Thursday, December 6, 2012

1940's House: Part 2

The pursuit of happiness in hard times 


Many of the great moments of 1940s House involved watching the Hymers experience the hardships of life in the 1940s while still finding a way to create fun and joy during long days of rations, bomb raids and frightening news of war. The Hymers truly took the experience to heart, and the lessons they learned that continued even after the experience were inspiring.

For fun during "wartime," they took a "holiday at home," by going on a picnic nearby and visiting a local cave. Holidays at home were encouraged by the British government, because traveling far was too dangerous, expensive, and would clog the roads the military needed.

After it was over, Ben and Thomas, the children, talked about creating fun without the T.V. or Playstation, such as creating their own board game or building a treehouse. Granny Lynn writes more handwritten letters, and started shopping more locally. She said she had managed to cut her grocery bill in half. Grandpa Michael restored an old car. Kirstie, a single mom whose husband left her, grew much more independent as a result of the experience. Today's hard economic times are not nearly as bad as what Great Britain endured in the 1940s, but the same lessons of creating lemons out of lemonade still apply.

Part 2 is available on Youtube and for purchase on Amazon.

949 sediments (sic) from readers:

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Anonymous said...

[ Arrghh... while I was typing out this long and thoughtful post we switched to this Part 2 - since I'm very sure you'll want to read my words (please say yes, you want to read my words...) I am conceitedly posting it here also.] Forgive, forgive me.... LOL

+++

I'm only stopping in occasionally these days, but thought I'd say 'hey'....

Dwindle, I have to say I LOVE YOUR POSTS. They make me smile. I'm sure you've never offended anyone in your life!

FoTK, step away from the hammer. Really, just drop it and step back - LOL. I have an icky story about migraines... I had them for about 1 year and turns out they were previews of a seizure. I had a full blown tonic-clonic seizure right after falling asleep one night. DH heard me fall out of bed, came over to see what was going on, saw I wasn't breathing and.... yep, this is true........ pushed me with his foot to start the breathing again.

No, he never had CPR training; no, he was puzzled about what to do, yes, he couldn't believe I'd stopped breathing...... and when I yelled at him the next day, he got all 'gee, shucks' on me and said "well, you started breathing again, didn't you?".

He did say the paramedics asked him, in sort of an incredulous way... 'so, sir, you.... kicked her to get her breathing again?'. He stood up tall and said, "NO, I just nudged her with my foot, then I called you guys".

Yep, that story is one that goes around each Christmas... yuck, yuck.....

Two weeks later he participated in a FIVE DAY advanced first aid class, and has annual repeats. Toad............

So, anyhoo, on the topic of insomnia, I found out I have something called 'delayed sleep pattern insomnia' - I guess if you have to have insomnia it's one of the better ones to have. I can go to sleep no problem, just not until 2 AM. I sleep my full 8.5 hours and wake refreshed.

I tried taking ambien, long-acting - didn't work. I occasionally take benadryl or GABA Calm, but nothing really takes effect until about 2 AM. Go figure. At least I'm retired so no pressure to wake early. Worked 25 years as nurse on afternoon shift - must have permanently changed my sleep brain.

As for folks offering to pray for me, I too am an atheist with Buddhist leanings, but I would never bitch if someone wanted to offer their good wishes. I take them at their word and accept gratefully their kind thoughts. I'd never be so presumptuous to say 'I'm an atheist, so your prayers are unwanted' - ugh, that would be so rude and dismissive of their faith!

Well, here I am rambling tonight. Just thought I'd put in my two cents, for whatever that is worth.

When is the next party? I'm longing for the road trips and veranda sitting. Oh, and not to forget the person getting stuck sitting on the sticky counter - Dwindle, was that you? LOL

SILLINESS IS GOOD.

One last little ramble, I watched National Lampoons CHristmas Vacation last night. I laughed so hard I peed my pants. Every year I watch it and it's just as funny each time. Laughter is good for the soul!

Dwin, sending good wishes for your Rotti!!!

Anonymous said...

I suppose I should add that my experience with migraines was probably atypical; all the tests were normal and it was just a matter of waiting for the big one to occur and to start on medication. Well, we didn't KNOW that a seizure would occur, but it did. Actually, that was my only one, meds have kept it quiet since 2004.

I still remember the migraines. I sympathize with all who have them. They are not fun. That is an understatement.

FoTK, I never wanted a hammer, I just wanted to get rid of the bugs that were crawling on my face. Most yucky feeling.

For me, darkness and quiet helped them go away, but they were nasty until then. I found that any change of light was a trigger, like going from being outside in the bright sun, when I came into dark house they would start.

Isn't the brain a wonderous thing?

Anonymous said...

And one last boring post - I did get the Vitamix and I LOVE IT. We've made the demo tortilla soup, several green smoothies and some frozen fruit ice cream.

I am assuming it will pay for itself over the years. I swear the motor is a jet engine and the blades are made of titanium. DH is impressed. Still thinks it's overpriced. But maybe I can get him to come around, in a year or so... ha ha ha

While I was standing at the Costco store demo, a shopper came up to me and said 'oh, I have one and I love it. I got it from an elderly neighbor for ........... FORTY DOLLARS.

Well, I put on my Ms. Manners face and said 'I'm so happy for you, what a steal'... all the while thinking how empty my wallet was going to be for the next while....

Sigh. Some days are diamonds, some days are stones. And some days other people get really good deals on stuff......

Anonymous said...

Permanent Name in Blue,
Well hello fellow Atheist w/buddhist leanings!! LOL what a great way to live, right? :)

Migraines are awful,
I have them and I take, I am so embarrassed to say, 5 medications to control mine, 2 are preventatives, 1 is abortive, 1 is for the ones caused by exercise (cuz we do that alot in the military, haha) and 1 is for nausea- whew!! I hate talking about it and I hate all the meds I am on- for some reason the doctors wont consider massage, yoga, chiropractic, or anything non-traditional. Drives me nuts!! But in the military we cannot get any other type of doctor- only the western type- the ones that think the answer to all your problems is medication :(

Loving these series!! Cant say I would want to live like any of these times, but it is lovely watching these families make do and still be happy. I like seeing times that aren't so consumer-driven. Next year I will be undertaking a journey of - ready for it- no buying clothes for one year. I will journal it, maybe even bog it. But I have soooo many clothes (I buy clothes as stress therapy) and I have clothes I have never worn, clothes with tags on them, so this is what I am going to do. Wish me luck- it's my hardest challenge ever - even harder than no donuts, or bootcamp! Now I need to find a new way to cope with my stress. Meditation - here I come.

readerlady said...

AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!! We've gone to part 2 and I haven't been able to watch part 1 yet. I should be able to pick the DVD up from the library this w/e, but I can't wait. Can you tell that patience isn't my strong suit, LOL? I've forgotten so much about the show. I love reading about and learning about times like this. It seems that everyone was united and working together toward a common goal -- survival. I really wonder if we could pull that off these days. People seem to be so self-centered and focused only on what benefits themselves and not what benefits everyone.

Admin -- your post is misleading. It makes it sound like the show is available for viewing on Amazon and it isn't. You can buy the DVD set on Amazon, but you can't watch it there.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Readerlady I added "for purchase" on Amazon.

Anonymous said...

Butterfly,

Yes! It's a wonderful way to live, and gives me much harmony and peace...

I grew up in the military - I'm an Aging Air Force Brat (AAFB).

The military mindset can be somewhat strict, yes? LOL, but I thank my lucky stars for our military and their protection.

You and your colleagues have my undying gratitude!

Glad your migraines are controlled, even if it takes a pharmacy to do it. Whatever works.

I remember that we 'could' go outside the military care, but there was not reimbursement for it. It just wasn't affordable to see civilian docs.

Anonymous said...

readerlady,
Yes people are very self-centered now, aren't they? I would love to see society come together more.

Perm name in Blue,
I can choose to see alternative doctors, but I would have to pay the cost out of pocket, and who can afford that? I would love to explore alternative, non-medicinal treatment, though. I really believe our health care system is driven by the pharmaceutical companies who are only out to make a profit. I dont think so many people need to be medicated. Sometimes just changes in lifestyle- better diet, exercise, sleep, stress reduction- will bring about the changes.

Anonymous said...

Butterfly 8,

I agree 100%! While I think the holistic trend is growing, many docs still choose medication for treatment rather than lifestyle changes.

We are lucky to have a great doc who still practices western medicine but embraces our choices for lifestyle changes to improve our health and listens and follows up on our ventures into non-traditional ways. He's very openminded and wants to know what works so he can discuss it with other patients.

We've done the whole 'eliminate all processed foods' thing, grind our own non-wheat grains, etc. It has made HUGE improvements in our health. Lost weight, off meds, feel better, labwork is perfect....

I've met so many people who just are not ready to give up chips, grains, high carb foods, high salt, high sugar foods... and I have understanding of that.

It is a process, a long one sometimes to give up habits of a lifetime. My favorite food, bar none, is McDonald's french fries. Best in the world. Not so good for me, but oh-so-good-tasting. I will occasionally allow myself a small fries. I'm not a monk, after all. LOL

And I publicly admitted my run on the Hostess treats a couple of weeks ago. Funny thing, they tasted good, but not as good as I remember from my childhood. Too sweet........

I fully support each person doing what they feel is best for them. Not what I do, not what the magazines say to do... but research and learn, then choose what works.

If you are thinking about meditation, I can tell you it works very well for me! Some people feel funny at first, but I jumped right into it and found an increased sense of wellbeing immediately. Your mileage might vary.

Having said that, I think that in 25 years there will be a very different culture around food, alternative medicine therapies and the use of pharmaceuticals.

It can be a wide topic of conversation.

chefsummer #Leh said...

Looks like Kate (did) admit to her boob job.
___________________
Gosselin, who looks better now than she did 10 years ago, credits her healthy, active lifestyle — not plastic surgery — for her age-defying looks

"I am probably one of the rare few who de-age," said Kate, who admitted getting a tummy tuck in 2007 and a breast augmentation in 2009.
________________

Guess the good bra was just a lie.

Like when she say she never had anything done to her face.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

I'd like to see her quote on the breast augmentation.

Hate to say it but it sounds like they may have misquoted her.

Anonymous said...

If permanent can copy from last thread then me too! Hi Perm Blue and Butterfly...

Oh Dwindle. Sweetie. 12 years of Catholic school here. 50's and 60's. The classic years. So many rules. The guilt. The confusion. The questions. Let me help you out, 'cause me and the Pope are like THIS XXXX

Memorizing the Baltimore Catechism:
'Ster! 'Ster! Does Jesus or the Pope live in Baltimore?

