One particularly good low-cost way to escape the “same old, same old” of modern life is to dig out a box of food coloring from the recesses of your kitchen cabinet. Most people have a box of the stuff somewhere, but it’s usually only used to color cookie frosting around the holidays. Rather than sitting forgotten in a pantry, we believe its rightful place might be right next to the salt and pepper shakers that get used every day.

I fell in love with the stuff during my first ever attempt at the Escape Plan. I made myself some green eggs (thanks for the inspiration, Dr. Seuss!), red orange juice, and enjoyed Capn Crunch in some blue milk. I can’t think of anything that made me feel like a five-year-old faster than mixing in a few green drops to the eggs I was whisking. 

Kids love stuff like that, and your inner child still does, too! Some people get weirded out by food that comes in strange colors, but considering that the taste is left unchanged, we think that any apprehension might just be Adultitis talking.

So here are some ideas to make food coloring more of a staple in your home:

1) Celebrate holidays. Think green yogurt smoothies for St. Patrick’s Day, pink pancakes for Valentine’s Day, or orange eggs for Halloween. (Read more…)

These days we’re busier than ever. Unfortunately, all this busyness tends to pull us away from regular family dinners, which are terribly important to the health and happiness of your family. 

You may be one of the scores of people who are struggling to find the time (and the money) to cook good, easy meals for your family. I’m happy to share with you a brand new web site called BudgetFriendlyCooking.com.

Katie is an everyday chef who cooks on a budget. She shares recipes and demonstrates her technique in a series of weekly videos. Her ideas are sure to save you time and her recipes will save you money, which will certainly go a long way to cutting down the stress and Adultitis in your life. Check out this episode on making tacos:

Learn more at BudgetFriendlyCooking.com!

Fire up the ol’ time machine for a trip back to the 80’s. Here are 22 classic movies from the decade that are worth revisiting for your next movie night. They’re generally very family friendly, but some may contain some scary scenes or questionable language, so be sure to pre-screen them if you have little ones!

E.T. (1982): A group of Earth children help a stranded alien botanist return home.

The Dark Crystal (1982): On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world.

Gremlins (1984): A boy inadvertently breaks 3 important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Neverending Story (1984): A troubled boy dives into a wonderous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.

Ghostbusters (1984): Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.

Karate Kid (1984): A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting.

Back to the Future (1985): In 1985, Doc Brown invents time travel; in 1955, Marty McFly accidentally prevents his parents from meeting, putting his own existence at stake.

Real Genius (1985): Teenage geniuses deal with their abilities while developing a laser.

Goonies (1985): A group of kids embark on a wild adventure after finding a pirate treasure map.

Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985): Eccentric man-child Pee-Wee Herman embarks on the big adventure of his life across the US mainland, as he sets out to find his beloved bike, when it is stolen in broad daylight.

An American Tail (1986): While emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets seperated from his family and must relocate them while trying to survive in a new country.

Short Circuit (1986): Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986): A high school wise guy is determined to have a day off from school, despite of what the principal thinks of that.

Lucas (1986): A socially inept fourteen year old experiences heartbreak for the first time when his two best friends — Cappie, an older-brother figure, and Maggie, the new girl with whom he is in love — fall for each other.

The Princess Bride (1987): A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing (as read by a kindly grandfather).

Adventures in Babysitting (1987): Chris  is settled in for a dull night babysitting when a girlfriend calls to say she’s marooned at a downtown bus station with very seedy characters around. The three plus one of the boy’s friends get into the parents station wagon for a trip to the inner city. All is well till the flat tire.

*Batteries Not Included (1987): Apartment block tenants seek the aid of alien mechanical life-forms to save their building from demolition.

Beetlejuice (1988): A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a “bio-exorcist” in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house.

Willow (1988): A reluctant dwarf must play a critical role in protecting a special baby from an evil queen.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988): A toon hating detective is a cartoon rabbit’s only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.

Big (1988): When a boy wishes to be big at a magic wish machine, he wakes up the next morning and finds himself in an adult body literally overnight.

Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989): Wayne Szalinski is your average “nutty scientist”, working on a top secret machine which miniaturizes objects. When it unexpectedly starts working, he’s so amazed he forgets to tell his family to be careful.

[Plot synopsis for each movie courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.]

Most of us pull out the trusty video camera for the standard occasions: birthdays, weddings, Christmas, and stuff like that. It’s always nice to chronicle those big moments, especially when you incorporate our tips to make watching them even more enjoyable. But if your video camera only sees the light of day during major events and holidays, it is being sorely underutilized as a device for escaping adulthood! Here are some home movie ideas to try the next time your inner Spielberg awakens:

1) A Day in the Life Of… Again, everybody films the major events of life. But what about the everyday occurrences? Why not make some movies involving cutting the grass, making dinner, washing the car, cleaning the house, or eating breakfast. Now, this may seem like a snoozefest (and we don’t recommend shooting hours and hours of this stuff), but we remember people most in their everyday settings. In the long run, short candid clips of the everyday will have the most meaning.

2) Family Storyteller. Everybody has one or two people in their family who are particularly good story or joke tellers. At the next family gathering, record their greatest hits. What a treasure to have some of Uncle Larry’s classic jokes or Grandma Emma’s timeless yarns on tape for future generations to enjoy.

3) Music Video. Remember when MTV played actual videos? Those days may be long gone, but there’s nothing saying you can’t make your own. Get a few friends or family members together and have everyone pick out their favorite song. Then grab some props, get into costume, and rock out! This is also a perfect opportunity to use some of those crazy special effects hidden in your video editor.

4) It’s a Dog’s Life. Pet lovers, why not film your pet in his or her everyday setting, doing things like eating, sleeping, and playing. Be creative and include shots from your pet’s point of view. For an extra dollop of fun, dub in your own voice as the pet’s inner thought process.

5) Pie Fight. This one might work better outdoors. Get a few dozen pie shells and plenty of whip cream. Launch the first pie at a family picnic and film the craziness as it ensues. Water balloons are also a fine substitute. In post production, you can add in a couple of announcers calling the play-by-play and doing color commentary of the melee.

6) Claymation. If you’re the patient and creative type, try your hand at a simple stop-motion animation using some figures made of Play-Doh. Just record a series of single frames, with each frame showing a subtle movement. Here is a great tutorial on making your own stop-motion masterpiece.

7) Magic Show. Have everyone in your family learn and perform a magic trick. Go all out and get dressed up, and come up with great stage names, like the Amazing Fran, or the Great Loudini.

8) As Seen On TV. This one is great with kids. Have them put together short, impromptu commercials. Have them sell your car, dish detergent, a breakfast cereal or their favorite stuffed animal.

Whether you have a 19-inch TV or a big flatscreen, movie nights should be a blast. They are an inexpensive way to relax and enjoy the evening with those you love. Here are 10 simple ways to jazz up the movie nights in your household.

1. Light it up. Set the mood with candles, or hang a string of Christmas lights. If you have a fireplace, get it going. No matter what, make sure the lights are low.

2. Get comfy. Blow up the air mattress, set up the pull-out couch, or simply cover the carpet with piles and piles of blankets and pillows. The goal is to be so comfortable you don’t even make it to your bed after the movie, you simply sleep where you are.

3. Dressing up. Invite all of your movie watchers to dress up in clothing that is connected to the theme of the movie. Think ties and scarves for Harry Potter night, or red shoes for “The Wizard of Oz.” Props are welcome.

4. Read it first. As a group, read the book ahead of time, then watch the movie together. Enjoy the lively discussions afterwards comparing the two. Was the book really better than the movie?

5. Creative munchies. Have snacks that tie into the specific movie. For instance, if you’re watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, pick up some bars of chocolate or get a box of chocolates for “Forrest Gump.”

6. Pop Deluxe. Go beyond butter and serve uniquely flavored popcorn.

7. Avoid surprises. You don’t always have the time to preview every questionable movie that your kids might want to watch. Use the site www.commonsensemedia.org to learn about specific movies from a parent’s point of view ahead of time.

