Lori Alexander 54: Embracing the Manosphere

[wallysmommy]

The genius Godly mentor has now used the wrong form of the word, one which I used in a post referring to her a week or so ago.  It's loathe not loath.  She even defines the word loathe, with the incorrect spelling.  

All I can think of is the lyrics to the song from Wicked! "loathing, unadulturated loathing, for your face, your voice, your clothing.  Let's just say, I loathe them all."  

[KDA]

I don't know too much about Alyssa or what she does, but I do have a huge problem with unqualified people selling "cures" that actually aren't. A very dear friend was diagnosed with breast cancer that her doctor was confident was treatable with conventional cancer therapy - mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation etc. She turned it down, and instead spent thousands on natural stuff that were recommended in a couple of different ebooks claiming to cure cancer. The authors of these books were proud of the fact that they weren't doctors, and therefore weren't subject to the pressure by drug companies.

She followed the directions exactly. She truly believed she was curing herself, but because she had turned down her conventional medical appointment, there was no normal follow-up care. She died, just 14 months after her diagnosis.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking anyone who chooses alternative therapies over conventional. What upsets me is the claim of a "cure" when it isn't.

[Sarah92]

Alyssa should not be treating eating disorders unless she has outside help. Eating disorders, especially severe ones, are often treated by a team of qualified people from different professions: mental health professional, doctor, dentist, and registered dietitian. Or they should be. Anorexia is one of the mental illnesses with the highest death rates. It's not something even I as a counselor am qualified to treat alone. So I really hope she isn't messing with things she shouldn't be. 

Gah gives me anxiety just thinking about it. I wish unqualified people would stop messing with mental health. The whole family just needs to take a step back. 

[AlwaysDiscerning]

Why does she not just to go to a real college and get a degree in something solid and legit? Is that because this is one of Lori's women approved things to do because she can easily quit if she ever has kids.

[CatholicLite]

Ugh. I don't know much about "nutritional therapy".... but that doesn't, I don't know, sound real? A nutritionist, yeah, but I've never heard of a nutritional therapist. How does that therapy work?

[AlwaysDiscerning]

51 minutes ago, CatholicLite said:

Ugh. I don't know much about "nutritional therapy".... but that doesn't, I don't know, sound real? A nutritionist, yeah, but I've never heard of a nutritional therapist. How does that therapy work?

That is the thing. Why not be a licensed dietician?  Everyone in that family does some sort of shady snake oil peddling business. 

[usmcmom]

I'm starting to get a "Gwen Shamblin" vibe from some of these quotes shared from Alyssa's website. 

I predict that, within a few years, we will finally see the perfect storm of a Lori Alexander/Gwen Shamblin hybrid. A thin young woman who is obssessed wirh weight and food, demands commitment to "her program" and will claim that God alone is responsible for her success as a "nutrtionao therapist," all while cashing monthly checks from her misguided clents??  An "expert" that will gladly blame her clients for if the program doesn't work ("you are not passionare enough!!")? 

Yep...Gworien is on her way to internet fame. 

[PennySycamore]

@AlwaysDiscerning,  I'd wanted my mention to my daughter that possibly they had a program in dietetics  at Mississippi State, but she's more interested in being a "nutritionist" which has exactly no qualifications.   My daughter unfortunately believes in all sorts of woo.  She was telling us about some guy who was healed of his MS by nutrition.  What she does not know if that MS (Multiple sclerosis)  commonly goes into remission only to be followed by a period -and it may be some time, even years, later- of exacerbation.  She was also talking about someone she heard of that had been cured of their cancer by prayer and drinking carrot juice.  I wish she was not into so much quackpottery.

[Hisey]

Looks like DIL Emily tried letting her baby cry it out:

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Emily Alexander Yes Grace was a terrible sleeper for 20 months and no amount of cry it out helped her. David is opposite and has responded SO well to every amount of sleep training! I think her advice is excellent as general rules, but won’t work necessarily on every baby!

It also sounds like she's going to have more kids, and that she'll sleep train them all, because she needs her sleep:

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Emily Alexander Hahaha I love that rule!! 
I figured out early on my parenting style and one of my top priorities is sleep for mama and baby. So all of my babies will be sleep trained, but some may take it to it better than others ?. #babywiseforthewin

 

Emily and her friends were discussing author Rachel Hollins when Lori chimes in, saying she's a false teacher and posting (as proof) a picture of Hollins with her midriff showing. I couldn't get the picture to copy but you can see it on Emily's FB page.

