Erika Shupe Miscarriage

[Koala]

Couldn't they have used a neutral onesie that could be useful in January whether they have a boy or a girl, or a little winter outfit they already owned? And I agree with the lady in the video that holding up 2 outfits was confusing and made it seem like a twins announcement. Erika was like, this is what the store had but we won't be keeping these. Then why buy them? Just for this smug video?

I know right? Or why not something like diapers or bottles? I can think of a million things that wouldn't have required them going BACK to the store to exchange them :?

[apandaaries]

Erika always acts like her kids doing anything on their own, anything that deviates from the schedule, is bad and an "obedience issue." Does she foster any sort of individuality in the kids? Do the teens ever get to have friends or fun?

They would have to schedule any fun, I'm sure.

All her pics show the older girls with the family -- even forced to pull the littles in a wagon during their "outside play" time.

I think she just wants to train mini-Erikas *shudder*

[danvillebelle]

Another body image victim here. I grew up hearing "so-and-so would be so pretty if she wasn't so chunky" and being called "chunky bunk" when I was at that pre-teen stage when you still have a kid belly that sticks out a bit. And watched/heard my father ogle and objectify women who were rail-thin and go on and on about how gorgeous they were, when I was/am 5'2 with big boobs and hips. And had my mother try to put me on diets with her when I was a growing teenager.

I am forty-six years old and just now beginning to not hate my body or think of it solely as something to be viewed by men as a sex object. And understanding that the number on the scale does not determine my worth as a human being. :(

[mango_fandango]

Do Erika and Bob not realize that their older girls are likely to hate them the older they get? They don't respect that they are getting older, at all. It is unfair. They refer to the reading of fiction books as "dessert." :wtf: Wouldn't you proud of your child having an appetite for reading? That is a wonderful thing that will serve them their whole life through. It will offer adventure, wonder, learning, and so much more. I'd encourage the hell outta that. Why is she trying to snuff out their desire for life? :angry-banghead:

They listen to audio books a lot.

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2012/02/family-audio-books-with-on-going-list.html (This is an old link, but I doubt it's changed much). It's more than, say, the Maxwells, but all still wholesome books and no magic or sorcery. They do allow the older kids to read The Lord of the Rings, seeing as it's a Christian allegory (and the oldest kids have seen the first movie; by oldest kids I mean Karen, Melanie and Brandon).

Erika mentions in a pregnancy post (I think it's Closely Spaced Pregnancies- Blessed Efficiency or something) that she doesn't really read novels outside of pregnancies because there are so many information books to read. I'm guessing this fits in with the whole fundie philosophy of only learning facts and 'the truth', whereas fantasy isn't good and can lead to people thinking that that is how life should be (actually mentioned in that link. dafuq).

[ViolaSebastian]

Another body image victim here. I grew up hearing "so-and-so would be so pretty if she wasn't so chunky" and being called "chunky bunk" when I was at that pre-teen stage when you still have a kid belly that sticks out a bit. And watched/heard my father ogle and objectify women who were rail-thin and go on and on about how gorgeous they were, when I was/am 5'2 with big boobs and hips. And had my mother try to put me on diets with her when I was a growing teenager.

I am forty-six years old and just now beginning to not hate my body or think of it solely as something to be viewed by men as a sex object. And understanding that the number on the scale does not determine my worth as a human being. :(

I'm in the same boat that you are and I'm trying to work through it in therapy. Growing up my parents had a very unhappy marriage and my mother turned to food to cope, which in turn caused my father to lash out about her weight. I grew up hearing her called "fat ass" and "porker." My mother would go between feeding me Weight Watchers recipes and then feeling guilty about it and buying me giant bags of candy. I was a very thin and active child, so it was alright when I had a the metabolism to do that, but it damaged me later in life when I hit the metabolism speed bump around 22 and didn't know how to adjust my eating habits. It set me up for a rough place with weight and body image. I think the body image mind fuck is one of the cruelest things we do to girls in our society.

[mango_fandango]

I know right? Or why not something like diapers or bottles? I can think of a million things that wouldn't have required them going BACK to the store to exchange them :?

It's especially weird considering how she makes the point over and over about not buying things unless they're necessary, and only buying things that she has a 'home' in mind for... :cray-cray:

[Cheetah]

Another western Washington fundie blogger is Laurel D (mama D's dozen). She's started blogging again after about a year off (after finding out we were talking about her here, when I think it was Home Girl Ruby went and spilled the beans to a bunch of bloggers about our site). They are in Lynden, WA.

[Maggie Mae]

I'm sorry that so many of you went through body image stuff with your parents.

