(bright music) - Will you consider this?

Is there anything ever to do with our kids or, you know, during the week, weekend, is there ever anything to do?

Well, yes, there is.

And this young lady is kind of in charge of corralling all that information and getting it out with the Peoria Macaroni KID.

Julia Briggs, welcome.

- Thank you.

- So, the Macaroni KID.

First, we're gonna find out about you.

You grew up in this area.

- Yes, yep.

Born and raised all my life.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- [Christine] And married somebody from here also?

- Yes.

Yeah.

- All right.

So did you grow up in Chillicothe, or?

- No, I grew up in Washburn.

And my husband's from the Lake and Sparland area.

And then we just liked Chillicothe.

It was a little bit bigger than both of our areas, but closer to Peoria, and so yeah.

We enjoy it.

- So you settled there.

- Yes.

- Settled down.

Had a family.

- Yep.

- And you were working outside the home for a while.

- Yes.

Yeah.

- So tell me about that.

What were you doing?

- Well, I kind of dabbled in a lot of things.

I had my CNA license and I thought that I would be a nurse eventually.

And then after I had kids, took a break from that.

And then I was a substitute teacher's aide for a little while.

And then somehow we fell into homeschooling.

- [Christine] (chuckles) Wow.

- And so we settled there.

So that's my role now, my main role.

- Homeschool.

You're a very brave person.

I can't even imagine, 'cause that would be like a one-room schoolhouse, except they're yours.

- Yes.

It is.

(both laugh) - Okay, but, so what kind of subjects can you teach them all at the same time?

- We actually do a lot of family schooling together as far as history and science and geography, those kinds of things.

And then we're able to do like a main spine subject together.

And then, like, say for history, we'll do a main subject or a main time period in history, and then- - Like Abraham Lincoln.

- My oldest daughter, yeah.

My oldest would do like a bigger biography or something.

And then my littlest might do a picture book.

So we tailor it towards their different ages and stages.

- And do you belong to a homeschooling club as well?

- We have done co-ops at different times in life.

And then also there's so many Facebook groups and field trip groups and different resources.

The Peoria area is really great for homeschoolers.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- Good for you.

- Yeah.

- Well, then there's this Macaroni KID.

Crazy name.

And how did you find out about it?

How did you get involved?

- So I found out about it from Facebook when I was a new mom and looking for things to do in the area.

And it was just a wonderful blessing for me because I could get on the website, I'd get on the calendar and see what's happening today, you know?

'Cause when you're, when you have little kids, you sometimes just have to get out of the house.

- Right.

- Not always for the kids, but for yourself.

- Exactly.

- And so, yeah, it was just a big blessing for me.

Yeah.

- So that way, and you were homeschooling at that point, that was maybe a field trip for you?

- Yeah.

- So describe Macaroni KID.

How long has it been around?

Do you know the history of the Macaroni KID?

- So- - Now, every community- - I'm forgetting exactly when it was founded, but I believe it came to the Peoria area in like 2011.

And it came pretty quickly to this area.

And then, what was the rest of the question?

Sorry.

- So that's what, so you tuned in on that so you could take advantage of that.

And then you got your ideas.

But then it disappeared for a while?

- Yeah.

So it was going strong for a while.

And then honestly, as my kids got older and we were schooling more, busy with their activities and things, I didn't check the calendar as often.

And then about three years ago, I got on to check the calendar again after a while and I realized, yeah, there was nothing on there.

And there was a little thing at the corner, said, "Your face here," you know, "you could be the next publisher."

And I thought, oh, okay.

Well, you know, I've always kind of had a creative bone and get well, like, you know, wanna have something to do.

You know?

- Yeah.

Exactly.

- So I thought, well, maybe I could do this.

And I looked into it, and because it was such a big blessing to me, I wanted to continue that mission for other moms.

- So, it's a job.

- Yes.

- And you have sponsors for the Peoria Macaroni KID.

Did they seek you out in order to sponsor the page?

- Yes.

Some do.

And then I also, so I have guides on the website.

I have guides and articles.

And so a guide might be something like, oh, I'm trying to think.

(laughs) - Okay.

- Now I'm blanking.

I have a special needs resource guide.

And so EPIC actually sponsors that guide.

So I might try to find sponsors who are relevant for the guide.

- Good idea.

- And just reach out to them and say, "I have this guide that I am creating.

Would you want to help sponsor that?"

