Erin and Chad: Fifty Shades of Pink

[Dehumidifier]

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Edited December 20, 2023 by Dehumidifier
Wrong thread.

[3 is enough]

Apparently Florida gives money to parents who homeschool. This may be a partial answer as to why Erin and Chad relocated. The lower the income of the family the more they get.  
I was somewhat aware of the voucher program but never really considered that families like the Paines could benefit. It was brought up on Reddit. I guess Alyssa and John benefit as well. 

[BitterApple]

Does the State actually cut them a check, or do they provide materials and supplies worth up to a certain amount? If they're just doling out money, it seems kind of nuts. So many ignorant parents would just blow the money on themselves. 

Edited January 26 by BitterApple

[3 is enough]

I am not sure how it works. Maybe someone who lives in Florida can enlighten us?

[ginger90]

15 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Does the State actually cut them a check, or do they provide materials and supplies worth up to a certain amount? If they're just doling out money, it seems kind of nuts. So many ignoring parents would just blow the money on themselves. 

I believe the money is in an online account. 

[GeeGolly]

A quick Google search leads me to believe these are scholarships that need to be applied for. This school year it was awarded to 20,000 students. The amount of students will increase each year. I think the scholarship amounts are $8000.00.

[Heathen]

I would be very angry if I were a Florida taxpayer and my money went to religious bigots' "homeschooling" rather than something worthwhile. 

Topic: I wonder if Princess Erin and her henpecked hubby are looking forward to another roasting Floriduh summer. I hope for the kids' sake that they have adequate central air conditioning -- the kids didn't ask to live in a sauna. 

[Meow Mix]

My state has a voucher program, but I don't think it covers homeschooling.  It does cover anyone who wants to send their kids to a bigoted religious school.  And every dollar handed over to these parents is one less for the public school system.  And yes as a taxpayer it does bother me.  

Regarding Erin and Chad, I am curious if there is any oversight to this program.  If the money is in an online account, can it be spent on anything?  I could see John and Alyssa particularly spending money like that on things that are only tangentially related to their kids education.  

[GeeGolly]

From what I understand a parent has to request approval for their purchases. I do believe many unconventional requests are approved.

[65mickey]

"As of 2023, any homeschooler in the state can apply for Florida's education savings account program. Participating families receive their child's education funds (about $8,000) in an online account and can use those funds for homeschool expenses, online learning, or even an approved class at a local public school."

This is what I found online. It would be interesting to see how this is monitored if at all. I find it hard to believe that the programs that Alyssa and Erin are using would cost $8000 per child. 

[GeeGolly]

7 minutes ago, 65mickey said:

"As of 2023, any homeschooler in the state can apply for Florida's education savings account program. Participating families receive their child's education funds (about $8,000) in an online account and can use those funds for homeschool expenses, online learning, or even an approved class at a local public school."

This is what I found online. It would be interesting to see how this is monitored if at all. I find it hard to believe that the programs that Alyssa and Erin are using would cost $8000 per child. 

In addition to the school program they use laptops and tablets, a printer, paper, etc. Who knows maybe even sneakers. 🙃

I think I read somewhere a family was approved to buy a trampoline for "gym" class.

[3 is enough]

Erin broke her right arm. She did not say how it happened but says it will take months to heal. 
It must be a pretty bad break. My son broke his ankle playing hockey last summer and after two weeks on crutches he had a walking boot. He certainly was not out of commission for months. Maybe she is exaggerating a bit about the severity?

I can’t imagine having a newborn and 5 other young kids  and having to deal with a broken arm. 

Edited January 25 by 3 is enough

[zoomama]

not gonna be an easy go of it for her.

[floridamom]

Hopefully, she won't pass on the household/childcare responsibilities to her two eldest daughters who are still children themselves. I also hope they don't fly on Ellie, or Addie to take over those duties. "Luckily" Callie already broke her arm so she's not in the line of consideration. I wonder how Erin broke her arm? I am sorry that she did and I hope she heals up well quicker than she reported.

[Gweilo]

Eh, she'll just make Chad do even more stuff for her, and still insist on having another baby ASAP. As long as her uterus works, functioning limbs are an optional extra.

