Blast from the Past ... Chelsea Pomeroy

[ContrastingButtons]

1 hour ago, anachronistic said:

Charlotte and Jane Claire are closer in age than I thought, just 2 years apart. 
Mary Grace honestly doesn’t dress that differently from her peers, if you look at photos of them with their school friends her stuff is maybe a little younger, a little fancier, but they are all dressed much differently than most 13/14 year olds.

George clearly didn’t cooperate at all with the ‘official’ 1st day of school outfits when the girls were in their apple dresses. He had an apple romper on and was off to one side, crying. Chelsea must’ve dressed him up and had him hold his flag (Georgie Porgy stays home with mommy) when they were all at school. And I guess they do 2 first days? Like an orientation day, where they were wearing the fancy apple outfits, and a real first day in their uniforms?

I wonder if the girl with a pink apple dress matching Jane Claire and Charlottes is one of their cousins. I soooo want to know what happened between Chelsea and her sister, Nicole.  Her sister has a big family of girls, too, but since - OMG!!! Nicole’s insta is public! I LOVE her daughters names - Olivia Kate, Caroline, Lucy Bea, Madeleine and Elizabeth. So many thoughts. Must dive deep. There goes my day.

Oooooh!  Can you share the sister’s public Insta info?!?  I’m dying to have a look!

[noseybutt]

On 8/22/2022 at 10:22 PM, katilac said:

I mean, you are justifying bullying, there's no way around that. She used the term "mercilessly mocking" and said they literally popped up over their fence, like these poor kids are in their own yard, minding their business, y'know? Yeah, let's not justify bullying just bc we think their religion is stupid. 

 

Point taken.

 

[anachronistic]

https://www.instagram.com/mum2oliviakatecaroline.lucybea/?hl=en
 

The oldest is in 12th grade now so doesn’t show up as much. Husband does something in the military and is gone a lot. No boy means their clothes are a lot lacier and colorful than the blue theme Chelsea sticks to. She has also clearly bow trained her kids but the 2nd and 3rd seem full of fire anyway. 
 

Their Thanksgiving theme is Casually Racist……wtf….I wore a brown paper bag for a deerskin dress in the 80s and we made construction paper feather headdresses but I honestly had no idea people still did that. Because it’s racist af.

The saddest part is when they do career day and one of the girls dressed up as a Harvard research scientist. No way they’ll ever let her become that. She might discover that she’s been taught some whacko stuff. (Also now I want to ask the religious background of everyone from Harvard that I meet. Good thing I’m not socializing in groups right now because I’d totally do that. My church pre-covid would have Harvard undergrads wandering in all the time to fulfill the ‘go to a church service’ requirement for a sociology or religion class as we’re physically the closest church to them.)

[Baxter]

Wow, Nicole's oldest daughter looks like she is so over all of these pictures. At least she isn't having to wear matching clothes to her sisters anymore. 

[postscript]

1 hour ago, anachronistic said:

https://www.instagram.com/mum2oliviakatecaroline.lucybea/?hl=en
 

The oldest is in 12th grade now so doesn’t show up as much. Husband does something in the military and is gone a lot. No boy means their clothes are a lot lacier and colorful than the blue theme Chelsea sticks to. She has also clearly bow trained her kids but the 2nd and 3rd seem full of fire anyway. 
 

Their Thanksgiving theme is Casually Racist……wtf….I wore a brown paper bag for a deerskin dress in the 80s and we made construction paper feather headdresses but I honestly had no idea people still did that. Because it’s racist af.

The saddest part is when they do career day and one of the girls dressed up as a Harvard research scientist. No way they’ll ever let her become that. She might discover that she’s been taught some whacko stuff. (Also now I want to ask the religious background of everyone from Harvard that I meet. Good thing I’m not socializing in groups right now because I’d totally do that. My church pre-covid would have Harvard undergrads wandering in all the time to fulfill the ‘go to a church service’ requirement for a sociology or religion class as we’re physically the closest church to them.)

Somehow I’m not surprised by the Native American cosplay, even though it’s dated, inaccurate and racist. This is the woman who dressed up her daughter as Anne Frank for some book character day. 

