Jon & Kate Plus 8

Yes, I have been watching the saga of the Gosselin family for 4 seasons now. Last night I watched the opening episode of season 5. I haven't read any of the articles in the magazines at the grocery checkout line -- just the headlines. So I don't know if Jon really cheated. I don't know if Kate really made an agreement with him to allow him to cheat. I don't know if she had an affair with her body guard. What I do know is that I enjoyed their show because they were a normal family but with more children than normal. They fought, they loved, they played, they worked. They just lived their lives and did the best they could to raise their 8 children. Basically, they were like my family only with a few less children (and of course our kids came along one at a time). Now they seem like a celebrity family with a huge house, fancy toys, expensive vacations, and a staff of employees including bodyguards and nannies. They don't come across as a normal family working together anymore. Given what I've seen on the show and what I saw in last night's episode, here's my unsolicited advice for the Gosselin family...

Kate -- Quit the book tour. Quit the speaking engagements. Stay home with your children. Play with them. Read books with them. Just enjoy them.

Jon -- Get a job. Get a job outside the home. Cultivate friendships with other dads.

I would never want my family's life put on television so I would stop the show immediately. I understand, however, that they make a lot of money doing this, and that's probably asking too much of them. But what is it doing to the kids?

I have started watching a new show on TLC called "Table for Twelve" that I enjoy so much more than Jon & Kate. The Hayes family also has several sets of multiples -- 2 sets of twins and a set of sexteplets. But they come across as a very normal family, a family I can relate to. Mom stays home with the kids while dad works as a police officer. Their home is chaotic at times and so is mine. They laugh at the chaos and I *try* to to do same. What's different about these 2 families -- the Hayes and the Gosselins? I think maybe the Hayes come across like the Gossleins USED TO. So to Jon & Kate -- go back to your roots. Go back to what brought you together in the first place. Take down the facade and be real, like you used to.

Shopping for kids clothes

Rebecca needed a few pair of shorts since she doesn't usually have hand-me-downs to grow into like her sisters. So we went to Target and she didn't find anything that she liked and that I was willing to buy. Either the shorts were really really short (to the point where her bottom was hanging out the back) or they were low rise and she doesn't like the way those fit. What happened to plain old shorts for little girls? So we ended up at Kid to Kid, a local resale shop. We found some great clothes there for both Rebecca and Melanie for a fraction of the cost. It has never bothered me to buy used clothing for my children. The quality tends to be better because you can tell that they have already been through wear and tear from at least one other child and still look great. And I can't beat the price. I spent a little over $20 at Kid to Kid; it would have cost me well over$50 to get the same amount of clothing from an affordable place like Target.

Bathing suits, on the other hand, I buy new. I am willing to let them be passed down from one of my children to the next but I balk at buying them used. I'm searching for modest bathing suits for my girls now because they start swimming lessons in a couple of weeks. It's a definite challenge. My oldest prefers 2-piece suits because they are easier to deal with when she has to go to the bathroom. She has a very valid point there. But I'm not letting her wear a bikini-style suit. How am I supposed to let her do that now and then in a couple of years tell her that it's not acceptable anymore because we don't think it's modest enough? So I'm again searching for a suit that will work for both criteria -- modest and reasonably priced. I'm thinking about a trip to Kohls and will be cruising the Land's End website later today. Any other suggestions?

Free KFC Chicken?

Have you seen the KFC coupons that were touted on the Oprah show for free grilled chicken and a side? Have you had problems with them being accepted at your local KFC? I've been reading in several places online that franchises aren't taking them because corporate doesn't reimburse them for the all the chicken being given away. So only corporate locations are honoring them. The same was apparently true for a national promotion at Popeyes last week. I saw a news story about the only Popeye's store in Minnesota, I think it was. They had lines out to the street and were telling people that they were not honoring the nationally advertised special because they were a franchise. Quiznos has had the same issue with coupons in the past -- only corporate locations accept them and franchises don't because they aren't getting reimbursed. What is wrong with the corporations? Why would they pull thses kind of stunts? I know the reason for the advertised specials and the coupons -- to get customers in the door. Do they think that screwing over their franchise owners is good for their bottom line? I guess maybe they think that if you come in the door you will buy something even if you can't get what you came there for. Well, let me tell you something Mr CEO...I live on a budget. I can't print money like the federal government. If I plan to use a coupon or take advantage of a sale and am denied at the register, I will leave. Even if my kids cry about it, I will leave. And I WILL NOT COME BACK. Trust me. Ask anyone who knows me -- I don't forget these things.