JAK CHAT

It's BOO Season! Have you ever been "Booed" or "Ghosted"?  Last year, I had the best intention of paying it forward, sorta speak, with some booing fun.  Hmmm....didn't happen.  This year, with it on my mind a bit earlier in the season, I DO plan to jump in on this fun and unique craze!  I say "craze" and yet, Wisconsin has consistently and modestly ranked around the 20th most popular state to participate in "booing", according to the self-regulated booing industry website www.BeenBooed.com, which has been tracking hits by state since 2009.  Read more... [caption id="attachment_363" align="alignright" width="335"] Been BOO-ed sheet[/caption] So in a nutshell, here's how it goes: you go to the website , download and print copy of the  "Boo" sheet, add a little tasty treat (wrapped candy or treat, toys, stickers, knick-knack, etc.)  arrive at your neighbor's/friends/family member's doorst...

A Day 4 DREAMS Sponsored in part by Just Add Kids  Family Fun Event includes Laser Tag, Free Games, Visits from Sports Figures and Mascots to raise funds for Wisconsin's Children's Hospital and Make-A- Wish Foundation The second annual "A Day 4 Dreams" charity event returns this year, again to raise funds for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin®, and to raise those funds without incurring any administrative cost or expenses. For only $10 per person, this fabulous family event for all ages includes beverages from iXL Sports and lunch by Texas Roadhouse, New Berlin. There will be an array of Sports Games, everything from Batting Cages to Laser Tag, with Treasure Hunts for the little ones. READ MORE... Enjoy our DJ and Dancing, Local Sports Celebrity and Mascot Visits and Sports Craft Activities on Sunday, September 30, 2012 at the NX Level Sports Performance in Waukesha between 1 pm and 4 pm.  Sport Gifts and Giveaways will add t...

Taken Back on 9/11 I was ironing this morning, watching video footage on TV of the events of 9.11.01, and listening to my 10 year old daughter sing in the bathroom as she brushed her teeth. A flood of emotion. I remember that day so vividly 11 years ago. I choked back the memory of how scared, uneasy, intimidated I felt as I had just found out I was pregnant with her. How could I bring into this world, this new world, another child? READ MORE... I am so blessed as a mother, that I got to see my child be born, then grow into the beautiful young lady that she is (to see all of my kids grow and that they have a dad here, too). I grieve for all of those who lost their loved one, children who never got to meet their father or lost their mother, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor. I remember how united we became and am saddened how divided we've become. I have to watch and remember the events of that day, weeks, months that followed. Now only annually does the impact overwhelm my thought...

Women @ Work It has to start somewhere, but the African proverb "It takes a village..." (to raise a playground, in this case) will certainly be a big part of the story,  just beginning to be written. I am talking about the swiftly moving initiative of one woman, Tammy Conforti, an education support professional who works with special needs children in Kenosha Unified. Tammy dreams of a safe, fully inclusive, accessible playground in Kenosha where children with disabilities can play with other children. Enter in Jamie Forsythe, mom of Amity, a 4 year old child born with Spina Bifida Read More... Amity, along with her mother, serve as inspiration to grow community interest, recruit others interested in seeing this vision become a reality, and get this playground built for kids of all abilities and their families. Why not? It's been done in communities across the country, including a couple of them close to ours.  And what they've found is a person inspired with the miss...