First Confession:
'Ster! 'Ster! I forget. I took a cookie when Mom wasn't looking. Is that the honor Mom and Dad thing or the don't steal thing? Venial or Felony? Will Father yell at me? Hail Mary or Whole Rosary? What if I don't know the mystery of the day? What if I one took one bite and put it back?

First Communion
'Ster! 'Ster! What if I sneeze walking back to the pew? Will I go to hell?

Third Grade
'Ster! 'Ster! Where IS hell? Is Purgatory like the equator? How hot IS it?

Lent
'Ster! 'Ster! If there are 40 days in Lent then how do you get to Easter if you include Sundays? That's 47. If Sunday's don't count and I gave up candy I can eat candy on Sunday. Will I go to hell if I give up spinach?

Confirmation
'Ster! 'Ster! If the Bishop hitting me makes me a soldier why can't I hit him back? Soldier's hit back. In the bible God told David to hit back with a Donkey butt bone! (and they say Catholics don't know the bible)

(After being told the Bishop will ask us a question)
'Ster! 'Ster! I know! I know! When is the Battle of Hastings? (Because that is ALWAYS the question. Watch Jeopardy. Play Trivial Pursuit. Genus Edition. Next time you pick up a prescription and they ask if you have any questions for the pharmacist - go ahead and ask. Test 'em).

And then a personal favorite. In High School. Where stump the nun is a a MUST:

'Ster! 'Ster! If you're on a ship at midnight and it crosses the international dateline and you haven't completed your Easter obligation but only the front of the ship crosses and your at the back but the ship starts to sink and you have to run to the front to get a life jacket but end up in the water on the other side but a shark gets you and drags you to the OTHER side but before he eats you you grab a baby that's drowning and throw it to safety before you die, are you going to hell?

It's a much more positive religion now. I don't know if the Pope has to actually be sitting in THE chair for the whole EX Cathedra thing to work or not...nuns got pretty frustrated after awhile. Not to worry Dwindle. You can't be excommunicated if you were never communicated in the first place. So there's that. Plus an act of kindness is never, ever something that requires forgiveness.

I don't think we should discuss religion or politics. HTH

After this post I suppose I should check if I'm going to hell. I think I'm halfway there, which is seriously gonna hurt my standing in the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary - so shhhhh.

Bearswife said...

Permanent,
if I may ask, what type of meditation do you practice and could you recommend a starting off point for someone interested in starting? I've been interested but don't know how to get started.
Thanks!

Bearswife said...

post #13 is an unlucky one!
I apologize for my redundancy, sorry - it was a stressful day.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Speaking of holistic, I have thought about going vegetarian for awhile, I think I might actually do it this time or at least try to eat vegetarian most days out of the week....I'm scared!

Anonymous said...

Chef,

I can't take credit for this, but someone else said it so well:

kart is a lying liar who lies.

Period.

If she's twittering, she's lying.
If she's talking, she's lying.
If she gives an interview, she's lying.
If she blogs, she's lying.

Oh wait, she doesn't blog anymore does she...

Bwwaaahahahahahaha........ yeah, that whole website/blog thing died just like everything she does. Something else comes along and she's all "oooh, a shiney thing".

Last time I checked twazzup her twitter was racing along at 10 tph... yep, just burning up the twitterworld with her relevance.

Improbable Dreams said...

Admim ~I kinda like the idea of moving toward a vegetarian diet. But I hear you about being scared. As uneducated as I am about protein equivalents, I think I'd need a tutor. Or maybe a sponsor, lol.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

I've been able to manage vegetarian for four or five days at a time and even in that short amount of time I feel lighter, have more energy, no stomach problems. Because it makes me feel so good I want to do it more. I rarely eat red meat, maybe once every two months. When I do eat meat it's chicken or fish.

Improbable Dreams said...

What protein sources do you rely on? It's the balancing act (re nutrients) that challenges me the most.

I eat chicken, eggs and cheese, but no other animal products, save for the fillers and such that find their way into some of the processed foods I occasionally buy. And I eat nuts, legumes/beans.

Winter Wonderland said...

Maybe I shouldn't say anything about this. I know I'll be blasted, but Post 12 bothered me...not offended, exactly, but just, well, I thought it was disconcerting, and I'm not Catholic, but Protestant.

Anonymous said...

FotK,
ROFL!!! I bet your Sisters were glad to see you graduate :)

Perm in Name in Blue,
I have meditated in past, but got busy (lame excuse, I know!!) so I just need to work that back into my daily schedule. Yoga, too, seems to have fallen by the way side in favor of running. I miss yoga.

In the previous post wasnt there mention of a cookbook for, or from, the time of rationing? That peaked my curiosity. Simpler cooking.
Oh, and I really got a tickle at "holiday at home" Staycation!! Wow, from way back in the day. I love it.

Anonymous said...

FoTK 12,

Well, Kiwi, you crack me up! I never went to Catholic schools but have heard stories from friends. Those nuns teaching high school must have needed the sacrimental wines after a day of 'stump the nun'.....

Bearswife 13 and 14

The way I started was to do a google search for meditation which led me to Buddhism. I began to read books and blogs, it was about 2 years in learning.

The physical act is I sit on the floor in a semi lotus position which is what works for my old lady knees. The room is quiet, no phones or outside noises. It is a solitary practice for me. DH doesn't subscribe to my philophy.

Sometimes, rarely, I listen to instrumental music. I don't always chant, but when I do, I do it to myself, not out loud. There are certain chants, or Buddhist prayers, that are said for certain times.

Basically, meditation for me is a time to breathe in yoga patterns and reflect on the day, on problems I have, on goals I want to achieve (are they worthwhile, how to attain, should I delay them), to think good thoughts for others who need 'prayers'...

I find that in the quiet of the meditation I find peace about issues in my mind. It's a time to resolve questions. I have great long discussions with myself. Sometimes I find answers, other times not. My heart rate slows and my blood pressure drops.

But after I am done, I rise and feel good about life and I'm not stressed.

It's such a private and personal thing - each person comes to their own joy in their own way. I know that's not exactly probably what you were looking for, but I hope that gives you some idea.

As for learning, I recommend books from the library on meditation, and find a method that gives you the most. Like I said, it took me almost two years to figure out what works for me. If you have not done any meditations before, it all may seem odd or foreign to you in the beginning. I encourage you to ask yourself why you want to do this, and continue to learn.

Meditation, I think, is like any religion. It can give you peace, answer questions for you. And while meditation is associated with Buddhism, you can meditate without being Buddhist.

There are many ways to find peace in your life. They are all valid if they accomplish that goal.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Id, nuts, beans, cheese, eggs and tofu. I've been reading for more ideas because I'm bored with those. I think I need more recipies I'm really excited about.

Anonymous said...

philophy.

Hmmm, or my philosophy either. LOL

A Pink Straight Jacket For Kate said...

Improbable, Greek yogurt is high in protein as well.

I eat plain Greek yogurt, and substitute it in recipes that call for sour cream, or mayonnaise.

I always have plain Greek yogurt in the frig- excellent for folks watching their weight, or losing weight.

Bearswife said...

Permanent,
THANK YOU so much. I really appreciate what you were able to share with me.
I'll have to re-examine it tomorrow.

My brain is fried tonight, and a rare headache is not helping. I don't think I'm able to do coffee anymore. I had 2 cups today and bam! low headache ever since. see you all on the flip side!

Anonymous said...

Admin,

There are TONS of websites and blogs out there for vegetarian lifestyles and recipes. In your "spare time" LOL take some time to look them up. It's cheaper than buying books, faster that getting them from the library.

What works for me is to combine many different healthy eating styles: raw foods, vegetarian, flexitarian....

My new kick is green smoothies. I swear it's true, you cannot taste the kale or spinach when mixed with apples, cucumbers, oranges and pears. I have to be careful because those smoothies can be really high calorie if they are all fruit. Still yummy in the tummy, but high calorie.

And here's a stumper - how to I satisfy my need to chew with a smoothie??? I never thought about it before. Me, who loves crunchy salty things? Hmm... must design a crunchy salty smoothie. Nah, that would defeat the purpose wouldn't it?

Admin, good luck with your vegetarian adventure. Start slowly. No cold turkey, if you don't mind the pun .....

fidosmommy said...

I was vegetarian for 14 years. I ate no meat, fish or poultry at all, not even something that had animal product in it (gelatin, lard, broth, etc.) I did eat dairy and eggs.

I quit the day I landed in the hospital for pulmonary hypertension and heart failure caused by my low hemoglobin levels. Although, much of that was due to a big deal gyne issue that was also treated in the hospital.

My point is that if you do vegetarian diets with
care they are great. Mine went on too long for MY PERSONAL HEALTH NEEDS. The food was delicious, the menus abundant, and I did not mind eating just salads when I went out to eat. I was happy being vegetarian. My body was not. I needed the protein and most especially the iron.

Anonymous said...

What?? there's protein outside of beans, eggs cheese and peanut butter? Say it aint so- This is going to change my life.
I've been trying to increase the fish in my diet- what a chore. I just cant seem to get past twice a week, and I like fish!

Anonymous said...

Butterfly,

Running is good. My knees say no.

I had a momentary flash of your unit doing yoga on the base instead of running. In camos, with your boots and full gear. Downward dog with an 80 lb backpack and slung rifle.

Nah...........

LOL

Some days I meditate for an hour, some days it's only for 10 minutes. It is so helpful to me at this time in my life I make time for it.

Top'sWife said...

We do a lot of "veggie days" in my house, and every few months we do a vegetarian week. It can be challenging, especially with a houseful of growing boys, to make sure our meals include enough protein. However, because we don't do vegan, I help meet the protein with eggs and cheese. Of course beans and nuts help too. My kids were raised with a lot of fruits and veggies in their diet so they aren't real picky, which makes meal planning on vegetarian days pretty easy. They did threaten mutiny though when I suggested we do vegetarian thanksgiving this year. For some reason they weren't on board with tofu turkey!
I would go totally vegetarian if not for my love of bacon, which I think should be it's own food group on the pyramid!

Anonymous said...

Fido,

Amen to that! Strict vegetarians do need to be careful to get all their nutrients.

Ugh, heart failure and PH - nasty stuff. Hope you are fit as a fiddle once again!

Improbable Dreams said...

