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 Adultitis-free party planner melts the bars in the microwave and then transfers the “goods” to the inside of a diaper that is labeled 1-5. As the game starts you have five dirty diapers floating around to be inspected. The winner is the one who guesses the most candy bars correctly.

I have to admit that I didn’t fully engage in the competitiveness of this game because I was much too distracted by the comedy of imagery all around me. As I looked around the room at all of these friends of mine, I couldn’t help but simply laugh… and laugh. Here they were lifting filled diapers to their noses, with the most serious looking faces. Some of the more competitive types were in a zone… others just laughed as they lifted the diapers to their noses. Either way, it was hilarious!

I’ve played this at a couple of other showers and I have to tell you that there is always one guest who simply states that she “cannot play.” “It’s too gross!” Maybe I’m being insensitive, but it seems to me that it’s Adultitis striking again. Life is just too short and filled with too many headaches to allow yourself to take yourself too seriously at a baby shower. Admittedly, it’s a game that would be just as well received at an eight-year-old’s birthday party, but isn’t that the point? Eight-year-olds know how to have fun, don’t they!?

I think most woman love this game because it’s a chance to laugh and make light of something very real and not very fun… dirty diapers. I read the other day that by three weeks of age, the baby will have received 200 diaper changes. Yikes! Reality check. There are many seriously stupid chores and stresses in life that are just a reality. Try to lighten your load (no pun intended) by finding something to laugh about. Being serious will only perpetuate the problem.

I got an email the other day from Austen Onek, a reader from TN. He is a living, breathing example of an Adultitis-free man working in a professional setting, but still not taking himself too seriously. Here are a few of his comments to us…

Most of what I do is inspired in showing my kids that there is humor and mirth in life, and not in just day-to-day-2-cups-before-10AM drudgery. Life is just too darn short for being too down about stuff. Sugary cereals, oddly decorated offices, wearing sneakers with my suits, odd socks, singing while driving, using my Sonic Screwdriver to examine things and wearing my 25′ long Doctor Who scarf when it’s cold.

The other day I was invited to a school for a Community Leader Breakfast. Of course, I had to wear the suit, but the sneakers may have been a tad much on this occasion. So, failing that clothing option, I opted for the bright science-themed tie. My one saving grace with wearing suits like this is to wear bright/unique neckties. Along the lines that if the rules of men’s business fashion dictates that I must wear a strip of fabric around my neck that is going to partly cut off my oxygen supply, I’m darn well gonna’ have fun with it!

A big kudos to Austen for being an example of someone enjoying the moment and not taking himself too seriously! He is certainly NOT a party pooper!

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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 time to go get one. Plus, they rot so quickly- what’s the point, really?! Well, set all of the excuses aside, and trust me on this one… it will instantly remove any stress and worry that may be keeping your heart beating a bit faster than it needs to.

There are so many cool websites out there to help you take your pumpkin carving experience to the next level. The site Extreme Pumpkins, created by pumpkin carving lover Tom Nardone, is an excellent place to visit before you sit down to start carving. Not only can you learn awesome techniques and tips and get inspiration from past winners of their annual contest, you can even watch a giant pumpkin being carved, using a sawzall with a 10 inch blade. Way cool!

I also happened upon a woman known as “The Pumpkin Lady.” Lisa Berberette is a professional pumpkin carver! How great of a job is that!? She’s been featured on The Food Network, The Martha Stewart Show, and Fox News. She offers a number of fun free patterns to try and a bunch of “how to” videos. She also recently shared “11 Steps to Carving the Perfect Pumpkin” on Grandparents.com (a SUPER COOL site, by the way).

So, if you find yourself absorbed with stress this week and you have yet to carve your Halloween pumpkin, the solution is easy. Get some online practice here!

If you’re looking for even more ways to de-stress this week, check out my post from last year sharing 31 Ways to Escape Adulthood This Halloween.

Happy Halloween Week!

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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 some laugh out-loud hyjinks? Learn how to make fake vomit (or even fake blood) and surprise a friend. I recently discovered a very cool site that will help you do these sorts of goofy things, Howcast.com. It’s a very interesting site featuring short videos with all sorts of “how to’s” from funny to practical, to just plain goofy. If vomit or blood making are not your forte, you will certainly find some other sources for laughter in the form of other “how to” videos. For example, would you like to learn “How to Drop Off the Grid?” (Somedays, we all would!) Another funny one is “How to Give a Speech Without Saying Anything.” Obviously our politicians have all viewed (and taken notes) from that one!

The point of this challenge is to be proactive in finding humor in your day-to-day. Do not wait for it to find you. You may end up going days or weeks without much laughter at all… leaving you with a Full Blown Case of Adultitis.