[GeeGolly]

I hope I don't sound like an asshole, but she still has use of all her other parts and will likely be able to use her hand soon, while the arm is in the cast. Its amazing what moms of multiple kids can do - nurse while putting away groceries, rock a cradle with a foot while reading to another kid, open a snack bag with her mouth while tending to another kid, etc. She'll figure it out.

I do hope she's not having a lot of pain and is back to good health soon.

Erin's just sad she can't draw and color for a while.

[Heathen]

1 hour ago, 3 is enough said:

Erin broke her right arm. She did not say how it happened but says it will take months to heal. 
It must be a pretty bad break. My son broke his ankle playing hockey last summer and after two weeks on crutches he had a walking boot. He certainly was not out of commission for months. Maybe she is exaggerating a bit about the severity?

I can’t imagine having a newborn and 5 other young kids  and having to deal with a broken arm. 

"Months" could mean TWO months, but she's a Bates, so I would bet she's exaggerating. 

[BitterApple]

Erin's a drama queen, so I wouldn't put it past her to exaggerate, but that's unfortunate either way. 

It'll be interesting to see if Addie or Ellie cycle down to FL. It doesn't seem like the younger siblings visit that much. I'll concede that a sister going to help a Mom with six kids and a broken arm is much more understandable than Callie ladysitting Tiffany. 

[floridamom]

"Ladysitting"....I love that term!

[BitterApple]

1 minute ago, floridamom said:

"Ladysitting"....I love that term!

Lulz! I actually got it from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! 🤣

[Absolom]

I broke my hand last year to where it needed surgery.  I ended up 8 weeks in a cast so a week shy of two months and then therapy so I was four months until back to normal.  I was doing a little bit more every day beginning about four days after surgery though.  

[cereality]

William and some other kid are with Tiff and Callie. Tiff made it seem like William is visiting her/Callie but that just may be how these people write. Did Erin really send her 2 youngest off to Nashville??

[BitterApple]

25 minutes ago, cereality said:

William and some other kid are with Tiff and Callie. Tiff made it seem like William is visiting her/Callie but that just may be how these people write. Did Erin really send her 2 youngest off to Nashville??

Tiffany and Callie were babysitting William and Kenna. 

Erin posted in her stories that Chad took her to Nashville to see one of the Collingsworth women perform in concert. She tagged Lawson, Tori, Nathan and Esther, so I'm assuming they were there as well. It's a tad odd to me that Tiffany was home watching the kids as opposed to being with the adults, but maybe she had no interest in going or didn't want to leave Callie on her own. 

I'm not sure who was watching the rest of Erin's brood back in Florida. 

[BitterApple]

Erin posted more stories. Tiff watching the kids and the concert must've been two different nights because Erin and Chad brought William to the show. A bit tacky if you ask me since this was clearly an adult event. What's worse is they didn't even have ear protection for the poor kid. Like come on, guys, I know y'all are broke, but hearing damage prevention is surely worth a few bucks. 

[GeeGolly]

Erin didn't seem to have a problem working her phone with her left hand. 😁

[floridamom]

With again another broken arm, how could Callie take care of other little children?

[GeeGolly]

Has Kelly noticed her youngest girl basically moved out?

[BitterApple]

3 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Has Kelly noticed her youngest girl basically moved out?

Lulz! Callie is one smart cookie. If I had to help out anywhere, I'd make a beeline for Lawson's. I'd much rather shop and make soup with Tiffany than be stuck watching Alyssa's horde or doing all the grunt work at Casa Bates. 

 

 

[Meow Mix]

It wouldn't surprise me if Erin takes longer to heal because having all those kids has lowered her calcium.  Between that and only having half an ovary functioning, she may be starting to see signs of osteoporosis.  Obviously, she's not so laid up with this broken arm that she can't travel and go to concerts.

[FizzyPuff]

5 hours ago, Meow Mix said:

It wouldn't surprise me if Erin takes longer to heal because having all those kids has lowered her calcium.  Between that and only having half an ovary functioning, she may be starting to see signs of osteoporosis.  Obviously, she's not so laid up with this broken arm that she can't travel and go to concerts.

I still can’t believe that Erin has only half an ovary and has managed to get pregnant twice! I really thought her baby making days were over but I guess not. 

