Kate Gosselin and I: Crafting together...

(Originally posted on 10/22/09, I thought with the END of the Gosselin/TLC era, I would re-post one of my favorite Kate posts from the past)

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I know, I know. You are thinking, "Where did that come from?"

Well, if you have been around this blog for any amount of time, you know that I am on TEAM KATE!

Especially, especially especially during this time of her life! Ugh! I cannot imagine going through a divorce and even more, I can't imagine it happening so publicly! My heart is with ya, sistah!

So, I decided on something that would take her mind off the "junk" people are putting out there because they have nothing better to do than bash people they don't even know…

A NEW reality show...Kate and mine…a spin-off of sorts. With my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants creativity and her very structured nature, I think we could keep the ratings up and satisfy a major network simply on the fact that we would never be totally OK with the other one’s idea of fun.

But, we are adults, we are women, we would have a blast. I have a lot of friends and thousands of you reading my blog and from time to time you all think I have completely lost my mind. Like when I tell you the creative projects we get into at my kitchen table.

Having been a high school art teacher, messes don’t really freak me out. When we are working with supplies that won’t wash off, you know, the kind that stain your skin for a couple weeks, then we go outside. Easy.

My outlook is, “no medium will last as long as a tattoo!”

Our NEW reality show would highlight the fun you can have with your kids without having an aneurysm. With eleven kids on our heels, can you imagine the number of segments we could tape in a short time?

Unlike me, Kate is adamant about her hate for messes. She doesn’t do them. Ever. And quite honestly, with 8 kids, who would?!

In one episode, she and Jon take the kids to the Crayola Factory in Easton and she barely lets the kids try anything. Although, I totally respect her fear of messes (remember, I have lived with a fear-of-messes husband for 15 years), I have made it my mini-mission in life to show moms that Art doesn't always = messes. It is doable with the RIGHT supplies and an ample amount of planning ahead.

I did one of those projects with my youngest this morning and it was delightful. Not a messy hand in sight! My husband has a hard time with my messy tendencies. When it rains, we go outside and play in the mud. When it’s hot we have water fights...with our clothes on. We have even been known to have a small food fight or two.

Although messy and causing my husband a few small strokes, the fun we have will create life-long memories of family fun. It's good to see Mommy and Daddy getting messy and being big kids! Even if Daddy twitches a little.

In my “research” on reality shows it is necessary to have a couple things to be a long-running phenomenon. ]

One of the things on my reality show checklist is an interesting venue. A place that has never ending possibilities for interesting outings … check. Lancaster County is filled with fun and not-so-common-to-the-rest-of-the-planet adventures. I can see me and Kate overseeing a finger painting project using a horse and buggy as our canvas. I see a big sheet of paper clothes-pinned to the side of the buggy...of course the horse's tail will probably whip away a fly and get into the paint...oh that would add a VERY cool element to a kid-style painting! We could donate the “painting” to Hershey Medical Center to hang in the pediatric wing. Who knows, that horse could become famous! Elephants do it!

Talent is a definite must on my checklist and I think Kate has this covered. Any woman that can juggle 8 children day-in and day-out is Mom-of-the-Year in my book. And I have the creativity piece of our show covered! How cool would it be if the Gosselin kids and mine could do art projects and then we could have greeting cards printed with proceeds going to charity! I could write funny blog entries and illustrate each episode to give viewers juicy behind-the-scenes tidbits. People love that stuff! I LOVE THAT STUFF!!

Of course just the right amount of sheer chaos completes the recipe for blockbuster reality show. Just re-read the above paragraphs, close your eyes and visualize the opportunities for chaos. (although in my twisted brain I REALLY TRULY don't see it as chaos! Honest!) Mom viewers would love it. Well, maybe I just needed to talk myself into believing that as my 12-year anniversary of being stay-at-home mom approaches, I actually have a ‘marketable expertise’. Maybe I am distracting myself from cleaning. Either way, I think I may be onto something. Peace.