Pink Straight Jacket ~ I love greek yogur!I buy the kind that's 0% fat and stir in some fruit and Splenda. (I know, I probably lost some of you on the artificial sweetener, but I can't do a lot of sugar, and it's too sour for me w/o adding a little more sweet.)

Anonymous said...

Tops,

Well, bacon *and* chocolate..... LOL.

I had some chocolate covered bacon once in Seattle - no lie - it was crazy. Crazy good!!!!

Oh, and it had a little sea salt on top of the chocolate, they called it finishing salt.

Drooling.......

Top'sWife said...

Perm,
Apparently there's a bacon gene in my family. One of my boys describes his perfect dinner as chicken wrapped in bacon, stuffed inside a turkey wrapped in bacon, stuffed inside a pig wrapped in bacon, and then wrap it all in another layer of bacon!

And our DD just had chocolate covered bacon a couple of weeks ago. For some reason it didn't make it home to share.

PJ's momma said...

I have been vegetarian for 14 years, but have fish once in a while. I find it easy but I never really digested meat well, as it turns out. There are lots of meat substitutes available, such as Field Roast, which cook up great. I make lots of egg casseroles and eat a lot of dairy. I drink skim milk and eat lowfat yogurt and sour cream, but don't really restrict the fat otherwise. I love fried food, unfortunately. There are so many things you can make.......we had homemade cream of mushroom soup and rolls tonight. Give your body what it really craves and it seems to work out. There are theories about blood type diets, and in my case, it is true.....blood type A bodies supposedly do best as vegetarians and that is my type. Good luck.

Heide said...

Permanent Name
I've been into green smoothies too lately. They've changed my taste buds. I'm finally getting over, or lessening, my sweet tooth. People at work gag at my green smoothies, but once I get them to taste it, they usually like them. I try to keep mine more heavy on the vegetable side rather than fruits. It takes some getting used to, for sure.

Improbable Dreams said...

Quick question: Why would Kate's "tweeties" retweet and/or "favorite" her goodnight tweets? It can't be because they're pithy or riveting or lol funny....they're a snooze fest (pardon the pun)!

See what I mean?

Kateplusmy8 All my gosselins are tucked into bed! Now is my turn..bed @sweet bed again! Hm, what's for breakfast? I'll ponder that with my eyes closed:)

Sleepless In Seattle said...

Quick question: Why would Kate's "tweeties" retweet and/or "favorite" her goodnight tweets? It can't be because they're pithy or riveting or lol funny....they're a snooze fest (pardon the pun)!
------------------

I don't do Twitter (read there sometimes, though), but I don't understand the purpose of a RT. Sheeple are always asking for RTs...for birthdays, when they don't feel well, when they break a fingernail. WHY?

Sleepless In Seattle said...

Speaking of Kate's Twitter --

overwondeful
@Kateplusmy8 The way you handle criticism is awe-inspiring. You are one of my truest heroes. Peace & love to your family this holiday season

------------------

A hero? Awe-inspiring? You've got to be kidding! Who are these people?

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Inspiring? She acts like a 12 year old with her blocking and lying. With apologies to 12 year olds.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

I have hunger issues if I go three or four days on vegetarian. I have heard this doesn't necessarily mean you aren't getting enough food--that hunger is normal at first and does take a few days to even out. But it is a little nerve wracking because I'm not sure if it's normal or I'm not getting enough. It seems to help to eat a lot more often. Um, so on the bathroom aspect though........well, I'm free as a bird lol!

PJ's momma said...

I'm sort of a carbo-loader, eating (salty) snacks like those Trader Joe's pretzels stuffed with peanut butter. Maybe you're not getting enough protein. I know I probably don't. When I get enough, I don't feel hungry for a long time. We were in Florida last week and I didn't want to eat fries for every meal, so had a little grouper almost every day and did not feel hungry at all. If I eat egg casserole or scrambled egg, same thing. It's an adjustmet for your body for sure.

grandee4 said...

Thanks to all who shared their wonderful stories and ideas about the old buttons, I really enjoyed reading. Don't get to hang here until late night, at work now, on break.
So hello to al the latera and goodnight to those calling it a day.

fidosmommy said...

Permanent Name in Blue said... 32
Fido,

Ugh, heart failure and PH - nasty stuff. Hope you are fit as a fiddle once again!

*******

Thank you. Sadly, that is not to be. The PH
is progressive; there is no cure. The heart
failure is caused by the PH. I'm OK with it, not fretting, just thankful for what I can do.
I've gone 1/2 time at work and have many friends who will do tasks for me because I just can't anymore. Life is still very good and I am grateful for every day of it.

But since my vegetarianism contributed to all this, I do speak up about people - especially women of child-bearing years - being very wise
about it. Untreated extreme low hemoglobin is a serious health hazard, as I well know.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

I don't know though for every one story there is about vegetarianism going wrong there are about 2000 stories of health problems from meat consumption.

PJ's momma said...

Do you donate blood? If you do, they test your hemoglobin each time - a bonus is you also find out your blood type. It's a free and easy way to serve your community and know if you are anemic, at least on that day. A lot of meat eaters get low hemoglobin for no reason. I volunteer at the same blood drives over and and over, and sometimes people are crushed because they suddenly have low levels (as if they are a personal failure or something, it is funny) but eventually it comes back up.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

PJ me? Yes I do as a matter of fact, pretty regularly. I've given almost 3 gallons now. Yeah they do test it, only failed it a few times and that was before I started eating more veggies.

PJ's momma said...

Yes, you, Admin! Well, if you've only failed a few times out of 36, that is pretty good. I'm on my 10th gallon (lots older than you) and have only failed a few times too. Lots of leafy greens and raisins.......

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

I haven't given blood the last couple months and probably won't be anytime soon so I don't have that to monitor it but I do take vitamins every day. I would think even if there might be a deficiency here or there that should make up for it. I do have the added bonus of my mom being a registered dietician who works in a hospital and has seen it all. I tend to run meal plans by her for approval. She admits she'd prefer no one in the family be vegetarian (about five or six of us are now!) but if we want to do that she always supports it.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

By the way..... It's that time of year again. This year I think I may need help coming up with Kate's worst moments. There are just so many of them. Feel free to chime in with your "favorites."

PJ's momma said...

How about Kate flying all the way to Vegas to get poked at by Brad Garrett during his raunchy show, bodyguard in tow, wearing a grifted dress no less. Can't a mom have fun?? I was going to say leaving her kids with a cake all about her while she went to Vegas to run a marathon, but that was last year.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

I still can't get over her admitting running is just a hobby. Like chess or drawing. Oh, so it's NOT to support your starving children. The sheeple seemed to have glossed over that little slip up of Kate's. So much for defending her VIP adventures as "just supporting the family." The IRS doesn't define hobby that way and in fact I find it VERY interesting she used the term hobby since the IRS talks all up and down about hobbies and what they are for tax purposes. Any CPAs out there catch that?

Sure a mom can have hobbies even hobbies that take you out of town but to in the same breathe claim you can't take your kids to the movies or gymnastics ain't cool.

fidosmommy said...

Kate's worst moments? Good luck with that one, Admin. How about the "moment" that started at midnight on January 1, 2012 and will end at 11:59:599999 on January 1, 2013? Will that do?

Greedy Gosselins said...

Just read your post Dwindle! I think you summed up nicely what some of us are feeling.

To be clear, I do not begrudge anyone their successes in life, especially their financial ones. In fact, you guys are who I hope to emulate in the future!

For me, I guess it is the perceived (by me anyway) complaining of those many blessings you have. Again, I could be so lucky as to be as successful in my relationships, financial health and emotional well being!

I think you all are so fortunate in life and you've worked all your lives for it so I would just hope you enjoy the fruits of your labour for you certainly deserve them.

Thanks for the shout out Dwindle. I truly wish nothing but the best for you all. :)

I'd like to add (yet another because that's my go to emotion!) apology to admin. I certainly don't want to make you feel uncomfortable.

Life is so much easier, again for myself, to live all my moments in gratitude. Even Kate's complaining tonite about spilling things on the floor I would probably laugh and think to myself "Well, the floor was due for a good scrubbing anyway."

If I didn't look at things in a positive manner or a learning lesson in times of stress, I probably would have given up long, long ago.

aggiemom09121416 said...

By the way..... It's that time of year again. This year I think I may need help coming up with Kate's worst moments. There are just so many of them. Feel free to chime in with your "favorites."
--------
Easy peasy.
Mady's hooker pose.

Improbable Dreams said...

Lots of "favorites," if I take time to think about it, but the first one that came to mind this morning took place immediately following her interview at The Grove. She thought she was finished, and stepped off the platform in her stilettos & tinfoil dress. Steve had to force her back onstage so she could interact with "fans." I'm not sure of her exact words, but I seem to remember her whining something along the lines of "Do I have to?" or "That wasn't part of the deal." Whatever she actually said, she was visibly upset. A mix of fury and disgust, barely masked. Oh, and am I correct in thinking that interview never actually aired?

aggiemom09121416 said...

You have your work cut out for you this yr!

How 'bout Kate 'helping' Jon by absolving him of his child support responsibility while still maintaining he only sees the kids a few days a month?

Implying in a tweet Jon didn't pay his electric bill. What a gal!

Grifting a few vacay for the kids

Getting fired from CC (*snicker*)

aggiemom09121416 said...

Grifting a few

few=free

JudyK said...

Improbable Dreams #57...Remember that well and I think she said, "I don't want to." Loved that it was heard.

fidosmommy said...

I vote for the CC piece she wrote lambasting Tony and Anderson. I bet that generated a lot of coupon use that week.

And the letter from Scott Kluth. Enough said.

Improbable Dreams said...

Fido's Mommy ~ Oh yeah...that CC blog's gotta be near or at the very top of the list!!

Her culinary attempts (food photos, with accompanying commentary about her kids' squeals of delight, through-the-roof ratings, decorated tables, etc) might also be worthy of consideration. All that organic flour! The meat slicer and Bread delivery in the BBB!

readerlady said...

KK's worst moments of the year? How about every waking moment from 1/1/2012 thru the present? Seriously, I'd have to go, and not in any particular order, with the following:

Mady's hooker pose pix
The Shoka Drama
"Absolving" Jon of child support
"SuperfunSandy"
The Cruise bust
Trashing Tony Dovolani and Anderson Cooper on CC blog
The Gardens interview/not wanting to meet with fans
Continually throwing Jon under the bus
The constant lying

Was "mediocre" this year or last year?

Anonymous said...


