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Save me from falling into a rabbit hole-Sparkling Lauren


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I always just read the thread at hand and tried to catch up as needed. I am interested in the whole surrogacy thing and can't wait to see what happens in the end! How far along is she now anyway?

She's in the third trimester. Due in November, I think.

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You've got a ways to go. It starts to get weird in 2010 and the wheels come off in 2011. Elijah is killed in June 2012. In 2007 she was a working mother of 2...

aw, damnit. oh well. where i am right now, it's pretty typical christian-y/family type of posts. such a far cry from the recent posts i read.

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i have now started to read the blog. oh jeez.

i read some posts here and there but i've decided to start at the beginning and work my way forward. i'm interested in exactly how a fundie turns into a freespirit pseudo-hippie. i'm at...2007 if i remember correctly.

I'm reading through it as well. It is really striking how far downhill the girls' hygiene and appearance went after David was incarcerated. Before the incident, there are fairly regular pictures of them in the bath and their hair is combed. After...not so much. Scary to think that maybe David was the more committed caregiver.

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Ahh, Lauren.

To start out, Lauren is an Australian who used to be a Christian fundie. She grew up as the daughter of missionaries in Africa (I want to say Tanzania, but I'm not positive there). She met David and the sparkling high jinx began. David was also an uber-fundie and raised in a Australian Christian cult. They started supporting each others' terrible decision-making skills on their honeymoon, sneaking a sick child across the border from one African country to the other, with absolutely no plan as to what to do with him while he was there or any thought as to how to get him back to his home country and family.

So the years pass and our sparkling couple work and go to church. They obtain a nice, big house and have four lovely daughters in quick succession. However, the cracks start to show on this lovely life one Sunday morning, when David starts to yell during a church service. Things start to get squirrely pretty fast, and David is asked to leave the congregation. An obliging Lauren follows suit. With this initial bond broken, the couple decides to buy into the "new economy" and let total strangers live in their house for free while they travel about the Australian countryside in a truck.

The family goes on various adventures, including one child getting lost in the bush with a total stranger on Christmas Eve. Lauren gets pregnant with her fifth child and has a free birth at a Rainbow Gathering, completely cut off from civilization by a river swollen from a torrential downpour. Thankfully everything turns out alright. (I suggest watching the video of the free birth...it's one of the most WTF things I've seen on the internet, and that's saying something.)

David continues to become more unhinged, and one day when he's watching Elijah, he walked to a bridge and threw himself and little Elijah into the water below. David survives, Elijah does not. David is committed to a psychiatric facility and is still currently unfit to stand trial. Lauren takes this opportunity to grift a new van, the Gifted Gypsy, and now she travels around Australia "unschooling" her daughters (which amounts to teaching them jack shit) and taking advantage of the kindness of strangers.

Currently, she's traveling around Europe while she cooks a "gayby" (ugh...) and is set to give birth to a son sometime around what would have been Elijah's second birthday.

Elijah's last day: sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1642

Free Birth Story: sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1448

Can anyone give me the links to the blog posts about the bolded?

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For a taste of the more recent crazy I can recommend the post where Lauren boasts about her pubes and shows them off with photos that were probably taken by her daughter: sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1996

Lauren just loves her natural hairiness yet still continues to pluck her eyebrows. :roll: Soooo authentic!

And of course this is all just for her daughters!

Before the comments suddenly disappeared there was one on this particular post that I quite liked. Someone said Lauren was pushing the pube issue and that her kids were still to young to even care about that. True that!

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Can anyone give me the links to the blog posts about the bolded?

this is what i'm trying to find as well. i skipped 2008, as it was said the crazy didn't really start until 2010, but i'm still not finding anything too out of the ordinary so far. i read the no 'poo entry, which is an interesting proposition i've been considering myself for a while.

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Can anyone give me the links to the blog posts about the bolded?

Here's Lauren's explanation:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1051

There are some links to some seriously weird videos from David. How she can claim to have had no idea he was mentally ill is beyond me.

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Here's Lauren's explanation:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1051

There are some links to some seriously weird videos from David. How she can claim to have had no idea he was mentally ill is beyond me.

here's the letter that the church sent them:

sparklingadventures.com/files/ModifiedLetter.pdf

it's weird, because i actually identify with a lot of what lauren is saying in her post. but the direction she chose to go after that is just weird. plus, obviously her husband is totally crazy, and i'm not so sure about her sanity, either.