Sidenote: Howcast has tons of other very useful videos. It’s definitely worth checking out. A few that caught my eye are: How to Start a Lemonade Stand, How to Loose Your Pregnancy Weight, How to Carve a Pumpkin, and How to Feed Your Family on a TIght Budget. They share ideas on everything- household tips, relationship advice, learning new hobbies, etc. Very cool!

Share with us in the comments of the Escape Plan Blog what you did to ignite your laugh attack this week. I know it’s been all over the Internet, but this video of quadruplets laughing at their dad will surely get you started. If you watch it and do not laugh, you might want to check your pulse.

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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 speaking program in La Crosse, WI. He came up to us after the event and shared this story…

One weekend his grown children, wife and grandkids had decided to head up to their cabin for a getaway. He was not able to join them because of some obligations at work. His family went up on Friday night and soon after they left it became apparent that he would be able to get out of his work obligations and join them. He decided to make his change of plans quite the surprise. He put on his rattiest looking jeans, work boots, and old hooded sweatshirt. He then grabbed a bottle of liquor and wrapped it in a brown paper bag. When he got to the cabin, he parked down the street so his family wouldn’t see his car. He arrived early Saturday morning, just about the time he thought they would be getting up.

This goofy dad proceeded to stagger around the back yard with the bottle, keeping his hooded head down, so that his unsuspecting family wouldn’t recognize him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell there was activity in the house and that he had been spotted, but no one had come out yet, so it took it up a notch. He staggered onto the boat dock, as if he was going to fall into the water…. still no visits from any of his family members. Getting desperate to be discovered he came up with a surefire way for them to find out who this backyard bum really was. He made his way to the front yard and started staggering around his wife’s car. He even went so far as to open the door and start to get it. Just as he did this the front door sprung open and out marched his angry wife. “Look buddy, I don’t care what you’re doing or where you do it, but you’re NOT doing it inside this car!” At that, her husband lifted his head and said, “Why not, I paid for it?”

Boy, was she shocked! As this fun dad stood there and told us this story, a childlike enthusiasm came over him. It was as if he was reliving it all over again. His wife, a good sport, just shook her head and assured us that her husband has managed to avoid Adultitis for many years.

Are you as playful as this dad? If not, ask yourself, why not?

Share with us a story about a fun person in your life and how they manage to spread this joy to others.

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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 strangers in airports, rental car lines, restaurants, and of course at the gigs. This belly sure brings out the questions (and smiles!). Yesterday in Wal-Mart two woman were in an aisle I was going down, in a serious discussion about a purchase, and as soon as the one saw my belly she stopped the conversation, smiled, pointed at it and exclaimed, “baby!” It’s fun to have a literal “touch of childhood” as a part of my wardrobe everyday!

Side note: The number one question people ask is this: “Is it a boy or a girl?” I find it funny that they assume we know. When we share that we are waiting to be surprised, we always get a double take. (I guess this is a good example of our instant gratification culture.)

I should point out, the moral of the story is not that you have to be pregnant to accomplish this challenge. There are countless accessories that will help you add some whimsy to your day… things that, just like this baby bump, will bring you and others smiles (and questions!). Leave us a comment in the Escape Plan Blog to let us know what you wore that helped you Escape Adulthood this week.

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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 discovered a way to combine the two into one. Christina Farley shared,

One morning, while I was tackling the mountain of dishes after breakfast, my 2-year-old son, Caleb, tugged on my leg. He begged for me to play with him. Guilt plagued me. Why hadn’t I gotten up earlier so I could have more time with him?

‘Soon I’ll be done. I’ll wash as quickly as possible. Then we can play with your Little People,’ I promised.

‘I want wash dishes too,’ he said. How could I resist those big eyes? Reluctantly, I allowed him to pull up a chair and handed him a sponge. Ten minutes later, the dishes were washed, the kitchen was clean, and we’d had a blast. Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier?

So simple… yet so profound. The article goes on to share five additional ways to incorporate your kids into the day-to-day Adultitis-producing tasks like sorting laundry, grocery shopping (my LEAST favorite chore!), making the beds, etc., making them way more palatable and even fun.

Regardless of whether you spend your 9-5 at home or not, these are enjoyable ways to get the chores done with your kids, without them complaining about doing the dirty work. Who knew dusting could turn into family fun?

Do you have a tip to share?

How do you make your day-to-day tasks more digestible?

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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 play. He collects Snoopy memorabilia. He loves Homer Simpson. He’s building a model railroad layout in the basement. He won our fantasy football league last year and is the most valuable trash talker. And as the photo from our recent Adultitis Clinic attests, he still likes sugar and is not opposed to getting his face painted or wearing pirate hats. (Oh yeah, and the mustache is fake.)

A recent column in the Milwakee Journal Sentinel by Jim Stingl (thanks for the link, Marilyn!) highlighted an interesting pact made by two teenagers back in 1976.

