“The Orlando Sentinel’s” TV Critic, Hal Bodeker posted on his blog tonight that Jon and Kate Gosselin have been living apart for two years. TWO YEARS! Not the 4-6 months they have both mentioned on their show. This makes me mad.

That makes their Hawaiian wedding renewal ceremony a big, fat fake. The photos of them dressed all in white with beautiful Hawaiian leis around their necks, fake. Adorable, happy children dressed in matching outfits, fake. Smiles all around, fake. Fake, fake, fake.

I know it’s reality TV and I shouldn’t trust it, but I fell for it. I didn’t watch the show very often, but guess that I watched it enough to care. I believed what I saw. I felt it was a real portrayal of a young family dealing with how to cope with eight children. I wanted to get tips on how to organize my own family life.

Now, I find out it’s a “ruse” as Hal says.

*UPDATE*

Thanks Slopez for commenting and letting me know that Hal updated his blog with corrected information from the Associated Press — Jon and Kate were living apart for two weeks not two years.

So, maybe I won’t be quite as mad about the reality of the show not being real, but I still think the wedding was a poser. I think it was probably TLC’s idea to have them renew their vows and they did it for the fanfare and the trip to Hawaii.

Reading through the recent edition of “Parenting” magazine I loved a quote it featured in its Q&A section. It asked kids, “What do kids do better than adults?”

“Have fun! All grown-up do is sit around while kids play in the park.”

– Vivian, 5, New York City

It’s easy to say we sit around because we’re so damned tired from working, taking care of the kids, cleaning, shopping, helping with homework, and getting little or no sleep, but little Vivian has something here. Adults, especially parents, need to play more. Think about that next time you are about to sit on the bench thumbing through your iPhone while your kid is on the jungle gym.

I’m over trying to figure out what is going to happen to Jon and Kate. TLC is promoting a “life changing” announcement on tonight’s episode of “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”

But I Care

I care because I’ve watched this show a few times and I know this is a real family. It’s a family with a mom and a dad and 8 great kids. Kids that want to be a family that stays together — what family doesn’t? I’m not planning on watching tonight’s show because I can’t bear to see this family break up. I’m also over seeing this family on TV. It was cute at the beginning and I think that so many moms can learn from Kate Gosselin — she’s an organizing queen, but there is a time to say, “enough.” If the big D word is said tonight, I think the family should not contniue the show. Let Jon and Kate, plus the kids, deal with this in private.

UPDATE: 

Jon and Kate announce they are “separating.” Watch the clip on TLC’s Web site.

Rule Number One

Don’t buy presents for Father’s Day. It just causes you to have to go running around getting something that he may not even need or want. It wastes your time.

Before Mother’s Day this year my  husband and I had a conversation about presents for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  At the time we were dealing with a newborn who wouldn’t sleep through the night (she still doesn’t) and my mother-in-law who was dying. Presents were the last thing we needed to worry about, so I suggested we get each other nothing. It’s turned out to be a great thing.

For Mother’s Day my husband got to spend much needed time with his mother without feeling guilty that he hadn’t gotten me a present. My step-father made me and my mom a delicious breakfast of eggs benedict with homemade hollondaise that we all go to enjoy as a family as we avoided the restaurants.

Rule Number Two

Rule number 2 on these holidays: No restaurants. They are packed and mostly offer special menus that may or may not be as good as their regular menu. Normally the service isn’t as good either because they are so busy. I’d rather eat a nice meal at home on these occassions.

Exceptions

We do have one caveot to this pact: Cards are accepted and appreciated.  And anthing homemade is great.

Tomorrow I’ll let my husband sleep in (that’s the greatest present ever) and I’ll have my son help me make breakfast for us to take him in bed as he’s waking up. We’ll lay around most of the day doing whatever we want until dinner rolls around. It’ll be a great day without the worry of having to figure out something to buy for my husband. Words and actions of kindness will be more than enough for us to let him know what a great Dad he really is.

A couple of days ago I Tweeted about a segment on “Good Morning America” where they featured a woman who is on a crusade to ban cupcakes at children’s birthday celebrations in school. I got several comments from friends and thought I’d open up the conversation here. The Mom in the story wants parents to have to sign a permission slip before their kids are allowed to eat sweets at school. She comes from a family history of obesity and doesn’t want her kids to have to deal with this in their lives.

Going Overboard?

While I think she’s on the right track with wanting her kids to eat healthy, I think she’s taking it too far. She gives her kids plastic containers to bring to school so that if they get a cupcake, they are to put it in the container and bring it home. Once home, they will talk about it and they might be able to eat it.

All I can think of is these kids toting home cute little frosted cupcakes, then still not being allowed to eat them. I’m pretty sure I’d scarf that cupcake down before I made it home.

Moderation

I think it’s about moderation. We can’t control everything our kids do. We aren’t with them all day. If we mandate permission slips for each and every thing our child is to ingest, it won’t teach them about self control.

• You can read the GMA story here.

What do you think?

Photo courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu.