S13.E08: The Toilet Exploded!

[Libby]

I think that they need the show money to support their current lifestyle, which is gluttonous.

On a specialist's salary, they could afford a beautiful home. Probably not a 2 million dollar home plus renovations, but a beautiful home nonetheless.

I'm also sure, on Jen's salary alone, that they could afford to send their children to private school.

They are sacrificing their childrens' privacy and dealing with many other impositions for gluttony, in my opinion.

Edited November 13, 2018 by Libby

[Cherrio]

3 minutes ago, Libby said:

They are sacrificing their childrens' privacy and dealing with many other impositions for gluttony, in my opinion.

The kids are also mimicking their parents or someone in their lives by constantly saying, I want this, gimme that, buy me this, I wanna buy that.  Its obnoxious.

Bill and Jen give them stuff before they go somewhere, then they buy whatever is sold at the venue. It's just too much. Those kids are more focused on what they are getting, then what they are visiting.  Its sad.

[Motor City]

“Libby:

I think that they need the show money to support their current lifestyle, which is gluttonous…They are sacrificing their children’ privacy and dealing with many other impositions for gluttony, in my opinion.”

I totally agree

[Bunnyette]

On 2018-11-11 at 5:09 AM, Honey said:

When I was a kid I remember standing up on the front bench seat while Mom was driving.  It was legal back then.  We also never wore helmets when riding bikes.  Also, a lot of people drove around highly intoxicated, and it was never frowned upon back then.  Hell, I got into an accident as a kid, my Father who was driving was clearly drunk, and the cope didn't say a thing about it.  My how times change.

It's funny how older adults know the term "way back" when referring to a station wagon or a larger vehicle.  Such as, I sat in the "way back" or I put my stuff in the "way back".  Lol

We had an old Land Rover with no seatbelts!  During some sort of school bus strike, my mom piled over a dozen kids in it.  My dad once rolled into a ditch with us in it.  We climbed out, mom yelled at dad and we sat & waited for the large tow truck to come and haul the thing out of the ditch.

Good times!

[Patricia07]

15 hours ago, winsomeone said:

I really hated the way Zoey screamed right into Jen's face "Don't tell me what I don't like!" That child needed about a two hour time out for that little trick, and yet got nothing at all..not even a dirty look.

Jen seemed amused by it. It won't be funny when Zoey's a teenager.

[JunebugTx]

On 11/11/2018 at 4:09 AM, Honey said:

When I was a kid I remember standing up on the front bench seat while Mom was driving.  It was legal back then.  We also never wore helmets when riding bikes.  Also, a lot of people drove around highly intoxicated, and it was never frowned upon back then.  Hell, I got into an accident as a kid, my Father who was driving was clearly drunk, and the cope didn't say a thing about it.  My how times change.

It's funny how older adults know the term "way back" when referring to a station wagon or a larger vehicle.  Such as, I sat in the "way back" or I put my stuff in the "way back".  Lol

Yes, the way back.  We didn't have a station wagon, but I had friends who did, and that's where we sat.

When I was not quite 8, we drove from Albuquerque to Austin to Jacksonville, FL in my dad's pickup truck with a camper shell on it.  Mom and Dad sat in the front, my sister, my 2 cousins and I all hung out in the bed of the truck on a 4" piece of foam with a cover on it.  It was so much fun.  The next year, we drove from Albuquerque to Ft. Worth to Illinois the same way, only it was my mom in the back with my sister and me, and my grandma in the front with my dad.  Mom was 7 months pregnant at the time.  Sometimes I think it's a miracle we survived the 70s!

An to keep this on topic somewhat, I think my favorite part of this episode was Bill eye to eye with the top of the grill.

[charmante]

On 11/12/2018 at 7:41 PM, Libby said:

I think that they need the show money to support their current lifestyle, which is gluttonous.

Again, I think this is perspective as with most things.  In today's celebrity-age, I think people like the Kardashians (who private jet everywhere) and own dozens of $20K handbags and other luxuries) are living a gluttonous lifestyle.  More power to them if they can afford it.

