Erika Shupe *leer smirk* Large Families on Purpose Part 6

[THERetroGamerNY]

Oh, yeah! That article! lol That's when she banned me from her page for being civil. lol

[16strong]

I bet she reads here more often than she'd care to admit. I wouldn't be surprised if her neuroticism compels her to keep up with all the Shupe threads post to post. And maybe just a peek at what FJers are saying about some her friends. Erika seems like the type that LOVES gossip, and would find this site simply irresistible. Y'know, for research purposes. 

[19 cats and counting]

1 hour ago, 16strong said:

I bet she reads here more often than she'd care to admit. I wouldn't be surprised if her neuroticism compels her to keep up with all the Shupe threads post to post. And maybe just a peek at what FJers are saying about some her friends. Erika seems like the type that LOVES gossip, and would find this site simply irresistible. Y'know, for research purposes. 

Hey Erika-- is the time you spend reading here and GOMI on the schedule?

[princessmahina]

29 minutes ago, 19 cats and counting said:

Hey Erika-- is the time you spend reading here and GOMI on the schedule?

I would bet a jellybean (just one of a flavor of my on choosing) it's in the schedule. She probably looks over it when she's doing other internet stuff or during mandatory silent-time.

She probably has an account here and has never posted. 

[Hisey]

Now she's deleted the name of the place where Karen will be working. 

I think Erika is under pressure from the more "normal" parts of her family, like her mom and sister. As a result, much as she'd like to keep Karen at home as a permanent babysitter, she probably gets questions like this:

"What is Karen doing after she graduates?" "When's Karen getting her license?""Is Karen getting a job, or is she still helping you at home?"

Then there's that business of using birthday money from Grandma to buy the teen girls their own bathing suits. I can imagine that conversation:

Grandma: What did Karen end up doing with that $100 I gave her for her birthday?

Erika: Oh, Karen and I have chosen to use her birthday money to buy her an AlwaysModest SwimMuuMuu and matching Swim HeadCovering.

Grandma: Oh, but I wanted her to spend it on whatever she. . . 

Erika [gaily]: Teens can't really be trusted to know how to best spend their money. That's why she's chosen to have Bob and I guide her!

Grandma: Couldn't you buy her a bathing suit so she could . . .

Erika [grimly]: This is what Karen  *wanted* and she is *thrilled* with her suit. She loves being covered up in a modest yet attractive way.

[THERetroGamerNY]

I wonder if she is getting pressure to not over-share specific details like those?

[Shiny]

42 minutes ago, THERetroGamerNY said:

I wonder if she is getting pressure to not over-share specific details like those?

I would hope so. It's stupid and dangerous to have your kids pictures, full names, and employers online. Not to mention, interior shots of her house, schedules, etc. 

[iweartanktops]

I'm glad Erika deleted the name of Karen's employer. I think it's a major safety issue. Since she is a minor, perhaps the posts here could be redacted to take the employer's name out.*

I know no one meant any harm by posting it. I think we're all over the moon to hear the news!

I'll report my post to ask. 

[Desertrose]

I wonder how long Karen will have the job, before Ericka decides it's an inconvenience to her.

[Gimme a Free RV]

Allow me to interpret:

Customer Service--The customer children/blog commenters isn't aren't ALWAYS right...but I am!  ...smile...wink...lol!   I always aim for them to please me.

Microsoft Office--Hey, it's on my computer...so...

Microsoft Word--It's how I impart my wisdom to the world, through the written, grammatically horrendous, word.

Employee Relations--It's the cute way I see my children.  They see me as the boss. They receive regular evaluations from me (daily, really) and stipends in jelly beans.

Microsoft Excel--A wonderful tool I use to schedule and coordinate charts for cutting my toenails, each child's BM, how many kernels of popped corn each child may eat on movie nights, the names of people I have blocked from commenting on my blog, etc.

Human Resources--AKA discipline, rules, schedules, rules, appropriation of food and supplies, rules, ignoring grievances, rules, etc.

Recruiting--...my children to do chores, Bob to fix things... 

Data Entry--On Excel spreadsheets: jellybeans per child, per good deed; number of feminine hygiene products divided equally among menstruating female family members; calories consumed/allotted for each family member; number of attempted trials of disobedience per child, per month; number of compliance related behaviors per child per month; number of negative comments on my blog; number of people I have blocked on my blog; number of people who agree with me on my blog; number of times I have to defend my ideologies, etc.

Outlook--My outlook is that cleanliness and organization is next to godliness and that every one of my ideas is extremely God-pleasing and righteous. 

