Maxwell 25: Pies, Cakes, Tarts, and Tortes

[Granwych]

16 hours ago, HereticHick said:

Could the burrito-making marathon be for John &  Chelsy?  Or do you only get a buffer stock of frozen food if you've had multiple babies already.

Would John actually eat those things now that he's enjoyed Chels' s  wondrous cooking?

[CyborgKin]

I was "in my late twenties" until the day of my 30th birthday.

[mango_fandango]

Melanie and Anna Marie have been on “mommy retreats”, ie Teri went to their houses and did homeschool etc with them, so that Melanie and Anne Marie could each spend a day in the Lord. (I’m assuming Sarah was there too to do photos). 

 

[Rosie]

4 hours ago, mango_fandango said:

Melanie and Anna Marie have been on “mommy retreats”, ie Teri went to their houses and did homeschool etc with them, so that Melanie and Anne Marie could each spend a day in the Lord. (I’m assuming Sarah was there too to do photos). 

 

I found that post so confusing.  I didn't understand what GiGi going away for a few weeks had to do with the mommies having a retreat day to spend time with the LORD, until later in the post when it became clear that the retreat took place at GiGi's vacant house.  Also, the blanket in the suitcase was confusing (why?) as was the yogurt and cheese in the fridge as a "special treat."

I'm hoping that both Melanie and Anna Marie spent their time at GiGi's watching cable TV and drinking wine.

[hollyandivy]

 

23 minutes ago, Rosie said:

I found that post so confusing.  I didn't understand what GiGi going away for a few weeks had to do with the mommies having a retreat day to spend time with the LORD, until later in the post when it became clear that the retreat took place at GiGi's vacant house.  Also, the blanket in the suitcase was confusing (why?) as was the yogurt and cheese in the fridge as a "special treat."

I'm hoping that both Melanie and Anna Marie spent their time at GiGi's watching cable TV and drinking wine.

I'm with you, it was a confusing post.

 

And what a crappy mommy retreat. Bring on the massage mani/pedi, getting your hair done. Oh, but wait, we are talking Maxhell here, my bad!

[MamaJunebug]

41 minutes ago, Rosie said:

I found that post so confusing.  I didn't understand what GiGi going away for a few weeks had to do with the mommies having a retreat day to spend time with the LORD, until later in the post when it became clear that the retreat took place at GiGi's vacant house.  Also, the blanket in the suitcase was confusing (why?) as was the yogurt and cheese in the fridge as a "special treat."

I'm hoping that both Melanie and Anna Marie spent their time at GiGi's watching cable TV and drinking wine.

I don’t remember that post but strongly suspect that we’ll learn the “retreat” involved some kind of ministry housework done on Gigi’s behalf.  Whether she wanted it done, or not.  

[punkiepie]

38 minutes ago, Rosie said:

I found that post so confusing.  I didn't understand what GiGi going away for a few weeks had to do with the mommies having a retreat day to spend time with the LORD, until later in the post when it became clear that the retreat took place at GiGi's vacant house.  Also, the blanket in the suitcase was confusing (why?) as was the yogurt and cheese in the fridge as a "special treat."

I'm hoping that both Melanie and Anna Marie spent their time at GiGi's watching cable TV and drinking wine.

I had to read it several times before I understood what actually happened and I still have questions.  Like, if Melanie brought a suitcase with her that was filled with only Abby's blanket, was that really a surprise?  Why did NR Anna have to be out of the house by 9am?  If it was her retreat day, why did she have to rush so much to get out by a certain time, causing her to skip breakfast?  Is it because even the retreat day was so overly scheduled?  Is that Nathan and Melanie's trampoline? Is that new?  Seems like too much unstructured fun- Steve must be weeping.

Like Sarah's books, this post was a similar combination of too many details where it was unnecessary and then big gaping holes where more details would have helped in overall readability and cohesion. 

[Jana814]

49 minutes ago, Rosie said:

 

I'm hoping that both Melanie and Anna Marie spent their time at GiGi's watching cable TV and drinking wine.

