CarVan12: Health Scare Continues ... and Worsens :(

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

I think it's pretty clear at this point that they must make more money from youtube/Instagram and the boutique combined than he could make as an electrician.

I'm fairly confident they make more from just youtube/Instagram than Evan would have made f/t electrician.

But I wonder if Evan is starting to get sick of hanging around "the girls" all the time.

He seemed very happy when they were with Travis (and Katie). I've now watched some of Travis/Katie to see their perspective on the birth stuff. Their channel seems more balanced between the 2 of them.

I feel like Evan's stuff is mostly following Carlin and his kids around. Which probably is what brings the views. I wonder though if he's feeling isolated and perhaps emasculated?

Or maybe being the driver/responsible adult/caretaker thing is weighing him down. It's been close to a year I think since she started having the seizures? He hasn't made any comment on the testing lately or how it's going. At least not in the youtube videos I seldom look at their instagram

[marmalade]

5 hours ago, BeccaGrim said:

Yes, I agree. I think the other part of that is that she needs someone with her if she has a seizure., to help her, watch the kids, etc. 

They haven't mentioned her having seizures for a couple months, maybe longer. None since the holidays, minimum. She could have Whitney drive them to the boutique. A sister could stay with her at home. There are very simple workarounds that would allow Evan to get a real job. He just prefers to be Leisure Boy. 

[grandmadugger]

I looked up their estimated YouTube earnings and I am shocked. They are estimated to make 46k a year, Lawson is currently estimated to make 7k but that’s a huge drop. I know that Lawson was up to 100k+ not long ago. Income goes down first quarter but usually not that drastically. 

[rebeccawriter01]

3 hours ago, WatchingTheTireFireBurn said:

 

I feel like Evan's stuff is mostly following Carlin and his kids around. Which probably is what brings the views. I wonder though if he's feeling isolated and perhaps emasculated?

 

Their Youtube has essentially become him and his commentary. Same with Katie and Travis, as well as Tiffany and Lawson. From a marketing perspective, it would make more sense to go with the "more famous" of the couple or the woman if your niche is mommy blogger/vlogger. However, I guess he has to have an outlet somewhere. But for the love of God can someone teach him another technical video term besides b-roll. If I watch another video of theirs, I'm starting a drinking game. 

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

2 hours ago, grandmadugger said:

I looked up their estimated YouTube earnings and I am shocked. They are estimated to make 46k a year, Lawson is currently estimated to make 7k but that’s a huge drop. I know that Lawson was up to 100k+ not long ago. Income goes down first quarter but usually not that drastically. 

They have sponsorships on YouTube and Instagram as well.

 

Combine with boutique income...im sure they're very comfortable and have flexible schedules.

[grandmadugger]

46 minutes ago, WatchingTheTireFireBurn said:

They have sponsorships on YouTube and Instagram as well.

 

Combine with boutique income...im sure they're very comfortable and have flexible schedules.

Most of the sponsorships are affiliate style programs more than straight up sponsorships. I say affiliate style because it’s not true affiliate marketing. Let me try to explain in layman terms  

If they give a code then the company is giving them a percentage of the sales using the code. This is a form of affiliate marketing but you aren’t guaranteed anything. You can also join affiliate programs that you get special links that track your sales. The percentage just depends on the company Amazon pays 3-5% but my sewing machine company pays 10%. 
 

A post without the code is typically sponsored and is a set amount of money. The amount can vary greatly depending on the company. Since I don’t play in the same niche I’m not really sure how much they are being offered. I’m part of some third party companies that broker deals between influencers and the company. Some pay fairly well and others don’t pay very well at all. I guess I should pay better attention to what they are posting and cross reference with the emails I get. 
 

All of this to say, I don’t disagree that they are making a comfortable living, for now. I would be concerned if I was them though. I haven’t looked back in the Lawson thread at what he was making on YouTube but it was substantial. I also ran my own to compare and it was pretty spot on. Seeing him drop from a six figure to 7k says a lot. I’m guessing the longer we get from the show airing the lower their income will become since it relies on their “celebrity” status. 

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

I worry about them as much as I worry about any person whose sole income is youtube or similar (which is to say not at all). I think sooner or later it won't be viable on small term basis and the corporate people will move in more. Will be interesting to see how it goes. I love watching the flow of things and changes over time.

