Today was a bit chaotic on the Oprah Winfrey show. The talk show host was joined by my favorite TV couple and their 8 children.
Jon and Kate Gosselin, along with their twins, Cara and Mady and sextuplets Hannah, Joel, Leah, Collin, Alexis and Aaden sat down with Oprah to discuss life with two sets of multiples.
Many of you know the family from their TLC show ‘Jon and Kate Plus 8’, which airs every Monday night.
In 2000, Kate gave birth to twin girls, Cara and Mady. Then, the couple decided to try for one more child.
“We got a little more than we bargained for—we got six more,” Kate says. “We’re considered a fertility nightmare.”
At 5 weeks gestation, Kate had a feeling there was more than one baby growing inside of her.
“As soon as they flashed the ultrasound screen, I saw too many circles to count,” she says. “I was thinking, ‘These cannot be babies. There’s too many.’ I instantly went into shock.”
Jon’s reaction:
“He was close to tears, which he’s usually very silent and strong,” Kate says. “I thought, ‘Now we’re really in trouble.’ … It sounds funny now, but at the time, our whole lives just flashed before our eyes.”
Even knowing how draining – emotionally and financially – raising eight children would be but Jon and Kate say they never considered reducing the number of fetuses in the womb.
“When we went in for that [fertility] appointment, I said to them every time, ‘Really be careful with us, because we’re not doing that ever. It’s not for us,'” she says. “Actually, right before that ultrasound, the last thing I said to [the doctor] was, ‘Whatever you’re giving me, we’re taking.'”
On May 10th 2004 at an amazing 30 weeks gestation, in just three minutes the couple welcomed Alexis Faith, weighing 2 pounds, 11.5 ounces, Hannah Joy, 2 pounds, 11 ounces; Aaden Jonathan, 2 pounds 7.5 ounces; Collin Thomas, 3 pounds 0.5 ounces; Leah Hope, 2 pounds 14.8 ounces, and Joel Kevin, 2 pounds 9.7 ounces.
Now that the sextuplets are almost 4, the busy mom spends most of her time cooking healthy, organic meals for her family of 10.
“My day is make a meal, serve a meal, clean up a meal, clean up everything, wipe this one, change that one, deal with this one,” she says
Kate’s day by the numbers:
- she runs the dishwasher two or three times a day
- uses about 1,200 paper plates every month
- do at least two loads a day, with the most being five a day
It took two days, six suitcases and three carry-ons to get the Gosselins from Pennsylvania to Chicago. When they travel, Kate says she fills luggage with treats, blankets, Crayons and toys to keep the kids busy during the flight. “Take tons of food,” she says. “That’s my secret for everything. When they’re cranky, just feed them.”
I love Kate’s no nonsense approach to motherhood. The kids don’t get away with anything in fact the couple says that “timeouts are as normal as blinking.”
They may be out of the “terrible 2” phase, but Kate says the sextuplets’ behavior has not improved. In fact, it’s gotten worse. “Actually, 3s are rougher for us than 2s,” she says. “Didn’t you know? Three is the new 2.”
If you would like to read more about the interview. Please visit Oprah’s site.
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Hi I love your show, i started watching it when i was fliping threw the channels all 6 of them cought my eye it took me two day to remember all yalls names!! but two weeks to tell the sextuplets apart, Mady and Cara are easy, mady has lost alot of teeth missing and is very wild cara she is sweet,Hannah she is mommys helper and tends to stick to Kate and has a glazed look , i have trouble telling the diffrence between alexis and leah,the boys were the EASIEST!!! Aaden has glasses and tends to stick to Jon, Joel tends to stick to jon too and he has the glazed look, And collin he is little! Hannah,collin,Joel,and Aaden all stand out and look diffrent. I love them all but my favorites (hard too say) Are Cara,Leah,Aaden,and Hannah I am only 11 but i love your show Please right back that would make me very happy .
thank you for reading
Hi Jon and Kate…. and all 8..
I just wanted to say that i LOVE LOVE LOVE your show. It helps me relax and just get into your lives. I am glad that you are on TLC and i try to watch our shower every chance i get. i love the TLC marathons where I can catch up on what I have missed (due to me working SO Much) AND You guys do an amazing job with those kids. My aunt June had Quads in 1996 and I remember watching them when they were little and how everything was a HUGE deal. Like they have this book that has every dipper change and every feeding and every kids nap time and all that jazz in it. Its amazing! So I am sure that my Aunt can feel you pain. But keep up the good work… and you say 4 is easy. She just had another baby girl too. and she had a son before the kids were born. Even though she has two less kids then you. I can relate to what you are going though. Just keep living life and ENJOYING your kids at they age they are at. They sure grow fast. I hope TLC will keep you on for a couple more years. I would love to see all the kids reach at least 1st grade! its amazing how they grow up even from 3 to 4. Thanks for EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO! the kids are SO cute. I would love to help babysit them. It would defiantly be an experience!
