JAK CHAT

And how YOU can help! Read more... Dear Just Add Kids friends, I would like to tell you about a special opportunity that Beatrice, a 4 year old from Racine, has along with 599 other children with special needs. An organization called Friendship Circle is running a campaign called the Great Bike Giveaway  where they hope to give away 600 adaptive bikes to children with special needs from around the United States. I am sure you remember the day you received your first bike. The joy you experienced and the freedom you felt when riding a bike for the first time. For a child with special needs bike riding offers far more than a recreational experience. Bike riding provides a source of much needed exercise, gives therapeutic value and contributes to an inclusive environment where a child with special needs can ride a bike like everyone else. Due to balance and mobility challenges many children and teens with special needs require the use of an adaptive bikes. Sadly, many cannot afford the hi...

 Empowering Parents to Equip Their Children for Success Written by guest mom blogger from Racine, Lindsay Knapp "The Parent Empowerment Initiative (PEI) is a community supported effort to give parents and caretakers the tools they need to raise children who are equipped for the future." Aside from being a mouthful to say, ... what is the Parent Empowerment Initiative really? Read more... In real terms - this initiative consists of 12 electives, taught by our own community members, on topics ranging from "finance management" to "leadership development in your children". We currently meet twice a month at Living Light Community Center for an hour on Tuesday nights to gain understanding and education on various subjects - both pragmatic and soft-skill parental. Our hope is to raise awareness regarding the needs within our community, and to address some of those challenges head-on through education and relational support for families. Currently, the city of Ra...

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...

#3 at age 8 A "Little" Girl Named "Pink Stink" Written by Just Add Kids, Founder Paula Herrmann   Daughter #3 brushed past me this morning in the kitchen. Yah, so? We were able to look at each other eye to eye, meaning our eyes were level with each other. Rrrgh...another one growing up.   I don't like it one bit. Another daughter on the cusp of teenhood. Please stop now!   Am I being selfish, or do you feel like this as you watch your kids grow right in front of your eyes? Read more... It's funny, it seemed as though she stayed a little girl for so long and I kinda expected her to stay that way like FOREVER . There is a 5 year gap in between her and her next older sister (#2) and 7 years in between her and #1, my oldest.  As 1 & 2 transitioned into teens and now into young adults, Pink Stink, which is one of the names we dubbed #3 at birth, seemed to get stuck. She's always been on the petite side. When the older two would cause me distress, there wo...

Oh, Yes, I Did! by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann   So you know I am on this May Mother(over)load kick.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Too darn many balls to juggle, at least for this momma to claim sanity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         On that note, I've decided to take a little break today, ya know, in honor of Mother's Day, of which I am one....a mom of four humans, and a puppy and a fish, to be exact.                                                                                                                                                                                                              ...

May Day! May Day! May Day! by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann                                                                                        Welcome to the juggle.                                                                                        Today is May 1st and already the schedule juggle has ramped up a notch. If you've been with me for a couple of years, you know how I feel about this month. Oh, it can be wonderful if our dear mother nature is kind and blows in some warm sunny weather. Then again, this IS Wisconsin. Don't hold your breath!                                                                                                                                Mommas (dads, somehow I think you're exempt) once your kiddos reach school age...bring on the juggle struggle in May. Especially for those of you that have multiple children. Hang on we're in for a ride... Read more...                                                                   ...

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...

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...

[caption id="attachment_2210" align="alignright" width="203"] I caved with buying #3 a celebrity fragrance #gagme[/caption] Scentsational! by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Oh lucky you! I am on holiday break with my kids for the next week and a half, so brief with today's entry, I shall be. Today I started going thru the numerous photos I took during my family Christmas celebrations. In an effort to fill this space I hope you don't mind me sharing special moments with my kids, husband, siblings, inlaws and their families. As I do that, I am struck by the words I've seen circulating around on Facebook. I've seen it before, yet, never does it ring truer than as I sit back and reminisce... Read more... "You will never have this day with your children again. Tomorrow they'll be a little older then they were today. This day is a gift. Just breathe, notice, study their faces and little feet. Pay Attention. Relish the charms of t...

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Green by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Don't envy me! I have a date with a sparkly green iPhone that keeps getting delayed. But before I get to that hovering subject matter, I must wish #2 a happy 17th birthday! 'Tis the season for Herrmann family celebrations: uncle birthday, nephew birthday, Thanksgiving, #4 birthday, #2 birthday, Christmas, and all the holiday seasonings sprinkled in between, including The 37th Annual High Renaissance Feast. Note the festive garb!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> And speaking of green, we've got more Alexander Hamilton's and Andrew Jackson's flying out the window than coming in the door. You? Read more.... So today, instead of tackling this "high priority" project of sifting thru #3's cell phone (now see #3, I Remember  AND i Caved. i Regret. ) I am writing about yet another child and her milestone....tomorrow's 17th birthday. It's only right. ...

  #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...

September 11th Memory Lapse by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Back-to-School Coma ? I swear I live my life like a marketing campaign sometimes. (Previous campaign: End of School Year Hangover , which I think I just overcame a couple of weeks ago, right?). I don't know where my mind has been lately. Um let's see...4 kids, 4 different schools; surgery for the dog; car problems; new JAK staff, rummage sale... Well, there is more, but I think you get the picture. I'm freaking busy as all get out. I was not reminded of today's day of remembrance until late last night, something brief on the news. I didn't even have the subject on the docket for this week's blog. How in the world could I forget? In year's past, I'd approach and live through this anniversary heavy-hearted. Eerily, each year's September 11th to me, seemed to mimic the clear day that we had back on that Tuesday in 2001. Today, with all due respect, I didn't somberly tune into the n...

Busy, Busy, Busy, Busy by Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann I dreamed about a summer of chilling out, rest and relaxation, fun, a family getaway, getting more healthy and fit...Hmmmmm, at this juncture, it doesn't look too promising. I am not sure what went wrong. It all started okay once I got past the end of the school year hangover. As a mother of 4 kids, (now 18, 16, 11,9...yah, that old!) I figured out years ago, a mom's busiest months are May, September, and December. Maybe not in that order for everyone. I think I'd flip the last two months. But definitely May (into early June) tops 'em all if your kids are of school age. Might anyone refute that? Read More... So what the heck happened this past week that has had me flyin', drivin' by the seat of my panties? As I recap: I promoted and participated at the (wonderful) fundraiser for Autism Solution Pieces last Friday night; a graduation party and a birthday party on Saturday; 2 singing performances for...