However, I don't see that anything Bill and Jen own are what I would consider luxury.  I do believe real estate is a good investment (and the waterfront location of that house at that price made it worthwhile to buy & renovate vs. finding something "move-in ready" more inland.)  I think they have nice cars, but they definitely do not have "luxury" cars by any definition.  They don't seem to own (or at least don't show that they own) any expensive jewelry or other luxury items.

I get that not everyone can afford a $2M house or a relatively expensive car, so I can see how those purchases may seem excessive to folks who may not have lucrative careers or upper middle class incomes.  But I am still not seeing anything I would define as flashy or "gluttonous" living when I watch Bill and Jen.  Here's a shot of her wedding set which is pretty and perfectly-sized for her, but far from the "rocks" of a showy celebrity.

[pdlinda]

On 11/12/2018 at 9:32 PM, Patricia07 said:

On 11/12/2018 at 6:07 AM, winsomeone said:

I really hated the way Zoey screamed right into Jen's face "Don't tell me what I don't like!" That child needed about a two hour time out for that little trick, and yet got nothing at all..not even a dirty look.

 

Can anyone please enlighten me regarding the speech issues each child has where TLC must put up "subtitles" of everything each of them says?  I think I recall there were hearing problems that Will had that were diagnosed and treated some years ago; however, I don't recall anything similar with Zoey.  There is definite improvement in Will's speech but I still can't make "heads or tails" of what Zoey is saying without the subtitles.  

Of course, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the essence of both children who are absolutely precious.

[Libby]

3 hours ago, charmante said:

Again, I think this is perspective as with most things.  In today's celebrity-age, I think people like the Kardashians (who private jet everywhere) and own dozens of $20K handbags and other luxuries) are living a gluttonous lifestyle.  More power to them if they can afford it.

However, I don't see that anything Bill and Jen own are what I would consider luxury.  I do believe real estate is a good investment (and the waterfront location of that house at that price made it worthwhile to buy & renovate vs. finding something "move-in ready" more inland.)  I think they have nice cars, but they definitely do not have "luxury" cars by any definition.  They don't seem to own (or at least don't show that they own) any expensive jewelry or other luxury items.

I get that not everyone can afford a $2M house or a relatively expensive car, so I can see how those purchases may seem excessive to folks who may not have lucrative careers or upper middle class incomes.  But I am still not seeing anything I would define as flashy or "gluttonous" living when I watch Bill and Jen.  Here's a shot of her wedding set which is pretty and perfectly-sized for her, but far from the "rocks" of a showy celebrity.

I think that they could have a wonderful standard of living, equal to other medical specialists married to businessmen incomes.

Where I think that they go into gluttonous territory is when they sacrifice their children's and their own privacy, plus deal with all of the other impositions of doing a TV show, for more and more money and things.

They deserve and earn a high standard of living on their work, but they waste so much money that it's sickening. Just watch how much food they order when they take in or eat out. That's just one example of the waste.

The children will suffer at school with their peers because the world sees their private, family business - just so that the parents can throw away money and have more things. I personally find it disturbing.

Edited November 17, 2018 by Libby

[jumper sage]

On 11/12/2018 at 10:58 PM, Bunnyette said:

On 11/11/2018 at 5:09 AM, Honey said:

When I was a kid I remember standing up on the front bench seat while Mom was driving.  It was legal back then.  We also never wore helmets when riding bikes.  Also, a lot of people drove around highly intoxicated, and it was never frowned upon back then.  Hell, I got into an accident as a kid, my Father who was driving was clearly drunk, and the cope didn't say a thing about it.  My how times change.

It's funny how older adults know the term "way back" when referring to a station wagon or a larger vehicle.  Such as, I sat in the "way back" or I put my stuff in the "way back".  Lol

We had an old Land Rover with no seatbelts!  During some sort of school bus strike, my mom piled over a dozen kids in it.  My dad once rolled into a ditch with us in it.  We climbed out, mom yelled at dad and we sat & waited for the large tow truck to come and haul the thing out of the ditch.

Good times!

