Maxwell 45: Steve Flaunting His Vest Deferens

[fundiewatch]

Those Maxwell daughters often don’t leave the house! I remember Anna’s 18th birthday post that said, and this is grown ass woman Sarah— “... we’re going out tonight. Out?! Where?!” and it was a SPECIAL outing to the Olive Garden. 

[browngrl]

That bean soup meal looks sad. If I was forcing people to sit and listen to me read and sing, I'd at least feed them properly AND I'd turn up the heat in the house so everyone did not need to wear a down vest to keep from turning blue. But that is just me.

[CTRLZero]

On 1/8/2021 at 5:52 PM, church_of_dog said:

My solution has been the headband with speakers, designed for sleeping.  Looks

I ordered the sleep earbuds you suggested and already received the headband.  I’m trying it out right now and so far I love it.  Thank you!  

[church_of_dog]

34 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

I ordered the sleep earbuds you suggested and already received the headband.  I’m trying it out right now and so far I love it.  Thank you!  

Yay!  One downside I've found is that, unlike some of the other bluetooth earbuds I've used, this one doesn't give any warning when the battery is low, and no announcement when it shuts off.  So it's just suddenly quiet and sometimes it takes me a moment to figure out that it's because the battery is depleted.

On the up side, that doesn't happen too often because the battery lasts a good while and if it's low at the end of a day I just charge it up that evening.

Side note:  I hadn't actually read the Maxwell blog post about the earbuds until now.  I admit, I might actually might like the ones Teri uses.  If the headband gets too hot next summer, I might try a pair of those. 

[CTRLZero]

5 minutes ago, church_of_dog said:

On the up side, that doesn't happen too often because the battery lasts a good while and if it's low at the end of a day I just charge it up that evening.

Good to know about the battery.  My hair hasn’t been cut since March, so I’ve been wearing headbands anyway to control the wildness, lol.  The wireless headband does double duty.  I’ve told my husband if he needs to get my attention, he can push the pause button on my forehead!  I listen to a lot of audiobooks lately, so this option is great.  ? 

[church_of_dog]

11 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

Good to know about the battery.  My hair hasn’t been cut since March, so I’ve been wearing headbands anyway to control the wildness, lol.  The wireless headband does double duty.  I’ve told my husband if he needs to get my attention, he can push the pause button on my forehead!  I listen to a lot of audiobooks lately, so this option is great.  ? 

You just reminded me of another more-funny-than-annoying thing that happens with this gadget.

Now, I swear I am not constantly whacking my head into things, but there has been more than a few times when I'm reaching for something, or around something, and I lean too close and gently bump my head against -- a tree branch, the fridge, whatever, just in the right spot to hit those buttons!  Unfortunately I'm not usually centered enough (lol) to bump the pause button, so instead I accidentally move forward or back a chapter!  Fixing it is easy enough but what worries me is -- have I really been coming so close to bumping my head on the regular, that putting on a half-inch thick headband causes me to make contact? 

Edited January 10, 2021 by church_of_dog

[Bethy]

On 1/8/2021 at 5:47 PM, Bluebirdbluebell said:

I can't get over this. His shirt actually says (no shit) "Cousin Crew (for life)". 

It was weird enough before but the little added text makes it weird. I honestly wondered if they were appropriating hip-hop slang, but when I googled "crew for life"  I got this record company

If the Maxwells wanted to sell merch, they could sell these shirts. That one looks like a premade shirt someone added the text to with a DIY process. 

No, it's an actual shirt you can buy at a regular store. All the little cousins in my family have them. They're cute and foster the sort of "first friends that last a lifetime" relationship that some families have. I always get a little sad when I see things on social media that say "your cousins are your first best friends...share if you love your cousins!" because my generation was not close and no, they weren't my first best friends because they weren't really my friends at all.

I get sad when I see that shirt in the context of Maxhell, too. The cousins are the ONLY friends those kids are allowed to have, and I'd be willing to wager even those friendships are very tenuous, based on the whims convictions of the fathers. I foresee some cousin relationships may get strained in my family based on the parents' viewpoints on things like whether covid is a hoax or whether systemic racism is a thing. They may get strained in the Maxwell extended family too, though there it will be over things like whether jumpers must be worn over snow pants or tucked in, or the presence of a Santa hat on a more liberal cousin's head during caroling. (Because remember the example Steve set for his kids when they severed ties with aunts/uncles/cousins over "bunny stuff" vs. Resurrection Sunday.)

[CyborgKin]

I have bt headphones (the ones with ear-sized cushions, not the tiny sort), cos my phone only has a usb-c socket and somehow my usb-c headphones' wires/plugs break even faster than the regular sort.  And not having wires is just more comfortable and convenient.

