JAK CHAT

Mama's Got Gas! Sure, after a fill up to the tune of $66. It's trendy to be "green" and frugal, yet for me, I feel like I've been forced.  Not kicking and screaming, though, because of the increasing costs of daily consumable items (fuel, food, etc), change in household income, I've had to make major lifestyle changes. I never used to be that aware of what gas station had the cheapest price of gas, but these days, I challenge myself to find the lowest per gallon price. It's reported that right now in our area, gas prices range from $3.70 to $3.95, up $1 from last year at this time.  (Here's a random, yet related question: What's the deal with the 9/10ths of a cent?)  Read more... For the past couple of months, I've been frequenting and filling up at a newer station called Solo.  I've seen only one other one in town.  Interestingly, they typically charge between 10 & 15 cents less than the gas station kiddie corner from it.  Well, it doe...

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...

You're Grounded!                      I hate disciplining my children.  Unfortunately, we as parents, cannot get away from it.  And the worse thing is, you've got one method that seems to work in modifying or correcting one kid's behavior, that doesn't work for the other. Truly, I believe that there are some kids that are just downright sassy.  It's woven into the fabric of their being. That no matter if you've been consistent in setting the ground rules, redirecting them, time-outs, groundings, and withdrawing privileges and/or possessions, that they resort back to their misbehaving during the disciplining or soon thereafter. Read more... We are all created similarly, yet it's visibly obvious we all have differences: different skin tones, body shapes, hair color, etc.  So, of course, our personalities and behaviors are going to differ as well.   Even within our own family: one kid strongly takes on some of my side of the family's physical traits, while ...

Mom's the Focus                           I am just going to keep "mum" (well, I'll keep it really short) this week as we focus on the upcoming day of celebrating mom. Over the course of the last few weeks, Just Add Kids has received quite a few entries for our 2nd annual kids coloring contest in celebration of Mother's Day.  Please take this time to check out the portrait gallery here: Color Mom Beautiful If you're featured here, and you are on Facebook , please "tag" yourself.  Better yet, use the portrait as your profile pic.  At least for Mother's Day! Have a beautiful day moms and families! [caption id="attachment_156" align="alignleft" width="144" caption="JAK loves MOMS"] [/caption]

April Wrap Up: Wrapped in Love                           In recognition of April being Autism Awareness month, Just Add Kids welcomes Colleen Nagle, a Burlington mom, as JAK's guest blogger. Autism is easy to misunderstand, misinterpret and mislead.  My son is the master of disguise and the best way to understand our kids is to assume nothing.  That is, assume only that they are kids, children, teens, silly, loving, intelligent and, well, simply put, no different than any other kid. Everything I have been told about Autism is wrong. Everything I know about Autism I have learned from my son.  My son with Autism.  He loves me just like his typical siblings love me, he cries when he misses me and he smiles when we are together again. Read more... He cannot speak.  He has never been able to express his favorite color or cartoon or game.  My heart longs to know him, to know the little everyday things: to know that he has favorites; to know that he likes the food I serve him; to know if ...

...The Extended Version                                   Perhaps, this commentary will be long and extended.  I don't know, I am just starting out.  However, the focus is on my "extended" former work family. I lost a former co-worker yesterday.  She passed away after a half year battle with lung cancer. While I wouldn't say Marie and I had a tight, on-going friendship, there still is and has been a special place in my heart for her, as well as other members of my Metroparent family.  Read more... Marie was hired only a few short months after I was back in 2000.  She, the creative director, whose talent was most evident from the reputable front covers of the monthly magazine.  And me, one of three full-time advertising sales reps.  In all, there were only about a dozen employees that pulled together and brought to the market several publications and special events...all women, with the exception of the head of our team, our publisher, "the man". It was a gr...

...Clothing: Corduroys and Boys                                   I’ll just start out and say it...not a good match! After having 3 girls in a row, I’ve had a lot of experience with the girly wardrobes.  My two oldest daughters are 22 months apart, so you know #2 got all of #1’s hand me downs.  With the exception of being  the projectile vomiter and having the normal diaper blowouts in her baby years, #1 did very little damage to her clothes.  Damage to mom’s and dad’s clothes absolutely!  It was as if a target was on us, with regurgitated or digested breast milk and rice cereal as the ammo.  Read more...   But that was pretty much it.  Her clothes were quite impeccable, which interestingly, has carried over into her teenage years.  Poor  #2, rarely ever had her own original clothes.  That, however, has changed, now that she is a teenager.  There is a distinct difference in the fashion tastes of daughters #1 and #2, now 16 and 14. So where does daughter number #3, next in line, fall?  ...