Maxwell 7: Still boring

[anjulibai]

3 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

All I could think was, "What. The. Hail." I grew up in a house with a dirt-floor basement and a furnace that made the one in "HomeAlone" look beneficent. Even when we moved to a newly built house, my sisters and I used to go with each other to the basement. And NEVER in the dark.

Those children are beautiful. And in both cooky-related posts, the older girl looks to be over it all. #Free~Whichever~Maxtot~She~Is!

That's Ruthanne. Her smiles definitely have always seemed over it. She is quite a beauty - takes after NR Anna. 

[Elegant Mess]

22 hours ago, VooDooChild said:

I hope this makes sense.  My husband, daughter, and two parakeets are all jabbering in my ear at once.

So, did you teach your daughter and your parakeets to be Great Conversationalists(TM)?

[Season of life...]

"What can you do to add a little spice to life when you have four children ages four and under?"

Whose lives are they spicing up? The childrens' lives? They were lured into a dark room with the promise of cookies, allowing them to act out a Maxwell version of the Hunger Games to be the first one to reach the treats. Toddlers forced to roam in the dark in search of sweet sustenance--how spicy!

The parents' lives by allowing them to close the door and have some quality child-free time together as the cherubs play survival of the fittest in the basement Thunderdome? Er, how spicy?

I don't know why the word "spice" in this instance annoys me--surely there are other ways to add zest to life that don't include a dark basement and flickering flashlights. I can't help but imagine tremulous little voices singing "Jesus loves me, this I know..." as they make their way through the dark.

Sorry--BEC mood today.

[FloraDoraDolly]

6 hours ago, socalrules said:

This is the Maxwell version of an Easter egg hunt. I feel like this is what all fundies do. They take an activity the majority of people engage in, tweak it, slap a new name on it and then pat themselves on the back for being a visionary. 

Nathan and Melanie's kids got to do a real Easter egg hunt at least once. They were with Melanie's side of the family, of course. It was on one of their relatives' FB pages. I don't remember who exactly, but one of our FJ-ers spotted Abbie and/or Bethany hunting eggs with their cousins.

Christopher and Anna Marie's kids probably aren't so lucky. I wonder what those kids do all day? It would be different if they lived on a farm and could do rural Amish-y activities. But I picture them sitting on a couch in a super-clean house, reading the same homeschool texts over and over again, occasionally helping their mother fold napkins or match socks.

[mango_fandango]

Not sure what to think about the Ruthie smile. She does look a little sad, but is it just because we're used the to the really beaming smiles we get from the ABC girls? Or maybe that's just how she smiles and it's part of her persoanlity, being a sweet, quiet kid. IDK. 

[anachronistic]

Being a sweet, quiet kid is the only personality allowed in Maxhell, at least for girls. 

[Dandruff]

1 hour ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

Christopher and Anna Marie's kids probably aren't so lucky. I wonder what those kids do all day?

I'll guess that they pray, play obedience games, memorize bible verses, eat politely, do little kid chores using Chorepacks, and maybe have some scheduled outdoor exercise/playtime.

Wonder how Daniel's doctor appointment went.  That would be something to share if they wanted to try to be not boring.  What are his height and weight?  How do they compare to his siblings at that age?  Has he done anything cute lately?

[Gobsmacked]

1 hour ago, Season of life... said:

"What can you do to add a little spice to life when you have four children ages four and under?"

Whose lives are they spicing up? The childrens' lives? They were lured into a dark room with the promise of cookies, allowing them to act out a Maxwell version of the Hunger Games to be the first one to reach the treats. Toddlers forced to roam in the dark in search of sweet sustenance--how spicy!

The parents' lives by allowing them to close the door and have some quality child-free time together as the cherubs play survival of the fittest in the basement Thunderdome? Er, how spicy?

I don't know why the word "spice" in this instance annoys me--surely there are other ways to add zest to life that don't include a dark basement and flickering flashlights. I can't help but imagine tremulous little voices singing "Jesus loves me, this I know..." as they make their way through the dark.

Sorry--BEC mood today.

Thank you for the laughs I needed today.

[RoseWilder]

I can't believe I'm agreeing with anything the Maxwells have done, but I think the cookie hunt is a really cute idea. I think my niece would LOVE to do that. I'm going to try it the next time she comes over. 

