Tim Cimbura

Speaking & Entertainment

Staycation Kit

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Here it is January 24th. It’s a cold, cold, cold day in Minnesota. Outside it’s around 11 degrees and it’s been cold for a few weeks. In fact, many people have colds. We’re pretty much stuck inside. It’s the time of year when most people in the northern states get the blues and lust for a warmer environment.

With the economy the way it is, many people have chosen to forego the family vacation to a sunny beach paradise. If you’re one of these people and you’ve cut the travel budget temporarily here’s exactly what you need: A complete “staycation kit” for under $100. If you are not aware, a “staycation” is a vacation that is spent at or nearby your home enjoying all that your present environs have to offer.

The point of all this is to get the feeling of being in a tropical paradise without actually going. It can be done. One key is to hit all the senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. When you do, you’ll feel more alive immediately.

Let’s get started. Most of what you’ll need you’ll already have around the house. A few things you’ll need to purchase. Gather the following items:
Beach Towel – Touch
Sunscreen – Smell and Touch
Pineapple juice, Coconut Cream, Orange juice, Rum flavor concentrate, Crushed ice (see recipes below) – Taste
Hawaiian Shaved Ice Party Package – Taste
Swimsuit, Shorts, Flip flops, Sunglasses
Hawaiian Shirt – Sight
Sunny Window – Sight and warmth

Waves The Best Caribbean Beaches and Hawaiian Dreams DVD – Sight and hearing
Glade Hawaiian Breeze Air Freshener – Smell
Jet X20 video game for PS2 or Kawasaki Jet Ski video game for PS2 – Sight and hearing
Palm Trees (optional) – Sight
Sea shells (optional) – Sight and touch
Add a couple of kids under the age of 10 and you’ll really add to the fun and realism (optional)

The best time to do this is during the afternoon. Put on your swimming suit, flip flops, and sunglasses. You’re going on an adventure right at home. Find the sunniest spot in your house…a window with the sun pouring in. Turn the thermostat up to 75 degrees and it’l be warmer than it is in Florida right now! Place the palm tree next to the TV and insert the Waves DVD. Grab your beach towel and lay it out on the carpet. Now spray the glade in the air for a tropical smell, slather on some sunscreen, and lay out for a while. Let the sound of the ocean and warmth of the sun soothe you. Read a book if you like on your beach.

After a good relaxation, get out the ingredients to make some refreshing tropical drinks.

Pina Colada (virgin, non-alcoholic)
7 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Coconut Cream
1 cup crushed ice
Add the pineapple juice, coconut cream and crushed ice to a blender; blend at high speed. Pour into glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, a pineapple wedge, and serve.

Blue Hawaiian (virgin, non-alcoholic)
4 oz. Pineapple Juice
3 oz. Coconut Cream
1 oz. Orange juice concentrate
1 cup crushed ice
6 drops Rum Flavor Concentrate
Blue food coloring
Blend with crushed ice to desired consistency. Garnish with a pineapple slice and serve.

Another option is to make your own Hawaiian Shave Ice. You could even make a picnic lunch to eat on your private island or call “room service” and get a pizza delivered (Domino’s nearby?).

Our kids took this to the next level. They easily went along with the charade without even thinking. It was just another fun game for them…”the Hawaiian beach game”. They even used their imaginations to blow up a inner tube and jump into the water. (The shower is really near by.)

As you stimulate your senses, you’ll feel what it’s like to be in a tropical paradise without all the expense and hassle of traveling…at least for an afternoon. I highly promote travel to a warm destination. It’s definitely the best experience overall but sometimes it isn’t practical financially or in your schedule and the right thing is to stay home. These staycation ideas give you some of the fun. This may not help the economy but it will surely help your spirits.

Take lots of photos and don’t forget the Sunless Tanner when you go back to work to make everyone jealous of your time in the sun.

P.S. My wife and I also used the Waves DVD on a staycation anniversary celebration at a hotel nearby the Mall of America. It was dark outside and the sound of the waves really made us feel like the ocean was right outside our window even though it was in the middle of winter. The whirlpool hot tub helped, too.

Process Improvement and Thinking Outside the Door

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I often complete projects around the house. I like to think of myself as quite the handyman. I learned a lot growing up from my grandfathers about electricity, carpentry, plumbing, etc. The latest project was replacing of all the door handles to some nickel egg-shaped ones that are more trendy and stylish. Once complete, there was another pressing project. Replace all the door HINGES to match. I tend toward perfectionism and it really bothered me that they weren’t the same metal. There were somewhere around 60 hinges to replace on 20 doors…about 3-5 hours I estimated.