Research--Sneaking a peek during my alone time to see what people at FJ are saying about me.

Coaching--Heavens, NOT in organized team sports but more in a sense of ordering my children, telling them what to think and do, and rewarding them with just the right number of jelly beans per acceptable, complied, behavior.

Teamwork--Our family is a team and I work them to death.

Public Speaking--I LOVE to speak about myself and my ideas to any group of people who will listen.  I wear a headset microphone, I have a slide presentation, and Bob works the projector and sound for me.

Administrative Assistants--My oldest daughters have learned how to assist me when I mandate decrees at home and tell them how to think, act, dress, and breathe.

Organizational Development--I am THE developer of organization for large families in small homes.  

Onboarding--Each family member is completely on board with my ideologies and decrees.

Event Planning--I plan ONLY events that ONLY happen with my family members ONLY within the safe confines of our house, our vehicle, or our tent when we go camping with the few people I allow my children to speak to.

Time Management--Time doesn't manage me, I manage IT and make it bow before me and worship at my feet.

[Apricot]

So pleased to see Karen has a job!  Hope it lasts!

I noticed the modest swimsuit post the elder girl looks like she has bunions.  Would they be hereditary in a girl her age?  I'd always thought they were caused by ill fitting shoes.

[princessmahina]

32 minutes ago, Apricot said:

So pleased to see Karen has a job!  Hope it lasts!

I noticed the modest swimsuit post the elder girl looks like she has bunions.  Would they be hereditary in a girl her age?  I'd always thought they were caused by ill fitting shoes.

Well, they do only buy used shoes, so I imagine they would have foot problems. 

[mango_fandango]

32 minutes ago, princessmahina said:

Well, they do only buy used shoes, so I imagine they would have foot problems. 

This. I get buying used clothing, but some things are worth saving for, and shoes are one of them. Erika mentioned once that her girls (aka Karen and Melanie) were "shocked" that new shoes cost $30-$40. Really, I'd think that was relatively cheap for shoes. $40 is about £27-ish, so yeah, cheap for shoes. Man, if the idea of shoes costing $40 is too much, the Shupes must be pretty hard up. 

[Coy Koi]

13 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

This. I get buying used clothing, but some things are worth saving for, and shoes are one of them. Erika mentioned once that her girls (aka Karen and Melanie) were "shocked" that new shoes cost $30-$40. Really, I'd think that was relatively cheap for shoes. $40 is about £27-ish, so yeah, cheap for shoes. Man, if the idea of shoes costing $40 is too much, the Shupes must be pretty hard up. 

Especially once your feet stop growing (and mine stopped by the time I was 13), $40 isn't much. You can wear them for years. Decades, maybe, for people like them, who hardly ever leave the house :/

[Anonymousguest]

1 hour ago, Apricot said:

So pleased to see Karen has a job!  Hope it lasts!

I noticed the modest swimsuit post the elder girl looks like she has bunions.  Would they be hereditary in a girl her age?  I'd always thought they were caused by ill fitting shoes.

Yes, they can be hereditary. My mom has then, I have them, and 2 of my daughter's daughters have feet shaped just like ours so i I expect them to have issues too. My feet have always looked like I had bunions, it's just the angle of the toe and joint, I didn't actually have pain from it until my 40s. 

It's certainly a reason to only wear good shoes. I have had other foot issues, over of the contributing factors of bunion is hypermobility in the joints and other structures, so I've also had problems with my arches, plantar fasciitis, etc. I'm also a runner though, so my feet are highly abused. But I will not wear cheap shoes, and won't let my kids either. Sturdy shoes with good arch support are necessity, not luxury, imo. 

[princessmahina]

They could stagger shoe buying to make it more affordable. They have a family of 11, so they could purchase one new pair of shoes (or insoles for used shoes) each money. I think Erika could probably budget out $40 a month. It might mean she has to go a little longer between haircuts (or maybe, just maybe, get a hair style that's less high maintenance), but one would think it would be worth it to help her children's long term growth and health.

Then again, if fundies had any sense they wouldn't be fundies...

[Koala]

4 hours ago, princessmahina said:

They could stagger shoe buying to make it more affordable. They have a family of 11, so they could purchase one new pair of shoes (or insoles for used shoes) each money. I think Erika could probably budget out $40 a month. It might mean she has to go a little longer between haircuts (or maybe, just maybe, get a hair style that's less high maintenance), but one would think it would be worth it to help her children's long term growth and health.