aww i love jon amd kate plus 8 i watch that show all the time n its reall cool how kids grow up so fast lol man the kids are so cute well i think jon and kate are really good parents so keep up the good work
Hi, I love your show! i record every show. I know all the kids names. The twins,Cara, shes good with the kids,Mady, shes a free spirited and likes to preform. The sextuplets, Hannah, she mommy’s helper and likes horses, Leah is the smallest and is very talkative and speaks clearly, Alexis likes reptiles and is very loud, Joel is shy and is good at figuring things out, Collin is a little stubborn and very cute and he likes to do simple tasks but he makes sure he gets them done,and Aaden loves animals and is like a tiny professor with his glasses and his serious look. I love all your kids because they are so cute! i would like to someday meet you and your kids because if you can make it in life then it makes me want to grow up and have kids and make it to!
Hi Jon,Kate,Cara,Mady,Hannah,Alexis,Leah,Collin,Aaden,andJoel.
I love to watch your show.I live close by and my biggest dream is to meet your family some day.I’m young but i babysit a lot and i love children.I want to meet your family so badily.I can’t go a day without watching atleast one episode.I watch it every night and I’m going to buy your seasons 1 and 2 on DVD.when you guys went to the pittsburgh zoo i wish i was there to see you guys.If you could please email me back I’d appreciate it.And i want to meet your family so badly one day!
i think Kate should drink Monavie.. I love there show but kate is so tired and out of energy, Monavie is all nautural and 4oz a day is 13 servings of fruit a day that we all are suppose to have. I am not a big health person and have tried so many health products to help repair my body from all the damage threw the yrs and Monavie is the only juice that has ever helped save my life and lifes around me. Now i am telling everyone about it.
i came across this in a group thought you should know what some cruel people who live around you have said. i don’t know if there is an email you have set up. this is what was written
I have been following the unfolding issues regarding Jon & Kate Plus 8 for some time now however have kept my mouth shut about their family until now.
I happen to live in the same development as Jon & Kate and have never found them to be personable people. I will say that when they first moved in, you could get a waive out Jon or at least he would acknowledge your presence. However recently i’ve noticed that is no longer the case.
Kate has NEVER been personable. Numerous times I can recall walking around the development and seeing her doing what she does best (sitting on her butt while a volunteer helper chases after the children). So many times I’ve extended a greeting or a waive and she just looks the other way and does not take the time to acknowledge my existence.
With that said, I was NOT very surprised recently when the topic in the development was the very unfriendly signs that they have now placed in their front yard. A total of 3 signs are now posted in front of their house. The signs read:
Do not stop in front of our house, do not take pictures and do not stop and talk to us.
I wish I were kidding, but I am not. My question, is who do these people think they are. First and foremost they live on a public street so anyone can camp out on that street all day long if they so desired. Secondly, have they now reached the point that they are willing to publicly display their feelings that they are too good for the rest of the world??
After seeing them appear on the numerous talk shows, I was so amazed at the things that came out of Kates mouth. Just being a neighbor, I knew she was lying when she claimed to have very little help with the kids. I see volunteers in and out of that house all the time, I see the volunteers in the front chasing her kids around and I can see their backyard from my house and see Kate again just sitting on the swing while others tend to her children.
She wants to complain that she’s so tired, blah blah blah….try actually raising a family and you will see how tiring it actually is. There are plenty of families that are not profiting from choosing invetro and having 8 kids. Those families struggle to make ends meet, meanwhile Jon and Kate are lying and having everything handed to them. There are families in this world who are in dire need of help….this family is NOT one of them and its about time that people realize this.
I will say, I have never spoken to Jodi either, however have seen her in the development and she has always given a waive and/or a smile. I have many friends within the development who agree that she is a great person who is getting the raw end of this deal.
Kate is nothing compared to millions of moms out there, Kate is weak and although she chose this life path,she is milking it for what its worth…and Jon does what he does best and sits there with his tail between his legs. Jon needs to grow some balls and start doing what is right. Their children are learning nothing more than how to dupe good people into helping someone who is not in need.
I say their 15 minutes of fame should soon come to an end, and we all start helping those families truly in need. The truth is surfacing about this family and it is about time.
I applaud Jodi for her maturity, and join in with the rest of those laughing at Kate and Jon for being the idiots that they are!!
Jodi’s sisters blog is awesome as well, and i’m so glad that someone is putting the truth out there….FINALLY!!!
On a final note, Kate being the honest person that she is, has she ever mentioned the incident recently where she backed into another vehicle and then drove away without giving her information to the other driver? Well, the other driver got her plate and little Ms. Kate got a visit from the police! I guess Kate thought she was too good to talk to the person she hit too!!
hey im a little kid but love the show its awsome! i wach it all the time and tell her wat happens lol she is puttind my little broyher to sleep so i need to telll her lol any way ttyl
thanks
samantha
WOW. i love your show. its so amazing and your kids are so sweet! I just got done babysitting 5 kinds on the weekend… 2 three year olds, a ten year old and 7 year olf and an 8 year old. I was so tired when i got home.
