Maxwell 20: Fun just dies

[Lisafer]

4 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

Wait, I am confused. I thought you were a recovered fundie.

I am. My husband was never fundie. He has no idea of the intricacies of fundie beliefs.

Edit to add: he was raised conservative Christian, but all this extra special snowflake stuff is beyond what he was ever involved in. 

[anniebgood]

On 5/21/2018 at 4:55 PM, picklepizzas said:

This post was amazing. The cheese crisp is like something I would shame-eat alone and hungover because I just needed something quick and cheesy but couldn't make it to the grocery store.

The comment on people standing made me laugh - who would feel the need to explain that photo? They're at a casual family party, of course some people are milling about while others sit! Is this really the first time something that crazy happened at a maxwell party??

 

My kid would call that ghetto nachos. Just pop the cheese on the tortilla and nuke it. 

[purjolok84]

The “three generations” photo annoyed me because on Mothers’ Day, all of the mothers of those children—an entire fourth generation—were excluded. 
The photo of Arnold lounging on the play kitchen was cute.  [mention=23568]JermajestyDuggar[/mention], can I join the Arnold Fan Club?

I want to join too - Arnold is the only sane member of Maxhell and the only reason I can think of for him sticking around is curiosity. That and knocking many of Anna's smoothies off the table with his paw.

[Palimpsest]

@CyborgKin just mentioned this blog in a Botkin thread, to my enormous gratitude.  I'd forgotten the name and had been trying to find it again. 

It is a fantastic resource for Maxwell followers so I'm putting a link here too.  When Cows and Kids Collide is written by a science teacher and farmer.  She writes devastating reviews of Maxwell books and analyses why Steve's idea of business models is full of it.  Here's a recent post: 

http://whencowsandkidscollide.blogspot.com/2018/04/preparing-sons-chapter-10-part-two.html

And an excerpt from the above that looks at the recent changes in the Maxwell empire that we have been discussing: 

Quote

Steven Maxwell began Communication Concepts Inc as a printing and online forms sale company.  Somehow, this company morphed into small-business freelance IT consulting business.  Until a few weeks ago, most of the Maxwell sons along with Steven Maxwell were prominently featured on the website.  Now, the only people on the website are Nathan Maxwell as an IT professional and Annie (the middle sister) as the call center representative.  In the strangest cross-cross marketing I've seen, the Maxwells (as of 2013) still list Communication Concepts Inc as the publisher for all of the Titus 2 books - including the "Managers of their ...." series, "Preparing Sons...." and my current favorite "Raising Great Conversationalists".

In addition to Communication Concepts Inc., Nathan and Joseph Maxwell started a company that sold web-based classes to prepare other homeschooled conservative people to pass computer credential classes.   ITonRamp survived for about four years before closing in 2015.  It currently offers one set of videos to rent for $65.00 for 6 months.  Sarah Maxwell is in charge of sending people who order the videos worksheets to complete on their own.

Christopher Maxwell was involved in Communication Concepts Inc specializing in photography.  Since his photography business didn't really mesh well with CCI's ongoing specialization in computer security, he spun off  his own photography business. He will only photograph weddings that have modest women's dresses, no alcohol and no dancing - and then implies that his schedule is open because of his own choices about his family rather than having eliminated 99% of weddings in the US.   He mentions in the pricing section that he has an assistant who travels with him, but needs a separate hotel room.   I suspect his assistant is either Sarah or Mary Maxwell.

In addition to photographing weddings (and possibly photos for internet sales), Christopher Maxwell has an underwhelming website advertising his skills at fixing websites for small businesses.

Sarah Maxwell is a daughter - but she's been the main force behind Titus 2's online presence including all of the "Managers of Their...." forums and updates since she was in high school. (This becomes weirdly clear if you read the family schedules in the "Managers of Their School" book.  Sarah's schedule from when she was 18-23 has most of the morning dedicated to working on "Managers of Their Home" work while Teri has no time available for that job.)  She's written something like 10 children's books that have been completely scrubbed of any questionable material like kids who disobey their parents.  She also does the bookkeeping for several of her brother's businesses.

Joseph is currently the lead designer at Swift Otter Solutions focuses on e-commerce site design, maintenance and support.  Steven, Christopher, and Jesse Maxwell are all listed as members of that company.  How Swift Otter is different from Christopher's separate business over at FourPointEleven is not entirely clear to me; maybe Christopher works only with sites that don't do business on the website?   In the section on "Work" for Swift Otter, there are ten completed projects listed - but there have been no new projects added in over a year.  The site is also offering free study guides for some Magento credentials in exchange for your email address.  I'm very curious why they want my email address that badly.