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Grant Diamond Saw your other post about sharing a negative review so had to come read it. Thanks for sharing. As someone who’s definitely adjusted his preaching/teaching style in recent years to be more along the lines of what Hollis is doing I thought I’d throw a…See More

 · Reply · 8h

Abigail Sjostrom Thank you for sharing, Grant. I love that you said you teach people what God has taught you, so true

 · Reply · 7h

Rebecca Kathleen So perfectly said, so true, and so important. Thank you so much. 

 · Reply · 4h

Emily Alexander Great thoughts Grant. Thanks for sharing.

 · Reply · 2h

Lori Alexander She is a false teacher!

Like

 · Reply · 2h

 

[Tigerchild74]

Unforuntately the main market for this quackery is actually NOT necessarily rich people with money to burn.  In my area, if you don't have an employer subsidized health insurance plan (which many people do not), if you want anything other than a $5k deductible shitty nearly catastrophic-only plan you're looking at almost $1000/mo in premiums, depending on your age/size of your family.

Most of the people I know who are into naturopaths and holistic healing and the like get there because they're paying less than they would out of pocket at the doctor's office, and instead of being treated like dirt (which I've never understood, you'd think that doctors' offices/medical professionals would kiss the ground their cash customers walk in on, given how much money they make off of them vs. insurance clients...but they do not.  Ask me how I know) they are treated like normal customers like everyone else.

So yes, the quacks make me angry, but honestly the system makes me enraged.  I have never had an employer-subsidized plan, I've only bought insurance on the individual market my entire adult life, and until Obamacare the only type we could afford was a $7000 deductible catastrophic only care plan (no prescription payments, no preventative care not even vaccinations for my children, I paid for every single one of those out of pocket, ect) and most medical professionals that I've had the pleasure of dealing with, for reasons unknown to me, seem to think that if you don't have a cadillac insurance plan, you're just a moron so they should look down on you either subtly or very very openly.   And the visits cost way more at a hospital or medical clinic than they do at a woo-woo place.

Now I have hired a dietician before, several times, in the course of getting treatment for my own eating disorder.  They were less expensive and more helpful (and often times more experienced) than most of the therapists I also employed now and then, but it was still cheaper to buy bundles of visits (3 visits seems to be a standard).  I think a lot of people don't realize that it works that way because maybe the average person is used to just going in to their full service clinic/HMO/reasonal healthcare place with their nice insurance that's subsidized through someone's workplace.  But if you are an individual with  minimal insurance trying to make an appointment or set up treatment with someone in private practice who will see patience on a cash-system vs. insurance, most of the time they will offer plans of multiple visits.  It doesn't mean they are involved in quackery.

All the more sad for the folks who may be desperate enough to turn to Lori's kid for "professional" help, because that payment system will be very familiar to them via the real medical system, and the costs will probably be less than going to the doctor, with a "practitioner" that spends more than 5 minutes with them, and doesn't treat them like crap.

[KDA]

3 hours ago, CatholicLite said:

Ugh. I don't know much about "nutritional therapy".... but that doesn't, I don't know, sound real? A nutritionist, yeah, but I've never heard of a nutritional therapist. How does that therapy work?

I'd never heard of it before either but according to Google it's a complementary therapy designed to help out with health problems that are difficult to treat. From the same website, they're not allowed to claim to cure anything, only to promote wellbeing through nutritional means.

 

ETA: You don't need a degree, nor do you need to be registered with a regulator. There are professional bodies out there but they're not compulsory to join.

[jjmennonite]

I’m not caught up with this thread but I just have to report that my daughter and I have just spent a glorious 18 days in Portugal and she is now flying home to launch her career, after 8 years of university. My point, she is not a virgin (I’m assuming, since she lived with her boyfriend for years and ther was a $x charge on my benefits, every month for some years when I had them) , she has lots of student loan debts and we almost got mother/daughter tattoos to commemorate this trip. She still only ticks 2 of the boxes. It was Sunday in Porto when we made our tattoo decision, so we did not get them. 

She is single now, and has more time for her mom. She is very private about her dating life, but did mention that “all my boyfriends think it’s cool that I’m traveling with my mom”. She is 6 feet tall, (182 cm) an athlete, beautiful (I am biased, but I do see heads turn) with long lovely hair, and wore a bikini, a lot , on this trip. 

