While we're on the subject of homes... Shupe house tour

[Coconut Flan]

I think the playroom would be the fourth bedroom in the original design.

[lilah]

Oh here's a real gem from erika, talking about a special date night for her

Once in a while Bob and I have a home dinner date where he brings home food to-go from Olive Garden and he and I sit at the kitchen table together and talk while the children get to eat protein bars (a rare treat for them) and popcorn and fruit and watch a movie. This way we don't have to afford or leave the kids with a sitter. We also do great grilling in the back yard together, and we cook fries at home sometimes to go with it. And we are not missing out. Life is not how we initially envisioned it would be

WTF. Sure your kids are thrilled to be eating protein bars while you get takeout. (I really dislike Olive Garden. Sure. That's some really epic brainwashing going on there.

[lizziesmom]

Dull Women Have Immaculate Homes.

[Want More Babies]

I wonder if she knows Carri Williams. She does not live too far from Sedro Woolley.

[16strong]

Oh here's a real gem from erika, talking about a special date night for her

WTF. Sure your kids are thrilled to be eating protein bars while you get takeout. (I really dislike Olive Garden. Sure. That's some really epic brainwashing going on there.

Really! Because PROTEIN BARS are supposed to be as exciting as pasta? Are they delusional? Are they expecting that the kids won't get jealous? I guess they don't care. It would be better if they could find a babysitter (Or let the oldest one do it. I mean, she does it anyway.), and go out. Eating the food in front of the kids is like dangling bacon in front of a dog(Not comparing the kids to dogs, swear!). It's mean.

[Iokaste]

I imagine that more often than not there isn't great lessons planned for children in that situation. We aren't talking for the most part about people with any training in lesson planning. pedagogy etc. They just want to keep their kids out of evil secular schools and if their kids don't really get a quality education that's okay because they love Jesus.

Actually Erika is a certified teacher, she earned her degree at Western Washington University, but ofcourse NOTHING she learned there has been usefull AT ALL, because government :cray-cray:

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/05/homeschooling-why-do-we-do-it.html

As a teacher I would just love to do an internship with the "School of Erika", if she can really educate a high school level student sufficiently with just two hours of school a day!

I just don't see how that would be possible even with one-on-one tutoring whch isn't exactly the case here, but then again it's probably just because my college was state-funded and the state actually covered my living expenses, yes, evil evil socialism going on here :o

(Edits because I haven't had coffee yet...)

[Jinderella]

Maybe I'm being inappropriate in saying this, but I think that house is a recipe for a murder-suicide. Children packed like sardines, no personal or alone time allowed, neurotic mother who dictates every last detail of the house and the way its occupants live. Someone's gonna blow and it won't be pretty.

I don't know why, but of all our fundie families, this one scares me most. I had some nightmares about them, when I first read the blog. The blog screams corporal punishment to me, for some reason.

A while ago their was a horrible story on homeschoolers anonymous about a molested girl and while reading it, I couldn't stop seeing it placed in the Shupe House.

No evidence at all, just my feeling...

[Mama Mia]

With their egress windows blocked off like that I just hope there's never a fire when the kids are in bed. *shudder*

It would seem to make more sense to have the one bunk bed away from the window, and then the other going l-shaped across from it, if there's room. Or to just put a king or queen bed in there for all the little boys for awhile. Or single fold up futon chairs for each of them. Or a triple bunk with a twin under the window, or one of those double futon couch on the bottom bunk on the top beds and a twin. There really are more options, especially since the bedroom seems to be used just for sleeping.

Hopefully there is room to get out through the window by opening it from the lower bunk....that would seem at least somewhat safer.

[BiblebeltCath]

I've seen Erika's comments on articles and blogs around the web. She's very intelligent, and can write and frame an argument well. There is none of the "*grin*"-type writing in those responses, so I think that is a style she uses for her blog. I suppose she think it suits her audience there.

She's also very driven. I think if she had been given the chance to go into a career, she'd be at the top of her field. If she'd gone into business, she'd be a cutthroat CEO, and if she'd gone into politics, she'd be giving Hilary Clinton a run for her money. As it stands, all that drive can only go into two things: her family, and her home. It's sad for her, but it is tragic for her children.

[Seren Ann]

She's also very driven. I think if she had been given the chance to go into a career, she'd be at the top of her field. If she'd gone into business, she'd be a cutthroat CEO, and if she'd gone into politics, she'd be giving Hilary Clinton a run for her money. As it stands, all that drive can only go into two things: her family, and her home. It's sad for her, but it is tragic for her children.