I’ve removed a door before by popping the pins on the hinges. It seemed pretty simple to replace the hinges the same way. So my first 5 doors went like this:
PROCESS 1
Requirements: 1 people, hammer, screwdriver, nail to help pop pin, drill (with screwdriver tip)
Time: 15 minutes/door
1. Pop the pins from the door.
2. Remove door.
3. Remove hinges from door and jamb.
4. Remove pins from new hinges.
5. Remove door and set to the side.
6. Install new hinges on the door and jamb.
7. Place door back up with the help of my wife.
8. Replace pins.

After a while, my wife got tired of helping so I thought of a way to do it on my own. Luckily, she was easily replaceable…by a folded newspaper that I slipped under the door to hold it up at the right height. (She is not replaceable by a newspaper in all circumstances.) I felt pretty smart about this process improvement. I also thought about the pin popping…maybe I didn’t need to do that either. So I eliminated one worker, some tools, and made the job simpler and faster:
PROCESS 2
Requirements: 1 person, drill, newspaper
Time: 10 min/door
1. Insert folded newspaper under door.
2. Remove 3 hinges from door and jamb.
3. Remove door and set to the side.
4. Install new hinges on the door.
5. Attach door hinges to jamb carefully while balancing on newspaper.
And so went the next 10 doors… I had a little helper during this period. Brielle would pick up the loose screws and place them into a little bag. It kept her busy.

Nearing the end of the job, my older daughter (4) Arianna showed up.
“Daddy, What are those?”
“They’re hinges.”
“Why are you taking off all the hinges?”
“Because I need to replace them all.”

Her question “Why?” is a common one for kids. It made me think for a moment. Why WAS I taking off ALL the hinges? Hmmm…Why not take off only one hinge…at a time? I tried it and it totally simplified the process:
PROCESS 3
Requirements: 1 person, drill
Time: 5 minutes/door
1. Remove one hinge
2. Replace the hinge
3. Repeat two more times.
You see, when you only remove one hinge at a time, the other two hinges hold the door in place! It was so simple and fast that I actually felt stupid at the end…that I had wasted my time doing almost all the other doors the hard way.

It required the outside perspective of my little girl to give me the new solution. I was so close to the problem and thinking about how I had done things in the past that it wasn’t obvious how to improve it. It wasn’t even that she exactly knew what the right solution was…but she did know what question to ask to make me think of it.

If you’re looking for creativity, it often helps to ask a child. If you can explain it to them then you must understand the problem pretty well. Defining the problem well is the first step. Then listen with an open mind to what solution they propose. It may lead you to the next big idea…a solution that could really help you.

Movie Recommendations 2008

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Here are our movie picks for 2008. They are clean films with good messages that will often make you laugh or cry. These are films we personally viewed in 2008, not necessarily those that were released in 2008. Enjoy…

Bambi II — Playful story of Bambi coming of age and father and son relationship with the importance of friendship.

Dan in Real Life — This is my favorite movie of 2008. It’s a funny, touching, and intriguing story about a widower and his struggle with love and family.

Enchanted — What happens if the real world collides with the cartoon princess world? A humorous look at real life and fantasy with big production numbers, great special effects and a good message. Kids will love it (although there are some scary parts) and adults will understand it all.

Get Smart — Really funny film about a secret agent that has just the bad luck that makes everything funny. I was laughing so hard I cried during the airplane bathroom scene. There are a couple of unnecessary swear words.

Heidi — A little orphan girl changes the hearts of many as she enters their lives.

High School Musical — Think “Grease” but cleaner.

High School Musical 2 — Clean, fun entertainment with lots of singing and dancing

Hope Floats — Cute romantic comedy about rebuilding life after hardship.

Horton Hears a Who — Funny, funny, funny with a great message. I laughed out loud with this film…and there is a great story that holds your interest. Many “Child at Heart” themes run through the story.

Kung Fu Panda — This is my second favorite film of the year. Fun and funny movie about an unlikely Panda with a dream to become a Kung Fu fighter.

Martian Child — Great film about a widowed science fiction writer that adopts a kid that thinks he’s from Mars.

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium — If you can suspend your disbelief long enough to get into this film, you’ll learn some great lessons about life from a kids view.

Nancy Drew — Fun mystery film with enough suspense and action.

No Reservations — A heartwarming story about a chef who learns about life and priorities through tough circumstances and a little girl.

The Game Plan — Movie about a football player and what he learns from his unknown daughter.

