Now Scheduling for Summer: Erika Shupe (pt. 7)

[Antimony]

3 hours ago, refugee said:

Actually, my kids have always loved office supplies, to the point where they would rather have, in their Christmas stockings, scads of office supplies, individually wrapped (a package of pens, a package of paper clips, a scissors, a package of pencils, a package of sticky notes, etc.) than the usual stocking stuffers kids get.

One of our joys is to cruise the aisles of the local office supply stores  during their back-to-school sales...

So a roll of tape, for their very own, as a "prize". Yeah, I could see it in our house. There would soon be fantastic 3D art creations made from paper from the recycling bin, and that tape. (Maybe that would be too messy for Erika's house, don't know.)

I did too as a kid but it was never a question of me having to earn it. I build my own doll houses out of whatever my grandparents had. They weren't set up for kids but they did have a lot of medical tape (stick two sides of that together in sheets and you have a doll blanket you can draw on!), aluminum foil (flatten it to all hell so it gets smooth and shiny and cut into a doll mirror), plastic wrap (there are your doll house windows!) shoe boxes, double sided tape, toilet paper rolls, old grocery bags, etc etc. Of course, this requires a crap ton of scotch tape, packing tape, duct tape. In retrospect, I realize my toy box there was just trash plus adhesives but I loved it and built all kinds of stuff with it. Erika, though, doesn't let her kids use something for other than the designated purpose, or so she says, so I doubt this kind of activity would be allowed. (Pity too, because it's cheap and probably would occupy a child for longer than her schedule blocks!)

As for school supplies, I get that. I love them too but I guess I would understand it more if it was special school supplies -- washi tape (which is hip right now), sharpie-brand fine tip pens (heavenly but expensive), but it's all run of the mill dollar store school supplies as far as I can tell. I mean, these kids have to live on a schedule AND get the privilege of earning dollar store pencils do their schedule 6AM math? Thrilling. 

 

[Georgiana]

13 minutes ago, Black Aliss said:

Mt. Vernon, where Glenn Beck was honored with the keys to the city a few years back. Mt. Vernon is also not that far from Sedro-Wooley(same county, I think), home of Carri and Larry Williams (child murderers)

It is very close to Sedro-Woolley.  Sedro-Woolley is the rural outskirts of Mt. Vernon.  Most (if not all) homes have acreage.  A lot of farms, farm roads, undeveloped woods.  I think there is like a town center or something, but it is not much.  My cousins graduated from Sedro-Woolley High School, which is the only high school for the entire district (and has like 1,300 students...which is about half the size of the public high I would have attended in a well-funded suburban district where there are multiple high schools).   Mt. Vernon is also very small, but it is more of a town.  Still a lot of space, but less farming/woodsey.  The Shupes live in a development I think, and while they have a big yard, I think you can see the neighbors.  That's very Mt. Vernon.  In Sedro-Woolley, it's very unlikely you can see any of your neighbors.  

Western WA, outside of the Greater Seattle Area still very much harkens back to it's roots.  A lot of small towns/cities in the area still very much feel like outposts: logging/railroad/mining/farming/etc.  They haven't really changed all that much since they were built, and while we have roads and passes, many places are still really isolated.  Even North Bend (the setting of Twin Peaks) is really very small, rather isolated....and it is MUCH bigger than Vernon/Woolley.  People still nail the "POSTED: NO TRESPASSING" signs on trees to mark their borders.  LIKE SETTLERS.  

Basically what I am saying is this:  people in those communities are tight knit.  They don't like "outsiders" or outside interference.  And because of the space between homes, there is little risk of people witnessing what goes on in your home.  People out there feel that caring for neighbors is making sure they are surviving and well, helping whenever needed, but not "meddling" in the affairs of their homes.  People move out to those areas BECAUSE they want privacy, and the community respects that.  Unfortunately, this also makes these sorts of towns an ideal location for families who want to fly under the radar.

Question: do we know where Bob works?

[smittykins]

1 hour ago, amandaaries said:

Food-like substances tend to be extraordinarily popular here in the States.  With the recipes Erika's shared, I'd be surprised if she were using real bacon.  Remember all those nasty flavored drinks she was encouraging before?  

I've seen both real and artificial bacon bits.  Hijack:. On one of those old-commercial compilations, I remember them(I believe it was McCormick)referred to as "real imitation bacon bits." 

[defraudingjezebel]

49 minutes ago, Georgiana said:

[clipped for length]

Question: do we know where Bob works?

He works at a professional disaster restoration/home cleaning business which he and Erika's brother started. They've only been doing it a few years, I believe. 

[withaj]

19 minutes ago, defraudingjezebel said:

He works at a professional disaster restoration/home cleaning business which he and Erika's brother started. They've only been doing it a few years, I believe. 

