S13.E08: The Toilet Exploded!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

The Klein family settles into life at their new house but they have a lot of decisions to make about renovations. They shop for lighting and plumbing fixtures and test some paint colors with the kids. Then it's time for some barbecue and pool fun. 

Original air date: 2018.11 06

Edited November 12, 2018 by PrincessPurrsALot
Corrected episode number

[ginger90]

The toilet exploded?

[BooksAndTea]

Sweet, quiet episode with just the 4 Klein's eating, shopping & renovating their new home in St Petersburg, FL. Was surprised to hear Bill say that their new house is almost 4,000 sq ft. That's enormous. When Zoey was sitting next to Jen on the bottom of the stairs in the beginning of the episode I realized just how much she's grown. Such a beautiful little girl. They visited a nearby restaurant and when they sat at their table and Jen started talking with Will I had to laugh at how much will uses his hands to emphasis his words. Very Italian. They go to a lighting store afterwards and as they look around they tell Zoey she can help by 'looking' around and she says "I don't want to look. I want to buy!" Lol...Her mother's daughter, definitely. They aren't using as much playful background sounds/music as they have in previous seasons and it puts emphasis on the families conversations. While in the car I noticed that Will has almost outgrown his carseat. I wonder if he will get some type of modified seat or just be buckled up as a regular passenger would be soon. Was surprised at the extent of the renovation process, its moving along quite quickly as far as what we viewers can see. I loved Jen's house in Houston, this one will take a little getting used to in comparison. I suppose we'll see by season's end if its as lovely as their previous home. I loved when Jen used 'reverse psychology' on Zoey while test painting wall paint colors. I think Zoey is learning to spread her wings a little and be independent from Mom. But she's such a sweetie you can only laugh. Their contractor/designer Rick has the most unusual way of speaking. When he says 'Wednesday' he pronounces it 'Weeeeenzday' ...:)  I don't know if they repainted the pool bottom but it looks beautiful. Clear as a bell. Those 2 kids are incredible swimmers, can hardly believe Zoey is the same little girl who cried and cried for her Mommy during swimming lessons with Jared. What a wonderful thing to see. Seeing those two kids munch on their Dad's bbq'd lunch was so sweet and Will saying "Dad, I love my lunch" was adorable. At the end of the episode, during the 'behind the scene's' I noticed that Jen's hair was longer and she looks so pretty! I always thought that although Bill liked Jen and Zoey with super short pixies it was just too extreme a hairstyle. I think Jen has good reason to love the Meg Ryan hair style best in 'You've Got Mail' - its truly the most flattering on her. Its funny, I sort of missed seeing Nai Nai, Grandba or any of the other grandparents. I've sort of gotten used to the way they all lovingly interact with Will & Zoey, just being one big family.  Looking forward to next weeks episode. :)

Edited November 6, 2018 by BooksAndTea

[Bunnyette]

Kids hate shopping for house things...could they not have left them with Nanny Kate or grandparents?  Sorry mouthing off to adults is not cute.  No doubt Zoe & Will were exhausted when choosing paint colours.

[VioletNevermind]

Good grief, they’re definitely not shopping at Home Depot, are they?  To echo some of your sentiments, did they really have to bring the kids shopping for home furnishings?  I would have jumped out of an upper floor window to avoid that as a kid (and I knew how to behave in public!).  Jen is soooo controlling about pretty much everything.  

On a random note, I have heard the word coastal more times during the last three episodes of this show than I have in the last five years.  My annoyance at hearing that word on a constant loop was canceled out by how ridiculously cute Zoey looked in her little swimsuit.

Edited November 7, 2018 by SuzyLee

[farmgal4]

14 minutes ago, SuzyLee said:

Good grief, they’re definitely not shopping at Home Depot, are they?  To echo some of your sentiments, did they really have to bring the kids shopping for home furnishings?  I would have jumped out of an upper floor window to avoid that as a kid (and I knew how to behave in public!).  Jen is soooo controlling about pretty much everything.  

