Baby shower for Elissa + What Some Might Call a Vacation!

[SPHASH]

Interesting that Steve and John stayed back.

What is even more intersting is none of the married sons came. I didn't expect Joe and Elissa to come cuz she's preggers but I thought the other two and their families would drive out a day later and "surprise" Teri on her b-daym

[albanuadh_1]

Too lazy to go back and look but what got me was the a,b, c list of placenames... and then comes d - probably lots of places! :o

[usmcmom]

Warning: conversational deter ahead.

We just received my daughter's wedding pictures yesterday. I looked and looked and looked - perused every print - and there's not one shot of the parking lot full of cars; nor is there a picture of steaming tongs. In fact, there's not a food picture in the whole bunch, with the exception of the cake and cupcakes. I can't decide if I'm disappointed or elated. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Okay, back on track again.....

[church_of_dog]

Warning: conversational deter ahead.

We just received my daughter's wedding pictures yesterday. I looked and looked and looked - perused every print - and there's not one shot of the parking lot full of cars; nor is there a picture of steaming tongs. In fact, there's not a food picture in the whole bunch, with the exception of the cake and cupcakes. I can't decide if I'm disappointed or elated. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Okay, back on track again.....

The nerve of the photographer to rip you off like that!

I bet there's no shot of anyone waiting in line for the bathroom either... :snooty: tsk...tsk...

[usmcmom]

The nerve of the photographer to rip you off like that!

I bet there's no shot of anyone waiting in line for the bathroom either... :snooty: tsk...tsk...

Well, dang! Now that you mention it...I'm going to give her a piece of my mind. :x :x

[VGL]

What about pictures of electric fans or guests taking pictures with their phones?

[SPHASH]

What about pictures of electric fans or guests taking pictures with their phones?

Or a picture of a wedding dress hanging on a hanger in what looks like a basement?

[usmcmom]

None of the above. *sob* And we will NEVER get that day back. :lol:

[Lillybee]

My life has a definite pattern to it (Thursday morning is grocery shopping, Thursday lunch is tacos) but the difference is that I don't schedule my life in 15 minute increments from the time I get up to when I go to bed. That is where the Maxwells go overboard. Some days I want to garden for 2 hours, some days I want to garden for 3 hours and some days I don't want to garden at all-- how can you schedule that? What if I schedule myself to garden for an hour but it gets too hot or my phone rings or my neighbor wants to chat? Do they allow for spontaneous changes in the plan? What if Grandma goes over to pay but the kids are in time out for bad behavior or someone has an earache or Mommy is running behind because the morning was a disaster?

I just wonder if raising their kids with intensive schedules means the children are less able to handle emergencies or changes in plans.

Would you schedule a time to discuss what to name your newest baby the way Chris and NR Anna did? I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around that.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

I had no idea there were moose in Colorado.

[Maggie Mae]

I had no idea there were moose in Colorado.

I didn't know that either. And I've been to Colorado.

[anjulibai]

Would you schedule a time to discuss what to name your newest baby the way Chris and NR Anna did? I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around that.

I agree, that one is just so freaking strange. My husband and I talked about names constantly when I was pregnant - and we were 99% sure what we wanted to use!

What do NR Anna and Christopher talk about all day long that they couldn't talk about names without scheduling a time?

[salex]

What do NR Anna and Christopher talk about all day long that they couldn't talk about names without scheduling a time?

I wonder, is talking without a purpose considered idle chatter and discouraged by Dad? Are they to work in silence, in constant prayer, or listening to audio tapes made by big brother Steve?

It might explain Sarah's usual joy at the meals or times they get together as a group for fellowship--if they usually aren't allowed to talk to one another.

[anjulibai]

I wonder, is talking without a purpose considered idle chatter and discouraged by Dad? Are they to work in silence, in constant prayer, or listening to audio tapes made by big brother Steve?

It might explain Sarah's usual joy at the meals or times they get together as a group for fellowship--if they usually aren't allowed to talk to one another.

God, that is an awful thought.

It's also a great way of exerting control in a cult, so I can totally see Steve doing it. :(

[Justme]

Remember, Mary finally got a cell phone when they realized they were texting all of their schedules and plans. Poor Mary had no idea what was going on.

[church_of_dog]

I had no idea there were moose in Colorado.

I wonder if it was really an elk? I couldn't see it well enough in the photo to tell.

ETA: just googled and there are in fact moose in CO. Learn something on FJ every day!

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23325215/moose-move-multiplying-colorado-herds-decline-elsewhere

[anjulibai]

Remember, Mary finally got a cell phone when they realized they were texting all of their schedules and plans. Poor Mary had no idea what was going on.

