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I ran across this column today. It’s one of the best summaries of the Jon and Kate situation I have seen and I wanted to share it with you.
For The Gosselins Sake, Let’s Hope Their Show Fails - Marybeth Hicks
Since the season premiere went off last night, I have been trying to figure out why I can’t get you and your family out of my head. While MY family has kept up with YOUR family in the last couple of years, we have not been watching from the beginning. At the time your show was starting on TLC, I had a 2 yr. old daughter, a 4 yr. old son and a 39 yr. old husband with some health problems. It’s not 6 infants, but it was almost more than I could bear at the time!
For a long time, I only watched the show out of a sense of perverse “rubbernecking”. I didn’t know when it actually aired in the regular schedule but, anytime I ran across it, I couldn’t help but stop and watch. The sheer VOLUME of everything (diapers, bottles, food, furniture, clothes, etc.) mesmerized me. At some point, I introduced the show to my husband and, gradually, we started watching because of the personalities of you and your children. We liked you and we felt like, if we knew you personally, we would enjoy spending time with you. As we learned more about you, we realized that our children were around the same age as yours and that the sextuplets shared my husband’s birthday.
Before we knew it, our children were watching with us. They loved watching so many kids their age get involved in all the activities and experiences showcased on your show. We loved having an entertaining show that we could all watch together. Again, we rarely, if ever, watched the actual broadcast but managed to find enough reruns to keep up to date.
When I received an assignment to review your book for The Christian Library Journal, I was thrilled to have the chance to read it. I enjoyed the book; wrote my review and went on with my daily routine. Several days later, I saw the first headline about the trouble in your family. I didn’t want it to be true so I deleted the article from my reader went into “denial mode” and moved on. As the headlines continued and trailers for your show began to address the problems, I realized that, as much as I wished differently, there had to be some truth there.
Last night, I watched the season premiere as something more than a casual observer and something less than a die-hard fan. Today, I realized the reason I couldn’t quit thinking it was because watching it made me sad…sad to see a family in such turmoil; sad to know that you may have all the “stuff” you need but still not have each other; and especially sad that we didn’t watch WITH our kids because we felt the need to screen the episode first.
I don’t begrudge you any of the celebrity or the money or the experiences you and your family are sharing. I don’t care that you have a big house and nannies and free stuff that makes your daily life simpler. I AM a little envious of your weight loss but that’s really a different issue! Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could muster the anger and ill-will that some seem intent on sending your way. I’m sad, nonetheless, because I know I’ll never be able to watch your show through the same eyes again. From now on, when I run across the reruns, it won’t be just a slice of your life that I see. It will be just another ”drama”, real or staged, on TV.
My prayer for you and your family is that, in the long run, you will feel that it (your show and the benefits from it) was worth whatever price ALL OF YOU had to pay. If you don’t think it will be, I hope you’ll discover that sooner rather than later and that I’ll be forced to find something else to watch on TV.
Fondly,
Rachel Langston
I tend to look for reading spots that are comfortable BUT my daughter does not seem to mind reading in a straight back chair. As long as she’s reading, she can choose any spot she wants!
Reading...straight up!
NOTE: To fully appreciate this story, you should know that we didn’t find out the gender of either of our children before they were born. We liked preparing for “it” until we found out whether a boy or girl had arrived in the delivery room.
After our first child, a son, was born. My niece, then 2, became VERY interested in all aspects of his care – feeding, changing and grooming. As she got a little older, the grooming became more of a focus. She was (and remains) interested in all things neat, fresh and girly. From time to time, she would ask me to do her hair. Being the mother of a boy and never having been interested in “doing hair”, I would often tell her that I didn’t know how to do “girl hair”.
On May 20, 2003, our 2nd child, a girl was born. Needless to say, we were thrilled. Now, we had one of each. They were healthy and had heads FULL OF HAIR. They still are and still do. Shortly after our family found out that the new baby was a girl, my niece, now 4, was visiting me in my room at the hospital. With an extremely serious face, she asked, “Aunt Rachel, WHAT are you going to do with a girl? You don’t know how to do girl hair!”