8. Rent an outdoor theater. Although a bigger expense, you can invite a crowd and have everyone pitch in a few bucks. There’s little better than watching a good flick under the stars.

9. Personal pans. Have a Make-Your-Own-Pizza night in conjunction to your movie night. Everyone gets to create their own personal pan pizzas to eat during the show. Have fun with lots of toppings!

10. Classic scenes. Instead of watching an entire movie, watch only your favorite scenes from a handful of movies. Have everyone get involved by bringing their favorite DVDs and sharing why they love the scenes they do.

Typically, couch potatoes are people who spend a lot of time in front of the television. And many people have blamed television and video games as a major reason for the rise in childhood obesity in this country.

But your television can actually serve as a catalyst to help you lose those unwanted pounds AND bring your family closer together. 

Don’t believe me? Then you’ve obviously never strapped a white Nintendo Wii controller to your wrist. Mickey DeLorenzo is a regular guy from South Philadelphia who lost weight with his beloved Wii and had fun doing it. In 2006, he began his “Wii Sports Experiment,” in which he simply added 30 minutes of Wii Sports to his day for six straight weeks. Pounds melted away and a media onslaught followed.

We caught up with Mickey for an interview. We asked him about the details of his workout regime, his favorite Nintendo game, and got him to share some tips for people who’d like to try using their Wii to get fit.

Run Time: 20 minutes, 52 seconds | Subscribe with iTunes

Some of the best things to watch on TV are shows starring you and the people you love. But let’s face it, nobody likes sitting around watching boring video of cousin Jimmy’s birthday party that drags on and on and on. Fortunately, there are some pretty simple tips you can incorporate into the mix that will instantly make your home movies not only tolerable, but down right enjoyable!

1) Don’t overuse zoom. Zoom-happy movies scream amateur and make audiences sick. Take a look at your favorite TV shows; they hardly ever zoom in or out on anything. Usually, they keep the camera stationary and let the subject do the moving. If you want to get a close-up on something, zoom in BEFORE you push record. It’s ok to use this handy feature once in a while, but don’t overdo it.

2) Ditch the digital zoom. Lots of cameras have a digital zoom feature. Don’t use it. It’s basically using an internal computer to “guess” at what the subject looks like from a closer range, and just ends up with a blurry image. If you do use zoom, stick to the optical zoom.

3) Let there be light. Lighting is a huge key to a nice looking video. Natural lighting is best, but wherever you shoot, try to make sure there is plenty of good light around your subject. Of course, a darkened room and a birthday cake adorned with candles provides great ambiance, but 20 minutes of a family gathering in a dimly lit basement rec room with dark paneling spells disaster. Also, avoid backlighting like the plague! Make sure your subject has plenty of light in front of it, or you’ll end up shooting faceless shadows.

4) Sound is underrated. Believe it or not, people are more willing to put up with a less than stellar image if the sound is good. If the sound is bad, they’ll go running for the hills, even if the image is crystal clear. It’s always better to have a microphone in the front of the camera rather than the back. At the very least, try and control background noise as much as possible and get close as to your subject as you can (unless you’re filming polar bears.)

5) Diversify your angles. Again, if you watch even a little bit of TV, you’ll notice that they almost never stay with one angle for more than 5 or 10 seconds. Try close ups, wide angles, bird’s eye views (from above), worm’s eye views (from below), and any other unique angles you can dream up. It will make your movie much more visually interesting.

6) Leave the special effects for later. These days, most video cameras have tons of special effects controls. Ignore them. It’s better to add the special effects later with video editing software. That way you always have a pure copy of your footage. You can always make that footage sepia-toned, but you can’t make a sepia-toned video full color. (Well, not without a professional and buckets of money.)

7) Ditch the date stamp. Yeah, it’s nice to know when a video was shot, but do that by labeling the tape or DVD. I’ve never seen a Spielberg blockbuster with the date and time it was shot in the corner of the screen.