Her oldest daughter seems intelligent and motivated. I wonder if she’ll be allowed to go to college, or if she’ll be expected to help her mother look after the younger girls until they find a suitable match for her. Even a year or two of Bible college would do her a lot of good. These families make me sad, because money is clearly no object and they appear to be getting a decent if limited education. However, they’re expected to live in some 1890s time warp, not only in clothing but also in lack of career aspirations. 

[anachronistic]

Olivia Kate looks sad now that she’s stopped smiling with her teeth showing, if that makes any sense. She hasn’t smiled for ‘real’ in any picture since 2020. I suppose it’s part of growing up and wanting to look older? Do Pentecostal girls marry young, or are they allowed to go to college? I’ve no idea. But then again she’s like, what, 9 years older than her next-closest sister Caroline? So no wonder she holds herself apart. That’s a huge age gap.

Nicole doesn’t dress her kids nearly as matcha-matcha as Chelsy does, she tends to have the 2nd and 3rd match and the 2 babies match, which makes sense. She’s also still sort of into the curling hair thing which must be so darn painful. I remember when crimping and hot curling were all the rage in the 80s/90s and how much it hurt and how boring it was to sit still for so long on special occasions. These kids have to do it once or twice a week!

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, anachronistic said:

Olivia Kate looks sad now that she’s stopped smiling with her teeth showing, if that makes any sense. She hasn’t smiled for ‘real’ in any picture since 2020. I suppose it’s part of growing up and wanting to look older? Do Pentecostal girls marry young, or are they allowed to go to college? I’ve no idea. But then again she’s like, what, 9 years older than her next-closest sister Caroline? So no wonder she holds herself apart. That’s a huge age gap.

Nicole doesn’t dress her kids nearly as matcha-matcha as Chelsy does, she tends to have the 2nd and 3rd match and the 2 babies match, which makes sense. She’s also still sort of into the curling hair thing which must be so darn painful. I remember when crimping and hot curling were all the rage in the 80s/90s and how much it hurt and how boring it was to sit still for so long on special occasions. These kids have to do it once or twice a week!

Yes, they usually marry young. I think maybe some of the girls go to approved religious colleges. But I think most get married young and become stay at home moms. 

[anachronistic]

You will be glad to know that I have studied Nicole’s Instagram stories and Jane Claire appeared at a sewing party they held in the past year - she has a snaggle tooth in front that is pretty distinctive. And Charlotte Pomeroy and Lucy Randle are both in kindergarten this year, and the school isn’t that big. So the kids are allowed to be friends, even if the moms are still feuding. 
 

Pondering: Why can’t I stop looking? Why do these kids draw me in, again and again, when the Rods, with equally hateful beliefs, don’t? It’s probably because these kids are so well nourished and impeccably dressed, down to the monograms on absolutely everything, and people like to look at pretty things. Same reason I like the Chasing Fireflies catalog, I guess. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Since Chelsea is apostolic pentecostal, it made me think of this story. This woman is Pentecostal too. But she’s not glitzy Pentecostal like Chelsea. Some Pentecostal churches are over the top with the hair and accessories. But others are less glitzy. Since this woman divorced her husband, I wonder if she left her church. Her sisters listed homeschooled on their Facebook pages. But they wear pants now. So I wonder if she and her sisters left the faith as adults. She obviously got married young and had kids right away. It’s such a sad story. She worked so hard to get away from this abusive piece of crap. And he ended up killing her. 
https://people.com/crime/mother-of-5-was-allegedly-beaten-to-death-by-ex-husband-as-horrified-kids-watched/

[Baxter]

I continue to be baffled as to how Chelsea and Nicole afford all of these clothes. My 3 year old daughter pretty much only wants to wear dresses right now so the other day I ordered a few fall dresses from Boden for her. They had a sale on so the prices weren't too bad. But if I multiplied that by four, it would have been quite expensive. Not to mention matching shoes and accessories. I'm guessing that each of the kid's outfits is at least $50 each for the dress. Chelsea's husband is the school principal. His salary can't be funding this. Chelsea's mom has a catering company so it's clearly not family money from her side. Maybe his family has money. But would Nicole's husband make enough money in the military to fund her lifestyle? The whole thing is hard to wrap my mind around. 

