Maxhell- Part 5

[keepercjr]

Late to the party but on the blog post where Teri and Anna relieve Melanie for the day, it appears it was done in SEPTEMBER (based on the photo of Tina doing a work sheet on the pizza board - there is a calendar behind her).  I don't know about you but when you write about it in mid November, September doesn't exactly seem "recent" to me. 

[Green Glass]

I'm having a hard time expressing my level of WTF about the varicose veins comment. I skimmed the post, so I missed out on that line until someone mentioned it here, and I thought it might have been a JOKE. How is it appropriate to mention, in a post about Thanksgiving (or anywhere else!),  that one of the great things about your sister-in-law is that she doesn't complain about her varicose veins? Is Sarah so clueless she doesn't realize that remarks like that aren't really... the type of thing that you publish to the internet? Is she so unimaginative that she can't think of anything else to say about Anna Marie? Does she not know her well enough to think of something else unique and maybe a little more favorable than that? And did Steve approve of this blog post? It's just bizarre.

[AliC]

On 11/24/2016 at 8:48 AM, mango_fandango said:

Something I find odd is that they use nicknames for every grandchild except Joshua, who is always Joshua and never Josh. 

Calia apparently doesn't have a nickname either, but I think in Joshua's case, it's from being the very celebrated first grandson. No diminutives for this khaki-clad man-in-training, unlike little Danny and Drew!

[MamaJunebug]

19 hours ago, Coconut Flan said:

....... 

I stay in awe of the Maxwellian lack of capability of empathy and writing ability.

You helped me realize what the maxblog reminds me of: those tiresome Christmas-card catch-up letters that  people used to write. (They don't anymore, do they? I quit Xmas cards decades ago.)

The letters report what grade each child is in, new achievements and honors.  

Except in Maxwelland, nobody gets new skills, develops new interests, or does anything unusual. 

Its the same thing over and over -- and it's nearly monthly, what with the Steven Maxwell Family's 7 birthdays and the usual holidays to update us all on their lives. An annual Christmas letter sounds good in contrast, eh?

(I was just thinking of the family IRL who keep us on their Xmas card list though we haven't communicated back in literally a decade.

(This year I'm considering writing "MOVED, LEFT NO FORWARDING ADDRESS" and mailing it back unopened, but these days that would probably develop into all sorts of unwanted consequences. Like reverse identity theft, who knows?

(Heh. No,  I'll open it. Never ceases to amaze me that I read it every year -- and then wonder why I did. 

(Spoiler alert: they're all FaBuLoUs! Every year.  LOL)

[mango_fandango]

Over here, those Christmas letters haven't got a great reputation. They tend to be written only by middle-class families who love to boast about their infinite holidays (skiing being one of them), how well Hugo and Victoria are doing at their super expensive private schools and how many extra curriculars they do, etc etc. They're called "round robins" here I think. 

A Maxwell one would be the most boring thing EVER.

[courtlylove]

I've sometimes toyed with the idea of writing a 'truthful' christmas letter - something along the lines of:

'Well, this year has had its ups and downs. We were very proud of Tarquin when he was only given a community service order by the magistrate instead of jail time for his car thefts.

Young Sophie had another abortion, but that's a good thing because the father was an ice addict, and that would never do.

We're relieved that we don't have to declare bankruptcy just yet, hopefully we'll get out of the financial difficulties by this time next year - just about the time we're hoping my chronic depression will be successfully treated.

All the best to you and yours for the festive season and the new year.'

[Dandruff]

How many souls have the Maxwells won for the Lord?  They lure children, hand out tracts, and prepare Christmas boxes, but do they ever follow through with any of these people?  It seems as though they're constantly throwing bait, but head back to their little isolated world before any of the "fish" might be ready to be drawn in.  Who do they maintain contact with who aren't already total fundies and/or paying customers?  Am I missing something here?

[bertnee]

Let's say they actually manage to convert someone. What church will the new convert go to? The Church of Steve doesn't appear to accept new members unless by marriage.

[kpmom]

3 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

You helped me realize what the maxblog reminds me of: those tiresome Christmas-card catch-up letters that  people used to write. (They don't anymore, do they? I quit Xmas cards decades ago.)

The letters report what grade each child is in, new achievements and honors.  

Except in Maxwelland, nobody gets new skills, develops new interests, or does anything unusual. 

Its the same thing over and over -- and it's nearly monthly, what with the Steven Maxwell Family's 7 birthdays and the usual holidays to update us all on their lives. An annual Christmas letter sounds good in contrast, eh?

(I was just thinking of the family IRL who keep us on their Xmas card list though we haven't communicated back in literally a decade.