For those looking to change eating habits, it can be done gradually. Most families have 8 to 10 dinners that are rotated in the diet. Just start by adjusting/replacing one or two recipes a week. In two months' time, you will have created a healthy menu for your family. This method is recommended by dieticians for families looking to get into a healthier lifestyle, as it is a systematic approach that is not an overwhelming all-out change at first and can be achieved/sustained.

I was a fish vegetarian for 15 years, but started eating chicken again when I was pregnant as I started craving it. I haven't had red meat in 20 years and I don't think I will ever eat it again. Even if I wanted to, I don't think my body would appreciate it!!

Someone had also posted that the Hostess snacks taste sweeter than in the past. They are. They are no longer made with real sugar and have added sweetners to get you "addicted." McDonald's does this with their french fry/ketchup combo. If you have ever tasted the ketchup at McDonald's by itself, it is so sweet it is gross. It is specially formulated for the fast food chain to do the salty/sweet crave combo so people eat more than they should.

heather

FYI said...

I'd add Kate's twitter wars to the list:

EM Tanner

Philly ChitChit(Philly photographer)

Liz(re dogs-although she didn't tweet Liz directly)

Or, Kate just using twitter to bash people she doesn't get along with(especially Jon), period.

Considering how Kate tweets about how she only wants positivity and fun on twitter, she sure didn't follow her own twitter rules.

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

I think Kate's biggest debacle of 2011 was the cruise, the complete lack of interest from the public, her total lack of promoting it, the one questionably sane fan who was the only vocal cheerleader right down to her pitiful apology and unkept promise to meet and have lunch with those who signed up.

Her most humiliating moment was her very public firing from CC.

Jo said...

Let's not forget Kate's very awkward and childish appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. I was so embarrassed for her.

FYI said...

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said... 66

And both of those instances got her named as "Jackhole of the Day" on WWHL.

Jo said... 67

Yes, that appearance had to be the worst. Her playing touchy-feely with Morgan F, and being totally clueless about playing that game. Her rudeness about wanting the book, and then flipping through the book, while Morgan was speaking.

Her claiming that Steve is around to protect the children, when he travels with her when she leaves the children at home. Then there was her "de-aging".

If there was any appearance where she acted like a total ass, it had to be that one.

Formerly Duped said...

I'm sorry I have not had a chance to watch the series yet, but really would be interested.

Re: migraines. Have had them since about age 8-9. Not related to anything- was on an elimination of foods diet to see..after years of trying this and that Rx drugs, I have found Excedrin Migraine taken when the aura/tingling on one side begins, is really the best for me. If one can, close eyes helps. Hard if you're out driving or at work. Then , just Advil for the inevitable 3-4 days of pain!! I take Atenolol as a prophylactic, and a baby aspirin a day.

Perm: Yes, my insomnia can be traced back to shift work as a nurse many years back. Still working on that although glycine and Calcium work sometimes...GABA Calm is my next choice thanks to the lovely readers here. Good luck.

NJGal51 said...

How about the Northern TP grift and the statement that the company had to put out denying all things Kate because of the backlash from the general public. That was a classic.

FYI said...

One that must be included is her "Lessons Learned from the Globe" post on her website.

Making a big deal out of nothing and holding an "inquisition" to find the perpetrator, then suspecting one of the boys because he "looked guilty". Making sure to name the "guilty looking" boy, but glossing over the fact that the guilty one was actually one of the girls.

Thinking that turning her own children against each other was a valuable lesson.

Jane said...

I agree with those that feel the cruise was her biggest screw-up of 2012 - no promotion, wanting to drag the twins along to further exploit them, not disavowing the crazy fan who was playing super FBI agent who probably had a lot to do with it's cancellation. But it was the tweeted photo of Mady wearing Kate's shoes that upset me the most. It was a photo made for pervs and it sickens me to think where the photo wound up.

NJGal51 said...

I don't know if you insomniacs say my post on the last thread but I've found a new product that seems to work (for now). It's called Dream Water. It contains GABA, melatonin and 5 HTP. I found it at Safeway of all places while looking for something else. They only have "snoozeberry" flavor which is terrible IMO so I ordered the lemon from Amazon. It's a 2.5 oz bottle so I can put up with the flavor for now. As with all of those things it's not cheap.

FYI said...

One of the minor ones, but after she and the kids run in CT with Rod Dixon, her tweeting what a wonderful time she had in "Lichtfield", when the actually spelling is "Litchfield".

One misspelling might be forgiven, but she tweeted it wrong at least 3 times.

Also, telling everyone how her kids had such a great time, when the video showed just the opposite.

Then letting a complete stranger(Emily)who she only knew through twitter get close with her kids while she was busy running.

Tucker's Mom said...

I'm a carnivore and think I always will be, but I do try to incorporate good animal proteins that are lean. More than that, I hope to increase the ratio of animal proteins that I buy locally and organically. It's expensive, so that means I'll be eating less meat for protein and that's the goal. Win-win.
Something that come to mind if you don't eat red meat is heme iron and non heme iron, so make sure you're filling your body's needs (I can tell you Kate isn't-you ever wonder why her running times have NEVER improved, if anything, gotten worse?).

Jane said...

Oh, Admin, thanks for recommending 1940 House. Watched it last night and loved it! Loved the way the family was able to really go back in time and find ways of joining together to get through very tough times - and still found time to give back. Looking forward to Part 2.

Tucker's Mom said...

I think being so publicly fired by CC has to be at the top of the 2012 list. The letter had a scathing undertone, one which I'd be humiliated by. Then again, if Kate was fired because come hell or high water, she was going to do Mom Swap, that one just might take the cake.
OTOH, one day, the boys will be able to bring up naked pics and porn from Kendra and say "hey, this lady was my Mom for a week, hubba hubba". Great bragging rights for the boys. Kate must be so proud!

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

Speaking of WWII in England, has anyone every seen the old movie, "Mrs. Miniver" with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon? Wonderful movie:

This is the story of an English middle class family through the first years of World War II. Clem Miniver is a successful architect and his beautiful wife Kay is the anchor that keeps the family together. With two young children at home, Kay keeps busy in the quaint English village they call home. She is well-liked by everyone and the local station master has even named his new rose after her. When their son Vincent, Vin to everyone, comes home from Oxford for the summer he is immediately attracted to Carol Beldon, granddaughter of Lady Beldon. Their idyllic life is shattered in September 1939 when England is forced to declare war on Germany. Soon Vin is in the RAF and everyone has to put up with the hardship of war including blackouts and air raids. Mrs. Miniver has to deal with an escaped German flyer who makes his way to her home while husband Clem helps evacuate the trapped British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk. Vin and Carol are married but their time together is to be short. Throughout it all, everyone displays strength of character in the face of tragedy and destruction.

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

I don't use credit cards anymore. If I don't have cash, I don't buy. But when I did use one I didn't have the CC# memorized.

@Kateplusmy8
@mstirton I may very well be guilty of having my cc # memorized

@MiloandJack
@Kateplusmy8 @mstirton HaHa...Funny how I can be 4getful...but have my credit card # emblazoned N my brain!! Good mornin Kate!

Formerly Duped said...

NJGal51 said... 73

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
yes, I saw your post! Next Amazon order I am going to try Dreeam Water- a big thank you!!! Sorry forgot to mention it- sleep deprived lol. As Kate says, Amazon is dangerous- pftt, she said a while ago she was already almost done Xmas shopping. I wait till have enough for free shipping so I'll tale a look later. Thanks again! :)

Sketchy Gosselin said...

Let's not forget that she had an offer from Vivid to be a nude tv host.

Tucker's Mom said...

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said... 79
I don't use credit cards anymore. If I don't have cash, I don't buy. But when I did use one I didn't have the CC# memorized.
******
I have one of mine memorized. I do a lot of my shopping online and I don't like any sites to "remember" my cc info, so I generally input my # each time.

AuntieAnn said...

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said... 78

Speaking of WWII in England, has anyone every seen the old movie, "Mrs. Miniver" with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon? Wonderful movie:

=====

I've seen it several times. I agree, it's a great movie. It was amazing the way people had to pick up each morning and carry on with as much normalcy as they could muster.

Winston Churchill has to be given a lot of credit for keeping people's spirits alive during that awful time. The man was an incredible leader. His biography is well worth reading.

Dmasy said...

During times of my life I have been a strict vegetarian and a lax vegetarian. I am not a big meat eater under any circumstances. I do think being a vegan would be difficult.

In1970 it was impossible to find an ob/gyn who would support being a vegetarian during pregnancy. At that time, I ate chicken and meatloaf (?).

When my son was young, he was "dragged" into my eating patterns. He was extremely healthy even when classmates surrounding him fell ill. He ate thousands of natural peanut butter with unsweetened jam sandwiches on bread so dense that it could have been used as a building material. He still teases me about his healthy/organic diet. We packed his lunch each school day and he had some "interesting" snacks.

I am now married to a carnivore/caveman who grills and smokes meat daily. Friends rave about his ribs and roasts and wings and fried turkey.

What a world. What a world.

FYI said...

Is Kate trying to become a spokesperson for Amazon now?

In reply to someone who tweeted that her husband works for Amazon:

Kate Gosselin‏@Kateplusmy8
@harman_megan please send a message thru him directly 2 amazon: I'm in total &complete love&have been for years. I buy ALL @amazon :) :)

What happened to @Target? Free shipping, plus 5% off if you use a Target card.

Then another reference to Santa. They don't "do Santa", because in her mind, Kate IS Santa.

Kate Gosselin‏@Kateplusmy8
@braez @SouthernMomma85 that would neva eva fly here! Moms room = Santas workshop and oops some kids have accidentally glimpsed the mtn!:(

AuntieAnn said...

Another Kate 2012 fubar was her little dust-up on twitter with Liz over the dogs.

I liked how Liz told her she couldn't roll the window up on her on twitter. lol.

readerlady said...

I try to do one day a week meat free and I eat a lot of chicken, but I do eat red meat too. It has gotten an undeserved bad rap, just like eggs. LEAN red meat has no more fat or cholesterol than poultry, and has more iron and other minerals than poultry. Of course, that doesn't mean you should eat a couple of pounds of it a week, or a dozen eggs a day. Moderation, again.

readerlady said...

Speaking of WWII, today is the 71 anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Take a moment or 2 to reflect on that and the sacrifices made by our people during WWII.

AuntieAnn said...

Kate Gosselin‏@Kateplusmy8
@harman_megan please send a message thru him directly 2 amazon: I'm in total &complete love&have been for years. I buy ALL @amazon :) :)

The woman is fickle. She's 'in total and complete love' with something every other day.
And her valley girl verbiage is vomit inducing.

