19 Kids & Courting - Duggar Snark Season 8 - Part 5

[amster]

We have 28. No they do not all currently live at home. I married young for the first time I was a teen mom trying to escape a tough upbringing and married the first guy who looked at me. He left me with 3 small kids. About a year after that,I met a wonderful man. He was great to me and great to my kids he eventually adopted them and we would have 6 more together. I lost him when I was 6.5 months pregnant with the 6th. He died suddenly of a heart attack. A few years later through a friend's friend I met my DH. He had been widowed and had 10 kids of his own. Oddly, enough some of our kids knew each other through school and various social activities but we had never met. We hit it off as did our families we married and officially became blended. About 18 months into our marriage two dear friends of ours were killed in an accident leaving behind 9 children they had no living suitable family and basically had my husband and I not taken them in they'd be in the system and likely in different homes. About that time I found out I was pregnant at the age of of total shock as I was nearly positive I was done with breastfeeding and diapers.

So yes I have the number of kids I have intentionally , but it was no means in effort to get in good with God. DH and his first wife simply wanted a large family neither of us dreamed we'd be where we are.

Never been an officially home schooler when the kids are small of course I read to them point out colors, letters, and numbers and all that but they attend public school.

We have 19 and and under the oldest will be 26 this year the youngest is nearly 2. The majority are teenagers. As for the day to day I think we are boringly normally. Kids living at home have chores the normal keep your rooms clean, help with dishes etc. No buddy system outside of "hey your sister pooped can you gab me a diaper" Kids have friends an activities so there is a lot of on the go.

Sorry if this comes across as rude, but isn't that 29? 3+9+10+1+9 is 29, yeah?

[leftcoastmama]

Sorry if this comes across as rude, but isn't that 29? 3+9+10+1+9 is 29, yeah?

Not rude at all :) you caught my typo. the 9 should be 8. Also the way I wrote it is confusing. Before I married my second husband I had 3 kids from a previous relationship after we got together we ha 6 more for a total of 9. The 9th ( 6th we had together) was born after he passed away.

When I married DH he had 10 kids bringing us to 19.

We adopted our friends 8 making it 27.

Then surprise baby made it 28.

DH had 10 I brought 9 we adopted 8 and together had 1 more 28.

[FJismyheadship]

Sorry if this comes across as rude, but isn't that 29? 3+9+10+1+9 is 29, yeah?

3+9+10+1+9 is actually 32

[Rescinded and Mended]

Obligatory, I just had to do it.

leftcoastmama, that's quite an amazing story. 28 kids is remarkable, and it's wonderful that you took in those 9 belonging to your friends when no one else would. Now, how to let Michelle know that there's someone out there who has 28... :stir-pot:

[ViolaSebastian]

Bless you, leftcoastmama, my goodness! What must Christmas be like in your house?? :pink-shock:

[LittleOleMe]

3+9+10+1+9 is actually 32

That's because the first 3 shouldn't be there. She has three and then six to make a total of nine. So it's 3+6+10+1!+8 to make 28.

Which is crazy insane!! Props to you for being up to do all that. At first I thought you were joking bc it sounded very much like "Yours Mine & Ours", especially with the SURPRISE! baby in the end. How big is your house?!

[ViolaSebastian]

May I suggest that, if she's so inclined to answer our questions, that leftcoastmama do an 'ask me anything'? I know a lot of us are just so curious on you manage with a family of that size!

[amster]

3+9+10+1+9 is actually 32

Whoops, I meant 3+6, but got confused.

[LittleOleMe]

May I suggest that, if she's so inclined to answer our questions, that leftcoastmama do an 'ask me anything'? I know a lot of us are just so curious on you manage with a family of that size!

"Yours, Mind & Ours! Plus theirs!" That can be her movie title. And I'm not snarking. I think what she's does/is doing is wonderful and amazing. And ironically, she's doing a hell of a lot more than the Duggars. We need more people like her in this world and less people like the Duggars.

PS: The SURPRISE! baby gets to say something that J'chelle will NEVER hear from one of her own: "I have 19 biological older brothers and sisters!" And in reality, that baby is really the youngest of 28. Take that J'chelle!

[LittleOleMe]

Whoops, I meant 3+6, but got confused.

It's very confusing :P That's why when it gets that complicated, we need to use words instead of numbers. That almost always helps me :D

Here's an interesting thought - any duplicated names?