The Kid — Great film about what a successful image consultant learns about life from a kid.

The Nanny Diaries — A funny and engaging story of finding yourself and adjusting life priorities.

Underdog — Fun adventure with a canine super hero. Our kids loved it.

Why Did I Get Married? — An amazing look at real relationships. It will make you laugh, cry, and think.

Goodbye DayTimer…Hello iPhone

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I’ve been a faithful user of paper-based calendars for the past 20+ years. Even as someone who is really into technology gadgets, I’ve avoided them in this part of my life to keep things simple. I never wanted to deal with the syncing disasters, battery hassles, and other issues I saw people struggle with on a regular basis. Well, I simply don’t need the paper anymore. I’ve finally found an electronic equivalent that works reliably and easily. It’s my iPhone. The iPhone has come of age. As of today, it’s even available at Walmart!

I live by my calendar. I need it to keep track of many appointments and events so it must be reliable. I have built up the level of trust with my iPhone over the last 6 months. I even use it to schedule fun in my day. I schedule times to go juggle with a friend and my oasis activities that rejuvenate me like working out at the health club. With the event on the calendar, I am more likely to complete those activities. The rejuvenating activities are just as important as my work activities because they keep me healthy and happy. I am also able to prioritize things better when I know I already have an activity that is important to me scheduled for that time.

The iPhone interface is so intuitive that even my kids totally understand it. Even my 2 year old can navigate and find any application they want without any instruction. So I got a couple of special games for them that they can use, for example, when we’re waiting for a doctor appointment. They are “ABC Animals” that shows ABC flash cards and gives them a chance to practice writing their letters and “Adventure” that includes some fun pre-school games where they can learn shapes, colors, etc.

My original iPhone investment was $200…the same as the cost of my old Motorola Razr a few years ago. I couldn’t wait to get rid of that piece of junk when my contract ran out. The size of the Razr was nice enough but the interface was awful. I was forced to scroll through up to three entries for each person in my address book just to find their phone number. Now, with the iPhone, finding a phone number is usually only a few simple finger flicks away. In addition, it seems that nearly every other day some new application becomes available that totally makes my original investment even more valuable. To those of you who are contemplating an iPhone purchase, I’m providing the lists below of all the iPhone applications I use regularly…so far.

Oh, and by the way, don’t forget that the iPhone also works as a phone!

Built-in applications I use nearly every day:

  • Calculator – Handy to have with you always
  • Calendar – Keeping work appointments and important events. I also share calendars with the family by using Google calendars so we can coordinate baby-sitting schedules, etc.
  • Camera – Take a shot and view it in the photo album
  • Clock – Time in multiple time zones
  • Contacts – All contacts are entered on my computer and automatically synced to the iPhone with other important information.
  • iPod / iTunes – Selected songs and podcasts I have with me always
  • Mail – Email
  • Maps – Turn by turn directions that follow your position and traffic info
  • Phone – Use the iPhone as a phone!
  • Safari – Explore nearly any internet web site
  • Voice Memo – Record quick voice snippets and sync with iTunes or email them
  • Weather – Get the temp and current forecast in your area
  • YouTube – Watch videos

Other important applications:

  • AroundMe – Find almost any important type of business around you (anywhere you are) like restaurants, gas stations, coffee shops, hospitals, parking, taxis, theaters, etc.
  • YouVersion Bible – The good book with multiple versions and daily readings
  • FaceBook – Keep in touch with friends and family
  • Google – Voice search of the internet
  • FlightTrack – Get more information about a flight and where it is than the people in the air
  • Google Earth – Visit details of nearly anywhere on our planet
  • GPS Tracker – Keep track of where you’ve been on a bike ride
  • LinkedIn – Track business contacts
  • Mobile News – Associated Press articles ready at the moment
  • Movies or Fandango – See what’s playing in theaters near you
  • PayPal – Send money electronically to people
  • Pocket Aid – First Aid and CPR instructions ready always
  • Shazam – Automatically recognizes songs on the radio just by listening a few seconds.
  • Starmap or Starry Night Mobile – Identify nearly anything in the sky
  • TiVo Mobile – Schedule recordings of TV programs at home from anywhere
  • WhitePages – White pages phone directory
  • YPmobile – Yellow pages phone directory
  • Amazon.com – Very cool app that will identify books just by taking a photo of the cover
  • Dominos Pizza – Order and track where your pizza is in the process
  • Chipotle – Order and jump to the front of the line
  • USA Today and FOX Sports – News
  • Currency – Convert money amounts around the world

Just for fun:

  • Cookbook – Betty Crocker’s recipes on the phone
  • Aerolite Free – Asteroids game
  • WildWest – Great pinball game
  • Cowbell Plus – iPhone percussion instruments
  • Cro-Mag – Racing game with cave-man theme
  • DigiLite – Digital drum set
  • GalaxyImpact – Little Brick Out for the iPhone
  • iXmas Tree – Decorate your virtual tree
  • Lightsaber – Star Wars saber fights
  • Zippo Lighter – Virtual lighter
  • iChess Lite – Play chess
  • myLite – Flashlight
  • Night Stand – The iPhone becomes a digital alarm clock
  • Pac-man Lite – The real game from the 80s
  • GalagaRemix – One of my favorite old arcade games
  • Relax – Create a virtual environments anytime…campfire, mountain stream, under the sea, etc.
  • RotaryDialer – The old dialing method available today
  • Sol Free – Free solitaire game
  • Wings – Fly over mountains and virtual scenery
  • Decibel – Meter to see how loud that music is
  • StopWatch – Great way to track time
  • Clinometer – Ultra level. See exactly how your iPhone is positioned.
  • iHeartRadio – Listen to internet radio stations easily

Techy Applications:

  • LogMeIn – Control computers remotely from the iPhone
  • Snap – See all the devices (printers, computers, etc.) on your local network
  • Air Sharing – Copy PDF, Word, Excel and other files to your iPhone
  • MobileFiles – Access your MobileMe iDisk on your iPhone
  • FMTouch – Sync a FileMaker database to your iPhone

Web sites designed for the iPhone:

  • Fedex Mobile – http://fedex.com/mobile – Track packages
  • Google Translate – http://translate.google.com – Automatically translate foreign language phrases
  • Weather Underground – http://wunderground.com – Get radar weather
  • US Bank – http://m.usbank.com – Great way to bank online via the phone
  • and many others…

More iPhone fun:

  • Remote – Use to control slides during a Keynote presentation
  • Crazy Candle – A birthday candle you can blow or shake out
  • Crazy Mouth – Place in front of your mouth for some funny stuff
  • EyeTricks – Optical illusions
  • iMilk or iSoda – Drink virtual milk or pop
  • iMunchies – Eat virtual popcorn
  • Walt Disney World maps, wait times, and dining – For our family trip

(Theses lists were updated 10/3/09…since technology changes a lot.)

Christmas Eve

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We’re away for Christmas visiting my wife’s family in a small town in rural Minnesota on Christmas Eve. After a delicious and filling meal, we went to the local church service. Being a small town with limited resources, we were not prepared to be wowed by amazlingly talented singers or a dramatic rendering of the Christms story with live animals in a nativity scene. We thought it might be simpler. For our kids, Arianna (4) and Brielle (2), this would be their first “grown-up” candlelight Christmas service.

As we entered the church, we were each handed a candle. It was an environment where only whispering was appropriate as we waited for the program to begin. It’s difficult to explain to kids the need to be quiet. Their favorite question comes up “Why?” “Because.” We sat down in our row and the girls eagerly awaited. Arianna leaned over to me and said “Dad, This is going to be awesome.”

The choir sang traditional Christmas songs and they read the story of the birth of Christ from the Bible. Then they served communion. Usually, our girls are in their own version of child care “church” so this was the first time ever for the girls to see this activity. They passed a plate by with bread. I gave one small piece of bread to each daughter and then passed the plate on. Brielle immeditately said out loud “Can I have some more?!”. Then they passed juice in mini-cups. My wife made eye contact with me, clearly communicating without a word, that the juice was not for the girls. This was an attempt to avoid grape stains on the kids new Christmas clothes. So, I passed the juice plate on to the next person skipping by the kids. Arianna then said out loud “I want a snack, too daddy!” Note to self: Kids do not have a whisper level built-in.

It’s a delicate balance between controlling your kids by telling them what is expected (to be quiet) and avoiding a complete meltdown that will make them turn up the volume 10 times. So now, we were stuck with kids that wanted “a snack” like everyone else. We pulled out the emergency rations from the diaper bag: “Princess Fruit Snacks”. It’s amazing how every crinkle and pop of opening a plastic bag can reverberate throughout the church.

The service was quaint. It wasn’t polished and perfected, but the substance was there. There were some special moments like when they lit the “candle of hope”…and it went out and later when the choir sang “How great our joy! Joy! Joy! Joy!” …and not one of them had a smile on their face. For Brielle, not understanding why her candle couldn’t be lit was the tipping point. She was quickly exited from the room.

