Erika Shupe *grim rictus* Large Families on Purpose Part 4

[blessalessi]

46 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

OK, you know how Erika used to post her schedules on the blog? 

THEY'RE ALL GONE.

...

What on Earth happened? 

A cease and desist letter from Teri Maxwell??? 

[mango_fandango]

But don't Steve and Teri LOVE their ass-kissers? They'd LOVE to know that someone's been blessed by scheduling! Erika LOVES the Maxwells and hawks their books. 

They say God works in mysterious ways.... so do fundies.

[princessmahina]

Maybe someone should ask her? I'm pretty curious about that too.

[Antimony]

I noticed that because I've been looking for them but at the time figured I was just looking in the wrong place. 

She has also linked us to an article on the value of children (and how they rank) which freaks me out. The actual article is less creepy (at first glance, I can't bear to read all of this...) but with like three times the persecution complex.

Edit: Erika uses Khan Academy, which is actually great, I love it BUT seems to spell it Kahn. That's kind of rude to me because the man's name is actually Khan. I got curious and tried to see if Salman Khan is of any known religion -- the most reliable answers seem to be that he is either an atheist or Muslim, both super bad in Erika's book so nobody tell her. His last statement on his religion was:

Quote

"If you believe in trying to make the best of the finite number of years we have on this planet (while not making it any worse for anyone else), think that pride and self-righteousness are the cause of most conflict and negativity, and are humbled by the vastness and mystery of the Universe, then I'm the same religion as you. 

 

[OldFadedStar]

17 hours ago, umsami said:

Just have to say I'm loving the feline headship.   Ours hated the crystal stuff, too.  She also will only eat IAMs, the orange original.  I bought her some of the grain-free food, and I think she's a carb-lover like the rest of us.  She looked at me like I was crazy.  I dutifully obeyed and went to Target and bought her a bag of the food she likes.  Who am I to question my headship? After all, I exist to serve her.

Mine didn't like the grain free stuff either! I was mixing her old food with her new and she would eat around the new food and act like she was starving if she ate all the old food. She had two full bowls of cat food but decided that she needed to knock over the bag of old food and eat from there...

[defraudingjezebel]

34 minutes ago, Antimony said:

I noticed that because I've been looking for them but at the time figured I was just looking in the wrong place. 

She has also linked us to an article on the value of children (and how they rank) which freaks me out. The actual article is less creepy (at first glance, I can't bear to read all of this...) but with like three times the persecution complex.

Edit: Erika uses Khan Academy, which is actually great, I love it BUT seems to spell it Kahn. That's kind of rude to me because the man's name is actually Khan. I got curious and tried to see if Salman Khan is of any known religion -- the most reliable answers seem to be that he is either an atheist or Muslim, both super bad in Erika's book so nobody tell her. His last statement on his religion was:

 

That whole article is super cringeworthy. Its all about how people have dared to do things with their lives (like traveling, going to college, start a career, etc.) before having children. Fuck people with different priorities, am I right? Not to mention, some people do all of those things WITH their children. 

Salman Khan has a Bangladeshi and Indian background (he is American, though), and Khan definitely tends to be a Muslim surname in South Asia. I'm pretty shocked that she advocates the use of Khan Academy for the sciences and humanities, simply because they definitely skew on the more secular/more progressive side of things. I'm surprised she didn't have a CYA disclaimer on that post. 

[desertvixen]

My headships love the Blue Buffalo grain-free (wet and dry) food - we moved away from Iams over one of the Chinese supply issues.

[16strong]

On 1/8/2016 at 11:17 PM, Heathen525 said:

Erika's De-cluttering lecture:

1. Turn your garage into a warehouse.

2. Stack your kids like cord wood into 2 rooms:boy, girl.

3. Put EVERYTHING in clear plastic bins.

Fin.

You forgot 4. Make a pantry out of your coat closet.

[Guest]

Also forgot #5. Dehydrate the dog.  That way he just lays there and doesn't make a mess or get in the way 

On 1/8/2016 at 0:11 PM, Eternalbluepearl said:

She seems very stubborn on wanting to prove the point that she likes Shih Tzus. 

I agree and it's so ridiculous, and so...Erika.  It would be really funny if there weren't actual living, breathing animals involved. 

[Hane]

On January 6, 2016 at 3:20 PM, EscapedCardinal said:

And my dogs also figured out that if their water bowls ran dry, they could flip the bowl, glare at the nearest human, then flip it again until something was done about it. Dominance is a funny thing.

When I was away, I left my dog with a friend who has two dogs of her own. In her tiled den, which opens out to her yard, she keeps a big crockery water bowl for them. She told me that, one day as she was washing dishes, my (very quiet) dog trotted up to her and barked. She asked, "What's wrong?" and Tip led her to the water bowl, which was empty.

She's had many more years of experience with dogs than I have, so it tickled me that she and my dog could read each other's minds so easily.

