Jazz Hands, Sparkle Crotch: Erika Schupe Pt. 9

[StepMonsterInLA]

Where is her Facebook live?  I can't find it. @formergothardite @mango_fandango

 

[formergothardite]

I can't see anything live, but I'm not a member of FLOP. 

The wayback machine saved all her anti-public school posts should anyone who is a FLOP member care to quote Erika since she is trying to pretend she never said all those things about public school. 

[mango_fandango]

I don't think she has used FB live, I was just imagining her using it.

[Hisey]

The thing is, FLOP really is going to flop if she can't be more honest with her readers. It's one thing not to share why the kids are in PS. It another thing to hide what she does all day, which is what she is doing with that fake "Kathy" schedule.

I think a reader should ask her why she put her kids in PS just so she could do digital scrapbooking and read (two of those items on Kathy's schedule).

[Eternalbluepearl]

This may sound slightly off-topic but when I think about "Kathy's schedule" a thought occurs to me...Like at a certain point, maybe you've read the Bible enough and can go out and DO? HELP others? Put that contemplative Christian thought into ACTION? Or is it all Starbucks and absorbing God's word in quiet alone time? Because honestly that could be reading any other book, magazine or paper. *shrug*

 

thanks for the hug @ChunkyBarbie

[Foudeb]

Hmm, I think both Melanie and Karen have outside jobs / occupations of some sort and that's what caused the crash. I bet godly erika couldn't manage her eleventy close-in-age littles on her own, especially now they're growing and might have started arguing back. That would explain the 18-month - Karen graduates and isn't there all day to parent her siblings to 4 months ago - Erika finally cracks and enrolls them into school. I would put good money on a bet that at some point between those two events Melanie left her sister-mom role too. If someone else had imposed public school upon her she would be loud and noisy about it, claiming oppression! if it was CPS related, or being the mother of all passive-aggressiveness if it had come from Bob. No, I think this was her own choice, made because her littles are now old enough to disregard her authority when it comes from compulsory quiet times and she doen't have her two proxies to do all her work for her any more.

Erika being Erika, who knows what she's doing with her time. Could be getting some r&r at her own parents' place for all we know. Or getting psychological help to deal with the mud her children will introduce back to the house now that she's letting them all out once a day. Or re-training - if she wants to work it might be worth doing a course of some sort to keep her credentials up to date.

I fell very sorry for those two girls, and Brandon who I think is next in age, for their years of educational neglect spent raising their siblings. It will be hard to swallow for 30 yo Karen who is struggling to make ends meet at an entry-level job when she sees her 22 yo sibling land a decent professional job thanks to the normal education that she herself was denied.

[ChunkyBarbie]

I can't see Erika voluntarily changing her mind.  She would had to have suffered a serious mental break down to be willingly to admit defeat. She is so smug still, I still think outside forces. Though, I do find the idea of her realizing that her teaching hasn't been up to par very appealing.  *grin*

[princessmahina]

2 hours ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

This may sound slightly off-topic but when I think about "Kathy's schedule" a thought occurs to me...Like at a certain point, maybe you've read the Bible enough and can go out and DO? HELP others? Put that contemplative Christian thought into ACTION? Or is it all Starbucks and absorbing God's word in quiet alone time? Because honestly that could be reading any other book, magazine or paper. *shrug*

 

thanks for the hug @ChunkyBarbie

That seems a bit excessive when you could sit in the privacy and serenity of your very own baby-gated house and judge people on the internet with your sugar free hot "coco" while your children play sadly in silent isolation elsewhere. #priorities

I'd also like to add that I'm sorry for your loss. *internet hugs*

[usmcmom]

Hold on, guys...I'm going to check on a couple things with my friend. 

Be right back. 

Ok, I'm back. My friend told me that there used to be a very brief Facebook live video on the new page (she thinks) and now it appears to be gone. Also, she said something looks different on the page - like they have deleted some things already but she can't remember what. 

I might need to find a more reliable friend. Heh. 

Some of the blog commenters are telling her that her big change without an explanation makes her appear inauthentic. I tend to agree with them. 

[desertvixen]

@Eternalbluepearl, my thoughts are with you. 

Agree with the Erika commenters - she seems as inauthentic as all get out - good on her for thinking of her family's privacy, but I don't think she will be able to have her cake and eat it too.

 

[usmcmom]

11 minutes ago, desertvixen said:

@Eternalbluepearl, my thoughts are with you. 

Agree with the Erika commenters - she seems as inauthentic as all get out - good on her for thinking of her family's privacy, but I don't think she will be able to have her cake and eat it too.