It's purely anecdotal but I did go on a research binge some time during covid and found a fair number of youtubers who did not have huge followings who were claiming 5k-10k$ sponsorship deals. It seemed fairly consistent they were all quoting #s in that range with the bigger followings/more postings people more like 10k$ and the lesser more like 5k.

I've also watched a bunch of my personally preferred fairly obscure youtubers (often frugality based/diy types) who went from averaging 10k views per videos to once they got past 50k to 100k views all of sudden they had sponsorships (of some kind i dont pretend to know) and then they suddenly started buying 2nd cars, brand new replacement cars for beaters, or RVs -and they started going on expensive trips when before they had been proponents of tent camping or talked about day trips  or they suddenly bought houses.

I've observed the pattern again and again.

So I dunno. I think there's money flowing.

 

[lexiloumarie]

12 hours ago, marmalade said:

They haven't mentioned her having seizures for a couple months, maybe longer. None since the holidays, minimum. She could have Whitney drive them to the boutique. A sister could stay with her at home. There are very simple workarounds that would allow Evan to get a real job. He just prefers to be Leisure Boy. 

I saw this somewhere recently and Im curious if the viewpoint is the same here - why is Evan being a caretaker not a "real job" when no one would say that if it was Carlin? If the situation was exactly reversed and Evan was the higher income with the business ownership, we wouldn't be saying that Carlin lives a life of leisure helping with his business and managing the kids.

They're probably the most reversed gender roles of all the fundies and yet most of us snarkers reinforce the fundie viewpoint over and over - he's not a real man or doing anything worthwhile because his wife makes the money. The very same thing fundies will say about them. 

Just something that's bugged me since I saw it pointed out elsewhere. 

[SassyPants]

4 hours ago, lexiloumarie said:

I saw this somewhere recently and Im curious if the viewpoint is the same here - why is Evan being a caretaker not a "real job" when no one would say that if it was Carlin? If the situation was exactly reversed and Evan was the higher income with the business ownership, we wouldn't be saying that Carlin lives a life of leisure helping with his business and managing the kids.

They're probably the most reversed gender roles of all the fundies and yet most of us snarkers reinforce the fundie viewpoint over and over - he's not a real man or doing anything worthwhile because his wife makes the money. The very same thing fundies will say about them. 

Just something that's bugged me since I saw it pointed out elsewhere. 

I didnt make the comment, but if Carlin is not well and has limitations, is she reliably working? I don’t really know either way. And if she’s home, then someone needs to be with her and the children. I’m thinking that person would be Evan as having to be with Carlin was the reason he gave for switching career paths. Frankly, I’m not sure either of them reliably works at the boutique. Rather, I think they are influencers on IG and are making money via that and YouTube. Since I am old school, I have a hard calling that going to work. I realize the workplace in 2023 has changed- I also think people make comments based on the words or beliefs that have been expressed by these folks. As an example, would KJ and Gil or JB and M support the notion that a woman would work outside the home while a man stayed at home and cared for the home? Not so sure. It’s not that many (or anyone) here would look down on that arrangement, but a Gothard follower might-

[CanadianMamam]

Other than her break to see Katie, Carlin seems to be consistently working. She goes into the boutique several days a week and when she was in NJ, she said she did zoom calls and worked on some of the stuff that could be done virtually.

These days it does seem her inability to drive is the biggest obstacle. 

[SassyPants]

3 hours ago, CanadianMamam said:

Other than her break to see Katie, Carlin seems to be consistently working. She goes into the boutique several days a week and when she was in NJ, she said she did zoom calls and worked on some of the stuff that could be done virtually.

These days it does seem her inability to drive is the biggest obstacle. 

Maybe, or maybe that’s just what curated life they want to portray. Anti seizure medications are  nasty drugs, often making people sluggish. They also need to be closely monitored (blood draws)to maintain therapeutic levels. Seizure activity also makes people tired. I hope they figure out exactly what is causing these seizures and devise a solid plan that is acceptable to Carlin. If Carlin doesn’t have buy-in and maintain compliancy, their lives will be harder.

[JermajestyDuggar]

If she can work from Katie’s, she can work from her home. At least some of the week.

Maybe it’s because I live in a city but I know tons of people who don’t have a car. And they have jobs. There are other options. Getting a ride from a friend, family member, or coworker. Taking an Uber. Or taking a bus. They might not have a bus system. But they must have Uber. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by JermajestyDuggar

[SassyPants]

14 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

If she can work from Katie’s, she can work from her home. At least some of the week.

Maybe it’s because I live in a city but I know tons of people who don’t have a car. And they have jobs. There are other options. Getting a ride from a friend, family member, or coworker. Taking an Uber. Or taking a bus. They might not have a bus system. But they must have Uber. 

Who cares for the kids when C and E work? Is Carlin safe to be left alone at this point?

[JermajestyDuggar]

Just now, SassyPants said:

Who cares for the kids when C and E work? Is Carlin safe to be left alone at this point?

She honestly seems like she does whatever she pleases except for driving. 

[gobucks]

33 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

Who cares for the kids when C and E work? Is Carlin safe to be left alone at this point?

They seem to all bring their kids into the boutique or get babysitters. 

52 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

Maybe, or maybe that’s just what curated life they want to portray. Anti seizure medications are  nasty drugs, often making people sluggish. They also need to be closely monitored (blood draws)to maintain therapeutic levels. Seizure activity also makes people tired. I hope they figure out exactly what is causing these seizures and devise a solid plan that is acceptable to Carlin. If Carlin doesn’t have buy-in and maintain compliancy, their lives will be harder.

She was heavily napping during her dosage change as well as mentioned brain fog. They talked about it on their YouTube channel in the past. She might have found a good mix of meds and having less seizures currently or they just don't feel the need to mention every single seizure she has. Last they mentioned, they are still awaiting this 5 day inpatient EEG. I have friends and family that take daily meds and go months without seizure activity or having side effects. It is a possibility with the right meds. Out of curiosity, I would love actual data or a link on "nasty drugs, often making people sluggish". 

Edited March 6, 2023 by gobucks

[AussieKrissy]

9 hours ago, lexiloumarie said:

I saw this somewhere recently and Im curious if the viewpoint is the same here - why is Evan being a caretaker not a "real job" when no one would say that if it was Carlin? If the situation was exactly reversed and Evan was the higher income with the business ownership, we wouldn't be saying that Carlin lives a life of leisure helping with his business and managing the kids.

They're probably the most reversed gender roles of all the fundies and yet most of us snarkers reinforce the fundie viewpoint over and over - he's not a real man or doing anything worthwhile because his wife makes the money. The very same thing fundies will say about them. 

Just something that's bugged me since I saw it pointed out elsewhere. 

I agree, why shouldn't he stay "home?"

 But my fear and would be the same if Carlin was the stay home parent/carer. Is that he has given up a "fullproof" job for something that could change tomorrow and leave them finacially ruined. 

Same as if Carlin was a stay home parent )nothing wrong with that) but I worry about the vulnerability of the stay home parent if something should happen to the employed partner.

Carlin has shown hustle and does not seem unmotivated I am sure she would survive. I am less worried about her even with her health issues than say Anna Duggar (number of kids do count for that also). 

But on the flip side, why not make hay while the sun shines?

If Insta youtube etc falls flat at least he has a career he can fall back on it may not make them as much as now but hopefully they are getting their house paid off and a nice nest egg in case of a social media backlash/fall out 

[SassyPants]

43 minutes ago, gobucks said:

They seem to all bring their kids into the boutique or get babysitters. 

She was heavily napping during her dosage change as well as mentioned brain fog. They talked about it on their YouTube channel in the past. She might have found a good mix of meds and having less seizures currently or they just don't feel the need to mention every single seizure she has. Last they mentioned, they are still awaiting this 5 day inpatient EEG. I have friends and family that take daily meds and go months without seizure activity or having side effects. It is a possibility with the right meds. Out of curiosity, I would love actual data or a link on "nasty drugs, often making people sluggish". 

I remember in the Nicu phenobarbital was especially high maintenance. Dilantin as well, but those have been replaced by newer drug: Keppra, Tegretol…

You can google any of these drugs and see the side effects…anti seizure drugs all have similar side effects.drowsiness, vertigo, GI upset…I know with babies it could be hard to find a therapeutic dose that would stop the seizures, yet not produce the side effects.

[lexiloumarie]

46 minutes ago, AussieKrissy said:

I agree, why shouldn't he stay "home?"

 But my fear and would be the same if Carlin was the stay home parent/carer. Is that he has given up a "fullproof" job for something that could change tomorrow and leave them finacially ruined. 