My dad would drive drunk all.the.time.  The police would pull him over and laugh with him and one of the cops would drive his car home and he would ride in the front seat with the other officer.  This was before MADD obviously.  Sounds insane now.  We used to switch kids frequently during the summer with our cousins up north like boys up/girls down/girls up/boys down. Whoever was going up north rode in the back of a pickup, with bikes not tethered, sitting on the wheel wells and the driver was an alcoholic and drinking while driving.  My grandmother would shove as many kids in the front and back seat that would cram in there and drive us all to cultural places like DIA or Cranbrook.  She was a terrible driver but it was culture so.......

I think the cameras are having a negative effect on the kids.  They are old enough now, especially Will, to be teased at school.

Did Bill sell his business?  Move it?

[Mollysmom]

2 hours ago, Libby said:

I think that they could have a wonderful standard of living, equal to other medical specialists married to businessmen incomes.

Where I think that they go into gluttonous territory is when they sacrifice their children's and their own privacy, plus deal with all of the other impositions of doing a TV show, for more and more money and things.

They deserve and earn a high standard of living on their work, but they waste so much money that it's sickening. Just watch how much food they order when they take in or eat out. That's just one example of the waste.

The children will suffer at school with their peers because the world sees their private, family business - just so that the parents can throw away money and have more things. I personally find it disturbing.

How do we really know they waste so much food? We only see edited scenes. They very well may have things boxed up to go home with.  I think most people waste an awful lot of food, either when they go out to eat and don't eat it all and leave it, or just let stuff sit in their refrigerator. I really don't think they are that wasteful. I was watching the episode where they went out to eat lunch at a sushi place - she got a to-go box for the leftovers. 

[jumper sage]

2 hours ago, Mollysmom said:

How do we really know they waste so much food? We only see edited scenes. They very well may have things boxed up to go home with. 

Right?  If I go out and don't get a left over carton I feel robbed.  If we order in we might as well order a lot and eat it for days.  

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

15 hours ago, jumper sage said:

My dad would drive drunk all.the.time.  The police would pull him over and laugh with him and one of the cops would drive his car home and he would ride in the front seat with the other officer.  This was before MADD obviously.  Sounds insane now.  We used to switch kids frequently during the summer with our cousins up north like boys up/girls down/girls up/boys down. Whoever was going up north rode in the back of a pickup, with bikes not tethered, sitting on the wheel wells and the driver was an alcoholic and drinking while driving.  My grandmother would shove as many kids in the front and back seat that would cram in there and drive us all to cultural places like DIA or Cranbrook.  She was a terrible driver but it was culture so.......

I think the cameras are having a negative effect on the kids.  They are old enough now, especially Will, to be teased at school.

Did Bill sell his business?  Move it?

I thought they said that they'd still be visiting Houston because of friends and the pet shop? As for the IT/call center business in NY, IIRC he sold it our was bought out, but, either way he is no longer involved.

[CousinAmy]

I think I'm having buyer's remorse - for Jen. The last place I'd want to own a house is on the beach - I'm just picturing sand everywhere, inside and out. You'd have it in every corner of every room, in your hair, in your bed...

She has that nice pool, but still really wants a house on the beach. So, how far is the beach - any beach - from their home? Maybe she should have held out for that coastal farmhouse.

[charmante]

On 11/16/2018 at 8:16 PM, Libby said:

Where I think that they go into gluttonous territory is when they sacrifice their children's and their own privacy, plus deal with all of the other impositions of doing a TV show, for more and more money and things.

I don't think they film very many days out of the year.  Also, while their kids are definitely exposed to the public, I don't see that much of their privacy has been sacrificed.  Kate is a daily part of their life and we hardly ever see her.  We've never seen anything related to their school life except a general reference to homework.  Nothing at all related to what schools they go to, what grades they are in, what grades they GET, their school friends, etc.  Actually, the fact that we don't see these things has led people to assume that they have no friends - which I doubt is the case.  When I stop to think about how much I actually know about Will and Zoey's everyday life, it's not much.

Bill and Jen's mission with this show from the beginning was to "normalize" the public perception of the lives of little people, which I think they continue to do very well.  As someone with a disability, I can honestly say they have inspired me to stop making excuses that keep me from pursuing my dreams.  They've also inspired me to be unapologetic or ashamed of accommodations I need to ask for or to make in order to live a full life.  (One episode immediately comes to mind - it was the time Jen went for a pedicure and needed a pillow or stool - can't even remember exactly - but after that I had my first pedicure in years because it gave me the confidence to ask the salon to make some adjustments to accommodate my leg issues.)

