How This ONE Mom Saved Hundreds Of Innocent Children

With the sickening Shooting at the Madden Tournament, in Jacksonville, Florida, fresh on our minds, I thought I would share one mom's story of how she potentially saved hundreds of children from what's becoming the new normal, mass shootings...

Last week, I had the immense pleasure of having brunch with a girlfriend I've been friends with for twenty-five years, but due to life and geography, rarely get a chance to see. That being said, I always make it a point to catch-up with, "Sassy", at least once a year. She's one of those humans that radiates so much light and love, letting her disappear out of my life would be downright dumbassery. What I'm about to tell you is proof...

During our meal, Sassy leans over the table and says, "Do you remember all those back-to-back school shootings last year?"

I nodded and said, "I was so polarized. I kept Oliver out of school for a week after Parkland."

(Interjection-- Parkland is twenty minutes from my hometown. Marshall is two hours from where I currently live. I was a hot-ass mess. I wouldn't let my son out of my sight for eight-days, then cried when my husband made me send him back to school.)

Sassy said, "Parkland was it for me, too. I had to do something. I have four children in the same school."

What Sassy said next blew my mind:

"I drove over to the school, counted the number of exterior and interior doors, figured out how much it was going to cost to have them fitted with Barracuda locks, then had a fundraiser to buy them. I raised $23,000."

Not Sassy in the Photo.

I sat there blinking, stunned silent.

Sassy, a full-time employed, mother of four and animal foster-mom, raised TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND!

Not Sassy in the Photo.

Wow. Just, wow.

She said she had to do something, so her children weren't sitting ducks, and dammit she did. This ONE mother got off her, already busy, ass and made shit happen. She found the "soft spot," figured out how much it was going to cost to fix it, then fundraised her ass off for the door locks.

Not Sassy in the Photo.

Sassy, if you're reading this, I LOVE YOU! Thank you for inspiring me to find the 'soft spot' at my son's school. Sadly, I'm not sharing it in case some sick fuckstick is reading this, but I found it and called the amazing chick in the front office, that basically runs the school, and shared my concerns. She told me I wasn't alone, and a committee of three moms were working on a "redesign." She gave me their email addresses and now that committee is four, and growing.


I'm so proud to call Sassy my friend. She is 100% responsible for taking the first major step to making a K-12 public school in a small town, safe. With hundreds of kids in the school, there's no telling how many lives she saved in the event of a mass shooter trying to get in. Thanks to her, and the exterior and interior classroom locks, the town will never have to know.


I hope by me sharing this you'll be inspired to use your time, talent or treasure to the be the ONE person who makes a major change for the better in your community.

5 Back-to-School Tips For Beginners

Between orientation, buying school supplies, paying fees, and leaving my son with people I had only met once before, I thought I was going to need an IV of Valium to make it through the first week of school. Thankfully, I survived to tell the tale...

Nothing beats first-time parent ignorance. Silly me, I thought back to school would be easy and fun. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Thankfully, I survived to tell the story. Below is a full recount of the top 5 Eye-Opening Lessons I Learned During my first Back-To-School Week.

1. It's A Whole New World- So much for the easy days of the 'Mother's Day Out' program, my son attended 2-4 days a week at church; 'Real school' is a whole new world.

Picture it, Parents everywhere, children everywhere, kids crying, parents crying, photo after photo being taken in front of the school. Teachers shoving stacks of papers in your hand with lists, rules, expectations, and snack rotation schedules, all while your child is clinging to you for dear life, begging you not to leave him in this madhouse.

I'm not really sure what I expected, but I definitely didn't expect all that chaos. I quickly learned my son and I were one of MANY. The sooner we got with the program, the better. Give yourself PLENTY of time on the first day of school to swim through the chaos.