I'm happy to see the children from that branch of the Maxwell tree getting to have a little fun. I'm surprised Steve allowed that post to be put up on the blog. I just keep thinking about that story he told about taking his kids to Orlando and then making them spend the day cleaning up someone's yard instead of going to Disney World. I wouldn't have expected him to approve of a cookie hunt. He would probably prefer they spend that time cleaning out the basement while thinking about where they're going to go when they die. 

[Captain Obvious]

2 hours ago, RoseWilder said:

I just keep thinking about that story he told about taking his kids to Orlando and then making them spend the day cleaning up someone's yard instead of going to Disney World. 

What?!!

Was that as punishment or something or was the trip to Orlando always intended to be Fun Housework With The Moodys Maxwells?

[nomoxian]

8 hours ago, Dandruff said:

I'll guess that they pray, play obedience games, memorize bible verses, eat politely, do little kid chores using Chorepacks, and maybe have some scheduled outdoor exercise/playtime.

Wonder how Daniel's doctor appointment went.  That would be something to share if they wanted to try to be not boring.  What are his height and weight?  How do they compare to his siblings at that age?  Has he done anything cute lately?

I totally expect to see a post like that up soon. I noticed there was a post with a cookie recipe after people on here talked about how it would be interesting and perhaps even f*n to have something like that on the blog. HELLLOOOOO STEVE!

[RoseWilder]

8 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

What?!!

Was that as punishment or something or was the trip to Orlando always intended to be Fun Housework With The Moodys Maxwells?

No, it wasn't a punishment. Or at least Steve wasn't using it as a punishment. I just tried to search through the archives to find the thread where this was originally discussed, but I can't seem to find it. 

Does anyone else remember the Maxwell Orlando trip? 

[VooDooChild]

21 hours ago, Elegant Mess said:

So, did you teach your daughter and your parakeets to be Great Conversationalists(TM)?

Well, of course!  They even have the crazy eyes down pat.

[catlady]

13 hours ago, RoseWilder said:

I can't believe I'm agreeing with anything the Maxwells have done, but I think the cookie hunt is a really cute idea. I think my niece would LOVE to do that. I'm going to try it the next time she comes over. 

I'm happy to see the children from that branch of the Maxwell tree getting to have a little fun. I'm surprised Steve allowed that post to be put up on the blog. I just keep thinking about that story he told about taking his kids to Orlando and then making them spend the day cleaning up someone's yard instead of going to Disney World. I wouldn't have expected him to approve of a cookie hunt. He would probably prefer they spend that time cleaning out the basement while thinking about where they're going to go when they die. 

yes, overall it was very clever and sounds like genuine fun for the kids.  but i see both sides.  the concern seems to come from the fact that since we here are "normal" (where the Maxwells are......Maxwells), the average basement is not necessarily a safe place for very small children to be running around in the dark--mine included, what with tools, canning supplies, laundry products, storage on open shelving, and the occasional daddy-longlegs.  hiding cookies in the living room with the lights dimmed would make more sense for us.  but as someone pointed out earlier, Maxwellian basements are probably clean, bug- and dust-free, and childproofed.  

between this and sledding, the grandchildren are having quite a bit of fun recently.

i missed the Orlando trip.  if Steve really did that, he's an even bigger dick than i imagined.  ok, so he doesn't like Disney; some people don't (i went once and have no desire to go back).  but he made his kids do yardwork rather than do any of the hundreds of touristy and kid-friendly things in Orlando?  what a jerk.

[RoseWilder]

10 minutes ago, catlady said:

yes, overall it was very clever and sounds like genuine fun for the kids.  but i see both sides.  the concern seems to come from the fact that since we here are "normal" (where the Maxwells are......Maxwells), the average basement is not necessarily a safe place for very small children to be running around in the dark--mine included, what with tools, canning supplies, laundry products, storage on open shelving, and the occasional daddy-longlegs.  hiding cookies in the living room with the lights dimmed would make more sense for us.  but as someone pointed out earlier, Maxwellian basements are probably clean, bug- and dust-free, and childproofed.  

It seems a little bitch-eating-crackers to snark on them doing a cookie hunt just because other people have messy basements. It's a cute, fun idea. There's enough about the Maxwells to snark on without inventing problems where there are none. 

 

[catlady]

2 minutes ago, RoseWilder said:

It seems a little bitch-eating-crackers to snark on them doing a cookie hunt just because other people have messy basements. It's a cute, fun idea. There's enough about the Maxwells to snark on without inventing problems where there are none. 