You know, okay?

- Yeah, well, and they do give you some guidance then and support and they get the word out.

- Yes.

Yes, exactly.

Yes.

Yep.

- Now, where do you get the other ideas, because I mean, you have things for this week, and then looking ahead.

And so how do you get that information?

You don't get news releases like I used to do in the business.

- Yeah.

So I made myself a master list of places that I know that host family friendly events.

And I will check that.

And then I scour Facebook events and places like Explore Peoria and Discover Peoria and like Eventbrite.

So I just kind of scour the internet.

- And when do you have time to do that while you're homeschooling kids, is what I wanna know.

- Usually like, you know, when I'm sitting in bed at night or if I try to get up a little early before.

- So you drink a little extra coffee- - Yeah.

- so you can get that done.

Wow.

Well, that's amazing.

So how many events can you publish a week?

And you try to do all of them 'cause you're constantly, you're 24/7.

- The calendar itself can hold a ton.

I don't even know.

Hundreds.

And then every week I send out a newsletter, and that can fit 20 events.

- Okay, all right.

Is it difficult?

Or how do you gauge the success of what you're putting out there in terms of people showing up for some of these events?

Or is there a way to get that figured out?

- If it's worth it?

- I've had people reach out to me and say, "Thank you for posting the event," because, you know, people said that they found out about it from your site.

So I've had that, and then I can also see how many people open my newsletter.

And I have a pretty good open rate.

So I kind of gauge it on that.

- Okay.

Man.

It sounds like a lot of work.

So that's your part-time, full-time job, I guess.

- Yes.

Yeah.

- 'Cause you got the kids.

So do you give them an assignment while you're on the computer and you're looking up some of your things?

- Yeah, sometimes I do that.

If they're doing something independently, I can just squeeze it into my day.

And that was an appeal to do this in the beginning because it seemed like it was something I could fit into my little time crevices.

- Okay, so where is the Macaroni KID national headquarters or whatever?

- Yeah, so it's, that was, I think, the question before.

It's a national thing.

And I believe it's, I should know this.

- [Christine] Okay.

Well, you're busy.

You're busy.

- It might be in New York.

But, so it's a national headquarters.

I know it changed hands a few years, like right before I started.

The original founder, it switched hands, so- - Well, the kids probably grew up, so they moved on to something else.

- So it's linked with something called CertifiKID.

And it's kinda like Groupon for kids and families.

So the national part is linked with that.

And then there are local chapters.

Yeah.

- So, but are you the only one in this area?

- Yes.

- And then, then what are the other regions or whatever?

- There is one in Bloomington-Normal now.

And there was one in Lincoln.

There's a few up by Chicago, the Chicago area.

- So I'm trying to think how I even found out about it.

So if somebody wants information from the Macaroni KID, how do they find you?

- If they want information, like- - Yeah, like to be on your email list.

- Oh.

So they can go to the website.

It's peoria.macaronikid.com.

And then they can, they can hit Subscribe, and then fill out the information and they'll get a weekly newsletter.

- And it doesn't cost anything to subscribe.

- No.

It's free.

Yeah, yeah.

- But the sponsors pay something.

- Yes, yes, or sometimes we trade advertising for tickets or different things like that.

- Okay.

So is it fun?

- Yes.

- You do like it?

- Yes, I do enjoy it.

Yeah.

- All right.

Well, now, once your kids grow up, 'cause you have 14 down to 7.

- Yes.

- So once the seven-year-old, I think that's Liam, once he grows up, you're gonna keep doing it?

Or are you gonna pass the baton to somebody else?

- Yeah, I'm not sure yet.

I don't know.

Maybe I'll just kind of feel it out and see.

- [Christine] You have time to figure that out.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, exactly.

All right, so what's been the most interesting part of putting this all together?

Like I said, you're a homeschooling mom and you're doing this, that you must be organized, and you said, "Oh, no, not me."

- (laughs) No, I'm not.

Unfortunately.

Sorry.

(laughs) I just really enjoy getting to connect local families to local businesses.

That was a big perk of the job that I didn't realize that was gonna happen.

So that's been fun.

- And then your husband supports this and your kids support it?

- Yes.

Yeah.

- You get to go to a lot of the events?

- Yeah.

Yeah, we do.

And that's kind of why I did it because, and my friends and family encouraged me too, because I've always tried to take the kids out and find things to do with the kids.

So it was a good fit.

