Jessa, Ben and Their Brood: Making a (Diaper) Mountain out of a Mold House

[andromeda331]

Fern is really cute.

[Snow Fairy]

8 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I was thinking the same thing for Fern too. How did they get that top over her head.

Fern's is I assume the smaller size, which has some buttons on the back or on the side. Like most baby clothes

[GeeGolly]

49 minutes ago, Snow Fairy said:

Fern's is I assume the smaller size, which has some buttons on the back or on the side. Like most baby clothes

I've never seen buttons on the back of baby pajamas, but Fern's pjs do look like a onesie - I think I see a zipper going down the front. I hope these are pre-shrunk cotton, because after one trip through the washer/dryer Fern's and Spurgie's won't fit anymore. 

Edited March 30, 2022 by GeeGolly

[Snow Fairy]

Oh, that's maybe difference between baby clothing in USA and Europe. Ours mostly has buttons, most of the time on the shoulder, rarely on the back. 

And yes, we have onesies with buttons or zippers in the front - but again, mostly buttons

[Portia]

9 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Well, she DID say that they were Easter jammies. 🙄

Oh yeah - I take your point. If it were me designing the pattern, i would focus on the shiny risen Jesus and his happy friends, not the death and burial. They're small kids. BTW I spy some little bunnies on the jammies. 

[GeeGolly]

These are a little toned down.

[cmr2014]

16 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

It's nice to see the kids in clean pajamas. Too bad it's a one-off for a photo op.

It would be nice to think that Jessa gives her kids a bath every night, then dresses them in their clean (ridiculous Bible verse) pajamas, and then tucks them into bed between clean sheets.

Unfortunately, though, we know that none of those things happen.

[SMama]

10 minutes ago, cmr2014 said:

It's nice to see the kids in clean pajamas. Too bad it's a one-off for a photo op.

It would be nice to think that Jessa gives her kids a bath every night, then dresses them in their clean (ridiculous Bible verse) pajamas, and then tucks them into bed between clean sheets.

Unfortunately, though, we know that none of those things happen.

Once again Jessa is her parents daughter. I’m still surprised that they used the same bath water for all kids (however many they had at the time). They bathed them from cleanest to dirtiest. It was oils not surprise me if Jessa do s the same. Ben claims to be a germophobe. He should provide his children with guidance regarding hygiene. 

 I get that paying for water can get expensive. If you resort to this type of bathing then you should not have a litter you can’t afford. I don’t think asking for a quick shower/bath with clean water is too much to ask. BTW, bathing Spurgeon and Henry, then Ivy and Fern together is acceptable. 

[farmgal4]

16 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I was thinking the same thing for Fern too. How did they get that top over her head.

Fern’s is a sleeper that zips up from the bottom.  It doesn’t go over her head, but feet first.

[Trillium]

One reason I stopped buying my boys actual pjs at that age were that so many of them were tight like these ones. To get them loose you majorly had to size up and then the sleeves and legs were way too long. That and my kids live in tees and elastic wasted pants, so their clothes are multi functional. 

[Ljohnson1987]

Does Jessa do anything with her kids, but dress them for photo ops for Insta? 

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, farmgal4 said:

Fern’s is a sleeper that zips up from the bottom.  It doesn’t go over her head, but feet first.

Yes. I said that 6 posts ago. 🤷🏽‍♀️🙃

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, Trillium said:

One reason I stopped buying my boys actual pjs at that age were that so many of them were tight like these ones. To get them loose you majorly had to size up and then the sleeves and legs were way too long. That and my kids live in tees and elastic wasted pants, so their clothes are multi functional. 

They make the sleepers very tight for a reason - fireproofing.  I agree it bothered me how snug they were meant to be.  Older kids are presumed more able to escape a fire.

[ChiCricket]

1 hour ago, Trillium said:

One reason I stopped buying my boys actual pjs at that age were that so many of them were tight like these ones. To get them loose you majorly had to size up and then the sleeves and legs were way too long. That and my kids live in tees and elastic wasted pants, so their clothes are multi functional. 

There's actually a reason PJs are made close fitting (by law.) 