 

Come to think of it, I think Erika has also talked about her daughters going through puberty. It came up in some hair care post and she specifically talked about changes they needed to make when puberty hit. That certainly is not protecting her family's privacy. I guess her kids' dignity doesn't matter but Erika will NOT knowingly damage her own. 

I'm thinking more and more that Erika does not get to play the privacy card with this one. 

[Hisey]

44 minutes ago, usmcmom said:

Come to think of it, I think Erika has also talked about her daughters going through puberty. It came up in some hair care post and she specifically talked about changes they needed to make when puberty hit. That certainly is not protecting her family's privacy. I guess her kids' dignity doesn't matter but Erika will NOT knowingly damage her own. 

I'm thinking more and more that Erika does not get to play the privacy card with this one. 

Privacy is great except for this whole thing reeks of Erika being unwilling to admit to making a mistake.And her readers, while not generally brilliant, sense this and aren't buying it. 

I was a bit worried that the reason for the change had something to do with Brandon, who has never looked well to me. In recent pics, Anna Marie--who is three years younger -- has passed him in height. What if he were sick, and Erika needed to take him for treatments or medical care? Was she just protecting his privacy? I suppose it's possible, but the cheery way she opened her post plus the way they have re-branded indicate otherwise.  A mother with a sick child doesn't take the time to build a new website and re-brand.

If Erika is at all attentive, she will be surprised and humbled what the local elementary school will do for her kids (all but Brandon would be in elementary). I have volunteered in low-income schools in every city we've lived in. The humblest elementary school -- those with trailers for classrooms and run down exteriors-- offer more than Erika's Costco workbooks and poor quality teaching (here's how you spell "cocoa", honey). I'll bet she'll be surprised at what Spencer or Tyler come home and tell her about--the singing, the crafts, the classroom pets, the assemblies, the holiday celebrations that are part of nearly every decent elementary school.

It makes me so happy to think of those kids being allowed to run around on a playground for 20 minutes, instead of 120 seconds on a deck. Being able to get muddy. Not having to sit in a chair for 90 minutes at breakfast, and then spend an hour alone in a room after breakfast (this really happened, see her schedule for three-year old boys). To be able to open closets without locks on them to pass out construction paper to 20 other kids who are not their siblings. The stimulation, the activity, the exercise must be wonderful for them. And there's no one forcing them to eat a cold salad at lunch time, or face "biblical discipline" when Dad gets home. Though I suspect Erika still packs salads, the kids are free to toss it when they've had enough and then lie to their mother (which is what generally happens in authoritarian households). What freedom!

[Queen Of Hearts]

I find it interesting that Bob seems to be the only one commenting in the FB group. 

I'm also speculating here, but I think Erika sending the kids to 'government school' is due to one of two things:

1.) She had some sort of nervous breakdown and Bob finally put his foot down.
2.) The suspected CPS visit let to the family being put under the microscope and this somehow was the result.

[feministxtian]

I think Bob put his foot down because the kids were not exactly academic "all-stars". I wonder how far behind some of them are. 

[Hisey]

1 hour ago, Queen Of Hearts said:

I find it interesting that Bob seems to be the only one commenting in the FB group. 

I'm also speculating here, but I think Erika sending the kids to 'government school' is due to one of two things:

1.) She had some sort of nervous breakdown and Bob finally put his foot down.
2.) The suspected CPS visit let to the family being put under the microscope and this somehow was the result.

I can see the kids getting rowdier and more defiant, and messing up the house, and Erika having a breakdown of sorts. I don't think that'd be enough for her to choose PS, but I can see Bob insisting. I like order myself, and when my two teen girls are home for a week, the house can really go to hell, even though they do try to keep things neat.  I can't imagine 7 kids (Karen and Melanie really aren't children), how much they must mess the place up, even with all of Erika's rules in place. And they are getting older now, and probably less willing to be controlled. I always felt that her one son (Tyler?) who potty trained so late (around 4-5 yrs) was struggling to take some control in his life.

[FunFunFundie]

The video people are talking about is on the blog post, it's at the bottom of the post and I missed it like fifty times because at least on mobile it just looks like a repeat of the logo. It's only a minute long and features Erica repeating the word "encouragement" several times. She does seem like maybe she's been crying.

[mango_fandango]

Hmm. Given recent events, but taking into account her history (blog and belief wise) I really don't know what to think of Erika anymore.

The Maxwells might be boring but at least they're predictable. The day a Maxwell enters public school and wears pants (the girls at least) will be the day Hell freezes over.