The only son who has stepped away from Maxwell conglomerate of businesses (a little) is John.    Instead, he has Maxwell Irrigation which offers an independent service of drafting irrigation designs for farms of all size.  Unfortunately, an independent draft of an irrigation design is useless if the farmer needs installation - and Maxwell Irrigation is light on experience in installing and maintaining irrigation equipment.    John also has a realtor's licence and his bio on that page states that he is a licensed Master Electrician and Master Plumber.  Being a Master Electrician is a major time-investment in Michigan so I was curious how he pulled off completing 12,000 hours of hands-on training in six years in a family that doesn't believe in working for others.  Silly me; Kansas doesn't licence electricians at the state level.  He might hold those credentials at the local level in Kansas City - but both of those simply requires passing a test and getting two people who work in the trade to vouch for your skills.  John's not entirely free of the Maxwell business snarl, though.  One of Christopher's sub-specialities in photography is real estate listings....

Ten adults of working age.  One non-profit ministry that sells a lot of materials.  Five for-profit businesses.  Two shuttered or failed businesses.  So many moving parts.

She's also brilliant on HWAMAQS and MOTH.  I don't think she is one of us here on FJ but I wish she was.

Happy reading.

[Palimpsest]

I just noticed a correction that needs to be made to the quote from When Kids and Cows Collide above:

Quote

Ten adults of working age.  One non-profit ministry that sells a lot of materials.  Five for-profit businesses.  Two shuttered or failed businesses.  So many moving parts.

Titus 2 Ministries is also a for-profit business.  Steve makes a big deal at conferences that donations are not tax deductible because they are not a non-profit.  I also think she missed Maxwell and Sons Construction (Joseph and John) so that makes three shuttered or failed businesses.

[grammyj]

Thanks, Palimpsest. This looks like some good reading tonight when the grandkids go home.

[Black Aliss]

On 5/23/2018 at 10:25 AM, nelliebelle1197 said:

Yeah, the BuckHales are fundie but they never struck me as creepy

That "generations" photo annoyed the hella outta me. WHY IS STEVE PART OF THE MOTHER'S DAY GRANDKID AND MATERNAL GREAT GRANDMA PHOTO SHOOT?!

Because if he hadn't had his vasectomy reversed Teri would not be blessed with as many grandchildren.

[Candydandy]

Almost had a Maxwell moment today. At 2 pm I realized I didnt have a plan for dinner. My hubbyship was out all day and I had to bring my son to the Dr after school. I quickly went into the freezer and pulled out sauce and meatballs I previously cooked and put into a freezer container. I also had some lettuce I prewshed in the fridge, no pizza cutter needed. Sigh of relief, no toasted cheese crackers today

[16strong]

1 hour ago, Candydandy said:

Almost had a Maxwell moment today. At 2 pm I realized I didnt have a plan for dinner. My hubbyship was out all day and I had to bring my son to the Dr after school. I quickly went into the freezer and pulled out sauce and meatballs I previously cooked and put into a freezer container. I also had some lettuce I prewshed in the fridge, no pizza cutter needed. Sigh of relief, no toasted cheese crackers today

What, you didn't neglect to tell your headship to pick up a pizza and then behave passive aggressively when he came home without one?

[mango_fandango]

Do you get writers’ block? Just pray, says Sarah!! 

OK there are other things but prayer is #1 on the list. *eyeroll*

[FloraKitty35]

"The Lord is the Author of creativity, and He knows exactly what the story needs!"

Sarah, maybe the Lord thinks that you need to give up writing.  

[nelliebelle1197]

12 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

@CyborgKin just mentioned this blog in a Botkin thread, to my enormous gratitude.  I'd forgotten the name and had been trying to find it again. 

It is a fantastic resource for Maxwell followers so I'm putting a link here too.  When Cows and Kids Collide is written by a science teacher and farmer.  She writes devastating reviews of Maxwell books and analyses why Steve's idea of business models is full of it.  Here's a recent post: 

http://whencowsandkidscollide.blogspot.com/2018/04/preparing-sons-chapter-10-part-two.html

And an excerpt from the above that looks at the recent changes in the Maxwell empire that we have been discussing: 

She's also brilliant on HWAMAQS and MOTH.  I don't think she is one of us here on FJ but I wish she was.

Happy reading.

How the hell are they supporting like 40 people? There has to be more going on in Maxhell

[socalrules]

My guess is that Sarah gets writer’s block when she realizes she has already used every single experience in her life in her books. She then goes to a family member, either mom or dad, who can give her a new experience to write, i.e.  girl who prays while putting the dishes away instead of only when washes the dishes. See, now she has a whole new chapter for her book. 

[MamaJunebug]

Which one of us is “Colleen,” the homeschooling mom who advised the reading of well written fiction?

And is Poor Sarah lying when she says she reads fiction?

[nastyhobbitses]

2 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

How the hell are they supporting like 40 people? There has to be more going on in Maxhell

I'd watch the shit out of a Netflix show where the Maxwells have all these businesses to launder the proceeds of their cocaine empire. 

[Palimpsest]

9 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

How the hell are they supporting like 40 people? There has to be more going on in Maxhell

It is still just under 30 at the moment, but the numbers are growing.  Christopher is the one who seems to have the least earning potential and no end in sight with popping out new babies.