At age 18, Dan Johnson and Malcolm McDowell Woods vowed that when they turned 50 — a laughably remote destination to anyone that young — they would have a pie fight.

They saw it as a way to ward off the excess maturity often linked to aging. If they engaged in something so childish and foolish at 50, they wouldn’t be old.

Thirty-two years have passed in a blur of jobs, mortgages, wives, kids and pets. So next weekend, Dan and Malcolm will fling pastry at each other and invite friends and family to join in.

The two men will be wearing tuxedos, and they’re urging their guests to dress formally to simulate the high-society pie fights that broke out when the Three Stooges were around.

That’s pretty cool.

Some people seem to think that the older you get, the more seriously you need to take life (and yourself). What a shame. In fact, as Kim and I travel the country on our speaking adventures, the people who seem to be happiest and most full of life are the ones who have learned that holding on to that magical, childlike sense of wonder and playfulness is among the most important lessons to be learned. They often wish they had figured it out sooner and applaud us for having it down so early in life.

I guess I had a pretty good example. I hope that 55 is my half-way point in life. And it’s my goal to make sure that no matter what, throwing pies and wearing pirate hats never gets old.

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This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #39: Court Jester: Play a practical joke on someone.

Isn’t it funny how a simple date on the calendar can have the magical ability to bring out a distinct playfulness in individuals. You all know people, normally suffering from moderate to severe cases of Adultitis, who come to life on days like Halloween and April Fool’s Day. It’s all about having permission. So, why wait for that one or two days out of the year to have a little fun? Start today! We’re spending September sharing tips and ideas on how to have more fun at work. Whether you work as a preschool teacher, plumber or a physician, work can always be more fun. A simple way to mix things up a bit is to play a practical joke on someone.

I’ve found a very fun site, April Fool Zone, that has more ideas than you’ll ever get to in your lifetime. Check it out here. Here are a few of my favorites…

Clipped: Make some copies of a paperclip. Then put them into the paper tray of the copier. People will go nuts trying to find the paperclip stuck in the printer.

Where Do I Go? This trick works great if you work in building that has two entrances. Print up two signs that say “Please Use Other Door.” Put one on each door, with arrows pointing toward the opposite door.

Unexpected: Take all the cereal in the house, remove the plastic bags from the boxes, and switch them around. When the victim tries to eat breakfast they will do a double-take when the wrong cereal pours out. (That would be a good one for Jason!)

Even though this video is admittedly cheesy, there are some great ideas in there that just may inspire you. Also, take special note of the guy in the cube inflicted with a “Full-Blown Case of Adultitis.”

Share with us in the comments of the Escape Plan Blog what practical joke you play on someone this week.

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You might think that certain professions are immune from outbreaks of Adultitis. Circus performers, perhaps. Candy makers. Rock stars.

Au contraire, mon amie.

Any job, performed over an extended period of time, can become an effective breeding ground for Adultitis. Even the glamorous lifestyle of a rock star.

Lawyers and politicians may be among the first professionals that come to mind when you think of people who have the propensity to take themselves too seriously (a major warning sign of Adultitis). But I’ve gone to art school and spent a lot of time around creative types, and they are not immune to the idea that our entire civilization rises and falls on their creative contributions.

A fake album by singer-songwriter Ben Folds was recently leaked to the public. It was released by…Ben Folds. Why? To counteract Adultitis, of course. Here’s a quote from Ben:

You see so many rock bands in the studio and it’s serious, serious business,” the 42-year-old singer-pianist tells Rolling Stone. “They got the making-of camera up their a** the whole time and they’re on the BlackBerry the other half of the time. I just think that we all need to remember how to have fun.”

Ben and his pals rented studio time with nine joke songs in eight hours as the goal. “The word ‘fake’ came up when we started doing it and it takes all the responsibility out,” he explains. “You can just be free to write and let it go.”

It’s important to remember that it’s possible to take your work seriously without taking yourself seriously. And no matter what sort of work you do — even work you love — a certain level of effort is required to keep things fresh. It doesn’t take long for a job to turn to drudgery, and eventually a rut. And as Ellen Glasglow once said, “The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions.”

We’re devoting this entire month to the theme of having more fun in the workplace and sharing ideas on how to shake things up and keep you out of ruts and free from Adultitis. Join Club K&J today to make sure you don’t miss any of it!

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We held an Adultitis Clinic last weekend, and face painting was involved.

It was the first time I have ever attempted face painting, and it was not without its challenges.

One little seven-year-old girl had a specific request, but held back because she figured I wouldn’t know what it was. Well that was all it took to stoke my competitive fires, so I urged her to tell me. Needless to say, I think I became the first face painter in the history of the world to paint a “shuga gliduh” on a little girl’s face.