10+ years now, actually, though as I recall, they weren't both full time when they started. It's a very well-reviewed business. Erika is a serious whackadoodle but Bob clearly works hard.

[Crocoduck]

27 minutes ago, defraudingjezebel said:

He works at a professional disaster restoration/home cleaning business which he and Erika's brother started. They've only been doing it a few years, I believe. 

That's tough work. Those types of companies are sometimes hired to clean up crime scenes. I wonder how Bob enjoys coming home to Erika's nitpicking after a hard day of cleaning up someone else's blood?

[19 cats and counting]

What was Erika's Easter post like?  Was it more Jesus or bunnies and candy?

I'm secretly wondering if she's losing her faith....

[withaj]

7 minutes ago, 19 cats and counting said:

What was Erika's Easter post like?  Was it more Jesus or bunnies and candy?

I'm secretly wondering if she's losing her faith....

I'm secretly wondering if she ever had much of it to begin with. Haven't we always thought she was attracted to fundamentalism because many of the rules suited her?

[apandaaries]

So I cruised over to Bob's public FB page.  He has a lot of information about gun rights, which leads to a lot of questions...  Is that why the kids aren't allowed in Bob and Erika's bedroom?  I just watched this week's Grey's Anatomy, so kids and guns are on my mind, in both inquisitive and worrisome ways.

More intriguingly, he also has a reposted meme from October which states, "I survived 'free-range parenting,'" though he also comments that he thinks he had a bit too much freedom.  Maybe Erika's loosening of the reins is coming from the headship...?  Did Bob finally decide to stand up for the kids?

[princessmahina]

1 hour ago, amandaaries said:

So I cruised over to Bob's public FB page.  He has a lot of information about gun rights, which leads to a lot of questions...  Is that why the kids aren't allowed in Bob and Erika's bedroom?  I just watched this week's Grey's Anatomy, so kids and guns are on my mind, in both curious and worrisome ways.

More intriguingly, he also has a reposted meme from October which states, "I survived 'free-range parenting,'" though he also comments that he thinks he had a bit too much freedom.  Maybe Erika's loosening of the reins is coming from the headship...?  Did Bob finally decide to stand up for the kids?

I think they kids are mainly not allowed in Erika's bedroom because it's their sanctuary and she likes having things they can't mess up. I'm not sure where they would even put guns- she doesn't put things under the bed and the closet seems pretty full.

[Eternalbluepearl]

40 minutes ago, Crocoduck said:

That's tough work. Those types of companies are sometimes hired to clean up crime scenes. I wonder how Bob enjoys coming home to Erika's nitpicking after a hard day of cleaning up someone else's blood?

Yup. After my dad's suicide in December, someone had to come clean up the scene. Not just clean up though, they ripped up the room down to the studs. If Bob is doing that type of work,I don't envy him. 

[mango_fandango]

5 minutes ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Yup. After my dad's suicide in December, someone had to come clean up the scene. Not just clean up though, they ripped up the room down to the studs. If Bob is doing that type of work,I don't envy him. 

Erika mentioned once that Bob refused to clean out a box of porn magazines. 

And sorry about your dad's suicide. That must suck. 

[Crocoduck]

8 minutes ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Yup. After my dad's suicide in December, someone had to come clean up the scene. Not just clean up though, they ripped up the room down to the studs. If Bob is doing that type of work,I don't envy him. 

I'm sorry for your loss.

[Black Aliss]

14 minutes ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Yup. After my dad's suicide in December, someone had to come clean up the scene. Not just clean up though, they ripped up the room down to the studs. If Bob is doing that type of work,I don't envy him. 

I'm sorry for your loss.

[apandaaries]

I am sorry for your loss, @Eternalbluepearl

[Black Aliss]

8 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

Erika mentioned once that Bob refused to clean out a box of porn magazines. 

Such is the power of Porn, that if you so much as handle a box of it, you will be forever irresistably drawn to smut. Props to Bob for recognizing his powerlessness. I guess.

[16strong]

I'm starting to think that the reason Erika doesn't offer much in the way of rewards, and makes the kids jump very high to get them is because she doesn't want their stuff taking up space, and she doesn't want to hear any kid complaining about what another kid got. She regularly sells toys through the online community market, including a dollhouse that I thought Lacey and Lilly would probably still play with. Space is the only reason for that that I can think of. It also explains the one jellybean rule. She doesn't want the kids eating sweets, but celery is not a reward to them. Solution? ONE jellybean. I think she thinks she's discouraging them from eating sweets at all if they only get one. And as for the rolls of tape and pencils? They need those anyway, so they're not taking up extra space.

