Duggars cooking and gardening - part 2

[Percy]

There is a picture on the Duggar face book page of some of the children harvesting sweet potatoes.  I wonder what they made with those?

A sweet potato and corn chowder?

[season of life]

25 minutes ago, Percy said:

There is a picture on the Duggar face book page of some of the children harvesting sweet potatoes.  I wonder what they made with those?

A sweet potato and corn chowder?

Jessa mentioned in a video on the Duggar channel (I believe) that her family likes sweet potatoes. Sweet potato fries have been mentioned on the original TV show and Jessa baked them in a pan, so maybe they are using that as an easy side dish.

[calimojo]

On 10/25/2016 at 7:37 AM, ksgranola1 said:

I recently went from processed foods to all-natural. I realized I could buy 2 servings of prepared mashed potatoes for $269, but a 5# bag of russetts cost about the same.

2 meals =6meals.And the bag of russetts contained no artificial ingredients or preserves. So if Michelle was trying to save by buying prepared, processed food, she failed. How hard could it be to learn to make homemade mashers.Add milk, butter, put them in one of your industrial grinders. Sheesh, Michelle. Just using mashers as an example. A bag of tater tots would run more that a bag of russetts. Pre-made pastas w/sauce, biscuit mixes; all could be made cheaper by hand. The garden is a God-send b/c fresh veggies are more expensive & can be "put-up." I'm wondering if the young newlyweds are discovering all this.

I think it is great to eat whole organic foods and it is something to aspire to, but I also have to say that my time is worth something too, and there are times when using a grocery store cheat like frozen, or pre-cut veggies, makes sense for my life.    THere is a place in a decent diet to eat canned or frozen stuff.  There is even place for the occasional fast food item.    Like I have said that  it  isn't so much what they ate, that bothers me, as much as it is the portrayal of these women, who have supposedly been raised as future Godly homemakers who apparently can't even boil water.    It just feels like another  example of how the life that they tried to project really didn't work out all that well.  The girls don't know how to cook, except for Jana maybe,  they don't seem to clean,  the boys don't work and don't seem to be having luck attracting a suitable mate.    It would appear that none of them would be able to support themselves and the large families they are supposed to have.   They have to rely on their dad for homes, for jobs, and cars, etc.  How long can that go on?

 

[Pasta]

They have a job! They're reality stars. Maybe the youngest Kardashian will hit up John David.  

[charmedforsure]

3 hours ago, Pasta said:

They have a job! They're reality stars. Maybe the youngest Kardashian will hit up John David.  

Kylie Jenner? No way... I could see boring JD with Kendull (not a typo!) though. They'd make an interestingly lackluster pair!

The Duggar females' homemaking skills are akin to the Kardashian clan's... Remember the hoopla about Kim K's soulless soul food and how she basically held her famous friends of color hostage until she got a good review of that sad looking chicken?

I suppose the Kardashians at least eat copious amounts of salad on KUWTK from that place in Woodland Hills. That would certainly be a healthy boost for the Duggars. 

I will add that the pantry and freezers were filled by Discovery in the special 16 Children and Moving In. It was ALL processed foods donated from sponsoring Campbell's (Campbell's Soups of every variety, V8 Juices, Goldfish Crackers, Spaghetti-Os, and Pepperidge Farm Swirl Breads and Pot Pies in the freezer). 

[IntrinsicallyDisordered]

1 hour ago, charmedforsure said:

Kylie Jenner? No way... I could see boring JD with Kendull (not a typo!) though. They'd make an interestingly lackluster pair!

The Duggar females' homemaking skills are akin to the Kardashian clan's... Remember the hoopla about Kim K's soulless soul food and how she basically held her famous friends of color hostage until she got a good review of that sad looking chicken?

I suppose the Kardashians at least eat copious amounts of salad on KUWTK from that place in Woodland Hills. That would certainly be a healthy boost for the Duggars. 