I completely agree. It's sad, really. And again, this is a case of the woman being a perfectionnist and getting sucked into the fundie rethoric of "the more extreme and sheltered you get, the holier you are" and "praying" her husband into subscribing to those views as well. Erika is the one who wants this and works so hard at making her life "perfect".

I really wonder how her children will turn out. Having such a cold, regimented childhood must have an impact on their future lives. I hope they still manage to function and have healthy, normal lives. We all know that Erika has no trouble cutting family members she disapproves of out of her life, so I hope she won't do the same to her children.

[Sydney Fox]

I've seen Erika's comments on articles and blogs around the web. She's very intelligent, and can write and frame an argument well. There is none of the "*grin*"-type writing in those responses, so I think that is a style she uses for her blog. I suppose she think it suits her audience there.

She's also very driven. I think if she had been given the chance to go into a career, she'd be at the top of her field. If she'd gone into business, she'd be a cutthroat CEO, and if she'd gone into politics, she'd be giving Hilary Clinton a run for her money. As it stands, all that drive can only go into two things: her family, and her home. It's sad for her, but it is tragic for her children.

Yes, she's driven and organized. I don't get the impression that she likes children very much though. If you read some of her older posts about being quiverful, it's like she has forced herself to have more and more children because she's supposed to leave it up to God, but she struggles to manage them all. There is little joy in her blog, only organization and control. She would have been better off channelling her energies into a career, having a couple of kids and sending them to daycare and school. Her poor kids don't even get a chance to relax and play in that tiny house. I especially feel for her older daughters who are stuck doing most of the work.

[lizziesmom]

I completely agree. It's sad, really. And again, this is a case of the woman being a perfectionnist and getting sucked into the fundie rethoric of "the more extreme and sheltered you get, the holier you are" and "praying" her husband into subscribing to those views as well. Erika is the one who wants this and works so hard at making her life "perfect".

I really wonder how her children will turn out. Having such a cold, regimented childhood must have an impact on their future lives. I hope they still manage to function and have healthy, normal lives. We all know that Erika has no trouble cutting family members she disapproves of out of her life, so I hope she won't do the same to her children.

Well if she does cut them out of her life their lives might actually improve.

[chaotic life]

Ericka has alluded to not liking children. I really don't understand how you get a teacher's education and have 11 children and not like them, but she has made comments about how she never intended to have this life. I suspect she uber controls their lives because it's the only way she can manage this life she was not meant to have. It's her own enslavement to this fundamentalist crackpot theology that has impacted all of them. She would have probably been a great mother to two or three kids, and then an awesome teacher who was allowed to go home and practice self-care outside of school hours. But, her religion tells her that ambition is evil so she suffers for the cause of Christianity and thinks her worth in heaven is higher for doing it.

She's so controlling she doesn't leave her children with anyone. There is absolutely no reason she couldn't pay her teenager daughters to watch the children and let them have a snacking dinner and movie so she could go on an actual date with her husband. It's the control and martyrdom that keeps her trapped where she is at this point, and her immaculate house reflects that she is completely trapped.

[Seren Ann]

Well if she does cut them out of her life their lives might actually improve.

I suppose they would have more freedom. I imagine though that would also mean losing contact with their siblings who stayed behind too.

Even though the Shupes are probably awful parents, it's still very hard living your life with no family, no support, just alone. My mother struggled with that a lot, and still feels it to this day. I don't wish that on anyone.

Edited for clarity

[Marianne]

Even though the Shupes are probably awful parents, it's still very hard living your life with no family, no support, just alone. My mother struggled with that a lot, and still feels it to this day. I don't wish that on anyone.

I'm from foster care, have no family, except a few contact with Spanish family and a young cousin. You CAN living with no family and no support. Don't say it's pleasant (but after years in a bedroom with 1, 2, 3 people, being alone in your bedroom it's just wonderfull !), but you can do it. Plus, then, you meet people : roomate, friends, lover, etc... and you built your own family (even if of course, each history is unique). And I don't think the Shupes girls will be alone if they leave : they seems to have a bio-family rejected by Erika, who is no fundie, and who can welcomes her.

