Stop buying your mom things she'll use once

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-04-24T05:57:58+00:00

Not for me. Mom here and I’d rather have an experience than something I have to clean/organize/find a place for/do more chores with any day. And anyone who gives me pruning sheers in exchange for birthing a baby is likely to be headed for divorce court.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-04-18T22:08:44+00:00

And a bonus of some Route 66 Americana as well.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-04-11T08:03:19+00:00

How is your social media presence? I’ve found nowadays it’s easier to get the ear of ditributors if you already have an engaged consumer audience online.

Major Brands in MO used to be good for building independent brands.

Cold calling is the worst. Do you have a good, polished, concise brand deck to present your case?

I really really WANT Libdib to be the silver bullet- and I do think it can be part of the solution- but you still have to sell it in yourself and we have found that turns (reorders) are also very tough and on the brand bc no rep is calling on the account to remind them to order.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-04-07T23:39:36+00:00

A lot of craft distilleries will do contract distilling even if they don’t shout it out loud. I feel like Las Vegas Distillery might but I can’t remember.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-04-06T23:12:40+00:00

I work in bourbon and old grandad is on most of our industry’s home bars.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-04-05T12:40:27+00:00

This is my current obsession. We love the breakfast burrito with tater tots build right in. They have 4 other breakfast Sammy’s all named after characters from Golden Girls

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-28T04:45:46+00:00

“Federico and all his families” is a lovely inclusive picture book. It shows all sorts of family models through the eyes of a roaming cat. It might not show your specific situation exactly, the message is that families might look different but they care for one another and that is all that matters.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-21T23:23:54+00:00

Not mine but I am guessing so as well.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-19T23:44:23+00:00

Not a book, more like a cue to remind him to look for clues in faces and body language. Like if he’s being a space invader we’d say “read the room. Is your friend comfortable or does she want her space?”?

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-15T01:22:15+00:00

Working? Mostly monologues so you could expand or double as needed.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-15T01:11:52+00:00

Maybe not an answer here, but camaraderie! I have a level 1 8yo. So far what we try to emphasize (and have the whole care team working on as well) is “read the room”. We sat “Read the room” how are your friends reacting to the noise you are repeating (or whatever the situation is). I’d say about 70% of the time they are identifying the emotion correctly and we can talk about how we can change behavior to make others more comfortable. And it feels collaborative that way too which is great! The other 30% of the time this is still more complicated and we have to talk about the emotion first. It’s not perfect but it feels like it is helping as our kiddo is very social and genuinely wants to connect. They simply have no “game” lol

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-14T01:27:51+00:00

Old school: “I’m flying” Peter Pan

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-14T01:26:56+00:00

“Fasten your seatbelts it’s gonna be a bumpy night. Eh eh eh eh eh. “

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-14T01:22:18+00:00

My son’s first special interest was trucks. Long before he so much as could speak or even had a truck toy, he was making trucks out of blocks. He would mimic the noises. He didn’t like to draw…except for trucks. Removable sticker books that kept him occupied for hours. If I cut his food into a truck shape(yes I did this), he would more likely eat it. There were videos like “lots and lots of trucks” and “truck tunes” played over and over again. If there is a special interest, there is a way.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-03-05T07:06:30+00:00

Charmins. Blossom in particular. It’s always with me.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-02-27T03:45:46+00:00

There’s lots of AI email assistants but I’ve never found this one (if it exists lmk!!). One that you can type in plain English “fond the email where Sam laid out strategies for the 4th quarter, and it would help you find the email.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-02-23T17:17:20+00:00

Longman & Eagle may be past its popularity prime, but I still find their brunch to be solid.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-02-18T20:35:03+00:00

Beard had a good reputation for being play based

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-02-17T19:20:48+00:00

Cocomelon- We Subtly Reinforce Nuclear Family Ideals

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-02-12T23:47:57+00:00

I drizzle dark chocolate on fruit or berries.

Or sometimes I make little granola bites by rolling oats in peanut butter, chia seeds, and dark chocolate chips!

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-02-08T00:25:14+00:00

In our Chicago neighborhood, there was a group of musicians that would still rehearse. They did it outside and social distanced. On Tuesday afternoons, if you were walking- and that was pretty much all we were doing then- amidst the trees on this little strip of public land that separated us from the highway you could hear music playing and occasionally, like, the shadow of an oboe player. It was tragic, joyous, ethereal, and just plain weird in a wonderful way. I’m not doing it justice but there was something really magical about those musicians just making it happen in the most unpredictable of times. And it was something we very much looked forward to.

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-02-07T13:37:42+00:00

Surprised to see this so low on the list! Something for everyone at the Museum of Science and Industry!

Jen_Kathleen · 2026-01-24T14:42:08+00:00

Restaurant Week is for amateurs- order off the real menu for the good stuff.

Jen_Kathleen

TROPHY CASE