Honestly, in that moment, even I didn’t know what I was going to do with a girl! I have never been known as a “girly girl”; I am, often, more interested in boy things than not; and, truthfully, I didn’t know how to do girl hair!
Thankfully, time teaches us lots of things. Today, that little girl is celebrating her 6th birthday with a spa party. She is a wonderful blessing to all of us and she’s just the right mix of “girly girl” and “little sister” to keep things interesting. As for me, I have lots left to learn but I am definitely making progress on the “girl hair”. Just check out this “do” from the dance recital a few days ago…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!
After the first game of my son’s baseball season, the scoreboard read Astros – 20, Indians -4. My son was an Indian and not a very happy one at that! On the league website, there were comments about the Indians’ “first year head coach” and references to the team that “might not win a game all year”. It definitely looked like it might be a long season!
Fortunately, 8 yr. old boys don’t have much inclination to worry about what other people are saying about them. (YET!) As for the Indians, they have quietly gone about their business since that first game. They have practiced. They have kept practicing. They have paid attention to what their coaches have told them. They have supported each other. They have learned to back each other up. They have improved. They have been patient. They have been gracious – whether they won or not.
AND they have won some games…13 and counting! Anyone that has ever been part of playing sports and/or part of a team knows that there are infinite ways that sports teaches about life. Win, lose or tie, there is nothing like the feeling of playing a game, practicing to get better and winning.
Tonight, the #6 seed Indians will play the #9 seed Braves for the 8 yr. old League Championship. Based on statistics and predictions (i.e. what was written on the website), these are 2 of the last teams that would have been expected to take the field tonight. Never once have they been touted as the “best” by anyone. Well done, boys. Thanks to you, this championship will be settled on the field, right where it should be!
OK. This is actually reading from the past 2 weeks. Last weekend was full of dance recitals, baseball, birthdays and Mother’s Day so I never got anything posted.
Who’s a bad mother? - Susan Cheever
Really Bad Ideas for Mother’s Day - Rocks In My Dryer
Purpose Slid Out With The Placenta - Cathy @ Mommy Needs Motivation
20 Small Things YOU Can Do to Help The Country - John Hawkins
10 Ways To Mother - Rebecca Hagelin
5 Frugal Lessons I Learned From My Mother - Leah Ingram
I’ve Got People - Angela G @ Mom 4 Life
The month of May is an unusually busy time for our family. In between all the normal “end of the year activities” (recitals, sports tournaments, awards ceremonies, school programs and parties, etc.), my husband and daughter both have birthdays to celebrate. Not to mention Mother’s Day! You get the idea…May at our house is full to overflowing with occasions, celebrations, appointments and places for us to be.
During this time, command central my calendar looks like some sort of bizarre treasure map or some form of a secretly coded document. There are strange abbreviations and highlighted areas filled with everything from driving directions to recipes written in the margins. I still prefer using a written calendar but, even if I didn’t, I would have to during this month because that tiny little screen on my Blackberry couldn’t BEGIN to contain all the things I need crammed into each day! Much of the month is lived “day by day” (if not “hour by hour”). There is just no other way to get all the uniforms washed, gifts purchased, food prepared, etc.
Currently, my son’s baseball team is playing in a tournament. Yesterday, on Thursday, he told me all about Saturday’s game…what field they would play on, who the potential opponents were, what the win-loss records would be. He must have started a sentence with “on Saturday” about 6 times. He didn’t seem to be focusing at all on Thursday’s game. You know, the one he would be playing in a matter of hours today…the game where the opposing team was ranked higher than his team…the game they would need to win BEFORE they could play on Saturday? After hearing about Saturday perhaps one too many times enough, I heard myself say to him, “THERE IS NO SATURDAY! All you need to be thinking about right now is today. If you take care of what you are supposed to handle today (i.e. WIN the ballgame), THEN we can talk about Saturday.”
Just as the last phrase came out of my mouth, it hit me. That is exactly what God has told us in scripture…
“Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1
“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
In other words, God is telling all of us THERE IS NO SATURDAY! For that matter, there is not a Monday or Tuesday either. There is, first and foremost, today. We are to focus on and take care of business today. If we don’t, there is no guarantee that the things written in the Saturday box on our calendars will even happen, much less be relevant by then.
