Sparkling Adventures Blog

[Lychee]

Every time i read her blog i am reminded of when I was travelling in India and a dreadlocked family with two girls of about 8 and 6 walked in to the scummy traveller cafe/bar I was in. It was about 10 pm. They were filthy, dressed in the sort of colourful hippy traveller clothes that seem such a great idea when you are 19 and they just looked so tired and bored. Their parents started having some beers and smoking and they just sat around practically falling asleep in their chairs, Occasionally asking if they could go to bed. I just wanted to wash them and send them to school.

It seemed particulary ironic as whenever you walked out the door there were similarly ragged local children begging etc whose parents I'm sure would have loved to be able to offer them the advantages that these parents had decided to take away from their kids.

It also reminds me of a girl I knew from a summer school whose parents dragged her round the world as a child. She was raped by a stranger at a festival when she was 12. Her parents had told her to go off and have fun. she was understandably traumatised and had little parental support to deal with it. I hope she managed to heal eventually.

I really hope her girls manage to navigate their chaotic (sparkling!) life and come out the other side ok but I worry.

Edited-riffles

[Guest Anonymous]

Some people who used to leave comments on Lauren's blog no longer do so. In particular, Lauren's mother & sister and an Aunt.

Writers usually write for an audience. Lauren says she writes for her children, but the content such as in post linked to above and the time she and David exchanged 'words' about intimacy, is often inappropriate. Also the tone or voice doesn't indicate that her children really are her intended audience. I'm not buying that she writes solely for her children.

And I can't imagine why she wants to drag her four daughters, barefoot and bedraggled, to Bali.

I have been wondering about that. Would love to know if they have been banned or of they have stopped because they don't want to condone her lifestyle any more.

She said something at new year about forgiving people she had fallen out with (or words to that effect), which hopefully means they will be allowed back into her children's lives, even if it is only to give them stuff and keep them a little bit more safe.

[Sister_Wife]

The Indo trip is an annual homeschool retreat. Majikfaerie attended last year and wrote about it on her blog. It is all prepaid and organised by 1 lady. Although I agree, Lauren won't be paying, I'm sure the donations are rolling in for this poor, in mourning mother, to have a much deserved holiday!

[CheeseDeprived]

I would take Laurens family in, for the sake of the kids. They need food, shelter and a nice warm bath. I would keep them there long enough to report Lauren for neglect.

I am suprised none of the random people who let her stay with them have actually done this. Surely everyone can see that these kids are neglected.

Maybe they have. We can only hope. It's probably just that nothing is done about the reports. Same old, same old, sadly...

[August]

Her sister in HK posted about her a couple of days ago, and Lauren replied. It was religious bullshit.

her blog's called nesting in skyscrapers

[Markie]

As I watch the girls interact with Yvonne, I feel blessed to have older women in our lives who take an interest in the girls and encourage them. We may not be close to blood relatives, but the bonds that the girls make with surrogate grandparents like Yvonne are close and loving.

I wonder what happened with their blood relatives. I bet her mom or sister tried talking some sense to Lauren and she left in a sparkly huff. I cannot imagine what I would do if she were part of my family. The woman is nuts.

[Sister_Wife]

I wonder what happened with their blood relatives. I bet her mom or sister tried talking some sense to Lauren and she left in a sparkly huff. I cannot imagine what I would do if she were part of my family. The woman is nuts.

[Guest Anonymous]

I wonder what happened with their blood relatives. I bet her mom or sister tried talking some sense to Lauren and she left in a sparkly huff. I cannot imagine what I would do if she were part of my family. The woman is nuts.

If my sister ever did what she was doing, I think I'd risk an abduction charge and run off with them. They have probably done whatever they can, and have no means of stopping her right now. :(

[Freyacat]

Wow... I've just been reading through her sister's blog, and her sister is so incredibly normal. She has an adorable family and it looks like they have a lot of fun together. It amazes me how differently siblings can turn out!

[CheeseDeprived]

Wow... I've just been reading through her sister's blog, and her sister is so incredibly normal. She has an adorable family and it looks like they have a lot of fun together. It amazes me how differently siblings can turn out!

Yeah... and I can only imagine how hard it must be for her to watch Lauren's sparkly brand of crazy and neglect from a distance, without being able to do much about it, if anything. What a horrible situation to be in. :(

[Guest Anonymous]

I'm not white knighting her sparkliness, I'm pointing out when you go beyond the realm of legitimate criticism into ridiculous nit picking of perfectly normal parenting. Almost everyone I know has scissors out for their kids of that age. A few don't, because they either have kids with impulse control issues or are gunshy from hair cutting incidents. And, yes, you do have that conversation as parents. It makes a change from talking about toilets.