[ViolaSebastian]

Just imagine how many goodies she must get on mother's day! And how the logistics of Thanksgiving would work...you'd have to get a few of those long folding tables like in a school cafeteria. And my goodness, it must cost thousands each month to feed that many teenagers!

I had a wonderful professor that was foster mother to a good many children over the years, and she and her husband had a policy that even after the foster children moved onto another home, back home with their (usually not the greatest) parents, or 'aged out' of the system, that they would always be welcome in her home for holidays, visits, etc. Some Thanksgivings she'd have upwards of fifty people there. I always thought that it was such a sweet policy for her to have, because so often foster children turn eighteen and are forgotten by their foster families and have no where to go. This way, they have some semblance of a family and it brings a lot of emotional support to people who otherwise wouldn't have it. She is a wonderfully inspiring woman--she had tenure at an Ivy League university but felt the need to teach at a public institution as well. Just remarkable.

[realist51]

Just imagine how many goodies she must get on mother's day! And how the logistics of Thanksgiving would work...you'd have to get a few of those long folding tables like in a school cafeteria. And my goodness, it must cost thousands each month to feed that many teenagers!

I had a wonderful professor that was foster mother to a good many children over the years, and she and her husband had a policy that even after the foster children moved onto another home, back home with their (usually not the greatest) parents, or 'aged out' of the system, that they would always be welcome in her home for holidays, visits, etc. Some Thanksgivings she'd have upwards of fifty people there. I always thought that it was such a sweet policy for her to have, because so often foster children turn eighteen and are forgotten by their foster families and have no where to go. This way, they have some semblance of a family and it brings a lot of emotional support to people who otherwise wouldn't have it. She is a wonderfully inspiring woman--she had tenure at an Ivy League university but felt the need to teach at a public institution as well. Just remarkable.

This is such a great story! A TV show on how THIS family manages is one I would gladly watch. But they're probably too busy living their lives.

[WifeofBill]

I totally agree with your rant, and don't even get me started on why the hell law enforcement has the need for surplus military vehicles/tanks (tanks!) leftover from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it's my understanding that accountants for the IRS who carry firearms do so because they are investigating illegal entities, such as the mafia, cartels, and various underworld dealings. Frequently, the FBI or other law enforcement agencies use the IRS to prove a case against certain heads of these organizations that are otherwise thought to be untouchable/immune to prosecution. As my CPA mother likes to remind me: 'The police didn't get Al Capone--the accountants got Al Capone.' :lol:

Do you know what law enforcement does with those armored vehicles? They protect the cops, and are even used to remove citizens when a bad guy is shooting. There was an indecent here recently where a guy started wildly shooting in his apartment, shooting the walls, floors, ceiling, windows, doors, anything he saw he shot at. There were lots of people in the surrounding apartments who were in real danger. The cops used the armor vehicles(tanks) to safely get them out of there.They needed to be able to drive over trees, and bushes, and such to get close enough. But I guess you're right, cops don't need them :angry-banghead:

[ILoveJellybeans]

We have 28. No they do not all currently live at home. I married young for the first time I was a teen mom trying to escape a tough upbringing and married the first guy who looked at me. He left me with 3 small kids. About a year after that,I met a wonderful man. He was great to me and great to my kids he eventually adopted them and we would have 6 more together. I lost him when I was 6.5 months pregnant with the 6th. He died suddenly of a heart attack. A few years later through a friend's friend I met my DH. He had been widowed and had 10 kids of his own. Oddly, enough some of our kids knew each other through school and various social activities but we had never met. We hit it off as did our families we married and officially became blended. About 18 months into our marriage two dear friends of ours were killed in an accident leaving behind 9 children they had no living suitable family and basically had my husband and I not taken them in they'd be in the system and likely in different homes. About that time I found out I was pregnant at the age of of total shock as I was nearly positive I was done with breastfeeding and diapers.

So yes I have the number of kids I have intentionally , but it was no means in effort to get in good with God. DH and his first wife simply wanted a large family neither of us dreamed we'd be where we are.

Never been an officially home schooler when the kids are small of course I read to them point out colors, letters, and numbers and all that but they attend public school.

We have 19 and and under the oldest will be 26 this year the youngest is nearly 2. The majority are teenagers. As for the day to day I think we are boringly normally. Kids living at home have chores the normal keep your rooms clean, help with dishes etc. No buddy system outside of "hey your sister pooped can you gab me a diaper" Kids have friends an activities so there is a lot of on the go.

