JAK CHAT

Best Laid Plans Seems like the theme for this past week has been improvisation.  Things just haven't gone as planned, starting with last Thursday's freak storm/power outage and following through today, including this week's JAK Happenings !  Oh well, the show must go on. Without detailing each day, I'll enlighten you with today's challenge.  Read more... Let's start with right now.  Sluggish, frozen, unresponsive....that describes this 5 year old well-used laptop I am working on.  It has taken me probably 4 times the amount of time it would normally take for me to complete a work task.  Augh!  But alas, this morning as I started my on again, off again work day, I found that my work laptop somehow got infected with some crazy mean virus.  Off to my IT gal, The Nerd Cave, and onto the good 'ole standby. While working from home has it's benefits, it also comes with challenges.  You cannot totally separate from what's going on, or what needs to be going ...

Banned, again!                    I walked in the door yesterday, and as usual, noticed something new added to the pile of whatever on the kitchen peninsula counter top.  Along comes the next new phase in the silicone rubber jewelry phenomenon, and this time, it has nothing to do with "boobies". (For those of you who are newer to JAK Happenings than last summer, you can read "Wrist vs. Risque" here: http://jakchat.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/wrist-vs-risque/ ) What sat on my counter was the most clever marketing campaign item I've seen come along since the "Livestrong" bracelets: Read more A little red thumb ring, embossed as pictured... [caption id="attachment_170" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="NO TXTING - TXT L8R"] [/caption] According to my now licensed, textaholic, 16 year old daughter, some kid was passing those little gems out at school.  Fashionable?  Well, this mom seems to think so.   I wore it l...

Just Add Kids 101 New Year's greetings to all!  I thought I would start out the first JAK Happenings e-newsletter of 2011 reviewing for some/ introducing to others, the basics of Just Add Kids ! I am always surprised when I learn that someone who knows about and is familiar with Just Add Kids doesn't realize all of what JAK's got to offer.  So let's get this class started! First of all, Just Add Kids is many times referred to as it's acronym JAK. The Just Add Kids business provides resources that are quickly and easily accessible for families looking primarily for kid-oriented, family-friendly activities and events. JAK currently focuses on serving those in Racine, Kenosha and the surrounding communities with children ages preborn through 18. At this time, JAK' s product offerings consist of: website: www.JustAddKidsOnline.net e-newsletters: weekly JAK Happenings , monthly JAK Birthday Bash , seasonal CAMP JAK. social network sites: JAK on Facebook...

Take Center Stage For those of you who have subscribed to JAK Happenings for a while, you know that this space is typically dedicated to sharing my family life experiences and observations as a Racine mom, who is married, with four school-aged children. I know some of the commentary here has started great conversations, stirred up some emotions, and perhaps initiated a little bit of controversy. We've had fun, now we're movin' on... Read more. Just Add Kids ' focus is to deliver the most complete and up-to-date kid-oriented, family-friendly event and activity resource mostly with the Happenings Calendar of Events and this weekly email. JAK strives to serve all families with children 0-18 in Southeastern Wisconsin, with an emphasis on Racine and Kenosha counties. With that in mind, Just Add Kids would like to know what happens in the ordinary day of other families living here in the greater Racine and Kenosha area.  Experiencing any life challenges or other...

Insurance Hikes Maybe the holidays, coupled with two of my childrens' December birthdays is making me a bit more melancholy these days.  Depression really hasn't set in (I am quite happy, thank you!), just reflecting on the gift of ordinary days in the life of this aging parent.  So yeah, if you read last week's JAK Happenings , I shared with you my thoughts on my "baby" turning seven.  This weekend we'll celebrate child #2's fourteenth birthday. Happy Birthday to my gorgeous, talented, brainiac daughter. Another milestone we're experiencing in our household is Read more. our oldest daughter's new adventure in learning how to drive a car. Yup, she's got her temps.  It seems like just yesterday I was pushing her around in the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe .  Now, she is grabbing at the car keys and every opportunity to hop into the driver's seat.  Though she lacks in experience, she is quite skilled.  Still, my feet make it up to the...

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...