JAK CHAT

RE-member.                Written by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann  I have no new memories, other than the fact that I can't let this day, September 11th go by without some kind of honor to the day that changed modern day USA. As each year passes, the heavy heart that I carry seems to get lighter. Time heals, right?   Read more... Every year since I can remember that followed that fateful day, my oldest daughter  would have to relive and grieve. As a elementary school child her little safe world was threatened....she will not forget. She would make a point of watching the news documentaries that took her back to that unusual day in the life of a happy go lucky 6 year old and I'd join her in respect to not forgetting the enormity of this attack on our country.  For the first time on this anniversary, she's not home but rather away at college.  Thus, I haven't heard the narratives or walked by the video footage playing in our home. So, as I reflect and share, the...

Why Does My Child Need Chiropractic Care?      Sponsored by Sozo Chiropractic   You’ll probably never see your five or six-year-old bend over to pick up a toy and freeze in pain saying, “Oh, my back went out again.” Spinal degenerations and vertebral subluxations that cause that kind of pain will generally not appear in children - but it started there. Read more... Birth Trauma Even with a smooth labor and delivery, and no extraction methods being used, childbirth causes stress to a still developing spine. Add to this the improper lifting of the child out of a car seat or during a diaper changing; and minor spinal traumas are occurring that affect the spine and nervous system causing common newborn health complaints: Colic Unexplained crying Poor appetite Earaches or ear infections Colds Allergic reactions Even a minor spinal trauma will affect the nervous system and interfere with your child’s normal healthy function. Learning to Walk When a child first learns to stand...

Oh Where, Oh Where Do the Children Play?                by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann                                                                                                             I was able to take a short trip south for a few days this week. Ah, it was so nice to feel what summer should be feeling like, especially being that it is the end of June, right? Eighty degrees, mild humidity...perfect, in my opinion!                                                                                                            It was the tri-state area of the Ohio River Valley, an area that I've never really experienced, rather have driven through a number of times. This trip brought me through hilly, lush, neighborhoods of the surrounding communities of Cincinnati. Beautiful countryside!  Many things the same as our hometowns here in SE Wisconsin...downtowns rich in history, schools, parks, waterfront destinations, your national chain restaurants and retail stores, ...

Deserving of a Blue Ribbon, Part 2 by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Well, April is just about wrapped up, and a couple of campaigns I'm involved with will dwindle down with the promotions. Not that the issues go away...sadly not. Last week, in JAK Chat, I described my work with the Turn the Town Blue Campaign, a Kenosha county-wide initiative to share the light on Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month in "Deserving of a Blue Ribbon". Click the green link, in case you missed it!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Part of the focus of this campaign is not only to lace the community with blue ribbons, yet to celebrate strong families by appreciating all the...

Deserving of a Blue Ribbon by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann I'm always looking for a good party to crash! A few years back, I ran across this group of Kenosha County peeps that rallied (and continues to do so)behind a blue ribbon campaign in recognition and support of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month. That being the month of April, obviously. Being a resident of Racine, though a stakeholder in the health and well-being of families in the county, I thought this would be a good fit for me personally and for my business, Just Add Kids. Thankfully, our family is strong. Mine and my husband's relationship is intact. We are resourceful and have a strong network of family, friends, and community. Becoming an active member in the Turn the Town Blue Campaign community collaborative introduced me to the front line people that work day in and day out with families that are struggling to keep it together. Read more... I could rewrite what was well written by the Kenosha New...

Just Add Kids Expo 2010 The Unsung Heros of EXPO! by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Not wanting to bore you with the history of the birth and growth of Just Add Kids , but wanting to give you a little background and how we got to where we are today, the eve of the eve (at least that's what my calendar reads as I type) of the 5th annual, of what is poised to be the biggest Just Add Kids EXPO! yet on Saturday, April 5th. I say I can "sense" it. We shall see! Our first humble expo took place when Just Add Kids was only 3 months old. We were kindly offered half of the showroom at Burlington RV and Superstore, you know, that BIG camper store right off of I-94 and Highway 20 in Sturtevant. Myself, my then 14 year old daughter, 15 year old niece, my niece's then boyfriend, an almost 20 year old son of my cousin-in-law, my husband, neighbor Bob, and 2 of my girlfriends. I was honored to have 25 exhibitors and about 300 guests. All went pretty well, until some kid pul...

Spring Break! Staycation-Style (Updated 6/10/2014)              Written by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann   Not on your way to Phoenix or Florida or somewhere else south where your face won't freeze? Nah, me neither. It's spring break for a great number of us, and I'm sure like some of you, traveling far far away just wasn't in the cards for me and my family. C'mon and give a big "boo hoo" with me. Well, dang it, we've got 40's in our future, and just because I'm stuck here in good 'ole Southeastern Wisconsin, doesn't mean I can't get escape the cold. Come with me as I share some options... Read more.... I'm not going to overwhelm you, or myself. I've got to work most of the next coming week, yet I am going to break away.  So, here are 3 unique ideas, I think! The first thing that pops into my mind is warmth and water....Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark! Located in Lake Geneva, our destination is probably an hour or...