Same as if Carlin was a stay home parent )nothing wrong with that) but I worry about the vulnerability of the stay home parent if something should happen to the employed partner.

Carlin has shown hustle and does not seem unmotivated I am sure she would survive. I am less worried about her even with her health issues than say Anna Duggar (number of kids do count for that also). 

But on the flip side, why not make hay while the sun shines?

If Insta youtube etc falls flat at least he has a career he can fall back on it may not make them as much as now but hopefully they are getting their house paid off and a nice nest egg in case of a social media backlash/fall out 

I get that. He has said he's maintaining everything he'd need to keep his electrician licensing update so that he could go back if need be which is super smart. 

 I'm not surprised the social media pays as well as it does, but I'm always amazed the dress boutique has done as well as it has. My style isn't trendy enough because I don't get the appeal of the clothes to the market but I think I've just gotten old enough now to not be their demographic. 

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

Religious crappy beliefs aside I think Evan's doing great and seems very motivated to do the right thing even when Carlin seems ready to throw caution to the wind. It's lucky they have the financial options they have otherwise Carlin and the kids might be parked at Michaela's house.

However, I wonder if *he* feels weird about being not the main bread winner. He seems chill about a lot of things other fundie males would abhor. He seemed kind of anxious and down on himself the last video. Makes me wonder where it's coming from.

It may be exciting to not work a traditional job right now but I expect there's stress from lack of peer groups that arent shared with his wife and her business. 

They haven't mentioned anything about the seizures in awhile but for all we know she's still having them. Carlin was already minimizing them when it seemed to be happening pretty constantly and severely. 

Or maybe the meds have been adjusted well. We'll see.

 

[JDuggs]

It must have been hard for Evan to study and train all those years to become an electrician and just when he’s able to start his career, he was forced to quit. Maybe he enjoyed the electrician stuff and was excited about his “contribution to society” of providing safe and efficient electrical work to people’s homes and businesses. Instead he makes silly videos which he might also enjoy, but deep down don’t feel as important. (Which is why they need to keep fooling themselves that their lives are ministries for Jesus.) I usually don’t watch their videos, but I what I’ve seen, I don’t find very interesting or funny. It might be hitting Evan how repetitive and boring the videos are. Didn’t he perform in some kind of church musical right before Zade was born? He might be missing creative outlets like that. The uncertainty of Carlin’s health must be a big burden for both of them, but the two of them seem well-suited to handling it together. And to be honest, the only one I enjoy in this family is Zade.

[gobucks]

2 hours ago, SassyPants said:

I remember in the Nicu phenobarbital was especially high maintenance. Dilantin as well, but those have been replaced by newer drug: Keppra, Tegretol…

You can google any of these drugs and see the side effects…anti seizure drugs all have similar side effects.drowsiness, vertigo, GI upset…I know with babies it could be hard to find a therapeutic dose that would stop the seizures, yet not produce the side effects.

I only have experience with the newer drugs. I am sure it is very hard to regulate in the NICU! 

[marmalade]

Carlin takes Keppra, at minimum. They may have added another drug or upped her dosage the last time she had a bit of a struggle. She's been going full tilt since then. 

[Smoochie]

4 minutes ago, marmalade said:

Carlin takes Keppra, at minimum. They may have added another drug or upped her dosage the last time she had a bit of a struggle. She's been going full tilt since then. 

Yeah, I vaguely remember her talking about multiple medicines and that adding/changing doses is hard as it makes her very tired, etc.

I also think that she doesn't like to talk about her 'episodes' now. At first it was a novelty and probably something she thought could be easily 'cured'.  She did state they're not as bad, that now she gets an indicator/feeling and can sit/lie down, but, they still tire her out. I don't think she's had a very severe one in quite awhile, or at least they haven't mentioned it.

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

I think they have good reason for not mentioning it.

I wonder if they both are going to have trouble whenever they get to the 1 yr anniversary.

I often wonder why Evan doesn't do anything with singing/music. His family is very musical and he was writing songs before. I forgot about that church play or whatever it was. He was so excited about it.

In the videos around Katie's birth Carlin seems to be advocating for having another baby while Evan was the one saying he wants to enjoy the ones they have and wait anyway due to Carlin's health. I got the sense Carlin is pushing for it.

 

[gobucks]

I don't have the expectation that someone with epilepsy will publicly disclose every single seizure, even a public figure.