Weekly Wrap Up 12.16.12

I don't really remember what happened this week before Friday.  Ever since I heard the news about Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday I have been a mess.  It was all I could do not to drive up to the school and grab my kids.  I knew this was an irrational fear.  I knew that their school would be on high alert after hearing the news and I trusted that their staff would do everything they could to keep my children safe, but still . . . I wanted them in my arms.  I think every parent in America felt that way on Friday when we heard the news.  

The senselessness and the horror of the attack completely did me in.  I have alternated between numbness and shock to rage and fury to absolute terror.  I have tried to sit down countless times and put into words exactly how I feel and I never end up with one coherent sentence.  I just keep going back to the parents of these children.  I just keep thinking of the heroes in that school building who sacrificed their lives to protect their students.  And, of course, I can't stop thinking about the littlest victims.  

Slowly, I am returning to normal.  I took a couple of days off from social media, because I just couldn't find any funny inside of me.  

I felt like this:

Dear Parents at Sandy Hook, We are with you.

A friend shared this picture that a local Kansas City artist, Jeremy Collins, drew in response to the tragedy.  It sums up exactly how I feel.  Due to overwhelming response Jeremy is selling prints of the picture and he is giving a percentage of the proceeds to help the victims.  

Top Read Posts This Week:



Over Achieving Moms are Ruining My Christmas - This was an OpEd piece I wrote for Headline News.



Book Update:

I could not be happier with book sales.  I am so grateful to all of you who have purchased the books and left me reviews.  Those reviews are really helpful to me, so if you haven't already, please leave me a review on Amazon or iTunes.  Thanks!!  Books are selling briskly as we close in on Christmas.  So many of you are getting these as presents!  Shhh . . . I won't tell who!  There are still a few days left to order personalized books from me.

Favorite Comments (and My Response if Necessary):

Pure gold. SAVE THE BUTTERFLIES! on Humble Brag Letter 2012

Oh shit! You used Alycin! I knew there was a divine reason for why I spotted that stupid sports sticker! on Humble Brag Letter 2012

I couldn't let a perfect name like that one slip through the cracks.  I've been saving it for the perfect post.  It ranks right up there with Aighmey - I should have made them twins!

I know that this letter is a joke, but why is it written in the third person? I have not been fortunate enough to receive anything like this during the holidays. My friends and family do not send these things. So, my question is, are these types of letters supposed to be written in the third person? Is it proper etiquette or something? For a second, I thought that it would be signed by a mistress of Whitman. That would have been awesome! on Humble Brag Letter 2012

It is a rule of the humble brag letter.  It must always be written in third person, otherwise it isn't "humble".  That way you're not REALLY bragging about yourself.  No one can say, "I have been appointed to a prestigious position in my company and I took an amazing tour of the Galapagos Islands."  It always sounds better if you say, "We're very proud of Jen and her new prestigious position on her company.  She was lucky enough to take an amazing trip to the Galapagos Islands."  See?  Third person keeps it humble. 

What, Suzette isn't leading power yoga classes while training for the NYC marathon this year? Goodness, she has let herself go. on Humble Brag Letter 2012

Excuse me, the child's name is "Kneel". The K is silent. It's a family name. on Humble Brag Letter 2012

Too funny! Proving once again truth is grosser than fiction. What is with the medical TMI? On second thought, I wish I only had to listen to it once a year. These letters sound like the opening to EVERY conversation with my mother. Ellen on Humble Brag Letter Winners!

HI-larious! My family still howls about a letter we received one Xmas about how "...Amy just had a horrible time passing that kidney stone..." and Amy was the one who wrote the letter! I found your blog last week and spent the weekend reading the entire archives. Fun and funny! on Humble Brag Letter Winners!

I had the exact opposite childhood. My mother was a nurse and my father a microbiologist. So until I was sicker than a hosiptal patient, I didn't get a whole lot of sympathy for being ill. Upset tummy, a sore throat and a fever over 100? Ugh. I'd be limited to juice, sprite, ginger ale, and something like mashed potatoes to eat, then sent to bed early, only to be woken up at an ungodly early hour so that dad could shove and oversized q-tip down my throat and run a rapid strep test. (Because early morning samples before you've had a chance to eat, drink or even brush your teeth are the best ones). Assuming the test came back positive, he'd take a second to send to the doc, who would call in an RX, so mom could pick that up as soon as the pharmacy opened. I'd get to stay home on the couch eating bland food and vomiting, while watching bad movie rentals or sleeping until about noon, which is when the school would have my missed work for the day ready to be picked up. So the afternoon and on My Kid VS. The School Nurse

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have a great Sunday!

Anonymous said...

I feel like that picture!!

Janine Huldie said...

Great picture and so true. Thanks for sharing.

Meredith said...

I've written two posts that don't come anywhere close to saying what I needed to say. This hit, literally, so close to home that I couldn't help but spew out some thoughts. I'm so glad my girls have no awareness of the situation. That picture is beautiful and thank you so much for sharing.

Amy said...

I know how you feel about Friday, Jen. I've felt the same way. I had plans to go run errands after school on Friday, but instead, just picked everyone up after school, came home and played whatever they wanted to play, and ended the day with a family movie night. The picture you posted is perfect.
http://amysreallife.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your thoughts Jen, and the picture does capture our feelings very well. There are some things that happen that leave us all speechless - events of such magnitude that all we can do is try to breathe through the reality of them. The children and adults that lost their lives will touch us forever; it is a sadness that defies description. God helps us.

Unknown said...

I feel the exact same way. I have been crying all weekend, and I do NOT want to send my kids to school tomorrow. But I will, because we must continue on. I cannot begin to imagine what those parents are going through right now. I hope they all have friends and family around them to offer some sort of comfort.

TNMom said...

I feel the same way, my fb status for the weekend was just
"I can't...I just can't..."
Meaning...??? I don't know.
Can't believe, can't comprehend, can't verbalize, can't stop crying....just can't. Now with all the pictures of the kids coming out and seeing that some have birthdates just 2-3 days different from my daughters....I am a mess again and I just can't...

Unknown said...

I will now start spelling my name Aighmey. Thanks for that gem!

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