" This practice was put into law, quite literally, in 1953 when the Federal Trade Commission passed the Flammable Fabrics Act. Prior to this, clothing companies would make sweaters and other items out of rayon, which was highly flammable and caused some accidents in the 40s. In the 60s, the Flammable Fabrics Act expanded its reach to interior furnishings and other flammable items that could be used in making or wrapping apparel. According to this law, pajamas aren’t required to have fire retardant treatment, but must be tight fitting if they don’t, so that it is harder for them to catch fire while worn."

Ps what @Absolom said 😁

Edited March 30, 2022 by ChiCricket

[GeeGolly]

I think harder to catch fire while worn means a so sleeve or hem won't flutter about by a candle or stove top and catch fire. Or in case of a fire, tighter pjs are less likely to catch fire while escaping.

Manufacturers are covering their asses by sizing them up. A size 6 is closer to a 4 and so on. If Henry was wearing Surge's pjs, I'm sure they'd fit close enough, with a little room to breathe.

 

[farmgal4]

5 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Yes. I said that 6 posts ago. 🤷🏽‍♀️🙃

Sorry.

[GeeGolly]

10 minutes ago, farmgal4 said:

Sorry.

No worries, at all!

[Tdoc72]

On 3/30/2022 at 2:02 PM, ChiCricket said:

There's actually a reason PJs are made close fitting (by law.) 

" This practice was put into law, quite literally, in 1953 when the Federal Trade Commission passed the Flammable Fabrics Act. Prior to this, clothing companies would make sweaters and other items out of rayon, which was highly flammable and caused some accidents in the 40s. In the 60s, the Flammable Fabrics Act expanded its reach to interior furnishings and other flammable items that could be used in making or wrapping apparel. According to this law, pajamas aren’t required to have fire retardant treatment, but must be tight fitting if they don’t, so that it is harder for them to catch fire while worn."

Ps what @Absolom said 😁

Guess we have to hope our houses burn down at nighttime then. What a strange law to just specify pajamas and not everyday wear. 
~~~~
The “he is risen” pjs made me laugh. They made me think of a boy child getting up for the day, not Jesus. 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Tdoc72

[GeeGolly]

4 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

Guess we have to hope our houses burn down at nighttime then. 5th a strange law to just specify pajamas and not everyday wear. 
~~~~
The “he is risen” pjs made me laugh. They made me think of a boy child getting up for the day, not Jesus. 

Yup. Jessa has shown many IG stories and videos of the kids hovering around a cooking stove. In the daytime. In regular clothes.

[questionfear]