On a random note, I have heard the word coastal more times during the last three episodes of this show than I have in the last five years.  My annoyance at hearing that word on a constant loop was canceled out by how ridiculously cute Zoey looked in her little swimsuit.

Zoey looked like a little doll in that swimsuit! ? Those kids are BEYOND spoiled.  

[UsernameFatigue]

8 hours ago, BooksAndTea said:

Sweet, quiet episode with just the 4 Klein's eating, shopping & renovating their new home in St Petersburg, FL. Was surprised to hear Bill say that their new house is almost 4,000 sq ft. That's enormous.

I thought that Bill said they were renovating 4,000 square feet. Since they are renovating the top two floors, I thought that meant that the house would be larger than 4,000 sq feet in total when you add in the bottom floor that they are living in. My house is 4,000 sq feet over three floors, and theirs certainly looks larger than mine. It could be the style, as theirs looks rather imposing, while mine looks like a two story house from the front and has a porch the length of the house. In any case I would peg their's as closer to 5,500-6,000 in total. 

I totally enjoyed this episode, and liked watching them shop for fixtures, etc. I laughed at Bill and Jen saying that basically Jen just waits for Bill to come around to her POV. Sounds like our household. I thought the kids were well behaved in both stores, and generally throughout the episode. I am glad that the show has gone back to the one hour format. 

[BooksAndTea]

2 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I thought that Bill said they were renovating 4,000 square feet. Since they are renovating the top two floors, I thought that meant that the house would be larger than 4,000 sq feet in total when you add in the bottom floor that they are living in. My house is 4,000 sq feet over three floors, and theirs certainly looks larger than mine. It could be the style, as theirs looks rather imposing, while mine looks like a two story house from the front and has a porch the length of the house. In any case I would peg their's as closer to 5,500-6,000 in total. 

I totally enjoyed this episode, and liked watching them shop for fixtures, etc. I laughed at Bill and Jen saying that basically Jen just waits for Bill to come around to her POV. Sounds like our household. I thought the kids were well behaved in both stores, and generally throughout the episode. I am glad that the show has gone back to the one hour format. 

UsernameFatigue, you must be right, it makes more sense. I defer to people who own homes with 3 levels which is certainly not me. :)

[BitterApple]

I don't know why they felt the need to bring the kids to the lighting store when both Will and Zoey were tired and cranky before they even left the house. Why not just have Kate meet them at the restaurant so she could take the kids to do something else while Bill and Jen shopped? 

The house is already looking brighter and more open now that they got rid of that heavy gold paint color. I can't wait to see the final product.

Zoey has the cutest clothes. Will setting up shop with his coloring books on the toilet was hilarious. It's nice to see that he's able to quietly do his own thing.

[lookeyloo]

I am thinking they brought the kids to make an episode.  I'm also thinking that most of the renovation decisions are not made with the kids input or assistance when the cameras aren't rolling.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

One thing I noticed in the restaurant at breakfast was how Jen nor Bill cut the kids waffles/pancakes up for them.  I realize it is difficult with their arm length to reach across but Zoey was trying to tear hers apart with her teeth and looked uncomfortable at one point with the camera on her, bless her heart for being self conscious!  And chocolate carbs to start the day, YAY!  What a waste of juice in those huge containers, have they heard of buying one and splitting it...the kids couldn’t have had many bites of food and Jen was saying ok let’s go!  

Nice to see they can enjoy the pool without help (other than camera crew) and that the kids can swim so well.  I wonder if they take such liberties with the kid’s safety when others aren’t around.  The kids were sure enjoying their hot dogs and corn on the cob!  

It was a bit too much information from Jen about their poop habits in the store.  E.U.

Edited November 7, 2018 by Foghorn Leghorn

[bichonblitz]

So this show has been reduced to watching the Kleins shop for light fixtures, faucets and toilets. Riveting TV. This has got to be their last season ,no? 

Jen calling the kids to take a break, get out of the pool and eat lunch. They paid absolutely no attention to her. How rude, dismissive and disrespectful. She feels defeated and gives up. I thought that was sad. And Bill let it happen. He should have walked over and very sternly said, Your mother is talking to you. Get out of the pool NOW and let's eat lunch, you can go back in after you eat. Then again, I forget this is a TV show. Maybe Bill did do that and they edited it out. I hope that's what happened. 

Edited November 7, 2018 by bichonblitz

[sATL]

did they show the Houston house reno during an earlier season ?

I.m wonder in that there is only a handful of manufactures/models that will have the size specification they need/want , couldn't they choose an upgraded version of what they had - knowing what worked (or didn't) ?  And with the internet - shopping for some building materials do not necessarily mean a trek to a specialty store, with kids in tow, and being bothered with a salesman.

[BitterApple]

I'm curious to see how the kids' rooms turn out. I liked the lighter pink, but I thought the brighter one along with Will's blue were a tad garish. Jen seems to favor muted tones, so I'm a bit surprised they were up for consideration in the first place. Unless the darker colors picked up better on camera and were used for filming purposes only. 

[alegtostandon]

Those are some interesting light fixtures they chose for the playroom and Zoey's room.  Guess that's the difference between a $200,000 house & a multi million dollar home. We have ceiling fans with a light fixture, lol!  I thought the airplane light was pretty cool. I googled the space station light fixture, I would love that in my office!

I love crepes but would prefer without the chocolate filling.

That lunch looked better than most of the dinners I make.  Looked like hot dogs, chicken kabobs, corn on the cob & veggie tray. I wonder why Bill doesn't use a, stool by the grill. Probably more dramatic for us to watch him trying to open/close cover with BBQ tools.

[SunnyBeBe]

2 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

So this show has been reduced to watching the Kleins shop for light fixtures, faucets and toilets. Riveting TV. This has got to be their last season ,no? 

Jen calling the kids to take a break, get out of the pool and eat lunch. They paid absolutely no attention to her. How rude, dismissive and disrespectful. She feels defeated and gives up. I thought that was sad. And Bill let it happen. He should have walked over and very sternly said, Your mother is talking to you. Get out of the pool NOW and let's eat lunch, you can go back in after you eat. Then again, I forget this is a TV show. Maybe Bill did do that and they edited it out. I hope that's what happened. 

I agree.  Maybe, I was in a bad mood, but, I just wasn't impressed with the children's attitudes most of the time.  How old are they now? It's as if they see no problem being rude to their parents or ignoring them.  I stopped watching the last season the show aired due to this and it looks like I might follow suit this season.  I do want to see the house renovation though.  I would rather see the little couple more and the kids less. 

[sATL]

3 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I agree.  Maybe, I was in a bad mood, but, I just wasn't impressed with the children's attitudes most of the time.  How old are they now? It's as if they see no problem being rude to their parents or ignoring them.  I stopped watching the last season the show aired due to this and it looks like I might follow suit this season.  I do want to see the house renovation though.  I would rather see the little couple more and the kids less. 

Agree.1000%.  from a home reno aspect , I will pop in, but don't need to see every detail. I've said this with other kids in the show with adults (like Qunit Surprise, Outdaugtered and Kate) - when the cute little kiddies get to be school age , what exactly are we watching that is a major milestone to the next year ? 

I'm not too interested in watching Jen's career take off  to further heights and reach her new professional milestones. I guess part of it is that I sometimes follow the Little Women of xxx-city and I wonder what if they had someone like Jen to speak to them, so they could find a career other than the entertainment industry. 

 I will always give credit to the Jones from Quint surprise whose TLC show was cancelled, when the kiddies turned 3, by theirs and/or TLC choice. Enough was enough. Even with Duggar-gate, it really was time to focus on those who are older.

At least with Kate we have gotten to driving, dating, teen dramas and close to finishing HS.  Since Bill & Jen only want us to see what they want us to see, I too would prefer to catch up via blogs and do a special now & then until Will & Zoey get to high school.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Designer showcase shops, must be nice. Recently had to replace a toilet, I paid a whopping 89.00 at Home Depot for an HE - my turds are not that special. As far as fixtures, I would assume they could get almost the same ones at a big box store.  I did love Zoe's chandelier.  I did like the decor they had in Houston, so I assume much will be the same here. That contractor is spot on, they got lucky hiring him.  Sometimes those kids are too darn cute and other times I am like they need more discipline  .  