I think that was an e-mail address. She had to be e-mailed everyone's schedules so she knew what was going on.

It's so sad.

[Odd1Out]

I wonder, is talking without a purpose considered idle chatter and discouraged by Dad? Are they to work in silence, in constant prayer, or listening to audio tapes made by big brother Steve?

It might explain Sarah's usual joy at the meals or times they get together as a group for fellowship--if they usually aren't allowed to talk to one another.

I've said that same thing before. Yes, I believe their talking is limited so when she says they enjoy fellowship while cooking or dusting I think she means it. And Steve used to use hand signals during dinner to tell the kids to behave so I kind of doubt they talk much during meals. I think talking while having meals with the entire family is the exception.

[mystikchick17]

Fucking a, just when I think Stevehovah can't get anymore horrifying and cult-like in his behavior, someone here makes a good point that I can totally find plausible and just...fuck. I can absolutely believe they don't spend much time in idle chatter. I mean, if one child has no idea what the others are doing on their schedules because she hasn't actually *seen* the schedules, that absolutely suggests there's minimal "idle chatter" going on.

Fuck fuck fuck.

I don't know why this particular insight has bothered me so deeply, but it has. :(

[Handmaiden of Dog]

I know this has come up before on discussions about the Maxwells and I think it is probably true that they don't talk much. However, Steve has never said anything in his Dad's Corners about curbing idle chit chat so either he has decided this his own personal preference and not something all families need to do or else he doesn't notice how little his family communicates with each other.

I used to say that Sarah lived in a religious convent but nuns make a choice to embrace the lifestyle and Sarah was never given a choice. It's closer to say she lives in a prison. Shhh! No talking.

[Dandruff]

Is it possible that they're only freely allowed to talk about Jesus and scheduling? Maybe anything else requires being on schedule or an emergency (except for Steve, of course).

[thoughtful]

Is it possible that they're only freely allowed to talk about Jesus and scheduling?.

And DEATH. Don't forget DEATH.

[sparkles]

Steve explains it all…

"Should We Eliminate Idle Words?

(Bible quote> Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionary defines "idle" as useless. Jesus is telling us that we are going to be held accountable for every useless word. If we are going to answer for even uselss words, we can be sure we are accountable for every bad and wicked word as well. The Lord hears every single word we speak. Our children should know that He wants their conversation to be like the ones we discussed in the last chapter—edifying and filled with truth, thanksgiving, praise, graciousness and good reports."

"Should We Eliminate Foolish Talk?"

(Bible quote) Two types of idle words are foolish talking and jesting. Children are particularly notorious for these types of conversations, but adults can be guilty as well. Look at all the evil we are admonished away from in these verses along with foolish talking and jesting. This should tell us that foolish talking and jesting are much more serious to the Lord than they usually are in our minds.

(Bible quote) As parents, we should teach our children what is foolish talk and direct them away from it. Too often parents excuse foolish talking because they are children. The reality, though, is that during these years our children are in our home, we want to be teaching them right conversation versus wrong conversation. If we let the foolish talking to, it will be perputuated into adulthood. All one has to do is listen to a group of average young men talking to each other to know the truth of that.

(This passage killed me.) In our family, we still occasionally talk about the foolishness of our children's Grandpa and Benny stories. They went thorugh a phase of making up stories and recording them. The theme was a fictional grandpa and Benny. The stories were totally folly and foolishness. We didn't know enough in our parenting at that point to eliminate the foolishness and direct our children to edification. Those stories have provided us a good example of foolish talking in children."

Making Great Conversationalists by Steve and Teri Maxwell

The entire book is basically about how to steer every. single. conversation around to Jesus. That's all that matters. They want you to train your kids to answer even the simplest, most common question with a long, convoluted answer that ends up with Jesus. Only edifying talk is good and the only edifying talk is about Jesus.

Imagination is trained out of them. Frivolity is trained out of them. Chitchat is trained out of them. Joking is trained out of them. So I guess it's a good thing that the Maxwells go through life joined at the hip, sharing every daily experience. That leaves them nothing else to talk about except…Jesus.

[anjulibai]

Wow. That's .... man, Maxhell is awful.

I hate you, Steve.

[kpmom]

Steve explains it all…

"Should We Eliminate Idle Words?

Oh wow. Thanks for quoting that.

I wonder how the Grandpa and Benny stories came about? I wonder what they were about that Steve considers so foolish?

I guess we know why Sarah's writing is so unimaginative. We've said they had the imagination crushed out of them, and wow, is it ever true.

I wonder how Steve justifies this and yet, at the same time talks about John being such a jokester and keeping everyone laughing? How about John's joke of flying the ring in on a toy helicopter at Elissa and Joseph's wedding rehearsal?