Erika Shupe *grim rictus* Large Families on Purpose Part 3

[Antimony]

Christmas letters are fairly common, I think. We only have one "large" family within my extended family and they always send one. It's a good way to keep with all their kids. I like them. My family has never sent one out, but it's something I plan to do when I'm married with children.

My mother loathes them because of the aforementioned boasting. She think it's weird to send them out like that. The ones with children aren't so bad IMO but my childless aunt and her husband send them out about ALL THE FAMOUS PEOPLE THEY MET *smile* AND HOW GOOD HER ETSY STORE IS DOING and how WONDERFUL THE HOUSE LOOKS and the VACATIONS THEY COULD TAKE. It actually reads a whole lot like Erika's fake-happy writing and it's grating because they do shit to other families like, "Aw, why can't you come to the $200/plate dinner event we invited you to???" and everybody else in the family is like, "Yeah, see, so having kids...really puts a damper on your disposable income."

This is the same relative who is constantly texting me cookies "I should try!" with my ...unlimited time apparently.

[elliha]

Wow Erika's parents have such a great house and the view is incredible; do they live on the coast (Washington state)?  It seems they are not all that far from Erika's family.    I am glad Erika's kids have an opportunity to be in a somewhat less restricted environment for a day at least.  I wonder how often they see their grandparents?  So many questions.   

I think I have read somewhere on her blog that 3 of the children go to grandma and grandpa every week so they seem to be fairly close with the children. 

[princessmahina]

My mother loathes them because of the aforementioned boasting. She think it's weird to send them out like that. The ones with children aren't so bad IMO but my childless aunt and her husband send them out about ALL THE FAMOUS PEOPLE THEY MET *smile* AND HOW GOOD HER ETSY STORE IS DOING and how WONDERFUL THE HOUSE LOOKS and the VACATIONS THEY COULD TAKE. It actually reads a whole lot like Erika's fake-happy writing and it's grating because they do shit to other families like, "Aw, why can't you come to the $200/plate dinner event we invited you to???" and everybody else in the family is like, "Yeah, see, so having kids...really puts a damper on your disposable income."
This is the same relative who is constantly texting me cookies "I should try!" with my ...unlimited time apparently.

Bleh. My aunt used to do them in the 90s with her first husband. They had no kids, so it was literally two pages of them talking about themselves, because each had to have their own page. She quit doing it when she got divorced and never resumed with her second husband. It feels less "braggy" with children somehow imo. 

[OnceUponATime]

my parents used to do them (maybe they still do and I just don't get them). One of my cousins used to send me a copy so I knew what was said about me in them. I have no clue what source my parents were using to get info on me (even when I was living in their home), but it wasn't accurate. At one stage we were posting 250+ a year - printing and folding all those letters was a massive job. We also used to receive 20+ a year from non-relatives

I find it weird to send letters like that. (I may allow an exception for extended family who you don't see much) IMO if you're having to write a letter so your 'friends' know what you've been doing all year they may not actually be your friends...

[pnwgypsy]

I think her parents live in Anacortes which is technically Fidalgo island in Puget Sound. Beautiful house. I wonder if Erika is envious?

[ViolaSebastian]

I think her parents live in Anacortes which is technically Fidalgo island in Puget Sound. Beautiful house. I wonder if Erika is envious?

 

Nonsense, she is perfectly content with what the Lord has provided for her family.  *tight smile*.  

[apandaaries]

I find it weird to send letters like that. (I may allow an exception for extended family who you don't see much) IMO if you're having to write a letter so your 'friends' know what you've been doing all year they may not actually be your friends...

Well, it's a pretty old tradition, predating email and facebook (so you know, practically the era of the dinosaurs  ). My grandma used to do them annually, updating everyone on the kids (by then grown adults) and the grandkids, maybe sending a picture, too.  My mom was never into them, so we didn't send any, but she and my dad would get cards from friends from grad school and such.  

I actually have a couple of friends in their mid-30s who are sending them now.  I think it's so we can see their kids (who aren't on FB or Instagram or other social media), and I love it.  

[mango_fandango]

Well, I suppose it just depends on who writes them. I've never received one, but my grandparents have, and it was rather boasting.  