[JerseyGirl]

4 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

I am thinking they brought the kids to make an episode.  I'm also thinking that most of the renovation decisions are not made with the kids input or assistance when the cameras aren't rolling.

Yes it was for the purpose of filming. When they were getting ready, Jen said something like work and school kept them from going shopping during the week so they are going this weekend.  I'm thinking, can't you find time to do this when the kids are at school or leave them with Nanny Kate since you dragged her all the way there from Texas?!?

 

I enjoy a good show but I get annoyed and disinterested in shows when you can blatantly see that it's just for show.  

 

And I can't imagine that lighting invoice. Bill was standing near mounted lights that cost $499!  

 

I hate show-offs and that's exactly what they have become.  

 

Then next week's episode is visiting family in Mexico Beach?  Couldn't they scrape that episode out of respect for the people there that lost everything??

 

Ugh.  I can't with these two.  It's like they try to get the kids worked up for the cameras then smile and laugh at them when they misbehave or talk back.

Edited November 7, 2018 by JerseyGirl
typos

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Also, seems like fame has gone to their heads, clearly Jen was annoyed when the went to the crepe place for breakfast and had to wait for a table. Seems like on their road trip, the few places they stopped at were not open to the public at that time, or that battleship museum they were whisked in / out a side door, heck same with the fixture/plumbing place, nobody else there.

[Sew Sumi]

They also had a huge table set aside for them at the always packed Cafe du Monde in the Road Trip episode. I'm sure that never happens in real life!

[Absolom]

Ratings:  1.186 M viewers and a .23 rating.  52nd show of the today on election day.

[viewer]

It is very hard to watch the kids eat.   At their age they shouldn't be eating like a dog.  As perfect  as Jennifer says she is cut your kids food for them.  Perhaps they could hire a food cutter!   

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

I wonder how much Jen makes from her career, she isn't practicing medicine anymore right ? A simulation specialist what about 80K ? They own the Pet Shop in Houston - with employee salaries I doubt that is a major breadwinner, the pee pads at this point have not hit the market, so I wonder what TLC is paying them. A reno for the new house and a reno for the old one to put it back to average size people can't be cheap.

[Tikichick]

5 hours ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

Designer showcase shops, must be nice. Recently had to replace a toilet, I paid a whopping 89.00 at Home Depot for an HE - my turds are not that special. As far as fixtures, I would assume they could get almost the same ones at a big box store.  I did love Zoe's chandelier.  I did like the decor they had in Houston, so I assume much will be the same here. That contractor is spot on, they got lucky hiring him.  Sometimes those kids are too darn cute and other times I am like they need more discipline  .  

People buying at that level of home don't shop at Home Depot for fixtures and finishes for their homes.  A good friend whose home would probably fetch 250k to 300k is currently redoing a downstairs powder room and shopped at a designer outlet for the vanity, etc.   We're talking middle class, non TV folks with nine to five jobs.  Home Depot wouldn't carry anything that fits with the rest of the finishes in their home.  

1 hour ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

Also, seems like fame has gone to their heads, clearly Jen was annoyed when the went to the crepe place for breakfast and had to wait for a table. Seems like on their road trip, the few places they stopped at were not open to the public at that time, or that battleship museum they were whisked in / out a side door, heck same with the fixture/plumbing place, nobody else there.

Jen clearly said she was feeling a time crunch.  Maybe what you interpreted as "letting fame go to her head" was in fact stress about checking everything off the list for the day.

Job switch stress, cross country move stress, stress associated with kids starting new schools, hurricane hits new home immediately after the move AND the home you're attempting to renovate and desperately hope to sell soon as well -- probably some stress there too.  Oh, and there's always the fun of living through a reno as well.

2 minutes ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

I wonder how much Jen makes from her career, she isn't practicing medicine anymore right ? A simulation specialist what about 80K ? They own the Pet Shop in Houston - with employee salaries I doubt that is a major breadwinner, the pee pads at this point have not hit the market, so I wonder what TLC is paying them. A reno for the new house and a reno for the old one to put it back to average size people can't be cheap.

