Parsnips and Parsimony

[dahell]

I know they eat a lot of garden produce, but my point is that the vast majority of that is vegetables. Good on them for eating all that fresh produce. But .... apart from the occasional windfall of peaches some years, I've never really seen them harvest anything else that is fruit. I know that vegetables are really, really important, but so is fruit and they just don't seem to eat enough of it. Meat, chicken and bread with their fresh vegetable harvest seems to be the majority of their diet. I think that those kids are very rationed when it comes to fruit because it is something that they can't grow and therefore it is an expense they don't want to spend to much on. They don't even seem to buy much milk.

I think they eat well for what they DO eat, but they don't enough of certain food groups and they eat far too much cheap meat and bread.

I agree with all the baked goods being full of sugar. Also, if they are so health conscious, why do they insist on using all that bleached white flour? I never bake with anything except whole grain flour and I pack it with wheatgerm or bran on top of that as well. White bread just doesn't cut it with growing kids as far as I'm concerned. I know that a lot of people eat white bread and cakes made from bleached flour, but as Janelle is always going on about how healthily they eat she really doesn't have a clue. If she was honest she would see that their diet is just ok, not the super healthy diet she insist that it is. Where are the seeds, nuts, whole grains, etc? They eat so cheaply because they feed their kids an inadequate diet. Janelle has stated many times that she loves meat and bread. My opinion is that that is why she serves that up for her kids so often. What Janelle likes is what the family eats.

I totally agree. And, for the most part I feel like they eat okay. Small portions but maybe my kids just eat a lot? My kids are pretty active and pretty tall for their age, and even though we eat okay (notice I don’t claim health nut status here) they are still hungry all throughout the day it seems. I watch some YT moms that feed their kids decently but not perfect and they are honest in saying “we use this prepackaged stuff sometimes. Maybe even in case of “emergency”. Very honest. I guess it boils down to, if they say how they eat so healthy now compared to a few years ago, wow, wonder what that looked like. And the toilet paper thing, I just don’t get. Why is that something to aspire to? I’m not saying be wasteful but geez. I remember thinking with baby wipes and my oldest, “even if me using quite a lot of wipes when necessary means I buy an extra box or two for his lifetime, so be it. I want to make sure he’s clean!” It’s an extra $15-20 for gosh sake! Lol. There are ways I try to skimp and save and ways I don’t I guess.

[weed]

Janelle said in one vlog that before they changed their eating habits everyone referred to them as the family who was always sick. I think they seem to get sick on a regular basis now, so I hate to think what it used to be like for them.

Nice to see them giving the kids an ice-cream treat for once.

[DoodleBop2]

Why do they need an excuse to watch TV? I think it's pandering to the conservative crowd like when someone in the comments called her immodest and then for a while after you'd see her attempting housework in awkward skirts.

[weed]

Here we go yet again! How much more can they have to do with decluttering? That third floor is atrocious ... even the part which Art says is done ... and I don't think they will ever get it under control. The boys' bedroom and Art and Janellle's bedrooms were also really bad. I know they were cleaning out cupboards, but there was stuff everywhere! They think that is neat and tidy? I think it is appalling. I keep looking in the background of the various rooms they are in while they are filming and every single room is just so messy, even when they claim to have cleaned them up. I think they are beyond help to be honest. They certainly aren't being truthful with themselves about the state the house is in. their definition of tidy and neat is certainly not my definition.

[dahell]

Why do they need an excuse to watch TV? I think it's pandering to the conservative crowd like when someone in the comments called her immodest and then for a while after you'd see her attempting housework in awkward skirts.

YES!! I can’t stand when people constantly JUSTIFY things. TV. Treats. Shopping. She will go into some extreme detail about why she bought someone a new shirt at Kohl’s instead of a rummage sale. Give it a rest already. They always have to make sure they say something like “the kids watched a movie which is SOOOO unlike us!” We get it. I didn’t know that about the skirts though. That’s funny. I have a friend that “went skirts” for a few years. To each their own but I remember when she first started it and I didn’t know. I would see her out mowing the lawn in a long skirt. Then going for a walk in one (we live near each other). I was kind of confused. She wore them for quite a few years and recently stopped. I didn’t notice Janelle though.