[formergothardite]

Whatever happened, I suspect that revealing it would make Erika look really bad. I also think that Erika thought that sent she deleted all her public school is from Satan posts, nobody would remember them so she could transition for rabid homeschooler to public school mom without being questioned. 

Doesn't work that way Erika. 

[Anonymousguest]

I don't think Erika would refer to her husband putting his foot down and insisting the kids go to school as "brokenness". She's all about how he's the leader of the family, whether he actually is or not. She would say that her husband wanted the kids in school and she had to follow his lead. For her to say that life doesn't always go the way you expect and you can't always get what you want, and that her whole world was turned upside down in regards to her husband wanting the kid in PS would be incredibly disrespectful. If divorce was involved I could see that, but it at least appears that Bob is still around. 

Eta in Christian context brokenness is almost always sin but sometimes health related.

[Hisey]

2 hours ago, Anonymousguest said:

I don't think Erika would refer to her husband putting his foot down and insisting the kids go to school as "brokenness". She's all about how he's the leader of the family, whether he actually is or not. She would say that her husband wanted the kids in school and she had to follow his lead. For her to say that life doesn't always go the way you expect and you can't always get what you want, and that her whole world was turned upside down in regards to her husband wanting the kid in PS would be incredibly disrespectful. If divorce was involved I could see that, but it at least appears that Bob is still around. 

Eta in Christian context brokenness is almost always sin but sometimes health related.

This is an excellent point. I agree. She has always been so complimentary towards Bob, always on about her "amazing husband" etc. I don't think she'd disrespect him in that way. I think when she speaks of "brokenness" she speaks of their lack of money, or Bob's companies problems, and how that compels her to work.

[Anonymousguest]

23 minutes ago, Hisey said:

This is an excellent point. I agree. She has always been so complimentary towards Bob, always on about her "amazing husband" etc. I don't think she'd disrespect him in that way. I think when she speaks of "brokenness" she speaks of their lack of money, or Bob's companies problems, and how that compels her to work.

I don't, unless there was some sin or illness involved that caused Bob not to be able to work. Men having to work hard is part of The Fall, but generally accepted that it is the right and natural way of things. She would only see her having to provide for the family as the result of a broken/sick world if something happened to him. If he were working hard to provide for the family, for her to refer to his not being able to provide as "broken" it would show disrespect and lack of trust in God and Bob (based on her previous stance regarding the issue, not any truth I believe). And she didn't step stiff regarding tough times and the trains they has to live in a small house from the blog. She removed things about discipline, rigid schedules and locking kids out of bathrooms and home schooling. 

[ActualReality]

The recent developments in the FLoP family have been interesting.  I would be willing to bet that one of 2 things happened.  My #1 guess is that Erika had some sort of mental breakdown.  That's the scenario that makes the most sense to me.  I mean think about it - she's obviously already a perfectionist and OCD.  Add on top of that 2 teenagers and less help around the house.  It's kind of a recipe for disaster.  Also the recent "retreat" to her mothers house makes me think that there is a HUGE mental component to this thing.

My second guess is that the 2 nannies (Karen and Melanie) wanted their own lives.  Raising a bunch of little kids with 2 nearly adult children is VERY DIFFERENT than raising all of those kids with no help.

 

As an aside has anybody else noticed the odd use of certain words among fundy families.  There is like this odd use of the words "desire" and "purpose."  Has anybody else noticed that?

[ActualReality]

23 hours ago, Anonymousguest said:

I don't, unless there was some sin or illness involved that caused Bob not to be able to work. Men having to work hard is part of The Fall, but generally accepted that it is the right and natural way of things. She would only see her having to provide for the family as the result of a broken/sick world if something happened to him. If he were working hard to provide for the family, for her to refer to his not being able to provide as "broken" it would show disrespect and lack of trust in God and Bob (based on her previous stance regarding the issue, not any truth I believe). And she didn't step stiff regarding tough times and the trains they has to live in a small house from the blog. She removed things about discipline, rigid schedules and locking kids out of bathrooms and home schooling. 

To see all of that sounds like CPS had something to say about their lifestyle.

[laurenzimm]

I notice the Shupes have a new website/blog:  Family Living On Purpose. The other day, she mentioned that her world was turned upside down in November. CPS?  Worse?  Any thoughts?

[laurenzimm]

I have to think CPS came in, as she mentions having her world turned upside down in November 2016. Suddenly, her kids are in public school and a video she posts-of herself-looks like she's been thru hell.