2.  Your child isn't the only one crying on the first day of school. The first day of school was rough for both Ollie and I, but we were certainly not the only ones. It was beyond cute watching the moms and dads taking photos in front of school with their child in the favorite outfit. Whole families were tearing up. At times, I couldn't tell who was being braver, the parents or the child. Starting school is a huge step, yes, but it's also a huge reminder that our babies are growing up.

3.  Moms bite. Hard. Especially in the morning. I get it. It's 8:30am, everyone is trying to get the kid(s) to school and be at work by 9am for the Monday morning meeting, but who knew the morning rush is a full-on knockdown, don't-fuck-up-carpool and get-outta-my-way mad dash? Get ready to watch the seasoned parents show you how to get your kid in class and be back in the car in 4.3 seconds flat.

Thankfully, I am not that mom, so I am a little less rushed, but God help me for not getting out of the way of the mom that is! The mornings are the worst. Thankfully, it gets a little less frantic about a month into the new year.

4. Organization is key. During the orientation and the first few weeks of school, expect a small forest in reading materials. I cannot get over how much there is to know about school in general, State laws in regard to education and the ridiculous amount of activities, fundraisers and school events... I'm expected to attend and work.

By bestie and seasoned mom said the best thing you can do is print out the school's calendar of events for the entire year to stay on top of important dates and events, check the backpack DAILY and open a solid (respectful) line of communication with your child's teacher immediately.

5.  Make hand washing a household rule.  The inner walls of a school are full of germs, sneezes, coughs, viruses and miserable sick children whose parents had to get to a meeting. You've got two choices when it comes to dealing with the petri dish full of kids, stay vigilant or sick.

If nothing else, handwashing must become a MUST. Make it a rule, beginning on the first day of school, the second your child(ren) walk through the door after school, hands have to be washed. Well.

Most of all, Get ready, your little one isn't the only one learning and growing up as a result of starting school.

DO THIS Before Buying Back-To-School Clothes

No doubt back-to-school (BTS) shopping and preparations can send even the most budget-conscious family into financial hell. I'm constantly trying to find ways to save, repurpose and trade my son's toys and clothes. I had a garage sale last weekend, that wore me the fuck out, that not only cleared out our junk and clutter but helped pad the budget for BTS shopping.  

The goal was to shed the crap and clutter weighing my family and house down. This includes all of the clothes we all no longer needed. I have a super method for plowing through the clothes quickly. The goal is to clear out the crap, make as much money as possible, then use it as a guide to my back-to-school shopping budget. Let's just say, creativity keeps my family clothed. 

So, if like me, you live on a budget, have limited closet space, and would like 50-75% of your child(ren)'s school clothes paid for, keep reading...

Here is how this whole thing works. I have two or three storage tubs for each of us and two for our coats as well. I start by emptying out the storage bins into four piles; Keep, Donate, Dump and Delusional. Let me explain...

Keep:

This is, of course, the clothes I/Ollie/FTD plan on wearing for the season. This pile also has the Spring Break t-shirt from 1996 that holds too many memories to part with, the tops I spent too much on, and the hideous grandparent gifted sweaters I have to keep readily available for surprise invites and drop-ins.

Sell/Donate:

This is the pile of clothes needs to belong to someone else. Hopefully to paying customers at the yard sale... This pile is everything that will never ever be worn again by your people. The more you let go of, the more you will make, so be honest with yourself.  This pile also holds the Christmas, birthday and awful baby clothes I will NEVER EVER put on my body or my child's. Thankfully, my trash is someone's treasure. After all, someone bought these fine specimens of shit clothes thinking they were superb. These same people are also on PeopleofWalmart.com 

Dump:

This pile is the worst of the worst.  While it is meant for the city dump, it should be burned to ensure these articles of clothing never see the light of day again.  This one holds the clothes I painted the wall and myself in, things I wore until they fell apart. Literally. Things even the Goodwill will not take. You know it is bad when Goodwill throws the bag back in your car, screaming "LEAVE!"  Again, for examples go to PeopleofWalmart.com