I will add that the pantry and freezers were filled by Discovery in the special 16 Children and Moving In. It was ALL processed foods donated from sponsoring Campbell's (Campbell's Soups of every variety, V8 Juices, Goldfish Crackers, Spaghetti-Os, and Pepperidge Farm Swirl Breads and Pot Pies in the freezer). 

Have you seen the video of "cooking with kylie" where she makes sweet potato casserole?  It's the only one where you don't have to sign up or pay for anything and it is both mesmerizing and horrifying.  It's all organic this and organic that and she just puts on a little brown sugar to be healthy only to then empty an entire bottle of (non-organic) artificial pancake syrup over it.  It basically boils in the syrup, then she pours the syrup into the sink before covering it with marshmallows.  

That's the only actual footage of the Kardashians I've ever seen; my knowledge comes from the occasional bit on Jezebel or gifs on Tumblr.  I don't know much about them except Kris seems like an absolute monster and I am weirdly defensive of Kim when people deride her for not being properly humiliated and put in her place by a sex tape, and daring to turn the exposure into something else. 

Anyway, anything I've ever seen of the Duggars' eating is just awful and I was amazed when I found out they didn't have a big garden and such...it seems like most fundies don't do a lot of from scratch cooking or things you would associate with being a homemaker.  The example above of mashed potatoes is a good one, and making a huge pot of red sauce, or chili, or various soups has to be much cheaper and healthier, but I guess not easier...though it really is not hard at all to make your own cream of mushroom or celery "soup" to use in a casserole.  Cook the vegetables, make a bechamel sauce, combine and pulverize with a stick blender to desired consistency.  I am glad to see Jessa and Jill (I think she was pictured with some fresh steamed broccoli) seem to be taking steps towards a better diet, I hope they can keep it up when more kids come along.

I don't use (store) canned vegetables if I can help it, but I'm pretty sure frozen are just as healthy as fresh, if not moreso because they're picked at their peak and the vitamins and nutrients are not diminished by the freezing process.  I love using frozen vegetables because very little if anything will go to waste, and since I live somewhere where fresh produce available is very season-dependent and local, it gives me a wider range of choices.  

[December]

18 hours ago, IntrinsicallyDisordered said:

I don't use (store) canned vegetables if I can help it, but I'm pretty sure frozen are just as healthy as fresh, if not moreso because they're picked at their peak and the vitamins and nutrients are not diminished by the freezing process.  I love using frozen vegetables because very little if anything will go to waste, and since I live somewhere where fresh produce available is very season-dependent and local, it gives me a wider range of choices.  

 

Agreed! I love using frozen vegetables if they're not available locally in season. Plus, I steam most vegetables that I cook, so it makes little difference. 

The Duggars could easily buy in bulk and split the work (even if only the girls and women cooked, it'd still be a lot of people) to eat better. But it's obvious it's not really a priority. They care about having babies first, all other aspects of homemaking and motherhood definitely seem to be secondary to that. 

[Bad Wolf]

And yet, they used to bake their own bread.

[grandmadugger]

36 minutes ago, Bad Wolf said:

And yet, they used to bake their own bread.

I remember one of the girls saying JD was the one who taught her how to make bread. Again somehow JD and Jana got a work ethic but no one else including their parents did? How on earth does that work?

[charmedforsure]

On 11/6/2016 at 3:04 AM, IntrinsicallyDisordered said:

Have you seen the video of "cooking with kylie" where she makes sweet potato casserole?  It's the only one where you don't have to sign up or pay for anything and it is both mesmerizing and horrifying.  It's all organic this and organic that and she just puts on a little brown sugar to be healthy only to then empty an entire bottle of (non-organic) artificial pancake syrup over it.  It basically boils in the syrup, then she pours the syrup into the sink before covering it with marshmallows.  

That's the only actual footage of the Kardashians I've ever seen; my knowledge comes from the occasional bit on Jezebel or gifs on Tumblr.  I don't know much about them except Kris seems like an absolute monster and I am weirdly defensive of Kim when people deride her for not being properly humiliated and put in her place by a sex tape, and daring to turn the exposure into something else. 

