LilSugar

How Many Names Does Your Child Have?

LilSugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Whether you give your baby one moniker a la Madonna or four like her daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, they'll eventually have to spell them all. Forty-seven percent of lilsugar readers said nay to the notion that multiple names (specifically foursomes) were trendy.

We're curious how many your kids have first, middle and last combined?

Source

Seeing Double! Do You Know Your Hollywood Twin Names?

babysugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:00:13 -0700

Mama Marsha Cross certainly isn't the only celebrity to juggle fame and raising twins. Multiple births have become a very popular part of Hollywood pregnancy and mommyhood - famous moms Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts all have double strollers.

In fact, there are so many twin babies in Tinseltown it can be hard to keep all their names straight. Test your memory with my quiz!

Source

Take the quiz

Multiples Baby Shower: Games!

babysugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:30:24 -0700

For lilsugar's last week of extensive baby shower coverage, we're celebrating the birth of multiples! While twosomes seem to be more normal these days, celebrating their arrival should be anything but common.

The invited guests are happily fed and enjoying the lovely décor while sipping away on their iced teas. Gather the crew into the main room to play a round of games before opening the gifts for the mama-to-be. Download our multiple mania game that will have guests guessing at birth stats, names and other fun baby details. Though nobody will be announced a winner on the spot, everyone will have a laugh during the activity.

Don't forget to enter our fabulous April Showers Giveaway for a chance to win a $2,500 gift card to put toward your babe's nursery and/or necessities for your child at Pottery Barn Kids!

Jon and Kate Gosselin May Split Up

LilSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:28:50 -0700

Single Kate raising eight? It's a sad day for Gosselin supporters - in the latest issue of People, the normally outspoken mama of multiples got candid and quiet during her exclusive interview on the state of her marriage. Here is what Kate had to say:

On hearing reports about Jon and Deanna Hummel: "I don't know that we're in the same place anymore, that we want the same thing. I've been struggling with the question of 'Who is this person?' for a while. I remember where I was the first time I heard her name. It's one of those things where you can try to make it go away, but there's blaring, red flashing lights."
On the possibility of splitting up: "You can't imagine yourself in a certain position when all this first happens, but you can do it over some months. It's a lot like when I was first pregnant with the babies, and it was pure shock and denial. But over time I imagined six cribs in my house, and six car seats. When your mind is ready to go there, you can accept any number of scenarios."
On hoping to save her marriage: "I will never give up hope that every member of our family can be absolutely happy again."

The fifth season of Jon and Kate Plus 8 premieres on May 25.

Website lil Loves: Speakaboos

LilSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:30:03 -0700

The benefits of reading with children are beyond debate. It helps teach them letter and word recognition, engages them in conversation, and introduces them to new concepts. Transferring those benefits to the online world is not easy, but Speakaboos tries to do just that. The site offers online storytelling of classic fables and fairy tales - as well as stories involving newer popular characters - by big name celebrities such as Kevin Bacon, Clay Aiken, Kelly Ripa, and John Krasinski. As the stories are told, and the words appear on the screen, the books come to life with beautiful animation.

There are worksheets, games, and e-cards accompanying the various tales and eventually, visitors will have the ability to create their own stories online, including doing their own voice-overs. Watching the tales is free, but there is also an option to download them for $1, and purchase albums with multiple stories for $9 each with 15 percent of the revenue donated to the National Education Association and The Creative Coalition.

Interview With Michelle Duggar: Mother of 18 Children (Part I)

LilSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:17:46 -0800

Michelle Duggar has been pregnant for 12 years if you combine all the time she spent carrying her 18 children. She and her husband, Jim Bob, have two sets of twins in their brood aged one month to 21 years old.

The mom and dad made famous by TLC's 17 Kids and Counting took time away from their family to chat with me via phone about their new book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting!, and the topics - marriage, raising children, conservative values, financial freedom, and faith - it covers, while their newest addition Jordyn gurgled in the background. The couple was candid, open, and incredibly kind. And if you assume they set out to have kids by the dozens and name them all with the letter "J," then think again!