FYI said...

Aww, isn't this sweet how Kate is thinking of her kids?

kateplusmy8
@CJWhodunit @MiloandJack @braez @amazon I EVEN ordered some stuff 4 me so my kids c me open stuff 2..Small things so I have 'surprises' 2 :)

Small things? I guess that doesn't include the Dyson. Oh wait--she's hoping someone will send her that.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

You're welcome Jane!

Dwindle said...

Knock knock knock... Hello? Admin? YooHoo, Admin!!! I have a confession to make to you that might get me banned from here for life. (Hey, y'all stop applauding, I am STANDING RIGHT HERE!)

Well, here goes with my confession:

My tomatos are touching my onions are touching my garlic are touching my basil and oregano, and we wont even TALK about what the romano cheese and the sausage is doing! And they all all 'doing it' TOGETHER, in my CROCK POT, where they will cook FOR HOURS today on low.

Oh, I should have told you to sit down first and handed you a bucket... sorry.

Later today this cohabitating COOKED ALL DAY science experiment will get ladled onto some pasta and we will call it dinner. And then eat it. And possibly LIKE it.

Big exhale. There, I've said it.

I am ready for your exclamations of horror and The Banning. Or A Shunning. Or a smack upside my e-head.

You will probably just delete this post because I am not sure you can handle all these culinary revelations and you soooo like to keep your posters under your thumb! OOOOO that reminds me, I need breadsticks.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

so my kids c me open stuff 2..Small

$$$$

Her eight kids don't buy her things to open?

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Dwindle that actually sounds good if dumped on some nice crusty French baguettes!

Dwindle said...

AuntieAnn said... 89
Kate Gosselin‏@Kateplusmy8
@harman_megan please send a message thru him directly 2 amazon: I'm in total &complete love&have been for years. I buy ALL @amazon :) :)

The woman is fickle. She's 'in total and complete love' with something every other day.
And her valley girl verbiage is vomit inducing.

444444444444

Oh like fer sure! like wow! What you said is like the truest thing ever! Like oh my GAWWWDDDDD! Totally!!!

FYI said...

Getting back to the 1940s House. I wonder how the family is doing today. Part 2 showed how the experience affected the family, and how they changed some aspects of their life. Lyn going to local shops rather than supermarkets, the boys being creative and doing other things other than playing electronic games.

The boys would now be 22 and 19. I wonder if this experience continued to impact their lives or if it was just a short term reaction. I wish there was some info to be found about their current status-I have searched but can't find anything.

Dwindle said...

Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 94
Dwindle that actually sounds good if dumped on some nice crusty French baguettes!

4444444444444

It's spaghetti sauce. Like, are you a pasta hater? Why are you so mean to angel hair????

I dont know why I am feeling soooo sassy today! I'm sorry, I will stop trying to pick a fight with you.

(Why do I hear the sound of about 50 posters rolling their eyes?) hehe

I am loving this series, I love seeing how they manage. The work-arounds and creativity are fun to watch. I am off to watch part 2 in a few minutes!

Anonymous said...

This is actually Working Woman, I just can't post under my name on my IPhone for some reason ! Oy, so sorry to post as anon.

Admin, thank you for these past couple of threads, they have been really interesting! Good luck on your journey toward a vegetarian diet.

As far as Kate's worst moments of 2012, I definitely think the Em Tanner thing should be on there. Also, claiming that she does not have the $$ to take her kids to the movies (lest she causes a huge panic!) or to enroll them in gymnastics.

As much as I can call Kate out on her bs, I do happen to think that "superfunsandy" was sarcastic. Yes, it was stupid considering the magnitude of the storm to even joke, but I don't think she was even trying to express callousness in that case. Hadn't she been just watching Disney with her kids for hours or something? Yeah, for all of the offensive idiotic things that that woman tweets, I actually think that was just meant to show her annoyance over the storm.

Ooh talking about going bra shopping with Cara and Mady and period issues on a radio show has GOT to be in there! Truly dispicable, a blatant disregard for her daughters' privacy and for their vulnerability as preteens, at its worst!

On a more pleasant note, wishing everybody a wonderful weekend!

Working Woman

Jane said...

Dwindle - do you pre-cook the sausage before putting it in the crock pot? It's a discussion my sister and I often have -- to pre-cook or not LOL

Dwindle said...

Greedy Gosselins said... 55

444444444444

Thank you for not being offended. Blessing to you and yours.

Blowing In The Wind said...

kateplusmy8
@CJWhodunit @MiloandJack @braez @amazon I EVEN ordered some stuff 4 me so my kids c me open stuff 2..Small things so I have 'surprises' 2 :)

What? Her kids are eight and twelve years old. They'd know she bought things and wrapped them for herself. Does she act surprised when she opens them? My kids would see right through that and think that I'm nuts.

Of course, these are the kids who were told that it was Christmas Day when it wasn't.

I'm missing something here.

Anonymous said...

Winter Wonder,

It's OK. Even Catholics non parochials find us 12 year parochials of that era disconcerting. No jumping will be done.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

She sure does patronize those kids.

Did she just now discover amazon? Most of us had our omg amazon moment 7 years ago.

Dwindle said...

Jane said... 99
Dwindle - do you pre-cook the sausage before putting it in the crock pot? It's a discussion my sister and I often have -- to pre-cook or not LOL
44444444444444

Yes, but that is just me. I brown it well, to the point where I feel pretty sure it is cooked enough to finish cooking safely in the crock. Prior to browning it, I cut it into about 2-3inch pieces, easier to serve.

FYI said...

Kate Gosselin‏@Kateplusmy8
RT @iAmTheWiseOne Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate. YEP. I TOTALLY DO:)

Really Kate? Are you saying that you NEVER bash anyone or anything? The following tweet at least has some truth in it:

Kate Gosselin‏@Kateplusmy8
@kirstenGxxx they point blank ask and they can read my face (not a good fibber lol) so they have suspicions yes :)



Dwindle said...

kateplusmy8
@CJWhodunit @MiloandJack @braez @amazon I EVEN ordered some stuff 4 me so my kids c me open stuff 2..Small things so I have 'surprises' 2 :)

44444444

Wait. Hold the phone. She buys herself gifts, wraps them, then opens them in front of the kids? For "A Very Special Christmas Episode"? There are 8 of them, what is wrong with the 8 gifts her children will put under the tree for Mommy? Too mediocre?

This has pathology written all over it.

Winsomeone said...

She has to buy herself small gifts to open on Christmas..where in the world are her numerous friends and 120,000 twitterers? Seems like they are always sending her stuff...guess none of it is good enough to count as a Christmas gift then?

Dmasy said...

Kiwi --I enjoyed your "stump the nuns" post. I am an 8-year Catholic school pupil, Humor is the only way to look back on those years. Sibs and I attended a 3-room school house across the parking lot from the gothic church. Franciscan nuns. Did you pray to get a vocation? Did you have to wear your Penticostal beanie with the felt tongue on the "regular" school bus?

Winsomeone said...

"Did she just now discover amazon? Most of us had our omg amazon moment 7 years ago."

God, I hope Amazon doesn't start sending her free stuff, as I love to shop there.

Dwindle said...

For the record, I am in no way criticizing the family that wraps up a new toaster, or TV, or family item, puts "From Santa" on it, and opens it up on Christmas.

But this woman by her own admission is buying her own gifts so she can have the "Ohh Look at meeeeeee" spotlight on Christmas. And she thinks this ok enough to brag about on Twitter.

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

@r3boz
@braez @kateplusmy8 have i told u all I will be a GRANDMOTHER next year?

@Kateplusmy8
@r3boz @braez oh my! Have we been tweeting for that many years already that @r3boz is now a grandmother??? Wow! Congrats to you :)
______________________________________

It certainly feels like years, decades actually since you started trying to tweet your way back on to TV.

Amy2 said...

Mady's hooker pose pix
The Shoka Drama
"Absolving" Jon of child support
"SuperfunSandy"
The Cruise bust
Trashing Tony Dovolani and Anderson Cooper on CC blog
The Gardens interview/not wanting to meet with fans
Continually throwing Jon under the bus
The constant lying
**************************
adding to the list....
--Talking about Mady on the radio about her growing into womanhood
--No response from Kate about Robert's book. If it were lies, she would have sued him. "Can we sue"
--Getting publically fired from CC
--Not know if Shoka is alive or dead

Dwindle said...

Winsomeone said... 107
She has to buy herself small gifts to open on Christmas..where in the world are her numerous friends and 120,000 twitterers? Seems like they are always sending her stuff...guess none of it is good enough to count as a Christmas gift then?

444444444444444

Neither they, nor their gifts, know how to help her.

So mediocre.

Who need dumb hand carved wood blocks of platitudes from some Mennonite woman. DIAMONDS are a girl's best friend!

Tucker's Mom said...

I have to share some sad news because we were wishing Kate Middleton well with her severe pregnancy sickness and sharing experiences...
Remember a couple days ago, Au disc jockey's "punked" a receptionist at the hospital with a "prank" by feigning to be the Queen? The receptionist was very lovely, if not a tad inappropriate in giving out info on Kate (probably stymied at the thought that the Queen was on the other end of the line).
I found the prank repugnant and dangerous, others not so much from the reactions I saw on TV and internet. I thought the dj's should be fired.
I thought the receptionist might very well lose her job for her indiscretion, but instead, she's lost her life. She's dead. May have been suicide.
What a world.
I sure do hope those dj's lose their jobs now.
Thanks for letting me rant. I've seen a couple "pranks" recently that have made my blood boil. You can't think that anything goes for a joke. People can and will get hurt.

PJ's momma said...

Another really wonderful WWII movie is Hope and Glory. Hysterical and touching too. WWII seen mostly through the eyes of a preadolescent boy in England.

Dwindle, I left you a message on the last thread about doggy epilepsy.

Hope everyone enjoys a great day.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Tucker omg!!

I am all about pranks and fun but that one way ran away with them. That was such an invasion of privacy on Kate who had been very open about what was going on. These are real people and that's a real child. I hope they can respect that from now on.

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

Tucker's Mom said...I thought the receptionist might very well lose her job for her indiscretion, but instead, she's lost her life. She's dead. May have been suicide.
_____________________________________

Holy Moly, do you have a link? Not sure how to search for that. Thanks.

Dwindle said...

Amy2 said... 112
...
--No response from Kate about Robert's book. If it were lies, she would have sued him. "Can we sue"

4444444444

I agree with Amy2. Robert's book and her refusal to deny any of it.