Anyway, anything I've ever seen of the Duggars' eating is just awful and I was amazed when I found out they didn't have a big garden and such...it seems like most fundies don't do a lot of from scratch cooking or things you would associate with being a homemaker.  The example above of mashed potatoes is a good one, and making a huge pot of red sauce, or chili, or various soups has to be much cheaper and healthier, but I guess not easier...though it really is not hard at all to make your own cream of mushroom or celery "soup" to use in a casserole.  Cook the vegetables, make a bechamel sauce, combine and pulverize with a stick blender to desired consistency.  I am glad to see Jessa and Jill (I think she was pictured with some fresh steamed broccoli) seem to be taking steps towards a better diet, I hope they can keep it up when more kids come along.

I don't use (store) canned vegetables if I can help it, but I'm pretty sure frozen are just as healthy as fresh, if not moreso because they're picked at their peak and the vitamins and nutrients are not diminished by the freezing process.  I love using frozen vegetables because very little if anything will go to waste, and since I live somewhere where fresh produce available is very season-dependent and local, it gives me a wider range of choices.  

That video of Kylie and her assistant was painful to watch. I'm sure that's one of the only things she knows how to cook (therefore making it one of her favorites if she only knows like two recipes) because the only time her mother Kris probably would cook would be at the holidays. 

No worries about not watching KUWTK. I can't stand them. I've seen maybe a dozen episodes of the show, and that's because my best friend was holed up in the hospital for about 5 weeks after a severe pulmonary embolism almost killed her last year, and I would just sit with her in her hospital room and watch reality TV with her for hours on end to keep her entertained. She's actually the one who got me hooked on the Duggars in the first place! 

I was a latchkey kid raised by television (and in my teen years, early 00s internet) since both my parents worked long hours. My gourmet skills were learned watching hours of old school Food Network. I do most of the cooking at home now. I take into account my taste preferences (which lean especially towards both the exotic and very spicy) and have to combine them with my mother's love for low fat everything and TONS of vegetables, and my dad's unadventurous palate (he eats the same honey ham and Kraft Singles sandwich, potato chips, and grapes for lunch everyday, and drowns his nightly salad in ranch dressing). Dad loves when I make a big pot of bolognese or beef chili. Mom loves it when I make huge batches of broth-based soups and pans of roasted green beans and butternut squash. I love it when I can go out for sushi, hand-pulled Chinese noodles, Korean BBQ (with copious amounts of banchan), or a big bowl of lobster bisque.

I'm lucky that I can get cheap conventional fresh produce most of the year since I'm in a border state, but 95% of the green beans I cook with come from the freezer exclusively. The only canned vegetables I use are tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and olives, and I may use canned mandarin oranges along with my usual winter salad accompaniments (celery, dried cranberries, almonds, homemade rice vinegar dressing) if the ones at the store look a bit shrively for their price. 

My mother is attempting to grow tomatoes and radishes right now alongside her flower garden. I can barely keep plants alive if I'm asked to water them (the only thing I can't seem to kill is the mint plant... it seems to do better when I forget to water it!). 

[Thorns]

4 hours ago, charmedforsure said:

 can barely keep plants alive if I'm asked to water them (the only thing I can't seem to kill is the mint plant... it seems to do better when I forget to water it!). 

Mint survives everything. planted one I bought at the store in a pot outside. Keep in mind I live in the middle of Norway. Forgot about it, the pot was outside the entire winter, promptly froze every time the temp went below zero, and thawed again to soaking wet in the interim. Did I mention this cycle repeats itself approx 2 times a week here?

Next spring, what did I see peeking up, almost through the solid ice? Mint. Should just substitute the dirt for rocks, and ad sugar. Mojito on tap. 

[Coconut Flan]

I have found one sure way to kill mint.  My mother's Dawg.  He ate every tiny sprig off it repeatedly before I figured out he was "the bug" eating the mint.

