JANES Works Blog

NEW RELEASE!!

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:47:49 -0600

Introducing Penny Picklepants And the Twenty-Pickle Pie, by A.M. Jones. Penny Picklepants, as she is prone to remind everyone and anyone who will listen, is about to start the 6th grade, and that means that she is practically an adult… at least, according to Penny it does. If there are three things that define Penny Picklepants, they are: Shopping, Fashion, Pickles, and, well… more Pickles. After all, Penny is on a quest, a quest to become the youngest professional pickle taster in the history of the family pickle plant. But in order to become the world’s youngest ever professional pickle taster ever, Penny will first need to find a way to save the family pickle plant. Unfortunately, Penny’s plans often have a way of going horribly awry. And you can be sure that this plan will be no exception.

Doodle Spy is also on Amazon Apps...

Fri, 25 May 2012 19:18:45 -0600

Horray! Our latest app, Doodle Spy, was also just released for the Kindle Fire and all Android devices on Amazon Apps:

Look for it on iPad/iPhone and Nook devices very soon.

Doodle Spy on Google Play...

Fri, 25 May 2012 19:14:15 -0600

Yay! Our latest app, Doodle Spy, was just released for all Android devices on the Google Play app market:

Introducing: Penny Picklepants

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:24:00 -0600

JANES Works Publishing is very excited to introduce Penny Picklepants, a novel by A.M. Jones. Penny Picklepants has just started the 6th grade and is on a quest to become the youngest pickle taster in the history of the family pickle plant. Unfortunately, Penny’s plans often have a way of going horribly awry. And this plan is no exception. Penny Picklepants, a novel by A.M. Jones, will be released in July 2012.

And there’s a blog: http://pennypicklepants.tumblr.com/

The blog will track the progress of A.M. Jones’ book and will include lots of great sneak peeks, as well as info about the author and the characters of her book. So head on over and check out the blog, “like” it, “follow” it, and tell everyone you know about Penny Picklepants (pretty please!!!)

JANES Works Publishing is very excited to introduce The Boy and...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:35:00 -0600

JANES Works Publishing is very excited to introduce The Boy and His Bear, by James A. Potter, illustrated by Jason Rushton. The Boy and His Bear is a heartwarming tale about the adventures of a boy and his big, cuddly bear. Follow the adventures of the boy and his bear as they roam about with nary a care, and discover their most favorite things in the whole wide world such as fishing, swimming, having thumb wars, and so much more. The Boy and His Bear will be released in July 2012, by JANES Works Publishing in print and e-book. There may even be an app or two as well.

And there’s a blog just for the book here: http://theboyandhisbear.tumblr.com/

The blog will track the progress of the book from start to finish and will include lots of great sneak peeks, as well as info about the author and illustrator. So head on over and check out the blog, “like” it, “follow” it, and tell everyone you know about The Boy and His Bear (pretty please!!!)

Audio

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:59:00 -0600

$10 to spend at Zazzle!

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:10:59 -0600

Today Only! The first person to use this code (click on the code below) will get $10 to spend on anything at Zazzle.com:

Code: LXWVOVDGCFXEDBSPIOMJ

Audio

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:13:00 -0600

Birthdays... The Circle of Life

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:24:19 -0600

(Please sing the following ditty to the birthday song tune, as you sing to yourself…yes to yourself, you are no Lady Gaga, you may dress like her, meat dress in all but there is only one Lady Gaga and you are not her!)

Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday to all those whose birthdays were yesterday,

Happy birthday to me…and to you…and to you as well as the other person that had their birthday on this day….

When you are a kid, your birthday is the most amazing day. It’s all about you and whatever you want to do. On that one day, you are truly the center of the universe. From the minute you wake up to the minute you are forced to bed by your parents because they are tired of treating you like the center of the universe, it is all about you.

But then a funny thing happens as you start to experience more and more of these self-centered days (hopefully for most it only happens one day a year and not 365 days a year). You start to get older and start to realize the world doesn’t revolve around you on this annual celebration of your birth. You start to realize that no matter what day it is, you still have responsibility and people are counting on you to fulfill your responsibilities.