8 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

Guess we have to hope our houses burn down at nighttime then. 5th a strange law to just specify pajamas and not everyday wear. 
~~~~
The “he is risen” pjs made me laugh. They made me think of a boy child getting up for the day, not Jesus. 

That's a joke that gets used to excellent effect in the 3rd season of Hulu's "futureman"

[Jynnan tonnix]

On 3/29/2022 at 11:32 PM, Portia said:

Or if the jammies have to be religious, how about Noah's ark of the feeding if the 5,000....not, you know, a sepulchre.

Well, to be fair, the Noah's ark story is really one of global genocide if you actually think about it. I definitely found it quite disturbing, even as a kid.

[Dehumidifier]

12 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Yup. Jessa has shown many IG stories and videos of the kids hovering around a cooking stove. In the daytime. In regular clothes.

Do they have a gas stove with an open flame for their clothing to flap into and catch fire? Senior citizen buildings have electric stoves to avoid that possibility.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Dehumidifier

[ginger90]

16 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

Do they have a gas stove

Yes they do.

[Dehumidifier]

18 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

Yes they do.

Surprising.

 

18 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

 

Surprising that I can't get rid of this extra box also!

Edited March 31, 2022 by Dehumidifier

[GeeGolly]

48 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

Do they have a gas stove with an open flame for their clothing to flap into and catch fire? Senior citizen buildings have electric stoves to avoid that possibility.

As @ginger90 said, yes they do, but clothes, potholders - any fabric - can catch fire from electric stoves too.

Edited March 31, 2022 by GeeGolly

[Madtown]

Anyone want to watch Jessa look at guitars and go out to dinner?
I want to smash Ben’s douchebag face into his hat.

 

[SMama]

Does Ben play the guitar? He is great at playing the fool. 

[SMama]

Turns out they both played acoustic guitar. Ben sold his guitar to help pay for her engagement ring. The couple who bought it gave it to them as a wedding present. It is irreparable, so off to buy a new one. 
 

Holy cow they dropped $800 (+tax and gig bag) without a care in the world. When Jill got married she took a harp from the TTH. Why didn’t Jessa take a guitar? In their defense, the guitar can be plugged to an amplifier. Those cost much more. SGirl moved from acoustic to electric guitar in December. The whole set up is expensive. But we only have one child at home. 

Two things made me sad about the guitar shopping trip. Jessa only plays hymns and other religious songs. You can be a devout Christian and enjoy a wide range of music. When she is at home, Jessa asks Ivy to sing a song, then begins to play Jesus Loves Me. Why not allow Ivy to come up with a song. I think they were trying to justify the expense by saying it would get a lot of use during family devotions. Ugh 

A lot of posters have noted Jessa’s inability or unwillingness to understand what is good SM content. This is a perfect example. Instead of posting a pile of dirty diapers, her playing the guitar while teaching the kids regular kid songs is a missed opportunity.  Something as simple as the alphabet song, the wheels on the bus, freaking old McDonald. That is relatable content. But no, it’s Jesus all the time. Those kids live a Groundhog Day existence. I can see how by early elementary they would give up. 

[Cinnabon]

2 minutes ago, SMama said:

Turns out they both played acoustic guitar. Ben sold his guitar to help pay for her engagement ring. The couple who bought it gave it to them as a wedding present. It is irreparable, so off to buy a new one. 
 

Holy cow they dropped $800 (+tax and gig bag) without a care in the world. When Jill got married she took a harp from the TTH. Why didn’t Jessa take a guitar? In their defense, the guitar can be plugged to an amplifier. Those cost much more. SGirl moved from acoustic to electric guitar in December. The whole set up is expensive. But we only have one child at home. 

Two things made me sad about the guitar shopping trip. Jessa only plays hymns and other religious songs. You can be a devout Christian and enjoy a wide range of music. When she is at home, Jessa asks Ivy to sing a song, then begins to play Jesus Loves Me. Why not allow Ivy to come up with a song. I think they were trying to justify the expense by saying it would get a lot of use during family devotions. Ugh 

A lot of posters have noted Jessa’s inability or unwillingness to understand what is good SM content. This is a perfect example. Instead of posting a pile of dirty diapers, her playing the guitar while teaching the kids regular kid songs is a missed opportunity.  Something as simple as the alphabet song, the wheels on the bus, freaking old McDonald. That is relatable content. But no, it’s Jesus all the time. Those kids live a Groundhog Day existence. I can see how by early elementary they would give up. 

I’m still not sure why anyone would want to watch Jessa play guitar when there are hundreds of truly talented musicians out there. 🤷‍♀️ She is still exploiting her kids by trying to get clicks /$$$. 