She lets her kids handle circular saw blades, and you're picking on the toddler scissors? Get some perspective.

Did you read the blog comments?

5 · Lauren F***r · 19 January 2013, 13:59

Yes, Jess, we use “real†scissors. We have several pairs that are child-sized, but the girls are also free to play with the big scissors too. They prefer the smaller scissors as they can control them better.

[August]

oh my fucking jesus, Lauren. Oh well, there goes today's attempt to be charitable.

And that slackline in her pics is $139 worth.

[Sister_Wife]

oh my fucking jesus, Lauren. Oh well, there goes today's attempt to be charitable.

And that slackline in her pics is $139 worth.

$139 invested in the education of her children, don't you mean?! Think of the learning possibilities on a slackline!

[pastaswife]

$139 invested in the education of her children, don't you mean?! Think of the learning possibilities on a slackline!

Of course it is!! They'll need good balance, can't have them falling down a cliff, it might be a public holiday when search and rescue will want be home with their families. :roll:

[Lychee]

As I watch the girls interact with Yvonne, I feel blessed to have older women in our lives who take an interest in the girls and encourage them. We may not be close to blood relatives, but the bonds that the girls make with surrogate grandparents like Yvonne are close and loving.

For the rest of the day, the girls amused themselves around the house while Yvonne and I talked heaps. Yvonne has just returned from a trip to Bali and so could advise me on what to pack, what to expect and how to behave like a local when we visit Indonesia later in the year. It’s also interesting to hear of her travels overseas, her time as a single parent and how her now-grown children fared after years out of formal school.

Ok so first thing- how is Yvonne a surrogate grand parent. Have they ever met her before december? What are the chances they will go back there ( unless the Van breaks down) I think you are confusing 'grandparent' with 'random woman you will never see again.'

Even if they are growing close to her every time these kids get to know someone/ bond they are whisked away in a week or so. The only person they have to bond with is their depressed and distant mother.

Secondly 'how to behave like a local' thinking like this really pisses me off. You will never behave like a local Lauren. Firstly you are too self absorbed to really care but more importantly have you been brought up immersed in the beliefs and sensibilities of the country in question? No? Well the best you can hope for is to act in a way that is respectful and won't offend the locals. You are not a local. You are a tourist like everyone else and your super sparkles won't change that.

Edited- formatting

[lilith]

I find it interesting that Lauren reconciled with her whole family when

Elijah died, about six months ago, and now she's saying that she doesn't have close relationships with blood relatives.

She burned through a hell of a lot of family members, who all seemed willing to help, in an incredibly short time.

[freejoytoo]

Do you mean this, from 2007? /www.sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=129

Edited to break link

Thanks. I thought there was something similar in 2009?

Where is her sister's blog? Are they the Croaker family?

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks. I thought there was something similar in 2009?

Where is her sister's blog? Are they the Croaker family?

I don't know exactly what you mean, 2009 was when David behaved 'oddly' in church and they left, I think?; she has edited a lot of her previous blog entries since Elijah died so it is hard to check against what I remember reading back when this thread started..

I think you will find her sister's blog by looking at the links in the blog comments.

[lilith]

She's scrubbed and edited the blog multiple times since Elijah's death, and probably beforehand too. I've gone back to posts I've previously read and found them totally different on multiple occasions.

[freejoytoo]

I think I remember someone saying there was another depressive period in 2009, perhaps they were referring to the church incident. Is the sister Carla? I've found posts about their family but nothing in comments...

[Sister_Wife]

Carla is the sister in Australia who is a doctor, her home is the one where the recent pool gate incident occurred. No blog that I know of.

Renee is the sister in Hong Kong, her blog is Nesting in Skyscrapers, comes up in google. She is the estranged sister.

[freejoytoo]

Thank you! :)

[Guest Anonymous]

Wow... I've just been reading through her sister's blog, and her sister is so incredibly normal. She has an adorable family and it looks like they have a lot of fun together. It amazes me how differently siblings can turn out!

Is this the sister to whom you are referring? This one seems quite smug and judgemental to me?

nestinginskyscrapers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/prayer-for-prodigal.html#comment-form

[freejoytoo]

Renee seems rather fundie to me.

[Sister_Wife]

Is this the sister to whom you are referring? This one seems quite smug and judgemental to me?

nestinginskyscrapers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/prayer-for-prodigal.html#comment-form

Did you see Lauren's comment underneath? I'm surprised, but kinda not, that she reads her sisters blog. It seems she really does care what others think and say about her.