[andromeda331]

2 minutes ago, FizzyPuff said:

I still can’t believe that Erin has only half an ovary and has managed to get pregnant twice! I really thought her baby making days were over but I guess not. 

So did I. I really wish they were over.

[GeeGolly]

I think Erin said she fell off a stool when she hurt her arm. She has a partial muscle tear (sprain) and a bruised bone.

[floridamom]

Yes, Erin was watering the plant on top of the hutch by their dining table while standing on a stool and fell off of it.

[Me from ME]

Quote

while standing on a stool and fell off of it

Not a piano stool by any chance?😉

[Heathen]

On 1/28/2024 at 6:15 PM, FizzyPuff said:

I still can’t believe that Erin has only half an ovary and has managed to get pregnant twice! I really thought her baby making days were over but I guess not. 

Well, when you visit a fertility specialist to "regulate your hormones," you're really not leaving it up to gawd or to your remaining partial ovary. They should have named the last baby William Clomid Paine. 

Did she say before that she broke the arm? 

[Salacious Kitty]

In her most recent video, Erin confirmed that Papa Bill has dementia and isn't doing well. He and Jane only attended ILY Day because Nathan flew them to TN and back the same day. Bill apparently doesn't do well away from home. He is seen looking vacant in the video. Poor Jane. 

[andromeda331]

4 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

In her most recent video, Erin confirmed that Papa Bill has dementia and isn't doing well. He and Jane only attended ILY Day because Nathan flew them to TN and back the same day. Bill apparently doesn't do well away from home. He is seen looking vacant in the video. Poor Jane. 

That's really sad. Poor Bill. Poor Jane.

[SabineElisabeth]

Just watched Erin & Chad's recent YT vid . . . and it struck me as kinda creepy, to be honest.  They were both using their super soft, breathy Fundie voices.  And if fake smiles could speak, the one plastered on Erin's face would've been screaming, "I AM the perfect wife, damn it.  Livin' the dream, always keeping sweet and being joyfully available to my master husband.  Just look at me.  I'm fucking radiating serenity and happiness!"

And to Erin, Chad (and Travis + Katie), if you don't want to be bothered with making YT vids, then . . . don't fucking make YT vids.  But, in the meantime, please just STFU about how much time it takes, what a burden it is, blah blah blah. 🙄🙄🙄

Edited March 16 by SabineElisabeth

[BitterApple]

Dammit, I have to run errands, but I'm dying to see this video. Everyone on Reddit was talking about how weird they were acting as well. 

 

[Salacious Kitty]

37 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Dammit, I have to run errands, but I'm dying to see this video. Everyone on Reddit was talking about how weird they were acting as well. 

 

It's thankfully short. They come off as so phony, yet they claim they want to be more real. I don't know how that's going to work out for them. 

Edited March 16 by Salacious Kitty

[GeeGolly]

Anyone know what Erin's "little life update" is?

[Tdoc72]

She needs some more therapy in her arm, they will only be posting vids every other week cuz they’re busy, & they made some more prayer cards. Boring!

They are like whispering in their bedroom. Erin doesn’t say much at first, just gazes at Chad. She has either gained weight or not lost the pregnancy weight. She looks like a blond Kelly. Chad has a pompadour with one piece hanging down. It looks odd and made me laugh. 
 

That’s about it. 

[ranchgirl]

Erin and Chad's weekend to spend at the farm with Mama Jane and Papa Bill.

Erin did a lot of baking before leaving and will stock up their freezer with goodies.  I imagine that Erin will also cook while she is there.  Perhaps her visit will be a helpful one.  

[Notabug]

47 minutes ago, ranchgirl said:

Erin and Chad's weekend to spend at the farm with Mama Jane and Papa Bill.

Erin did a lot of baking before leaving and will stock up their freezer with goodies.  I imagine that Erin will also cook while she is there.  Perhaps her visit will be a helpful one.  

At least, it appears her intentions are good and she wants the visit to benefit her grandparents.  C&E seemingly only went to get footage for the web and to pretend to be virtuous while annoying the elderly.

[woodscommaelle]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

C&E seemingly only went to get footage for the web and to pretend to be virtuous while annoying the elderly.