- And why is it so hard?

I mean, why didn't this exist before you had to take it over?

How did you find out about things?

Well, you did have Macaroni KID for a while.

- Yeah.

How is it so hard to- - To find things to do.

- Find things to do?

- Yeah, when we didn't have that resource.

- Yeah, I don't know.

I think it's like, for me, I just, I wasn't looking for family friendly events before I became a mom.

And then you become a mom, and especially if you're a stay-at-home mom as I was, you're like, what do we do all day?

- [Christine] Right.

Yeah.

- And so I just think it's a matter of getting, you don't know until you know, until you maybe have experience, like, you know, I don't know.

Until you need to find something, then you seek it out.

- When you're desperate.

Yeah.

But some people don't, you know?

They'll just, "Oh, there's nothing to do around here.

Nothing to do with the kids."

But really all of these events are family friendly.

- Yeah, yes, I try to keep the calendar as family friendly as possible.

Occasionally I might throw in something that's just for moms if I really think my audience would enjoy it.

- So yeah, so all it costs is your time to get on the list and to look things up.

- Yes.

- And each one is highlighted so that you can click on it and you can find out more details about everything.

- Yes.

Yeah.

I try to link back to the original host or tickets as much as I can.

And it's also, I try to categorize it as much as I can based on age or just the genre of the event.

- Mm-hmm, yeah.

Well, that's gotta be a lot of work.

So how many hours a week are you putting in?

- Oh, it depends.

Sometimes 40-plus.

But sometimes maybe 10, you know?

It just depends.

- Now, are the winter months more difficult to find things to do than in summer?

- Yeah.

There's not as much going on.

Yeah.

- And so then again, but, so like the libraries, there's story time and there's- - That's true.

Yeah.

- There's different kind of projects, you know, crafts and things to do.

So the libraries will definitely contact you and let you know that you are the resource, you're the place to go?

- Yes.

The libraries are awesome.

I love working with the libraries.

Yeah, and that's another thing is I have one library who they submit all of their events, and then they might put a note, like this one's a reoccurring one, and I can do that.

Because people can submit their events as well.

And then I just kind of, I approve them.

So I can make them recurring.

So the library will do that.

She'll say, this one's recurring here, and I'll put that in.

And so that's super helpful for me.

- So what's your criteria for, if you have to approve them, do you have a specific agenda of things that you need to approve, or?

- I try to approve most everything.

Just make sure that it's relevant, family friendly.

And I try to keep it as low-cost as possible.

But if there is an event that I think would be really popular and it's, you know, 40 bucks a ticket or something, I would post it.

- Right.

But still.

But you've gone through, you've let them figure out what needs to be done, and then they submit it.

- [Julia] Yes.

Yeah.

- So you don't have any regrets about doing this, even though you're putting in all these hours?

- No, I don't.

No, I don't.

I think it was, it was a good fit for me.

It is a good fit.

- Are you finding time to take your family to a lot of these things?

- Yes, we are.

It's been a lot of fun.

We've been able to do like some Broadway in Peoria shows.

And yeah, just other things.

It's been really fun.

- Well, they're here today.

They're on a field trip today.

- Oh, yeah.

Yeah, my kids.

I thought you were gonna see Broadway in Peoria was here.

I was like, oh.

- No, no, no.

That's coming up.

Yeah, they get to come on a field trip.

So that's kind of, you know, I mean, this is school at its best.

- Yeah, no, I was- - Hi, guys.

(both laugh) - I was so thankful when you said they could come.

- Yeah.

Oh, well, that's great.

So what's been the most difficult part?

I mean, did you know all these computer access tips?

Because I'm still, it's technology and it's- - I am not tech savvy at all.

But that was the great thing about Macaroni KID is there's a whole back office and a headquarters and there's trainings, and then we have a whole, we have a Mac KID break room (laughs) where we share ideas and collaborate, yeah.

- So, okay, so what kind of things are they teaching you?

They're teaching you what to look for and who to reach out to in terms of your guides, that kind of thing?

- Yes.

Yep, yep.

That kind of thing.

And just how to better serve the- - Your community.

- The community.

Yeah.

- And have you found out a lot of things from other people and their successful Macaroni KIDs in their communities?

- Yes.

Yes, I have.

- So that's the back room.

- Yes.

- And it's back room, not that you get to go to a back room.

It's actually a back room in your computer.

- Yes.

Yes.