80K?  I don't think so.  She is in demand enough to speak at conferences around the country and even internationally.  She helped pilot the program at Houston and is program director in FL.  She's been in six figures & FL has been said to be a significant bump.    

[Cherrio]

10 minutes ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

A simulation specialist what about 80K ?

Maybe a tiny bit more, but that would only cover the cost of Bill's Audi.  It is an 80K car , not to mention the other Audi and the Tahoe.

Oh and I agree about the overuse of coastal, not to mention farmhouse too.  So, where does that Kardashian coastal farmhouse chandelier fit in?

I think Boastful Farmhouse is more appropriate.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

39 minutes ago, Tikichick said:

 

Jen clearly said she was feeling a time crunch.  Maybe what you interpreted as "letting fame go to her head" was in fact stress about checking everything off the list for the day.

 

You sound like you know them personally, fame going to head is the shopping at stores when no one else is there, or sneaking in/out of museums by the side door. I get a move and new job are stressful, however they should have had the gumption to halt production until they were settled.

[Libby]

I agree that they bring the kids to inappropriate places for the show.

They have both Jen's aunt who lives close by, plus Kate to watch the kids.

I'd bet my bottom dollar that the whole thing was fake, just like the house hunt.

Just like Bill and Jen went off alone off camera and bought a house, they probably went off and planned their renovations and items for their renovations for real when cameras weren't rolling and the kids weren't there.

Bill, Jen, and TLC really think that the American public is stupid. Everything on that show is staged and fake, in my opinion.

[lookeyloo]

7 minutes ago, Libby said:

I agree that they bring the kids to inappropriate places for the show.

They have both Jen's aunt who lives close by, plus Kate to watch the kids.

I'd bet my bottom dollar that the whole thing was fake, just like the house hunt.

Just like Bill and Jen went off alone off camera and bought a house, they probably went off and planned their renovations and items for their renovations for real when cameras weren't rolling and the kids weren't there.

Bill, Jen, and TLC really think that the American public is stupid. Everything on that show is staged and fake, in my opinion.

totally agree.  Scripted reality. Not a documentary.

[EtheltoTillie]

Agree that it’s staged, but FWIW I used to love to shop for household things with my mom and look at model homes. Maybe I was an outlier. 

[ButterQueen]

I enjoyed the episode.  I am so happy those precious children have Bill & Jen as parents.

[bichonblitz]

3 hours ago, Cherrio said:

Maybe a tiny bit more, but that would only cover the cost of Bill's Audi.  It is an 80K car , not to mention the other Audi and the Tahoe.

They have 3 cars? What in the world do these 2 little people need with 3 cars? For that matter, what do they need with that gargantuan house? It's overkill. They had to spend big bucks to make the Houston house sellable, and they made no profit on it. Now they are spending huge amounts of money on this Florida reno not to mention they paid over 2 million for the house to begin with. They are bordering being ostentatious and whoever said upthread that they are showing off, I agree. It's becoming a turnoff and I just get a "I'm sooooo cool" vibe from Bill. If they don't have anything to contribute to the show any longer other than showing us how rich they are then maybe it's time for them to say goodbye. I know one thing, if I have to watch them shop again next week, I'm going to be saying goodbye!

[viewer]

Next week is Mexico Beach.  Perhaps they will do something out of respect for the victims of Hurricane Michael.  Maybe Bill can hand out dog food.   Maybe, they can renovate the homes!   I am sure we will be reminded they are very rich!