Believe me, this is not the first time I have come across this lesson. Apparently, I have not mastered it or it wouldn’t keep coming up. Truth be told, I like my marked up calendar and my plans and my schedule. I like knowing (or thinking I know) what I am going to be doing 3 weeks from next Tuesday. There is comfort in that for me. It gives me a sense of control and order and security. Until I remember…THERE IS NO SATURDAY.
Several years ago, my husband went through some very serious health problems. During that time, I was overwhelmed with what he needed as well as taking care of the children (then 2 and 4 yrs. old). I managed to juggle everything for awhile but, eventually, faced some health issues of my own. During those months, it seemed like we never got a break. Something else went wrong or had to be addressed every few days. There was no end in sight and certainly no date on the calendar I could mark as the finish line. More than once, I wondered what God was trying to teach me through all uncertainty. Once, after hearing me wonder about it out loud, my mother commented “Maybe He’s trying to teach you to quit worrying about what’s on your calendar.”
What? There’s no Saturday?
One of the best ways to learn something is to teach it to someone else. Maybe, this time, during the course of trying to teach this lesson to my son, I’ll learn it better than I ever have before. In the mean time, it’s a Friday in May and my calendar is totally empty. That’s all I need to know until tomorrow.
Including today, there are 8 more school days for my 2nd grade son and Kindergarten daughter. To celebrate the year and gear up for summer, here are 8 of the things I know today that I didn’t know last August.
1. Kindergarten students don’t get to have “slushie day” in the cafeteria until they get to 1st grade.
2. Even at my age, I still struggle with using my time wisely! I thought that when both my children were “school age”, I would get LOTS of things accomplished around the house. Some days I have. Others, not so much.
3. Technology has come a long way from the filmstrips & overhead projectors! Now, every classroom has smart boards and laptops and learning to use iPods is part of the curriculum.
4. School lunchrooms never change and they have the BEST rolls ever!
5. I could never be the elementary school nurse. They have to pull WAY TOO MANY teeth!
6. School days are a great time to sneak in a lunch date with my husband without having to pay a babysitter.
7. I still have lots of things to learn about carpool. 3 years later and I still don’t have it down!
8. The 2 best days of every school year – the very first one and the very last one!
Happy Summer Everyone!
…ABOUT EXERCISE
If I am totally honest, I have to admit that I’d be happy to know that I never had to exercise again. I would rather eat whatever I want and do nothing more strenuous than a stroll without consequences. It doesn’t work that way!Since I can’t claim ignorance, I’ll own up to a few things about exercise in general (and mine, specifically) that I wish were not true.
1. A little bit is better than nothing. Taking 10 minutes to clear my head and go for a walk produces more benefit than sitting in front of the computer or the TV during that time.
2. A few raindrops falling are not a legitimate excuse to stay home. I wouldn’t let it stop me from meeting friends for a social event and I shouldn’t let it keep me from taking a walk. I won’t melt!
3. I feel better when I am finished. Our bodies are built to use activity to our own advantage. Exercising gives me more energy and it makes my body operate more efficiently.
4. Consistent activity (like, daily) is more beneficial than sporadic workouts. When I miss several workouts in a row, I am likely to try to make up the difference by doing more exercise less often. While that seems to make sense, it really doesn’t. I am much better off doing SOMETHING, ANYTHING more days than not.
5. Exercise makes me feel like I have accomplished something. Some days, that’s ALL I accomplish!
6. I can be active whereever I am, not just at the gym or the track. Ideally, I like to go to the gym and/or use the walking track close to my house. On the days when I can’t make a separate trip “to work out”, I need to make a conscious effort to do some exercise at home. Everything from cleaning house to playing in the yard with the kids is activity!
7. There are no excuses! I know that I need to exercise and there are no physical reasons why I cannot. Even if I wanted to, I can’t find any good (enough) excuses not to get up, get out and get moving!
The New Gospel of Less - Dan Kennedy
The Age of the American Lust Child - Armstrong Williams
In Defense of Bickering - Susanna Schrobsdorff
Daddy, I’m Bored - The Wisdom Journal
Just Watch the Ball - Steve Ridgell
Never Underestimate the Power of a Mother - Rebecca Hagelin
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