In Praise of Jen B.

The Mommybloggers are proud to introduce our next featured blogger (who really needs no introduction at all), Jen B from Jen and Tonic. There are a hundred words we could use to describe Jen: talented, honest, sensitive, creative, funny, lovely, and tender-hearted. Those are just a few. We could really go on and on, but thought we would share the thoughts of some of her loyal readers instead.
Jess is downright smitten:
It’s about time the mighty JenB got some attention. What took so long? It’s cause she’s Canadian right?Jen is hands down the nicest blogging hot mama out there. She is honest, funny, engaging and caring. I check in every day, no matter what my feedburner says, to see what she’s up to. Once I heard her voice on my answering machine and I swooned.
JenB is just lovely.
Miss Zoot finds solidarity with Jen's honest writing style:
Jen has always rocked my mommy-blogging socks and I would love to be able to be as open about parenting and the joys and struggles as she is. She conveys so many of the things I feel so many times in ways that actually make SENSE. I like to just echo a "What she said!" to so many of her entries.
Karianna sings her praises:
JenB is the perfect combination of intelligent, friendly, humble, and honest. Her candid descriptions of balancing her mental health with mommy-hood, plus her familial relations with Biomom to her seemingly-ever-grinning husband Mark. Of course the photos of her gorgeous garden and sensational Charlotte help keep me coming back to both her blog and flickr sites. It has been a tricky year for Jen: a beloved aunt’s passing on the serious side, and the Edmonton Oiler’s eventual loss of the cup on the more lighthearted. Jen was the first blogger I met in “real life” and she gave me a spectacular hug, though I wasn’t farted on. It is no wonder that JenB is a favorite of Bloggers everywhere, but what clinches the deal is that she is accessible in the midst of all her fame! She is open about her insecurities, and yet completely rises above them to be the amazing strong woman who we appreciate so much. Hail Canadian Death-Candy!
Amanda feels very comfortable in Jen's presence:
JenB is like the best friend you always wish you’d been lucky enough to have. And when you fart in front of her, you know she’s laughing with you, not at you.
Mrs. Kennedy just plain old loves her. LOVES her:
I love JenB. LOVE HER. She is funny and smart and makes me laugh and she sends me candy in the mail. She writes great lists, her post about the Oscars from this year alone is worth reading again and again ("Keanu Reeves = sack of hammers"). Did I mention how much I love her? She's Canadian, you know.
Emily loves the way she makes the days better:
Jen is just the sweetest Canadian that I have never met. She always cracks me up and makes me think and our chats about sex are highlights in my boring work day! I heart Jen and Tonic!
Belinda admires Jen's honesty:
JenB is an amazing friend, but beyond that, a compelling blogger because of her complete and total honestly and candor. What you see is what you get with Jen, and I can't even count the number of times that I have found insight or empathy or humor for a situation that I am myself facing, within one of her fantastic posts.Quite simply, Jen is totally worthy of our love! ;-) And if you read her blog and don't check out her Flickr.com sets, you're not getting the "whole picture," so to speak. I do love her photographs!
Sarah is a little sweet on her:
Jen once sent me a care package full of bubble bath and candy unavailable to us poor U.S. saps. Which is fitting, since she is a pocketful of sugar day in and day out.
Sweetney loves her honesty and goodness:
Jen keeps it real, man. She is one of my favoritest people on the planet, and one of the funniest women I've ever met. She's genuine and honest; one of those rare people who are truly GOOD, without a mean bone in her body. If you read her, you can't help but feel connected to her, and if you meet her, you can't help but love her.
Alice adores her strength and vulnerability:
When I think of Jen, a whole bunch of adjectives come to mind: compelling, spontaneous, hilarious, brilliant, vulnerable. Most of all I think "naked," with all the messiness and delight that that implies. Sometimes I just want to run up to Canada and wrap her up in an afghan. But then her next post shows just how strong she really is, and I think, Canada's far, and my crocheting skills are not what they were. I love Jen!
Her readers really do say it best.
Stay tuned for more from Jen B, including an interview later today, and an essay tomorrow!

















Comments
Really - what DID take us so long? We love Jen B!
Posted by: Jenny | June 26, 2006 11:04 AM
A Canadian? Seriously? Woot!
It is a great favour that you are featuring a neighbour from my country. I'm sure JenB is honoured to be the centre of attention.
...off to read!
Posted by: Vicky | June 26, 2006 5:52 PM
After the many IMs I had with Jen before BlogHer last year and then the fun had hanging with her at BlogHer, I agree with Jess...what did take us so long? I think it was Al Gore's fault. That or Oprah's. We'll look into it.
We do love Jen B (and not just because we have a movement going to try to get all mommybloggers to change their names to some version of Jen(n)(y)!)
Posted by: Jenn | June 26, 2006 5:54 PM
JenB grounds me. It's more than wickedly funny writing. And, yes, she has the best candy in the world, but it's even beyond chocolate. I think it's the fact that she listens harder than just about anyone else I know. Got a problem? Email this woman; She'll solve it. Which is a good thing because she's my son's future mother-in-law.
Posted by: Lisa Stone | June 27, 2006 10:38 AM
JenB grounds me. It's more than wickedly funny writing. And, yes, she has the best candy in the world, but it's even beyond chocolate. I think it's the fact that she listens harder than just about anyone else I know. Got a problem? Email this woman; She'll solve it. Which is a good thing because she's my son's future mother-in-law.
Posted by: Lisa Stone | June 27, 2006 10:39 AM
I'm a mean, jaded, bitchy, seen-it-all geezer. But when JenB laid it all out there about her beloved Aunt's illness and passing, I cried like a kid. Bless you, JenB, for your fearless, tender and powerful writing.
Posted by: GraceD | June 27, 2006 1:27 PM
My little tag for my link to Jen is: "Reality among the unreal. With cupcakes." I think that says it all but in case you don't get it what is amazing to me about Jen's writing is she gets right to what is real. And by that I mean difficult, painful, confusing, irritating and absurd. Her writing makes me see whatever she is talking about so clearly. (Is this a sick twisted view of life or what? But c'mon. Let me have my negativity.) I swear if she writes about being itchy I start to feel itchy.
Among the unreal: I guess I mean that there's so much fluff and shiny baubles out there on the internet and Jen's realness stands out to me.)
With cupcakes: The funniness. She's given me lots of funny treats. I may be remembering these posts wrong but the one about how frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches spells the end of civilization as we know it still makes me laugh every time I go to the grocery store.
Posted by: ozma | June 29, 2006 7:33 AM