(Christine coughs) - I'll tell you, so this is, excuse me, this is a lot different than you were doing when you were studying to be a CNA.

- (laughs) Yeah, it is.

Yeah, it is.

- So that just fell apart when you had your first child.

- Well, I did it for a while.

And then I thought that I wanted to be a nurse, but it just, I don't know.

The Lord had different plans.

(laughs) - You know, He does that every so often, doesn't He?

- Yes.

- Okay.

And your kids, do they, when they're out with other homeschool kids, you know, when you get together with them and you find out some ideas from your other homeschool moms as well- - Yeah.

Definitely.

- Of what's successful.

- Yep.

Yeah, no.

It takes a community.

It takes a village.

- It does.

- Yeah.

- It does, and you found that this village is pretty, pretty exciting when it comes to, let's make sure that we can do things as families.

- [Julia] Yes.

Yep, exactly.

- All right.

What's been the most fun event that you have posted and that maybe you and your family have attended, other than, you know, some of these Broadway shows, which are, they're pretty good.

- Yeah, that's a tough one.

- You don't know?

- I don't know.

- There's just so many?

- There is, there really is.

There's so many hidden gems in the area and so many great- - Okay, give me an idea of some of those hidden gems.

- Oh.

- I know we have, I know we have a lot of things, these craft things at the library, which I have found out about from Macaroni KID, and taking grandkids and everything.

It's like, okay, yeah.

- Yeah.

Well, Communication Junction.

I saw she was on here, and that was something I found out about from Macaroni KID way back when.

So that one is amazing.

Like, one person that I partner with often is Way to Grow Pediatric Therapy.

This isn't really, might not fit the bill for like your everyday event, but they do host some weekly things and just, they're a great company.

- To support family and growth in the child.

- Yes, exactly.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

That's good.

So you did take your kids to Communication Junction back in the day?

- Oh, yeah.

- All right.

- Yes.

Yep.

- Okay, well, you're a mom.

(both laugh) And I'm a grandma.

- Yeah.

Like, you're better than me.

- Well, I just went yesterday, so I'm good.

I'm catching up.

But your kids enjoy seeing that you're being successful in your work as well.

And your husband too.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Now, what does he do outside the home?

- They like being Macaroni KID kids.

- Okay.

Well, that's good.

- He is an MRI technologist.

- All right.

So let me ask you this.

How did, if you know, if you can remember, and I know you're a little nervous, that's fine.

How did Macaroni KID get its name, Macaroni KID?

I mean, that's very unusual, it's not like here's something to do.

- I think I remember hearing just like, because kids like macaroni.

(Julia laughs) - Okay.

- So I don't know, it had something to do with that.

- That's really very cute.

- Yeah.

- And we think it's been, you think it's been around here since about 2011.

- Yes.

- You think?

Okay.

And maybe even before then.

Someplace.

- Yeah, I think it would've started a year or two before that.

- Okay, well, you know what, it's great that Peoria area picked up on it.

And you get suggestions.

You'll take suggestions.

Now, what is your reach?

You know, what communities do you go to?

- So, Peoria County, all of Peoria County into Tazewell and Woodford Counties a little bit.

So, yeah.

- And there's not a whole lot of overlap then.

You said you think there's a Macaroni KID in the Lincoln area.

- Yeah, there was one in Bloomington.

I think there is one.

There was one, and then there wasn't one, and then there was one, so I haven't checked that.

- Well, you just gotta figure out who's gonna pick up the banner and continue to carry it.

- Yeah, and you can start a Macaroni KID community yourself.

- Okay, yeah.

So if you're covering- - If there's not one in the area.

- this area, so if somebody wanted to do that, should they contact you to try to find out, or?

- Yeah, they could do that.

- Because like west of here, for the Galesburg area, our signal kind of goes to part of Galesburg and then they're off into the Quad Cities.

So we don't know, is there- - [Julia] That would be great.

I don't think there is one for that area.

- See?

- Yeah.

- We gotta tet you going there.

- Yeah.

(laughs) - So, what are your future plans then with the Macaroni KID?

Are you gonna do anything extra special?

Can you do, can you come up with your own extra special guide, like program, I mean, even programs to watch on TV like this one?

- Yeah, I would love that.

Yeah, any ideas that anyone has, just shoot them to me, and I would love to explore that.

I do something called Boo Bags around Halloween time.