[MargaretElliott]

6 hours ago, Coconut Flan said:

I have found one sure way to kill mint.  My mother's Dawg.  He ate every tiny sprig off it repeatedly before I figured out he was "the bug" eating the mint.

Oh man, something like this happened to me. I was so confused, I didn't know what was eating my beans. Turns out some of my chickens learned how to fly and hopped the garden fence  I named them Lunch and Dinner. Hopefully, even if it ate the mint, that dog had some minty fresh breath as a consolation!

[Coconut Flan]

I did notice I wasn't smelling as much doggie breath for while but didn't smell mint so didn't put it together until he ate Vietnamese dragon chiles.  He ate a lot of three plants and some small chiles.  I looked and looked for what was eating the leaves and then he broke a couple stems and it clicked.  He hadn't been a plant eater before the mint.

[Casserole]

On 11/7/2016 at 0:40 PM, Coconut Flan said:

I have found one sure way to kill mint.  My mother's Dawg.  He ate every tiny sprig off it repeatedly before I figured out he was "the bug" eating the mint.

One of my dogs eats the mint plant every time he has a belly ache. He's had GI issues from day one that can be heard gurgling through the entire house. I always thought he was resourceful since peppermint soothes stomaches. Not sure how he knew that, but it helped. 

[Percy]

On 08/11/2016 at 11:24 AM, MargaretElliott said:

Oh man, something like this happened to me. I was so confused, I didn't know what was eating my beans. Turns out some of my chickens learned how to fly and hopped the garden fence  I named them Lunch and Dinner. Hopefully, even if it ate the mint, that dog had some minty fresh breath as a consolation!

Our chickens are called Poached, Scrambled and Scotch 

[Audrey2]

18 hours ago, Percy said:

Our chickens are called Poached, Scrambled and Scotch 

I always said that if I raised pigs in 4-H, I'd call them Ham, Sausage, and Bacon.

[Thorns]

A friend of mine had a dog named Hot Dog. And now I want fast food....

[HomeschooledHeartThrob]

On 11/5/2016 at 6:49 PM, calimojo said:

I think it is great to eat whole organic foods and it is something to aspire to, but I also have to say that my time is worth something too, and there are times when using a grocery store cheat like frozen, or pre-cut veggies, makes sense for my life.    THere is a place in a decent diet to eat canned or frozen stuff.  There is even place for the occasional fast food item.    Like I have said that  it  isn't so much what they ate, that bothers me, as much as it is the portrayal of these women, who have supposedly been raised as future Godly homemakers who apparently can't even boil water.    It just feels like another  example of how the life that they tried to project really didn't work out all that well.  The girls don't know how to cook, except for Jana maybe,  they don't seem to clean,  the boys don't work and don't seem to be having luck attracting a suitable mate.    It would appear that none of them would be able to support themselves and the large families they are supposed to have.   They have to rely on their dad for homes, for jobs, and cars, etc.  How long can that go on?

 

Oh but they CAN cook!! Let's see....tater tots...pickles....ice cream sundaes...smoothies, there ya go what else do you need?

On 3/14/2016 at 10:47 AM, DuggarsTheEndIsNear said:

I'm sorry, but I disagree. There are hundreds of other behaviors that are more rude than turning up your nose at something or remarking how different it is. And, one is allowed to express their opinion of disgust, even if YOU don't agree with it. 

Not to mention, it was STAGED, and likely heavily edited, by TLC. Nothing says "good reality TV" like "ugly Americans traveling the globe." I mean, this is the same company that thought it was appropriate to have the Duggar girls dress like Geishas without explaining to them what a Geisha is. 

