Remember that puppy Erika Shupe got?

[NellieBell]

Hane you were smart to place vinyl over the laminate. We had kitchen pipes freeze two years ago and the dishwasher leaked when no one was home. We also had it curl up by the backdoor even though we have a good vinyl backed rug there. The shit is useless lol I baby gate the dogs in a room if I'm not in there with them. I was in the bathroom today and heard a god awful crashing noise. Ran out to find pupzilla standing on the gate she'd crashed. I found out why she was desperate to get out when I went to the door and found her poops there :D She got a treat and ear scratching for her valiant attempt :lol:

Erika is dumb enough to believe that if you restrict them physically, it will also restrict their minds. I've gotta feeling karma is going to be an especially mean bitch to her and I cannot wait. She tethered a kid to a tree? WDF? Reason number 99 for mommy dearest not to get a dog. If she'd tie a kid to a tree, how far would she go to restrict movement of a dog?

[danvillebelle]

I want to know what is up with the oldest boy. I just skimmed through her fb post pictures going back nearly 2 years...the kid doesn't look like he is growing. At all. Has she ever said anything about him having any health problems?

[ViolaSebastian]

I want to know what is up with the oldest boy. I just skimmed through her fb post pictures going back nearly 2 years...the kid doesn't look like he is growing. At all. Has she ever said anything about him having any health problems?

It's really noticeable in the photograph of all the kids on the ferry. It's the two eldest and then the rest are about the same height. I'd even say that the next child down, Anna Marie, who is a good three years younger than Brandon is the same height. I know that girls tend to grow at different rates than boys, but that's just not healthy.

My first guess would be that something is going on with his nutrition. Erika has admitted to feeding the kids nothing but salads for lunch and having dinners that consisted of nothing but protein bars and popcorn. Kids need filling, healthful meals that are well-balanced, and I'm just not convinced the Shupe kids are getting them.

[feministxtian]

It's really noticeable in the photograph of all the kids on the ferry. It's the two eldest and then the rest are about the same height. I'd even say that the next child down, Anna Marie, who is a good three years younger than Brandon is the same height. I know that girls tend to grow at different rates than boys, but that's just not healthy.

My first guess would be that something is going on with his nutrition. Erika has admitted to feeding the kids nothing but salads for lunch and having dinners that consisted of nothing but protein bars and popcorn. Kids need filling, healthful meals that are well-balanced, and I'm just not convinced the Shupe kids are getting them.

Salad for lunch and protein bars and popcorn for dinner? What the everloving fuck is that??? Excuse me...my youngest has something that the pediatrician called "slow growth syndrome"...his physical stature was a consistent 2 years behind his chronological age as verified by bone age x-rays done yearly from the time he was 7 until he was about 17. He is 5' 7" fully grown at age 24. He looks 16 still. HOWEVER...the kid has and had an appetite that you wouldn't believe. Due to the slow growth, he didn't really hit puberty until he was about 16. No big deal...BUT...he and his siblings always got serious nutrition growing up. They were all slender so they drank whole milk. #2 son can still go through a gallon of milk in 3 days. As it is...the kids ate good stuff and still eat good stuff. #2 son and family are currently living with us (its a long story)...and well...my grocery bill went through the roof.

Erika...these kids need between 2 and 3 THOUSAND calories a day for growth and energy. My kids could eat a football team under the table...and it was fine. I'm chubby and can't lose weight even on 1500 calories a day but it's due to some metabolic issues that I will get straightened out once we straighten out medical coverage. BUT...just because I'm chubby doesn't mean I can't feed my family the foods they need.

Erika you're a controlling bitch and I hope like hell it bites you right square in the ass soon.

[nelliebelle1197]

Did you notice she posted Chris Jeub's Craig's List ad for a car he is trying to sell? Lovely.

[IronicallyMaeve]

Someone asked this on their FB page:

Can I charge my kids for toilet paper? I could give them the first 30 rolls (per month) for free. We have 9 at home, and I think we went through 48 rolls in 5 weeks. How much do you use?

:cray-cray:

And kids need a diet high in FAT. Good fat, but fat nonetheless. It's essential for growing brains.

[DaffyDill]

Yup and yup. I had a laminate floor in my kitchen when I got my puppy, so I temporarily covered it with a sheet of vinyl flooring. Years later, when I remodeled the kitchen, I went for vinyl flooring. My Peke is nearly 12, and she still doesn't have the housebreaking thing down.

We have timber laminate flooring that has had the dog pee on it, the cat puke on it, a bucket of water spilled all over the kitchen floor (son knocked it over) and it doesn't curl, chip, flake or anything else. It butts up to our sliding door and once when we weren't quick enough to shut the door rain came in on it. Wiped it up (later, when we realised) and it's fine.

