kate gosselin

For seven seasons, we've watched the famous Gosselin multiples grow up while their parents, Jon and Kate, became tabloid regulars. After a controversial season, filled with conflicts, TLC has called it quits with the Gosselins, and the Kate Plus Eight finale will air this evening. Kate has received her share of negative press over the years, but everyone has shortcomings — especially when faced with a challenge like raising eight children. While we might not agree with all of Kate's parenting techniques, her example of raising a big family, has taught us a few important lessons. Here are five:

1. Marriage and parenting is a partnership, not a dictatorship. Just as you tell your children not to be bossy, it's important to listen to your husband and know when to control a situation and when to let something go. Kate often struggled to give her husband control of even the smallest decisions like what the kids could wear for their daddy day out. It's always better to work together in the interest of the kids rather than your own personal preferences.
2. Don't shun help. Even as a stay-at-home mom, sometimes extra help is needed, even if it's for a few hours a week. All moms need a little R&R to recharge.
3. Expect the unexpected. Being prepared with all sorts of ammo will keep you one step ahead of the curve. Keep an emergency supply kit with extra clothing, diapers, snacks, and more in your car at all times.
4. Kids enjoy adventures, but they also can be easily amused by little things too. Kate once entertained the whole crew by passing around a tiny plastic shark that she found in her bedroom. The kids loved passing it quietly around to each other, and after everyone had delighted in the surprise, Kate asked them to yell what it was all at once.
5. No parent is perfect. Despite all the drama, the press, the split, and being on a reality TV show, Kate and Jon have raised eight intelligent, happy, normal, and pretty well behaved children. No parent is perfect, but Kate shows her love the best by providing her kids with a comfortable life, educational experiences, and college savings.

How do you feel about Kate Gosselin's parenting technique? What lessons has she taught you about parenting? And are you sad to see her go?

• Sarah Palin thinks Kate Gosselin represents urban liberals — Double X
• Nicole Richie and Joel Madden got married with the help of an elephant — PopSugar
• The 50 "druggiest" colleges — Daily Beast
• "I am not a witch" becomes quote of the year — NY Post
• Elizabeth Hurley tweets her marital separation — The Frisky
• The Obamas celebrate Christmas in Washington with Mariah Carey — Huffington Post

Kate Gosselin and her eight cubs have traveled to Alaska to go camping with fellow mama grizzly Sarah Palin. In Touch reports that Kate headed to the former governor's home state, where Sarah will teach Kate how to avoid bears. Considering Palin is about to have a reality show on TLC, Kate might have something to teach Sarah, too. I imagine the pair also conspiring about how to stay relevant long enough for people to dress up like them for Halloween again, as well as how to get Sarah (or maybe Bristol?) on Dancing With the Stars. Let's just hope they bring the camera crews. This is a meeting I don't want to miss.

Kate Gosselin's abs are looking especially toned, and some speculate that it's from drawn-in ab muscle definition with a spray tan. While a sunless glow can provide extra definition, that's not the reason her abs look so darn chiseled. And neither is the tummy tuck she had after her last pregnancy — that merely removed excess skin that was overstretched from being preggers with six. On top of her favorite pastime of running, NYC-based Crunch personal trainer Jenn Burke tells Us Magazine:

"She has to be doing a lot of deep core training: planks, really working on activating her glutes. When you have children, it causes an anterior pelvic tilt, which causes the stomach to look more puffy than it is. You have to align it and activate those muscles again."

Burke believes this mom of eight must be working hard to maintain the body she achieved on DWTS. In order to stay that buff, this momma must make time to exercise an hour five or six days a week and incorporate "circuit training moves full of high reps to keep the body constantly moving and shedding fat and defining the look."

Sweating it out is only part of her regimen. To find out what Kate's diet looks like, read more

A while back, Kate Gosselin was spotted running errands in Skechers Tone-Ups flip-flops, but it looks like that's not all the reality star does for fitness. Excited to reunite with her treadmill after her being voted off DWTS, it looks like she's taking to the streets. Running, whether on a treadmill or the great outdoors, is a great form of exercise, but let's talk form here for a moment. There are a few things I think Kate should work on to improve her technique. I am quite familiar with these little tweaks since I think about them every time I am out for a run.

• Gaze: When running, you should look straight ahead, not at the ground. Looking down closes your throat making it harder to breathe, and when running, isn't breathing hard enough already? It also helps you stay aware of what is going on around you — cars, cyclists, unleashed dogs, etc. can surprise a runner gazing at the ground.
• Arms: Busy arms can waste energy. It helps to focus on the arm motion being just forward and back and limit the side to side swinging across the body action. Your hands shouldn't cross the midline of your body. It is best if the elbows don't bend more than 90 degrees to keep the arms low.
• Symmetry: While none of us are symmetrical, holding an iPod with one hand definitely makes it more difficult to keep everything even. I would suggest that Kate invest in an armband to hold her iPhone. Doing so definitely helped me.

I do love that she's sporting the motivational tee: "Nobody Has Ever Regretted It." That phrase gets me to lace up my sneakers, too.

• Kate Gosselin gets back in her bikini — Hollywood Tuna
• The rundown on Lindsay Lohan's crazy week — Lainey Gossip
• Alexander Skarsgard takes off his shirt — JustJared
• What's the deal with Nicole Kidman's breasts? — D-Listed
• Grace Park shows off her bikini body — Egotastic
• David Boreanaz allegedly has a third mistress — The Superficial
• Scott Disick thinks he's the American dream — popbytes
• Avril Lavigne poses for Inked Magazine — PopEater
• The Beckhams' dog gets a posh pink pedicure — Pink Is the New Blog

Madonna seems to be inspired by her previous styles in her new sexy photo shoot. Jon Gosselin checks out Kate's latest book, and Taylor Swift leads several singing stars down the red carpet at the Time 100 gala.