I’m thinking maybe she doesn’t have much trouble getting dates. Her long term (ex) boyfriend is a really nice person. 

Maybe we will get our tats when I get home. This will certainly seal her fate. 

[TeddyBonkers]

Here comes Ken and his wall's o' text! I'm going to have to break this into chunks, not only to make it easier to pick apart his bullshit, but to make it easier for you all to read.

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No one is doubting that women have worked hard through out the centuries but they primarily worked in and around the home to be near their children and care for them. Clan members helped watch each others children and acre for them when a mother had to leave home for a few hours. But throughout the centuries it has always been primarily understood that the husband was to be the primary bread winner and the wife was mainly responsible for the home and children.
 

Women were not leaving home for a few hours, @KenNot when they were brewing beer in Sumeria, not when they were working in cotton fields in Alabama, not when they were sewing shirts piecemeal in London.

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You mention our circumstance where Lori has been able to mainly be at home, so you see this as “privileged.” We see this as simple obedience to God’s Word and His blessings as we chose to do things God’s ways. We started marriage with the idea that Lori would be at home raising the children and I would work hard, maybe even two jobs if necessary to help bring this dream to reality. Lori worked her first two years of marriage as we lived in a $210 a month trailer and I went through graduate school and worked almost full time. We saved and drove old cars, took few vacations and bought few clothes. When we had children Lori came home and I started working 60 hour weeks to try and create a successful business. She did the typing and secretarial stuff, much of the booking of hotels, and helped me from home with my business. She was great asset to me and she worked very hard caring for the children and working with me. As time went on she got very sick and I had to do more of the work on my own. I eventually cut back my business and travels to help more with the children and we took a big pay cut to be sure our family was our priority. We have rarely found the things of the world attractive to spend money on. Never been on a cruise or trip to Europe, but rather vacationed in the same spot every year for just two weeks. We have been content with whatever means we had and tried to share with others.

Hoo boy. LIIIIIIEEEEESSSS.  So you were fine with Lori working as long as you only had one kid, but as soon as you had two, oh holy cow better stop? Good thing she sabotaged her birth control.

When you say she got 'sick', is that the parasites? The tumor? (Stay with me, because this question comes up in your next wall o' text too.) Good thing the Lord had blessed you with some kick-ass health insurance because Lori had two more kids to take care of at this point too. And at that point you were still running off with your travels and your sacred basketball time.

"Never been on a cruise or trip to Europe, but rather vacationed in the same spot every year for just two weeks." Boy, please, last year Lori spent 3 months in Door County. And honestly, if you want to go on a cruise or a trip to Europe, I bet I could trim your grocery budget to make that happen. Just your GROCERY budget, not Lori's clothes budget or anything else.

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Here is my question to you. Was Lori really privileged? Sick as a dog in pain for many of our first 25-30 years of marriage, so much so she could not have worked even if she had wanted to. If she was privileged it was from marrying a hard-working man whose desire, along with her own desire, is to do things God’s ways and walk by faith, seeing how He will keep His promises. I am not a big fan of “the law of attraction” but I do see it as mirroring faith in many ways. Is it not possible that many are not seeing God’s blessings of a single wage earning family because they never set their sights on doing things God’s ways, never asked Him to bless you in that way, and never believed that it could actually come true?

Here comes the fun part. If Lori was as sick as you say she was, why in God's name did you keep impregnating her? 4 kids isn't a lot by fundie standards, but if you're going to keep throwing down the "OMG Lori was SOOO sick" card" I'm going to throw down the "keep your dick to yourself" card.

Point 2. Lori was absolutely privileged. She was sick but could have a nanny sent from heaven and a housekeeper come in to take care of things. Did you see a lot of nannies and housekeepers in those 3rd world countries you were at as a kid, Ken? How many people do you think have housekeepers? The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that in 2017 "services to buildings and dwellings" (which means it doesn't count hotels and hospitals) employed 106,260 housekeepers.

Lori's desire was to marry a paycheck. Nothing more.

[crawfishgirl]

Hasn't it been discussed that he would occasionally travel to Europe for business?  While it may not technically be a vacation, many people extend it and turn it into a trip for pleasure.  Haven't they also discussed their trips to Hawaii?  He mentions that he had to take the same two week vacation each year.  Many people aren't able to take two week vacations - some are lucky if they are able to get away for one week.  I've been on a couple of extended trips, but they were big events for me and not common.  Poor poor Ken has had it so rough in his life...  

