Wellfleet

I was also disappointed too at first, but then I thought - at least it's a book. When one of them puts his/her name on a fragrance, I'm outta here - and I know that would be pretty weird, but it still happens. I read somewhere that believe it or not, even B and C-list celebrities can make far more $$ hawking a fragrance than doing what they actually do, whatever that might be. And without doing anything more than signing their name on a contract. That's why they ALL do it. All except my hero - Meryl Streep - a class act from head to toe.

I've never had a baby so maybe I'm just not as suitably-impressed as I should be - feel free to let me know. But I'm thinking she should look pretty well. She's only 23. She didn't have to chase after any other kids while pregnant. She didn't work. She didn't have any kind of schedule to keep except to hustle Derick back and forth, which was just driving - and that was their choice. I doubt she did much cleaning or cooking. There were probably no financial stresses, and she was without a doubt showered with gifts for most of the 9 months. And while she did have major surgery, it has been, by now, 3 weeks of nonstop rest, probably being waited on hand and foot by husband and various sibs. Of course people all have different recovery rates and styles, I'm sure. But shouldn't she look fairly well by now?

I think debit cards now work on most sites.

They can't do that. When things are slow celebrity-wise, like it is now, the Duggars can always be counted on for some kind of wackiness - real or invented. If Kate had had her baby shortly before or after Israel, the Duggars would have relegated to the "Also This Week..." page. Some tabloid that advertises on this forum is talking about "Duggar Daughter Announces She's Leaving the Show..." Pure speculation on their part.

I do like Jim-Bob and Bob-Jim. Carries on a family name, and carries on their own stunning lack of creativity with it comes to language and words as well.

I'm not even sure about that. I think she enjoys telling stories - true and not true - about herself. And she's running out of ways to stay in the limelight. My theory is that she made up something that no one would be able to definitively confirm or dispute. Even her supposed best friend, the trainer, was surprised. And at that age, what teen girls don't do together, they talk about together. Maybe - just maybe - Me-chelle tried sticking her finger down her throat once, didn't like it, never did it again - and is now dragging it back as a talking point 30 years later.

Frick and Frack? Tweedledee and Tweedledum?

Agree. I believe Me-chelle's entire eating disorder story is fabricated, start to finish. She's not having babies any more. She [thinks she] needs something to make her sympathetic, especially in the eyes of the leghumpers. In her convoluted mind, she may view an eating disorder as almost a "fashionable" thing to have sufferered from as a teen. Short of seeing pictures, I don't believe one word of her ED blather.

I hope for this too, but sadly, don't have much hope. It could happen, but I think it's unlikely. I think Derick is that very rare individual, an extraordinarily-passive male. He didn't even really pursue a wife on his own. I would not be surprised if he left WalMart for the show, or went into ministry himself, or followed some other type of opportunity in the next few years. I think his exposure to "normal" people could easily be very limited, even non-existent. I could see his own mother as being the type who doesn't like to meddle. I could easily see him praying for all the answers, rather than thinking about them. And I can definitely see Jill as being the real headship of this family. Whether she gets it by being loud or by being more subtle and quiet, I think Jill will get her way - and by extension, Boob's way.

A lot of good points here. And a commenter had one of the best points too, one that had never occurred to me. "People would go crazy if this was in the hood..." Very true.

So sad about to hear about Maisie's hearing loss, but it's also dawning on me - duh! - that Maisie is not the only girl in this family who is FIerce. Give 'em hell, Momma! PS - so glad Maisie's in line for a cochlear implant. I worked very closely with a student at my college for four years who had one and she was the loveliest girl. Bright, well-adjusted, sweet and one of the best workers I ever had. NOT having to hear all the office 'white noise' around us was a huge advantage for her. We joked about it because sometimes I could see her "turning off" her implant - we called it switching to "quiet mode." I told her I was jealous of her ability to do that . She could even plug her iPod into her implant and listen to music if she wanted.

As a student of history, I couldn't agree more. Spirituality is terrific, and we can all use more of that in our lives. But organized religion has been directly responsible for a great deal of the avoidable deaths, destruction and miserable unhappiness in the world for centuries. It's time to do away with the "organized" part, and emphasize the spirituality.

