<p>So here is a thread for the purpose of just putting something out here that may be on your mind. Something that occurred to you, that you liked, didn’t like. But wasn’t a big enough deal to start its own thread.</p>
<p>Cinnabon Turnovers. Get these in the supermarket. They will change your life. Flaky phyllo dough, cinnamon and cream cheese goodness, warm out of your oven. Absolute bliss. Cool thing about these. They speak. That’s right. They speak. If your house is quiet, you will hear them calling you from the freezer. What is there to do but answer?</p>
<p>I have taken to watching the show “Jon & Kate Plus 8” on TLC. I have no idea why I watch this, but I’m fixated and stayed up till after midnight the other night watching it. I want to be organized like Kate. Oh and the other are the wedding shows. ZS’s gym teacher was featured on one of them. I wasn’t too impressed.</p>
<p>Speaking of over-the-top events, ZS is in the court of an upcoming Sweet 16. Had to get a cocktail dress, shoes, accessories. Birthday girl is springing for everyone’s hair and mani/pedi. Plus individual photo albums by the photographer for all attendants, which is very nice, but I think this is nuts. Nice girl, though, but boy is it tough to find a red cocktail dress at this time of year without spending buckets of money. </p>
<p>So, has anyone any observations, opinions, or experiences to share that are just casual and conversational?</p>
<p>We sent S1 to Brazil for 8 weeks on Saturday. He told us he would try to get an email to us by Tuesday. Sure enough, he waited until tonight to send us assurances that he arrived OK. In his email, he mentioned that there is a computer both at the house (homestay) and at school, so I am a little peeved that he didn’t send one earlier. It’s not like he had to track down an Internet cafe.</p>
<p>He is doing a Portuguese language immersion program in Maceo through AmeriSpan. He did a Spanish immerision/homestay program through UVA in Lima last summer. Interestingly, he says the classes are much harder at this school. I would have predicted just the opposite. He also says, “This place is really chill with no signs of danger.” This is reportedly a bad thing and he misses the wild lifestyle of Lima. Little does he know I spent a lot of time researching to find exactly this characteristic. The son of his host mom is into bodybuilding, so he thinks he will join a gym. He also finished 300 pages in his book on the plane (reading Drop City) so all is well.</p>
<p>I will be tuning into election results beginning around 9:00.</p>
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<p>I never knew this show existed until two weeks ago when our recently graduated daughter moved back home. Apparently this show is a regular staple in her sorority house. I’ll bet I’ve now seen at least half of the shows ever produced due to their marathon scheduling. And yes, I feel like a total failure compared to Kate; she is invincible. </p>
<p>Cinnabon is always the highlight of any trip we’ve made between Chicago and Syracuse, or Chicago and Allentown as there’s not one within 45 minutes of where we live. However, due to my health (detailed below) problems right now, I don’t think even I could hear them speaking to me from my freezer. Perhaps that’s a good thing. But I’ll bet Kate doesn’t keep Cinnabon in her house.</p>
<p>D’s graduation party is Saturday; I’ve been sick for the last three weeks with a cold that turned into bronchitis and caused a ruptured eardrum on a plane flight home from Philadelphia (why else do you think I’d spend so much time in front of the TV learning about Jon and Kate). I was finally able to clear my tubes yesterday for the first time, but the ENT says I still have a blood clot on the eardrum that he will attempt to take off next week, after I spend a week of pouring olive oil in my ear canal daily to loosen up the clot. So until yesterday, I’ve done nothing to get ready for the party, except write checks to people do do stuff for me, which pains me greatly when I’d otherwise do it myself. Did I mention Kate is a god?</p>
<p>opinion - I made a trip to Costco today, and am overwhelmingly happy with my decision to switch from Sam’s Club to Costco. Over the years, I’ve become incredibly disgruntled with Walmart/Sam’s Club for a number of reasons (one includes their attempts to locate in our community on one of the most pristine pieces of property that exists), but since Costco is further, it took a while to make the switch. Not only do I love the savings in gas I get when I fill up there, but the selection is better, the store is cleaner, and the staff is friendlier and more helpful. Their prices don’t always beat Sam’s Club, but they are competitive (I really should shop like Kate does - her family eats so healthily - then maybe I wouldn’t have gotten sick).</p>
<p>teriwitt - beware Costco. No matter what you go in for, you will find good prices on other things. YOu won’t get out for under $100. Ever. The gas prices are great but watch if prices drop (yea, dreaming) they tend to drop slower - that volume buying thing.