Also all the lies we have caught her in. My most recent find was those perfect pie crusts she tweeted pics of and took credit for at Easter, then 6 months later says she cant make pie crusts and even her kids tease that they look awful. Taking public credit for Katherine's work.

FYI said...

She tweeted this on Nov. 24, when a tweetie said that she hoped that Jon would take the kids shopping for Kate's gifts.

Kate Gosselin‏@Kateplusmy8
@siggyelizabeth lol. No.We have fam friends who take them..or I do it&let them wrap.They r sad if I have nothing 2open..doesn't worry me tho

So what does she say to them? "This is what I got for you to give ME for Christmas. Aren't you thrilled!! You get to wrap it and give it to ME!!"

Now that is definitely one way to make sure you get what you want for Christmas, buy it yourself and pretend it's from someone else.

JoyinVirginia said...

Ms Kreider s top ten, hmmm....
I have to agree dragging the right, count'em, eight to Connecticut for the kids run. All the local kids were celebrating an accomplishment. The Kreider Krew were just accessories. But Ms Kreider got a trip with purse boy and got to see her best bud Rod Dixon, that's all that mattered.

Dwindle, is that a recipe from that Fix It and Forget It cookbook? It is on my shopping list, and I will look for it at the library too. And do tell, which of your exquisite crockpots is this concoction cooking in?

Dwindle said...

PJ's momma said... 115

4444444444

OH! I'm sorry! I will head there right now. Thank you so much in advance!

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

God, another reason I wouldn't want to be famous. I would feel responsible for her death because they were just trying to prank me, even though it wasn't Kate's fault. A pregnant ill mother doesn't need this kind of stress. I really pray for that unborn child. Maybe this will be a wake up call that hounding these people has consequences. That's three dead now. Diana, Dodi, this nurse.

Midnight Madness said...

She has to buy herself small gifts to open on Christmas..where in the world are her numerous friends and 120,000 twitterers? Seems like they are always sending her stuff...guess none of it is good enough to count as a Christmas gift then?

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The "I buy myself gifts" tweets is in plenty of time for her sheeple to send her gifts so she really is surprised! This is her latest grifting ploy...not directly asking for gifts, but putting it out there that she needs things to open on Christmas Day.

They will, of course, fall for it. She knows how to do this. I'll give her credit for that much.

Tucker's Mom said...

The nurse, not the receptionist, is dead. The nurse spoke with the dj's and gave the info.
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/07/15753452-nurse-at-duchess-kates-hospital-who-was-hoaxed-by-djs-found-dead

FYI said...

Here is a story about the receptionist's death.

http://news.msn.com/world/royal-prank-call-receptionist-dies

Anonymous said...


OK, I have to post this. It is OT but it's too important NOT to pass on.

I Just saw that the FDA has just increased the limit of acceptable RADIATION in the MEAT supply.

"In the first new rule recently published in the Federal Register, the FDA specifies that "unrefrigerated uncooked meat" can now be irradiated right alongside refrigerated, frozen and cooked meat. And in the second new rule, the FDA increases the amount of ionizing radiation that can be applied to poultry products such as chicken by 50 percent, bumping the dosage up to 4.5 kilograys (kGy) of radiation from the previous 3.0 kGy.

These two rules, which were enacted quietly and without any media fanfare (big surprise), come more than a decade after the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) first petitioned the FDA for their passage back in 1999. And in the years that followed, numerous consumer advocacy and food safety groups decried the proposals, warning that irradiation is dangerous."

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/038255_radiation_meats_FDA.html#ixzz2ENuJRaWP


Please, PLEASE research and find out about what is going on with our food supply so you can make healthy, safe choices for your family.

heather

He who controls the food controls the People.

Tucker's Mom said...

I can't believe Kate buys herself Christmas gifts to open.
Some days I think her mentally parentifying those kids can't get worse, and then it does.
We bought my mom a small little gift each year. It was nothing like something my dad bought for her, but we would pretend it was from us. Nothing like like. It was a child's gift. One, maybe two.
If the kids get sad that Kate has nothing to open, then she should say "a card or little project you make is going to make me so happy"
She's ill.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Pioneer woman has a beautiful post about the death of her grandmother yesterday. I so wish everyone could experience a grandma like that.

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

Tucker's Mom and Kate's a twit, thanks for the link. What a horrible thing!! One reason I hate pranks and teasing of any kind.

AuntieAnn said...

That's three dead now. Diana, Dodi, this nurse.
====
Four. The driver of Diana's car, Henri Paul, died too.

OrangeCoaster1 said...

Just when you wonder if that biotch has ANY true sense of the season, she's now tweeting about the joys of Amazon and buying gifts for herself so her children don't feel bad for her. Since she already killed Santa, who does she think 8 and 12 year olds will be thinking gave Mommy presents? How much more can Xmas be about HER?

Her bedroom Santa Workshop? Also about her. Xmas? About presents. And about her.

Guess Our Kate is also not buying local this year. Wonder how that Toys for Tots campaign is going?

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

That's right four! Sigh.

Anonymous said...

AuntieAnn said... 89
Kate Gosselin‏@Kateplusmy8
@harman_megan please send a message thru him directly 2 amazon: I'm in total &complete love&have been for years. I buy ALL @amazon :) :)

The woman is fickle. She's 'in total and complete love' with something every other day.
And her valley girl verbiage is vomit inducing.
==================================
And here I've been blaming it on the blockage and migraines all this time...is there an anti-KG med? Other than avoidance? I like Amazon. I won a gift card there once...

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

The nurse just put the call through she didn't give out info that was the other one. But putting it through started the ball rolling.

I guarantee kids don't care about Kate's present except for the ones THEY bought her.

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

@dowd24
@Kateplusmy8 What perfume do u like? :)
______________________________________________

UGH! Here we go.

Anonymous said...

Dmasy - Vocation prayers? You betcha! Worked on 19 members of my small graduating class. 19! (didn't take on all 19 though) still...I thought there was something wrong with me! (All right. I know. Shut up you guys. I hear it enough). No beani though. And to think we sent our kids through 12 years too :)...much different for them. They liked it. They didn't want the local public school.

But you and I. WE have the stories :)

AuntieAnn said...

Flight of the Kiwi said... 133 ==================================
And here I've been blaming it on the blockage and migraines all this time...is there an anti-KG med? Other than avoidance? I like Amazon. I won a gift card there once...
====
Hang on Kiwi...I'll see if Amazon has any Rumspringa in pill form. Extra-strength formula.

Dwindle said...

Did just now hear about the UK receptionist suicide, on the news. They were quoting the Daily Mail. She was actually a nurse, filling in for reception that day. Married with 2 children.

Horrible. Perhaps a very decent woman who couldnt live with the humiliation of the mistake she made.

Dwindle said...

OrangeCoaster1 said... 131
Just when you wonder if that biotch has ANY true sense of the season, she's now tweeting about the joys of Amazon and buying gifts for herself so her children don't feel bad for her. Since she already killed Santa, who does she think 8 and 12 year olds will be thinking gave Mommy presents? How much more can Xmas be about HER?
4444444444444444

Is she going to make up invisible friends too? How stupid does she think they are? How many more MINUTES before they read of her antics online? The oldest are going to be 13 for cryin out loud, how long before kids in school tell them about their lame assed mother, buying herself gifts? Is this her way of manipulating even MORE pity and sympathy for their oh so beleaguered mother?

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

And here's Kate to immediately answer the question:

@Kateplusmy8
@dowd24 um, it's by beyonce in an orange bottle. Called heat maybe? Which is your fave?

_____________________________________________

Acting as if they're just having a conversation about perfumes, not that her tweetie fans is going to send her some.

Anonymous said...

But Dwindle if Admin threw in 8 boxes of generic organic Velveeta and 65 organic bell peppers plus a whole chicken caracas before serving and it WOULD be a wonderful party dip dumped on blue corn tortillas...

AuntieAnn said...

(Administrator) said... 134
I guarantee kids don't care about Kate's present except for the ones THEY bought her.
====
She's also taking the spirit of giving away from the kids. What Kate? The gifts they give you aren't good enough? It shouldn't matter if it's one oven mitt, a home made bracelet...anything! If she can't be gracious enough to accept what they give her, she's an ass.
But we already know that don't we.

FYI said...

Kiwi and Dmasy--I am also a graduate of Catholic parochial school, grades 1-8. Yep, many stories could be told.

I remember going to my 30th reunion, and most of my teachers were there, and it seemed like none of them had aged at all!!

I remember in eighth grade, my teacher giving the girls and then the boys(separately of course) a talk about the "urges" we would start to feel or were feeling. She was one of the sweetest people, but her face was so red during the whole talk. This was back in 1963, and I don't really know who was more embarrassed--her or her students.

This talk was given shortly after 2 students were caught "making out" during our field trip to see the "Passion Play". Talk about inquisitions--every student who went was interrogated.

I loved that school and I loved all my teachers there--but there were definitely some moments that make me laugh till this day.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Beyonce???? Haha what i she 12????


And yeah all innocent like well it happens to be this one! As if her sheeple won't send it to her. I really wish they would pick a charity and stick to a charity. And I mean one that actually qualifies as a 501c.

Anonymous said...

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said... 140

And here's Kate to immediately answer the question:

@Kateplusmy8
@dowd24 um, it's by beyonce in an orange bottle. Called heat maybe? Which is your fave?

_____________________________________________

Acting as if they're just having a conversation about perfumes, not that her tweetie fans is going to send her some.

===================
If I did the twit thing:

@Kateplusmy8 - Oh. Good to know
@kateplusmy8 - Can I get that at Drug Mart?
@Kateplumy8 - My fave is Chanel 5.
@Kateplumy8 - Oh and FYI - Original Parfum ONLY. NO Eww de toilet water OK?.
@Kateplumy8 I'm getting low. Now hop to.

Why did Kate block me? I wanted to exchange gifts.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

All the people she's met over the years plus all the family and friends she has and that's not plenty enough people to give her PLENTY to open on Christmas morning? Sad. Says a lot really when you have that many people who have crossed your path, but no real lasting relationships.

AuntieAnn said...

@Kateplusmy8
@dowd24 um, it's by beyonce in an orange bottle. Called heat maybe? Which is your fave?
====

Why do you ask, bitch? Planning to send all your tweeties gifts this year? I doubt it.
Paleeeze, you shallow, transparent, greedy waste of oxygen.

FYI said...

