BradandJanet

Lots of interesting subtext in Jill's post: Even though I wear a pound of expertly applied makeup everyday because I'm a licensed cosmetologist, God didn't want me to sell makeup because it's a vain thing to promote (except to my daughters). I approached my husband, who was toiling away, as usual, in our home print shop, to ask his permission. I didn't want to sell Plexus just because we desperately needed the money since David quit his full-time job and I kept having babies, I just wanted to lose weight, have more energy, fix my gut problems, and outlive my diabetic grandmothers. I wouldn't have taken this job just for money. David paid for the first Plexus order (by not giving me grocery money), but by the second order, I had made so much money, I could pay by myself. God doesn't like sick people because they can't serve him. Dave and I get dinners out, shopping sprees, and luxury vacations. We wouldn't have all that good stuff without Plexus. We spend the Plexus money on ourselves and use government aid and grifting for the kids. Since I always tell the truth and do everything the Bible says, I couldn't work for a company that didn't have the same values. Plexus, Inc. and I are alike in so very many ways. I pray a lot for my downline of six. I pray that they'll meet sales quotas and recruit other suckers. That's the only way I can afford my monthly purchases and have a some left over. Mostly, I earn points, and it takes a lot of points to get anything. Plexus has made me closer to Jesus than anything else I've ever done. It's my ministry. Jesus loves to see me shilling overpriced creams and vitamin drinks to struggling families, so I simply glow with holy radiance. By joining my down line, you can bask in God's love just as I have. Since Plexus is an MLM, I'll benefit from your work, and I'll glow even more.

Another laugh-out-loud moment from the toilet Plexus post: "After I asked my husband, he said, "Yes, you may try it. That sounds like a good fit for you." He also added, "I will purchase your FIRST month's worth of products, but after that, you are on your own!" Whoo-Hoo ! I was so excited!" When you're writing dialogue, Jill, please use contractions. David sounds like a robot in an old sci-fi movie. OK. Maybe he really does talk this way, but I kind of doubt it. So David shelled out for a month of Plexus? That's about two hundred dollars. Jill must have filled his mind with promises of lots of new income and much less time in the print shop. I hate to think what was sacrificed to come up with that money.

Thank you, @ChiCricket! Hope you are having a good weekend.

Those stupid filters aren't flattering. Renee is a pretty young woman. She doesn't need filters. Her mother is projecting. And that meal was nowhere nearly enough food for the number of people at the dinner (the Rod family plus several other adults), yet she displayed the table with pride. Who among us would have posed with that disaster and put the photo online? Jill's mind is a true mystery. I would have supplemented the yellow with some Chinese takeout or sent Hunk to the deli and kept the burnt ham for the few sandwiches it would have made the next day. I really have no words for that pineapple.

At $1.25 a bunny at Dollar Tree, Jill can afford to have two winners this year. And then there's dinner for family and friends. Will she serve her famous monochromatic holiday meal of a small incinerated ham, a machete-chopped pineapple, corn, pans of gooey, yellow something, and a quarter of a biscuit for everyone?

The ministry clearinghouse does taxes for its members, but I'm not sure the Rods take advantage of the service. I can't see Jill wasting her Plexus time filling in government documents, so I suspect they have the clearinghouse take care of it.

Yeah, but Dollar General doesn't give points that can be exchanged (maybe) for a cruise or a trip to an island resort, places where you can eat all you want while your children at home go hungry but you can't swim until after dark because others on the trip insist on wearing regular swimwear for swimming instead of something that resembles a nun's habit. Jill's in the Plexus business to get luxuries for herself that she would never have on her own. The money she spends on overpriced products to get this stuff makes no sense, but Jill doesn't make much sense anyway.

Poor Edelweiss Miracle Keller will spend her first five years of home schooling learning how to spell her own name.

Didn't Kaylee and Renee do a similar skit not long ago for the power of Plexus Go (or whatever it was called) for tired housewives?

Maybe Jill is having Jonathan chop wood for the barndo as well as his own place. It's not like he has anything else to do. /s I'd hate to see a wood-burning anything among all the flammable clutter Jill has on display in her house. The electric fireplaces are bad enough.