Please remember this post was written in JEST - something SILLY! If you are tempted to call me a STALKER, please click "next blog" and leave your nastiness elsewhere.

Jon & Kate's BIG Announcement...

Those of you who read my blog know that I am more of a Jon & Kate advocate than a fan. Yes, I enjoy the show, I have read her books, made the children gifts, met her a few times but I am the FIRST person to NOT take pictures, to NOT blog their every move, to NOT get caught up in the tabloid CRAP!

But, as you know, you can't get away from it. It is everywhere and that makes me so sad. Sad for all of them.

So, I probably won't be watching the show tonight when they deliver their big announcement. My husband and I have been married almost 16 years and over those years, we have had many friends who have been in a similar situation to Jon & Kate...would I sit in their living room and WATCH as they drop the divorce bomb or let it all out and decide to reconcile? No. I wouldn't dream of it.

I am NOT at all insinuating that I am Kate's friend, I am simply saying that if it wasn't for comments like this reported in the Philadelphia Examiner, "Television viewers are obviously fascinated with the possibility of the Gosselin marriage unraveling," I don't think TLC would require them to make their announcement on the air. It's all about the ratings...and I think this crosses the line.

So, to TLC...I think there are times when integrity comes FIRST and you come to the aid of those you helped climb to the top (and put millions of dollars in your corporate pocket) and assist that family in being discreet about their issues and help them to go unnoticed as they deal with personal troubles.

Many people say, "They asked for this. They made this decision." Well, I made the decision to be a teacher, so if my school is taken over by gunman and I am shot and killed, does that mean, "I asked for it," too? If I wear a revealing dress to a party, am I "asking" to be raped? I also made the decision to have three children, if one of them makes life choices that cause our family strife and unrest, does that mean that my decision to become a mom is the reason for our family's demise? No. No. and NO!

Someone on my facebook friends' list had this to say and I LOVED IT!:

"I've never watched the show and don't know much about them other that what you've blogged about, but saw her on Rachel Ray, and just think wtheck people, she's a human being, her marriage is her and her husband's business and stay out of it, let them get through it like any other couple would. I have no tolerance for people who find their jollies by bashing other people going through a hard time. They must have very sad lives of their own."

("K" I wasn't sure if you wanted your name attached to this so I kept you anonymous.)

I know the Gosselin's made a decision to go on the air as a reality show. But as far as I know they are not circus freaks who have a crystal ball in their closet and can tell the future. I am certain that, without a doubt, if someone had told Jon & Kate that thier current situation was eminent within 5 years of the first show, they would NOT have signed the contract. If you have read her words in her book, MULTPLE BLES8INGS, you would feel the same way. The Kate in this book is NOT the Kate TLC portrays at times.

My thoughts about tonight's show?

I am going to go with my heart and say I believe their big announcement is that they are going to put their family first, work on their marriage and call it quits on Jon & Kate + 8. And you will hear the loudest applause come from THIS corner of Berks County!

I invite your comments and thoughts...but, as always, BE NICE!

Jon & Kate + 8 needs our SUPPORT...

Hello faithful fans and those of you who Googled "JON & KATE" and ended up here. Don't go anywhere, this is a fun stop on the blogosphere.

If you're new, take a peek at these links and you will see why my many fans keep coming back for more!

7 Random things about ME!, 8 Random things, The Mom Show Episode #1, Chaperoning Turns UGLY, Webster's Dictionary Says

Wow, it has been a VERY busy couple of months and I have been slacking as your hostess of My Semblance of Sanity!

It has been a while since I sat and chatted with you! And with everything going on in the news about my favorite couple JON & KATE, I thought it was a good time to start a good ole' My Semblance conversation!

OK, so those of you who know me know that I have met Kate a few times,

I have read her books, I live in the same county she does and I have endured way too much of the CRAP that the Kate-haters dish out - some of which makes its way onto my blog as hate toward ME.