So do I. I doubt that happened though. 

[church_of_dog]

Any opinions on whether Tina's (?) big-sister shirt is a "hidden" message?

[Dru]

58 minutes ago, Rosie said:

I found that post so confusing.  I didn't understand what GiGi going away for a few weeks had to do with the mommies having a retreat day to spend time with the LORD, until later in the post when it became clear that the retreat took place at GiGi's vacant house.  Also, the blanket in the suitcase was confusing (why?) as was the yogurt and cheese in the fridge as a "special treat."

I'm hoping that both Melanie and Anna Marie spent their time at GiGi's watching cable TV and drinking wine.

Oh good! It's not just my stupid hangover brain not functioning this morning. Lol I was happy to see that Gigi is in fact with Tami. I hope they are on vacation together. And no, not just what some would call a vacation. An actual vacation.

3 minutes ago, church_of_dog said:

Any opinions on whether Tina's (?) big-sister shirt is a "hidden" message?

Probably not. They wear those shirts a lot.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

29 minutes ago, punkiepie said:

Like, if Melanie brought a suitcase with her that was filled with only Abby's blanket, was that really a surprise?

Sure.  It was a surprise that she gave her Mommy her favorite blankets...it comforts her, she was sharing that with her mom.  I think that's so sweet.

30 minutes ago, punkiepie said:

Why did NR Anna have to be out of the house by 9am?  If it was her retreat day, why did she have to rush so much to get out by a certain time, causing her to skip breakfast? 

If Teri was showing up with her schedule wouldn't you high tail it out of there asap even if it meant skipping breakfast?

1 hour ago, Rosie said:

I'm hoping that both Melanie and Anna Marie spent their time at GiGi's watching cable TV and drinking wine.

If I had 5 little ones and I was homeschooling the only thing I'd want from a reteat is a nice long bubble bath and naps, naps, naps.

[kpmom]

ITA how confusing that post is!

I swear when i first read this sentence, "Melanie had her day first. She took a suitcase with her that was filled with Abby’s down blanket. It was a surprise for Melanie. Abby loves that blanket dearly, and Melanie used it all day!", I thought Teri was saying Melanie took Abby's blanket out of meanness and used it all day even though it was poor Abby's favorite! ?

And if she was just going next door to Gi Gi's house for her retreat (which wasn't at all clear until about the third paragraph), why would she need a suitcase at all?  I really thought at first Teri meant the dils went away for their retreat.  Oh well, I suppose a few hours alone next door is better than nothing.

Regarding NR-Anna rushing to get out of the house, Teri and daughters probably scheduled the retreat for 9a.m. to 4p.m., or similar, and Anna knows by now you don't fool around with that schedule!

[Dru]

20 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

If I had 5 little ones and I was homeschooling the only thing I'd want from a reteat is a nice long bubble bath and naps, naps, naps.

Shit, I only have one public schooled child and I want naps. Lol

[Candydandy]

I really hope they found burritos in the freezer too because what is a retreat without a Maxhell burrito?? 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

5 minutes ago, Candydandy said:

what is a retreat without a Maxhell burrito?? 

A retreat worth going on?

[daisyjane1234]

I actually thought the retreat idea was a nice.  But hopefully the ladies used it to nap!  It would have been even NICER if the ladies could have had an overnight.  Dinner on their own.  A good book.  A long bubblebath and some hot tea.  Sleeping in and nursing your coffee the following morning rather than rushing to make kids' breakfasts.  If GiGI was gone for two weeks I don't see why the retreats had to be limited to 8(ish) hours rather than, say, 24 hours.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

The One in Which I SINCERELY PRAISE The Maxwells

The retreat day is a beautiful gesture. I like it. Totally snark-free. I'm sure they loved a day of peace and quiet and the chance to think, pray, rest and be calm.

Well done Maxwells.

[Black Aliss]

7 hours ago, CyborgKin said:

I was "in my late twenties" until the day of my 30th birthday.

OTOH, I will be "sixty-ish" until I turn 70.