But with all the amazon-affiliate posts on the maxblog I can't help but imagine Sarah doing a stereotypical youtuber ad for 'raycon earbuds' or 'raid shadow legends' or one of the many other trash products that dumps huge amounts of ad money into 'influencers'

 

Is Sarah okay?  She only captioned the first one of the new batch of photos! 

[ClareDeLune]

15 hours ago, allyisyourpally5 said:

 

Are the Maxwells one of our paper plate families? I know they did on the road (which I can understand). 

PAPER PLATE FAMILIES ?

I take everyone's points about soup being good and convenient and all, + have used disposable plates and cups more often that I truly should.  I just wonder when some of these people use all the nice things they hoard in their huge cupboards?  I confess I am jealous of their lovely houses and nice things. I would get much more use out of them ?

[allyisyourpally5]

I know sorry, Paper Plate Crew ?

Their kitchen is pretty huge and lots of cabinets, I don’t get why they can’t keep enough plates for everybody! And they’ve got at least two spare bedrooms now....

I don’t know, I “get” paper plates for a party or the odd situation but I just can’t imagine my Christmas Dinner on a paper plate - going all soggy and cold. And it just seems lazy - a lot of dishes but most people there are big enough to just wash their own plate.....it makes such a difference putting your food on a lovely warm dish.

 

[JermajestyDuggar]

My parents are able to host gatherings larger than the Maxwell’s and they use Corelle plates. You can fit a shit ton of those plates in your cupboards. You don’t need much cupboard space to fit 24 of those plates. 

[LilMissMetaphor]

I don't get the cousin thing, either.  I have 40+, and I've only met like six of them.  Two went to the same university as me.  Even then (where we met for the first time) we'd only say "hi" if we passed each other in the halls.  They were no different from any other student.  Granted, our fathers had a strained/nonexistent relationship.  But even with the siblings who got along in my parents' families, all of them lived between 6-18 hours' drive away.  It's not like we were ever going to stop in for coffee and a playdate.

[LurkerOverThePond]

I've always envied people with close cousins since I have none (both my parents have no siblings). Even more, I wanted to have some aunts or uncles. Well, I've made the best of it and tried to be THE Cool Aunt to my sister's kids and it seems I've been at least moderately succesful

[Jana814]

I was always jealous of people who were close to their cousins. I only have 2 first cousins (my mother was an only child). My mother does have a large extended family but we rarely saw each other.  I always wondered if my mother had a sibling who had kids would we have been close. 

[Coconut Flan]

4 hours ago, allyisyourpally5 said:

it makes such a difference putting your food on a lovely warm dish.

You think the Maxwells would warm their plates if they used real ones?  

[freethemall]

16 hours ago, fundiewatch said:

Those Maxwell daughters often don’t leave the house! I remember Anna’s 18th birthday post that said, and this is grown ass woman Sarah— “... we’re going out tonight. Out?! Where?!” and it was a SPECIAL outing to the Olive Garden. 

Based on their posts I think they take daily walks or runs including to play with the nieces/nephews, but I imagine restaurant outings are very rare, and yes for many Americans Olive Garden is indeed considered a special outing.

But I do agree they're super duper isolated and it's sad.

[Hane]

My daughter and my older nephew are both onlies, and grew up together (my mom took care of them while my sister and I were at work). They consider themselves sister and brother, and it warms my heart.

[Jana814]

2 hours ago, Hane said:

My daughter and my older nephew are both onlies, and grew up together (my mom took care of them while my sister and I were at work). They consider themselves sister and brother, and it warms my heart.

That’s very sweet. I know of a family where the cousins were only children & the kids considered themselves siblings.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Jana814

[Bethy]

5 hours ago, freethemall said:

Based on their posts I think they take daily walks or runs including to play with the nieces/nephews, but I imagine restaurant outings are very rare, and yes for many Americans Olive Garden is indeed considered a special outing.

But I do agree they're super duper isolated and it's sad.

Yes, if you think about how much it costs to go on a date to a sit-down place like Olive Garden - by the time you've paid for just entrees and soft drinks and tipped, you've probably dropped $35-40 as each entree is $15-25 (as best I remember...I haven't had Olive Garden since before the pandemic...) so multiplying that out times six kids or more, yes, dinner out at the Olive Garden is a big deal in a big, one-income family.

What makes it sadder is their whole controlling emphasis on food, and that post about the time Anna tattled unfairly on her brothers in their earliest dog-and-pony show days, so they had to eat Wheat Thins in the van while the family went in for a meal at Taco Bell. So they were obviously in a place where Taco Bell was a special treat, and then that was taken away as punishment and the brothers got lonely Wheat Thins instead.

[fundiewatch]

The money had actually been given to Anna because they were traveling over her birthday. I’ve eaten many meals at Olive Garden, and I even had my grooms dinner there for my starter marriage. At the NICE Olive Garden (#JRod). I don’t doubt it’s an expensive meal. This post itself was just very... extra. Maybe I’ll try to find it. I didn’t follow them way back them and when I found it I thought wow, this is an insight into them. BRB. 