They were Geishas? How did I miss that!?!? Oh wow...there's that good ole' Jessa homeschooling in action

On 3/14/2016 at 0:29 PM, nastyhobbitses said:

Your second point is fair, but I do think (and was raised to think) that if someone took tons of time, effort, and money to make you a nice meal, you take a thank-you portion and make a polite excuse if you don't like it (and saying that you're allergic or have a religious/ethical/health reason why you do not want to eat it is perfectly OK). Food is very heavily tied to culture and hospitality, so from my perspective, if I took the time to make someone, say, my dad's lasagna recipe that is very celebratory of my Italian heritage and that person turned up their nose and made grossed-out faces, that's like shitting on my entire family, culture, and the time I took and money I spent to make something nice for them. I wouldn't be mad or offended if they simply said "oh, I'm vegan" or "oh, I keep kosher" or "I'm sorry, I'm on a diet" (though would it kill you to inform me in advance?).

You are absolutely right! Give me a moment of liberty to say that the average American does not understand the impact of cultural heritage. It's a huge insult when someone invites you for a hand made dish vs frozen pizza and you make a stink (like you said other than health reasons). My father raises beef cattle and for someone who is not avoiding red meat/vegan/vegetarian/you get the idea to make comments about the quality of his meat shits on his hard work!

[HomeschooledHeartThrob]

On 3/20/2016 at 7:22 AM, Thorns said:

A quick snap back to the gardening:

Now you have convinced me to sow raddishes! I was adamant that it was the one thing I should not grow. Mmm, chips and boiled. I only use them as sprouts for the moment. 

As of right now I have broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber, sunflower and salad growing in the kitchen and office, and Hubs rolls his eyes for every new addition (red beets and onions is next). 

KALE kale is the easiest thing to grow!! Raddishes too. Also spagetti squash and pumpkins if you have the outdoor space are easy. Not to say that you aren't a master gardener and capable of growing a fussy plant, but I am not and can only speak from my own experiences

On 3/20/2016 at 3:26 PM, CoveredInBees said:

I've grown Nasturtiums in the past, they're definitely edible (the caterpillars liked them anyway. They were a companion plant for something (I can't remember what) and they certainly did their job. Not long after we had a garden full of cabbage white butterflies. On the companion planting theme, I will be planting French marigolds this year (for the tomatoes) and the chives will go outside to fight the insects.

I've got three different types of sunflowers to plant this year, my dad (who has a courtyard garden full of pots - puts my efforts to shame and only really started gardening when he retired) has given me the normal giant ones to start off for him, and I've got some 'crimson queen' and 'sparky' ones as well. I have to have them in pots though as the slugs really like them. He's also expecting some free tomato/strawberry plants

Internet shopping is a terrible thing, I would spend far less if I had to leave the house to do it  (That's possibly a lie, I went to the garden centre last week, and actually went to another one on the way home).

 

Back to the Duggars (and other people)

I think part of me is jealous, they have a huge amount of land (compared with my 20 foot garden) and easily have room for a kitchen garden. I suppose the amount of food they would need to produce to feed 20+ people would be immense  (wanders off to google for a second)

According to here: http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/how-much-land-is-needed-to-be-self-sufficient

you need approx. 1.5 acres to support a family of four, so (counts on fingers) that's 8.25 acres for the original family plus grandma? They've got 20 acres so that's totally enough land for crops (never gonna happen)  

This image you posted is my husband's life! We have about 4 acres and he has a book with this similar image. We have I believe 18 ducks 2 geese 2 goats and so many chickens I have lost count. He gardens a lot as well. It's painfully easy and with all of those "helping hands" there is no reason they can't be self sufficient. But filming takes time, real estate also takes time, and let's be serious these are fundy elite they want the soft easy life. Oh, and if you are "self sufficient" this is not always the cheapest option, my husband and I have found some fruits and vegetables are cheaper to buy then grow, and from a Duggar standpoint who will they "minister" to if they are stuck at home weeding all the time? They need to be SEEN so we envy their long hair and skirts I mean we get evangelized I mean converted into their cult. 

Quickly note my husband and I are not self sufficient but we probably could get very close. We do work full time outside the home so it would be challenging. I grew up with a father that farmed and worked full time and it was a hard life. He and my mother aged early and my father developed anger issues from it. My husband and i are currently exploring a happy medium because while he would love to never see another human being I like to be social. 

