Maxwell 42: The Young and the Vestless

[Tatar-tot]

2 hours ago, mango_fandango said:

It was interesting that both the siblings in Finding Change had names starting with E, and all the Moody kids had M names. Also, I believe there are only two siblings in Finding Change, and they are 10 and 8 years old. 

A crossover would probably be a bit beyond Sarah, in terms of imagination. After all, she's never read or seen anything where a crossover would happen, so I don't know if she's ever thought of the concept. 

She needs to read the Bobsey Twins.  

[Dandruff]

Measuring Portions with the Moodys

Pestering Strangers with the Moodys

Changing a Light Bulb with the Moodys

[IReallyAmHopewell]

14 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

Mary dear, many people at your age are studying or working or both. Working takes in average 10 hours daily between job and commuting.

Are you busy 10 hours daily? Babysitting and working for your brothers? Then ask for a salary. My advice is for free.

I'm not sure if Mary is 12 or 22 anymore, but my 24 year old daugther lives on her own, has a full-time job, goes to college now full-time [she started last year] has a responsible boy friend that she does not live with. Still has time to call me. Does things with friends. She makes time for what matters, Mary! Even if that is a movie with a friend. Something you'll never experience--Sadly. And your Dad is loving it.

[MamaJunebug]

1 hour ago, IReallyAmHopewell said:

She makes time for what matters, Mary! Even if that is a movie with a friend. Something you'll never experience--Sadly. And your Dad is loving it.

Over on the Rod board, there’s been drift about the years in which kids hate their folks, and how parents react and sometimes doubt their parenting.  All my children have turned out great, and I still have occasional twinge or guilt at what I might’ve done better. 

I write this not to boast, but to remark that in contrast to most of us, yes, Teri & Steve know  what they’re doing to their daughters, and I doubt they have ever had a second thought about it.

In their opinions, they’ve been perfect parents and have raised perfect adults future eldercare providers.  No regrets, no shame. 

If ever anybody should feel ashamed... smh. 

[crunchycarrots]

On 9/5/2020 at 6:33 PM, moreorlessnu said:

This is my pet peeve. I scream the correct term at the TV when news reporters get this wrong.

I'm not so surprised when lay people get it wrong, but for some reasons, I am shocked (shocked, I tell you) when news reporters make this mistake. I don't know why.

Are there any tricks for remembering this?  I know I've heard it before, but it slipped my mind.  I like to use correct words and grammar whenever possible, so if there is some kind trick to remember the rule, I'd love to know.

[church_of_dog]

I vote for

 

"The Moody Crews -- Nothing Changes"

 

 

 

although if nothing ever changes then perhaps it should be "The Moody Crews meet the Arndts"

Edited September 7, 2020 by church_of_dog
more

[Bethy]

On 9/4/2020 at 3:38 AM, JemimaPuddle-Duck said:

Don’t mind me over here basking in my moment of FJ glory!

It's a good one, but there's still a Douglas Adams-loving part of me that wishes it were something about vests being the answer to life, the universe, and everything...

18 hours ago, Melissa1977 said:

Mary dear, many people at your age are studying or working or both. Working takes in average 10 hours daily between job and commuting.

Are you busy 10 hours daily? Babysitting and working for your brothers? Then ask for a salary. My advice is for free.

It just dawned on me that when I was 24 I was working full-time and a few months after my 24th birthday I started my master's. This in addition to being busy with church stuff and helping care for two aging relatives.

In a nutshell, my life was a lot different than it was when I was 12. Not the case for Mary, sadly.

[Loolaa]

5 hours ago, crunchycarrots said:

Are there any tricks for remembering this?  I know I've heard it before, but it slipped my mind.  I like to use correct words and grammar whenever possible, so if there is some kind trick to remember the rule, I'd love to know.

Just to repeat the rule first: "fewer" are for things you can count, like fewer schools, dollars, puppies, milk bottles... "Less" is for singular mass nouns that can't be counted, like less money, milk, fun...

Rules are always easier to remember when there's a word play or alliteration or something. This is what I used with my ESL students: If you can count it with Figures, use Fewer.

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, Loolaa said:

Just to repeat the rule first: "fewer" are for things you can count, like fewer schools, dollars, puppies, milk bottles... "Less" is for singular mass nouns that can't be counted, like less money, milk, fun...

Rules are always easier to remember when there's a word play or alliteration or something. This is what I used with my ESL students: If you can count it with Figures, use Fewer.

Thanks. I still might not remember this though. I have never claimed to be a great writer and I would never start a blog because of it. I know I would write even worse than Sarah. 

[Cults-r-us]

10 hours ago, Dandruff said:

Measuring Portions with the Moodys

Pestering Strangers with the Moodys

Changing a Light Bulb with the Moodys

Using a pizza cutter to cut lettuce with the Moodys

Making bean burritos with the Moodys

Eating 5 animal crackers on your birthday with the Moodys

Ha! Eating meat in your burrito with the Moodts!

Ha! Eating meat in your burrito with the Moodys!