I found an article about Ben Hymers-with a bit of an update. It doesn't go past 2008, but I thought people here would like to read it. He went to Edinburgh University for Art. He probably was the one who designed that board game.

http://wikibin.org/articles/ben-hymers.html

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

In honor of the Christmas spirit, every time Kate grifts I'm going to promote a tie in charity.

This one is from Clinique, and its their perfume Happy Hearts. Clinique has donated $250,000 to the Happy Hearts Fund which builds schools and restores hope in the lives of children. When you purchase this limited-edition Clinique Happy Heart perfume, $10 will be donated by Clinique to the Happy Hearts Fund.

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/clinique-happy-heart-charity-fragrance-.5-oz?ID=772540

Merry Christmas Kate!!!

AuntieAnn said...

This is what she's REALLY saying:

It's Beyonce in the orange bottle and you can get online from their website or from amazingly totally awesome Amazon and here is my PO Box # and make sure you order it before the 12th so it gets to me before the 22.

Aaaacckkk! Go away Kate.

Grammie said...

Flight of the Kiwi:

I rarely post ,but laughed out loud at your Catholic school post. I think I sat behind you in Sister Mary Holy Waters' class. Good times, good times.

Jane said...

kateplusmy8
@CJWhodunit @MiloandJack @braez @amazon I EVEN ordered some stuff 4 me so my kids c me open stuff 2..Small things so I have 'surprises' 2 :)

-------------

This was a shout out to Milo and pals to send her gifts. While it doesn't exactly say "poor me, I'm so alone", that's the message it's sending.

Formerly Duped said...

Kate does have 'invisible' friend, like The Smiths and the friends who gave her flower, who dropped in for an impromptu lunch, the family friend who takes the kids Xmas shopping, maybe the fish on paper guest if not Deanna? Marathon girls are not really friends .

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Out of touch with her tweeties again. Many women cut out perfume long ago in this economy. That's $37 that could be spent on groceries or other necessities.

Dwindle said...

Flight of the Kiwi said... 141
But Dwindle if Admin threw in 8 boxes of generic organic Velveeta and 65 organic bell peppers plus a whole chicken caracas before serving and it WOULD be a wonderful party dip dumped on blue corn tortillas...
44444444444444444

Just dont let her see the (shhh...c r o c k p o t) and she'll be fine.

ADMIN (hug)

Dwindle said...

Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 149
In honor of the Christmas spirit, every time Kate grifts I'm going to promote a tie in charity.

44444444444444

Yer gonna have to quit yer day job.

AuntieAnn said...

She needs to tell her sheeple NOT to send her anything, to instead send whatever $ they would spend on her to a local food bank, or something similar. It would go a long way to heal her broken-almost-beyond-repair reputation as a soul-sucking greedy pig.

Jumping In said...

One of the Kate moments that stuck with me was when she was on Katie Couric's show. She shared how very mother would relate to the goal of getting to bed every night (and finally ditching the children). The camera panned the audience, revealing the blank stares, reflecting their utter surprise at such a statement.

To think a prank call placed from Australia could cause such public scrutiny around the world, now resulting in an apparent suicide is thoroughly heartbreaking. So many lives affected and changed over this, the guilt and sadness will be felt by many. Perhaps the days of sitting by the radio waiting for news held more value, had more substance. Nowadays, news is Kate Gosselin running a half-marathon. We are bombarded, instant information a blessing and a curse. I am left longing for less-complicated times, especially so at this time of year. This poor girl must have felt the weight of her innocent action too much to bear, everywhere she turned, the story was there, so sad.

Thank you Admin. for bringing such a poignant piece to this site, I enjoyed it immensely. It was so nice to go back to simpler times.

Dwindle said...

Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 144
Beyonce???? Haha what i she 12????

4444444444444

I KNOW!!!!!!!!!! What next? Justin Bieber? Snookie?

kids first said...

I have a feeling that Milo reads here then reports back to Kate and nudges her to do things to counter what we are talking about here. You watch, Milo will suggest that Kate bring up charitable giving on her twitter.

AuntieAnn said...

kids first @160 - I have a feeling you're right.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Hey now. You leave Justin Bieber out of this.

handinhand said...

Admin @144 said:
And yeah all innocent like well it happens to be this one!
---------------------------------
Exactly. The 'um' at the beginning of the tweet is a dead giveaway.

FYI said...

I have a feeling that not only Milo, but several of Kate's tweeties read here. Remember, when I accidentally found the video of Kate's appearance on "Say Yes To The Dress" due to someone else here posting a "Beetlejuice" video?

Not too soon after I posted the link to that video, Paige also tweeted the link. Too much of a coincidence, I think.

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

handinhand said... 163
Admin @144 said:
And yeah all innocent like well it happens to be this one!
---------------------------------
Exactly. The 'um' at the beginning of the tweet is a dead giveaway.
==============================================

Exactly what I was thinking.

AuntieAnn said...

Kate reads here too. She usually says or does something relevant to what we've suggested shortly after said suggestion.

But do we ever get a nod or thank you from her? Credit where credit is due? Nooooo, nevah. #snark

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

No, according to the hospital, the nurse who died was the receptionist who first took the call and transferred it. Not the one who spoke about Kate's condition and revealed private details. But she was the first line of defense and probably felt it was all her fault. It was good to hear the hospital was supporting her not scolding her. I guess their receptionist was also a nurse.

Anonymous said...

Have you ever noticed that Kate sometimes doesn't answer really random irrelevant twitter questions but of course she has to answer what her fav perfume is because that could be a present sent to her. Oy.

I want to wish everybody who celebrates Hanukkah a bright, wonderful holiday. Starts tomorrow evening, very excited.

Hey Kate, lets take the focus away from what gifts you will get on Christmas for a sec and discuss what you can get Jon. I have a really great idea, this is the best gift you ever could give him.... Sound it out with me..

"Merry Christmas Jon, and thank you for being a great father to our children. Even though our marriage didn't work out, you were a wonderful help when I was losing my mind with 8 (count em 8) kids. Our children truly love their daddy (not the camera crew daddies but you, their real daddy). I am deeply sorry for the uncountable times I have thrown you under the bus and tried to paint you as a low-life deadbeat. I will be mindful of what I will say in the future and put our children first, and be grateful that they have a dad who loves them and looks out for them."

Do you think we will ever see the day where anything remotely similar to that will even enter Kate's mind, let alone come out of her mouth? Ever? The world would be a better place.

Peace and love to all,

Working Woman

Jumping In said...

Yes Admin, according to the news, this girl was a nurse, but working reception that day. She passed along the call to the nurse who gave out the information on Kate Middleton's condition. She must have felt it was her mistake, but whatever the circumstance, she did nothing wrong.

The media, who William blames for his mother's death, now shrouds their own joy. Imagine how they feel knowing such a silly prank could cause so much heart break.

AuntieAnn said...

It's surprising, considering how notable the patient was, the hospital didn't have a more secure protocol concerning the phone call. I'm not making a judgement call here on the receptionist/nurse. It's just odd that they (the djs) were able to get through so easily.

We can say ...oh those rotten prank callers, but what they did should have been something that was to be expected in this day and age. The royals are very high-profile so there's always the possibility that someone is going to do this. It's an oversight on the royal security staff and the hospital staff too that amounted to a tragedy.

I have to add, and I'll get blasted for it, but it's not as if it was a NASTY prank call either - they asked what her condition was. Yes, the call was a stupid immature thing to do, but they certainly could not have foreseen a suicide resulting from it.

Lessons learned all around.

Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said...

AuntieAnn said... 166
Kate reads here too. She usually says or does something relevant to what we've suggested shortly after said suggestion.

But do we ever get a nod or thank you from her? Credit where credit is due? Nooooo, nevah. #snark
________________________________________

She sure ignores our suggestions to ask her tweeties to donate to a charity instead of sending her expensive gifts.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

It's remarkable what you can get away with if you just play the part. Lots of stories out there of various party crashes, things like that. I walked right into an art benefit once at a museum in Florida because we got lost and no one said a thing. I think the nurses were afraid of offending the queen by saying are you really her? I suppose they should have realized the queen wouldn't probably call directly like that.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

How ironic, their child's first public appearance and the media kills another innocent. No wonder William just hates them. This event will go down in history as the very first event in that child's life.

AuntieAnn said...

She sure ignores our suggestions to ask her tweeties to donate to a charity instead of sending her expensive gifts.
====

She has SSRS - selective suggestion recognition syndrome.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Auntie I do agree it got out of hand, they even said that. They thoroughly expected them to hang up and were shocked when the call went through. They said it was the easiest call they ever made. I think it's a good lesson in how quickly joking and pranks, of which are popular in my family, can run away. I think if you are a prankster you need to be very aware of what you are doing and what could happen. Don't assume they might just hang up. They were asking private medical details about an ill and stressed young woman, that in itself was very wrong. I'd rather they prank about something much less serious if they must.

OrangeCrusher1 said...

Oh dear god, perfume by Beyonce? Uh, can't remember the name?

How old is she again? i am actually embarassed for her. Guess she'll be grifting enough to last until she turns the big 5-0. Hope the sheeple wrap it, the least they can do.

Ick.

FYI said...

It seems the DJ's responsible for the prank have been taken off the air until further notice. Although they did apologize for the hoax, they were getting a lot of flack on twitter and FB, and both closed their twitter accounts. It seems like the apology came before the news of the receptionist's death.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244732/You-blood-hands-Global-revulsion-Australian-DJs-sick-prank-nurses-suspected-suicide.html

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

I couldn't be more embarrassed for her than if she said she likes Yellow No. 2 by Big Bird.

Anonymous said...

Our power is out :(. Always fun when that happens when one is in the shower... I'm going for THE SHOT at 4:00. Happy land but no K of C party for me tonight ( I really am a member of the ladies auxiliary). RM is a Knight. Yay fish fry.

Kate the NYC Times best selling author strikes again. Beyonce in an orange botltle. For goodness sake Kate. Let her out! Poor woman. And please tell me how Kate does not know the name of her "fave" perfume. Callled heat maybe. Wow. Way to turn a phrase. Is she confusing it with the Grammy nominated, over played Calll Me Maybe?

AuntieAnn said...

I concur completely Admin. There's definitely a place to draw the line when it comes to pranking.

I understand William's resentment toward the media too. There's a shadow now hanging over what should be the very happy celebration of a new member of the family. So sad.

Millicent said...