[DoodleBop2]

Why do they need an excuse to watch TV? I think it's pandering to the conservative crowd like when someone in the comments called her immodest and then for a while after you'd see her attempting housework in awkward skirts.

YES!! I can’t stand when people constantly JUSTIFY things. TV. Treats. Shopping. She will go into some extreme detail about why she bought someone a new shirt at Kohl’s instead of a rummage sale. Give it a rest already. They always have to make sure they say something like “the kids watched a movie which is SOOOO unlike us!” We get it. I didn’t know that about the skirts though. That’s funny. I have a friend that “went skirts” for a few years. To each their own but I remember when she first started it and I didn’t know. I would see her out mowing the lawn in a long skirt. Then going for a walk in one (we live near each other). I was kind of confused. She wore them for quite a few years and recently stopped. I didn’t notice Janelle though.

I think their core audience is skirt only wearing homeschoolers.

How do they have so much stuff to purge already? Again?! They don't have much money how much would they have if they stopped shopping. I wonder how this fits into those budget videos they make. Scrapbooking? Didn't they just clean the third floor but apparently she couldn't even get into the room for quite a while. Art acts like it's nearly done...we have too much stuff and it's not organized...but this is the final final time. They're delusional.

[weed]

I think that a lot of the clothing and books have actually been given to them, so I don't think they have spent as much on things as it appears, but they certainly have far too much and don't seem to realise that even with the things they are keeping they STILL have too much! If Art thinks that third floor room is nearly done, then he is delusional. He has thrown away some of the things, but not nearly enough .... and when the camera went to the other room up there, it appears that he has mostly just thrown a lot of it into that one to make the first one look better. Heavens, there is still a large wall completely covered with boxes of stuff and he considers that done??

I have lost count of how many comments on YouTube are about them making extra bedrooms up there (especially for charity who is still sharing with all those little girls) but they continue to ignore them all. It seems to me that their kids deserve to not have to cram five into a bedroom when they could actually spread them out a bit. Charity is nearly fifteen and does not need to be sharing with those little girls. She needs a space of her own. Or they could set up one of those rooms as a homeschooling area for the older kids to study quietly in. I've noticed how noisy it is for them when they are all clustered around that dining room table trying to study while the younger kids are running around yelling. I'm surprised that they can concentrate at all. The basement could be turned into their storage area for goodness sake to allow those two third floor rooms to be freed up for lots of other things.

Their priorities seem to be skewed.

[DoodleBop2]

If Charity has time alone what if she starts having ideas and thinking all on her own?

[weed]

Oh goodness, they could never allow that! Their mindset is sad, isn't it?

[DoodleBop2]

Very sad. What if one day she thinks that she wasn't actually born to be her parent's maid of all work or her siblings demi-parent?

I honestly think Charity is expected to get up with the little girls in the night and that's why they won't allow her upstairs.

[OldHag]

Do they live off trust funds or something? I know the area where they live isn't *that* expensive, but it doesn't seem they could "pay off the house in two years" and even survive off Art's part time job and Janelle is a SAHM?

[DoodleBop2]

Isn't Janelle an EMT?

[OldHag]

Isn't Janelle an EMT?

I thought she has said several times she and Charity are volunteer EMTs. Maybe just Charity is a volunteer.

[dahell]

Isn't Janelle an EMT?

I thought she has said several times she and Charity are volunteer EMTs. Maybe just Charity is a volunteer.

It’s all volunteer for both I thought. It seems Janelle does a ton for them though in regards to classes, training, ordering and organizing supplies.

[dahell]

I think that a lot of the clothing and books have actually been given to them, so I don't think they have spent as much on things as it appears, but they certainly have far too much and don't seem to realise that even with the things they are keeping they STILL have too much! If Art thinks that third floor room is nearly done, then he is delusional. He has thrown away some of the things, but not nearly enough .... and when the camera went to the other room up there, it appears that he has mostly just thrown a lot of it into that one to make the first one look better. Heavens, there is still a large wall completely covered with boxes of stuff and he considers that done??