(This year I'm considering writing "MOVED, LEFT NO FORWARDING ADDRESS" and mailing it back unopened, but these days that would probably develop into all sorts of unwanted consequences. Like reverse identity theft, who knows?

(Heh. No,  I'll open it. Never ceases to amaze me that I read it every year -- and then wonder why I did. 

(Spoiler alert: they're all FaBuLoUs! Every year.  LOL)

Yeah, we used to get one (just one) from an acquaintance every year.

I think Facebook has kind of become the (year long) Christmas letter lately.  As you say, everything is fabulous in most people's posts.

But, I'm probably guilty of that too now that I think about it.

[Granwych]

8 hours ago, mango_fandango said:

Over here, those Christmas letters haven't got a great reputation. They tend to be written only by middle-class families who love to boast about their infinite holidays (skiing being one of them), how well Hugo and Victoria are doing at their super expensive private schools and how many extra curriculars they do, etc etc. They're called "round robins" here I think. 

A Maxwell one would be the most boring thing EVER.

You obviously haven't read one from a particular extended Wych-in-law family.  (Consider yourself lucky!!)

[PennySycamore]

We get a Christmas letter from a childhood friend on my husband's sister.  I say a letter, but what she sends is more like a booklet.  She has some not very funny saying or jokes from her now adult kids, then a few paragraphs about each month.  She'll talk about what plays they saw, what her kids have been up to, and the trips that her husband and the rest of the family took.   It would not so intolerable except this woman completely lacks a filter.  She wrote about her daughter getting her first period and other inappropriate things.  Most horrifyingly, she wrote that her kids had stomped a woodchuck to death.  Why would you brag about shit like that?   It was sickening!  She must spend a fortune sending these things out.

[johnhugh]

The varicose veins gate is the most wired I have ever read on tits2.

has Sarah been peering up the frumper (Chris likes them long and beige) what is her motive???

[socalrules]

The varicose veins blurb seems to be nothing more than a mean spirited attack on Anna masking as a compliment. It makes me wonder if Anna isn't held up as the perfect wife and mother who soldiers on in spite of her varicose veins affliction. Maybe it irritates others (Sarah) that Anna is praised for not complaining. I would imagine that in the Maxwell house, criticism is high for those who complain about even something minor. 

[PennySycamore]

12 minutes ago, socalrules said:

The varicose veins blurb seems to be nothing more than a mean spirited attack on Anna masking as a compliment. It makes me wonder if Anna isn't held up as the perfect wife and mother who soldiers on in spite of her varicose veins affliction. Maybe it irritates others (Sarah) that Anna is praised for not complaining. I would imagine that in the Maxwell house, criticism is high for those who complain about even something minor. 

And varicose veins may not be a minor thing.  I have two aunts that had to wear surgical/support stockings due to their varicose veins. (A neighbor worked at the Kendall factory was able to get them wholesale.)    I think one aunt got her veins stripped.  Varicose veins are not only unsightly, but painful.

[MamaJunebug]

7 hours ago, socalrules said:

The varicose veins blurb seems to be nothing more than a mean spirited attack on Anna masking as a compliment. It makes me wonder if Anna isn't held up as the perfect wife and mother who soldiers on in spite of her varicose veins affliction. Maybe it irritates others (Sarah) that Anna is praised for not complaining. I would imagine that in the Maxwell house, criticism is high for those who complain about even something minor. 

I don't get the "mean spirited attack" vibe at all. 

Anna's condition has been mentioned before.  Varicose veins can cause intense pain and thus limit a person's ability to stand comfortably for even moderate periods of time.  This is significant for a mother of 4 very young children. 

It's my considered opinion that Sarah intends to express admiration for Anna's fortitude in living with the condition ... but as so often happens, she trips over her words. 

Part of the problem -- IIRC & I may not, as I haven't looked at the post recently-- is that Sarah is trying to fit the compliment into the bullet-points list style she's using in the post. 

I'll have to go back and look again. Meanwhile, here's info on varicose veins. Varicose veins can hurt

ETA -- ok, I went & looked. Where Sarah goes wrong is not in the bullet points, it's in the narrative following. She writes positives about every family member and if she had scribed, "Anna keeps up with her children in spite of a painful condition" it would not have stuck out as badly as did "Anna doesn't complain."

I'm not criticizing Sarah's lapse, either. Just trying to write a sample for this post, I imagined the pressures she's under to get everything *!right!* and I nearly Ground away another tooth. 

No I don't perceive Sarah to be snarking on Anna -- but I do get an inkling of what it's like for her to fulfill her duties as family blogger. Steve sitting in judgment...yuck! It's not a job I'd ever want. 