[SMama]

11 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

I’m still not sure why anyone would want to watch Jessa play guitar when there are hundreds of truly talented musicians out there. 🤷‍♀️ She is still exploiting her kids by trying to get clicks /$$$. 

Yes she is, and is all she knows because her parents exploited her and her siblings. She does have over 2 million followers. In an ideal world J&B would give their kids privacy. The reality is I don’t see any of them doing an honest day’s work. 

[Cinnabon]

9 minutes ago, SMama said:

Yes she is, and is all she knows because her parents exploited her and her siblings. She does have over 2 million followers. In an ideal world J&B would give their kids privacy. The reality is I don’t see any of them doing an honest day’s work. 

Let Jessa and Bin practice guitar until they get better and film themselves, then. Leave the kids out of it. 

[GeeGolly]

I skipped a big chunk in the middle, but Ben was clearly annoyed with holding Fern the entire time. Note to Ben - if child is grabbing necklace, put necklace under your shirt. And why was Fern even there on their date night? She's 8 months old, surely she can go more than a couple hours without nursing. But Fern was too funny when she couldn't take her eyes off the basketball game in the restaurant.

I really thought they'd leave without a purchase the way Jessa kept dropping brand names. I thought she was hinting for a shilling gig. Of course she may have been doing both, figuring maybe they'll get an opportunity to get another. But I doubt Fender or Taylor is interested in having a washed up Z lister promote their stuff - even if she has 2 million followers.

Also, Jessa said she is self taught on the guitar. At this point even if she wanted to play a secular song for the kids, she'd have to learn it first.

[sagittarius sue]

5 hours ago, SMama said:

Those kids live a Groundhog Day existence. I can see how by early elementary they would give up. 

An example of that is how listless Spurge appears in the beginning of the video.  I only watched a few minutes of it as Jessa with her guitar picking was quite boring.

[Dehumidifier]

This could be a good sign that they are finished with baby making and are ready for some new/old interests.

[GeeGolly]

9 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

This could be a good sign that they are finished with baby making and are ready for some new/old interests.

I think someone gave the Seewalds a piano now that they're moving into a bigger home. I'm guessing the kids will be lining up with mini violins as Jessa introduces them into learning instruments. Which personally I think is a great thing, so my fingers are crossed its true.

I also think the couches at the TTH are empty and boring these days with really only Anna left to hang around with, so Jessa is spending more time at her home.

[Madtown]

Spurgeon can't even do his "homework" without a sibling getting into his workbooks. Makes me wonder just how much he is learning? This was in an Insta story. She didn't say who it was, but I'm assuming it was Ivy.

[SMama]

2 hours ago, Madtown said:

Spurgeon can't even do his "homework" without a sibling getting into his workbooks. Makes me wonder just how much he is learning? This was in an Insta story. She didn't say who it was, but I'm assuming it was Ivy.

Ivy has done that before, just taking Spurgeon’s worksheets. Stupid Jessa thinks it’s cute, and grabs her phone to film the incident. It used to be that a generation was better educated than the one before. The opposite is true for the Duggars. Given that the 19 are so poorly educated, I fear for how Spurgeon and the others actually learn. Ben used to care about education. Too bad his decision making status regarding his kids is less than Ivy’s. 

Edited April 2, 2022 by SMama

[emmawoodhouse]

I doubt Jessa sits there as a "supervisor" for Spurge to read the words to, as directed in the workbook. That would take actual effort. 

Edited April 1, 2022 by emmawoodhouse

[cmr2014]

2 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I doubt Jessa sits there as a "supervisor" for Spurge to read the words to, as directed in the workbook. That would take actual effort. 

Exactly! Why is she "grading" his workbook?

She has exactly one student. Why isn't she sitting with him and going over his work?

[crazy8s]

I wonder if Spurge got graded lower for not filling in the bible verse at the bottom of his page 🙁

 

[Joan of Argh]

2 hours ago, Madtown said:

Spurgeon can't even do his "homework" without a sibling getting into his workbooks. Makes me wonder just how much he is learning? This was in an Insta story. She didn't say who it was, but I'm assuming it was Ivy.

I haven’t had kids Spurgeon’s age for a long time and I’ve forgotten a lot.

does this look like he’s progressing at the same level as other children his age who attend school…. To me his work looks babyish but maybe I’m expecting too much. 🤷‍♀️

[GeeGolly]

2 minutes ago, Joan of Argh said:

I haven’t had kids Spurgeon’s age for a long time and I’ve forgotten a lot.

does this look like he’s progressing at the same level as other children his age who attend school…. To me his work looks babyish but maybe I’m expecting too much. 🤷‍♀️

