Maxwell 27: Increasing the Clan

[nvmbr02]

7 hours ago, Lisafer said:

It really must be pretty darn cold in there, judging by the pictures. If they're on electric, it's probably fairly expensive to heat their house, though. Our electric bills often double in the winter, and we have about the same climate as they do. I keep our thermostat at 68 degrees during the day and 64 at night. We have a single-story slab house about 1200 square feet with electric heat and it can cost us about $200 during a cold month. I'd double that estimate for Stevehovah, so...$400? It may not seem like a lot to some of you, but it's a big chunk of change for us! 

Steve has probably decided that heating the indoors is about as useful as meat in the burritos.

Omg! Your electric bills seems so low compared to the prices here. I am so ready to move! We don't have heat, but need our a/c year round. I keep the temp at around 78 during the day and 75 at night and our bill averages just over $500 a month. I'd love to turn off the a/c completely during the day but none of the windows downstairs opens so it gets hot fast. We leave in about 1100 square ft, though it is 2 story. 

7 hours ago, nausicaa said:

Without insurance, a hospital birth without complications could easily run $10,000. Even Jim Bob doesn't have that kind of money to throw around. He would have shelled out $30,000 this past year alone. The Bateses definitely don't have that sort of money. 

I also think some of this is a cultural thing now-- if a lot of women around you are giving birth at home with a midwife, it doesn't seem strange or experimental to choose it when you become pregnant. There is probably also some unspoken pressure to show you are "woman enough" to give birth naturally at home like in the good old days they love to romanticize. 

 It does depend a bit on area but yeah, close to $10,000 probably isn't too far off for a hospital birth now depending on length of stay and services needed. With my second two births I was at the hospital  2-4 hours before birth 18-24 hours after birth (so just a one night stay both times), no meds, no IV and the birth itself was around $4,000. With my 3rd baby she had complications at birth a needed extra care and then a home health nurse to visit the day after we went home so that was an extra charge and it wasn't even major complications, but IIRC it was another $5000. That was in MN so probably not too far off from prices for the Duggars or Maxwells.  I did explore a midwife and my estimates at the time were around $3,500 including prenatal care and post natal care. Our insurance actually had a high copay with the midwife since she would have been out of network, but I can see how you may lean toward the midwife if you are wanting a med free birth and were paying out of pocket. edit: Just wanted to add that my last baby was born 9 years ago so I am sure costs have risen. 

[LurkerOverThePond]

Down vests have clearly become an idol in that household. First it was Under Armour everything, then plaid shirts, then coffee (or "mocha" as Sarah calls it), and now down vests. I agree with those who say it looks ridiculous to wear those indoors. It can't be that cold inside when Calia is in short sleeves and is not wearing socks. Of course to each their own, but I just get sweaty even looking at them.

Random thoughts:

Reversal Anna looks ridiculously happy to get two pairs of socks. This is probably the funniest thing that happened at their home since the Cheese Paper Incident.

There has to be a new mysterious mission trip in the works for Mary and Reversal Anna.

Love the little playhouse and a panda family that Calia got! It looks so... normal?

That dart board surely takes my heathen mind straight to an evil sinful evening at a corner pub!

That header pic of Jesse... did he really get a rubber mat (don't know the exact name in English, sorry!) for his car?? Personally, I very much prefer practical gifts to random knick knack, but somehow this takes it too far in my mind.

 

[nelliebelle1197]

@FloraDoraDolly

OMG, yes. Why the hell do three adult women want matching things to wear in public? My mom and her sister are twins and that sister has twins and I am only a few months younger than my cousins (so triplets!) and none of us have been matchy since we were six. And even when we were six and my aunt made our church dresses, she would pick three complementary patterns that matched our personality. I am fairly certain my grandmother stopped dressing my aunt and mother alike before elementary school. She would not even let them be in the same class in first grade (her sister had three sets of twins so she had twin experience). So in short, buy your damn adult daughters different colors, you morons.

[HereticHick]

I hope Arnold doesn't make an idol out of that catnip

[anachronistic]

I do not understand that family’s relationship to temperature and clothing. It often seems like the two have absolutely nothing to do with each other. For most people, your own body might be a bit more sensitive or a bit less sensitive but if it’s cold, you wear slippers, sweatshirts, hats, if it’s hot, shorts, sundress, sandals, etc. 

The Maxwells......I’ve seen pictures of the ABC girls not wearing leggings or tights when it’s cold enough to wear hats outside. Despite their skirts only policy it seems the women and girls never wear petticoats or slips for warmth. They go barefoot indoors on tile floors year round. It seems like they have standards of dress and they stick to those standards regardless of the actual environment.

