Ryan “Cubby” Culbertson is a Navy guy, father of seven, and Club K&J member. He has routinely delighted us with his creative entries in the Thursday Giveaway. A few months back, I wrote an article outlining some important tips for finding your dream job. Ryan commented on the article with a hearty, “Here, here.”
A little while later, his wife Melynda chimed in to tell us that there was more to the story behind the simple comment.
She shared that Ryan was beginning his dream job. For years, he had served in a mind-numbing job that he found boring and redundant. But he was good at it and it paid the bills. Eventually, Ryan decided to step out and go after something he really wanted to do: become a Navy pilot. Said Melynda, “Actually, he wanted to be Superman, but being a pilot is as close as reality can take him. For the first time since he was a teenager he loves his job. For the first time ever he wakes up excited to go to work.”
We wanted to chat with Ryan to hear more about the story in the hopes that it might serve as inspiration for others who have a steady job but yearn for something more. He shares his struggles and successes, as well as his infectious enthusiasm. He also explains what it feels like to fly and reveals one of the main things his family does to deal with Adultitis.
Run Time: 19 minutes, 34 seconds | Subscribe with iTunes
This is the very first episode of The Escape Adulthood Show! In this episode, we analyze someone with a very serious case of Adultitis when it comes to sending Christmas cards (and how you can avoid a similar fate.) We also share some our our favorite things — if Oprah can do it, why can’t we? We hope you enjoy it and give us feedback by leaving a comment below (or in the video itself — just click the little plus sign in the player.)
I’ll admit, I’m not known for being “the chef” in our household. Jason is much more of the creative type in the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I can make a mean grilled cheese and a fabulous box of mac ‘n cheese, but when it comes to recipes, Jason is much more interested. One of our mutually favorite channels, though, is The Food Network. It has some great shows, but in my opinion it’s missing out on a interesting niche – non-edible recipes. It’s still cooking, but with a very childlike slant. So, in an attempt to fill the void, I have compiled fifteen of my favorite recipes to resurrect your childlike spirit and leave Adultitis in the dust. Happy cooking!
––>Download (449 KB)
There’s always something inspiring about talking to someone who is passionate about what they do. While touring Europe as a stage carpenter for dance companies, Peter Robertson fell in love — with the food of Italy. He began studying the traditional fresh pasta that was a staple of the Italian food he loved. And ultimately, began making authentic fresh pasta on his own.
Robertson later moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where he gave gifts of his fresh pasta to friends and family. One of those friends, proprietor of the award-winning Pasta Per Tutti restaurant in Madison, asked Robertson to supply pasta for the restaurant. Soon after, RP’s Pasta Company opened for business.
We really wanted to hear a firsthand account of how Peter turned his passion for pasta into a business. And we were dying to have him show us the noodle-making process. (Especially Kim, a self-avowed noodle junkie.) Enjoy this webisode about Peter and RP’s Pasta. It will be part of a feature length project about the childlike side of Madison that we’ll be releasing in the Summer of 2009. But you get to watch it right now, because you’re a Club K&J member. And we think you’re cool.
iPod Version (96.3 MB) | Subscribe with iTunes
According to its website, Grace Before Meals is centered on one fundamental concept: the simple act of creating and sharing a meal can strengthen all kinds of relationships. Founded by Fr. Leo Patalinghug in 2003, Grace Before Meals has grown from a simple idea to a worldwide movement, producing a book, blog and even a pilot for a TV show endorsed by PBS.
Research shows that having frequent family dinners can reduce the susceptibility of teens to risks like teen pregnancy, smoking, drug use and depression. And these benefits don’t just apply to traditional families or people with kids. Stronger families foster stronger communities, and that’s the goal we’re striving for–one meal at a time.
We sat down with Fr. Leo to learn more about where his love for cooking came from and what inspired him to start Grace Before Meals. In this candid and humorous interview, Fr. Leo also shares why it’s so important to have regular family dinners and gives advice to people who are having a hard time fitting it into an increasingly busy schedule.
Run Time: 20 minutes, 39 seconds | Subscribe with iTunes
• Visit the website - www.GraceBeforeMeals.com
• Watch the videos - www.GraceBeforeMeals.com/videos.php
• Read the book - Grace Before Meals: Recipes for Family Life
Photo by xetark
1. Wish Bone Whimsy
Don’t let the day pass you by without partaking in the ever-so-childlike tradition of breaking the wish bone. Sounds barbaric, but it’s always a cool moment. It’s fun to mix up from year to year the person who gets to do the honors. Drawing names out of a hat is a simple and fair way to handle it. If possible, draw the name in a large group and invite the two lottery winners to go head-to-head in front of everyone. This allows everyone to be involved and recall memories of wishes from years past.