Maybe we have different stuff over here???

Bloody Erika and her quest for the perfect pup - she should just stop. Maybe a cat would be better for them - not that I want to wish Erika on a kitty, but they don't tend to chew as much, and so long as theres a scratch post, probably won't (but might :shifty-kitty: ) scratch up furniture.

Of course, there'd be a letterbox, but I'm sure she could palm responsibility for that onto one of the kids. A cat could hide from Erika quite well, too.

[16strong]

I can't see a cat playing nice with Erika. In fact, I picture a cat going out of its way to piss her off even more. Clawing at the remaining carpet in the house, gnawing at baseboards and door frames, pissing on the couches, all before finding a way to escape and run away. Cats know when someone is trying to be their boss, and they don't like it. No, a cat is a terrible option.

[DaffyDill]

I can't see a cat playing nice with Erika. In fact, I picture a cat going out of its way to piss her off even more. Clawing at the remaining carpet in the house, gnawing at baseboards and door frames, pissing on the couches, all before finding a way to escape and run away. Cats know when someone is trying to be their boss, and they don't like it. No, a cat is a terrible option.

Yeah true I guess. The cat would of course consider itself to be the headship, and Erika but a slave - which would not go down well.

[NellieBell]

We have timber laminate flooring that has had the dog pee on it, the cat puke on it, a bucket of water spilled all over the kitchen floor (son knocked it over) and it doesn't curl, chip, flake or anything else. It butts up to our sliding door and once when we weren't quick enough to shut the door rain came in on it. Wiped it up (later, when we realised) and it's fine.

Maybe we have different stuff over here???

Bloody Erika and her quest for the perfect pup - she should just stop. Maybe a cat would be better for them - not that I want to wish Erika on a kitty, but they don't tend to chew as much, and so long as theres a scratch post, probably won't (but might :shifty-kitty: ) scratch up furniture.

Of course, there'd be a letterbox, but I'm sure she could palm responsibility for that onto one of the kids. A cat could hide from Erika quite well, too.

I don't know where you live but I did a quick search for "timber laminate" and it looks like the exact same thing. Mine is Pergo btw. I'm honestly glad you've had good results with it getting wet and you're also the only one I've ever heard of with those results. My friend's dog tipped his water dish onto the laundry room floor while they were out shopping for a couple of hours last week. She thought all was well. They caught it early. It wasn't that much, they sopped it up. They even used their carpet cleaning machine to suck up excess that had run in between the sections. When they woke up the next morning, the top layer had curled up. Her husband spent Saturday ripping it out and laying vinyl. My husband's buddy at work tried to stop the curling with clear silicone (looks awful) and I've got five more horror stories of people I know who had it and subsequently yanked it out. I don't want to go too OT with this, but I can't wait to get it out of my house and it makes me sick that I could have purchased hardwood for a bit more. Lesson learned.

Edited because he replaced the ruined laminate with vinyl, not more laminate. I need coffee before reading free jinger :)

[formergothardite]

What the fuck is that contraption she has her 4 year old daughters locked in?????? That's ridiculous! :evil:

An idiot who shall remain nameless asked:

Erica's reply:

It's like crate training for kids. :angry-banghead: WHO the fuck has nearly a dozen kids on purpose and then doesn't let them roam freely about the house?????

When I read this post I was expecting something like one of my friends did when her kids were small. She bought a ton of those play yard gates and had this huge area for them to play in. But no, Erika clearly hates her children because that is a tiny, tiny little space for children that age. If they were laying down their feet and head would be touching the sides. All they can do is what they are doing, sitting there, not moving. If children are such a blessing why the fuck do these people have to treat them so badly?! When we go camping my dogs have a bigger play yard than that!

Childproofing, it isn't that hard to figure out how to do it. Everything valuable and breakable in my house is still up high just because I got used to automatically sticking items like that out of reach and it is a habit now.

[ViolaSebastian]

Salad for lunch and protein bars and popcorn for dinner? What the everloving fuck is that???

[snip]

Erika you're a controlling bitch and I hope like hell it bites you right square in the ass soon.

Yeah, and to top it all off, Erika and her husband sometimes have 'date nights' where they order in from restaurants...but just for the two of them. The kiddos have protein bars and 'snack food' while the parents stuff their faces.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I am somewhat concerned about the oldest boy too, because he is tiny for his age and doesn't seem to grow, his little siblings are catching him up! I presume she gets medical care because she did a post once on how she managed to take them all to the doctor for check ups...so surely someone has questioned this and found that he is just small, but the food they eat is not good for a small child. It is healthy, but too healthy, kids need fat to grow.