Bill and Jen continue to be an example of people who have not just accepted the hand that life has dealt them, but have lived a full and happy life in spite of challenges and are raising their kids to do the same.  That said, the world is not always a kind place and I can imagine Will and Zoey will have their share of real-world disappointments ahead (if not already) - and maybe knowing that is why Bill and Jen give them a bit more leeway at home.  

Also, I think they are smart for taking the opportunity to make some reality TV $$ while they can.  Neither one of them seems to rely on it as their primary income (they both have continued to pursue their careers unlike many other "reality stars" who have abandoned any other form of gainful employment.)  It's gravy $$$ for maybe a few weeks' inconvenience a year - and no one (including the kids) seems to be any worse off for it.  It also appears they have taken the money they've made from it and INVESTED it in real estate.  And yes, they took a loss in Houston, but that had more to do with the hurricane which they couldn't predict.  They weren't the only ones who lost money because of the storm.  I still think the Florida waterfront property was a good buy.

Anyway, I'm all for them riding this gravy train as long as it lasts.  Good for them!

[Quilt Fairy]

They're entitled to buy whatever house they can afford, but the new house is not to my taste, inside or out.  In the house-hunting episode, there was one - I think the 2nd one - that I liked, but that was it.  I also thought it was somewhat ingenuous of Bill to describe the 3rd house as "outside their budget" when they ended up buying a $2.1M house.  That's some budget.

I don't like kids as a rule, and Will has outgrown the cute stage, but I think Zoey is freaking adorable and obviously smart as a whip.  With her love of animals I could see her wanting to become a biologist or even a vet.  

[CaliCannoli]

On 11/16/2018 at 10:20 PM, jumper sage said:

Right?  If I go out and don't get a left over carton I feel robbed.  If we order in we might as well order a lot and eat it for days.  

"If I go out and don't get a left over carton I feel robbed." Haha...me too!

[CaliCannoli]

On 11/16/2018 at 2:43 PM, charmante said:

Again, I think this is perspective as with most things.  In today's celebrity-age, I think people like the Kardashians (who private jet everywhere) and own dozens of $20K handbags and other luxuries) are living a gluttonous lifestyle.  More power to them if they can afford it.

However, I don't see that anything Bill and Jen own are what I would consider luxury.  I do believe real estate is a good investment (and the waterfront location of that house at that price made it worthwhile to buy & renovate vs. finding something "move-in ready" more inland.)  I think they have nice cars, but they definitely do not have "luxury" cars by any definition.  They don't seem to own (or at least don't show that they own) any expensive jewelry or other luxury items.

I get that not everyone can afford a $2M house or a relatively expensive car, so I can see how those purchases may seem excessive to folks who may not have lucrative careers or upper middle class incomes.  But I am still not seeing anything I would define as flashy or "gluttonous" living when I watch Bill and Jen.  Here's a shot of her wedding set which is pretty and perfectly-sized for her, but far from the "rocks" of a showy celebrity.

I agree. I don't see them as gluttonous, as a matter of fact I have great respect for Jen's constant stream of advocacy for low income families children's health insurance. She's constantly tweeting & posting in support of it. I think they work hard and enjoy their earnings and maybe go overboard once in a while but on the whole they are fighting the good fight for the most vulnerable among us. :)

[Libby]

1 hour ago, CaliCannoli said:

I agree. I don't see them as gluttonous, as a matter of fact I have great respect for Jen's constant stream of advocacy for low income families children's health insurance. She's constantly tweeting & posting in support of it. I think they work hard and enjoy their earnings and maybe go overboard once in a while but on the whole they are fighting the good fight for the most vulnerable among us. :)

People who adopt vulnerable children have an obligation to them. I don't believe for a second that Will and Zoey won't pay a price for being broadcast on TV. 

They waste tons of money on themselves for everyone to see. I mean really, a computerized toilet? If that's not gluttonous, I don't know what is.

They do little comments on social media, and little events for their charities, but they hardly knock themselves out for their causes.