I feel really lucky that I only remember one remark about my weight (as a teen) from my mom. I was flipping out about how my dad must have dried my jeans on hot even though I didn't even want them washed and they therefore shrunk. My mom just calmly reminded me that MAYBE the jeans hadn't shrunk and in fact, I'd been getting bigger. It was spring, so I didn't have a sport or anything to do besides hang out with my friends after school and drive around and eat fries and drink alcohol. She was right. I had gained weight, and I was being an asshole about it. I actually wish she would have mentioned something when I was suffering from depression and gained 30 pounds doing literally nothing. Because that sucked a lot and someone should have said SOMETHING to me about it, rather than tiptoeing around it and trying to spare my "feelings" which is dumb. I was SO unhealthy. I felt unhealthy. The depression contributed to the weight gain and the weight gain contributed to the depression and what I needed was for someone to drag me out of the house and make me move. NOT for someone to tell me that it's OK to play the SIMS and watch TV and "take care of myself."

As for Erica and her family, I think I would prefer the protein bar to Olive Garden, but that's me. Erica doesn't look at her children as people. Just as something to organize. *smile* *beam*

[Eternalbluepearl]

How does Erika get away with having un-Godly short hair as a woman? Jesus doesn't like that... :snooty:

[browngrl]

Another western Washington fundie blogger is Laurel D (mama D's dozen). She's started blogging again after about a year off (after finding out we were talking about her here, when I think it was Home Girl Ruby went and spilled the beans to a bunch of bloggers about our site). They are in Lynden, WA.

Is Laurel the one that "rehomed" an adopted child and was adamant that she was virtuous and good for doing so and then flounced in a fury when people started calling her out on it? Because if she is, I'd like the link to her blog. I miss reading the crazy (speaking of crazy, I still miss Taryn).

[Handmaiden of Dog]

She is new to me. I figured I had to read up on her because another FJer mentioned her in the same sentence as Steve Maxwell as "fundies I hate the most."

Her *wink* *chuckle* *smile* and *laugh* make me want to *vomit* and *roll my eyes*.

I have not been afraid of having a baby in my 40's, because I've done a fair amount of research on the validation of those "facts" that some doctors dish out to mothers so readily. There is so much effort out there by most doctors toward population control and about over populating the planet it's truly staggering to me - especially since it's not true. It makes me angry what some medical doctors have told women, trying to frighten them in to preventing another pregnancy. Women are just as capable and safe having babies in their 40's as they were in their 20's

She is an ass. No wait. She is a stupid ass. She thinks that doctors are all banded together in a conspiracy to control the population?! Deluded stupid ass.

[ladyamylynn]

How does Erika get away with having un-Godly short hair as a woman? Jesus doesn't like that... :snooty:

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/11/short-hair-and-femininity-what-does.html

Make sure you do some stretches before you read this, because there's some amazing mental gymnastics going on!

[mango_fandango]

She is new to me. I figured I had to read up on her because another FJer mentioned her in the same sentence as Steve Maxwell as "fundies I hate the most."

Her *wink* *chuckle* *smile* and *laugh* make me want to *vomit* and *roll my eyes*.

She is an ass. No wait. She is a stupid ass. She thinks that doctors are all banded together in a conspiracy to control the population?! Deluded stupid ass.

She seems to be a 19 Kids and Counting fan. If she watches it, she'd know about the whole Jubilee fiasco- scrap that, even if she doesn't watch she'd probably have found out somehow. The fact that she had so many problems with Josie, and then miscarried Jubilee, should've been an indication not only to Michelle to stop trying but also to all other fundies that having babies in your forties IS dangerous. I know pre-eclampsia can happen at any age but Michelle was 43, which INCREASED the risk. The bit I bolded is complete and utter crock. Women over 35 have an increased risk of Down's Sydrome. Fact. It's not to do with controlling the population at all, it's to do with the fact that there ARE serious risks with an older woman in pregnancy, despite what Erika says. The fact that she doesn't even go to a proper doctor (she goes to a chiropractor (who advised her on her baby weight loss diet FFS) and a naturopath) indicates that she is talking shite. I think she mentioned once that her mum had children when she was 40-odd (Erika's the first born by quite a gap, I think) so of COURSE that means it's aaaaallllll fine. This is the same mum who said that decorations needed to be arranged in odd-numbered groupings because it's pleasing to the eye... :cray-cray:

[Queen Of Hearts]

This is the same mum who said that decorations needed to be arranged in odd-numbered groupings because it's pleasing to the eye... :cray-cray:

I hate to defend anything that comes from cray cray Erika, but as a graphic designer I can say that her mom is right about the odd-numbered thing. In design, odd numbers are considered to be more pleasing to the eye than even numbers. :)

[ViolaSebastian]

She is new to me. I figured I had to read up on her because another FJer mentioned her in the same sentence as Steve Maxwell as "fundies I hate the most."

Her *wink* *chuckle* *smile* and *laugh* make me want to *vomit* and *roll my eyes*.

She is an ass. No wait. She is a stupid ass. She thinks that doctors are all banded together in a conspiracy to control the population?! Deluded stupid ass.

Oh man, I hadn't even thought about the fact that she's more likely to have a special needs child now that she's getting older. I cannot imagine Erika Shupe with a special needs child that would require flexibility in her schedule. Lord... :?

[defraudingjezebel]

She is an ass. No wait. She is a stupid ass. She thinks that doctors are all banded together in a conspiracy to control the population?! Deluded stupid ass.