[Seren Ann]

I'm from foster care, have no family, except a few contact with Spanish family and a young cousin. You CAN living with no family and no support. Don't say it's pleasant (but after years in a bedroom with 1, 2, 3 people, being alone in your bedroom it's just wonderfull !), but you can do it. Plus, then, you meet people : roomate, friends, lover, etc... and you built your own family (even if of course, each history is unique). And I don't think the Shupes girls will be alone if they leave : they seems to have a bio-family rejected by Erika, who is no fundie, and who can welcomes her.

I never said you can't live with no family, lots of people have no choice and just have to get on with it. I just said it's hard and you'll always wonder what if, and at specific times like milestones (marriage, having children of your own) it can be very sad.

As I said, my mother has a mild case of this so I know it can be done and you can have a normal life. It's just it still hurts her to this day when her family reject her once again, or in the case of milestones where they just aren't there.

[slickcat79]

Did anyone notice the birdcage in the living room? Because that's all the house needs in addition to the constant din of a dozen people: the incessant high-pitched shrieking of overwhelmed birds.

(A childhood friend had birds, and whenever there were humans talking, they'd try to drown out the noise with ear-piercing whistles. I'd always leave with a headache. I can't imagine being trapped there all day with not even school to escape to. It's a lovely house otherwise; great layout. I'd love it for our family of 4.)

We had a whole thread on here at the time she got the birds (she mentioned it on the blog and FB), and pretty much everyone was of the opinion that parakeets were a TERRIBLE choice for Erika. Between the noise and the mess and the fact that she basically intended to leave them in their cages and not let her kids play with them ( :? ), she was asking for trouble. Since then she has never mentioned them again, and I'm pretty sure she scrubbed the entries about them...so I'm guessing the birds didn't last long. The family was cat-sitting back in December and she was asking for tips about getting a cat :shock:

As far as the house goes, I would be ashamed of myself to have all that space (a whole floor including 2 bathrooms) for myself and my husband while my kids were crammed in those tiny basement rooms with no emergency egress. But apparently children are the only ones who need to experience sacrifice as a learning tool :|

[PennySycamore]

We had a whole thread on here at the time she got the birds (she mentioned it on the blog and FB), and pretty much everyone was of the opinion that parakeets were a TERRIBLE choice for Erika. Between the noise and the mess and the fact that she basically intended to leave them in their cages and not let her kids play with them ( :? ), she was asking for trouble. Since then she has never mentioned them again, and I'm pretty sure she scrubbed the entries about them...so I'm guessing the birds didn't last long. The family was cat-sitting back in December and she was asking for tips about getting a cat :shock:

As far as the house goes, I would be ashamed of myself to have all that space (a whole floor including 2 bathrooms) for myself and my husband while my kids were crammed in those tiny basement rooms with no emergency egress. But apparently children are the only ones who need to experience sacrifice as a learning tool :|

Maybe the cat ate the birds? It kinda happened to us once. Our bird got out only to be attacked by our cat Molly who was a proven bird killer. The bird survived, but subsequently died of his injuries.

[slickcat79]

Maybe the cat ate the birds? It kinda happened to us once. Our bird got out only to be attacked by our cat Molly who was a proven bird killer. The bird survived, but subsequently died of his injuries.

Luckily for the (potential) cat, I don't think one actually materialized at the Shupe house. And I think the birds were already gone at that point. Erika talking about maybe getting a cat was one of the things that made me wonder, hey, whatever happened to the parakeets? :?

[ILoveJellybeans]

No way would Erika get a cat. I didn't put my cat on a schedule-she put me on one. The meow alarm for breakfast goes off at 6-7am whether I like it or not.

[PennySycamore]

No way would Erika get a cat. I didn't put my cat on a schedule-she put me on one. The meow alarm for breakfast goes off at 6-7am whether I like it or not.

Our cats wake us up, too and they have ever since Bianca that used to pat my face with her paw ala Simon's Cat. She's first start staring at me to wake me up. If that didn't work, then came the pats. If the pats didn't work, then she'd go from there.

w0ffwDYo00Q

[ILoveJellybeans]

Mine just gets onto the bed and meows loudly until I wake up and feed her. Or then get bored and run around the room-she will run across the bed (usually right over me), down, underneath it and back out the other side, climb on things and try and catch any lumps under the blankets that move.

[itsnikki05]

The house didn't look too bad, until it got to the kids bedrooms. Really, lady? I mean, I just can't justify it. They are fitting multiple children in a room that is as small as my daughter's! I could see having ONE set of bunk beds per room, fine. That is ridiculous.