Wow, that is awesome! You did such a brilliant thing taking in all of those kids.

[ViolaSebastian]

Do you know what law enforcement does with those armored vehicles? They protect the cops, and are even used to remove citizens when a bad guy is shooting. There was an indecent here recently where a guy started wildly shooting in his apartment, shooting the walls, floors, ceiling, windows, doors, anything he saw he shot at. There were lots of people in the surrounding apartments who were in real danger. The cops used the armor vehicles(tanks) to safely get them out of there.They needed to be able to drive over trees, and bushes, and such to get close enough. But I guess you're right, cops don't need them :angry-banghead:

If you think that law enforcement in the United States isn't seriously out of control in the liberties they take with the population, I honestly don't know what to say to you. One only needs to look at no-knock warrants, the shooting of pets and people in homes that aren't even listed on warrants, and the recent case of a toddler being permanently disfigured and fighting for his life in Georgia from a flash grenade thrown in his crib to understand that officers have lost any vestiges of common sense. And no, I don't think that police officers in the States need the same sort of equipment as soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The police in America have become a frightening, paramilitary force.

[LittleOleMe]

Do you know what law enforcement does with those armored vehicles? They protect the cops, and are even used to remove citizens when a bad guy is shooting. There was an indecent here recently where a guy started wildly shooting in his apartment, shooting the walls, floors, ceiling, windows, doors, anything he saw he shot at. There were lots of people in the surrounding apartments who were in real danger. The cops used the armor vehicles(tanks) to safely get them out of there.They needed to be able to drive over trees, and bushes, and such to get close enough. But I guess you're right, cops don't need them :angry-banghead:

Cops definitely need the military tanks. How else are they going to institute martial law over an entire city? How else are they going to break posse comitatus? They need those tanks to lock people up in their homes and then take them out - children and all - at gun point. And they need those 1.6 billion bullets for when those peasants who think they have rights decide to stand up to them. Plus, tanks are really useful for putting explosive gas into buildings where loads of children are and then punching through it. How else are they going to practice military drills without all the military equipment? Yeah. The cops - who are supposed to uphold and protect the LAWS - definitely need tanks. Definitely.

[Antimony]

Cops definitely need the military tanks. How else are they going to institute martial law over an entire city? How else are they going to break posse comitatus? They need those tanks to lock people up in their homes and then take them out - children and all - at gun point. And they need those 1.6 billion bullets for when those peasants who think they have rights decide to stand up to them. Plus, tanks are really useful for putting explosive gas into buildings where loads of children are and then punching through it. How else are they going to practice military drills without all the military equipment? Yeah. The cops - who are supposed to uphold and protect the LAWS - definitely need tanks. Definitely.

I am about as distrustful of cops as it gets but I get a link to any case where US cops are using tanks? It has, thus far, been my understanding that half the reason law enforcement has stuff that is typically military is the military industrial complex is getting kind of messed up. Usual example is the the army doesn't actually want/need more (military item of your choice), but the funding for it is earmarked partially because of deals to stimulate the economy in areas with lots of military contractors and engineers and builders, so we do all this weapons R&D and build and if the army can't use them, they either sit to rush or they sell them off to other agencies.

huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/28/abrams-tank-congress-army_n_3173717.html

A lot areas of the country are so engrossed in the MIC that we're stuck in a cycle of making too much of what we don't need and not any of what we do need. But I guess we're probably hyperover prepared for a zombie apocalypse in the tank department, so there's that.

[Aggie2145]

I am about as distrustful of cops as it gets but I get a link to any case where US cops are using tanks? It has, thus far, been my understanding that half the reason law enforcement has stuff that is typically military is the military industrial complex is getting kind of messed up. Usual example is the the army doesn't actually want/need more (military item of your choice), but the funding for it is earmarked partially because of deals to stimulate the economy in areas with lots of military contractors and engineers and builders, so we do all this weapons R&D and build and if the army can't use them, they either sit to rush or they sell them off to other agencies.

huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/28/abrams-tank-congress-army_n_3173717.html

A lot areas of the country are so engrossed in the MIC that we're stuck in a cycle of making too much of what we don't need and not any of what we do need. But I guess we're probably hyperover prepared for a zombie apocalypse in the tank department, so there's that.