A sugar glider, as I came to find out, is a small nocturnal animal from Australia, resembling a flying squirrel. She used to have one as a pet. And thanks to the amazing power of the internet, I was able to find a good reference and achieve a pretty darn cute interpretation of a sugar glider, if I do say so myself.

Meanwhile, my Dad and brother got into the spirit as well. We decided it would be interesting to see what my Dad would look like with a good old fashioned Magnum, P.I. mustache. I took great care to blend the brown and white paint, while carefully varying the stroke lengths to craft a pretty dang good facsimile.

Doug decided that he wanted to look like a doodle. You know, the way any newspaper photo of someone’s face looks like after you’ve spent forty-five minutes chitchatting on the telephone.

I regret that I didn’t go for the full effect by painting in a black eye and block out some teeth. (By the way, Katie is sporting a shooting star and my Mom is displaying a tiny cartoon Jason. You know, from that one comic strip.)

We had a blast. But the fun didn’t stop when the Clinic ended. Not by a long shot. In the spirit of Escape Plan Challenge #3, my Dad and youngest brother decided to wear their new-found facial hair out to dinner. I cannot tell you how many secret glances, hidden finger points, and outright stares they got. Especially Doug. At one point my sister-in-law Katie, upon noticing an extended glance from a passing waiter, exclaimed, “It’s okay, you can look at it.”

Sheepishly, he responded, “Well, it seemed like it was painted on, but from a distance you couldn’t tell.”

Between the waitstaff, the cooks, and fellow diners sitting at neighboring tables, I’m quite sure we made a number of people’s nights. The fun continued as we continued on to the mall and to the Apple Store where my Dad ultimately bought his first iPod, before we finally went home and the mustaches were washed away.

My Dad and brother really impressed and inspired me that night. You can’t argue that they did something that could be seen as inappropriate for people of their ages. But you also can’t argue that they inspired a lot of smiles and laughter that evening as well. Something the nightly news can’t lay claim to.

Adultitis has a sneaky way of lulling us into dull, routine-driven ruts. Sometimes it takes something jarring to break us out of our trances to remind us that we don’t always have to take ourselves so darn seriously all the time.

Behold the power of a painted-on mustache.

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This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #1 Different World: Spend at least 15 minutes immersing yourself in a field you know nothing about.

Something I loved about teaching kindergarten was the genuine openness and enthusiasm the kids had for learning something new. I would joke with Jason after school that I was really more like a salesperson than a teacher (good practice for our business, I guess). Working with kids is all about “selling it.” Or, as O’Reilly would cringe at “spinning it.” For instance, if I had a math lesson to teach them about greater than and less than (riveting content!), instead of telling them that we were going to have a math lesson, I would ask them if they’d all like to play a game. They would inevitably yell, “YEAH!” Then, I would proceed to turn the math “lesson” into a game… in which monsters were eating garbage… which gave us a chance to talk about the number of things the monsters ate (greater than and less than). It was a fun challenge! Who doesn’t like to talk about garbage eating monsters?

One of the perks about being a grown-up is that you aren’t stuck in a classroom, being forced to learn the objectives that happen to be on the lesson plans for the day. Nope. You are free to learn about what you are interested in. As a kid, you longed for that freedom! The question is… how often do you really take advantage of that freedom? I’m guessing many of you are admitting, “not often.” I know why… busyness. There’s just so much else to do, who has time to stop and learn something new? Between work, family, household chores and paperwork, the last thing you want at the end of the day is to have another thing on your to-do list.

The thing is, re-igniting that childlike curiosity is quite invigorating and contagious. Don’t add it to your long list, replace it with something that’s not as invigorating- like watching the box. This week we’re challenging you to take just 15 minutes to dive into a field you are clueless about. Figure something out. Discover. Be fascinated by something you learn. And most of all, make it fun… just like those eager kindergartners.

If you’re looking for a head-start, check out the site So You Wanna. It’s a great place to exercise your curiosity muscles. Share with us what you learn this week by leaving us a comment on the Escape Plan blog.

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This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #3: Says You: Do something that is typically seen as inappropriate for someone of your age.

You’ve seen the movie, “Big” with Tom Hanks? (If you haven’t, you need to do that before attempting this challenge.) Tom definitely sells his role as a 12-year-old stuck in an adult’s body/life. The classic scene, of course, is when Tom and Robert Loggia play the big piano at the toy store. Jason got a chance to try out that same type of piano at FAO Schwarz this past week while visiting the big apple. He took off his shoes and placed them in an available cubby, as he waited in line amidst an assemblage of 5-10 year-olds. Yes, he was the only “grown-up,” (how sad!). And you could see the look of envy on the other grown-up’s faces nearby.

Sometimes all you have to do is give yourself permission.

Leave us a comment on the Escape Plan Blog to let us know what you gave yourself permission to do this week. Get some inspiration from the childlike glee found on Tom and Robert’s faces at the end of this scene…

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