JAK CHAT

Acts of Kindness by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann 'Tis the season! And can I say, from my vantage point there is no lack of goodness going on. Whether it be an 8 year old with a toothbrush drive (see last week's JAK Chat blog), a group of women who dine together for the benefit of empowering impoverished women and girls, a fundraiser for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and Make-A-Wish Wisconsin (see end of this post) or simple random acts of kindness, the season of giving is in full swing. I caught a segment on the news this morning about Catholic Charities launching this "Ripple" campaign where today people parked in downtown Milwaukee might've received a filled parking meter by members of the organization. You, my friend, are invited too..."Make a ripple-and grow the circle" Read More I know there are a lot of you out there already planning out your Advent acts of kindness, getting your kids engaged in paying it forward all for the sake of

A Lotta Blessings, A Lotta Food, A Lotta Saving, A Lotta Needs by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann What can I say? There are so many things for me to be thankful for: great health (well, mostly, see closing commentary), awesome family, supportive friends, an amazing God, our country's freedoms,and of course, this business I call Just Add Kids and all of you who have found value in what I pour my heart into. Yupper, I'd say that's A LOTTA!For many of us, Thanksgiving comes with stuffing a bird as well as stuffing our faces. That's me, most years. This year? Well, once again I refer you to my closing commentary! READ MORE... After today's festivities, my sister, brother, mother and I will engage in our annual perusing through the Black Friday (or whatever you can call it now that it all starts before Black Friday) store fliers, looking for those deals that fulfill our December/January/other birthday and Christmas present lists. It used to be so easy. Now it'

It's not about the STUFFing by JAK guest blogger, Toby Mueller, of Raymond Thanksgiving is a time for....well.....to be thankful. Part of being thankful is reflecting on the blessings that you enjoy in your life. Too often we tend to look at others who have more money or a better job or a faster car or a bigger house. But is that really what we should be thankful for? Is life about that kind of STUFF? Read More... This Thanksgiving, think about the non-STUFF stuff. What are you REALLY thankful for? Deep down in your heart, what do you value most? Things like family, friends, that sunrise you saw yesterday, the phone call from someone you haven’t spoken to for months or a hug from a dear friend. The things you can’t buy should be a treasure in your life. Giving should have the highest priority in your life. That is where your thanks giving should be. Don’t get me wrong. I know that we all need STUFF.  Like food. So I want to share with you two events that will be happening on Thank

Sponsored by Sonnenberg Consultants What is the missing piece to the puzzle of Autism?  No one really quite knows. Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys *Autism prevalence figures are growing * More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined * Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. * Autism costs the nation $137 billion per year * Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases *Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism *There is no medical detection or cure for autism ( Autism Speaks ) We have a solution.  We can help find that missing piece. We are  Sonnenberg Consultants . Read more... We are a company that focuses on the needs of the family and the children. We offer intensive services for families in Wisconsin and Illinois and other services outside of these states. Our program molds around family life and what is b

Campaign Platform: Family Fun! Wherever it may be! I had a reflective moment while at my kitchen table carving pumpkins with my babies, now 8 and 10 years old. (My 15 and 17 year olds were, well, not around, even though they knew Saturday night we were going to get the daunting task done).  Let's face it...the end result (the prized lit jack-o-lantern on the doorstep) is always rewarding, but the process seems to be endless careful carving and scraping out of the seeds and guts. Faster than we know it, there may come a future Halloween that I am carving my own pumpkin, sobbing, because my babies are grown and out of the house. Wait where's this commentary going?! Back to family fun.... Read More in JAK Chat... My point with that is, take your family time where you can get it. Whether that's gutting pumpkins or game time at your kitchen table, tapping into any one of the awesome free events at our local libraries, getting out and enjoying a sport activity/production/special