Delusional:

This happens to be a very special pile. This pile is beautiful. All of my favorite clothes that I cannot fit into anymore,  or Ollie's clothes I want to save because parting with them would break my heart love so much I cannot part with are piled, very high, here.  Why do I call it the delusional pile and keep it separate from the keep pile?  Because I am so incredibly delusional, I think I will be a size 4 again, or that somehow I will be able to pull off that twenty-something look at thirty-something. No, really, I think it possible!  What if this whole, "Wait until you start chasing a toddler, the pounds will melt off," is true?  Granted the whole, "Breastfeed and the pounds will melt off," proved to be a load of horse turds. But, maybe, just maybe, the toddler marathon will get me into my pre-teen denim!

ONce finished sorting through the clothes, Put away the delusional, Dump the crap and start preparing for the yard or sidewalk sale. Believe it or not, clothes are the best selling item at a garage sale. You've got a good chance of selling most all of your clothes, and best of all, making enough to cover 50-100% of this season's back to school shopping. 

TIP: Now that the closets are fully clean, hang all of the new clothes with the hanger hooks facing you, once you take the garment off the hanger I turn the hanger back around. This way, at the end of the season whatever has not been turned around should be donated or dumped. 

4 Gun Reform Laws That Won't Screw With Your 2nd Amendment Right

Over the years, I've shied away from expressing my concerns about gun laws and mass murders. I live in Kentucky, I'm well aware of how passionate people are about their 227-year-old second amendment right to bear arms. I personally choose not to have guns in my house but understand it's my neighbor's right to own one, and while I'm not cool with it, I get it.

Yesterday, I wrote about how riddled with fear I was to send my son to school. I'm in Kentucky, I haven't finished grieving over the Marshall County High massacre, so to have another shooting only minutes from where I was born and raised, shook me to the core. I no longer feel safe sending my son to school. I'm gutted over all of this. Broken.

I had no idea sharing my feelings would result in so many attacks from internet trolls, friends and family.  It's blatantly clear, there are people out there who would rather blame fake news, mental illness, poor judgment and anything else they can to protect their right to own any damn gun they want-- basically saying, who cares that children are dying, it's our guns that need protection. 

Whether there have been eighteen or eight school shootings in 2018, the fact remains, crazy assholes are running around with assault rifles murdering innocent children and adults. Teachers are dying to protect children from a spray of bullets. Parents are terrified to drop their children at school. Fake news can't make that shit up. It's real. And it's shaken me to the core.

Yesterday and today I have been repeatedly asked, "What kind of gun reform would you propose?"  I've spent the past thirty-six hours trying to figure out what it would take for me to feel safe sending my child to school. At the risk of losing more NRA loving followers, I'm going to share my hopes for gun reform. 

4 Gun Reform Laws That Won't Screw With Your 2nd Amendment Right

1. Psychiatric screening form required as part of the process for purchasing a gun. It’s actually bullshit this is not required since everybody keeps screaming it’s all mental health issues causing these shootings. A mental health evaluation form signed by a doctor should fix that.

2. ALL weapons/accessories that can cause mass murder in under thirty seconds should be banned. There is absolutely no need for a civilian to own one.

3. Create a law that holds parents accountable when their child brings a gun to school--one count of endangerment and negligence for each child and faculty on school premises. I firmly believe this will teach parents to lock up their guns. 

4. Every school district sets up an anonymous tip-line where students can call and report concerns. When a child’s name has been mentioned five times they are immediately flagged and the parents are notified. 

What would you propose? What would make you feel safe sending your child back to school?

I Was Too Afraid To Send My Son To School Today. #GunControlNow

An armed man walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, pulled the fire alarm, and when the children emerged from their classrooms he opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing seventeen and wounding fourteen others. That school shooting solidified the eighteenth American school shooting in 2018. That's an average of three school shootings a week in America.