Then again, if fundies had any sense they wouldn't be fundies...

Exactly.  If she quit buying herself coffee treats, expensive Olive Garden meals, and having her hair done she could probably afford proper shoes and curriculum for her children.

[Desertrose]

She makes me angry by being such a control freak. I see on her blog she reposted a previous post on how  kids on summer break need structure/schedule. Does she schedule when the kids shit as well? I love summer because there isn't one! She would never last a week in my chaos.

 

[AliceInFundyland]

Quoting gone haywire. Kate Gosselin..blahblah. unimportant. move on.

[mango_fandango]

6 hours ago, Koala said:

Exactly.  If she quit buying herself coffee treats, expensive Olive Garden meals, and having her hair done she could probably afford proper shoes and curriculum for her children.

Bob does the boys' hair. Maybe that's partly why Erika encouraged Karen to do cosmetology, so she could learn to do the girls' hair too. She mentioned somewhere that the girls' haircuts cost about $12, but that was a while ago. Wherever Erika can cut costs, she will.

And I so agree, @Desertrose!! I get having a basic routine in place, like mealtimes/bedtimes/etc, but a full-on schedule... nah. 

Off topic... Erika's mentioned before that she drinks 32oz of water during her morning prep time. Surely she must be pissing like a horse all morning. When I googled "32 oz water" there are loads of posts from pregnant women about drinking that much before a scan, and saying how much they need to pee... surely, if the water's in a bottle, Erika can space out the drinking a bit??

[nastyhobbitses]

15 hours ago, mango_fandango said:

This. I get buying used clothing, but some things are worth saving for, and shoes are one of them. Erika mentioned once that her girls (aka Karen and Melanie) were "shocked" that new shoes cost $30-$40. Really, I'd think that was relatively cheap for shoes. $40 is about £27-ish, so yeah, cheap for shoes. Man, if the idea of shoes costing $40 is too much, the Shupes must be pretty hard up. 

Eh, I'm only willing to spend $40 on shoes if they're really, really nice. Into the hundreds for hiking/snow boots or sneakers only, not heels or everyday shoes. I generally get my shoes from clearance sales, and I'm pretty good at staying around $20 for flats and heels (and sometimes boots). Though I did get a pair of very nice heels for an event tonight for £3 (from a charity shop).

[16strong]

23 minutes ago, nastyhobbitses said:

Eh, I'm only willing to spend $40 on shoes if they're really, really nice. Into the hundreds for hiking/snow boots or sneakers only, not heels or everyday shoes. I generally get my shoes from clearance sales, and I'm pretty good at staying around $20 for flats and heels (and sometimes boots). Though I did get a pair of very nice heels for an event tonight for £3 (from a charity shop).

I am opposite you. My everyday shoes are the ones I spend the most on, precisely because I wear them often.

[19 cats and counting]

5 hours ago, nastyhobbitses said:

Eh, I'm only willing to spend $40 on shoes if they're really, really nice. Into the hundreds for hiking/snow boots or sneakers only, not heels or everyday shoes. I generally get my shoes from clearance sales, and I'm pretty good at staying around $20 for flats and heels (and sometimes boots). Though I did get a pair of very nice heels for an event tonight for £3 (from a charity shop).

My feet are wide. The shoe designers and manufactures think everyone with wide feet is elderly and designs wide shoes accordingly.  (Except Payless).  I've accepted the fact that I will simply wear through shoes faster than the average person will and replace them more often.  So for this reason alone, I don't spend much on shoes ($30 range).  And in the summer it's all flip flops (because nobody makes any other sandal to accommodate wide feet).

Throughout the years, I've learned which brands run wide and narrow.  Also an expert shoe repair trick (if the shoes/boots are black) is to go over the 'scuffs' with black nail polish.

[Koala]

I miss Yellow Box flip flops so much.  They do horrible things to my feet though. 

[nastyhobbitses]

1 hour ago, Koala said:

I miss Yellow Box flip flops so much.  They do horrible things to my feet though. 

I had a pair of Yellow Box moccasins that lasted me from 8th grade until last summer (so about 10 years). I loved those things literally to death. I usually try to wear shoes "to death"; I actually have some adorable biker-chic ankle boots that started falling apart in Prague, and now they're really well and truly on their last legs (no pun intended). But hey, excuse to buy new ankle boots, since there are sure to be some great clearance sales on boots about now.

Also, on the subject of clearance sales, I had no idea that TJ Maxx had expanded outside of the States, so you can imagine my joy when I caught sight of TK Maxx in central London.