On 3/23/2016 at 6:15 PM, Gobbles said:

@nastyhobbitses

The store I go to every week has recently started to include lots of international food. The US part features peanut butter, mac & cheese, brownies, maple sirup ? (that brown stuff that comes over pancakes, at least in the films...) and yes marshmallows. 

Are there German sections in US stores too? 

This almost makes me sad that the best thing we can come up with to impress other countries is Marshmallow Fluff and Mac n Cheese

 

Though you're welcome world for peanut butter and brownies  

[HomeschooledHeartThrob]

On 3/28/2016 at 3:37 PM, MsSourPickle said:

Anyone who has been to England and the UK can I ask a question? I have heard that the chocolate found in the UK and Europe is less sugary than the chocolate that is made in the U.S. by U.S. Companies. Is this true? I am curious to find out because I have heard people say its a bit more savory than sweet and is more healthy for everyone- the chocolate and candies made in the UK that is.

I am from America but I know someone who works for Lindt and have heard that America adds vegetable oil to their chocolate to dilute it/make more/make more money as well as other additives. So I bet you're right. American Lindt pales in comparison to English or Belgian chocolate YUM. Oh and the Swiss godbless you magnificent chocolate makers!

On 3/30/2016 at 3:57 AM, Gobbles said:

@EmCatlyn

I love Lindt, but have a hard time eating it because they support Autism Speaks. But it is chocolate so it is so hard to boycott and they make the best pralines... 

I think you get free refills here now too. Not sure. What I noticed it that in Spain you get a bigger fries portion at Burger King than in Germany. You pay more ofc, but can't buy that size here. So annoying. 

When I was in Denmark in December I was shocked by their prices for sweets. They have a special tax on them because of the sugar or something. I knew that and thankfully I have brought sweets with me. 

Please educate me what is Autism Speaks and why is it bad Lindt supports it?

Thank you!

On 10/23/2016 at 0:03 PM, Thorns said:

Bumping an old thread, because I was reading FJ in between kitchening...

And seriously, how I feel for those kids. Cream of crap, tater tot casserole, probably only white storebought crappy bread... I would have though being great in the kitchen and actually feeding your kids properly a minimum for a stay at home mum?

Start overnight porrige in the evening. Served with milk, honey, berries, cinnamon in the morning. I can see baking bread for 21 people being a stretch, so maybe not that. Dinner baked root vegetables and protein of choice, or vegetable based soups or stews with protein of choice. You can even add cream to get a stronger dish. Or spanish omelette. Or pasta with vegetable sauce. 

I'm not american, so I wouldn't know how the prices compare, and I get that perishables requires more planning than a pantry with canned goods. But here you can get large quantities of fresh frozen vegetables cheap. Needs freezer room, yes, but rotating through it in a week or so would suffice. 

Or is it just the number of arrows that count, and not the qualities of said arrows? (silly me, I know). 

Sorry, rant over, carry on

Frozen vegtables are so cheap too. It is abysmal what they make those kids eat. But the time to prep for 20 odd people and clean up 3 times a day is where the problem lies. On top of that home schooling them, dressing them, cleaning up after them. laundry. I  get that the other kids do most of the work but it's still work for someone.

On 10/24/2016 at 0:14 AM, calimojo said:

I do think we forget that up until about child number 6,  Michelle was doing most of this herself.  Yes,  I think she did have someone helping with laundry but still she was rearing those kids without much help yet. 

Not everyone is good at cooking, likes to cook, etc.  I am not going to judge her for using canned food, or some prepared foods much of the time.  At least not back when the money was really tight and they were crammed into that tiny ranch house with a small kitchen. 