New thread title:

Carlin and Evan: annoying the elderly, one grandparent at a time. ;)

[BitterApple]

4 hours ago, ranchgirl said:

Erin and Chad's weekend to spend at the farm with Mama Jane and Papa Bill.

Erin did a lot of baking before leaving and will stock up their freezer with goodies.  I imagine that Erin will also cook while she is there.  Perhaps her visit will be a helpful one.  

I saw that and thought it was incredibly sweet of Erin to wrap everything individually so Bill and Jane could pull items from the freezer as needed. Erin took care of Bill after he came home from the hospital, so I think her visits are similar to Alyssa's where she actually helps. 

Edited 16 hours ago by BitterApple

[RebeccatheWriter]

3 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I saw that and thought it was incredibly sweet of Erin to wrap everything individually so Bill and Jane could pull items from the freezer as needed. Erin took care of Bill after he came home from the hospital, so I think her visits are similar to Alyssa's where she actually helps. 

I think that Erin probably is more in line with being a help rather than a hinderance to her grandparents and even to her parents. She can come off as very needy and loving attention, but she seems very specific in that intent versus Carlin or Lawson who just want whatever attention they can get. 

Erin thrives on being viewed as the expert and the perfect wife/mother/daughter/granddaughter, etc. So I think it is on brand for her (and still very nice) to individually wrap items and to bake for Bill and Jane. What I mean by this...On the show during the first season Jane commented that she hoped one of the grandchildren (granddaughters specifically) would take over Thanksgiving, as it was a lot of work and she could relax and let others do it better at someone else's home rather than her own. She said they wouldn't travel as far as Chicago for Michaela to do it or to Florida for Alyssa. She said she thought Erin could do it well but their home was too small for so many people. That probably made Erin's day to hear that she had earned that respect from Jane. 

Erin's need for attention seems to come from being considered the expert on things. For example, she was the first to get married so she seemed to love being the planner for the other sisters. She was the first to go to Crown so she became the expert on higher education (in her mind). You could literally see her beam and glow when someone said how good of a cook she has become. 

Jane seems to be able to speak that language to her. 

[Tdoc72]

9 hours ago, ranchgirl said:

Erin and Chad's weekend to spend at the farm with Mama Jane and Papa Bill.

Erin did a lot of baking before leaving and will stock up their freezer with goodies.  I imagine that Erin will also cook while she is there.  Perhaps her visit will be a helpful one.  

Chad will be handy to have there too. I actually like that they seem to be rotating small groups in. 

[Salacious Kitty]

It looks like Trace and Lydia are also there. I guess Trace could be helping Chad with fix it jobs. Lydia is a wild card. She doesn't seem very domestic.

[RebeccatheWriter]

8 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

It looks like Trace and Lydia are also there. I guess Trace could be helping Chad with fix it jobs. Lydia is a wild card. She doesn't seem very domestic.

Trace and Lydia went with Jud and Jeb a month or two ago. Trace was working in the yard/outside areas or directing Jud and Jeb to do it while he filmed. I think the younger boys called him out on it. 

But I will give him credit he was doing work that needed to be done. At the same time he and Lydia delivered one of those lift chairs for Papa Bill and turned it into a commercial. Trace did seem to be very helpful to Bill at Thanksgiving and was sort of directing him through making coffee, etc. It is easier for someone like Trace to do it himself and hand it to Bill, but I can appreciate that he did it in a gentle way that didn't scream out to Bill that he thought he wasn't helpful. He was also good at distracting/refocusing Jane. It was clear others were cooking and she was not necessarily stable enough to be in there. He distracted her with the parade and talked to her.

8 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

Chad will be handy to have there too. I actually like that they seem to be rotating small groups in. 

It is good they are going in smaller increments. Papa Bill was pretty well out of it at the ILYD party. It was clear he can't handle being away from home or around large crowds now. He just sort of shut down. 

For the love of God, I hope Chad can build them a ramp or better stairs. The stairs they have are concrete and probably as old as the house. They look uneven and could be a major issue for an elderly couple. Jane's using a cane sometimes because of a knee issue and arthritis. Bill has had at least one bad fall at some point. I want to sream at them to put in a ramp before someone falls on the stairs.