[Dru]

25 minutes ago, daisyjane1234 said:

I actually thought the retreat idea was a nice.  But hopefully the ladies used it to nap!  It would have been even NICER if the ladies could have had an overnight.  Dinner on their own.  A good book.  A long bubblebath and some hot tea.  Sleeping in and nursing your coffee the following morning rather than rushing to make kids' breakfasts.  If GiGI was gone for two weeks I don't see why the retreats had to be limited to 8(ish) hours rather than, say, 24 hours.

Re the bolded, you know as well as I that Teri cannot handle children that long.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

18 minutes ago, Dru said:

Re the bolded, you know as well as I that Teri cannot handle children that long.

Agree.  And it's not like those kids have fathers or anything.

[SPHASH]

I agree that was a confusing post.  The worst thing about it was Griselda Teri wrote it, a woman with a bachelor's degree and homeschooled her eight worthless kids for 30 years.  A mommy retreat is nice but I bet Wonder Woman Melanie and Amish Anna spent the time cleaning aka snooping Gigi's home.  Can't have a Beast stashed away in a closet or a bottle of wine hidden in a fridge in Maxhell.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

4 minutes ago, SPHASH said:

Can't have a Beast stashed away in a closet or a bottle of wine hidden in a fridge in Maxhell.

I thought GiGi had a tv and that Steve didn't have dominion over her?

[molecule]

I thought it was a very confusing post but such a lovely thing for them to do. As much as the Maxwells deserve snark, they do seem to do well at being a family (albeit an extended family) and supporting the moms. The auntie play-time, Teri's scheduled reading time with the kids, etc. are things I would have loved to have when my kids were little and we had no family around. A day with no responsibilities must have been heavenly for Melanie and Anna Marie.

If nothing else, Teri's depression perhaps made her sympathetic toward other moms who have a lot on their plate.

[Rosie]

1 hour ago, daisyjane1234 said:

I actually thought the retreat idea was a nice.  But hopefully the ladies used it to nap!  It would have been even NICER if the ladies could have had an overnight.  Dinner on their own.  A good book.  A long bubblebath and some hot tea.  Sleeping in and nursing your coffee the following morning rather than rushing to make kids' breakfasts.  If GiGI was gone for two weeks I don't see why the retreats had to be limited to 8(ish) hours rather than, say, 24 hours.

There were eight hours allotted to each mommy's retreat in the schedule.  Not seven hours, not nine hours, and certainly not 24 hours.  For pete's sake, get with the program.  The schedule rules all.

2 hours ago, kpmom said:

ITA how confusing that post is!

I swear when i first read this sentence, "Melanie had her day first. She took a suitcase with her that was filled with Abby’s down blanket. It was a surprise for Melanie. Abby loves that blanket dearly, and Melanie used it all day!", I thought Teri was saying Melanie took Abby's blanket out of meanness and used it all day even though it was poor Abby's favorite! ?

And if she was just going next door to Gi Gi's house for her retreat (which wasn't at all clear until about the third paragraph), why would she need a suitcase at all?  I really thought at first Teri meant the dils went away for their retreat.  Oh well, I suppose a few hours alone next door is better than nothing.

Regarding NR-Anna rushing to get out of the house, Teri and daughters probably scheduled the retreat for 9a.m. to 4p.m., or similar, and Anna knows by now you don't fool around with that schedule!

And why/how was it a surprise if it was in a suitcase?  Why did Melanie need a suitcase to go down the street for eight hours?  If she was told she needed the suitcase, then how was it a surprise?

Questions, I have so many questions.

[NeckPunch]

Am I the only one visualizing Anna Marie sitting down to a bowl of yogurt with some thick slices of orange cheddar? ? What a mix...

 

Anyway, I am another who sees how supportive the Maxwells are to their "extended family". It would be nice if these moms could, you know, register the kids in daycare and public school and go to work, and then go on mini girls weekends with friends, and indulge in some wine in the evenings to unwind, but that isn't their reality, so this is a really nice gesture.