizontal and vertical lines, which is a skill you need if you want to create something interesting with the Etch-A-Sketch.
I was big into sports as a kid, and loved drawing my sports heroes. To me, the Etch-A-Sketch was nothing more than a novelty. I never looked at it as something that could be used to produce great sport illustrations.
Well, I was wrong — dead wrong — as this video attests:
Now, even after seeing this video, I will not go out and buy an Etch-A-Sketch to start drawing Kim & Jason on. Because my brain still doesn’t think in horizontal and vertical lines. A few minutes spent with an Etch-A-Sketch makes me want to toss the thing under a bus. It’s too rigid and Adultitis-inducing — for me. And yet, for George Vlosich, drawing Lebron James with an Etch-A-Sketch is quite childlike (and mind-shatteringly impressive) indeed.
Creativity expresses itself in many different ways, from an artist creating an oil painting, to a scientist discovering a new way to attack a disease, to a math teacher designing sudoku puzzles, to an accountant scribbling down an inventive investment strategy on a napkin, to a dude drawing celebrities with an Etch-A-Sketch.
A childlike spirit looks different for everyone; it’s as unique as you are. The diversity is what makes it interesting. They key is to let it out and play every once in a while.
P.S. Create your own Etch-A-Sketch drawing online at www.Etchy.org — you can even e-mail your works of art to friends! (Hat tip to Jill McGarr)
Related Posts:Our Insider subscribers know that this week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week), is #31: Listen Up. Find a place to sit quietly for ten minutes. Listen for at least one sound that you would not
have normally noticed.
When’s the last time you sat quietly for ten whole minutes? If you’re like me, you are feeling a bit surprised that the first month of ‘08 is coming to a close. Where did the time go?
As Ferris Bueller reminded us,
“Life moves pretty fast. If we don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
I invite you to tackle this challenge sometime this week. Share with us in the comments on the Escape Plan blog what you heard during your six hundred seconds. Maybe it’ll be a distant sound or a still small voice inside. My father-in-law recently shared with me a neat message from his church bulletin, talking about the whispers inside.
God whispers in your soul and speaks to your mind.
Sometimes when you don’t have time to listen,
He has to throw a brick at you.
It’s your choice: Listen to the whisper, or wait for the brick.
Happy Escaping!
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When I was a kid, there was nothing worse than a Sunday night during the school year. The foreboding end of weekend freedom was perilously near. As the sun set and the clock ticked older, the pit in my stomach grew and grew. I did well in school, but thinking ahead to a week of early mornings, boring lectures, bad lunches, stupid bullies, and unexciting homework was hardly a thing to look forward to.
I was suffering from Sunday Night Dread.
On Friday afternoon, the future unfolded before me with endless possibility. The freedom was intoxicating and the sky was the limit. On Saturday, I knew the clock was ticking, but took comfort in the fact that I still had a whole day left in the bank. But there was no escaping Sunday Night Dread, with its whispers of Monday growing ever louder as the day wore on.
The most treacherous Sunday Night Dread of all came on the last day of summer vacation. Then Sunday Night Dread spilled into an entire week!
I used to believe that Sunday Night Dread was a condition that only affected school children. A graduation from formal education taught me otherwise. I discovered that a vast majority of adults also suffered from Sunday Night Dread, complete with the anxiety of another week of early mornings, boring meetings, bad lunches, stupid bosses, and unexciting work. It is so widespread that a restaurant chain has achieved great success by embracing a theme - Thank God It’s Friday - which is the antithesis of Sunday Night Dread.
Once I got married and started full force into my career as a freelance illustrator and designer (which evolved into what I do today), I have never really suffered from Sunday Night Dread. I was finally doing what I loved and actually looked forward to Mondays.
Sunday Night Dread is still a major factor for most people. But it doesn’t need to be.
On his show, The Big Idea, Donny Deutsch interviews people who are doing what they love and in many cases, have made millions doing it. During one episode, he made this statement: “If Sunday night feels different than Friday night, you’re doing something wrong.”
Re-read that sentence again, and let it sink in.
If you’re on the right path, Friday should feel no different than Sunday or Tuesday or any other day of the week. You should have a passion for your work that doesn’t shut off when it’s time to go home. It should keep you up at night (in a good, excited-to-get-going-the-next-day sort of way.)
If you aren’t thrilled with your job and are experiencing Sunday Night Dread, you probably fall into one of two camps. Either you know exactly what you’d rather be doing (and, for a variety of reasons, stay put), or you have no idea what you’d rather be doing. Whole books have been written about what to do if you’re in either camp, but let me offer a few simple steps to get you started.
Scenario #1: I know what I’d rather be doing, but I can’t do that!
If you’re sticking in a career that fosters Sunday Night Dread even though you have a bigger dream deep inside, you have at least one obstacle in your path, and that obstacle is called fear. You may say, “That’s not true; I just can’t afford to lose the great benefits that come with this job.”