I guess for me it was when I turned 24 that I suddenly realized this. I was a mom of a one month old baby and all I wanted for my birthday that year was sleep. I felt like I wasn’t asking for much, it was even free. However, much to my chagrin, I didn’t get what I wanted that year. I had a new born baby that still needed me to feed him, change him, burp him, and make him the center of the universe. And that is exactly what I did, I made him the center of my universe on my birthday and every day that followed. Two more boys would come during a course of a few years to throw the balance off of me being the center of the universe on March 27^th.

However, as hard as it was to come to terms of not being the center of all living on March 27^th, I realized that it was okay. I really don’t mind doing dishes on my birthday, I really don’t mind folding 3 loads of laundry on my birthday, I don’t even mind not getting the Hermes Birkin bag that I have been wanting for the last 15 years. I am fine fulfilling my duties as a mother to my family on my birthday and you know why….because in about 15 years my boys will experience the circle of life!

Audio

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:35:00 -0600

Older, Fatter, and Grayer

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:12:00 -0600

I seem to always make fun of my age. It makes me feel better when I can laugh at myself and the fact that getting older really is not that enjoyable. Sure you gain wisdom as well as weight. Sure you understand the world better as well the law of gravity, if you get my drift. Sure you see things clearer as well as watching your hair go gray. A girl, who is 17, asked me why women fight aging so much. I replied with a “well, your 17 inside and out and it is a strange sensation when your inside age (18 for me….okay more like 15) doesn’t quite match up with your outside age (25 for me…okay more like *BLEEP*).” She didn’t get it…

But as much as I fight aging and getting older, fatter, and grayer, at least I am getting older, fatter, and grayer. Today I am going to a childhood friend’s funeral. She is leaving behind a family of 2 boys and countless of loved ones and friends. When I think about how I am always making fun of getting older, I have to remind myself that at least I can. This sweet woman who has passed on no longer can make fun of her aging body; can no longer laugh at gaining weight, no longer worry about her beautiful blonde hair going gray. She can no longer hug her family; she can no longer do the things that we take advantage of every day.

So why such a somber blog today when I could brighten up my day by listing all the crazy things that happened this weekend? Well, sometimes you need a somber moment to remember that at least you have another moment. Another moment to tell the people you love that you love them (including yourself), another moment to do the things you love and another moment to do whatever makes you feel alive. I think today I will hug my kids a little bit longer; I will kiss my husband a little bit longer, and remind myself that it’s a good thing that I am getting a little bit older, fatter, and grayer.

Audio

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:58:00 -0600

The boys viewing Delicate Arch from the Window (Arches National...

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:36:00 -0600

The boys viewing Delicate Arch from the Window (Arches National Park).

Audio

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:10:00 -0600

★ INTRO SALE ★

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:40:20 -0600

Get Word Craft DE 50% Off for a Limited Time!!

Only 99 cents on the App Store: Apple App Store

And on Google Play: Google Play

Audio

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:45:00 -0600

Word Craft DE update!

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:13:00 -0600

Nook Apps has tested and approved Word Craft DE for, well, the Nook of course. Apple started reviewing it today, and I guess they are still testing it. This is officially the longest testing we have ever seen by Apple… wait, no, IT JUST PASSED!! Finally, Word Craft DE should be on all the major app markets tomorrow morning!! Woohoo!!

See it here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-craft-de/id508412887?mt=8

Our first post on tumblr

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:04:00 -0600

JANES Works’ Blog has moved to tumblr! …why are there older posts you ask? Because we are transferring and backdating posts from our old blog onto our new tumblr blog.