Steve would probably see this as a good thing, minds conquering the body’s need to be comfortable, and I guess it doesn’t matter how shabby his daughters look since they will never be married anyway. But sometime I’d love to take Sarah, Reversal Anna and Mary shopping and show them how warm wool skirts are, how ironing improves an outfit, what a sweater dress is. Anything to get them out of those decades old jean skirts.

[Syriana]

48 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

I hope Arnold doesn't make an idol out of that catnip

You've brought to mind the scene in 'Dogs and Cats: The Revenge of Kitty Galore' where there are cats as high as kites on catnip (they look more like they've been on weed than catnip but still...) - it would certainly make life in maxhell more tolerable...

?

[meee]

21 minutes ago, anachronistic said:

I do not understand that family’s relationship to temperature and clothing. It often seems like the two have absolutely nothing to do with each other. For most people, your own body might be a bit more sensitive or a bit less sensitive but if it’s cold, you wear slippers, sweatshirts, hats, if it’s hot, shorts, sundress, sandals, etc. 

The Maxwells......I’ve seen pictures of the ABC girls not wearing leggings or tights when it’s cold enough to wear hats outside. Despite their skirts only policy it seems the women and girls never wear petticoats or slips for warmth. They go barefoot indoors on tile floors year round. It seems like they have standards of dress and they stick to those standards regardless of the actual environment.

Steve would probably see this as a good thing, minds conquering the body’s need to be comfortable, and I guess it doesn’t matter how shabby his daughters look since they will never be married anyway. But sometime I’d love to take Sarah, Reversal Anna and Mary shopping and show them how warm wool skirts are, how ironing improves an outfit, what a sweater dress is. Anything to get them out of those decades old jean skirts.

Uh oh. If they discover ironing, there'll be yet another endless chore! And I'm being mostly serious about that.

Also, we can't really know that they don't wear slips/petticoats/knee length leggings under the long denim skirts, can we?

[HerNameIsBuffy]

1 hour ago, meee said:

Uh oh. If they discover ironing, there'll be yet another endless chore! And I'm being mostly serious about that.

Also, we can't really know that they don't wear slips/petticoats/knee length leggings under the long denim skirts, can we?

How many days would Teri track the exact amount of water needed in an iron to unwrinkle denim.

actually in this area I’m with the Maxwells.  No way would I iron to babysit and make burritos.

[asta]

The Maxwell do iron, we've seen pictures with a smiling Maxwell daughter behind a ironing board. But maybe Steve has decided that it isn't necessary to iron denim skirts. 

[danvillebelle]

 

As a person who grew up in and currently resides with family who get a LOT of humor mileage out of gas in all it's glorious bodily forms...I want to know what happens when they're all gathered like that and one of the littles lets fly with a good, ripping fart.  Do they laugh?  Does one of the parents immediately jump in with "say excuse me!"  Do they simply pretend farts don't exist?  

[Lisafer]

4 hours ago, anachronistic said:

 what a sweater dress is. 

It's an EYETRAP, is what it is.

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, danvillebelle said:

 

As a person who grew up in and currently resides with family who get a LOT of humor mileage out of gas in all it's glorious bodily forms...I want to know what happens when they're all gathered like that and one of the littles lets fly with a good, ripping fart.  Do they laugh?  Does one of the parents immediately jump in with "say excuse me!"  Do they simply pretend farts don't exist?  

I’ve always imagined they were the types that completely ignore farts and it’s awkward as hell. 

[PennySycamore]

2 hours ago, danvillebelle said:

 

As a person who grew up in and currently resides with family who get a LOT of humor mileage out of gas in all it's glorious bodily forms...I want to know what happens when they're all gathered like that and one of the littles lets fly with a good, ripping fart.  Do they laugh?  Does one of the parents immediately jump in with "say excuse me!"  Do they simply pretend farts don't exist?  

You reminded me of the time when my third daughter was eating supper with my brother and sister-in-law and their kids.  My daughter, who was about six or seven at the time,  remarked "Someone cut one" and her aunt made her leave the table.  I think my sister-in-law has chilled out a lot since then.  

[Cat Damon]

5 hours ago, anachronistic said:

what a sweater dress is

Other than when they're in weddings, they really do just wear the skirt/top combo don't they? I don't really want to go through their whole blog, but I did scroll back a few pages and I didn't see any of them in a dress. I wear dresses quite often to work, but I also allow myself to wear pants if I want. Have they ever commented on the no dresses/ just skirts thing?

[Captain Obvious]

1 hour ago, Cat Damon said:

Other than when they're in weddings, they really do just wear the skirt/top combo don't they? I don't really want to go through their whole blog, but I did scroll back a few pages and I didn't see any of them in a dress. I wear dresses quite often to work, but I also allow myself to wear pants if I want. Have they ever commented on the no dresses/ just skirts thing?