I cant imagine babysitting 8 kids.
omg i love your show,your kids are great,and you have a wonderful family,but i dont know how you do it,i can barley keep up with the 2 i have,but you are amazing you really are one of a kind and i thank you b/c you help do better for my kids i have learned so much from watcking your show,me and my kids love your show,well watch it everytime its on even re-runslol well thanks
Jon and Kate, just wanted to tell you that i love your family! I have been watching your show almost daily this summer. I really wish you lived near me.I’m seroius. lol. Your kids crack me up everytime i watch. Actually, you do too. Anyway, your just a wonderful family and i mean it from the bottom of my heart!
I LOVE YOUR SHOW ALL OF YOUR KIDS BRING JOY TO SOUL. I WATCH YOUR SHOW EVERY CHANCE I GET EVEN THE RERUNS KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.I LOVE YOUR FAMILY JON & KATE PLUS 8. DAYTONA BCH,FL.
Everytime I watch the show it just puts a smile on my face. I love the little kids, especially listening to their little voices. It is so amusing to me when they hold conversations with each other. I just think that Jon and Kate you two are great parents. I hope that one day when I become a mother I will instill in my children everything that you are! I wish you the best with you and yours!
Dear Jon,Kate,Alexis,Hannah,Aaden,Collin,Leah,Joel,
I am your BIGGEST fan in the whole wide world!!! I’m only 11 years old and my dream is to meet your family someday. I think it is awesome how you parent all of your children. They are adorable. I know each and every one of their personalities. Everytime I watch your show I get a smile on my face! I have a friend that is going into 2nd grade and she reminds me so much of Mady. I would really like to meet you because I don’t have any brothers or sisters and I think your kids are awesome! Please E-mail me back.
i love your show!! i can belive how you take care of your 8 kids so well!! they are so cute!! god bless u all!!!
Dear Jon Kate Cara Madi Alexis Hannah Aaden Collin Lia and Joel,
I’m probably one of your biggest fans! im 11 and I live like 15 miles away. One day I had a swim meet near you. we were coming home and we passed your house I totaly screamed. Then I called my best friend Shianne and she was so happy for me. Your kids are so awesome!
I Know everything about them. If you wrote me back I would probably frame it and put it on my wall. All that Shianne and I talk about is you.We make up songs and everything. I hope that we can all watch them grow up.
My kids and I love watching this show. While I find Kate to be very abrasive and overbearing I do enjoy watching all the trials of such a large family. Nobody’s perfect. Believe me, I would know. I am the mother of three and (soon to be) step mother to three more, aged 10,8,6,5,5,and 4. New age brady bunch lol, I have a girl and two boys, Ritch has two girls and a boy. It’s stressful but fun. Almost wish we could do a show of our own: “Heather & Ritch: Our Six” makings of a blended family.
I actually kind of feel bad for them, Kate and Jon could benefit from seeing a counselor. I just wish they would realize that not everything has to be a battle between them or with the kids. Also, Maddy is a beautiful girl but whatever is going on with her they may need to take care of. The “princess/boss” attitude needs to be taken down a few notches, I know the parents don’t advocate spanking but I feel this girl in greatly in need of an “attitude adjustment” (i’m talking about a swat, not a beating for those who need it defined). If Kate and Jon don’t take care of it now she will become worse in time. I good indication of what’s to come is the girl’s attitude and backtalk when Kate introduced the chores and her numerous meltdowns (the little ones don’t seem to have as many).
But these are just observations. All in all I think the kids are cute and I look forward to the “loving” moments between Jon and Kate.
To Sarah above, I’m sure these signs weren’t meant to be as rude as you took them. This family is highly publicised which presents a great many risks which include threats of kidnapping etc… Kids can be too trusting and I’m sure these parents just want to protect their children from strangers approaching them. Fans can be stupid sometimes. If the community has issues with the family, why not write them a letter and express your concerns. Open the lines of communication, nicely.
Anyways, I hope this show stays on for a long time. All my kids love it too.
You know what guys…..If you don’t like the show, no one is forcing you to watch it!!! I LOVE THE SHOW!!!! It is real! Not the reality crap that is all over the place now!!!!
Jon and Kate: I have faith that these judgemental people would look awfully silly on camera! Perhaps they are just jealous! NO WORRIES!!!
A BIG FAN,
Jamie
I absolutely love your show. None of us are perfect parents or spouses, so people who are judging negatively need to look in the mirror. As a wife, parent, and teacher, I always try to think positively. The glass is half-full, not half-empty to me. Continue to love and enjoy your children.
Why aren’t these children wearing bike helmets !! As a nurse who has seen so many head injuries and deaths caused by children not wearing bike helmets I am angered by watching these children on bikes, skate boards, and scooters without protection. That goes for dad too, as he rides off on roller blades with his older girls chasing him on their bikes! Shame on you Kate you should know better your a NURSE. We try to teach our children good safety habits and then they see your show !!