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Totally off topic, but Tyrone Butterscotch is one of the bad assest names I've ever heard. You should totally run with this Lilith!

Still off-topic, but ButterscotchEquinox approves!

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Thanks to everyone who contributed to/created this thread. I wish I had thought to ask a few weeks ago, before I started reading her blog. I ended up spending hours on it, crying at some points, especially about Elijah, and seeing what the girls go through. I guess I'm a major slave to the man, because the whole thing makes me so upset. I stopped and haven't been back to dig, so this is super helpful.

The Duggars/ QF families/ Gothardism/ IBLP/ etc. all make me angry, frustrated, and annoyed at different turns. But Sparkling Adventures is the thing that makes me truly sad.

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I have a mutual friend with Sparkling Lauren on FB. Now trying to work out why a middle aged theologian/writer (male) from England would want to be her friend... he's a very nice normal guy who wouldn't remotely buy into that lifestyle.

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I have a mutual friend with Sparkling Lauren on FB. Now trying to work out why a middle aged theologian/writer (male) from England would want to be her friend... he's a very nice normal guy who wouldn't remotely buy into that lifestyle.

Is he possibly in need of a gayby? :wink-kitty:

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Here it is, it was Aisha. I'll bet dollars to donuts she was on something when this happened, hence her lack of caring.

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1474

"Throughout the night, we kept reminding ourselves that there was no personal fault in the situation, and it was a good thing that was happening, planned by God since before time began. It’s times like this that our faith in Divine goodness is tested. Do we and can we really believe that losing our 6yo daughter in the bush is a good thing, and can we be thankful while we’re still uncertain of the future? Yes, we do and yes we can!"

Bold and italics are hers, though they're part of what I would have pointed out.

So God planned 7,000 years ago, or maybe just 6,500 years, for a 6-year-old and some guy to get lost in the bush. Yeah.

Also here's the infamous 'Lauren Left' post, where Lauren just decides to up and walk off, leaving David with a broken truck and four little girls. No explanation other than a cryptic message left with the youngest.

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1611

She left with Elijah. David left with Elijah, and one-upped her.

No amount of money in the world could make me walk away from my kids.

And the time that David almost drove the truck off a cliff.

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1584

They're so lucky that wasn't worse.

Somehow I ended up here:

and

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1965

"If I don’t have a personal story to share — why do I assume the consequences? Perhaps it’s also a learning opportunity for me to let go of a preconceived notion!"

Some people learn by observation, and some have to touch the electric fence themselves.

I'm having to take this family a little bit at a time.

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"Throughout the night, we kept reminding ourselves that there was no personal fault in the situation, and it was a good thing that was happening, planned by God since before time began. It’s times like this that our faith in Divine goodness is tested. Do we and can we really believe that losing our 6yo daughter in the bush is a good thing, and can we be thankful while we’re still uncertain of the future? Yes, we do and yes we can!"

Bold and italics are hers, though they're part of what I would have pointed out.

So God planned 7,000 years ago, or maybe just 6,500 years, for a 6-year-old and some guy to get lost in the bush. Yeah.

She left with Elijah. David left with Elijah, and one-upped her.

No amount of money in the world could make me walk away from my kids.

They're so lucky that wasn't worse.

Somehow I ended up here:

and

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1965

"If I don’t have a personal story to share — why do I assume the consequences? Perhaps it’s also a learning opportunity for me to let go of a preconceived notion!"

Some people learn by observation, and some have to touch the electric fence themselves.

I'm having to take this family a little bit at a time.

Although David was clearly mentally ill and did end up taking Elijah's life, he appears to have been the much more involved and hands on parent up until that time. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for the girls to lose their Dad- especially Aisha who was apparently very close to him. Lauren completely skirts this issue.

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Here's the one where the dog was poisoned:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1151

And the time Lauren used telepathy to get herself a salad:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1306

And...this. Which I suggest not reading until you're done eating. :ew:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1128

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i laughed at that last one so hard. babies are not always convenient with their potty habits lol.