[lilah]

On 1/8/2016 at 11:34 AM, ViolaSebastian said:

I suppose what I don't get is why Erika chose that particular breed, with all the information out there that toy breeds (and, from the sounds of it, shih tzus in particular) are notoriously difficult to housebreak?  It wouldn't have taken much self-awareness for Erika to realize that she is the type of person that is fanatical about cleanliness and who doesn't have a whole lot of time to be housebreaking a dog.  Why, then, did she pick a breed that would require a lot of effort and surely have a lot of accidents on her white rug???

I think someone adked her on facebook after multiple people recommended against getting that particular breed and after she had re home first dog for the very reason people said getting a shih tzu is a bad idea. I think she said something along the lines that she really likes the aesthetics of the breed. It's bizarre.  I think erica is always so use to being in control and getting her way she can't fathom being wrong about something.

[mango_fandango]

But you guys! God prompted her to get a shih tzu! You gotta obey what He says! Silly heathens...

Also, Erika's weighing into this whole non-gender bathroom thing like Jessica Seewald did. Her comment was "unbelievable" and that we should be careful sending kids into bathrooms alone. Thankfully the top comment is "you really don't [have to be careful]." Others are saying "sickening" or "insanity". Fucking transphobic eejits.

Seriously, although it seems like transgender people are becoming more prominent these days (more so than, say, five years ago), they are still a minority of the general population. And most of them are harmless- it would be only a tiny handful of people who would do anything untoward. But fundies (and, sadly, non-fundies) are just so scared of anyone who's different. The reason coming out even as gay is still seen as a big deal is BECAUSE of these homophobic morons who think that a guy kissing a guy is gross and immoral. *shakes head*

[iweartanktops]

Re: the bathroom issue - I don't have children, but if I did, I imagine I wouldn't send my young kids into a public bathroom alone, because I wouldn't want to send young children anywhere unsupervised. This isn't only to protect them from predators, but to make sure they're on task and not touching everything in a nasty public restroom (yes, I'm a little crazy about germs). In my opinion, this is what these parents should be thinking about. I fail to see the problem with a transgendered person in the bathroom. 

[Loki]

I popped over there briefly as I can only take her smarmy *chuckles* for a short while before I get the urge to scream!  I read her post on how no one in the world can do laundry as well, or as purposefully as her, but what really annoyed me.....no, insensed me was that her wonderful 'honey' ( yuck) has graciously  'allowed' her to cut down on ironing while she has so many small kids!!!! OMG, aren't we all so jealous that we're not married to him, wow!  

My husband knows where the iron is and how to use it, if we had that many kids, I'd expect him to 'graciously ' do it himself grrrrr!

My next issue on how beautifully turned out and super clean they all are is that she appears to be saying that the children only have one bath a week.....whether they need it or not I presume.....ewwww. The teenagers (she says proudly) have a couple more if they need them. 

Great detail is given about various laundry products and their fragrance, I  expect they need a strong smelling fabric conditioner to cover up the little ones odour of wee and the older one's b.o.......and people at work have told "honey" how nice his clothes smell.....wtf!!! I'd be a bit creeped out if anyone I worked with felt it was ok to tell me my clothes smell nice (not that I believe that anecdote in the slightest)!!

 

[Eternalbluepearl]

19 minutes ago, Loki said:

and people at work have told "honey" how nice his clothes smell.....wtf!!! I'd be a bit creeped out if anyone I worked with felt it was ok to tell me my clothes smell nice (not that I believe that anecdote in the slightest)!!

 

This cracked me up when I read it on her blog too. 

[princessmahina]

On the schedules it looks like Karen and Melanie bathe daily. Something that has always confused me about Erika though- she says she showers first thing in the morning. She also says (or said in the past) she exercises in the afternoon and "pours sweat" doing it- but no mention of a shower. So she gets all sweaty then...just gets back in her clothes and goes about her day? It seems weird to me. I always wait until after my workout to shower- whether that's in the morning or the late afternoon. As long as it gets in every 24-40 hours, I consider myself good.

[elliha]

Maybe she just rinses herself in the shower for a minute or so? I have just one kid and I know just how much just one kid can do even during a short shower that I actually understand if she only rinses the sweat off.

[Walking Cat Bed]

7 hours ago, iweartanktops6 said:

Re: the bathroom issue - I don't have children, but if I did, I imagine I wouldn't send my young kids into a public bathroom alone, because I wouldn't want to send young children anywhere unsupervised. This isn't only to protect them from predators, but to make sure they're on task and not touching everything in a nasty public restroom (yes, I'm a little crazy about germs). In my opinion, this is what these parents should be thinking about. I fail to see the problem with a transgendered person in the bathroom. 

I'd imagine that if a kid is young enough to need a reminder to wash their hands (or can't quite reach the faucet or soap), they should be supervised in the bathroom -- but that's what family bathrooms (when available) or a parent/older sibling also using the bathroom are for.

Public bathrooms aren't typically where predators hang out and wait for an unsuspecting little kid. And trans* people are typically just trying to pee in peace, just like anyone else.