8) Shoot more than the main action. Get video of some details for a richer final production. For example, if you’re on vacation, get some footage of pertinent signs, landmarks you visited, and restaurants you ate at. A quick shot of the waves rolling on the beach can be a nice opening shot that cuts to your rugrats building a sand castle. If you’re filming the first day of school, get shots of your little one getting ready at the beginning of the day and sharing her thoughts while standing in front of the school sign at the end of the day.

9) Mind the details. It’s easy to get so focused on the main subject that you ignore the other details in the frame. Make sure there isn’t a tree growing out of Johnny’s head or an unsightly garbage can in the corner of Sally’s first communion video.

9.5) A Bonus Tip! Avoid centering your subject in the middle of the viewfinder. Professional cinematographers often set up the shot with the subject lined up off-center, using the rule of thirds. It makes for a far more interesting composition.

We’re back with our series on parenting, designed to be as candid as it is low-budget, and providing you with fresh insights on living life with less stress and more fun, whether you are a parent or not. This episode we talk about how the busyness of life can keep you from documenting treasured memories. We share some inexpensive tips for easily preserving your favorite moments.

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iPod Version (39 MB) | Subscribe with iTunes

Of course, it’s hard to beat a good old fashioned snowball fight when it comes to getting the heart rate up and burning some calories. We highly recommend at least one slingfest per year. (Just make sure you’re not using ice balls.) Here are a few more untraditional games you can play in the snow:

Build the Biggest Snowball
Break up into teams of two or three apiece. The goal of each team is to roll the BIGGEST* snowball. The end comes when the teams can no longer physically roll their snowball (or you run out of snow.)

Snowman Ambush
Once you have those big “snowballs” created, you can assemble them into a plump, happy snowman. It’s always fun to accessorize him (or her) with some household items like carrots, buttons, pipes, and sunglasses. You can add to the activity level by topping your creation off with a hat that you try and toss Frisbee style from several yards away. Or…

If you have a more “destructive” inner child, take turns pummeling Frosty by throwing snowballs (or real Frisbees) at him. Perhaps the goal is to see how long it takes to turn your creation into something that looks like a Picasso creation. Pretend he’s your boss and you can release even more stress. (Unless your boss is one of those rare, Adultitis-free types, of course.)

Snow Football
The Super Bowl is usually in a sunny locale, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the pigskin fun just because you live in a snowy climate. Find an open place to play — a backyard or nearby park will do. With some spray bottles filled with a water and food coloring mixture, mark out a large rectangular area to serve as the playing field. The teams line up at opposite ends of the field for the kickoff. When someone on the receiving team catches the ball, they try to advance across the other team’s goal line by running with it or passing it to a teammate. Play stops if the player is tagged by an opponent or slides out of bounds. The play then resumes on the spot. Each team gets four tries to score a touchdown or the ball goes to the other team.

*Send us a picture of you next to your giant snowball, and we’ll make it worth your while!

Kim and I love going on walks. The sub zero temperatures here in Wisconsin and new baby have temporarily put the kabosh on that exercise routine. Maybe you’re also feeling a little cooped up and are looking for an activity to make you feel sort of like you’re exercising. How about some balloon volleyball?

It’s safe to play indoors and you can get the whole family involved — even Grandma. There’s something addictive about trying to keep a balloon in the air, don’t you think? Even most hard-hearted, cross-armed, Adultitis carriers have a hard time resiting a little playful punch when the balloon invades their space.

All you need is string or yarn and a balloon. Hang the yarn across the room (tied to something immovable and safe at each end.) Separate into two teams and hit the balloon back and forth over the yarn. The goal is to volley the balloon as many times as possible, rather than trying to get the other side out. The only rule is that you can’t catch the balloon and then hit it over. You can keep track of the number of minutes you’re able to keep the balloon in the air or how many times it’s hit over the yarn, and then try to break your record!

Here are some little wrinkles you can throw in for a even crazier time:

• Add more balloons for a bigger challenge.

• Require that the balloon must be hit by everyone or by everyone in a specific order.

• Make players twirl around once either before or after they hit the balloon.

• Allow players to only hit the balloon with their non-dominant hand.