My kids didn't do work books for school, so I really have no idea, plus we don't know what grade he's actually in. I'd say he has good penmanship for a 6 year old though.

[Tdoc72]

3 hours ago, Madtown said:

Spurgeon can't even do his "homework" without a sibling getting into his workbooks. Makes me wonder just how much he is learning? This was in an Insta story. She didn't say who it was, but I'm assuming it was Ivy.

I don’t get this. The Bible quote has nothing to do with -ill words. They couldn’t find one that was a little relatable?  Weird. As the supervisor thing. Not teacher or parent?  Weird again. 

[Tdoc72]

3 hours ago, Madtown said:

Spurgeon can't even do his "homework" without a sibling getting into his workbooks. Makes me wonder just how much he is learning? This was in an Insta story. She didn't say who it was, but I'm assuming it was Ivy.

I don’t get this. The Bible quote has nothing to do with -ill words. They couldn’t find one that was a little relatable?  Weird. As the supervisor thing. Not teacher or parent?  Weird again. 

[crazy8s]

21 minutes ago, Joan of Argh said:

I haven’t had kids Spurgeon’s age for a long time and I’ve forgotten a lot.

does this look like he’s progressing at the same level as other children his age who attend school…. To me his work looks babyish but maybe I’m expecting too much. 🤷‍♀️

I have a 6 1/2 yr old grandson in first grade this year. He did this kind of page in 4 yr old preschool. His class this year is working on 2 to 3 sentence paragraph writing, or the picture of the day writing, where the class sees a pic and writes a few sentences about what they observe and then they read/share their observation with a small group or the whole class. He also has a weekly spelling list of 10 words. not the rhyming words, but a lot of the basic reading words.

[BitterApple]

40 minutes ago, Joan of Argh said:

I haven’t had kids Spurgeon’s age for a long time and I’ve forgotten a lot.

does this look like he’s progressing at the same level as other children his age who attend school…. To me his work looks babyish but maybe I’m expecting too much. 🤷‍♀️

It does look babyish. Alyssa Bates' oldest daughter is the same age and writes in cursive. I think Spurgeon is a bright kid, but he isn't getting the attention he needs. It also doesn't help that he has toddlers crawling over his desk when he tries to do his work. 

I watched Jessa's video and found one particular moment telling. When she was vacillating between the two guitars, Ben (wisely) suggested asking the sales clerks their opinion. She totally ignored him. When he brought it up again, she said they'd only recommend the one that cost more money. I imagine reasoning with her is like repeatedly bashing your head into a brick wall. What a marriage. 

[Absolom]

That work is for a bright four year old or a public kindergartner in the bottom reading group at grandkids' school.  Jessa needs to up her game unless she wants Spurgeon three years behind Israel in reading.  If that's his true level then he wasn't really reading the book she said he did.  

[Madtown]

1 hour ago, crazy8s said:

I have a 6 1/2 yr old grandson in first grade this year. He did this kind of page in 4 yr old preschool. His class this year is working on 2 to 3 sentence paragraph writing, or the picture of the day writing, where the class sees a pic and writes a few sentences about what they observe and then they read/share their observation with a small group or the whole class. He also has a weekly spelling list of 10 words. not the rhyming words, but a lot of the basic reading words.

Yes. When the last child I watched was 6 1/2, she was well past this type of work. 

 

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

It does look babyish. Alyssa Bates' oldest daughter is the same age and writes in cursive. I think Spurgeon is a bright kid, but he isn't getting the attention he needs. It also doesn't help that he has toddlers crawling over his desk when he tries to do his work. 

I watched Jessa's video and found one particular moment telling. When she was vacillating between the two guitars, Ben (wisely) suggested asking the sales clerks their opinion. She totally ignored him. When he brought it up again, she said they'd only recommend the one that cost more money. I imagine reasoning with her is like repeatedly bashing your head into a brick wall. What a marriage. 

Agreed. I think Spurgeon might be further along if he didn’t have siblings crawling all over him and trying to write in his books. He needs one on one school time. 
 

I noticed immediately, Jessa ignoring Ben about asking the guy for help. She is clueless. Not every sales person recommends the most expensive item. It’s actually been awhile since that happened to me. 

[CalicoKitty]

I was surprised at his handwriting.  By his age, it should be much better and neater.  Most children WHO GO TO SCHOOL are way past this.  If his reading is as "advanced" as Jessa claims, he should way past this workbook.  He must be bored to death.  Poor kid.

[Ijustwantsomechips]

I get the feeling Spurge is far beyond this level of workbook and it is Jessa, who is, in fact, stunted and behind the curve.