  #4. Huh? Say What? [caption id="attachment_2171" align="alignright" width="270"] #4 hits double digits[/caption] by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann I must be losing it. Actually, I know I've lost it. My mojo. My groove. It happens. Just not this early in the winter. I think I know the culprit. It's my family's  Read more... new school year schedule. Um, Paula, it's been 3 months now.  I know. I know.  For the last two years it had been 2 kids at one school and the other 2 at another. Just two schools. Starting times 2 hours apart. The flow was quite perfect. This year, not so much. Four kids. Four different schools with four different start times and end times. I just can't seem to get the flow going. [caption id="attachment_2173" align="alignleft" width="225"] Texting after 10pm BANNED. Even if it's a stupid app![/caption] Okay, so how does this equate to making up another excuse for not gett...

#3, iRemember by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann [caption id="attachment_2166" align="alignright" width="225"] #3 & BFF[/caption]   My mission this past week, if you read last week's JAK Chat blog "iCaved. iRegret."   was to dive into #3 daughter's iPhone . I really need to put my parental panties on, take a look at any damage that's been done (undesirable apps?) and apply security controls, locate device app, etc.  My intent is not to smother her or be a helicopter mom, but rather to do what a parent is suppose to do, protect her.  At the same time, I also want to cultivate a respect for her privacy.  So I dropped the ball, peeps. There really is no excuse for not getting the job done as I didn't forget to do it. I just didn't get it done. Augh! It's been a week. If you've kept up with my life as a mom as recorded in these blog posts for the past few years, you might know, I am having a hard time watching m...

i Caved. i Regret. by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann She's no different than any other typical 11 year old girl. Caught in between being a girl liking girly things such as playing dress up, Polly Pockets, Barbie's, American Girl dolls and the interests of a teen such as make-up, music and liking boys. I shouldn't be fretting. Heck, I've been here before. I've managed to move my two others through this transition, seemingly fine. But the truth is, it is different. You'd think a lifetime has passed since my 16 year old was 11. It didn't seem that long ago when a birthday or Christmas present list was an easy thing to compile....toys, games, ahhh, and those beloved big, bulky  Little Tikes items. I ran into a problem when it came to #3 daughter's birthday this past April. Not only did she beg me endlessly..."Mom, all of my friends have a cell phone!", but I also planned Just Add Kids' big event, the EXPO! the day after her birthday....

Time for Family by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann [caption id="attachment_2091" align="alignright" width="193"] Rueben Hansen 1931-2013[/caption] Yesterday we buried my uncle. My Uncle Rueben lived a long life of 82 years. He leaves my dad, his younger brother, as the last survivor of their immediate family: The Hansen's of Covington, Michigan. Never heard of Covington, Michigan? Have you heard of Yoopers? Yeah, there's a band that put out a song called "Second Week of Deer Camp". Those folks, Da Yoopers, also hail from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I am Yooper offspring. Read more... And yesterday, took my immediate family, the Hansen's of Green Bay (my mom, my dad, my older sister, my younger sister, my brother, and myself) piled in my brother's minivan up to the celebration. As kids in the seventies and eighties, we Hansen's of Green Bay (HGB), took many a trips up north. We have a vast number of relatives from bo...

Taking Flight by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Several weeks back I introduced you to the trio of Cindy, Rusty, and Gavin Schultz: a mom, a dog, and a teen with autism. (see JAK Chat: "You Had Me At...Hello!") Since our introduction at a special needs resource fair back in April, I've hung out with them at Gavin's R.P.M.(Rapid Prompting Method) Therapy, gone to his horse therapy; worked side by side with Cindy to bring the Kid's Carnival to life in late July; and followed along with their comings and goings (Brewer games, summer camp, hospital, Auditory Integration Therapy, to the pool, bowling alley, Gentle Worship, and the list goes on) mostly via Facebook. This trio has an amazing social life, of which admittedly, I am a bit jealous! Cindy exhausts me! Her hard work with A.S.P. and tending to Gavin's needs inspires me. However, her latest posts/texts/conversations about Gavin concern me. Please READ MORE... Gavin is non verbal. He can certainly com...

...Hello! Meeting Cindy, Gavin & Rusty By Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann It might sound a little creepy to say that I fell in love with a relationship. Well, I did. I bumped into the trio of mom, Cindy; son, Gavin; and therapy dog, Rusty Schultz at a special needs resource fair a few months back. I, there representing the resources Just Add Kids has to offer families, including those with special needs* children. And "team Schultz"? They were there at the table next to me, sharing the opportunities available from the support group Autism Solution Pieces , selling merchandise, and seeing and making new friends. Wasn't too hard!  The adorable, extremely well-behaved Goldendoodle is a magnet.  Read More... I spent some time learning more about the group that I had been introduced to before via a phone call from co-founder and Vice-President Cathy Wathen months earlier. By meeting the other half Cindy, President of the founding team of A.S.P., as it is commonly r...

Tradition Transition by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Patriot (def): A person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors. I can identify with that definition.  And boy oh boy, along with many members of my family, community, and country, do we ramp up our patriotism with displaying the red, white, and blue (in our clothing, accessories, etc.) and that of Old Glory ...today especially, Independence Day . While I say I can identify with being a patriot, I can also say there are many more who put their money where their mouth is and are fighting and/or have fought the good fight. To those, I applaud you for your service and I am pleased to be personally celebrating side by side with a few of these good men today. Today, unlike many many (this is the 19th celebration of such) years of parade going, Herrmann family party and fireworks, marks the first year of noticeable difference. I didn't go to the parade. Say what? Read Mo...