[Calibabydolly]

I cannot believe they could not have found a nice enough house in the St. Pete/Tampa area that was SOMEWHAT close to her style. Bill clearly is not picking the home. And if they knew they were going to redo the whole thing, why not just find a foreclosure or fixer upper? It is a slap in the face to the "normal" viewer to rip out perfectly good floors and cabinets and basically the whole interior only to spend more millions for all the custom, high end finishes along with "designers" bla bla bla…….enough already! I searched through 100s of listings in that area with waterfronts even and found most for half price, especially that NEEDED a remodel. I get that they are making it 12 inches shorter but they could at least donate some stuff. I wonder if it all went into a dumpster? I agree with Bill, I didn't like the outdoor gooseneck lighting. It is a Spanish style house. Coastal farmhouse looking would go with those lights she picked out, not this HUGE Spanish mansion. I'm sure it will look good in the end, it just sickens me to see all this time and work and money getting wasted here. I cannot even imagine how much Jen really does make. Way out of touch with my world.

[BitterApple]

Generally I have no issue with how people spend their money, but I'm a bit surprised Bill and Jen would want such a massive home. They both look like they're in constant pain when they walk, and just to go from the kitchen to answer the door is a considerable distance. Personally I'd rather have a smaller house and more land, but they seem to prefer the opposite. 

[Spike]

4 hours ago, viewer said:

It is very hard to watch the kids eat.   At their age they shouldn't be eating like a dog.  As perfect  as Jennifer says she is cut your kids food for them.  Perhaps they could hire a food cutter!   

It looked like Will had half a crepe hanging out of his mouth.  Maybe they should try scrambled eggs or hashed browns.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Spike

[Absolom]

Bill did reach over and cut Zoey's crepe for her after he saw her gnawing at it.

[retiredviewer]

On 11/6/2018 at 5:08 PM, BooksAndTea said:

While in the car I noticed that Will has almost outgrown his carseat. I wonder if he will get some type of modified seat or just be buckled up as a regular passenger would be soon.

Will is only 7. He will need a booster. Kids stay in some sort of car seat until at least 9 or 10 now. Some even longer.

20 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I don't know why they felt the need to bring the kids to the lighting store when both Will and Zoey were tired and cranky before they even left the house. Why not just have Kate meet them at the restaurant so she could take the kids to do something else while Bill and Jen shopped? 

 

I thought the same then I realized it was a weekend. Kate is probably off.The grandparents don't live close enough to just drive over.

[retiredviewer]

11 hours ago, sATL said:

did they show the Houston house reno during an earlier season ?

 

The Houston house was a knock down and build from scratch.

10 hours ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

Designer showcase shops, must be nice. Recently had to replace a toilet, I paid a whopping 89.00 at Home Depot for an HE - my turds are not that special. As far as fixtures, I would assume they could get almost the same ones at a big box store. 

When you work with a designer you go to showrooms not big box stores. They get discounts but it is still big bucks. Those peepads must be doing all right.

[retiredviewer]

5 hours ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

I wonder how much Jen makes from her career, she isn't practicing medicine anymore right ? A simulation specialist what about 80K ? She is the director of the simulation department. They would not have made such a big move for 80K. I think she makes well into 6 figures. They are probably dumping everything TLC pays them into the house.

[sATL]

6 hours ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

I wonder how much Jen makes from her career, she isn't practicing medicine anymore right ? A simulation specialist what about 80K ? They own the Pet Shop in Houston - with employee salaries I doubt that is a major breadwinner, the pee pads at this point have not hit the market, so I wonder what TLC is paying them. A reno for the new house and a reno for the old one to put it back to average size people can't be cheap.

I actually google that today trying to find an answer. Yes, she is a fully fledged Johns Hopkins educated MD with a lucrative specialty, but I would also think she has some pretty big loans to pay back. It just seemed like the Houston house was just more believable and suited them - nice decent size house, wonderful amenities, in a regular neighborhood.  Here is an old article with a figure ( link ) :

"A 2011 special issue of "Modern Healthcare" collected and analyzed 16 of the medical world's leading salary surveys, looking for trends and compensation benchmarks. Ten of the 16 surveys reported salaries for neonatologists, with averages ranging from $160,000 per year to as much as $480,000 per year. Aside from these highest and lowest figures, most other surveys fell into either the $225,000 to $250,000 range, or another cluster at $290,000 to $310,000 per year. "

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

Generally I have no issue with how people spend their money, but I'm a bit surprised Bill and Jen would want such a massive home. They both look like they're in constant pain when they walk, and just to go from the kitchen to answer the door is a considerable distance. Personally I'd rather have a smaller house and more land, but they seem to prefer the opposite. 