And seriously? Erika and her husband order themselves some food, and while they are eating it, the kids get snack food instead of a proper meal???? If I want to order a pizza or something, I have to wait til they are at their dads, or accept that I am going to need to buy enough for all of the kids.

[defraudingjezebel]

There's a post a few below the ferry ride, showing the two little twin girls. They look precious, yet I can't help but notice how they're fenced in together. I can understand using those plastic fences to block a 3 year old from off-limits areas, but blocking two 3 year olds into a tiny area with nothing but a book and some pillows? To me, that's akin to putting two dogs in a small cage together. That HAS to be so stifling.

[Luisainlondon1]

I am somewhat concerned about the oldest boy too, because he is tiny for his age and doesn't seem to grow, his little siblings are catching him up! I presume she gets medical care because she did a post once on how she managed to take them all to the doctor for check ups...so surely someone has questioned this and found that he is just small, but the food they eat is not good for a small child. It is healthy, but too healthy, kids need fat to grow.

He is really tiny, poor boy. His sister, who's 8, is almost as tall as him and even his 6 years old brother is not much smaller.

[ViolaSebastian]

I am somewhat concerned about the oldest boy too, because he is tiny for his age and doesn't seem to grow, his little siblings are catching him up! I presume she gets medical care because she did a post once on how she managed to take them all to the doctor for check ups...so surely someone has questioned this and found that he is just small, but the food they eat is not good for a small child. It is healthy, but too healthy, kids need fat to grow.

And seriously? Erika and her husband order themselves some food, and while they are eating it, the kids get snack food instead of a proper meal???? If I want to order a pizza or something, I have to wait til they are at their dads, or accept that I am going to need to buy enough for all of the kids.

It's in the eighth paragraph, the one starting with "Over the course of my eight pregnancies..." She also talks about how every Friday night is pizza night, where they get a pizza from Costco. That better be one giant pizza, because one does not sound like enough for ten people, including two teenagers.

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/07/family-planning-surrendering-control-to_12.html

Here's where she talks about their menu plan:

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/09/large-family-meal-planning-shopping.html

[Luisainlondon1]

It's in the eighth paragraph, the one starting with "Over the course of my eight pregnancies..." She also talks about how every Friday night is pizza night, where they get a pizza from Costco. That better be one giant pizza, because one does not sound like enough for ten people, including two teenagers.

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/07/family-planning-surrendering-control-to_12.html

Here's where she talks about their menu plan:

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/09/large-family-meal-planning-shopping.html

I am reading the meal planning right now. Is it really so hard for Erika not to use "SMILE" every second sentence??? :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

[constantgardener]

There's a post a few below the ferry ride, showing the two little twin girls. They look precious, yet I can't help but notice how they're fenced in together. I can understand using those plastic fences to block a 3 year old from off-limits areas, but blocking two 3 year olds into a tiny area with nothing but a book and some pillows? To me, that's akin to putting two dogs in a small cage together. That HAS to be so stifling.

Erika treats those twin girls as if they are one person. I know that twins are often very close and will want to spend time together naturally. But if you look through her blog they are always referred to together, for example they don't have individual descriptions in the list of kids on the right hand side. She even describes how she fed them as toddlers from the same bowl and spoon. It is as if they don't have separate personalities at all. I wonder if she would have done the same if they had been boy/girl fraternal twins.

[Luisainlondon1]

It's in the eighth paragraph, the one starting with "Over the course of my eight pregnancies..." She also talks about how every Friday night is pizza night, where they get a pizza from Costco. That better be one giant pizza, because one does not sound like enough for ten people, including two teenagers.

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/07/family-planning-surrendering-control-to_12.html

Here's where she talks about their menu plan:

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/09/large-family-meal-planning-shopping.html

Thanks, Violasebastian… this is a rabbit hole…

My favorite statements so far:

I used to feel badly that our children did not have more variety in their food options such as many types of snacks or foods to select from when they chose to, but then the Lord taught me that this simple food plan is what He has provided for them at this time, and therefore they will be better off for it.

The Lord revealed to me that I could take our coat closet and transform it into a food pantry to suit our family. *smile*

[constantgardener]

He is really tiny, poor boy. His sister, who's 8, is almost as tall as him and even his 6 years old brother is not much smaller.

I'm torn on this because my 10 yr old son is only slightly taller and much thinner than his 8 yr old brother. They actually weigh the same. They are just completely different builds. But I am always encouraging my son to eat and it's not just a bowl of salad for lunch like at Erika's. She keeps as tight a rein on food as she does on everything else. I imagine that even if any of her kids needed extra snacks for health reasons they wouldn't get them because it would throw out the schedule :roll: .

[Aggie2145]

It's in the eighth paragraph, the one starting with "Over the course of my eight pregnancies..." She also talks about how every Friday night is pizza night, where they get a pizza from Costco. That better be one giant pizza, because one does not sound like enough for ten people, including two teenagers.