It's clear, American schools are not safe. None of them. Not public, private, elementary, middle or high school, or college for that matter.  The statistics on school shootings over the past 20-years are staggering. The number of innocent children murdered at the hands of evil in their classrooms is almost impossible to accept. The inaction of the American government to stop these heinous acts is criminal in its own right.

After being up all night flipping between hysterical sobs over the loss of so many innocent children and anger over the inaction of American lawmakers, the thought of sending my son to his public elementary school terrified me, so I kept him home today. That decision brought me the first moment of comfort I'd felt in hours.

When I held my son this morning, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and guilt. I'm so thankful my son is alive in my arms. I'm beyond grateful he survived his day at school yesterday because seventeen innocent children did not. The thought of how many children might possibly die today is polarizing.

I was born a few miles from Parkland, Florida and currently an hour away from Marshall County High. These shootings are closing in on me, and I wager to say, every other American.

The USA is averaging three school shootings a week. That's one every sixty hours. HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING???

School shootings are the new normal. Mass murders in American schools have become a regular occurrence. As have the political excuses and agendas. I will never understand why assault rifles and any other weapon that can cause mass murder in under thirty seconds are legal to own in America. Tighten gun laws. Hold parents accountable. Not, remove the gun licensing fee, "to make it easier for citizens of Indiana to obtain a firearm." Come on, Indiana, Really? 

I live in the land of dreams and hope! How can American schools be so unsafe? I just cannot get my head around that. I'm going to take a few days to calm down and consider my options. Since I work from home, Homeschooling is certainly an option. My son is in Kindergarten, how hard can it be? Surely not nearly as hard as it is for me to send him to school.

If I choose not to send my son to school, in the end, it's my choice. A freind tried to call me crazy for even considering it. She made comments like, "Are you not going to let him out in public anymore too? You know he has a higher likelihood of being molested at a recreational sport, or at a friends house, will you keep him from that too?"

My response: Fuck. off. I will never be sorry for making a decision to keep my son safe. I can go with him to recreational events, but I can't go with him to school. Also, recreational events and public settings are not dealing with 18 shootings in less than six weeks, American schools are.

The bottom line is that I promised my son the day he was born I would love him and protect him, and dammit that's what I intend to do. The warning signs are everywhere. If the government won't do anything to protect my child from this senseless violence, then I will.

US Gun Laws: The Facts, Reality & What The Rest Of The Civilized World Thinks

I don't have the words to explain how outraged I am over the recent US school shooting at Mashall County High School. My heart aches for the families of the victims and the small community of Benton, Kentucky. Two innocent fifteen-year-old children were killed. Seventeen more injured. Five still in critical condition. 

Looking back on past school shootings, I remember the same outrage, pain, and grief. I also remember believing something would change. It had too. Children were dying at the hands of children. To my astonishment, guns weren't taken away, they were made more readily available. Assult rifles are still legal.

It absolutely breaks my heart to say this, but, I have lost all hope that lawmakers will actually do something.

Somehow, the Right To Bear Arms has taken away my child's right to an education in a safe place.

Columbine Shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold

It's hard to believe the Sandy Hook massacre was five years ago. Still... Guns for everyone. Assult rifles, too! 

Sandy Hook Students evacuating after the shooting

This is not a worldwide issue. Far from it.

Source: Lankford, University of Alabama, 2016 

In light of this terrible event, and the sadness we all feel as a result of American Massacres, I'm going to let a fantastically funny Australian Comedian, Jim Jefferies explain US Gun Laws: The Facts, Reality and What The Rest Of The Civilized World Thinks. Watch this, I promise, you will not only thank me, but share it with everyone you know. The facts can't be denied, and the way he presents them is beyond brilliant! There are two parts, both below. (He's Australian, expect a Fu*k or two to slip out of his mouth.)

 





America, we have to do something. Our children deserve better. Contact your State lawmakers and demand change.