JAK CHAT

November Warm Up: Bank Mutual Coat Drive If you missed donating to Condella's Coats for Kids , or any other organized coat donation drive, don't panic!  But, don't delay either! For the second year, Bank Mutual is taking coat donations to benefit the residents of Bethany Apartments , at both of their Racine branches: 3039 S.Green Bay Road (near Regency Mall ) and 5133 Douglas Avenue, near K-mart and Pick N Save on the north side.  Bethany Apartments is a battered women's and children's center. Please drop your coats off before the end of this week! Bethany Apartment's website is http://bethanyapartments.org/ Additionally, Downtown Racine merchants are conducting a Toy Drive that is being kicked off this Friday evening, December 3rd, in conjunction with Downtown Racine First Friday event.  Merchants are accepting donations of new and gently used toys and books for children with unfair life challenges. Collections will then continue through Downtown's H...

The Story of Glen Snow It was Easter Day 2007 and I was as yellow as an Easter egg. No, I am not messed up here with my holidays, you'll see where I am going with this!  Please keep reading... I was ripe for gall bladder issues. Victims many times have these 4 F's in common: forty/ies, female, fertile, fat.  (See what you have to look forward to, young mommas?  It's quite common.) After a weekend of vomiting and lying on the couch, my husband drove me to the urgent care clinic and quickly I was being processed "STAT".  It was a crazy series of events as I was admitted on Monday and released on Thursday, with a laparoscopic surgery procedure.  Typically, you are released within a day.  I had no idea that the challenges I was dealing with while in the hospital would pale in comparison to the issues I would experience post op with my health insurance coverage. Read more. Unbeknownst to me, the contract between this large health care provider and my employer's ins...

The Rubber Obsession I think my 6 year old son was the first in his class to be told he can no longer wear his silly bands or Silly Bandz (not sure if they are the real thing, or imitation, who really cares?!) to school.  That was already back on September 2nd, his second day of first grade.  That started it's own trend, the full blown ban of those rubbery. colorful, object-shaped bracelets in his classroom.  Perhaps we'll see the full school ban in the future, or has the fad run it's course? If you're a pair of dad entrepreneurs, you hope not!  They recently jumped on the Silly Bandz craze and brought to market The Original Silly Stand , designed to do what else, but keep those crazy rubber bands organized. In my house, I think we need a Silly Bandz detector. I swear, we must have a over 100, but who even knows where they are (although I dedicated a container for each of my younger silly band wearers).  The funny thing is, my kids aren't wearing them a...

The Case of the Scandalous Bracelet (from JAK Happenings 08.12.2010) I love a great trend like anyone else. Some say as a young woman, I was a bit of a trendsetter. In the eighties, I was a huge Madonna fan and dunned the black lace hair bow in my blondish/brown awesomely ratted out hair. Along with that iconic accessory were the couple dozen black rubber bracelets mixed in with some other fun chains and charms on my forearms. Okay, so I didn't start the trend, but I wore it well (as I am sure did many of you)! We've all been active witnesses to the evolution of the rubber, now silicone bracelet crazes in our lifetimes. The black rubber version transformed into a colorful variety known as "jelly bracelets". And now, of course, our kids have Silly Bandz. Several weeks back, my 15 year-old daughter walked in the door from a trip to the mall with her hands full of several shopping bags. I was excited to see what she had purchased with, I am sure, her entire previous...

It's A Blog! If you've been a JAK Happenings subscriber for some time, you're probably used to the format of this weekly email: big JAK logo at the top, partner banner ad, this commentary section, little index box, more fantastic partner ads, then the meat of the message...JAK Happenings calendar picks, finally some closing comments. I've made excuses for my lack of editorial correctness, as I do not claim to be a writer. Just a mom who has got a lot on my mind, hoping that you don't mind listening to what's going on in this 40 something's head (and house). Apparently, many of you don't! In fact, this commentary section gets strong response in terms of how many of you click thru to Read more. I've had great feedback on some hot topics and much to my surprise, a lot of compliments. So here goes...Just Add Kids newest family member is JAKChat. It'll be a way to archive the commentary section of JAK Happenings email every week, so if you care t...

1am on Saturday Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that we were splashing around in the pool, soaking up the summer sun?  Time flies. And quite honestly, I just hate it. I do find autumn to be a pleasant time of the year, especially when it's sunny and hovering in the 60's.  The change of colors is absolutely stunning.  There is so much to do...soccer practice and games, football games, pick and carve pumpkins,  trips to the pumpkin farm, costume creating, Trick or Treat.  Just as the end of the October, the climax, nears...it all turns south.  Grey, cloudy, windy, rainy. gloomy.  (I pretty much described today). In the midst of the temperature downturn and the thermostat crank up, comes the little gift of time that means so much to me, it's almost ridiculous When I was a young lady, the end of Daylight Savings Time for me was awesome.   I could start my Saturday evening with Happy Hour and wrap up the night (rather morning) with an hour later bar time.  Whoot  whoot*! As...