Tonight I am going to share my thoughts and then I am asking that those of you who have something POSITIVE to say about the show or Jon & Kate themselves will share your 2 cents in the comments section. I would LOVE to bless the Gosselin's with some positive energy! (FAIR WARNING: Trolls, I will delete any defamatory/untrue/rude/hurtful comments so don't bother wasting your time and mine by typing...just telling you ahead of time!)

I love Kate. She is a strong Christian woman who is one of the only REAL people on TV. She is herself no matter WHO is watching. I think that takes a lot of guts and I admire anyone who can TRULY not care what other people think. We all say we don't care, we don't put on a show, but we do and we know we do. We try to look like we have it all together, we try to prove that we can DO IT, we try to keep up with the Jones's....but Kate is real. I have met her a couple of times in different scenarios and she is still REAL in real life. I saw her speak at a Women Of Purpose conference in Hershey and she was great! She joked around and also told the nitty gritty.

There is NO WAY she and Jon could have anticipated THIS kind of frenzy over a couple with a lot of kids. So people who say that J & K asked for this are just naiive. They shop in the stores I shop in and they NEVER can be there without photogs darting through traffic trying to get in her face for pictures. UGH! I just feel for her. She takes a lot of abuse from the public for being grumpy with her husband and her kids...! WTH? WHICH ONE OF US HAS NOT DONE THAT LIKE 1,000 times a day?

I find it interesting that no matter what Jon & Kate do, it is put under a microscope and critiqued like they are on trial. I truly don't understand! Part of me thinks it is jealousy that fuels this fire.

Kate has made an amazing transformation from local nurse to national speaker, she is a mother to 8 gorgeous children, she is a meticulous homemaker who feeds her children mostly organic foods, she is consistent with her discipline, she tells her husband when he pi**es her off and she's not fake - she says what she thinks..about everything!

I don't know about you, but if I had HALF those qualities I would be quite proud of the mother and wife I had become.What do kids do when they are jealous of another classmate? They knitpick and find every little thing they can to knock that kid down a few pegs. That is what those who feed on magazines like US and STAR are doing. It's what the Kate-hate bloggers are doing. They feel intimidated by someone so secure in who she is and in an attempt to make themselves feel better - they bash the hell out of her.

Maybe it is because I live near them...maybe it is because I wish I was a better mom...maybe it is because I would pay a large sum of money to have a physical transformation like Kate has. But one thing I AM consistent in is this comment....

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT - TURN THE CHANNEL!

I ask the haters to do some soul searching..."What makes you prey on Kate and Jon and not the Duggars or the Little People?" I bet if they dig deep enough they will find that it lies in their lack of self-worth and mountains of insecurities.That's sad.

What's sadder is that they are taking a good family down with them.I pray for Kate and Jon and the kids every day. No one deserves what the media is giving this family!

Now, it's your turn. Give them some support.

Peace.

We met Jon...yep, Jon Gosselin!

If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that we live close to the Gosselins, we know the same people and I am convinced that one of these days Kate and I will cross paths and become close friends! (I know that sounds stalker-ish to those of you who haven't followed me for any length of time but those who have will tell you how sincere that statement is.) We are really alot alike and I admire qualities about her in the way I admire the qualities of my very best friends. I am not one of those FANS. Honest. I just KNOW God would give us BIG things to do and I just KNOW we would have a BLAST!

So, I have met Kate (and given her gifts for the kids) and recently we were at a local church function...just so happens to be that Jon & Kate's church is 30 minutes from my house...and the special guest was Jon. Had I known we were going to meet him, I certainly would have made a big stink about it here, but it was a last minute plan and all of a sudden HE WAS THERE.

It was quite funny because my kids were just as excited to meet him as I was. But I kind of stood back and let them chat with him, I just waved. You know how I HATE to be "that fan."

Here he is:

I met Kate Gosselin!

Hershey, PA is a great place to be no matter what! THERE IS CHOCOLATE THERE! LOTS AND LOTS OF CHOCOLATE!

The street lights are GIGANTIC HERSHEY KISSES... every other one is unwrapped. You can actually SMELL chocolate if your windows are down! With streets called Hershey Drive and Cocoa Avenue, how can you NOT love this place?