And that's where I gather sponsors and together we put together these a hundred Boo Bags that we deliver to families.

I deliver them, but they help me supply the contents.

- All right.

- So that's a lot of fun.

- [Christine] And where do you deliver those to?

- To the Peoria area.

So any subscriber who signs up, I have a form that you can fill out.

And then the first 100 people, a hundred families, get a bag.

- Get a bag.

Okay.

And then what other kind of extra specials do you have?

- So we've done a leprechaun hunt.

- [Christine] All right.

- And that's a lot of fun.

I'm trying to think.

- [Christine] How about Valentine's Day?

Anything for Valentine's Day yet?

- Yeah, I haven't done anything yet.

- [Christine] Okay.

Well, you'll get there.

- Yeah.

- You'll get there.

But there's a lot of different kind of celebrations.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- All right.

All right, good.

- Maybe I'll think outside of the box and come up with something new.

- Well, and again, in your back room, you know, it depends on what they come up with, their suggestions.

- Oh, yeah.

Oh my goodness.

There are so many, they have so many great ideas that I don't know if I'm ready to tackle some of them, but- - I know.

Well, it does take time.

Now, so these Boo Bags, your kids help you assemble those Boo Bags?

- They do.

Yes.

- So there's stickers and rings and fake spiders and all that kind of stuff or something.

- Oh, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

- But no candy usually.

Or do you throw candy in?

- No, there's candy.

I do throw candy in there, yeah.

So like each business who wants to sponsor, they donate something to the bag.

So whatever they want to.

It can be relevant to them or, yeah.

- All right, and then they're acknowledged in the Boo Bag too.

- They are acknowledged, yep.

- Which is good advertising for them.

It's all marketing.

So you really have many hats just with this one Macaroni KID job.

- Yes, yes.

I didn't realize that it was like that.

But I'm enjoying it.

- Well, I'm so glad that you figured out the technology, 'cause like I said, I am so bad.

And then somebody said, "Oh, you just do this and then put it right here, and it'll just flip into the calendar."

And I'm going, "Really?"

You know, in my generation we wrote everything in pencil, and we had an eraser when we made mistakes or whatever.

- Yes, yes.

- But you do it differently now.

- Yeah.

I think a lot of people are digital now, so.

But as much as I like paper and pen, but- (both laugh) - Okay.

All right.

Well, so what's coming up then in the real near future for you?

Well, the- - Some Valentine, a Valentine's Day guide will be coming out.

So I'll just have some events listed and some different things you can do.

- And then the leprechaun?

- Yeah, that will be coming out.

Yeah.

- And that's a leprechaun scavenger hunt, or no?

- Yeah, it's like a gold scavenger hunt.

- Oh, okay.

- The leprechaun loses his gold and- - You have to find it?

- Yes.

- Okay.

Around the community?

- Yes.

Yep.

- Oh, interesting.

Kind of like the pecan medallion or something- - Yeah, maybe.

- that they search for, yeah.

- Okay.

Yeah.

- Okay?

All right.

Okay, well, that sounds good.

Let me know how I can help.

- I will.

- Or look, anyway.

- You can go, yeah.

- I can look.

- You can go have fun.

- I'll check on your site.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

- All right, so tell us again, where can people find you and where can they get on your subscription list?

- So it's at Peoria Macaroni KID, and- - [Christine] Now, is it capitalized?

Any of that capitalized?

- No.

- Okay.

- Well, technically if you're writing it out, but not when you're doing the website.

- [Christine] Okay, all right.

So peoriamacaronikid.com.

- Yes.

- All right.

- And then you can just, if when you get on the homepage, you'll see some articles and you'll see the calendar, and you can click to see the full calendar.

And then think up top, there's a Subscribe button.

- [Christine] Okay.

And again, doesn't cost anything.

- Yeah.

Nope, doesn't cost anything.

- Except your time to get in and check it out.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

And there's many things every day, which is really good.

- I try my best to keep it updated.

- Good.

Well, you're doing a great job.

I can attest to that.

- Thank you.

- So thanks for being here.

Thanks for bringing your family for a field trip today.

And we'll look forward to more Macaroni KID.

And, you know, I like macaroni too.

So yeah, check it out, because if you're looking for something to do, especially in the wintertime, it'll give you plenty of ideas with your kids or grandkids.

So thank you, Julia Briggs, for being here with me.

- Thank you for having me.

- Thank you for being here with us, and be well.

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