Agree. Bill & Jen are in their 40s with mobility issues - lets see how they like travel from point A to B in the same house 10 yrs from now - if they stay there long enough. Is this the same house that one had to walk up stairs from the front door to the main foyer area? they were discussing w/ the contractor that they were going to add more stairs to make each step shorter for them. I was like whaaatt? why not just get rid of the stairs? That would have been a deal breaker for me. I think the difference is I am  used to people buying the majority of the house for what "it is".. as opposed to what it "could be".  The "could bes" - tend to build from scratch - builders or their custom plans. If one has to tear down a perfectly good very,very expensive house to make it what you want/need, just what exactly did you buy ?

1 hour ago, retiredviewer said:

Will is only 7. He will need a booster. Kids stay in some sort of car seat until at least 9 or 10 now. Some even longer.

I thought the same then I realized it was a weekend. Kate is probably off.The grandparents don't live close enough to just drive over.

wow.. that's a long time to be fooling with a booster seat. I thought it was a height/weight/age combo thing - but I may be confusing that for when they can sit in the front seat in a car with airbags. Don't some van/suv models come with the boosters built in?  found this cute flyer about florida law and child safety seats ( link )

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Persons,

The house is too big or perfect, enviable or an pox upon the landscape; the kids are angels or brats, being raised well or horribly.  Of course, you can post any of these opinions or anything in between.  We come online to post our thoughts about episodes of The Little Couple.  If it's on the show, it's fair game. 

What we do not do is tell other people how to post, what they can post about, or that they are wrong, wrong, wrong!  Doing so gets your post removed and can result in warnings.  So, let's play nice.  

Back to your regularly scheduled snark.

[BooksAndTea]

4 hours ago, retiredviewer said:

Will is only 7. He will need a booster. Kids stay in some sort of car seat until at least 9 or 10 now. Some even longer.

I thought the same then I realized it was a weekend. Kate is probably off.The grandparents don't live close enough to just drive over.

9 or 10 in a booster seat? Wow, I feel so old. Back in the day when I was a kid we were lucky if the car had seat belts, Lol. 

[readheaded]

7 hours ago, sATL said:

I actually google that today trying to find an answer. Yes, she is a fully fledged Johns Hopkins educated MD with a lucrative specialty, but I would also think she has some pretty big loans to pay back. It just seemed like the Houston house was just more believable and suited them - nice decent size house, wonderful amenities, in a regular neighborhood.  Here is an old article with a figure ( link ) :

"A 2011 special issue of "Modern Healthcare" collected and analyzed 16 of the medical world's leading salary surveys, looking for trends and compensation benchmarks. Ten of the 16 surveys reported salaries for neonatologists, with averages ranging from $160,000 per year to as much as $480,000 per year. Aside from these highest and lowest figures, most other surveys fell into either the $225,000 to $250,000 range, or another cluster at $290,000 to $310,000 per year. "

Agree. Bill & Jen are in their 40s with mobility issues - lets see how they like travel from point A to B in the same house 10 yrs from now - if they stay there long enough. Is this the same house that one had to walk up stairs from the front door to the main foyer area? they were discussing w/ the contractor that they were going to add more stairs to make each step shorter for them. I was like whaaatt? why not just get rid of the stairs? That would have been a deal breaker for me. I think the difference is I am  used to people buying the majority of the house for what "it is".. as opposed to what it "could be".  The "could bes" - tend to build from scratch - builders or their custom plans. If one has to tear down a perfectly good very,very expensive house to make it what you want/need, just what exactly did you buy ?

wow.. that's a long time to be fooling with a booster seat. I thought it was a height/weight/age combo thing - but I may be confusing that for when they can sit in the front seat in a car with airbags. Don't some van/suv models come with the boosters built in?  found this cute flyer about florida law and child safety seats ( link )

I think at one time some van/car/SUV models came with boosters built in, but I haven't seen that advertised for a while, so I'm not sure.  The boosters we had for our kids (we live in MD where at the time when my kids were younger, they had to be in a booster at least until age 8 and 80 pounds), weren't any hassle like car seats can be (thank goodness!).  They were literally just a little seat that they kids hopped up on like they would the regular seat and then they buckled themselves in.  I'm not very tall and use a pretty thick cushion which kind of does the same thing in terms of positioning because it keeps me from having to pull the seat up so far when I'm driving which protects me a little bit from the airbag deploying right in my face.  I think boosters help position the seatbelts on kids in the right place.

