Today you are reading one of my fav bloggers! She’s a fellow southerner & I love reading her blog about her twin girls so much that I can forgive the fact that she roots for a different SEC team than me! 🙂
Jon & Kate Plus Eight-The Low Down
So….this post was SUPPOSED to post on Friday. It didn’t. Fortunately, today’s featurette is the bomb & wasn’t mad at me!
Without further ado, I give you Mandy from My Life as Described by Twin Trials & Triumphs! Enjoy!
What I Learned from Jon & Kate + Eight
I stumbled upon an early episode of Jon & Kate + Eight several years ago, when the sextuplets were babies. It was long before we began our own family, so I had no real connection, but there was something about it that drew me in. I thought that Kate was a really caring mom, seeming to take it all in stride, and of course I was in awe of so.many.kids. in such a small space.
When my husband and I started thinking about children, I began to pay a little closer attention to the Gosselin family as I’d come across them on TV, thinking I might learn a thing or two about life with small kiddos.
And then when we found out we were having twins, I began watching religiously. Granted, I know that TWINS represent a mere ONE QUARTER of the children in the Gosselin household, but I still thought that I might get some insight into the dynamics of multiples.
One of the learnings I really treasure from Jon & Kate + Eight came from a birthday episode. Kate had the party guests sing “Happy Birthday” to each child individually…yes, six times! Our girls may have to share their special day and their party, but the least I can do is give them their own candles to blow out at the end of their own song. We sing to Baby A, who was born first, and then to Baby B, her younger sister (by two minutes).
I remember seeing another episode where a family friend came over to visit. Kate remarked how sweet the lady was always to speak to each child individually, as opposed to saying something inclusive, like, “Hi, guys!” (Of course in the south we would say, “Hey, y’all!” but I got her gist.) I try to apply that logic in several ways. Certainly I address our girls individually, and never refer to them as “the twins”. I also identify certain things as uniquely “theirs”, like their prized hooded towels – one a duck, and one a butterfly.
Several of the later episodes revolved around Jon and Kate spending individual time with their children. I know that’s important, but what really struck me was the importance of spending such time early and often. I remember seeing a “date” with one of the sextuplets, when she was probably four years old. The poor girl seemed so uncomfortable away from the security of her brothers and sisters. I hope I’m setting our girls up to feel that they have an identity apart from each other from the get-go.
And finally, I learned that it’s all relative. I remember seeing Kate make a trip to the grocery store with “only” three of her children. She talked about it being a breeze! My two can sometimes make my head spin, but taking only one – even if she is in true “spider monkey mode” – is easy-peasy in comparison!
Of course that’s not all I learned from Jon & Kate + Eight…
Seeing Kate’s belly after sextuplets makes me feel really good about my “twin skin”. And forget a tummy tuck. It looks really painful.
Invest in a good handheld mirror. It’s important to check out your hair from the front and the back and both sides before leaving the house.
Dancing with the Stars must be harder than it looks on TV. Not everyone will look like a graceful swan just by being matched with a professional hulk of a dancer.
And…if your hubby trades in his entire wardrobe to start wearing tattoo-inspired t-shirts 24/7, you may need to find yourself a bodyguard.
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I have a handful of blogs that I rarely miss (Mommy Monologues being one of them!)…but since Kate is pressuring me for an answer, my favorite I-must-read-this-every-day blog is probably Unexplained x2. Rebecca’s boy/girl twins are a few months older than my girls. Her brutally honest account of life with her “Crazies” cracks me up…she often says what I’m thinking but won’t admit to aloud!
My best blogging tip is to just enjoy it! And for me a lot of the enjoyment is “meeting” other bloggers, some of whom I now consider great friends.
It’s hard to narrow down my favorite post, but I’ll share a link to one I think offers some good “twinsight” – that is, insight into the world of raising twins – No Label-Makers Allowed.
Rebecca @ Unexplained X2 says
Fist pump! Good job, Mandy!!! Come on…admit it…you find your husband really attractive in tattoo inspired t-shirts! Thanks for the mention too…I'll entertain you any day!
Heather says
Very good points. Those are good tips even for un-multiples, but definitely for them.
My favorite is the hand mirror tip. Now I am a little nervous about my hair today!!
Hello! I'm Kate. says
@Rebecca @ Unexplained X2
Thank you so much for visiting!
Barbara Manatee says
oh I am totally with the 'perspective' (I had 3 kids in 25 months). Taking "just the twins" out is a piece. of. cake. compared to taking all 3 somewhere…and Just 1?!?! It makes me laugh at other parents who stress out over 1 kid…
Maryann says
This is great!!