[church_of_dog]

I don't get them anymore, but when I did, they weren't especially boasty.  So I guess it really depends on the person, just like any "regular" letter they might write.  Mine were mostly high school or college friends with whom I generally didn't visit during the year, but still enjoyed hearing their updates -- new kids, if they moved, anything major that happened.  That way when we did write or call or visit, we didn't have so much major stuff to announce to each other but could more chat in a casual/friendly way.  But it's true that it kind of has to have kids to revolve around, otherwise it's almost impossible to make it sound not-boasty.  As an unmarried with no kids it would have looked ridiculous for me to write a letter like that, even if I had major job/move/other excitement in my life that year.  Better for me to repeat a few paragraphs in personal letters.  Fortunately now with email no one has to know if you cut and paste...  (I don't do social media so don't have to worry about that)

[AuLait]

I think her parents live in Anacortes which is technically Fidalgo island in Puget Sound. Beautiful house. I wonder if Erika is envious?

 

Yeah, that looks like the area. I would kill for that view! I'm super envious but I'm not a very good Christian either so heathen feelings like jealousy are not surprising 

[Jingerbread]

Karen and Melanie did a duet at their family Thanksgiving thing, playing some Christmas tunes. Erika posted the link on the FB page. I've never heard the Duggar kids play their violins so can't compare (although I know the Duggar playing style is shite.) 

Only a few seconds in and I think they sound OK, no real knowledge of music here though. The first one seems to be The First Noel, a sort of extended version of the chorus as far as I can tell (I don't know that one so well). They then move into one I don't recognise (someone help me out? Presumably as fundies they know these tunes better than I did. I went to a C of E primary school but we mainly stuck to the same carols every year for our school Carol Service). 

OK, watching more, The First Noel is the only one I recognise. They don't announce which ones they're doing, they just kind of merge all the tunes into one. 

I know a frightening number of Christmas songs, and I can't figure out the second song.  At moments it sounded like The Holly and the Ivy, but that's not it.  It made me cringe through.  It wasn't even the missed notes (I've been around classical-type music enough that I can tell when a note's wrong even if I don't know the song).  The violins they're on sound slightly out of tune and and tinny.  The harmonizing they did isn't very good either.  It sounds like they used the violin and viola (like the SA of an SATB) parts, had one girl place the violin and the other the viola, or maybe took the viola or alto part and just moved the notes up a few lines without changing the key.  It doesn't sound like they were both playing violin parts.  That was about as hard to listen to as the Rodkidzes.

[princessmahina]

I just now got the chance to listen to their duet. They both looked so unhappy while playing. Very mechanical. I tried to use my Shazam app to figure out the second song, but it couldn't place it. I'll have to try again later when I can turn up the volume a bit more.

[Anonymousguest]

I couldn't place the second tune either. I thought they sounded fine, no outstanding musical ability, just typical teens who have had a few years of lessons. I thought they actually played well together, they were watching each other and we're coordinated in their bowing, they had clearly practiced together quite a bit. 

 

Absolutely gorgeous house. Made me consider installing crown molding in my house. I wonder how Erica feels about it. 

[SisiL78]

Are Erika's parents well to do? That house is amazing. I wonder if she grew up with more than she has now (and far more than she's giving her kids). I wonder how the kids feel about their cousin's lives. It seems like the extended family is more normal with smaller family sizes and pants wearing wimmin' folk. I bet the cousins go to real school and also know far more than the Shupe kids. 

[mango_fandango]

Loads of the commenters on the photos are saying how amazing the house is, too. 

We might've mentioned this before, but wow, Erika and her mom look SO alike. The matching hairdos probably affect the look. From what photos I've seen of Erika's siblings, her younger sisters look much less like their mother than Erika does. They've even got the same *beam*.

Erika's also posted an album for Lacey and Lilly's actual birthday. They "filled their party bags with munchies for the movie"... I thought it was popcorn at first, then I took a closer look and it looks more like Cheerios. The heck kind of movie snack is that?? Or maybe it's the one and only Froot Loops Dessert. Seriously. Cereal is NOT dessert. 

[sockinshoe]

Are Erika's parents well to do? That house is amazing. I wonder if she grew up with more than she has now (and far more than she's giving her kids). I wonder how the kids feel about their cousin's lives. It seems like the extended family is more normal with smaller family sizes and pants wearing wimmin' folk. I bet the cousins go to real school and also know far more than the Shupe kids. 

I would not be surprised if she comes from much more comfortable than she allows her children. It would help explain how selfish she is, ie her olive garden feasts while the kiddos eat popcorn.