I'm not sure if there is a link (small town newspaper,) but the police force in my hometown own two dozen all terrain vehicles and at least two surplus tanks. I have seen the all terrain vehicles (Humvees and similar) in use after major floods/hurricanes when the roads were in shambles. The tanks were used during the Hurricane Ike evacuation to literally block the road and secure one of the largest petrochemical plants in the country. I have not seen them in use since.

[ViolaSebastian]

Here's an excellent article pertaining to the sorts of equipment that police forces are acquiring:

https://www.rutherford.org/publications ... epartment_

In Montgomery County, Texas, the sheriff’s department owns a $300,000 pilotless surveillance drone, like those used to hunt down al Qaeda terrorists in the remote tribal regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Augusta, Maine, with fewer than 20,000 people and where an officer hasn’t died from gunfire in the line of duty in more than 125 years, police bought eight $1,500 tactical vests. Police in Des Moines, Iowa, bought two $180,000 bomb-disarming robots, while an Arizona sheriff is now the proud owner of a surplus Army tank.

[LittleOleMe]

Here's an excellent article pertaining to the sorts of equipment that police forces are acquiring:

https://www.rutherford.org/publications ... epartment_

In Montgomery County, Texas, the sheriff’s department owns a $300,000 pilotless surveillance drone, like those used to hunt down al Qaeda terrorists in the remote tribal regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Augusta, Maine, with fewer than 20,000 people and where an officer hasn’t died from gunfire in the line of duty in more than 125 years, police bought eight $1,500 tactical vests. Police in Des Moines, Iowa, bought two $180,000 bomb-disarming robots, while an Arizona sheriff is now the proud owner of a surplus Army tank.

And that's just the beginning. They train with CS gas and actually use the military bases for training days, complete with all their weapons and artillery. Which is also a violation of posse comitatus. They openly admit they're training for their new biggest enemy - US vets and the people as a whole. Feelings about guns aside, they ask trainees if they would be willing to go to law abiding citizens' homes and forcibly take their guns away from them. They will forcibly land if they want it and the person won't sell. Those tanks may be great at destroying trees, but they also are pretty damn awesome at destroying homes and running people over. Remember Tiananmen Square?

[WifeofBill]

Here's an excellent article pertaining to the sorts of equipment that police forces are acquiring:

https://www.rutherford.org/publications ... epartment_

In Montgomery County, Texas, the sheriff’s department owns a $300,000 pilotless surveillance drone, like those used to hunt down al Qaeda terrorists in the remote tribal regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.[b] In Augusta, Maine, with fewer than 20,000 people and where an officer hasn’t died from gunfire in the line of duty in more than 125 years, police bought eight $1,500 tactical vests[/b]. Police in Des Moines, Iowa, bought two $180,000 bomb-disarming robots, while an Arizona sheriff is now the proud owner of a surplus Army tank.

Addressing the bold. Do you really think it's wrong for police to wear bullet proof vest?!

[ViolaSebastian]

It's a direct quote from the article--and they aren't your typical bullet resistant vest made out of kevlar, they are tactical vests. I take tactical vest to mean body armor with plates.

ETA: To give you some idea, a typical bullet-resistant vest costs in the neighborhood of $150 to $200 USD.

This is a bullet resistant vest:

And this a tactical vest:

[Toothfairy]

I'm not 100% certain, but from what I've heard, she had the break down when she had 6 or 7 kids (and the youngest was an infant). Since Joseph was #7, and he was born in 1995, Jana could have been no older than 5 when the buddy system started. Josh, JD, and Jana likely made up the first set of buddies, and as each kid graduated from "needing a buddy," they became a buddy. I'm sure that the work load was ever increasing for the 4 oldest girls, but it was probably pretty gradual. Like Michelle would wait till they mastered one thing before passing on another. At some point, the buddy system went from having 1 buddy to having a buddy family, which is why Jill has 3 buddies.

This is when Michelle should've stop having kids.

[nsbm4431]

I'm just going to say this so the thread doesn't get too derailed, but be careful in lumping all law enforcement together. They're as diverse as anything, and if one particular department and one particular officer is crossing the line, they should be dealt with legally.

But, lumping all law enforcement as "bad" is fuel for crazies who murder innocent officers or believe they all should be murdered because they truly believe they're all corrupt. Which they are not.

[ljohnson2006]

I wonder what'll happen if one of the kids doesn't want their courtship/marriage filmed. Can they opt out? Will J'Chelle and Boob actually care about what their kids think, rather than the money from TLC for once? I guess time will tell.