I'm amazed how clean Jill's stuff looks. It must be nice to have a small army of live-in help. I believe the daughters could better use their time by going to school, but that's just me. My house is dustier than I'd like, but I like to think that it's happy, educated dust.

The only thing missing is a cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

I'm grateful for the BRIGHTandJOVIAL people I've encountered on this forum over the many years. Counting On has been my go-to place to relax and interact after a long day at work or a busy weekend. You are all wonderful people, and I send you happy thoughts across this virtual space.

I'm sure Dave was not going to say no to Jill's plan to earn money. The less time he has to spend working in the print shop, the happier he is.

I saw the verb form problem but was distracted by the capital "S" in that sentence. Editing the work of Best Homeschooling Mama Ever is a collective effort.

Well, Tim's birthday party is in the barndo, so the Rods are definitely home. Are the Florida photos finally done? I'm ready for the ladies' retreat. What will Jill wear this year? How will she make sure everyone knows she spent a week at a beach resort with "the Nationals"? What items from the upstairs attic will make it to the conference hotel? How much work will get dumped on poor Kaylee? Is Plexus Cures Everything sweet tea on the menu? Are the baskets of marked-down fruit making another appearance? Inquiring minds are waiting to find out.

Ending to Season 2

Nurie is the golden child. Nurie doesn't even have to try to be Mama's favorite out of the 13. Poor Kaylee works hard to win Jill's approval, and she'll never really get it. Kaylee even saved Nurie's life, for Lord Daniel's sake, by getting her out of the car Nurie had driven into a pond. Nurie got praised for surviving, and "andKaylee" got a banged-up face and honorable mention. If these two figured out the system, Nurie could save money, and Kaylee could save both time and money.

Nurie/Nathan have paid for everything from the moment the Rodrigues crew arrived. When does Jill ever spend money on anyone but herself (and maybe Shrek)? I don't know how Nathan affords these visits since Jill doesn't hold back on asking for meals, sightseeing, shopping, etc. What's that picture behind Nurie and Jill in the restaurant? It looks like a prehistoric creature with skinny arms. What kind of restaurant is this?

Ponce de Leon Springs is a state park in Florida. Jill is playing with time again. The next stop is the Ladies' Retreat in Berlin (?), Ohio. Stay tuned for the Dump-of-Decor from the upstairs attic or new upstairs print-shop attic and the Fun-with-Fonts printed material from She-Who-Has-a-Passion-for-Graphic-Design. Jill needs cash to pay off Dave's credit card from the Punta Cana vacation, so she may decide to cut back on the conference lunch. An iceberg lettuce salad with a slice of bread and a side of stale potato chips should be enough.

Well, they can't always avoid people in public areas and Jill posts photos of everything anyway, so the only way to keep up the performative modesty cosplay is to swim in totally unsuitable clothing. The next thing we'll see is a rebellious Rod daughter cutting the sleeves and neckline of a shirt to make it easier to swim in. Where would she get such an idea?

Jill looks like she's been thrashing around crying for hours. It is because she forgot to buy Tim a birthday cake, because she knows this is the last birthday he's under her total control, or because she used an odd filter that didn't do what she expected? Tim looks fine. Is he back to working at the local airport?

The arch in Jill's eyebrows is in the right place, and the brows have filled in. I'd expect Nurie and Kaylee to follow Mama's lead. Kaylee is trying to pencil in fuller brows, but her sperm brows show through. Maybe they'll grow if she leaves them alone. Are the Rods still in Florida, or is Jill rolling out the trip photos slowly?

I don't think Jill ever thinks she's the cause of anything that goes wrong. Insufficient homeschooling or a lack of financial planning can't possibly be the problem, so either Satan or the schools must be to blame.

All the actors are doing a great job, including the wonderful Ken Watanabe, of course. However, right now, I think Ayumi Tanida is stealing the show as the suave, but deadly, yakuza thug, Tozawa. His whispered greeting to Samantha--Miss Porter--in the police station sent chills through me.