[Rosie]

On 8/27/2022 at 9:36 PM, anachronistic said:

Pondering: Why can’t I stop looking? Why do these kids draw me in, again and again, when the Rods, with equally hateful beliefs, don’t? It’s probably because these kids are so well nourished and impeccably dressed, down to the monograms on absolutely everything, and people like to look at pretty things. Same reason I like the Chasing Fireflies catalog, I guess. 

This is why I follow Nicole - her girls are truly adorable and look well cared-for.  Their clothing is gorgeous and I love looking at all the details.  And I love her children's names.

[DJ1234]

53 minutes ago, Baxter said:

I continue to be baffled as to how Chelsea and Nicole afford all of these clothes. My 3 year old daughter pretty much only wants to wear dresses right now so the other day I ordered a few fall dresses from Boden for her. They had a sale on so the prices weren't too bad. But if I multiplied that by four, it would have been quite expensive. Not to mention matching shoes and accessories. I'm guessing that each of the kid's outfits is at least $50 each for the dress. Chelsea's husband is the school principal. His salary can't be funding this. Chelsea's mom has a catering company so it's clearly not family money from her side. Maybe his family has money. But would Nicole's husband make enough money in the military to fund her lifestyle? The whole thing is hard to wrap my mind around. 

I wondered the same thing.  I'm assuming that Nicole is a (very) skilled seamstress. I also think the dresses and accessories are repurposed as the girls grow.  

I have to admit that I enjoy the pictures.  The children and the clothes are beautiful.  But in the next breath I lament that these girls are being stuffed into very "pretty little boxes" where they learn that looks and an appearance of affluence matter.

I also have to wonder about sending a little girl to the first day of kindergarten in a pristine, white dress.  Are those girls allowed to play and get dirty?  Do they only wear the clothes for pictures and church and then change?  Do they have play clothes?  I am from a generation that would go to school and church in "dressier" clothes and then change into "play clothes," so perhaps?????

[JermajestyDuggar]

Isn’t Nicole’s husband an FBI agent or something like that? I think they resell a lot of the clothing at a pretty high price. I don’t resell my kids’ clothing because it’s filled with holes and wasn’t that expensive in the first place. But I’m guessing their clothing has a high resale value. I’m betting they are trained not to rip or stain the clothing. 

[Melissa1977]

1 hour ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Isn’t Nicole’s husband an FBI agent or something like that? I think they resell a lot of the clothing at a pretty high price. I don’t resell my kids’ clothing because it’s filled with holes and wasn’t that expensive in the first place. But I’m guessing their clothing has a high resale value. I’m betting they are trained not to rip or stain the clothing. 

He was in FBI but he has been in the military too. 

I like Nicole style but I feel sad for the children. In the sewing camp, all the girls have to sew the same premade dress, that was almost finished before even starting. There was no creativity at all and almost no real sewing. The decoration was beyond perfect, but as a mother I think the time used in planning, buying and setting the decor would have better been used in organising something the girls can actually participate in.

 

3 hours ago, Baxter said:

Chelsea's husband is the school principal. His salary can't be funding this

I may be wrong, but I think he is also a realtor. 

[fundiewatch]

I just looked at Nicole’s Instagram (thanks for the link!). There was a really awful ode to Rush Limbaugh complete with leaving flowers at some gate. Yuuuuuck.

[anachronistic]

I’ve always assumed that Nicole’s husband has family money because no way could they afford the lifestyle otherwise. And Chelsea’s husband either has family money or gets paid a ton for private security consulting /whatever it is former or current FBI/military types do. He still goes to trainings and seems to be away for weeks at a time, so I think his job must be pretty high pressure. Judging by the size of her living room alone it’s a big house and looks fancy, but I’d be willing to bet you could buy a doghouse in my neighborhood for what they paid since real estate is so dependent on location. (In my old neighborhood a subway stop is about to open up nearby and someone’s rent went up by $700 a *month*.)