I have lost count of how many comments on YouTube are about them making extra bedrooms up there (especially for charity who is still sharing with all those little girls) but they continue to ignore them all. It seems to me that their kids deserve to not have to cram five into a bedroom when they could actually spread them out a bit. Charity is nearly fifteen and does not need to be sharing with those little girls. She needs a space of her own. Or they could set up one of those rooms as a homeschooling area for the older kids to study quietly in. I've noticed how noisy it is for them when they are all clustered around that dining room table trying to study while the younger kids are running around yelling. I'm surprised that they can concentrate at all. The basement could be turned into their storage area for goodness sake to allow those two third floor rooms to be freed up for lots of other things.

Their priorities seem to be skewed.

I totally agree with all of this. It’s so weird. Sometimes they even save mounds and mounds of empty boxes. Also, I’ve seen one of them address it a few times about the rooms. They claim all their kids like sharing rooms. I agree, Charity could use some space and time away from the little ones.

[dahell]

Do they live off trust funds or something? I know the area where they live isn't *that* expensive, but it doesn't seem they could "pay off the house in two years" and even survive off Art's part time job and Janelle is a SAHM?

Janelle has mentioned a few times how smart Art was with money/housing before they got married. I’m guessing they didn’t have to take much of a loan out on that house because of his wise decisions.

[weed]

I agree and even if she isn't expected to get up and tend to them, she would most certainly have interrupted sleep because of them. I feel really sorry for that poor girl.

[DoodleBop2]

I have several kids and I've never expected my old to change diapers. I figure it's not oldest's fault for happening to be first in birth order why should kiddo be forced to parent someone else's kids. I find it odd in big families the parents who expect their kids to take on so much of the work far beyond doing their share of the chores. Often times homeschooling allows them do a lot more than they would if they went to school and had after-school clubs or sports.

[weed]

In the latest vlog, Grace had been up the night before and not slept well. Janelle admitted without seeming to have a problem about it that she had no idea if Grace had woken up Lillian or not as well. That speaks volumes to me. If she had no idea, then who tended to Grace? Two guesses .... either Charity or Art. Janelle certainly didn't.

In the YouTube comments someone asked if the kids ever go to movies, bowling, homeschool groups etc and Janelle answered that they do, but they just don't film it for privacy reasons. I'm afraid that I just don't believe that. I understand them not filming the event of other kids are involved, but they would certainly comment about having to get their kids somewhere if they were going out. I think they try to pretend that their kids have a social life, but they really don't. Charity once said that her best memory of having a good time was cleaning the house with a friend which is so sad.

As to the older kids taking on tasks with the younger ones, I believe that they really feel they are training them to look after their own families. I know that charity sometimes talks about being a nurse (which will believe when it actually happens) but her main goal in life seems to be having a family of her own. She doesn't have many choices as both Art and Janelle have both stated that they don't think college is important.

[dahell]

I have several kids and I've never expected my old to change diapers. I figure it's not oldest's fault for happening to be first in birth order why should kiddo be forced to parent someone else's kids. I find it odd in big families the parents who expect their kids to take on so much of the work far beyond doing their share of the chores. Often times homeschooling allows them do a lot more than they would if they went to school and had after-school clubs or sports.

If this makes anyone feel any better, I know quite a large amount of large families. While the older do help with the younger somewhat, it’s not a huge amount. I know a few that seem to make their older do too much though too. I TOTALLY agree. Unless I’m sick and my husband is gone, I don’t ask my older to look after the younger much. I never ask them to change diapers (although a few of them have) or bathe, dress etc. I feel very sad when I see older kids having to care for younger siblings at a park or somewhere THEY could be playing with kids their own age. I wouldn’t do that either. I’m all for kids learning household things etc but it shouldn’t be their responsibility to care for and help raise their siblings.