Not sure how that HOCKERS fit into the whole Chocolate theme, but, hey...to each his own!

Kate was slated to be the guest speaker at the STEPPING OUT: WOMEN OF PURPOSE 2008 Christian Women's Conference. See those dancing ladies?! Aren't they awesome?! 3,000 very cool Christian women were in attendance! They weren't all dancing! (Those are actually cardboard ladies, not real ones!)

And we sat in the second row...RIGHT BEHIND THIS SEAT with THIS SIGN ON IT!

Now, I need to explain...MY focus for the day was NOT to be a "fan" - I was completely HONORED to meet Kate! They told us at the book table that those with books would get priority to meet her so she could sign them. I had my book with me. I bought it a couple weeks ago and finished it in 2 days!

I know I have said this before and I know some of you scoff and think, "Whatever!" (it's ok that you scoff, I still love you! Even my BFFs that were with me scoffed...all day!) But, here it is! I was as excited to meet Dawn and Mimi (last years when we got to go see Oprah, thanks to a WONDERFULLY AMAZING READER! Thanks Kendra!) as I was to meet Kate. Dawn, Mimi and I had never met in person, only knew each other via the blogosphere but we had a connection that was unexplainable! Like sisters separated at birth!

So, I felt like I was meeting up with just another friend I had yet to meet! I took no pictures. (The pictures in this post are from my friends' cameras.) I didn't squeal and get all goofy! I did get her autograph but when Dawn's books come out, you better believe I will get hers, too!

So, we sit down in our seats behind the SPECIAL GUEST SIGN...not because it was MY choice, but because my friends insisted. Quite honestly, I agreed because I thought it would be easier to give her the huge giftbag with NAMESAKES in it at our seats than make a production of it for the audience of 2,999 other women standing in line after she spoke. But, whoever was supposed to sit in that seat never came. That was ok. We were in the second row and I was happy!

Then I hear an, "Excuse me!" My friend, Dina, tapped me and pointed passed Anne-Marie (our third musketeer) to a girl with a huge smile. What she said made my bones giggle with excitement! It was the best thing I had heard all day! She said, "Hi! Do you have a blog? I think I read your blog!"

This is me texting Dawn and Mimi and 400 other people and telling them about my fan! Actually, she had Googled something about "seeing Kate speak" and I can't figure out HOW I came up in that search...can you? *grins* I am embarrassed to say that even though my fan and I chatted for sometime about how thrilled we were to see and hear Kate, I never got her name. If you are reading, please introduce yourself! I feel horrible!

Before Kate came on stage there was a slide show of the kids and sweet worship music. Some of the photos I had never seen, so that was fun! (Not that I think I have seen ALL of Kate's photos!) One photo that always makes me giggle is the big belly shot. The one from the side on the day she delivered the sextuplets. Why do I giggle? Because the caption under that picture tells that her belly was 54" in circumference. Not funny? It is when mine was only 2 or 3 inches smaller and I only had ONE baby! How sad is that?! LOL! But...my daughter was 11 lbs at birth...almost as much as Kate's 6 COMBINED at birth!

Anyway, it was so neat to listen to her speak without all the interruptions TLC provides. She spoke so calmly and like we were all...all 3,000 of us...sitting on her couch in her living room! It could happen. She is used to crowds! She birthed one!

She spoke of all the miracles that happened, of her faith, of Jon and his strength...GO HERE TO BUY HER BOOK! You will be so blessed by knowing her story...not just what you see on TLC! Kay Arthur spoke after Kate, I made my way to the exit to stand in line so I could give her the NAMESAKES! There were already tons of people in line. I started to worry that I wouldn't get to her before she had to go. But, I figured God had blessed me with the time to make the NAMESAKES, He would make sure I got the chance to give them to her.

I did!

She signed my book as we chatted! I handed her the bag and told her I made something for "the kids."