2. Name That Bird
Be sure to name your turkey… and Tom is not allowed! This is a playful way to add some fun throughout the preparation, as you refer to the bird by his/her given name. Heck, you can even go so far as to give it a middle name. Get everyone involved in the conversation. If you have a super large family, have a small group come up with a list of five suggested names. Put them on a piece of paper and invite all arriving guests to put a tally mark next to his/her favorite, that way everyone will feel like they contributed to the process.
3. Pass the Pie Please
Surprise everyone by having dessert first. As kids, you know you pledged to yourself that you would one day do this, but before long Adultitis sets in and those memories fade away. Giddy smiles of delight will overflow and you can rest assured you will receive overwhelming support from those childlike spirits in your presence. If you’re outnumbered by Adultitis-ridden folks who can’t get beyond the tradition of having dessert last, go ahead and enjoy your pie without them. Don’t you worry, there will be at least a few kids to joining you.
4. Express Yourself
Kids love to dress for the theme of the moment. Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. When you’re out picking up those last minute preparation items, go ahead and splurge on those 99-cent turkey socks. Dig through the closet to find your autumn-colored clothes. If you want to be “that guy” you can even pick up a turkey hat or that pumpkin covered shirt (Kindergarten teacher style). To take a step even farther, rent a pilgrim costume. Clothes are an easy way to express enthusiasm for the moment at hand. Don’t let the moment pass you by to show your true colors.
5. Recreate the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
As an untraditional appetizer of sorts, invite your guests to partake in a recreation of the classic Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving. Make up some tall stacks of buttered toast, serve up pretzels, ice cream sundaes, popcorn and jelly beans. Then, grab your lawn chairs and sit back to enjoy the show. Just because Peppermint Patty didn’t appreciate Snoopy and Woodstock’s creative take on the classic meal doesn’t mean you can’t. You’re guaranteed to find the childlike spirits in the room with this fun tradition.
6. Amp up the Play
After dinner and football have had their rightful places, invite folks to play a big family game, something that crosses generations and can involve everyone. A few favorites to think about are spoons, flag football, kickball, hot potato, Pictionary, Bingo, Balderdash, Who am I?, Apples to Apples, and a personal favorite, Quelf. If your group is just too ginormous to pull off playing all together, have a number of different games going on and people can go from one thing to the next, based on their interest. If your family loves to play cards, have a big tournament with various tables, and the winner gets to bring home the leftover desserts.
7. Movie Magic
Once the turkey coma has set in, watch a movie together as a group. Pick one that will appeal to all ages and will be entertaining and fun. Typically there’s a holiday movie released the year before that will work well. Some other suggestions are: Evan Almighty, WALL-E, Monsters, Inc., Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, The Little Rascals, The Princess Bride, Spiderwick Chronicles and any Disney movie. There’s something heartwarming about sharing laughter with family…and seeing Uncle David snoring in his chair.
8. Make a Moment
Be sure to “have a moment” at the beginning of the meal. If you’re not comfortable ask someone who will be to say a few words, as well as lead the group in a prayer or reflection. Remember those who are no longer with you and welcome those who are new to the crew. This is a heartfelt, sincere and ultimately childlike way to bring everyone to a similar mindset as you gather together. Ignore the eye rolls and let the moment be what it is.
9. Spice It Up
Start a new tradition by adding a playful side dish that you would normally not see on your Thanksgiving dinner table. Try to pick something that will bring a smile to the faces of unexpected family members. Here are a few yummy ideas: fried cheese curds (a Wisconsin favorite), french fries, rainbow Jell-O, gourmet mac ‘n cheese, birthday cake, a stack of toast or a bowl of jelly beans (in honor of Charlie Brown), etc. If nothing else, you’re creating a conversation piece, allowing family to talk about something else besides religion and politics.
10. Cooking Cooperation
Don’t leave the cook out on an island. Seize the opportunity to build relationships by cooking together. Some of the best conversations and memories are made while stirring gravy and mashing potatoes. If there are kids in the mix, invite them to learn some new cooking techniques and have fun letting them put their spin on them. When you have multiple cooks in the kitchen, the time goes a lot faster and the resentment levels (often maximized by the host) will decrease, as the fun overcomes the list of to-do’s.
So this dude known only to us as “Gil” sent us a video with some tips for escaping adulthood this Thanksgiving. He mostly focuses on saving money, which is certainly a cause of great stress for many people these days. While we don’t endorse all of his ideas, we can certainly get behind his desire to help you remember what’s really important this Thanksgiving. Let us know what you think of Gil’s tips.
iPod Version (61.8 MB) | Subscribe with iTunes
In this episode of the Escape Adulthood Show, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we share 10 awesome tips for spicing up family dinners and making fun memories that will last a lifetime. We also talk about peanuts, share a poem written by a member, and give an update on our effort to crown the All-Time Greatest Childhood Food. Just click “Play” to listen to the show, or you can subscribe to the show with iTunes…
Show Notes…
• Check out Gourmet Mom on-the-Go for even more fun ideas!
• Did you miss our eBook of Gross and Gruesome Halloween Treats? Download it here!
• Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the All-Time Greatest Childhood Food Tournament!
• Cool Thing: Pick Your Nose Cups
• Show Music: Coyote Sleeps by Ethan Elkind
• Show Length: 30 minutes, 49 seconds
• Shout Outs: Thanks to Jenny for sharing her “Kitty Litter” story, and the Judy for the awesome poem!
• Feedback: What’s your favorite tip for spicing up family dinner? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Add a comment below, e-mail us, or give us a jingle via the exclusive Club K&J Hotline at 608-554-0803.
In the the last hundred years or so, we’ve seen technology bring about more advancements than the rest of human history combined. We’ve come a long way, baby.
For the most part, these advancements have served us well. We’re able to produce more food, travel longer distances in less time, eradicate once-deadly diseases, and improve the length and quality of our lives.
Some negative consequences, such as increased pollution and more dangerous weapons, have been ushered in as well. But I think the most dangerous side effect is that we find the promise of what the future holds so compelling, we’re willing to throw the wisdom of the ages right out the window. We are so eager to reach for the new and improved that we discard the traditions of the past as old-fashioned and out of touch.
And boy, are we paying the price.
One such tradition that seems to be going the way of the dodo bird is the family dinner. With so many things going on these days, who has time to gather together all at once? Why, it would be a scheduling miracle of epic proportions! Long work days. Day care pickups. Soccer practice. Dance recitals. Evening meetings. With such full plates, family dinner is the first to go. The rise of fast food joints and microwave ovens make it seem an easy sacrifice.
Unfortunately, the very thing you’re sacrificing is the health, intimacy, and future of your family.
As Miriam Weinstein wrote in her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, “We’ve perfected the segmentation of the family. Nobody has to eat the same food, watch the same show, listen to the same song, let alone sing it. We love to imagine the French with their lush tables, or the Italians with their big families, but we prefer to gobble our take-out, our home delivery, our single-serve microwave, on the run, in front of the TV, in the food court, or in the car, while we dream of quality time, of family vacations, of someplace far away.”
If you care about your family at all, you may want to reconsider the importance of family dinners in your life. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University did a study that divided teenagers into two groups. The first group had dinner with their family five times a week or more. The second group had dinner together with their family two times a week or less. The results were astounding.
They discovered that the kids who ate dinner more often with their families were up to 45% less likely to smoke, drink, use drugs, be suspended from school, or have sex at young ages. They are twice as likely to receive A’s in school. Kids who frequently eat dinner with their families are likelier to confide in their parents and are at a lower risk for thoughts of suicide. Other studies from a wide variety of divergent fields have found equally surprising results. Regular family dinners discourage obesity and eating disorders and make kindergartners better equipped to read (even more so than getting read to!)
Isn’t it amazing to think how much depends on dinner?
Please note, we’re not talking gourmet dinners here. The study didn’t mention anything about preparing meals that would make Bobby Flay jealous. And the conversation? That doesn’t have to be all that engaging, either.
Heck, in my house growing up, a typical dinner conversation often included my Dad farting and blaming it on a duck under the table. Which resulted in giggles from me and my two brothers and an icy glare from my Mom (which usually was concealing a nearly undetectable smirk.)
Oh, and my Dad also had a penchant for asking the same, stupid, boring question every single night: “How was school today?”
Naturally, we’d respond with the same stupid answer: “Fine.”
But the thing is, if by some freak occurrence, something actually did happen at school that I wanted to talk about, I knew my Dad (and Mom) would be there to ask the question. That shared time together, that calm amidst the storm that we call life, is so vitally important. In a world that often seems like it has gone crazy, the best thing you can do for the health and sanity of your family is to step off the hamster wheel once a day and share a simple meal together. The conversations that do occur help parents to learn more about their children’s lives and help them to better understand the day-to-day challenges their kids face.
Maybe a regular family dinnertime really is tough to swing. Well, who says you can’t make breakfast your regular meal time? If all parents knew how important eating dinner together as a family was to their children — something that used to be an unquestioned element of family life in this country — I think we’d see a lot more people doing it. If you struggle finding time to corral the troops for mealtime on a regular basis, I encourage you — no, I beg you — to try harder. Not only is it a pretty good way to escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world for a few moments each day, the benefits it provides your children are priceless. And if family dinners are already part of your regular routine, why not give it even more attention, intention, and fun?
Life is fast, and technology is making it even faster. Don’t get so sucked into the promise of the future that you abandon a time-tested ritual that our ancestors knew to be vital. Bring the tradition of eating dinner together back into the fabric of your life. The health and happiness of your family depends on it.
*Bonus Feature*
Watch this 3-minute video of me creating the artwork for this column from beginning to end! (It’s been sped up to avoid making you fall asleep.)
Also, the original painting is available for purchase for just $100. If you’re interested in owning it, e-mail me. First come, first serve.
iPod Version (17.6 MB) | Subscribe with iTunes