[Austrian Atheist]

On 9/6/2020 at 2:15 PM, Melissa1977 said:

Mary dear, many people at your age are studying or working or both. Working takes in average 10 hours daily between job and commuting.

Are you busy 10 hours daily? Babysitting and working for your brothers? Then ask for a salary. My advice is for free.

Maybe Mary made an idol of artwork. Hence artwork time was reduced...

[PennySycamore]

This isn't about grammar but about poor word choice:  there is currently an ad on TV for a program to reduce your IRS tax  debt.  (This is for people delinquent in their federal taxes.)  The ads says that this is an opportunistic time to reduce your taxes owed when they mean opportune..    

[Tatar-tot]

Does anyone get the feeling this family runs a passive-aggressive energy?

[Jana814]

1 hour ago, Austrian Atheist said:

Maybe Mary made an idol of artwork. Hence artwork time was reduced...

I’m sure that could be the case. 

[MamaJunebug]

11 hours ago, church_of_dog said:

I vote for

 

"The Moody Crews -- Nothing Changes"

 

 

 

although if nothing ever changes then perhaps it should be "The Moody Crews meet the Arndts"

PERFECTION! “The Moody Crews,” indeed! 

?

5 hours ago, Loolaa said:

Rules are always easier to remember when there's a word play or alliteration or something. This is what I used with my ESL students: If you can count it with Figures, use Fewer.

Love that!

I heard of a solution to “farther” and “further:”

Chase a ball farther,

pursue a subject further. 

I’m still really rusty on the rules about “that” and “which.” 

Edited September 7, 2020 by MamaJunebug

[VVV]

4 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Thanks. I still might not remember this though. I have never claimed to be a great writer and I would never start a blog because of it. I know I would write even worse than Sarah. 

I’ve been reading your posts for years and I assure you, you write much better than Sarah. Granted, that is a very low bar, but I never have to stop and ask myself what in the world you are actually trying to say. You’re very clear.

[Giraffe]

1 hour ago, Tatar-tot said:

Does anyone get the feeling this family runs a passive-aggressive energy?

My guess is many of these families do. Anger is neutral - like every other emotion. But these families give so much power to it being a “bad” emotion that instead of developing healthy coping mechanisms, they learn to release it in other ways. Anger needs to be expressed though, and when it’s seen as something to be avoided at all costs it doesn’t surprise me passive aggression ends up being their go-to way of getting it out. 

[hollyandivy]

Totally unrelated question: does Scamaritan not pay for wigs? Anna Marie always has a head wrap. And that is fine if it is her choice. But she sounded so devastated when her hair was gone that I was sure she was going to wear a wig. But those things are not cheap, so she might just have to live with those turbans....

 

My mom just finished chemo ,but thanks to REAL health insurance she got to go and pick out a wig BEFORE she even started treatments. And it is really hard to tell that it is not her real hair!

[WiseGirl]

3 minutes ago, hollyandivy said:

Anna Marie always has a head wrap. And that is fine if it is her choice

I hope it is her choice. Not everyone likes wigs.

My mom absolutely hated her wig after chemo. It is very nice/looks real but it made her head too hot so she rocked the hats and head wraps. Once she got beyond the peach fuzz stage she just went with the crew cut look unless it was cold. Then she wore a hat. 

[Lady Grass Lake]

When I was 24 I was divorcing my ex-husband that I married at 18, and supported working full time while he went to school full time and did not work.  Was a secretary at a 2 year college that offered free tuition and cafeteria food to employees,  taking night classes 3 or 4 nights a week. On Saturdays I typed textbook copy from hand written notes for a teacher who was publishing a book for a whopping $20 aday which paid for my at home groceries and personal needs for the week (1976).  I scored a deal housesitting for a professor who was overseas on sabatical to keep it occupied and heated.  

I had already graduated from the school of hard knocks with some valuable life lessons, for example:  if all the utilities and bills are in your husband's name, even if you paid all the bills because he had no income, when you divorce, he has stellar credit and you have to pay deposits to get anything in your name because you have no credit history.  Today I am 67 years old and half of the cars and any other loans are in my name or are joint in both names since I have been remarried for 42 years.  I also keep a separate checking account and have several credit cards in my name only.   

[nausicaa]

On 9/6/2020 at 8:15 AM, Melissa1977 said:

Mary dear, many people at your age are studying or working or both. Working takes in average 10 hours daily between job and commuting.

I think the Maxwells may be the most inefficient people ever. They schedule everything, rarely indulge in fun, but somehow don't get all that much done. They devote vast amounts of time to things that they remain mediocre at. 

I have always found it interesting that Steve forces them to work out so often and yet they aren't in that great of shape. At least, the Maxwell women do pushups from their knees and none of them have much muscle definition on their arms.

It's just an interesting example of how it's not just about doing work, but doing targeted work for your goals. And that requires being open to coaches and others who know more than you about something. 