[princessmahina]

7 minutes ago, 16strong said:

I'm starting to think that the reason Erika doesn't offer much in the way of rewards, and makes the kids jump very high to get them is because she doesn't want their stuff taking up space, and she doesn't want to hear any kid complaining about what another kid got. She regularly sells toys through the online community market, including a dollhouse that I thought Lacey and Lilly would probably still play with. Space is the only reason for that that I can think of. It also explains the one jellybean rule. She doesn't want the kids eating sweets, but celery is not a reward to them. Solution? ONE jellybean. I think she thinks she's discouraging them from eating sweets at all if they only get one. And as for the rolls of tape and pencils? They need those anyway, so they're not taking up extra space.

I have a feeling that jelly bean thing will backfire. It's constantly being held up to them and they get so little. At least one person is going to end up bingeing like crazy on junk food when they get out of that house. 

[iweartanktops]

6 hours ago, withaj said:

OH MY GOD. I disappear for a few days and Karen gets a job?????? THIS IS INSANE.

OK, seriously. What the fuckity-fuck is going on? 

Right?! And what the fuck? Shupe is scrubbing the blog, and no one can notify a bitch? I can't believe one of you didn't alert me! 

I really hate it when real life interferes with FJ time. Ugh. 

21 hours ago, seattlechic said:

wouldn't it be sad if she bought, wrote, and sent the card to herself? #loser

I'm just so glad she posted it on Facebook. I mean, a personal card from your husband should certainly be published online. 

18 hours ago, defraudingjezebel said:

I know I'm definitely being overoptimistic but maybe since Karen and Melanie are reaching adulthood, they've begun to rethink their values? I feel like letting a 17/18 year old girl work outside of the house and in a coed gym seems pretty out there by most fundie standards. I could see Erika and Bob relaxing their standards for pragmatic reasons and Erika deleting all of the blogs that might contradict what they're doing now. 

I am still shocked that of all places, she's allowed to work at a gym. 

Erika, fill us in! What's the plan? 

[seattlechic]

Mr. Chic got me a card that says "I like you more than french fries". Does that qualify me or is he failing at lovin'????

[Seven Severn]

Even though their area is pretty conservative I wonder if maybe Bob has the idea that he might be losing out on jobs due to Erika's nuttiness. She might be extreme even for Mt. Vernon and it's environs. Or, like others have said, maybe she wants to expand the reach of her blog/Facebook and is looking to monetize.

I keep thinking back to that book that their pastor's wife gave/lent to her last year about treating your children as individuals. Since she didn't seem to get the hint maybe a more direct intervention has taken place where Erika was sat down by someone in her church and told to get a clue. It could explain the seeming sudden reversal in allowing Karen to get a job and drive. It wouldn't explain deleting posts about homeschooling and God/Jesus. In regards to the latter: Hey! Erika! Scrubbing your blog of God/Jesus means you're denying Christ! He gets shoved under the rug because of your "image"! Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Erika has never publicly reacted to the Jeubs sending their kids to a real school. That had to have hit her like a ton of bricks. It may have given her permission in her own mind to start considering the possibility of sending the kids to "government school". All the stress-related posts would play into that, I think. I do like to think that Karen and Melanie are giving her grief and she doesn't know how to handle it.

 

[princessmahina]

I wonder if Erika is thinking of consolidating her posts into a book and wants to hide the insanity so the book would have a wider audience. I wouldn't put it past her now that she has sister moms to take care of/ "productively occupy" the littles.

#fundieconspiracytheories

[Seven Severn]

Could someone with experience with the Wayback Machine send this there?: http://www.largefamiliesonpurpose.com/2011/03/large-family-organization-creating-food.html It's the coat closet/food pantry post. The original post was March 2011, but it's gone. The above link is the repost from last year. I took screenshots just in case it goes bye-bye before it can be archived.

[mango_fandango]

20 minutes ago, princessmahina said:

I wonder if Erika is thinking of consolidating her posts into a book and wants to hide the insanity so the book would have a wider audience. I wouldn't put it past her now that she has sister moms to take care of/ "productively occupy" the littles.

#fundieconspiracytheories

She's said before that she doesn't need to write a book cos it's already been done- the Bible. Yeah... Thou shalt organise thy abode in a highly anal-retentive manner. Thy children mayest only have one jellied bean or thy children will become gluttons. Thou shalt tell thy readers how to make piss poor, tiny ass recipes for thy children that will not suffice for even a mouse. Blessed be the Lord.

[JillyO]

51 minutes ago, iweartanktops said:

Right?! And what the fuck? Shupe is scrubbing the blog, and no one can notify a bitch? I can't believe one of you didn't alert me! 

I'm sorry I failed you. Please can we still be friends?