Kate Gosselin on Dating

Kate Gosselin is back out there and she doesn't seem to be loving every minute of it.

"I'm kind of out-ish, sort of," the Kate Plus 8 star said cautiously during an exclusive interview with E! News. "I was out in New York. It was kind of weird. You never really picture yourself back in that scene after you're done with it in your twenties.

"But I'm trying to be a little more open minded," added the famously no-nonsense divorcee. "If there's anybody out there that wants to deal with us, that would be good."

It's not like the mother of eight, who has gone through media hell and back over the last couple of years, hasn't come a long way, though.

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"I'm encouraging the kids to enjoy their time with him," Kate says, referring to ex-hubby Jon, who to put it mildly she did not have the nicest things to say about when they first split up. (Not that the erstwhile man-child, who takes charge of their eight children for two weekends each
month, was deserving of lavish praise at the time, of course.)

But now, Kate says, she's "keeping the communication as positive as possible." She would be more convincing if she smiled when she says that, but baby steps.

"It feels normal to me now," she says of running a one parent household. "I don't know when that point hit, but it does feel normal. There was an adjustment period for sure, but I have always been in charge of running the household" oh, burn! "so that's no different."

And though it can be overwhelming to have to deal with each and every handyman who comes to the house, Kate says, "I feel empowered at this point."

"But if you're asking me, 'Would I love to hand that over one day?' Yes, please." she told.

While filming Kate Plus 8, she and the kids twins Mady and Cara and sextuplets Aaden, Collin, Joel, Leah, Alexis, and Hannah have been on trips to Alaska and Australia and enjoying all sorts of adventures. But Kate says that she now prefers being on the couch each Monday and Tuesday for Dancing With the Stars, which she failed at so spectacularly last year.

"I wouldn't have voted for myself because I root for the ones that do well," Kate says frankly, when asked if she's pulling for former partner Tony Dovolani and the new celeb on his arm, Wendy Williams. "I love Chelsea and Mark."