[Rubaiyat]

I do absolutely adore the whole "We Just Need To Pee" meme that was going around for a bit.  

But, I'm a godless liberal heathen who feels that people (regardless of equipment, be it internal or external) should be left to pee in peace.  I also fail to understand why anyone would think it's appropriate, or even marginally acceptable to investigate the genitalia of strangers!!  I guess there's no hope for me....

However, I totally accompany my smaller children into public restrooms.  Mostly to keep them from getting distracted and destroying the place, or rolling around on the floor.  I've got weird kids.  

[DarkAnts]

We are more socially aware of transsexual. But, they have probably been using toilets that meet their gender for years. It makes sense. Having a transgender male use a women's bathroom would have caused uproar on both sides. 

[desertvixen]

I do like the "family" restrooms (especially if they have the littler toilet for the kids) but I'm not squicked by transgender people using the one I use.  Honestly, as long as they don't have open urinals and I don't have to worry about walking in and seeing some guy's personal equipment, I'm good with unisex ones.

I do get irked when moms are bringing their (apparently old enough to be embarrassed about it) boys in the women's room.

[LovelyLuna]

I am so incredibly glad I grew up surrounded by LGBT people. I live in highly populated LGBT community. I vaguely remember my parents discussing weather it mattered that my new sports coach was a homesexual man (it wasn’t, his ‘brother’ even came when we competed out of town); I was 8 or 9. I then spent most of my adolescence in the Theater. Fast forward to age 19 I move away from home and got a job. One of my female coworkers was a Post op Male to Female Trans Person. After several months of working with her she confided in me. I basically blinked and said, ‘cool, whats for lunch?’.

I know now that I did not have the typical experience and its really hard to understand how its even an issue. They are people, just people who love people. who cares what is between your legs? 

 

[defraudingjezebel]

I think so many fundies (and conservative Christians in general) have latched onto the idea that trans* individuals are out to get your kids because the boogieman of gay marriage is over and done with. Same sex marriage is now the law of the land and the sky hasn't fallen, so they have to invent another moral outrage to prove how horrible society is and how victimized they (conservative/fundie Christians) are. 

I do hope Erika decides to chime in after the top-liked comment eviscerated her.

[Rubaiyat]

14 minutes ago, LovelyLuna said:

 

I know now that I did not have the typical experience and its really hard to understand how its even an issue. They are people, just people who love people. who cares what is between your legs? 

 

Forgive me for continuing to harp on this, but I have a tendency to get all riled up when people argue that denying other people civil rights based on the arguer's religion is okay.  (protip - it's not)  

I grew up military, and my dad was a squadron commander for several years.  I have very clear memories of several people in his squadron, many of whom I later realized were homosexual.  It's not something we ever really discussed at home, but all that really seemed to matter to my parents was whether they were good at whatever job they were supposed to be doing, or whether they were good people.  Ms. XX used to come over to dinner fairly often with her "special friend" and that was in no way weird or different or even deserving of comment.  Keep in mind this was back in the long, long ago when it was literally a crime to be gay in the military.  

Recently, my - incredibly conservative in so many other ways - dad mentioned that his church was all in a uproar over whether to call a homosexual pastor.  He was all up in arms that they were all "missing the point!!!" because no-one was asking whether the person in question was a good pastor or not.  He also likes to pontificate in his old age on his theory that, if Jesus were running around now, he'd be rollin' deep with women, minorities, homeless people, and GSMs as his crew, because Jesus' whole point was that God loves everyone, NO exceptions.  He stood up and said his peace at a council meeting, which caused several families to leave the church...but the vast majority said "oh yeah, we were being total jerks.  Thanks, man!"  It's a rich, white suburban church.  They also support an insane amount of charities, run a homeless shelter, volunteer with several other homeless shelters, constantly support and actively participate in food ministries (heavy on the food, light on the ministry,) and even foot every penny of expenses for a largish non-sectarian school in Haiti that lost its previous backers when they started accepting non-Christian students.  I'm not really a church person, but if I was, I'd go there.  

So, just like you LovelyLuna, I'm crazy grateful for my upbringing; and sadder and sadder as it becomes clear that too few people had similar experiences.  

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point of the New Testament "BE NICE!!!  TO EVERYONE!!"?  Why is that so difficult?  Why do there have to be so many reasons why "God loves everyone....except you guys.  You guys suck"?  Why do these funds spend SO MUCH time and effort making up new reasons why most people are terrible, and therefore it's totally okay (nay, mandated by GOD) that you are horrible to them?  

Sigh...I'mma go get a drink, calm down, and stop typing in caps in the interwebz..

[Eternalbluepearl]

11 hours ago, defraudingjezebel said:

I think so many fundies (and conservative Christians in general) have latched onto the idea that trans* individuals are out to get your kids because the boogieman of gay marriage is over and done with.

Gosh, this is such a good point, @defraudingjezebel. Fundies should spend that time worrying about real things like their children's educations.