[BullyJBG]

19 hours ago, mango_fandango said:

Over here, those Christmas letters haven't got a great reputation. They tend to be written only by middle-class families who love to boast about their infinite holidays (skiing being one of them), how well Hugo and Victoria are doing at their super expensive private schools and how many extra curriculars they do, etc etc. They're called "round robins" here I think. 

A Maxwell one would be the most boring thing EVER.

Yeah, it's tempting, some people think they need to send Christmas letters saying all the bad things. I only send one every few years when something significant happened; death, marriage, job change, etc. It always comes with some trials, right? And yeah; the key is "we had our ups and downs, but God is good all the time". Often with a thank-you to those who gave their loving support in difficult times. Please learn from this, Steve.

17 hours ago, bertnee said:

Let's say they actually manage to convert someone. What church will the new convert go to? The Church of Steve doesn't appear to accept new members unless by marriage.

They may have converted those from other places, like on their ministry tours. Someone comes to their conferences with a Christian friend, and "sees the light". In that case, they may go to whatever church said friend goes to, whether or not it's the one the conference was held.

[Dandruff]

Here's my take on the varicose veins comment:  They know Anna has varicose veins and doesn't complain about them.  Unfortunately, this is about as interesting as things get in Maxhell, so it's reported on.

[Trynn]

I think Sarah was trying to give an honest compliment. The reason it fails is the same reason Sarah's writing in general fails: she's never been allowed to read real books. She honestly doesn't realize how it sounds to the rest of us.

I was raised fundy lite, and I have the same problem sometimes. And I was allowed almost unrestricted access to books growing up. I just don't always know what's socially acceptable outside the bubble. It's frustrating.

[Jana814]

The idea of varicose veins sounds painful to me.  I give her a lot of credit for not complaining. I don't know if could. 

[MamaJunebug]

Lonnng time ago, a friend sent an insanely long Xmas letter boasting of her *8* kids' marvelous accomplishments.  I jotted two lines inside my card back to them: "Good year: we've all avoided arrest." 

I never heard back from her.  Never. Srsly. 

Still makes me smile!

[fundiefan]

On 11/24/2016 at 6:19 AM, itsme said:

New post up about thanksgiving. 

Apparently Sarah has a hard time coming up with individual qualities for each family member.  I can imagine since they are all so very godly. I especially like that Anna Maries quality is "doesn’t complain about her varicose veins."

I also think her encouraging of parents in the trenches by listing herself and her sisters as examples backfired. Anyone reading this, must realize that having your daughters, ranging in 20-40 in age, living at home and doing nothing, is not very encouraging.

I don`t know, i mainly feel so very sad for the "girls". They are obviously unhappy.

If I were NR Anna I'd be offended that my sister in law puts my health issues on the public blog. Then I'd be pissed that said sister in law could find nothing whatsoever to say about me other than I don't complain about said issue.

I don't live with any of my siblings and haven't for 30 years. But, I can tell you far more about them, their lives and their character than Sarah can come up with for the people she spends every waking moment with. I think that is incredibly sad. 

[anjulibai]

@fundiefan, what's really sad is that I could think up with more about Sarah's siblings and in-laws than she can. 

 

Hell, just going with NR Anna, she's a wonderful seamstress, she works hard taking care of her home and 4 small children, she's very talented with calligraphy (remember that sign she made for Teri?), she's thoughtful, and she's just an overall cheerful person. 

Gees, Sarah, it's not that hard to come up with something besides "doesn't complain about her varicose veins". 

[FloraKitty35]

3 hours ago, anjulibai said:

@fundiefan, what's really sad is that I could think up with more about Sarah's siblings and in-laws than she can. 

 

Hell, just going with NR Anna, she's a wonderful seamstress, she works hard taking care of her home and 4 small children, she's very talented with calligraphy (remember that sign she made for Teri?), she's thoughtful, and she's just an overall cheerful person. 

Gees, Sarah, it's not that hard to come up with something besides "doesn't complain about her varicose veins". 

She can't mention NR Anna's calligraphy skills, since Mary has been blessed with so much "out of the box creativity".  

[kpmom]

8 minutes ago, FloraKitty35 said:

She can't mention NR Anna's calligraphy skills, since Mary has been blessed with so much "out of the box creativity".  

Maybe that whole fundie family thing is just a piece of performance art by Mary?

If only!

[AliC]

1 hour ago, FloraKitty35 said:

She can't mention NR Anna's calligraphy skills, since Mary has been blessed with so much "out of the box creativity".  

Apparently, only one person can be "a creative", as the Maxwells so awkwardly put it, in their family. Don't ask me why. What exactly in their world defines creativity, anyway? Does cooking not count as an art? If it is, I think Reversal Anna would be considered "a creative" too even if their meal ideas aren't exactly what I would call creative. Photography and writing are arts too.