I've often wondered whether Steve got himself managed out of his last job with a nice payoff and invested it wisely.  It was in that sales job he refused to have business lunches with women ...

Kids and Cows Collide has actually read Preparing Sons (more than I can stomach). 

Quote

The official "story" goes as follows:  Steven Maxwell works for 20 years in corporate America after receiving a college degree in engineering - but God was calling him to start his own business.  Meanwhile,  his son Nathan who was home schooled and has not attended college was out-earning Steven during Steven's last few years in the corporate world through grit, hard-work, and (the implication of) contract work alone.  If Nathan Maxwell can jump economically that far ahead of his father through online certifications and a home-business, anyone can!

http://whencowsandkidscollide.blogspot.com/2017/12/preparing-single-income-sons-spinning.html

She then goes on to unpack the unofficial story and put together some of Steve's mysterious work history.  Some of it I already knew:  the Air Force, the degree, that he had worked for Boeing and Wilcox before starting up CCI.  I also agree with the "sic" when it comes to Steve's LinkedIn profile.  Ain't no such company as Wilcox/Thompson that I can find.

However, there are a couple of things there that I did not know - like the claim that the very young Nathan actually out-earned Steve.  Steve's sales job could have been commission only, of course, and I can't imagine he's much good at selling anything except God.

8 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

Which one of us is “Colleen,” the homeschooling mom who advised the reading of well written fiction?

And is Poor Sarah lying when she says she reads fiction?

I noticed that too.  I hope someone asks Sarah what fiction she reads.

 

[Rowan]

8 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

And is Poor Sarah lying when she says she reads fiction?

Of course she does (for many of us), but she wouldn't consider it so. I don't think the Bible is that well-written though.

[doozeratwork]

On 5/23/2018 at 6:23 PM, Lisafer said:

I am. My husband was never fundie. He has no idea of the intricacies of fundie beliefs.

Edit to add: he was raised conservative Christian, but all this extra special snowflake stuff is beyond what he was ever involved in. 

I was raised somewhere between very conservative Christian and fundie, and it is really difficult to explain things to my husband (raised WORLDLY). Some experiences and memories are too hard to put into words. If I need to talk about something fundie related, I always talk to my sisters instead. 

[formergothardite]

1 hour ago, Palimpsest said:

and I can't imagine he's much good at selling anything except God.

He does a poor job at even selling God.  Most of his converts were born into his little cult. He makes God seem like the most boring thing in the universe.  

[Black Aliss]

4 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

 

I noticed that too.  I hope someone asks Sarah what fiction she reads.

 

They do spend a lot of time reading the Bible.  And aren't the Maxwells 1611KJV-only Xtians? No shortage of fiction in their reading, then.

[nomoxian]

Wilcox Electric was a subsidiary of Thompson-CSF. More info here. I found the connection via this guys Linkedin.

[Eclipse]

I go to writing conferences several times a year and I have 8 friends who have been published by traditional publishers (not self-published or small presses) and 3 of them are published is several overseas markets as well.  I have never heard them one of them mention prayer as the number 1 suggestion for over come writers block. Usually they recommend changing your writing method (computer to pen or vice versa), change of location, take a short break, skip ahead or you have a structural problem in your story that you need to fix but to understand that you need to understand how stories work and Sarah Maxwell does not. 

[Anonymousguest]

On 5/24/2018 at 8:57 PM, MamaJunebug said:

Which one of us is “Colleen,” the homeschooling mom who advised the reading of well written fiction?

And is Poor Sarah lying when she says she reads fiction?

Her response that she definitely reads fiction doesn't even fit with Colleen's suggestion. She says to read kids across many genres and Sarah responds that she definitely reads fiction. Did Sarah cut something out of the original post but forget and respond to that anyway? 

The idea to get critique from published writers is a good one, and something that nearly every other writer I know does. Just joining an online go of fellow children's book authors would be immensely helpful, but she's never do it. 

Oh, the other thing I would add to the list of suggestions that she will never do is to take some writing workshops. I don't write, but I teach Art and I live taking Art classes, even ones aimed at beginning artists because I always learn something new. Always! 

[purjolok84]

I'd watch the shit out of a Netflix show where the Maxwells have all these businesses to launder the proceeds of their cocaine empire. 

As long as they have a nice revelatory scene where the police/feds are interviewing a woman who describes a very awkward encounter with a male colleague who refused to meet with her for a meeting without his wife present ...

[Eclipse]

Its Gigi's birthday! Happy Birthday Gigi! Another year of living next to your isolated family. 

 

Quote

GiGi and me on a visit to a little town that I’m patterning my book from.

Oh Sarah. Your parents really failed you and you have nothing resembling an education. Perhaps you would find it easier to write if you understand basic English grammer? Your sentence does not make any sense. 

 

Quote

The party was Nathan and Melanie’s idea since GiGi likes Chinese!

I think you mean Chinese food there Sarah, unless you are Ok with coming off as a racist.