I love Costco. Their roasted chickens are half agian as big as the ones at the local grocery for the same price. Buy 2, pick off the meat and freeze it for later dinners.</p>
<p>Wow, Teri, I’m sorry you’ve been sick. The ear drum thing makes me cringe. I hope you feel better soon.</p>
<p>Kate is God. I am astounded by that house and organized children. I have three and my meal times have never been that well-run, doing it with 8 is astounding. Did you see the episodes about each child doing his or her own thing for a day? What a great idea. Wish I’d done that. I’m always impressed by how loving she is as a drill sargeant!</p>
<p>I think I’ve seen every episode of “Jon and Kate Plus 8”…and now, S and GF (both age 19) are starting to watch all the episodes as well. It’s kind of addicting, isn’t it?</p>
<p>“It’s kind of addicting, isn’t it?”</p>
<p>Yes! Why?</p>
<p>dragonmom - yea, when I checked out today (I went in with a list of six things) the girl (who actually loaded my stuff on the conveyor belt for me, then back into my cart) noted some of my items and said, “Oh, lots of fun stuff.” I replied, “Yea, and none of them were on my list!” She laughed. Tonight for dinner we had the egg white quiches and spinach salad (Kate would approve). </p>
<p>zmom - yep, saw that one. That must have taken some amount of coordination. I’m still figuring out all the personalities, but D has them all down and keeps me in the know as the show is on. I absolutely would have lost it had my kid responded the way the twins did at the American Girl place!</p>
<p>Another fan of Jon & Kate plus 8 here! I love that show. One of my Ds introduced me to it several months ago and we all watched one of their marathon days. I don’t know what is so enjoyable about it but I do love watching. The kids are adorable and I admire Jon & Kate and how they don’t try to make it all seem so perfect. The kids scream, they hit each other, the house is often strewn with toys, things go wrong, Jon & Kate bicker, it’s probably as real a view as possible in a reality show. And so different than that very strange Dugger clan. I loved the ‘special day’ episodes especially the one where Mady gets her ears pierced (and bad Aunt Jodi gives the little ones gum! Hilarious!).</p>
<p>I had a good day today. One of those days where you go shopping and are fortunate enough to find everything you are looking for, and in exactly the right color! I had fun finding some interesting things for a wedding shower for my D who’s getting married this summer. Also found a cute little (and inexpensive) purse to match the shoes I had already bought. I took a chance that the color would match (forgot to take the shoes with me!) and was so happy when I got home and it was perfect. </p>
<p>Teri, I hope you feel better soon and that your ear heals with no problem. I had an infection a few years ago and lost most of the hearing in one ear. It’s a very annoying problem most of the time, particularly when someone is sitting on that side of me and we’re trying to have a conversation. The only benefit I’ve found is when my H is snoring and I simply turn over and lie on my ‘good ear’ side. :)</p>
<p>Another Kate and Jon plus 8- addict here.
Can watch for hours straight in some hypnotic way, even if I have seen the episodes. Feeling relieved to know there are others out there, too, with this fascination.
Maddie- geesh ! Aidan -too cute. Collin- the mother’s helper.
The plane trip to Utah, detoured to Boise, many, many hours delayed, all kids crying, hungry and hot- painful to watch as Kate bursts into tears.</p>
<p>Teri- sorry about the ear problems, hoping it heals well without lasting effects. Follow all instructions, husband suffers with constant ringing in his ear (tinnitus) from something like this! Beware.</p>
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That’s exactly one of my fears right now - when I saw the ENT the day after it happened, his audiologist gave me a hearing test, and his comment to me was, “Well, considering everything you have going on, it’s not TOO bad.” They will do another test next week when I have the clot removed. I do like the idea of tuning out the snoring, though!</p>
<p>Yea for the good day shopping; I usually find tons of things I want when I don’t need them, then can’t find anything when I do. Is this your first child getting married? Now that I have a college graduate, I start to think about the prospect of weddings, although if my daughter doesn’t stop being so picky, I won’t have to worry about it for a long time.</p>
<p>Maddie reminds me so much of my middle daughter that I always want to tell Kate that she ain’t seen nothin’ yet. But beautiful children.</p>
<p>Does anyone else fear that they have an actual addiction to their electronic devices? I’m not talking about just the computer. I have TWO Blackberrys (I don’t spell it like the fruit when I refer to th extensions of my hands that keep me in constant contact with my business and personal world) and I run with a Garmin GPS watch. One day the Garmin wouldn’t boot up and I, literally, could not go on my run. I would not have known my time, distance, pace or heartrate and I could not deal with that! Then there is the IPOD, but I run without it about half the time. I have mixed feelings about it all- I like having all the “data”, but sometimes it feels sort of like overload.</p>
<p>My H just got a crackberry - it’s awful. He answered 18 emails before 11AM on a Sunday.
Try to disconnect. It’s what you would be paying extra for at a spa, if that makes you feel better!<br>
OK, I’m signing off or this advice will be worth nothing…</p>
<p>Did you see the episode where they talk about making pancakes from scratch every Saturday and how much of each ingredient they use? 9 cups of flour, 7 cups of milk? And how many each kid can eat? Yikes!</p>
<p>D introduced me to J&K+8 over the Christmas holidays and it now a staple on my Tivo. D & her sorority sisters watch it off the Tivo at the house after chapter meetings. D & I both think that Kate can be kind of harsh sometimes, particularly to Jon. One of D’s friends when she was growing up had a mom who would have a meltdown over things like Kate did when Jodi gave the little ones gum. When you get someone to babysit 7 kids for you and all goes well with the exception of a little gum, life’s not that bad. While I enjoy the show, I think they are in danger of being overexposed. One of last night’s reruns discussed potty training and all I could think was those kids are going to hate seeing that in 10-12 years.</p>
<p>Hmmmm . . . I’ve seen a little of Jon and Kate + 8 and must confess I didn’t likeher at all – too controlling, yells at the husband, seems self-centered. And oh yeah, did I say she’s too controlling??</p>
<p>But you are all telling me I should take another look. Huh.</p>
<p>“Did you see the episode where they talk about making pancakes from scratch every Saturday and how much of each ingredient they use? 9 cups of flour, 7 cups of milk? And how many each kid can eat? Yikes!”</p>
<p>And did you see her making the pancakes into hearts? I’ve never done that. I’m so inadequate.</p>
<p>"When you get someone to babysit 7 kids for you and all goes well with the exception of a little gum, life’s not that bad. While I enjoy the show, I think they are in danger of being overexposed. "</p>
<p>That aspect of her personality reminds me of me. The controlling part, I mean. When she yelled at Jon in Toys R Us, it could have been me. </p>
<p>But I do admire how she runs the house because mine is never that orderly and I had 2 kids and then one much later. Plus Kate adores and is grateful for her kids. That’s what I like. the sense of gratitute in her children. I also enjoy looking at little ones since I don’t have any anymore.</p>
<p>She’s either extremely organized or heavily medicated. I barely survived one, how does she do it? My favorite is when she packs for a trip.</p>