4 hours ago, BooksAndTea said:

9 or 10 in a booster seat? Wow, I feel so old. Back in the day when I was a kid we were lucky if the car had seat belts, Lol. 

I know!  My mother talks about toddlers walking around in the car!  Can you imagine?

Edited November 8, 2018 by readheaded

[freeser]

7 hours ago, sATL said:

Is this the same house that one had to walk up stairs from the front door to the main foyer area? they were discussing w/ the contractor that they were going to add more stairs to make each step shorter for them. I was like whaaatt? why not just get rid of the stairs? That would have been a deal breaker for me.

I was also thinking that having to go up and down stairs to get the the front door was a really dumb feature for four people that have very short legs and problems with steps.  You mention getting rid of the stairs, but I don't know if that would be possible with the design of the home.  My thought was a home with that design would not be the place for them and certainly could have been a deal breaker.  When Bill was telling the contractor they needed more steps to make it easier for them, you just could not help but think that it was a very poor and unnecessary feature and the wear and tear on their knees and hips will not get better over the years.  

[winsomeone]

I was thinking Jen can't make all that much too..it's not like she is a famous heart surgeon or something like that. I was thinking $200-300,000 a year at the most. Salaried doctors don't make huge amounts I don 't think, even from world famous hospitals. I mean, that is a lot for most people, but not enough for the life style they seem to be living? I was hoping for a new nanny when they moved..one that instills a bit of discipline and table manners.

[lookeyloo]

I wonder at some point will Bill and Jen get those scooters for inside their house?  They could afford a set for each level, right?  We would never see that.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Imagine the kids using scooters and banging into walls and putting themselves at risk by accidentally going down stairs!  Both kids were guilty of ramming their toys into walls in Houston with Jen yammering to no avail “stop it!”   

They also might have considered increasing the depth of the steps instead of adding more steps.  Bill is not a designer!

As far as income well they have the TLC money, their books, speaking engagements in addition to salaries.  The pee pad income has yet to be realized but likely was a consideration when they applied for their mortgage.  Vehicles are likely leased and written off somehow....also what about disability income.

[Absolom]

You don't get disability income while you're working or running a business generally.  There are a few exceptions usually for people just returning to the workforce in the first few months.

[BooksAndTea]

2 hours ago, readheaded said:

I think at one time some van/car/SUV models came with boosters built in, but I haven't seen that advertised for a while, so I'm not sure.  The boosters we had for our kids (we live in MD where at the time when my kids were younger, they had to be in a booster at least until age 8 and 80 pounds), weren't any hassle like car seats can be (thank goodness!).  They were literally just a little seat that they kids hopped up on like they would the regular seat and then they buckled themselves in.  I'm not very tall and use a pretty thick cushion which kind of does the same thing in terms of positioning because it keeps me from having to pull the seat up so far when I'm driving which protects me a little bit from the airbag deploying right in my face.  I think boosters help position the seatbelts on kids in the right place.

I know!  My mother talks about toddlers walking around in the car!  Can you imagine?

Lol...We have a family photo from the 50's showing my 6 year old cousin hanging out the car window waving as my uncle was drove away! How times have changed. :)

On 11/6/2018 at 7:11 PM, farmgal4 said:

Zoey looked like a little doll in that swimsuit! ? Those kids are BEYOND spoiled.  

She looked adorable! Her swimsuit reminded me of the ones they wore in the 40's & 50's. Jen really dresses Zoey in the cutest clothes. I wonder if Zoey picks them out now that she's older.