Then the guy with the gray hair inspected my gift bag as if I stuffed it full of Poison Ivy! But, I get it...she's a celeb and you can't be too careful! They were trying to get so many people through the line, there was no time for her to look in the bag and that was just fine with me. I am just so thrilled to have had the opportunity to make them for her!

The previous shot is funny! See how she is saying, "Awwwww." It's because my BFF, Anne-Marie leaned over and said to her, "She just might be your BIGGEST fan!" Then I leaned in and said, "But NOT the scary kind!" Kate, I think, was relieved! LOL!

I thoroughly enjoyed the conference! The worship was amazing! Kay Arthur, of course, was amazing!! And I am so tickled that my NAMESAKES made it to Kate safely!

I hope they like them!

Thanks, God, for the gifts you have given me so that I can bless others in Your Name!

I hate to do this...

It's late. I am sooooo beat. I will fill you in tomorrow on my wonderful WOMAN OF PURPOSE!

Monkey Munch + a cardboard box = time to READ!!

Our mailwoman brought me a special surprise on Thursday so I fed the kids some sugar, lead them outside, gave them a box and I sat at the picnic table and grinned from ear to ear....

This is MONKEY MUNCH (as seen on Jon & Kate + 8). This is what I fed them.

So, I (with the help of my two boys) made a huge batch of it. It is SOOOOOOO good! All my kids are addicted to watching Jon & Kate on Monday nights and so they have been craving Monkey Munch and we have never made it.

Here is the recipe:

Put 9 cups of chex cereal (we use wheat for the extra fiber and vitamins) in a large bowl

Melt 1 cup of choc chips, 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan.

Mix in 1/2 tsp of vanilla into pan when you turn the heat off.

Pour chocolate/PB mix over chex and stir thoroughly.

When all chex pieces are covered empty bowl into giant ziploc bag.

Pour in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, zip bag and shake.

VOILA!

MONKEY MUNCH!

This is the CARDBOARD BOX (as seen in the aisle of any LOWE'S). This is what gave them.

Isn't it funny that you can have $14,000 worth of legos, Wii games, books, bikes, jump ropes, skateboards, balls and a neighborhood filled with friends and still they are "BOOOOOORED!" But you take a box that your new mailbox post came in, rip the ends open and throw it to the middle of the backyard and they are happily occupied for HOURS!!!

Perfect because that is JUST what I needed on this day!

This is what the MAILWOMAN BROUGHT (as seen on Amazon.com 2 days prior). This is what I did until they lost interest in their box!

This book has gone everywhere with me in the last 3 days (except church...there's a bigger book there!) and I have grabbed every second I could to read a few more words. I have cried, smiled and laughed out loud the whole way through. I LOVE IT!

And when I see Kate on November 14th at the WOMEN OF PURPOSE conference, I am going to have her sign it....right after I hand her 8 NAMESAKES personalized for her 8 angels!

Kate Gosselin...here I come!

I am sooooo excited...

On November 14th I will be spending the afternoon with someone I have recently bonded with although she doesn't know we have bonded. Someone I think has an amazing head on her shoulders. Someone I admire for her strong Christian values. Someone who may dislike messes but sure knows how to show her kids a good time. Someone who is not afraid to be real. Someone who doesn't pretend to have it ALL together ALL of the time. Someone who hopefully won't think I am a stalker when I say,

"OHMYGOSHKATEIJUSTTHINKYOUARETHEBESTTHINGANDIJUSTKNOWIFWEHUNGOUTYOUWOULDLIKEME,YOUWOULDREALLYLIKEME!"

On November 14th I am headed to the WOMEN OF PURPOSE conference in Hershey, PA. Kate is one of the speakers and although my friends that I am going with think I am going to tackle her and embarrass them with my giddy squealing, I assure them I will be composed and normal. LOL! They giggle when I refer to myself as normal! Just because I am fun! Really fun!

In all seriousness though...I am truly not psychotic. I just really hate when people who insist their poo don't stink throw slander in the direction of someone who is NOT asking for it! Kate has never asked for anyone's opinion and yet there are people who spend hours each week blogging about her and usually not in a nice way.