She has no idea that she's robbing her children of something because she didn't have to go without. She thinks every child automatically has a happy, blessed, fulfilling childhood without realizing the parental sacrifice and abnegation that goes into that. Her parents had nice things while raising kids, so she must have them too. I think the real reason she doesn't let her kids share in the takeout is a) control and she couldn't afford to feed all of those kids a takeout meal.

[Antimony]

New photos on Facebook - Lacey and Lily's Birthday party.
In a shot they are wearing pajama pants -- a commenter has already questioned this. 

[princessmahina]

New photos on Facebook - Lacey and Lily's Birthday party.
In a shot they are wearing pajama pants -- a commenter has already questioned this. 

Ha! It doesn't surprise me that Erika lets her daughters wear PJs. I am a little taken aback that she published said photos though. 

I don't really get what's wrong with munching on dry cereal during a movie- I have a feeling the twins picked it out (I do it too if I have a tasty, bad-for-you cereal). They're probably tired of popcorn, eating it for dinner once a week.

 

I also noticed a chart with Karen and Melanie's grades on it. It looks like Melanie gets mostly As, Karen not so much. I don't find that snark worthy, it's just an observation.

[JillyO]

New photos on Facebook - Lacey and Lily's Birthday party.
In a shot they are wearing pajama pants -- a commenter has already questioned this. 

Gentlemen, please avert your eyes. I know you can't help but stare at those crotch areas!

[mango_fandango]

Gentlemen, please avert your eyes. I know you can't help but stare at those crotch areas!

Haven't the Duggar girls been photographed wearing pyjama pants? Granted, I think they wear long tops over the top. There was an old promo photo for Bringing Up Bates where they were all in line to use the bathroom, in PJs, and the girls were wearing PJ pants. I think they had long tops on too, but still. Erika is also slightly more liberal when it comes to clothing than the Duggars/Bateseseses, the Shupe girls have been photographed in vest tops before with no t-shirt underneath. That would NEVER happen to a Bates/Duggar girl.

[JillyO]

Haven't the Duggar girls been photographed wearing pyjama pants? Granted, I think they wear long tops over the top. There was an old promo photo for Bringing Up Bates where they were all in line to use the bathroom, in PJs, and the girls were wearing PJ pants. I think they had long tops on too, but still. Erika is also slightly more liberal when it comes to clothing than the Duggars/Bateseseses, the Shupe girls have been photographed in vest tops before with no t-shirt underneath. That would NEVER happen to a Bates/Duggar girl.

I don't know about the Duggar girls. I thought they slept in clothes, and definitely weren't allowed outside of their bedroom in PJs, but I'm not sure on that. Anyway, the Shupes' modesty standards are a little different from the Duggars'. The girls are allowed to wear tank tops as long as they don't show any cleavage. The reason why they are skirts-only is also a little different from the Duggars. For the Duggars, it's all about biblical femininity, bla bla. Yeah, modesty is also part of it, but the big reason they always give for their skirts-wearing is that women shouldn't dress in "men's clothes." For Erika, by contrast, it's all about that crotch area. Apparently, pants draw men's eyes directly to the crotch area. And the crotch area is such a turn-on, as I'm sure you know. Did I say crotch area yet? Crotch area.

[pnwgypsy]

Are Erika's parents well to do? That house is amazing. I wonder if she grew up with more than she has now (and far more than she's giving her kids). I wonder how the kids feel about their cousin's lives. It seems like the extended family is more normal with smaller family sizes and pants wearing wimmin' folk. I bet the cousins go to real school and also know far more than the Shupe kids. 

Anacortes was more of a working class town. Biggest industries are/were an oil refinery, commercial fishing & tourism. Now its become a bit of a retirement/vacation community. If Erika's parents have had the home for awhile, it probably wasn't too expensive when they bought it.

[Antimony]

Erika's posted a bunch of Christmas songs from sources that are otherwise "too secular" for her taste.
I wonder if she'd like to hear some choice pieces from the LA Gay Men's Choir? They do a damn good O Holy Night. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLb23RYYscI

[pnwgypsy]

Erika's posted a bunch of Christmas songs from sources that are otherwise "too secular" for her taste.
I wonder if she'd like to hear some choice pieces from the LA Gay Men's Choir? They do a damn good O Holy Night. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLb23RYYscI

I was debating asking her if she supported the name "Straight No Chaser" or knew what it meant.

[princessmahina]

I was debating asking her if she supported the name "Straight No Chaser" or knew what it meant.

I doubt it. I have no idea what it means, and I'm not even fundie.