Really? The truth is that you’re afraid that you might get sick and go bankrupt if you give up those almighty benefits. I can’t get into every potential roadblock you’re dealing with, but if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll notice that it usually boils down to fear.
Combat this fear by spending time thinking about what you might lose if you don’t make the leap. Imagine life down the road a decade or two - what will those regrets feel like tomorrow if you don’t go for it today? And what could you gain if you do? A little perspective like that is a great catalyst to remind you that even though it might be painful or scary to act now, it can never match the pain of regret if you don’t even try.
Scenario #2: I’m not crazy about my job, but I’m not sure what else to do.
If you suffer from Sunday Night Dread, but have no idea what you’d rather be doing, you’re a rare individual. I bet you really DO know what you want to do, but have given fear such an upper hand that you won’t allow yourself to consider alternative possibilities.
Awareness if the first step. The sheer act of acknowledging Sunday Night Dread will eliminate a blockage and open your mind to new opportunities. Pay attention to the things about your job you actually like. Or the passions and pastimes you can’t wait to work on when you get home. These clues can help lead you to a life lacking Sunday Night Dread.
No matter what camp you’re in, it’s important to know that if your Friday night feels different than your Sunday night, you’re doing something wrong. You were not designed to toil away with your talents and passions rotting away on the sideline. Take that first step in eliminating Sunday Night Dread from your life today!
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The S.W.E.L.L. (Supremely Wonderful & Exciting Loot Lottery) prize winner for January is Club K&J member Penny Gramley! Penny, who was randomly selected from the list of Club K&J members, wins a Cheesecake Trio! This fun and festive threesome of individual sized cheesecakes includes a Classic New York cheesecake with traditional graham cracker crumbs, a White Chocolate cheesecake with chocolate cookie crumbs and the unique Chocolate Rocky Road cheesecake topped with old fashioned marshmallows. Destined to arrive on her doorstep by Valentine’s Day, we have a feeling they will make a pretty sweet treat. Congrats, Penny!
Do YOU wanna have a chance to win next month’s S.W.E.L.L. prize? Become an official Club K&J subscriber today!
Related Posts:As many of you know from the watching the big Packers vs. Giants game last Sunday, it’s freakin’ cold here in WI. I’ve resorted to Plan B for my daily exercise. If you remember Plan A consisted of piling on layers like everyone’s favorite kid brother, Randy, and sucking it up for my daily walk. I’ve made the executive decision that losing sections of my face to frostbite is not my idea of a good time.
I am thrilled to share my new exercise routine. Necessity is truly the mother of all invention. (Thanks to Libby and Shirley for the inspiration!)
It’s called… The Charlie Brown Dance Party USA
You’re familiar with the boisterous dancing styles of the Charlie Brown crew?
Some of you may remember the grooving teens with the high bangs on the 80’s show, Dance Party USA?
These two amazingly silly entities were married in a civil union unofficially here in Madison, in our second bedroom.
Here’s how it works.
1. First, dress for success. Get your sneakers and comfy exercise-like pants (or spandex if you really want to revive the 80’s).
2. Set the mood. Pick some music that you know will get you hoppin’.
3. Close the shades. (This is a VERY important step!)
4. Dance like no one is watching! (Again, a reminder to close those shades!)
It is so much fun, and far better than the handful of dusty exercise videos I have.
This video will surely inspire you!
Related Posts:Over Christmas my in-laws had a house full, everyone was home. It was so nice being together. My father-in-law shared afterward that one of his favorite moments was on one of the mornings after his shower. He got dressed, came out of the bathroom and found his five-year-old granddaughter, our niece and god daughter, standing proudly next to his bed. She had decided to surprise him by making his bed. And what a surprise it was!
We later found out from her mom that she likes to do t
his sort of thing for her in the mornings, too. It’s not uncommon for my sister-in-law to come out of the bathroom and find an act of love waiting for her.
Kids are experts at simple and spontaneous acts of love.
One day while reading a book to my kindergartners I happened to mention that I loved the smell of pine, like the trees near the playground. Little did I know what that side comment would start. For weeks afterward, after all three recesses my desk would be covered with small pieces of pine branches. Parents would look with bewilderment at my desk at the end of the day, noticing the mess of needles. That small act of love would inevitably make my day.
When’s the last time you felt compelled to share some spontaneous love? (And I don’t mean the February 14th kind of love.)
Maybe it’s bringing a yummy coffee drink to the most unappreciated person at work, sending flowers to your mom for no reason, or the simple act of noticing something small about someone you see everyday.
When we rush through life it’s easy to miss the opportunities that are all around us, the simple acts of love.
Thank goodness kids remind us of this important lesson.
Related Posts:Kim and I were recently interviewed by Gena over at Tidings of Comfort and Joy. She asked some pretty insightful questions that were fun to answer. She’s got a pretty cool blog with some other pretty neat interviews. Yeesh, how many times can I say “pretty” in a three-sentence blog post?
Pretty many.
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