March | 2012 | Escape Adulthood with Kim & Jason

What “First” Can You Have Today?

I finally got Lucy to let me paint her toenails. (She was convinced for the longest time that it was going to hurt.) It definitely goes down in the books as one of my favorite “firsts.” Picture the two of us on her bedroom floor with red toes, waiting for them to dry, chatting it up like school girls — a mother’s dream! Of course she thinks it makes her look more like a princess. Maybe that’s secretly why I like to have mine painted, too.

Parenting is chock full of “firsts.”

The cool thing is that you don’t have to be a parent to have a “first” with someone you care about.

What “first” can you have today?

Photo credit: Kim Kotecki

Peeps Aplenty: 20 Unconventional Things to Make With Peeps

When it comes to Peeps, our house is divided. Kim is not a fan, but I have a marshmallowy soft spot in my heart for them. Even though I can’t eat as many of them as I used to, they still provide me nostalgic memories of my childhood when I’d eat them by the pound. (Which has to be a lot, right?)

Peeps make some people happy. They make other people sick.

But love ‘em or hate ‘em, there are a surprising amount of things you can make WITH them, from the edible to the decorative. Here are our favorites. Continue Reading →

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We’ve written a few things about how to keep Adultitis out of Easter. Check ‘em out here.

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“I realize humor isn’t for everyone. It’s only for people who want to have fun, enjoy life, and feel alive.”
–Anne Wilson Schaef

All I Need to Know I Learned from the Easter Bunny

I got this list from a Kim & Jason reader named Pat. She got it from her aunt, a retired school teacher. Enjoy, and have yourself a Happy Easter!

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
There’s no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
Keep your paws off of other people’s jelly beans.
Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.
The grass is always greener is someone else’s basket.
To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

Easter Egg Lunch

I love so many things about this idea from Brandy of Gluesticks. I love that it elevates lunch to a whole new level of playfulness. I love the tiny peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I love that the grapes look so freaking huge. I love that this idea could completely replace the boring old lunch bag. (Not that lunch bags have to be boring, mind you.)

Most of all, I love the fact that Adultitis must hate this as much as any kid (or kid at heart) would love it.

14 Fun Easter Egg Decorating Ideas for the Young at Heart

You might think that decorating Easter eggs is by default an Adultitis-free activity.

Not necessarily.

If the decorating of eggs is something that’s become more of a chore, or if you’re doing it a certain way because you’ve always done it that way…well, that makes Adultitis happier than a hippie in a hemp store.

Perhaps this is the year to mix things up. Here are some fun ideas… Continue Reading →

Look Who’s Talking (Or At Least Looks Like It)

Wouldn’t it be cool to have a device that could tell you what babies are thinking at any given moment?

Only time will tell if my son Ben will grow up to be a speaker, but I sure would pay a lot of money to hear what’s on his mind.

Birthday Balloon Bonanza!

Here’s a cool idea for celebrating birthdays in a fun and meaningful way. If the birthday boy or girl is turning 30, fill that many balloons with helium and attach a ribbon for each year of the person’s life at the end of the balloon. Be sure to number each photo. (An optional step would be to add a message on the back of each one.) Then hide them somewhere and wait for the birthday surprise!

Of course, the older your special someone is, the more work you have cut out for you. But then again, that just makes the end result all the more spectacular!

Hat tip: Sarah-Lyn of Lovely Green Lifestyle

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“Time’s fun when you’re having flies.”
–Kermit the Frog

An Easy Way To Add Magic To Life

My word for 2012 has been “magic.” No, I have not been learning any card tricks, but rather the goal has been to infuse more magic into the lives of people I touch. One thing that has struck me time and again is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot of effort or money. Like many things, whether it’s creating more magic, making more scenes with your family, or spicing up a marriage, all you really need is the desire and a tiny bit of imagination. Continue Reading →

The Shocking Meal Miss Manners Doesn’t Want You To Know About

As casual as our culture sometimes seems, we are still quite uptight in many areas. Much of it comes from caring about what other people think of us. Continue Reading →

Good Riddance, February (or How To Get a Taste of Your Dreams Now)

Kim and I have visited many awesome places, but so far, nothing has changed the fact that we love where we live.

Wisconsin has a lot of good things going for it, including the seasons. We love ‘em. All four of ‘em. The fresh optimism of spring that’s made even more magical by a cold winter. The summer that gets hot, but not so hot that you have to stay in air conditioned cocoons for four months. The crisp fall with a color explosion of leafy goodness that serves as the perfect backdrop for pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. And even the cold, white, quiet of winter has its high points, what with white Christmases and sledding and snowball fights. We love it all.

Except for February. Continue Reading →

Ode To My Parents

“I’ve come to realize that making it your life’s work to be different than your parents is not only hard to do, it’s a dumb idea.” — Paul Reiser, Familyhood

Continue Reading →

How to Ward Off Your “I Wish I Wouldas”

We in Madison have had a mild winter with roughly half the snow that dumped on us last year. But even though my back appreciates the limited amount of shoveling it had to endure, and even though the sub-zero days were few and far between, I still can’t wait for winter to be OVER. Continue Reading →

Meet Andy Benovic

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