Wellfleet

I gotta admit, I'd much rather see that headline with Boob and Kim's husband, whatever his name is. Mr Green Jeans or whoever...

Because they're not grown men. Not really.

I bet Boob is still getting the checks too. Every single one of them.

Agree, but then it is very typical for TLC. Which seems to hire people that wouldn't be hired elsewhere - honestly this is my impression. At the broadcast networks or the premium cable networks or even the second-tier cable networks. I actually believe many of them have little to no training in this kind of work. Lots of "on-the-job" going on here, and being led by other people who weren't formally-trained either, but have just been there longer.

I noticed that too. Thought it was odd at the time, then thought maybe TLC is truly trying to start something. After all, it's in their own best interest to keep people watching, but TLC is certainly not going to care whether people watch because they love them - or because they loathe them. And they did air the miniature golf course-humping footage. Would a network that genuinely cared about the Duggars do that?

Spot-on. Nailed it.

This is certainly true - some people will watch anybody get married/planning a wedding. God knows why. But can Boob marry off the eligible kids quick enough to maintain interest? Or maybe the already-married kids will have to endure another TLC specialty - the vow renewal? Good grief. PS - what can they possibly show this group of kids doing? That's what I'm wondering. None of them have real jobs. Only Joseph goes to college - filming that would be awkward. None go to vocational training which COULD possibly be somewhat interesting. The boys doing their menial Duggar property duties? Cutting grass? Cleaning toilets? Trimming hedges? The girls caring for the younger kids? Or will Jessa will have plenty of sister-nanny help for the Spurge. And God knows what they'll decide to film in Guatemala or wherever the Dullards are. How in hell are they going to produce this show with such utter dreck? ETA the PS

Have a great day, Barb! Toss back one of those crabcakes for me...

it won't last. A season or two, tops. Unless they get rating points for how unutterably boring the Sea-Worlds and Dullards are. In that case this show could go on forever.The leghumpers alone cannot support the show. Not to mention that the Duggars now have the light of national exposure shining on them where they didn't in the first 10 years. Until Josh's scandals, most people in the US had never heard of them - and maybe most people still don't know who they are. If all the people who've commented so negatively in the last year put their $$ where their mouths are, that's it. We won't watch. And we won't support the advertisers. And we'll let the advertisers know why.

I'll take one of those please, Fog. Just toss in a shot glass or two of cold Italian roast espresso for flavoring instead of vanilla or chocolate. And you're right - no whipped cream or anything else on top either. No need to gild the lily...

I bet you're right about that. My shakes were likely full of ingredients - none of which were milk or ice cream :>)

IIRC, Subway is now the biggest chain in the world, surpassing McDonald's. Heard this just a few weeks ago.

Glad to hear it - that's great. Unfortunately, that hasn't been my experience with milkshakes. The few times I didn't finish one, it morphed into something VERY thick and gluey in the fridge. Quite nasty and undrinkable. Of course I haven't had one for probably 35 years now - maybe the tech has changed? LOL.

My comments were about food waste in general, not specifically restaurant food. But since you asked... I am not saying people should order less when they visit a restaurant - so that unsold food can be donated at the end of the day. I am saying that everyone should think about how much they really want, how much they truly feel like eating at that time. And if they're ordering for children, they should be ordering what they know the child can realistically finish. Then they should order what they want, enjoy their meals and if there are leftovers, take them home. Ordering a 32-ounce milkshake for a 4-year old child who happens to be the size of a 2-year old child is undeniably wasteful. FYI - in the past many things left at the end of the day, or past a specific period of time, were required to be landfilled by restaurants, grocery stories, bakeries etc. But now much of it can and is being donated to homeless shelters, food banks, community pantries etc. Obviously restaurants are not donating food left on patrons' plates however. I thought this went without saying, but I am stating it here to be clear, since this was the way some posters have intrepreted earlier comments of mine.

Yes, I have worked in food service. And yes, the amount of waste is truly appalling. But that doesn't change the fact that we should all be doing what we can to minimize waste. In fact, it provides even more reason. And not ordering more than one can eat or would want to eat in one sitting is a good start. Using your logic, we shouldn't really be concerned about innocent children being gunned down in inner city gang gun battles, because they are so many of them already. Trying to protect kids really won't help, and saving one more kid would only be a drop in the bucket.

I don't believe Bill and Jen should have to order from the children's menu for themselves. I don't believe they should have to order one adult meal and share it either. Even if the restaurant permits this - and most don't. I do think they should order the kids' meals from the children's menu however. From what we've seen, I think both Will and Zoey could pretty easily knock off a typical children's portion. These kids are great eaters overall. And Zoey's not-liking the spicy sushi? SO normal. Pre-schoolers are notorious for disliking highly-seasoned foods. And due to the ridiculous portion sizes in many US restaurants today, I don't think either Bill or Jen should feel obliged to clean their plates in one sitting either. I do think that they should take home anything they don't finish however, and possibly give a little more thought to what they order out for themselves and the kids. IMO, who pays for these meals is irrelevant. If good edible food goes in the trash on a regular basis, it's avoidable waste.