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Here's the one where the dog was poisoned:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1151

And the time Lauren used telepathy to get herself a salad:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1306

And...this. Which I suggest not reading until you're done eating. :ew:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1128

Don't forget the time she let the girls play with a dead bird.

Or the time she let them play with a dead mouse.

Or the time she let them examine a dead foal laying in a pasture.

Or the time the whole family took a jolly trip to the burned out remains of David's parents' house for happy photo time in the charred ruins.

Or the time the toddler wandered off into the crowd at a Chinese New Year parade and nobody cared.

Or the time a drug addict stole Lauren's purse out of the truck and Lauren chased her down and hugged her.

Or the multiple times she posted photos and videos of (non-toddler) Aisha eating sand, while making no move to stop her.

Or the video of the girls driving ATVs barefoot and helmetless.

Or the video of the girls dancing naked (which was only removed after someone here reported it to youtube).

Or the numerous times Lauren posted their current camping location along with the information that at least one of the girls would be sleeping outside in a tent.

The list is fucking endless.

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Here's the one where the dog was poisoned:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1151

And the time Lauren used telepathy to get herself a salad:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1306

And...this. Which I suggest not reading until you're done eating. :ew:

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1128

I'm not a mom or a childcare expert by far but could part of the poo issues be that she fed Delaney whole, mustardy lentils? I googled for that age range and it said lentils were fine but suggested purees because whole ones don't digest well and cause baby gasiness.

Again, I really don't know but usually when I am handed a child or infant where I am unfamiliar with care for their age range I do some quick preliminary research. It drives me nuts when people don't when it's liliterally so easy now. Also mustard, depending, could be hard on hard adult tummies even.:(

And that salad thing has gotta be the dumbest thing I ever read.

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The 'day in the life' from 2010 and the 'day in the life' really illustrate the stark difference between their pre-sparkly life and now. It's very sad.

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1043

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=2011

Here's the dead foal post. And when I read this, my blood ran cold.

I find it uncanny that we have had some many close encounters with dead animals recently. First there was the bird, and next it was the mouse. Now it’s this little baby horse.

I wonder if it’s leading up to something bigger…

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?pg=316

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The 'day in the life' from 2010 and the 'day in the life' really illustrate the stark difference between their pre-sparkly life and now. It's very sad.

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=1043

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?id=2011

Here's the dead foal post. And when I read this, my blood ran cold.

sparklingadventures.com/index.php?pg=316

........like a dead baby?

Oh God that's creepy. Could Lauren see it was coming and guess that David was getting worse mentally and might end up killing someone?

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Bad judgment, poor taste and lack of boundaries are recurring themes.

Un funeral might be a grand idea for a child who's death had been expected over some time if that's your cup of tea. Strange idea for an unexpected murder of a 7 month old baby.

Putting yourself and worse your kids into embarrassing situations in other people's homes by over staying, wearing out the welcome mat and not teaching your kids not to clamber all over everything.

Being a surro for a couple whose main spec was red hair. Then using your own egg and surrendering the baby to his new parents across the globe, thereby teaching your kids children and babies are perfectly expendable. She comments that she foresees no emotional problems will ensue. Fits in well with their brother's death as " neutral".

Presents her adventures in a halting, over thought cold reportage.

Been a bad experience for me, this blog.

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Those poor kids. :( I'd read the recaps but hadn't read some of these older posts.

Am I the only one who thinks that they murdered the dog on purpose? Poison baits don't work like that, in general.

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We’ve collectively tired of Anne Frank’s story, and I put on the Japanese animated science-fiction film Origin: Spirits of the Past.

Yeah, Holocaust is so boring, right ?

Dear fucking Lauren, WHEN are you going to learn the word "age apropriate" ?

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We’ve collectively tired of Anne Frank’s story, and I put on the Japanese animated science-fiction film Origin: Spirits of the Past.

Yeah, Holocaust is so boring, right ?

Dear fucking Lauren, WHEN are you going to learn the word "age apropriate" ?

Hopefully before her girls hit puberty, but I'm not optimistic.

I can't shake the thought that in a few years a 13 year old Aisha will develop a crush on a young man that they encounter on their travels and Lauren will write a post about Aisha embracing love and sexuality then drive off into the sunset, leaving Aisha with her boyfriend to figure life out on her own.

I really really hope I'm proved wrong.

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