Oxymoron….Family Vacation

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:31:00 -0600

Family Vacation may sound more like an oxymoron than reality. It is a lot of work to get everybody ready for vacation. And let’s be honest, it is at the hands of the mother that gets the kids packed, you packed, your husband packed, the car packed, the snacks packed, the entertainment packed and everything else that can be packed, will be packed and may possibly be packed. Whether going by car or by plane, it is work just to get to your vacation destination. Whether or not you going half way around the world for 6 months or going 6 miles to get away from your world, it is still work. The kids are super hyper and super good for about 10 minutes into the car ride or plane ride until the obsessive ‘are we there yet’ begins. In fact the question of ‘are we there yet’ usually doesn’t stop until you are either there or you become so enraged of being asked ‘are we there yet’ 50 times in the last 2 minutes that you usually start yelling ‘WE’LL GET THERE WHEN WE GET THERE!’ Which usually warrants a ‘you don’t have to get so mad’ which then makes you feel bad for starting off your vacation in a bad mood. Then to make up for the bad mood you end up buying a bunch of sugary treats at the next gas station or snack cart, which then makes your kids hyper which then begins the next cycle of ‘are we there yets.’ When you finally get there, you are stressed out, have kids coming off a sugar high which usually results in grouchy kids. You are hungry, tired and this is only the first day. So then why do we as parents take our kids on trips? Do we expect them to thank us for taking them to see the world? Do we expect them to appreciate the fact that they only had to wait for 8 years to go to New York City where you had to wait 33 long years to go to the greatest city in the world…not speaking from experience or anything…any who…. So why do we do it? We do it so when our kids are teenager and they say to us ‘you don’t love me, you never do anything for me.’ You can quickly say ‘oh contraire mon cheri’ and pull out all the pictures you took while attempting the idyllic family vacation. You can show them that they have been to over 25 states, traveled to countless of cities, experienced things that most people only dream about and did it all as a family…not speaking from experience or anything… Okay, to be truthful, I love taking my kids on vacation and whether or not it is half way around the world or half way down the street, I love spending time with my family. I love the conversations we have, the inside jokes that are created and looking at the pictures of happy times, of good times. I love the look of wonder that is stamped on their faces from the time we arrive till the time we leave. We took our boys to New York City about 4 years ago and thing we were told over and over again was ‘don’t take your kids to New York, they will never appreciate it’ however, the trip my boys talk about is New York.

Super-Uber Smart….

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:23:00 -0600

Yes, I know, I know. It has been about two weeks since I last wrote something on our blog. But in true Internet fashion, the only people that have missed me are Russian naughty sites (well, at least I think it’s Russian naughty sites as my Russian is a little rusty) who continue to leave 10 messages a day. Okay so I don’t speak Russian, but still why do they have to leave messages? Do they not know that about 99.999 percent of Americans can’t read Russian?

So what have I been up too that has taken me away from my 3 loyal readers? I have been off gallivanting amongst the rich and famous. Traveling the world. Seeing the sights you only dream about, first hand. I have been shopping, gardening, cooking, reading, laughing and ogling. I know busy right? Fabulous right? Jealous right? Well, don’t be, it’s all been on Pintrest and none of it is real but still isn’t it nice to know we can all dream about living such a life?

Actually what we have really been doing is far less glamorous, we have been getting our newest app ready for the world over. The newest game to be released from JANES Works Co. is called WORD CRAFT: DE… the DE stands for Dictionary Edition. It is a game where you receive 3-5 clues, or definitions in this case, of a word and then you have to spell the word with the given letter tiles. There is no ‘holy-cow-I-am-totally-addicted-to-this-game’ button, but there should be. If you love word games like Scrabble, Words with Friends, and Word Mix, etc., or if you are just an all-around wordophile then you are sure to love Word Craft DE.

Available on iTunes: Word Craft DE (on iTunes)

Nook apps: Word Craft DE (on Nook)

Google Play (Android Market): Word Craft DE (on Google)

And Amazon Apps: Word Craft DE (on Amazon)

Word Craft DE is for the smart, the want to be smart, and the I-wish-I-was-smarter smart, as well as for the super smart, the uber smart, and the category we all wish we were in the super-uber-duper smart (at least for me anyway). Actually, this game is for EVERYONE (especially a group of friends or family) and you will have a blast playing it, happy word crafting!

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