I think that Bill and Jen are all about Bill and Jen, even at the expense of their children.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Libby

[CaliCannoli]

1 hour ago, Libby said:

People who adopt vulnerable children have an obligation to them. I don't believe for a second that Will and Zoey won't pay a price for being broadcast on TV. 

They waste tons of money on themselves for everyone to see. I mean really, a computerized toilet? If that's not gluttonous, I don't know what is.

They do little comments on social media, and little events for their charities, but they hardly knock themselves out for their causes.

I think that Bill and Jen are all about Bill and Jen, even at the expense of their children.

Jen's promotion through Twitter of Medicaid for impoverished children increased voter support by 16% and contributed to its success in being passed. Thats not insignificant, its saving young lives. The great thing about this forum is we can agree to disagree about shows we watch.:)

[Sew Sumi]

3 hours ago, CaliCannoli said:

Jen's promotion through Twitter of Medicaid for impoverished children increased voter support by 16% and contributed to its success in being passed. Thats not insignificant, its saving young lives. The great thing about this forum is we can agree to disagree about shows we watch.:)

Do you have a link w/r/t Jen literally increasing vote support? I thought it was a bipartisan bill and likely to pass anyway. I don't doubt  you, I just like to see the source material. 😊

[CaliCannoli]

4 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Do you have a link w/r/t Jen literally increasing vote support? I thought it was a bipartisan bill and likely to pass anyway. I don't doubt  you, I just like to see the source material. 😊

I volunteer with FairVote, Vote Smart and several others and you're more than welcome to visit their sites. :)

[lookeyloo]

re: the computerized toilet, if you google little people and wiping there are a lot of hits about how difficult this is for people with short arms.  There are devices to put the paper in and methods described. Seems like the computerized toilet that washes and dries the "areas" would not necessarily be a necessity, but, if they can afford it, seems like it would make their lives a lot easier (and maybe even cleaner).   

[readheaded]

6 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

re: the computerized toilet, if you google little people and wiping there are a lot of hits about how difficult this is for people with short arms.  There are devices to put the paper in and methods described. Seems like the computerized toilet that washes and dries the "areas" would not necessarily be a necessity, but, if they can afford it, seems like it would make their lives a lot easier (and maybe even cleaner).   

It's probably even harder if a little person has problems with neck and back immobility.

[ChiCricket]

On 12/16/2018 at 7:33 AM, lookeyloo said:

re: the computerized toilet, if you google little people and wiping there are a lot of hits about how difficult this is for people with short arms.  There are devices to put the paper in and methods described. Seems like the computerized toilet that washes and dries the "areas" would not necessarily be a necessity, but, if they can afford it, seems like it would make their lives a lot easier (and maybe even cleaner).   

 See? That's one of the reasons I read these forums.

I thought the computerized toilet was over the top myself.

I would never have thought about people with arm/neck/back problems being helped by something like that. Learn something new everyday. 😊

[Emily Thrace]

On 2018-12-15 at 6:13 PM, Libby said:

People who adopt vulnerable children have an obligation to them. I don't believe for a second that Will and Zoey won't pay a price for being broadcast on TV. 

They waste tons of money on themselves for everyone to see. I mean really, a computerized toilet? If that's not gluttonous, I don't know what is.

They do little comments on social media, and little events for their charities, but they hardly knock themselves out for their causes.

 

You might think that being on a reality show is damaging but there isn't any evidence of that. The kids are thriving. And none of the other reality tv kids are in any kind of trouble. The Gosselin kids are fine, frankly their parents probably did more damage than the show.  The only reality tv kids I can think of who has any kind of issue is Jack Osbourne and he just happened to inherit his father's addictive personality.

Also Jen has done more than just tweet about Medicare. She went to DC to give a speech as they showed on the show. 

[ehall1052]

I don’t have a computerized toilet, but I do have an add-on bidet to mine (or as we call it, The Bu** Washer) and let me tell you, that’s the best thing since sliced bread! When we travel, we really miss our toilet. I would love one that squirts warm water, then dries you! But really, there’s many articles that report how good they are for you to clean that area of the body. I wouldn’t be without one anymore.