After suffering a miscarriage, Michelle and Jim Bob, who are religious, chose to forgo the birth control they had been using and leave it up to God to decide how many children they would have. Michelle, now known for her soft voice and calm demeanor, spoke of a time when she had five children under five, was exhausted and shedding tears. She credits her faith for getting her though the challenges of motherhood.

As far as their children all having names starting with "J," in the text, Jim Bob and Michelle explain that they initially picked names they liked that all happened to start with the same letter for their first three children and then continued the trend not wanting the newest baby to feel left out - only they never suspected there would be so many names.

To see Michelle's candid responses to a couple of lil questions, read more.

lilsugar: The book answers just about every question a person could have about your family and the forces that have guided you in making those decisions. Did you write The Duggars: 20 and Counting! to dispel misconceptions people have about your family?

Michelle Duggar: I see how the book could do that, but I don't think that was our intention. We really just had a heart to answer the people who had been emailing us. We had thousands of emails and there was just no way we could do what we needed to do to take care of our family and take care of those. We've been in politics in the past (Jim Bob was a state legislator in Arkansas) and we know there's a lot of people out there that don't agree with us, so that goes on as well, but we wrote this for the people that ask us for advice and encouragement more than the other angle.

lilsugar: Online, some members of the public have been critical of your buddy system, saying that your older children are raising the younger ones; do you think this is a misconception?

Michelle Duggar: I'll put it the way my daughter, Jill, said it - she had really had a sweet answer. She said, "Mama, they just don't understand or know what it's like to be in our large family and how much fun we have and how sweet is it to have these little ones that look up to us and want to be like us. When people get this idea of oh my God, they have so many kids and there's no way you can spend one-on-one time with them and give them the undivided attention or that the older ones are raising the younger ones, love doesn't divide it multiples."

My older ones have a mentoring relationship with the little ones. We are still the parents, Dad and I are the ones to give them counsel and different things like that, but when they are working together on their music practice or playing phonics games and doing math drills, those times are precious because I see the relationships that have developed.

Check out what Jim Bob and Michelle had to say about homeschooling and keeping a calm home in tomorrow's post on lilsugar. For more information on the Duggars, check out their website.

Stop the Jon and Kate Plus 8 Hate

LilSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:00:10 -0700

As most lilsugar readers know, I am a huge fan of Jon and Kate Plus 8, a show that gives parents a peek into the harried lives of a couple with two sets of multiples. I remember watching their first special in awe of how such young parents managed to juggle their eight offspring. So I was stunned to recently learn that there are entire websites dedicated to smearing the Gosselin's name, one of which is supposedly written by a relative's sister. I can't imagine any well-intentioned human being who realized their actions could adversely affect the Gosselin children would do such a thing. To read why I am appalled by these people's actions, read more.

In some of the posts on the sites, people accuse Jon and Kate of making money off their show, charging for appearances, and employing help. As a viewer, I didn't find those things shocking because the couple often mentions how thankful they are for the opportunities the show has allowed them - a trip to Disney World, a ski vacation in Utah, going on Oprah, etc. And, when they went caroling in the Christmas episode it was to the homes of people who fold laundry, babysit, and provide other services for them. They also discussed how the film crew assists them in daily tasks at times.

It is naive for anyone to think that a family of 10 would allow their lives - good, bad, and embarrassing moments - to be taped without some sort of compensation. If allowing America a glimpse into how they cope has helped other parents manage the stress of raising children, good for the Gosselins. If in that process, it has proved lucrative for Jon and Kate, I wish them well - they have eight kids to put though college. I can't imagine the woman who carried six children at once and her patient and loving husband would ever put themselves before their seemingly well-adjusted, smart, wonderfully playful and adorable children. If you aren't a fan of the family, turn the channel.