 

[SongRed7]

14 hours ago, louisa05 said:

Among the absolute shit they have served over the years I have known them are a casserole of cauliflower, chicken and parmesan cheese seasoned with nothing but copious amounts of sage and Himalayan salt (note to non-cooks: don't salt something full of parmesan); cinnamon "chiffon" cake made with no sugar and no sugar substitute (that is just a bitter rock); meat loaf which was merely a pile of hamburger baked with nothing added and no seasoning; pizza which was a frozen pie crust with about a tablespoon of unseasoned tomato sauce, a little bit of unseasoned hamburger and a dollop of cheese

you made me laugh out loud with these "recipes"  Also made me lose my appetite, so YAY...since I'm on a mission to lose some weight after 12 weeks of inactivity due to foot surgery in June! 

 

[Koala]

3 hours ago, TeddyBonkers said:

"Never been on a cruise or trip to Europe, but rather vacationed in the same spot every year for just two weeks."

Oh, Ken.  Let me second @TeddyBonkers - Lies, lies, lies.  It's all lies!

And the bit about vacationing for "just two weeks"? 

I laugh for three reasons.

1.  Ken's privilege is totally showing.  In an effort to show us how they struggled, he admitted they vacationed yearly, for "only" two weeks.  ONLY!   What a joke.  Is he just totally oblivious?!  I don't know a single family who can afford to vacation for two weeks straight!

2.  It's a lie.  Here they are on a trip to Maui, because poor Lori had missed her summer vacation.

3.  We all know they spend "several months" in Door County each summer.  We know that because Lori posts about it regularly.

Lord.  Why can't they get their story straight?!

More?

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"Never been on a cruise or trip to Europe, but rather vacationed in the same spot every year for just two weeks."

Ken Alexander:

 

[wallysmommy]

She must have sinned terribly to be so sick for 25-30 years by their theology.  I'm sure Sir Ken of the Under the Rug Lie Sweeping must have a bazillion frequent flyer miles.  But if she flew, she might have to be served by blaspheming flight attendants, or even worse, fly with a Jezebel pilot.  Cruises are out because of the immodest dress of the staff, and the sinful entertainment.  And she wold complain the whole time about the inconvenience of having to walk many places because they are pedestrian only to preserve the historical sites.  This is how Ken and the sons would have to carry her around.

 

 

[Sarah92]

Omgosh with Ken's lies. They are soooo privileged. And you know what? That's okay, they can have that life. What's not okay is refusing to recognize that you have privilege and then expecting people to be able to live the same as you no matter their income. Also just being a general hypocrite which he is.

I've had clients with serious health problems where their 1st thought is "how little work can I take off for this procedure and how long can I wait to get it done? I might not be able to pay my bills if I don't work." Or "insurance doesn't cover this medicine, can I go without it?" They don't do two week vacations.

Heck, I know of someone who was fired because they were gone an extra day for their ONE week vacation because that's when they could travel back by flight. They'd ask for the extra day months in advance but their employers couldn't be bothered to look at the request until last minute and then deny it like a week before vacation. So the person called in sick. They let the person come back and work another week before firing them. They denied the extra day off despite the individual working six days a week and overtime consistently for like two years. Working six days a week with no raise and no benefits and they get fired for taking an extra day off....when going on a vacation to seeing an aging grandma. So yes I'd say Ken's privilege is showing with his two week vacations a year, his trip to Maui and working in Europe.

[Imrlgoddess]

Bully for you Ken.  So you started small and built it up, fabulous.  It isn't that simple for everyone in every walk of life.  I love how he'll "prove" their gender specific point over and over again but will not acknowledge the opposite scenario.  I highly doubt Lori would have gone and worked her lazy ass to the bone for him had he been stricken with a slipped disk or "parasites".  Lori would have cried to mommy and daddy and expected others to take care of them.  

I have no use for lazy, willfully ignorant people.  Ken can fuck right off with his "we were so poor once" crap. 

[usmcmom]

1 hour ago, Imrlgoddess said:

Bully for you Ken.  So you started small and built it up, fabulous.  It isn't that simple for everyone in every walk of life.  

My husband and I were just talking about this kind of thing yesterday. Some people who grew up very poor (as Ken evidently did) become financially successful amd remain humble and generous, always remembering where they came from and trying to help others. Some people have deep compassion and empathy toward those who have less than they, simply because they remember. 