Eight nurses - and one escaped by hiding under a bed. But I agree. For me every time I saw "Speck" I'd be thinking of that incident. I was almost 10 at the time. The TV news stories and Life magazine feature - in color - gave me nightmares for days.

If Josie actually has something chronic or serious, or develops anything in the future, I really doubt it would be dealt with in a serious way on the show. I think that goes for all the children, and Me-chelle as well. Unless Boob could gain something, in some way - then there might be more. They certainly put their own spin on the whole Jubilee situation. Most families going through that would want to keep it completely private. I think the most any other "public" family would do would be to issue a statement, make an appeal for privacy and possibly encourage donations to the March of Dimes or some similar organization. But not Boob and Me-chelle...

I think all newborns are cute - even the ones who look like aliens - so Izzy's definitely cute. But the poor lil guy got baby acne. I know it's normal and it doesn't last. I was just hoping with all the other crud he's going to be contending with in his life, that he'd escape that. Oh well - better now than in his teens.

Other than junior high "steady" shirts, I've only run into people wearing matching shirts when on teams together, or working on projects together. For example, when an office or company works on a Habitat for Humanity project. Maybe Anna has a need to feel part of some kind of team? Oh, we did get family reunion tee shirts one year in our family...

No kidding. What-a-crock. That statement is insulting to the intelligence of their viewing audience. "I'm missing a muscle in my back..." Uh-huh. Just exactly how stupid does Me-chelle think people are? She says it, and we automatically believe it? Without even thinking about how absolutely ludicrous it sounds? Typical narcissistic behavior.

True enough. I'm beginning to think there's possibly some kind of underlying - and undiagnosed - chronic problem going on with him. Back in the day, I knew a fair number of 20-somethings who burned the candle at both ends - even while working full-time - and it was amazing to me, but they still looked better than Josh does now. Not a good sign considering that we can pretty much bet that he doesn't look that way because he's out drinking and carousing 4 nights a week.

I don't know. Look at what three kids in less than four years has done to Josh, and he isn't even the one birthing or taking care of them. He's what - 27 now? On a bad day he could pass for 45. Five more, including little M4, may just find him as medicated as his mother. Or worse...

Gotta be honest, IMO, no one looks all that different and certainly not unrecognizable. Most of the time makeovers that transform someone involve cutting and/or coloring hair etc. The Duggars wouldn't allow any significant hair changes and therefore to me, they don't really look anything more than just painted up nicely. Joy looks the most different of the group but not very - and then it's her hair. What would be interesting is if there was an actual full-on makeover with haircuts that suit facial shapes, hair types and age - looking at you Me-chelle. But unless the ratings were in a serious nosedive, I doubt that Boob would ever approve that.

My situation exactly too. Unable to leave, but don't want to stay... I have to keep asking myself why am I so fascinated with people whose attitudes and actions I cannot stand? Most of the time now I have the sound muted when the Duggars are on, and I know I'm not missing much at all because they never say anything new. It is also much too much fun to snark about them here. Bit of a sticky wicket. :>)

Wow, now THAT is bad writing. Maybe this is a dumb question considering he's Gothard, but did TFDW go to college? If not, I'll cut him some slack. But if yes, sorry - no excuses for that mess.

Oprah did a program once about women who were walking down the aisle at their weddings, knowing that they were making a mistake and marrying the wrong person. I think it was Oprah, at least. Anyway, this concept hit a real note with many other women including some in the audience and is apparently more widespread than one would think. I remember that many of them said they were marrying just to get the hell outta Dodge. That this could also be Jessa's story I think sure, it's definitely possible.

Dec-Feb is the slowest tourist time for Paris and obviously November leads into that. Not a touristy month in Paris at all - great time to go. The weather can still be fairly decent but there aren't any crowds and the hotels have made significant cuts from peak Summer rates. Doubt that TLC did much clearing of any sites they filmed - or could have if they wanted to. These are, after all, the French. I doubt they paid any attention to Ben and Jessa.

[comment removed] Oops - sorry. Just saw the warning. Wish those yellow suckers would pop up - it sure would save we posters some time and effort writing on topics that have been closed off. :>) [Mod note: No problem. I understand. I will pass the programming suggestion on to Dave, but I have no idea if that's even possible]