 

But once they had the big house, with the industrial kitchen and she had far more hands helping her and much more money,  that is when the judging comes about.  She could have, in her home schooling mother of the year life, actually invested some time into teaching the kids better eating habits and better skills in the kitchen.  Gardening isn't a must, as they could afford to purchase their produce, but gardening is a great skill to teach people and I think people eat better when they participate in growing the food.  I didn't start to truly enjoy most veggies until I gardened.

I think we forget too with all that money they have they might even have food delivered now. I'm under the impression that after can't keep my hands to myself Joshy everything on the show is over staged. 

[HomeschooledHeartThrob]

On 10/25/2016 at 8:37 AM, ksgranola1 said:

I recently went from processed foods to all-natural. I realized I could buy 2 servings of prepared mashed potatoes for $269, but a 5# bag of russetts cost about the same.

2 meals =6meals.And the bag of russetts contained no artificial ingredients or preserves. So if Michelle was trying to save by buying prepared, processed food, she failed. How hard could it be to learn to make homemade mashers.Add milk, butter, put them in one of your industrial grinders. Sheesh, Michelle. Just using mashers as an example. A bag of tater tots would run more that a bag of russetts. Pre-made pastas w/sauce, biscuit mixes; all could be made cheaper by hand. The garden is a God-send b/c fresh veggies are more expensive & can be "put-up." I'm wondering if the young newlyweds are discovering all this.

To caution you if your objective is to avoid "bad" stuff then buy organic because commercial produce is still heavily sprayed with pesticides. I agree with you though it's cheaper to DIY most everything. I grew up on a farm and having to explain this to my city slicker husband is like pulling teeth. I currently have a Hungry Jack box of mashed potatoes in my cabinet and I grit my teeth when I see it. He insists they're "better" than the "real" thing. 

On 11/6/2016 at 0:29 AM, Pasta said:

They have a job! They're reality stars. Maybe the youngest Kardashian will hit up John David.  

BAHHAHAHAHAHA!! THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!!! They'd have to invent a new word because they'd get tired of hearing Nike!!

[HomeschooledHeartThrob]

I have not seen this for awhile but the one episode of 19KAC I remember that Jana and Jill did the cooking because "They liked to" and that Jessa and Jinger looked after the kids because Jessa was strict and I think Joy and Johanna cleaned? The major flaw I see is that Michelle just gave up and let the kids do what they wanted to rather than have them rotate and actually learn how to do everything. Jim Bob probably figured that all his kids would live near enough to him that they'd be a hop skip and a jump away but in reality 2 have already moved more than a few miles away. It seems like together the Duggar kids were a warehouse operation of daily tasks but now as they marry and move out the operation is falling apart. This could explain why Jana and JD are still single. 

I also wonder what happens to that big house when Jimbob and Michelle are down to a handful of kids in their elderly years. Will they move out and give the house to one of their children who by then will have 10+ kids of their own? Remember Jill getting the bigger house and Jessa getting the small one? Is this why Jessa is pushing for so many kids? So daddy gives her and not "clearly the favorite jill" or worse "fallen son Josh" the Mega House? :/ 

my other thought is that there is a spin off in the works and it's a competition to make either Jessa or Jinger the main focus, or maybe Jessa wants her and Ben to be the new Jimbob and Michelle so TLC keeps the money coming their way. That would also explain the baby race. And again the baby race could also be explained because she was taught that was her purpose in life and maybe she has Angelina Jolie syndrome where it's babies babies and more babies? 

[Gobbles]

1 hour ago, HomeschooledHeartThrob said:

Please educate me what is Autism Speaks and why is it bad Lindt supports it?

This is one post that explains it (http://autisticadvocacy.tumblr.com/post/102634036950/so-why-is-autism-speaks-bad-im-confused) there are several of these if you look it up on Google. 

[HomeschooledHeartThrob]

13 minutes ago, Gobbles said:

This is one post that explains it (http://autisticadvocacy.tumblr.com/post/102634036950/so-why-is-autism-speaks-bad-im-confused) there are several of these if you look it up on Google. 

I saw after I posted you had already answered..whoops! But thank you!