And then some people who grew up poor and become financially successful end up...like Ken - arrogant, cruel, selfish, demeaning, boastful, judgmental. 

[SongRed7]

UGH...now she has an entire post calling out a woman who posted on her FB earlier this week because her daughter sincerely feels she has a calling to go into the medical field (and i believe said they could do it 'debt free') and couldn't image being a wife and mother at this point in her life (the daughter was 17!)   DON'T LISTEN TO LORI! Please.

And another thing I'm sick of is Lori saying "Since I was a young girl, all I ever wanted was to be was a wife and mother."  Well good for you. Not knocking any one's plan if that is their desire.  But everyone is NOT YOU LORI. People are different and people can handle different things.  I work in healthcare. A LOT OF WOMEN HERE. Most of us are mothers.  Like anything in life, its a balance.  I don't know one working mother who ignores, "loaths" or otherwise regrets their kids.   Kids are hard. Working is hard. Marriage is hard.   Life is hard....but people make it work.

Oh how she irritates me.  And she's pushing her book again ! 

 

 

[EowynW]

"All I ever want to be was a wife and mom" 

 

yea es my mom is the same way. Good for you mom. But that isn't for me. 

[delphinium65]

21 minutes ago, SongRed7 said:

UGH...now she has an entire post calling out a woman who posted on her FB earlier this week because her daughter sincerely feels she has a calling to go into the medical field (and i believe said they could do it 'debt free') and couldn't image being a wife and mother at this point in her life (the daughter was 17!)   DON'T LISTEN TO LORI! Please.

And another thing I'm sick of is Lori saying "Since I was a young girl, all I ever wanted was to be was a wife and mother."  Well good for you. Not knocking any one's plan if that is their desire.  But everyone is NOT YOU LORI. People are different and people can handle different things.  I work in healthcare. A LOT OF WOMEN HERE. Most of us are mothers.  Like anything in life, its a balance.  I don't know one working mother who ignores, "loaths" or otherwise regrets their kids.   Kids are hard. Working is hard. Marriage is hard.   Life is hard....but people make it work.

Oh how she irritates me.  And she's pushing her book again ! 

 

 

I had a feeling that mother's post was going to become a target for Lori's mangling.  And I absolutely agree, if a woman's desire in life is to become a wife and mother that's cool.  Lori seems to think that feminists want to take that choice away from women, when all most of us want is to open up other options, not take any away.  

[polecat]

13 hours ago, Hisey said:

Emily Alexander Hahaha I love that rule!! 
I figured out early on my parenting style and one of my top priorities is sleep for mama and baby. So all of my babies will be sleep trained, but some may take it to it better than others ?. #babywiseforthewin

 

Charming. 

Her poor child.

[Alisamer]

4 hours ago, Sarah92 said:

I've had clients with serious health problems where their 1st thought is "how little work can I take off for this procedure and how long can I wait to get it done? I might not be able to pay my bills if I don't work." Or "insurance doesn't cover this medicine, can I go without it?" They don't do two week vacations.

Yep. Granted, I did just take a one-week vacation to the beach - luckily there were 6 people renting the house so i was able to scrape up enough to afford the trip. BUT, while there, I got a toothache, which turned out to be an infected tooth. I had maxed out my dental insurance, to the point that I was going to have to pay out of pocket for cleanings. What saved me is that we had switched insurance providers and the new dental started September 1, so I was able to go and get a root canal done this morning for only $350 out of pocket. I had to come immediately back to work, in pain, but still - I was able to get treatment. I don't know what I'd have done if we hadn't started new insurance just in the nick of time. Suffered until January 1 or I got sepsis? Tried to pull the tooth? I have no idea. I certainly couldn't have paid for a root canal. I've nearly drained my savings on dental stuff already this year.

That's the sort of thing Lori doesn't have to worry about. She has pain, she can go to the doctor or dentist. She doesn't have to hold her breath hoping the prescription they give her will be affordable, or pray that the paycheck coming in will manage to get there before the bills going out do. And then she can post some woo about black salve and fancy bread with expensive organic butter on it, while telling her poor followers to just stay home, and it'll all work out!

She's never wanted for anything, so they won't either. Somehow. No idea how. Just be "Godly" and you'll go to heaven when you starve to death or die from a treatable disease, I guess.