She isn't stupid, she's a conniving manipulator. She will twist any "fact" to suit her agenda, and try to make it so that everyone who doesn't agree with her is unequivocally wrong. See: the aforementioned posts about population control and short hair. For extra fun, read the sparring in the comments!

I can't stand her and she's the one of the only fundies that seriously turns my stomach. And she's the fundie that lives the closest to me. :pull-hair:

[mango_fandango]

I hate to defend anything that comes from cray cray Erika, but as a graphic designer I can say that her mom is right about the odd-numbered thing. In design, odd numbers are considered to be more pleasing to the eye than even numbers. :)

Eh, fair enough. She's got a collection of photos on her wall (two rows of four) of each of her kids when they were a year old, with the twins being in the same photo. Then to the left she's got a picture of the whole group, on the same level on the bottom row. To me, it'd just seem weird that there's a gap, and it's filled in with an 'S'... ok, it's in the organisation part 2 post: largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/04/organizing-home-more-tips-for.html . Without the S there, that arrangement would just seem weird to me. I suppose ultimately it's down to personal taste, though. And also probably due to the way the photos are set out on the wall.

[mango_fandango]

Oh man, I hadn't even thought about the fact that she's more likely to have a special needs child now that she's getting older. I cannot imagine Erika Shupe with a special needs child that would require flexibility in her schedule. Lord... :?

*double post shame* She did say somewhere that she'd love a disabled baby just the same, which I'd expect of any parent. However, your point is very pertinent... if Baby Shupe makes it to term and is born with special needs that require lots of hospital visits, I wonder how the heck she'd cope. It's taken until now, when Karen and Melanie are 16 and 15, to trust her kids enough to babysit their own freaking siblings, and that's for a couple of hours, in the evening, once a week. Karen will be 17 and in twelfth grade by the time Baby Shupe is born. I know she only does school for two hours a day (plus violin and non-fiction reading) and she already helps her siblings quite a lot as it is... It'd be in a situation like this where I'd be grateful that my kids were in public school for a large portion of the day, being educated and looked after, so I could fully concentrate on a sick baby. But no, Mama Shupe would pitch a fit because the teachers are secular and would teach the kids 'lies'. Bob works outside the home and Erika doesn't believe in women working (unless there was an upheaval like the man dying or whatever) and she wouldn't likely have the time to work anyway. I hope Baby Shupe is OK health-wise.

[happy atheist]

I hate to defend anything that comes from cray cray Erika, but as a graphic designer I can say that her mom is right about the odd-numbered thing. In design, odd numbers are considered to be more pleasing to the eye than even numbers. :)

Does this mean she's going to have to have 11 children?

[divadivine]

I really don't like Erika *gag me with a spoon* Shupe. I feel sorry for her children. She's a flipping control freak.

I was researching on her Facebook page... And there is this really odd picture of the oldest daughter holding hands with Bob last July 4. It's creepy. They're holding hands like a couple that is dating or married. I have a screenshot.... Someone else needs to research her page & see it. Am I the only one who thinks its weird?

[ladyamylynn]

I really don't like Erika *gag me with a spoon* Shupe. I feel sorry for her children. She's a flipping control freak.

I was researching on her Facebook page... And there is this really odd picture of the oldest daughter holding hands with Bob last July 4. It's creepy. They're holding hands like a couple that is dating or married. I have a screenshot.... Someone else needs to research her page & see it. Am I the only one who thinks its weird?

Nope, you're definitely not the only one.

[Cheetah]

Is Laurel the one that "rehomed" an adopted child and was adamant that she was virtuous and good for doing so and then flounced in a fury when people started calling her out on it? Because if she is, I'd like the link to her blog. I miss reading the crazy (speaking of crazy, I still miss Taryn).

Yep. I guess she actually got a full time job but only kept it for a few months and started blogging again once she was laid off.

They are up to like 7 grandsons, and she still does the random crypto-post that sort of hints that her children or daughters in law are treating her badly but doesn't really explain. anewjourneyoffaith.blogspot.com

[IronicallyMaeve]

Nope, you're definitely not the only one.

If I didn't know better, I'd say they were a couple. :brain-bleach:

I agree with the people who have said that Erika is pretty obsessed with her weight and keeping her older daughters thin. Does anyone else find it odd that her husband Bob is overweight? It's pretty normal middle-aged man weight, but Erika is so weird about food...

[SassyPants]

If I didn't know better, I'd say they were a couple. :brain-bleach:

I agree with the people who have said that Erika is pretty obsessed with her weight and keeping her older daughters thin. Does anyone else find it odd that her husband Bob is overweight? It's pretty normal middle-aged man weight, but Erika is so weird about food...

Perhaps it's the take out as opposed to being on the protein bar allotment.

[mango_fandango]

Perhaps it's the take out as opposed to being on the protein bar allotment.

:pink-shock: Just seen it (the picture). It is VERY weird. I do think it's odd that Bob is overweight. I don't like body snarking, although as you say it is pretty normal man weight. It just seems a bit odd, especially when he appears to eat the same things as the rest of the family.