Strongly disagree. In a world full of starving people and diminishing resources, we ALL should have to justify it when we waste food. Whether we can afford it or not. But as I said, we don't know waste is happening. I do suspect there is some waste, purely because Bill & Jen are so completely accustomed to leaving food on their plates, of not being able to finish restaurant meals etc. I don't think it even occurs to them that it's waste, just life as they've always known it.

Very true. But while it is certainly their $$ to waste, I can't justify the waste which from what I've seen could be considerable. IF it is being wasted, that is. Hopefully they're doing what they can and taking home what they don't finish [although that doesn't work with milkshakes etc]. Personally I love the little jolt of surprise I get when I open the fridge door, on a quest for something to sling together for supper, and spy the neatly-packaged remains of a previous good time waiting for me. My vote for Best Leftover Ever? Pork-fried rice - ALWAYS better the second time around, no matter how delicious it was on the first go-round.

Absolutely. And aren't there confidentiality issues involved here anyway? I believe the cameras stop rolling as soon as the "real" appointment starts. If Zoey was ever anemic, for example - or Will really did need to lose some weight, we would never see discussion of that. At least I would hope we don't.

A very human emotion. And you're not the only one. I will admit right now that I am personally very envious of That House. From what we've seen, I have the feeling it sticks out like a sore thumb on their street, and I don't like the color at all, and I really dislike two-story rooms because the giant waste of space, heating/cooling they require etc. But otherwise - that's one beautiful damn house and looks a whole lot like something I could see myself building. All I still need is a winning lottery ticket. :>)

Couldn't disagree more. From the very first moment in China with Will, Bill has been nothing but 100%-delighted with him. I think he was actually startled to find out how much fun Life was going to be now with this beamingly-happy little kid in it. We have continually heard how funny Will is, how smart, how generous, how happy, how enthusiastic, how loving. How much he has overcome so far in his short life, and what a wide-open future he has in front of him. I believe Bill loves Zoey too, very much, but he has not spent as much time with her, and has never spoken about her in the same way. And that's fine. The father/daughter relationship is very different from the father/son one. Generally-speaking. Overall I believe both Kleins are perfectly-OK with their parental "assignments" as they've worked them out. I'm not a charter member of either the Bill or Jen fan club. I think they're absolutely great in some ways and of course "needing improvement" in others. Like we all are. Not that they do or should care what I think at all. But fair is fair. Someone needs to explain to me why it's OK to criticize Jen for having a favorite, while not criticizing Bill in any way. I'm not buying the default theory. Bill definitely made it very clear months before Zoey even arrived that he was Will's #1 booster.

Zoey is definitely behind the average Four, there's really no doubt. Not significantly, but she is. It would be clearer in Zoey's case if we saw them in school where they could be compared to other kids about the same age. But it's a very good thing we can't do that. Socially I would guess that Zoey will probably progress a little faster than Will, mostly because she's able to express herself better at Four than he could. And because she's a girl. Girls in general develop faster than boys right up on through to about the age of 12. After that, the boys tend to catch-up and then, eventually, everyone levels-off.

Jen prefers Zoey? No offense to anyone - truly, no offense. But well... duh. In this, Jen is 100%-typical and average. It isn't news to anyone that parents tend to interact with children of their own gender more often. Not exclusively obviously, but probably even MOST often. It's a societal norm around the world. It's probably even hard-wired into our DNA. And not because this helps one parent retain dominance, superiority and control. But simply because it's how little girls learn to be women and little boys to be men. Like is usually most comfortable with like. Incidentally, it seems pretty evident that Bill, if forced to choose, would most definitely choose Will. Which begs the question - why no declarations of his favoritism? Is it really somehow acceptable for a Dad to be best buddies with a son, but just an evil egotistical plot when a mother prefers a daughter? Hmmm.

Spot-on post. IMO, both kids are developmentally-lagging and socially-immature, but are absolutely making strides. The language improvements we see and hear are just the easiest things to spot when you only get to "observe" for 40 min a week. And I really hope Will has been IQ-tested because more and more I believe he has a normal intelligence. Just one that he isn't yet able to express. He may never earn a Phi Beta Kappa key but he seems to have a good memory, is very observant, loves anything mechanical etc. Barring anything permanent that might have resulted from his severe malnutrition, his future is full of possibilities. PS - I think "sparkplug" is just about the best single-word description I've ever seen for Will on this forum. He should use it for his e-mail someday...