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/07/family-planning-surrendering-control-to_12.html

Here's where she talks about their menu plan:

largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/09/large-family-meal-planning-shopping.html

Caveat - I typically do not come to Erika's defense. The Costco Pizzas are massive 18" pies cut into slices that would cover an entire plate. My running club (20 RUNgry adults) cannot finish two.

For as long as I could remember, my parents had a weekly date night. They would leave us with a babysitter and let my sister and I plan dinner. It very rarely equaled a balanced meal (mac and cheese and croutons, chicken fingers and popcorn, ice cream and potato chips, etc) I think they felt guilty leaving us at home and we thought junk food dinner was a blast. However, we would have plenty of nutritious food throughout the week.

[ViolaSebastian]

Caveat - I typically do not come to Erika's defense. The Costco Pizzas are massive 18" pies cut into slices that would cover an entire plate. My running club (20 RUNgry adults) cannot finish two.

For as long as I could remember, my parents had a weekly date night. They would leave us with a babysitter and let my sister and I plan dinner. It very rarely equaled a balanced meal (mac and cheese and croutons, chicken fingers and popcorn, ice cream and potato chips, etc) I think they felt guilty leaving us at home and we thought junk food dinner was a blast. However, we would have plenty of nutritious food throughout the week.

Ahh, okay. She mentioned DiGiornio's as well, so I figured they were the same size as a large one of those. I don't get the feeling that these kiddos are getting anything as filling as mac and cheese and chicken fingers, however. Plus, who allows their 15 year old, who is a perfectly normal weight, to go on such a restricted diet with them? That's worrying.

[ILoveJellybeans]

There's a post a few below the ferry ride, showing the two little twin girls. They look precious, yet I can't help but notice how they're fenced in together. I can understand using those plastic fences to block a 3 year old from off-limits areas, but blocking two 3 year olds into a tiny area with nothing but a book and some pillows? To me, that's akin to putting two dogs in a small cage together. That HAS to be so stifling.

And yet it someone posted a picture of their two dogs, both the exact same size as those kids, in a baby cage that small, and people would absolutely tear them to shreds. If someone kept two fish in a tank that was that size compared to their body size, people would accuse them of animal cruelty. If someone stuffed two cats in a kitty carrier just to keep them out of the way, they would be a terrible person. But Erika can keep her kids locked up in that tiny space for an hour each day with nothing but one book and pillows.

And now I am reading her schedule, it makes me depressed. She even decides where they play. It is scheduled-from 10am to 11:30 those girls either play in their cage, at the table or in the living room. Then from 2-4 they play in the bedroom. The same for the other kids (but less for the ones that are homeschooling while the pre-schoolers are in their cage)-they are given a room that they are scheduled to spend a few hours playing in alone. I also see that the five year old goes in the cage for half an hour while his siblings do homeschool work, and the four year old also spends an hour in there. The only time the kids actually get to play with any sibling they want in any room they want is from 4:30 til 6, and the half an hour before lunch that the six youngest are all scheduled to play a game together. Karen only has two unscheduled hours in her day, except for the 4:30 to 6 that is play outside, watch a documentary, and supervise youngest kids. Melanie has one and a half, because Erika has scheduled an hour a day for her to do drawing.

[16strong]

Erika treats those twin girls as if they are one person. I know that twins are often very close and will want to spend time together naturally. But if you look through her blog they are always referred to together, for example they don't have individual descriptions in the list of kids on the right hand side. She even describes how she fed them as toddlers from the same bowl and spoon. It is as if they don't have separate personalities at all. I wonder if she would have done the same if they had been boy/girl fraternal twins.

Erika's thinking is so black and white that I doubt it's occurred to her that Lily and Lacey are two different people. In her mind, they both share the exact same genes and they were popped out in the same hour, so same person, just cloned. I have only seen a small handful of pictures where they are not dressed in matching clothes. I can see the girls resenting the lack of individuality when they're older, although I did go to camp with a pair of 17-year-old homeschooled twins in hs that still dressed in matching everything, down to earrings and shoes, so who knows?

[StellaMarie]

I honestly wonder how much she really likes her kids. I'm sure it can feel overwhelming to parent (and homeschool) that many kids, and she's obviously a control freak anyway -- but, still, I don't get any sense that she really cares deeply about those kids. How could you and stick them in a cage and post pics all over your FB page? She's so focused on training her babies and doesn't seem to spend any time enjoying them. :(

Also, I ate a salad for lunch and a protein bar for dinner today. But I'm a grownup who hates to cook, and I'm certainly not telling people about my lousy eating habits (except here and anonymously, lol).