Welcome!
I’m Jackie, the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. I’m a mom, a wife, a daycare provider, and a self-proclaimed glitterphobe. I’m working on that last bit, and making progress.
My blog, Happy Hooligans, centres around the daily activities of my home daycare, and is dedicated to easy and affordable arts & crafts and good, old-fashioned play.
My own boys are teenagers now, but happily, I still have plenty of little ones in my life.
For this, I am grateful because toddlers and preschoolers are my passion.
These are the little people that I lovingly refer to as “The Hooligans”.
They’re the children in my home daycare, and the reason that my blog exists!
Once upon a time, I had a career in bank management, but my dream was to one day have a family, and to be at home with my babies.
As it happened, the first part of my dream came true, and we began a family in 1997, welcoming our first son into the world.
Now to make the second part happen…
Because of my life-long love for children, I was certain that a home daycare would be right up my alley, and an enriching and wonderful way to subsidize our income while being a stay-at-home-mom.
I opened my doors in 1998 when our son was 11 months old, and I’ve never looked back.I can say without a doubt that my daycare has filled me with more joy, passion and satisfaction than my career in the corporate world ever could have.
2 years later, we welcomed our second son into the world, and my dream was complete. I was at home, raising my family, and beginning the most rewarding career of my life.
I often say I have one of the best jobs on the planet.
My home daycare allowed me to be here in my home with my boys during their formative years, and to give them my full attention, making their days fun, adventurous and educational.
As well as having their mom home with them, my sons had the added bonus of growing up surrounded by the other children (the hooligans) in our daycare.
My boys have long since graduated from my daycare, and will soon be leaving the nest, but the hooligans and I still spend our days crafting, baking, creating, learning, exploring, discovering and adventuring.
We’re all about old-fashioned fun here: getting messy, imaginative play, outdoor adventure, and free and unstructured play.
I hope, as you browse through the crafts and activities on my blog, you’ll be inspired to participate in some of the same with your own children.
Whether you’ve stopped in for the first time today, or you’ve been following along with me for years, thank you for being here. I am honoured to share our experiences and ideas with you.
I am grateful too, to the many talented early years bloggers who inspire ME to make the hooligans’ world more exciting, engaging and adventurous.
They have helped me take my own creativity to a new level. To all of them, I say “Thank you”.
It is my hope that we hooligans might inspire others in the same way.
Yours in Play,
Jackie & The Hooligans
Every month, more than 2 million parents, teachers and caregivers turn to Happy Hooligans for creative inspiration, and more than 1 million fans follow the hooligans on Facebook.
In addition to writing for her own blog, Jackie is a Senior Writer for CBC Parents, has written numerous articles for Treehouse Parents, and has appeared on CTV’s Canada AM.