I realize that my biggest worry during the service was what people would think of our daughters. Are they well-behaved? For their age, I believe they were. They’re kids after all. They should be allowed to act that way…and we should be OK with that. I’m sure Jesus would welcome them. He even said to bring the young children to him. We were there to celebrate Christ’s birth through a worship service. Amazingly, Jesus was a kid at his birth. In a special way, we’re all kids, too. We make mistakes and speak too loudly all too often.

That evening there were a lot of smiles generated in our row. I hope that as our kids get older we keep those smiles. Was it awesome? “Yes…Arianna, it was.”

Rejuvenating

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In my last post, I mentioned a tool called the “Rejuvenate List”. It has helped me and my family to live a higher quality life. Nearly everyone has a life that requires work…and work can get tiresome…after all it is work. For kids, positive life activities like play, fun, laughter come naturally. Rejuvenating is a process that helps to renew you with youthful vigor.

As adults, we have responsiblities and so these positive (or rejuvenating) activities often require a conscience effort on our part to build them into our lives. The more you are able to build rejuvenating activities into your life, the healthier and happier you will be. So it is important to know what things rejuvenate you and then to communicate that information about yourself to the people around you. That way, they can help support you in achieving something rejuvenating every day.

The process of creating your own personal rejuvenating list will help you to identify what things in your life build you up and give you more energy. Often these things are interests that you had as a kid and have grown into a lifelong passion. Sometimes you will aquire new interests that you find really rejuvenate you.

Think about the things in your life that you love to do. When was the last time you got a chance to do them? You owe it not only to yourself to make that a priority, but to others as well. It’s not selfish. In fact, being healthy and living a balanced life is the best thing you can do for others because it puts you in the best position to help them and make their lives better. In short, you need to rejuvenate daily to be the best person you can be.

Here’s a list of some activities you might list to get you started: Aerobics, Acting, Archery, Art, Astronomy, Badminton, Ballet, Baseball/Softball, Basketball, Bicycling, Boating, Body Building, Cars, Camping, Chess, Dancing, Clubs, Collecting, Computers, Concerts, Cooking, Diving, Fishing, Fitness, Golf, Hockey, Hiking, History, Horse Riding, Martial Arts, Music, Movies, Museums, Musical Instruments, Painting/Drawing, Pets/Animals, Photography, Reading, Running, Roller/In-line/Ice Skating, Sailing, Scouting, Shopping, Skiing, Snowboarding, Soccer/Rugby, Swimming, Ping Pong, Tennis, Theater, Travel, Video Games, Volleyball, Walking, Wind Surfing

Rejuvenating isn’t only about physical activities. It could mean taking a relaxing bath, a 20 minute nap, getting a massage, talking with friends, etc. For some people, it may be a time of prayer or solitude that helps you to refocus and prioritize life.

Here’s my personal rejuvenating list:

  • Alone quiet time in the morning air
  • Hip Hop, Latin, and Kick Boxing aerobics
  • Bike rides and walks around the lake
  • Sunshine and swimming
  • Being encouraged and appreciated
  • A day off from work with nothing to do
  • Getting outside and moving, feeling the expanse, looking up after sitting in front of a computer all day
  • Listening to an inspiring podcast, sermon, or music
  • Performing close-up magic
  • Practicing magic or juggling
  • Playing piano, trumpet, or drums…singing with Brenda and kids
  • Playing sports like volleyball, football, etc.
  • Playing with our kids
  • Watching live theater or jazz concert
  • Creating or building something new

Have your spouse, kids, or close friends create lists as well. Now take your lists and compare them for common activities. You may be surprised at what you learn about yourself and those around you. Anything that both you and your spouse (or entire family) enjoy together is a win-win! You can do those activities together and build you both up at the same time.

My spouse and I have the following rejuvenating activities in common:

  • Accomplishing things on my To Do list
  • Time with good friends
  • Traveling
  • Dancing
  • Having a clean and organized house
  • Seeing nature…a park
  • Getting a massage
  • Love and dating my wife
  • Watching clean comedy or a funny movie
  • Family time
  • Taking time for spiritual needs

I even write down those things I know the kids love, because it increases the likelihood that I, as a father, will make time to do those things with them and foster an environment that promotes those activities. Make a covenant with your partner and family to support each other to make these events happen more often in your lives.

Make your list today and post it on your fridge so everyone can see it. It can even be a conversation starter when friends come to your home. At the end of your day, look back. What did you truly enjoy doing today? How did it change your outlook on life?