[fundiefan]

8 hours ago, LilMissMetaphor said:

I don't get the cousin thing, either.  I have 40+, and I've only met like six of them.  Two went to the same university as me.  Even then (where we met for the first time) we'd only say "hi" if we passed each other in the halls.  They were no different from any other student.  Granted, our fathers had a strained/nonexistent relationship.  But even with the siblings who got along in my parents' families, all of them lived between 6-18 hours' drive away.  It's not like we were ever going to stop in for coffee and a playdate.

I grew up with most of my cousins like siblings. There were 8 of us within 11 years (more came later, to another uncle, but they never lived here & if it weren't for FB, I wouldn't remember they exist; sometimes I still don't). My mom & her sister were really close all their lives, and they both were really close to one of my uncle's wives - so the six of us kids from those three siblings grew up pretty much like siblings ourselves - jut mothers were always together, even outside family related things, so of course we were too. The other two were kind of randomly around, and we probably did spend more time with them than a lot of cousins, it wasn't as much as the six. 

We are still close now. We have cousins nights/weekends/events all the time (or, did pre Covid). One cousin & her husband have a seasonal campsite & we gather there in any number based on who can come at least a few times each summer. We always have a Christmas night (again, pre Covid). I moved to the little suburb I live in when I got divorced because 2 of those cousins live here, as well as an aunt & uncle. The godparent thing is strong between cousins & their kids - I have no kids but have three god kids; one niece & one of my cousin's twin boys. And, they've continued that - my niece/goddaughter is the godmother of my 1st cousin's son's daughter (yeah, I don't expect you to follow that; I can't half the time). My youngest niece's bachelorette party/weekend entirely of the women in our family - when asked why she said it's because the "M ---"s (our family name) are the most fun women I know. 

We get around the cousin explanation of once/twice removed or who belongs to who and all that by just saying aunt/uncle/niece/nephew/cousin. 

I know nothing about any cousins on my fathers side of the family though. 

And, believe me, all the togetherness/closeness also brings a whole lot of drama. People definitely know how to get butt hurt when they feel slighted or offended or whatever. So, it's not always a great thing. 

For me, it's just the way it is and I have never known life any other way. 

[fundiewatch]

Here it is, for anyone who didn’t follow them in 2010. To me, it says so much. Mostly grown, all meeting Steve at 5:45 am for Bible study but they arrive early to chat. This is insane! And they often get up earlier for exercise. I do note that their floors, unlike mine, are clean enough to make a candy sign on. The insistence that Anna is so so busy, all of it. Peak Maxwell. 
 

https://blog.titus2.com/2010/11/13/an-unusual-birthday-a-day-in-the-life-of-anna/#top

[MamaJunebug]

17 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

push the pause button on my forehead!

Love it!

Old Junebug family trait - we get to reading and we're oblivious!

I was one of more than a dozen cousins on both sides. Big Daddy JB .... didn't like Big Mama's family, with good reason, as it turned out.  The other side, I was on one end of an age and gender gap but I did think the absolute world of one of my oldest cousins, and felt close for some reason to another one who was just a little younger.

They both died, one tragically early, and while the surviving cousins were about 7 out of  10 the kind of people I'd feel comfortable around, there just wasn't anything there.  

I've felt weird, recently, reflecting on the fact that I'm not sure how many of them are still with us.  All y'alls' stories here reassure me that I'm not odd  -- some families are close, some aren't. Phew.

Edited January 10, 2021 by MamaJunebug

[Hane]

The very idea of mandatory Dad-enforced  5:45 AM “Bible time” makes me want to hurl.

A friend once invited me to join her at a farmer’s market to buy yard plantings. She said we should get there by 4 AM to get the best selections. I told her that I’d only get up that early for the Second Coming of Christ—and maybe not even then.

[allyisyourpally5]

No cousins for me! 
Bothe my parents - only child. Grandparents - two were also only children. One had a brother who never had kids. Other had a sister who never had kids.

Biological family is a single digit number. Non biological family thankfully is large and growing! I told my dad I was gonna have 6 kids to make up numbers and he laughed in my face! ?

I wake up at 5:45 am for work to catch the 6:30am bus. You can bet your ass I would not if I didn’t have to and I definitely don’t give myself time to read the Bible! And on weekends - my word you’ll be lucky to see me by 9:30am!!! Today I crawled out of my bed after ten - it was lovely! 
 

I would not be able to focus on reading such tiny print at that time of day. Are they ever allowed to just say “I’m extra tired, I’m going to stay in bed today”?

 

I love the birthday passage about Anna being busier than ever, because she had to get the stove top cleaned. I cleaned mine today, took less than ten minutes.