JAK CHAT

Communication Breach By Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Good grief, is all I can say.  I've seen the fallout of communication gone bad when the choice mode has gone from talking face-to-face or on the phone, versus communication via your fingertips (texting, emailing, messaging).  I made, perhaps, a bad decision. Last week, I spent a great deal of time addressing the real challenges we parents face with keeping our kids safe from online predators. I went to an informative presentation on the subject, I dialoged about it on Facebook with other concerned parents, I found out that my son (seemingly from everything he told me) was a target...I even wrote a blog about it:   Read more... Creeper Alert: Proceed with Caution . I have not, and probably will never move on from that subject. Peeps, it's here. It's our reality. I'm living it. My kids are living it. If you are not there, your kids are either too young, or you've decided not to open that can of worms. If y

Creeper Alert! Proceed with Caution                   Written by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann    My post on Facebook read like this: "Parents, PULEEEEEZ, take note! A friend posted this on her Facebook page a couple of days ago, and with her permission, I am sharing this "lessons learned" story with you all... "P, my 4yr old has been extremely tired for the last 10 days ...or so...I chalked it up to the fact that he has been sick & his body has just needed more sleep then normal or maybe he is growing....WRONG!! Last night kids tucked into bed...devices turned off...no more T.V. & lights out by 10pm...I then went to bed myself...I don't know why but at 1:30am I awoke...maybe I heard a noise or maybe it was finally a Mother's intuition kicking in...first stop...the boy's room!! & sure enough...P had his iPad & was watching Netflix!!". Read more... Are you kidding me!! No wonder he has been SO tired!! I don't how long

Happy Mom-Time,  Sometimes. by Just Add Kids guest mom blogger, Colleen from SE Wisconsin I am a 41 year old single mother of three fabulous kids. I don't have much, I struggle, and I lost a lot with the end of my last relationship. I have no regrets and I love my life, and like any mom I do anything and everything possible for my kids. They come first, they are my heartbeat. Early in the summer of 2013 I began to date again, a wonderfully kind, caring, loving man, Scott. We eventually planned a getaway to Florida, he wanted to take me to Disney World and I was thrilled at the thought of a vacation, a little break from reality. During the weeks leading up to our vacation, I would fantasize of walking hand in hand with Scott on the white, warm sand.  Days where my son with autism drained me, I would keep thinking about sandy beaches. Days where I struggled with their father trying to make arrangements for him to watch his son D, and being told  no he wouldn't....well, I'd st

Sochi! Written by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann  What the heck? I knew the Olympics were to start on February 6th, but I thought it would be the opening ceremonies, and not Women's Snowboarding Slopestyle competition, which is being introduced in these games. L O V E  I T!  Only it's a bit funky, (thankfully not as much as the hotel accommodations there I hear) for me. Not typically one to get hung up on deviating from tradition, it's a bit odd not kicking things off with the long-awaited, always awesome spectacular event. So working while watching, I'll give you day one play by play. What other surprises do we have in store? Hope Putin keeps his shirt on!  Well, I guess that wouldn't be a surprise. Read more... Next on the television broadcast is Team Figure Skating....another new competition in these games! Surprise? So many empty seats. Typically at any figure skating competition, the place is packed. Why, I wonder? Because the games haven't "off