For fun during "wartime," they took a "holiday at home," by going on a picnic nearby and visiting a local cave. Holidays at home were encouraged by the British government, because traveling far was too dangerous, expensive, and would clog the roads the military needed.
-----------------------

When the economic downturn hit, I lost my job and was grateful to find another right away - but it was at a nearly $13K paycut per year. I was barely in the middle class income structure as it was before the recession. I guess now I'm probably considered low income. That's when my little family began having "stay-cations" instead of vacations. We live in an area that has so much to offer, so it was actually a silver lining sort of thing.

Some months, we had to live on $200/month for groceries. Good thing we happen to like beans, rice, and potatoes! The budget-stretching tricks I saw my mother practice came in handy.

I have put this series on my Netflix, and hope it arrives soon. This reminds me of a book I read awhile ago - I can't recall the name. It was fiction but based on real events on a small island off Britain during the war. It was either in the form of a diary or letters to someone, describing how they had to make do with progressively less and less. In little ways, people can be very heroic.

Millicent said...

As for folks offering to pray for me, I too am an atheist with Buddhist leanings, but I would never bitch if someone wanted to offer their good wishes. I take them at their word and accept gratefully their kind thoughts. I'd never be so presumptuous to say 'I'm an atheist, so your prayers are unwanted' - ugh, that would be so rude and dismissive of their faith!
----------------

Oh exactly. I think any form of good will or wishes offered to me is a wonderful thing and I am always truly appreciative. I think it's important to look at the intent rather than the method.

silimom said...

Please bear in mind, regarding the death of Ms. Saldanha, that we know nothing of what was going on in her life. She could have been depressed over other issues and this call was just the final straw. I agree, while the call was immature I don't think the DJs involved had any intention of causing any harm and they were, as was pointed out, actually quite polite. Honestly, I think the nurses probably didn't want to offend as was mentioned. Ms. Saldanha had them on hold for almost a minute, I believe, before the call was patched in. I'm sure she spoke with someone working with her before ringing it through.

Prince Charles had a wry comment about his impersonation when he was asked about the Duchess' pregnancy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgp2dpIrySg

Definitely not amused but I don't think overly upset. He had a very good sense of humor about it.

I think it is a tragedy that this poor woman killed herself. I feel so terrible for the family she's left behind. But I honestly have to believe that she had more going on in her life than to kill herself over something like this. To do something so drastic over a prank phone call implies to me that her perspective was not balanced which would indicate, again, that there is more to this suicide than we know.

Tucker's Mom said...

Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 154
Out of touch with her tweeties again. Many women cut out perfume long ago in this economy. That's $37 that could be spent on groceries or other necessities.
**********
Perfume just doesn't seem as prevalently worn as I seem to remember. I hardly wear it, but I developed allergies and then asthma in my 20's and that sort of turned me off because of being sensitive to the smells.
Of course suffering migraines at the time left me holding my breath and running through the perfume area of a department store, lest I get sprayed!
I remember the days of Poison and maybe worse, CK1 (sorry if I've offended any lovers of these scents). They could knock you out from a mile away.
I'm glad the DJ's are on apparent suspension. This was not to be trifled with. And Admin is right, this is the first event of this unborn child's life. I hope Kate is not going to get too terribly stressed by this. I know I'd feel so badly.
Bless this poor nurse's family who will have to suffer this tragedy right at the holiday season (which will never be the same again).


Did anyone else see the ghost elevator prank in Brazil? I was shocked that so many took it lightly! So. Not. Funny.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Hard to say for sure. You have to understand the royal family is huge in Britain and for those who adore then as she may have, having a part in causing then any distress could make a normal person feel like they've just taken the entire country down by their hand and the only solution is to bow out. It is an international story, it's gigantic.

I actually do believe a screw up like this could push a normally stable person over the edge. Some people are very private and attention like this could literally kill them. She may have been unstable, she may not have been. She was well liked, had kids, a great job, no evidence of instabilty. I don't think anyone thinks the djs intended any harm. I feel for them too, a childish mistake led to something they never in their wildest dreams thought could happen when they dialed. They must feel a lot of guilt too.

readerlady said...

I hope those 2 DJs are feeling 6 inches lower than a snake's navel right now. I have a suggestion for them. Set up an education fund for this nurse's children, and put a substantial amount into it yourselves.

KKs such a narcissist that she probably thinks the free Kindle books available on Amazon are for her alone.


Admin, if you are serious about wanting to go vegetarian, check out Amazon's Kindle freebies. They have vegetarian and vegan cookbooks for free or very cheap often. I'll try to remember to post an alert to you if I see one listed on the blogs/newsletters I get, if you want me to. Also, Dwindle, there are often slow cooker and crock pot cookbooks listed. I've picked up some interesting ones for free. One they had the other day was 31 different ways to cook chicken in your crock pot.

I'm enjoying reading about your Parochial school memories. I'm an adult convert, so I didn't go to Parochial school. I volunteer at one now, but the situation is entirely different from what it was back in the 50's/60's/70's. There are very few teaching nuns now and about half our students aren't Catholic. Their parents send them to us because we have smaller classes and because they like the idea of the kids learning right/wrong, morality, etc. Most of them feel it can't hurt them to learn about another faith.Our parish scholarship fund serves all students/families regardless of church affiliation (or non-affiliation,as the case may be).

FYI said...

silimom--I agree that we don't know what was going on in this woman's life, and perhaps other factors were involved in her apparent suicide, but this incident MAY have been what finally pushed her over the edge. For that, I would hold the DJ's partially responsible.

silimom said...

Permanent and Millicent - Wonderful attitude about prayers being offered for you. :-) I completely agree - when I say I will pray for someone it is because I am concerned for them and want the best outcome for them. I used to say "I'll send good thoughts your way" if I wasn't sure of someone's belief system but decided that saying "I'll pray for you" was more honest and that was important to me. I am not ashamed of being a Christian and sometimes, in our efforts to be politically correct, it can come off sounding like that. I wouldn't expect an atheist to be ashamed of their beliefs and neither should I apologize for or be ashamed of mine. I think we can all be adults and respect what the other believes and be appreciative that, in the end, we are showing that we care for each other.

Silimom said...

Admin - well said and thank you for that perspective.

Millicent said...

Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 15

Speaking of holistic, I have thought about going vegetarian for awhile, I think I might actually do it this time or at least try to eat vegetarian most days out of the week....I'm scared!
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LOL - I am trying to go at least 50-75% vegetarian. I don't think I can go vegan. Now that it's winter time, I like making vegetable soups, or split pea soup (minus the ham), served with some fresh sourdough bread. I usually have a hot rice cereal for breakfast. It's lunch that I need to revise the most as I often pick up a turkey or roastbeef sandwich.

I made a vegetarian lasagna awhile ago, substituting sliced zucchini for lasagna noodles, and adding white beans to the sauce instead of beef. It turned out pretty good.

The reason I probably would have a hard time going vegan is that I often use eggs as a source of protein, such as making a spinach quiche for a dinner or three, and certainly use eggs in baking banana or pumpkin breads, etc. However, I do get fresh locally produced organic eggs. (Yikes, now I sound like Kate!)

silimom said...

Completely OT - I love and adore my dog but I am getting so tired of my house smelling like dog and dog kibble. Any suggestions. Lysol masks it for a while but doesn't seem to do a long term job.

fidosmommy said...

The nurse may have been flustered over her job that day, answering phones, dealing with people coming up to the desk, doing the paperwork that receptionists do.... and if it was not her regular job, it would be worse than it would be for the person who did that job daily.

Outside the tragedy of this whole thing, one thought I had was: Do the Queen and the Prince of Wales actually dial their own phones? That's only part snark, btw. Charles can't draw his own bath water or put his own toothpaste on his toothbrush..,

PJ's momma said...

On that video of the royals, did you see how she greeted and seemed to thank the driver holding the door open for her? She seems to be such a gracious young lady. Unlike a different kate.

silimom, Febreeze the dog! Just kidding. It doesn't work. One of our dogs smells like a hamster cage. Stinky pinky.

Winsomeone said...

The prank was wrong of course, but since no one actually blamed the nurse/receptionist, maybe she was just extremely thin skinned, or had something else entirely going wrong in her life? Who would actually kill themselves over such a nothing thing, after all, no one was harmed in the end. Now everyone is trying to make yet another victim/s out of the ones who did the prank..maybe they need to kill themselves too, and all will be forgiven?

Anonymous said...

That poor poor nurse. She must have been a sensitive caring person. My condolences to her family, friends and co-workers. May her gentle sould rest in peace.

bm

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

I rally can't agree that discussing someone's private medical issues is a nothing thing. As a medical professional you would guard confidentiality wth your life and would be floored to have breathed it. Anyone who has a duty of confidentiality in their profession knows what I mean.

Realitytvkids.com ~ Administrator said...

Sillimom what kind of dog? Some are smellier than others. As for the kibble not sure why that smells. I use innova, it is nearly odorless. Make sure it's locked up in an airtight container when not in use.

Anonymous said...

kateplusmy8
@CJWhodunit @MiloandJack @braez @amazon I EVEN ordered some stuff 4 me so my kids c me open stuff 2..Small things so I have 'surprises' 2 :)

Um, yah, those kids are gonna be surprised are all right- who bought their mom gifts- cuz it sure wasnt Santa!!!


Silimom,
Very well said about we are all adults. As an atheist I dont get offended when a Christian says they will pray for me, IF they are saying it nicely (not cuz they think I am going to hell for being an atheist, HAHA) and, here in GA where I am stationed, I here "have a blessed day' instead of 'nice day' when I am out shopping and it doesnt bother me. I like manners. At east they say something nice.

With that, let me take a moment for "Happy Holidays" It is not a war on christmas! It is not politically correct! It is me, being lazy, yes, too dang lazy to cover all the winter holidays when I see someone "Merry chistmas, happy Hanuka, Happy kwanza, Happy WInter SOlstice oh yeah and in case I dont see you, Happy New years!!" and on and on. You get the picture.
So please, fellow 15ers. Dont get upset with "Happy Holidays"- it is just the shortcut to cover the entire winter holiday season :D

Anonymous said...

Medical privacy is no joke, My chain of command violated mine on accident (long story) and I was advised that my HIPPA something was violated and I could file a grievance if I wanted. (We cant sue).
I didn't. It was a learning experience for all parties involved, including me, that medical info is very, very private and VERY protected.

Anonymous said...

That poor nurse. This story really shows the difference between the UK and the US. I think if it happened in the US, that nurse would have gotten their 15 of fame, instead of shame. My opinion of course, but it seems like here, anything that gets you in the spotlight is good. I could see interviews on all the major news networks, talkshow circuit, magazines, trashy tabloids with some crazy stories.

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