JAK CHAT

Doctor, Doctor! by JAK’s guest mom blogger from Racine, Denise Predny When my first football player, I mean son, came along, I was at ease and confident in all of my mothering skills.  I never had a question for the doctors. Everything was perfect.  SO WHAT HAPPENED? I am now having my fourth. Yes, fourth!  And I find my doctor appointments take longer these days.  How in the world can I have more questions with already having three kids? Doesn’t it get easier?  Did I mention I have 3 boys ages, 6, 3, and 1?  See what I mean with the questions?! Read More… So the increase in questions really started with the second child.  This is when I realized I was in trouble. One of my first memories would be when the oldest decided to pick his baby brother’s nose and make him eat it.  GAG!  There I began finding myself saying all of these crazy things I never thought I would utter. “Please stop pulling on it before you pull it off!”  I am sure you know what that one was about.  And asking my doct

Take Your "SexyBack" I am admittedly square. In one of my past commentaries, " Let's Kick Some...Buttocks " I discussed the word a** and it's nonchalant usage by the masses. Well, not me, of course.  I don't carelessly drop the "a" bomb, and according to the poll we took on Just Add Kids back then, most of the participants, 84%, considered it cursing. So I guess, at least at the time I was in the majority, and laid out the rule in my home, that we don't use the word a**, or sh%#, or f@?%.  I think you get the picture. So where does the word "sexy" fall?  Great question. Read More... "Mom, Max is calling me sexy!" rats my 9 year old daughter, on her 8 year old brother. "Hello? Come again?" That's right, my son is casually describing his sister as "sexy".  Yup, that does sound a bit weird, disgusting, whatever.  I really don't think he knows exactly what he's saying, or what it means, thou

Electronically Addicted I put my foot down on Sunday night about too much TV and electronics with my kids. I suggested to my 8 year old son, Max, that he go grab a book and work on his Racine Reads and Six Flags reading logs/contests.  He started a Diary of a Whimpy Kid book that he received as a birthday present and in one night, just a couple of hours, nearly finished it.  Read more... On Monday, as we were getting in the car to go pick up his sister, he asked me if he could bring his book and then asked if he could turn the light on in the car, so that he could continuing reading.....He is hooked!  And I am excited. Rewind back just a couple of weeks, you find my husband and I Christmas shopping on the eve of Christmas Eve at Toys R Us , racking our brains, trying to come up with something to buy Max for Christmas. The clock was ticking and the pressure was on.  This wasn't easy.  He just had his family birthday party earlier in the month, and his friend party was scheduled a

All For One and All Will Poop by JAK’s guest mom blogger from Racine, Shannon Barsch A few Sundays ago my son Kadyn was complaining that his tummy hurts and within record breaking speed he ran from the couch to the bathroom.  Seconds later, noises of puking, groaning and diarrhea creep out from behind the closed door.  Then I hear “Mommy?”… at this point I am afraid to enter, unsure of what I may find and not to mention smell. So I put on my “mommy badge”, take a deep breath,  and head on in. Read More… Wheew!  Everything made it into the toilet and the only evidence left behind is the unforgiving smell that will linger in the air the rest of the day. Move ahead a few days and every parent’s nightmare is unfolding without my knowledge... Upstairs my youngest son is napping, or should I say supposed to be napping.   All of the sudden, I hear a loud THUMP!   I think to myself “Oh great, I guess he is up from his nap already.”  So I march upstairs and open his door, observe there in disb