I love that Kate has scripture hanging from every cabinet in her kitchen. I have scripture in my kitchen. It helps to keep me focused. It helps to remind me of where my mind should be when someone pees on the floor or feeds play-doh to the dog.

I love that Kate is REAL on the show. She doesn't fake anything. If she is annoyed with Jon, he is quite aware. And you if you watch the show enough, he has said more than once that they are not the kind of couple that WANTS to hold it in...they find comfort in letting it out. Now if she was whacking him in the back of the head with a frozen turkey leg, that might be a bit extreme, but she is simply being honest and open. How can anyone find fault with that?

So, I am so excited to meet Kate and have her sign their new book and give her 8 NAMESAKES! Yes, between now and November 14th, I will make each of the kids their own NAMESAKE. Ironically, I make NAMESAKES to raise money for Childhood Cancer Families and Jon & Kate's charity of choice is Childhood Cancer. Even more ironic...I instituted a new facet of fundraising to my foundation its4thekids and it is a YARD SALE fundraiser - kind of similar to an Alex's Lemonade Stand...hold a yard sale and donate your profits to its4thekids! Jon & Kate just held a yard sale and raised $1000 for Childhood Cancer! Good minds think alike!

I love their new website! Check it out!

This post is in SUPPORT of Kate. Let me know your favorite thing about the Gosselin 10! If you have nothing positive to say, please don't bother leaving a comment, I am not interested in your opinion.

GIVE KATE A BREAK...

*photo coutesy of Koreamjournal.com

Wow! Somewhere there is a blog sending Kate-haters to my Jon & Kate + 8 + Me post. It kind of cracks me up that people like that actually take the time to search out people like me and THEN take even MORE time to leave insidious comments like those at the end of that post. What gets me even more is they don't comment in a way that I could respond only to them. They are either anonymous or their screen name doesn't link to anything. Real big of ya. Really, people? I truly don't get it. If I could comment directly to those people, it would go something like this: First of all, why do you care so much that I actually like Kate? You don't even know me. Because if you knew me, you would know that I am one of the most strong-headed-make-my-own-decisions person you will ever meet. Your opinions on anything wouldn't sway my own. It's just how I am. If I like Kate, I like Kate. Period. Second of all, I would like to know how many of you have never said anything to your spouse that would embarrass you if it were aired on National TV. Nothing? Are you sure? You are kidding yourself if you continue to refute the fact that there are a handful of comments you wish you could take back; an armload of attitude that would make you look bad. We have all had those times where our spouse's actions or comments have left us wondering why we don't just fillet him on the spot...call it hormones, call it insanity...it happens. Third, look away from the computer and count your children. Do you have 8? Count them, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-EIGHT! OF COURSE THE POOR WOMAN DOESN'T WANT A MESS....it would be EIGHT FREAKING times bigger than the normal mess a child can make. If you have a child, you know what I mean. If you don't have a child, (*laughs*) just wait. When you are cleaning spit-up off the back of your head and wondering how it got there, you will also be thanking the LORD ALMIGHTY that you do not have EIGHT! And you wanna talk about stress? Stress that makes you want to peel your own eyelids off because it couldn't feel worse? No one who has left a comment on my blog could POSSIBLY KNOW the stress Kate Gosselin feels in her own home! Here's the thing. I really like Kate. Not because she is famous and not because I am a stalker, but because I am a mom. I have LESS than HALF of Kate's kids and even just looking back over the last few days, there are moments that, if televised, would make me crawl into a hole and die. Let's be clear. Those moments don't make me a bad mom, it doesn't make me a horrible wife or a bad Christian, it makes me HUMAN! I give Kate Gosselin a huge pat on the back for being genuine. For not being afraid to bare her soul, good side and bad, to make the rest of us not-so-perfect moms realize that we are not alone. I am a big fan of the show and I am a BIGGER fan of REAL people who don't feel they need to "fake it" so the ignorant ones don't throw stones. Glass houses, people. Get it?