JAK CHAT

How Sweet IT Is?! Hello!  My name is Adam Haut and if you had told my younger self that someday my goal was to create the perfect baby teether I would have definitely questioned your sanity.  Well, with life being a series of twists and turns, and sometime even u-turns, here I am doing something that never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined. Read more... Having children alters your life dramatically and like the famous saying goes "The days are long and the years are short."  When you've got a baby who is teething you certainly know just how long those days can be. The idea for my teether came to me while my daughter was going through the teething process.  Her sprouting teeth were causing her quite a lot of pain and we felt powerless because everything we tried to do seemed to have little to no effect one way or the other.  We gave her frozen plastic rings, a rubber giraffe, and baby pain relievers but nothing helped.  That’s when I had the classic thought “...

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 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, ...

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...                                                                   ...

For Those "In" Service...  It's We Care Packs               My name is Katie Pollock, I am a ninth grade student at Tremper High School in Kenosha, WI. I am working on a community service project. It began when I was in the seventh grade looking for a community service project for National Junior Honor Society and it has continued on since then. My mom's coworker has a son who was critically wounded while serving our country. We discussed the need to support our troops, so I decided to work on collecting items to send to the soldiers that they can use for daily life. These items are put into care packages to be sent to them in Afghanistan. They include things like: tea, books, lotion, cookies, candy, soap, dental care items, socks, etc. In order to receive these products for the packages, I reach out to companies and ask for donations. We also have had donation drives.    Read more... Once we get enough products we have a “packing party”.  At these packing parties th...

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...

A Memory Crisis . . .  Avert Yours in Advance!             Sponsored by Pixologie, Inc.  It happened on December 1, last year . . . nearly two months ago. I lost my iPhone and, even today, I have the sinking feeling of sadness and dread over this. It is not because of the money I paid for the phone, or the frustration of having to figure out how to get a replacement, or the time invested into apps that I may or not even get again. I miss my family photos on it. We had a very unique and special Thanksgiving weekend (just five days before I lost the darn thing.) I was heartsick that I hadn’t uploaded the photos anywhere - including the memories of our family celebrating Thanksgiving in a new place with very special family, spending time together at a Christmas tree farm where my 12 year old daughter was able to take the reins of a four horse wagon ride, the special times working on crafts with family friends and so much more. Read more... I just knew I was going to remember some other...

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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...

Special Children Need by JAK guest blogger, Amanda Burns, of Racine Hi there. My name is Amanda J. Burns, and I founded Children with Disabilities in February of 2007 inspired by my son who was born with Cerebral Palsy . The goal of this organization is to help fund programs that serve special needs children. These children require a lot of supplies at school and acquiring those supplies can get expensive. The teachers and teacher’s aides that work in the special needs classes purchase a lot of the supplies that are used at school. As there isn’t a budget for these supplies, the cost comes out of the pockets of the teachers and staff. The supplies include such things as laundry soap, tissue, baby wipes, dish soap, and liquid hand soap. Other supplies are school and craft items such as markers, paints, construction paper, and so forth. The children also go on outings that include going to Target, Wal-Mart , and the bowling alley. These outings require the parents and caregivers of the ...

She Caved (kinda) By Just Add Kids Founder, Paula Herrmann Last week, I blogged about the ungrateful and entitled generation of kids we seem to be raising in   "Well Bred?" . The week before that, it was in regards to my 10 year old daughter's Christmas list, where the Apple iPhone5 topped her very short list. That article was appropriately titled "I AIN'T BUYING iT!" . You do get the whole caps/lower case "i" thing, yes? And by the way, I stuck to my guns. Today, I ran across this nationally publicized story about a mom who DID buy her son an iPhone. Have you seen this story?  Read more...     Gregory’s iPhone Contract    12/25/2012 Written by Janell Hofmann Original post published at  www.janellburleyhofmann.com Dear Gregory Merry Christmas!  You are now the proud owner of an iPhone.  Hot Damn!  You are a good & responsible 13 year old boy and you deserve this gift.  But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations.  Please...

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'...