Introducing KidKaizen - the flagship post a.k.a. “Hello World!”.  My name is Corey Lallo.  I live with my wife and four kids in northern Illinois.   In addition to husband, father and friend I am a reader, a worker, quasi-writer and a productivity and self-improvement junkie.  I am the publisher and editor of KidKaizen.  My wife Jen is a stay at home mom, CEO of our household, wonderful wife and contributing editor.  Our vision for KidKaizen is a massive online playdate without constraints of time or geography, a collaboration of parents and anyone interacting with kids to share ideas, tips, philosophies, frustrations, successes, failures, humor and support.

I present the “Lego-Blocks analogy”.  For the purposes of this comparison, please envision the primary colored, one-size-fits all blocks.  They were simple and universal.  You could build your arsenal with small and large kits of differing styles or colors.  If you lost a couple, the set wasn’t broken you simply continued with your vision with what was available.  You decided on your foundation, be it the floor or a table top and used available blocks as you saw fit oftentimes not knowing what you were creating until it grew.  “Look, a spaceship”or, “Mom, check out my castle.”

This is how KidKaizen sees parenting advice.  There is no “master set” and few essential pieces.  Usable blocks are obtained from many different sources. You pick and choose your foundation, grab a block that looks like it will fit your purpose and give it a shot.  If a block doesn’t align, your structure is not doomed.  You simply remove it, re-evaluate it or set it aside for another project.  Since kids are all individuals, the process is inherently dynamic.  You can’t use the exact same strategies for each or get all your advice from one source.  By viewing our philosophy as a work in progress we allow for ideas and inspiration from all kinds of sources.  Extended family, friends, co-workers, books, websites and sometimes situations that don’t seem to be related to kids in the least can all contribute to our collaborative “manual”. Something that worked perfectly for one family or even a child within a family may not apply or even evoke negative results in another child.  What works for us may be vastly different than what works for you and your family. What you will find here is a “give this a shot” mentality.

Our family has a few tried and true methods that work for now but we have also retired countless methods and activities that seemed to be sure things but suddenly lost their punch because the little ones have bored of it or found their own work-around of our work-around.

We love connecting with other parents and kid-enthusiasts to learn from their ups and downs.  In that manner KidKaizen is just as much a call to help as it is an offer of it.  Please join in the fun through post comments, sharing tips and ideas and spreading the word of KidKaizen.