In Sarah’s promo shots for her new book, she’s wearing a floral maxi dress. Others here speculated - and I agree with them - that it was bought for her or suggested by Chelsy, since it’s similar to what she wears. Hopefully it s a start.

Re the ironing thing, I’ve never thought that the Maxwell girls’ clothes look like they weren't ironed - those jean skirts look like they might have been ironed (I used to have a denim maxi and it showed up creases terribly, unlike actual jeans). If their clothes look rumpled it could also be because they tend to wear clothes too big for them.

Also, you just know hat any chore that could possibly be done would be added to their schedules, just because. They’re so busy busy busy, don’t you know? 

[sleepy_doggos]

It seems like they have standards of dress and they stick to those standards regardless of the actual environment.
Steve would probably see this as a good thing, minds conquering the body’s need to be comfortable, and I guess it doesn’t matter how shabby his daughters look since they will never be married anyway.

Maxwell puffer vests = medieval hair shirts.
Prove all your actions are not an idol of self-mortification, Steve. It's so very Catholic of you.

[freethemall]

1 hour ago, Cat Damon said:

Other than when they're in weddings, they really do just wear the skirt/top combo don't they? I don't really want to go through their whole blog, but I did scroll back a few pages and I didn't see any of them in a dress. I wear dresses quite often to work, but I also allow myself to wear pants if I want. Have they ever commented on the no dresses/ just skirts thing?

I think for them the skirt/shirt combo is akin to jeans and a shirt for most of us, with dresses as more formal wear. And theyre mostly at home babysitting and cleaning fans, so they don't have a lot of occasions for their version of formal wear. But yeah, they haven't caught on to the modern fundie style of maxi dresses, though Anna Marie certainly has her frumpers.

[Ticklish]

I'm someone who is quite often cold, so I do wear puffer vests inside sometimes. Usually when I'm going to other people's houses and need to layer. At home I'd just wear a sweatshirt, but I don't think we've ever seen a Maxwell in a sweatshirt which...why not? What is immodest about a sweatshirt? They don't all have logos on them. 

[erunerune]

20 hours ago, church_of_dog said:

"You Can Leave Your Hat Vest On"

“Three Identical Vest-al Virgins”

 

i will show myself out bye now

[Maggie Mae]

I'm wearing a puffy vest indoors right now. And a skhoop skirt, leggings, boots, a sweater, and a hat. When I want to go outside, I will add a coat. If I were at home, I'd likely take off the Skhoop, boots, and maybe the vest, but the vest would stay on at a friend's house. It's not really outerwear. 

I'd also likely be barefoot at home but wear socks at a friend's house because I'm embarrassed at my feet. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

3 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I’ve always imagined they were the types that completely ignore farts and it’s awkward as hell. 

They are called unmentionable noises because you don’t ever mention them.

That’s my rule.

21 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

I'm wearing a puffy vest indoors right now. And a skhoop skirt, leggings, boots, a sweater, and a hat. When I want to go outside, I will add a coat. If I were at home, I'd likely take off the Skhoop, boots, and maybe the vest, but the vest would stay on at a friend's house. It's not really outerwear. 

I'd also likely be barefoot at home but wear socks at a friend's house because I'm embarrassed at my feet. 

I don’t care what a skhoop skirt is until I can google when I get home...in the meantime I’m picturing you in a hoop skirt and it’s hilarious.

[Maggie Mae]

2 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

They are called unmentionable noises because you don’t ever mention them.

That’s my rule.

+1 

2 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I don’t care what a skhoop skirt is until I can google when I get home...in the meantime I’m picturing you in a hoop skirt and it’s hilarious.

https://www.amazon.com/Skhoop-Womens-Short-Down-Skirt/dp/B00CSJOPTS

[Lisafer]

3 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I’ve always imagined they were the types that completely ignore farts and it’s awkward as hell. 

I figure, if it made a noise, it's less embarrassing to say something than to sit around pretending it never happened. But then again, the Maxwells are good at pretending lots of things never happened!

[Odd1Out]

Regarding wearing vests inside but going barefoot, I wonder if they have heated floors. I don’t know what the cost of that is each winter but I’m assuming they laid the tile themselves in their house to save money so maybe opted to also add the heating under the tile.  

[JermajestyDuggar]

3 minutes ago, Odd1Out said:

Regarding wearing vests inside but going barefoot, I wonder if they have heated floors. I don’t know what the cost of that is each winter but I’m assuming they laid the tile themselves in their house to save money so maybe opted to also add the heating under the tile.  

I bet you’re right. I could totally see the Maxwell’s putting in heated tiled floors as a family project.