I also noticed when I was between jobs this summer that without a plan or a goal for the day, it was very easy to just let regular upkeep (cleaning, cooking, errands, yoga, answering emails) fill all my time. It can be very easy to just unconsciously slow your pace so that your time is filled. 

[Bethy]

45 minutes ago, Lady Grass Lake said:

When I was 24 I was divorcing my ex-husband that I married at 18, and supported working full time while he went to school full time and did not work.  Was a secretary at a 2 year college that offered free tuition and cafeteria food to employees,  taking night classes 3 or 4 nights a week. On Saturdays I typed textbook copy from hand written notes for a teacher who was publishing a book for a whopping $20 aday which paid for my at home groceries and personal needs for the week (1976).  I scored a deal housesitting for a professor who was overseas on sabatical to keep it occupied and heated.  

I had already graduated from the school of hard knocks with some valuable life lessons, for example:  if all the utilities and bills are in your husband's name, even if you paid all the bills because he had no income, when you divorce, he has stellar credit and you have to pay deposits to get anything in your name because you have no credit history.  Today I am 67 years old and half of the cars and any other loans are in my name or are joint in both names since I have been remarried for 42 years.  I also keep a separate checking account and have several credit cards in my name only.   

I'm sorry you went through this, but I'm glad you were able to make a fresh start and keep boundaries to make sure you wouldn't end up in such a position again. I'm sure none of the Maxwives have any options at all if they were to need to leave - not unlike Anna Duggar, who certainly had biblical grounds to divorce even in fundyland. Did she stay because she was so programmed to "stand by her man" or was it just that there was nowhere else to turn (and no support to be found on either side of the family) so she stayed with him?

1 minute ago, nausicaa said:

I think the Maxwells may be the most inefficient people ever. They schedule everything, rarely indulge in fun, but somehow don't get all that much done. They devote vast amounts of time to things that they remain mediocre at. 

I have always found it interesting that Steve forces them to work out so often and yet they aren't in that great of shape. At least, the Maxwell women do pushups from their knees and none of them have much muscle definition on their arms.

It's just an interesting example of how it's not just about doing work, but doing targeted work for your goals. And that requires being open to coaches and others who know more than you about something. 

I also noticed when I was between jobs this summer that without a plan or a goal for the day, it was very easy to just let regular upkeep (cleaning, cooking, errands, yoga, answering emails) fill all my time. It can be very easy to just unconsciously slow your pace so that your time is filled. 

I remember reading a blog by a SAHD years ago. She'd hung out a sort of online shingle as an "expert" in SAHD-hood and was fielding questions from her readers. One young lady wrote in that she wanted to stay at home but her parents were "forcing" her to get a job outside the home because they thought she didn't have enough to keep her occupied. The blogger's advice was to let the housework slide in noticeable ways so that her parents would relent and let her quit so she could make housework her full-time job - you know, the stuff most of us fit in AROUND our full-time jobs.

[nausicaa]

13 hours ago, crunchycarrots said:

Are there any tricks for remembering this?  I know I've heard it before, but it slipped my mind.  I like to use correct words and grammar whenever possible, so if there is some kind trick to remember the rule, I'd love to know.

One trick is, if you say "How much" when asking about a word ("How much fruit do you want?") then you use "less" with it. 

If you use "How many" when asking about a word ("How many vegetables do you want?"), then you use "fewer" with it. 

They're called uncountable and countable nouns. Most are intuitive, but a few are weird, like fruit and furniture being uncountable. Money as well (because it's an abstract concept), though specific currency is countable. ("How much money?" versus "How many pesos?")

[thoughtful]

14 hours ago, Bethy said:

there's still a Douglas Adams-loving part of me that wishes it were something about vests being the answer to life, the universe, and everything...

It would have to specify 42 vests.

ETA - I hadn't noticed that this is the 42nd thread, and that's why Bethy said that. And here I thought I was being clever.

Sorry.

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by thoughtful
Duh

[freejugar]

1 hour ago, nausicaa said:

I think the Maxwells may be the most inefficient people ever. They schedule everything, rarely indulge in fun, but somehow don't get all that much done. They devote vast amounts of time to things that they remain mediocre at. 

I have always found it interesting that Steve forces them to work out so often and yet they aren't in that great of shape. At least, the Maxwell women do pushups from their knees and none of them have much muscle definition on their arms.

It's just an interesting example of how it's not just about doing work, but doing targeted work for your goals. And that requires being open to coaches and others who know more than you about something. 

I also noticed when I was between jobs this summer that without a plan or a goal for the day, it was very easy to just let regular upkeep (cleaning, cooking, errands, yoga, answering emails) fill all my time. It can be very easy to just unconsciously slow your pace so that your time is filled. 

To build muscle mass, you have to increase the load (either weights or reps or difficulty). I think they just look at their excercise plan and do the same reps everyday, they never stray from the schedule. it's not like they're feeling extra pumped one day and go for one more set or try to do a full pushup, they're so brainwashed that it doesn't even cross their minds. You have to change up your excercise routine to build muscle, and change is the forbidden word at the Maxwells.

Edited September 7, 2020 by freejugar