 

fair enough, yes, it does.  but when i first read the post, i involuntarily imagined my own basement and cringed a bit.  but if i had a finished basement rather than a concrete box with exposed rafters and cobwebby windows, i might have thought differently.  i think human nature in that regard caused the off-the-cuff reactions.  but in hindsight, the Maxwell basements are probably cleaner than any room in my house and as pleasant to be in as my living room.  YMMV.

[socalrules]

Are we sure the Maxwell kids even knew Disney World, or anything related to Disney, even existed at the time of the trip? I can't see the kids having seen any of the movies, read any of the books or had a Mickey Mouse doll hanging around. 

[FloraDoraDolly]

7 hours ago, socalrules said:

Are we sure the Maxwell kids even knew Disney World, or anything related to Disney, even existed at the time of the trip? I can't see the kids having seen any of the movies, read any of the books or had a Mickey Mouse doll hanging around. 

If the Maxwell kids were/are aware of Disney World, they have probably been brainwashed into thinking it's evil and anyone who goes there is bound for Hell. It's fairly standard for fundies (and even many fundie lites) to ban all movies, books, and toys with fantasy or magical themes. No princesses, witches, unicorns, dragons, magic spells, etc. Also, no dinosaur stories that are dated "millions of years ago", although it's OK to depict them co-existing with Genesis-era humans. Fundie lites usually allow talking animals, as long as they live in a realistic world like the Berenstain Bears, Winnie the Pooh, and Curious George. 

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

12 hours ago, catlady said:

fair enough, yes, it does.  but when i first read the post, i involuntarily imagined my own basement and cringed a bit.  but if i had a finished basement rather than a concrete box with exposed rafters and cobwebby windows, i might have thought differently.  i think human nature in that regard caused the off-the-cuff reactions.  but in hindsight, the Maxwell basements are probably cleaner than any room in my house and as pleasant to be in as my living room.  YMMV.

They're standing on a tile floor, not concrete.....it's probably a finished or semi-finished basement. 

[fish_ca]

On 7.02.2017 at 2:38 AM, mango_fandango said:

Not sure what to think about the Ruthie smile. She does look a little sad, but is it just because we're used the to the really beaming smiles we get from the ABC girls? Or maybe that's just how she smiles and it's part of her persoanlity, being a sweet, quiet kid. IDK. 

I would agree with you here. And maybe they don't have "smiley face" shots of Ruthie. My son is all smiles all day long and when I try to take some photos he freezes or on the contrary smiles like never before but moving like it was fire in his diaper. So I usually end up with eleventy of blured photos and I'm lucky sometimes when I get a good shot lol.

So wouldn't try to find something in there. The kids are still very small and seems they are allowed to have some kind of fun. So far so good.

Their time will come, right Steve?

ETA: same story with Allie Webster, there was similar discussion in Bates forum

[kpmom]

6 hours ago, fish_ca said:

 The kids are still very small and seems they are allowed to have some kind of fun. So far so good.

Their time will come, right Steve?

 

I agree.

Steve wrote in, I believe, Preparing Sons (or maybe an old Dad's Corner) that playtime ceases or gets severely cut back around the beginning of the pre- teen years.

At that point he expects them to start doing much more work and less play.

I'm going to assume Christopher will do the same with his kids.

[SPHASH]

Coward Steve has been reading here again.  Today's Seriously e-mail talks about kids working and not going to amusement parks.  I subscribe to his dad emails and I'm a woman.

[fish_ca]

You are one ungodly woman @SPHASH

But at least Steve gets inspired here for his manly men newsletters or whatever he calls it. You're welcome, Steve! It has to be a gold mine...

[16strong]

4 hours ago, SPHASH said:

Coward Steve has been reading here again.  Today's Seriously e-mail talks about kids working and not going to amusement parks.  I subscribe to his dad emails and I'm a woman.

No amusement parks? What, too much fucking f*n for them? Dear Maxwells, don't you know how to balance work and play? You know what, nvm.

[SPHASH]

4 hours ago, fish_ca said:

You are one ungodly woman @SPHASH

But at least Steve gets inspired here for his manly men newsletters or whatever he calls it. You're welcome, Steve! It has to be a gold mine...

Im proud to be called an ungodly woman!