[Hane]

From what I read about Chelsea previously, she resells these clothes. I bet the kids are under considerable pressure to keep them in pristine condition.

[fundiewatch]

She and her sister sold together I think, it was called something like closet of the quints on Instagram. Chelsea has definitely relaxed somewhat, the traction alopecia is no longer foremost in my brain when I see pics. 
 

I will say that the Pomeroy dad seems like a good dad and a fun school administrator. I don’t agree with their politics but like half of my family supports Trump so 🤷‍♀️. She really enjoys her children, all of them, and individually. I like that about her. And, as I’ve said, she and I have similar travel passions. I only wish I had her money. I actually don’t think it’s that weird to dress up/alike when on vacation. I often put husband/son in matching shirts and I only wear dresses if I’m in Charleston. She’s that on steroids but the kids’ school uniforms are a far cry from what’s normal for me too. 

[Markie]

Chelsea blocked me when a lot of People followed her and were making comments. I didn’t comment but I joined at the same time. Has she relaxed a bit with poor Abigail? That girl seemed to hate all the fussy clothes and hairstyles. 

[Baxter]

I'm sure Chelsea does resell some of them. But she's also big into monogramming so she can't be selling all of them. I'm assuming her husband's family has some money. 

I agree that Chelsea's husband seems like a fun dad. Hopefully that is the case. Chelsea also seems to have mellowed a little bit. From her Instagram, the kids seem healthy and happy and I really hope that is the case. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

9 hours ago, Baxter said:

I'm sure Chelsea does resell some of them. But she's also big into monogramming so she can't be selling all of them. I'm assuming her husband's family has some money. 

I agree that Chelsea's husband seems like a fun dad. Hopefully that is the case. Chelsea also seems to have mellowed a little bit. From her Instagram, the kids seem healthy and happy and I really hope that is the case. 

Ok I’m not a seamstress in any way. But can you get rid of monogramming without damaging the clothing?

[Melissa1977]

51 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Ok I’m not a seamstress in any way. But can you get rid of monogramming without damaging the clothing?

You can, but it leaves marks in the fabric. But maybe they are monnogramed again and it looks nice again.

15 hours ago, anachronistic said:

I’ve always assumed that Nicole’s husband has family money because no way could they afford the lifestyle otherwise. And Chelsea’s husband either has family money or gets paid a ton for private security consulting /whatever it is former or current FBI/military types do. He still goes to trainings and seems to be away for weeks at a time, so I think his job must be pretty high pressure.

Nicole has the FBI/military husband. 

Chelsea has the school director.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Just now, Melissa1977 said:

You can, but it leaves marks in the fabric. But maybe they are monnogramed again and it looks nice again.

I see. I know it’s very popular in the south. I occasionally see it here in the Midwest. But I’ve never had it done for my kids clothing because I figured I couldn’t donate it like that. If I had monogrammed a piece of baby clothing, I would probably keep it forever as a keepsake. 

[mango_fandango]

Abigail appears to be obsessed with donuts. So much so that she's had school bags labelled Abigail Donut in the past. 

They live in Arkansas I believe.

[anachronistic]

@Melissa1977 thanks for catching that! Oops.

I recently noticed that Chelsea adds modesty to outfits that don’t pass her standards. Especially the older girls, they will wear shirts under sundresses. Except, unlike with the Rods, these shirts actually are blouses, with nice collars, and it’s genuinely hard to tell that they weren’t part of the outfit to begin with. And they and their cousins wear genuine petticoats underneath stuff to lengthen skirts, instead of just gigantic sizes.

I think the Pomeroys and Randall’s would be JRods idols if she knew about them, except of course they practice the wrong kind of Christianity.

I don’t get monogramming and I don’t like it. I got a boxful of monogrammed stationary for my college graduation…..I hate handwriting things so much I type my Christmas cards when I used to do them. You can’t pass down monogrammed stuff! For the same reason I never put inscriptions on books. No kid will keep any book forever and it is weird buying a mint condition used book with an inscription in front because it’s hard to gift then.