Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!

[Cinnabon]

25 minutes ago, SnapHappy said:

I don't think Grub Hub will allow their employees to claim house depreciation and utilities as an expense.  Oil changes, maybe. 

Derwick is so far past his accounting days at Walmart, I doubt anybody would trust him to do their taxes.   The one person they know with complicated enough taxes to need a pro is the one that probably wouldn't hire him in a million years: Jim Bob. 

Everybody else can use Turbo Tax for $49.99.  Even Anna with all her LLC's and IOU's and FU's.   

Grubhub drivers are all independent contractors, so in some cases they can deduct some small area of their homes. NOTHING wrong with making some extra money that way. I know a few very educated and intelligent people who do so, especially in these times. I give Derick respect, not derision, for doing what he needs to do. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Cinnabon

[laurakaye]

I agree - it's far better to see Derick out GrubHubbing than watching a dubiously employed Jeremy model another pair of expensive shoes or free round of golf.

Edited March 25, 2022 by laurakaye

[Teriacky]

Why can’t they have the guest room serve as an office/guest room? That’s what I did. Most times it’s used as an office, but when guests visit it’s ready to go!

[Cinnabon]

12 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

I agree - it's far better to see Derick out GrubHubbing than watching a dubiously employed Jeremy model another pair of expensive shoes or free round of golf.

Exactly.

[Rootbeer]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Why does Derick need an office?

Maybe while in law school, he needed a place to study at home where he could close the door.  Not sure that he still needs one now or that he couldn't use a room that could double for guests.

[Cinnabon]

5 minutes ago, Teriacky said:

Why can’t they have the guest room serve as an office/guest room? That’s what I did. Most times it’s used as an office, but when guests visit it’s ready to go!

This seems like the best idea to me. And as an introvert, I really need some space to myself at times. Away from everyone. I don’t know if Derick feels that way or not, but a lot of married men and women who have the means want “studies” in their homes for a bit of personal space. Or “she sheds” as seem to be trendy, lol. 

[Nysha]

1 hour ago, Teriacky said:

Why can’t they have the guest room serve as an office/guest room? That’s what I did. Most times it’s used as an office, but when guests visit it’s ready to go!

If it were me, I'd probably put the new baby in the guest room with the guest bed and just put the baby in with the other boys or my room if I had guests regularly. Otherwise, I would just decorate it for the new baby.

I don't begrudge Derick having an office, I would have loved to have one when I had kids so I had a childless location to put all my paperwork and things I wanted out, but away from the kids. And, I'm weird about my space, so I wouldn't have been comfortable using as a guest room, also.

[madpsych78]

Looking at that floor plan, I'm curious as to the amount of square footage there is. It doesn't seem like it's that big. Maybe somewhere between 1200 to 1500 square feet?

[ginger90]

44 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

Looking at that floor plan, I'm curious as to the amount of square footage there is. It doesn't seem like it's that big. Maybe somewhere between 1200 to 1500 square feet?

It’s 1,486.

[ginger90]

I’m wondering if they registered Sam for kindergarten.

[SMama]

35 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

I’m wondering if they registered Sam for kindergarten.

I can’t imagine not registering Sam since Israel is enrolled. Especially with a baby coming in July. 

[emmawoodhouse]

5 minutes ago, SMama said:

I can’t imagine not registering Sam since Israel is enrolled. Especially with a baby coming in July. 

Or she might go the other way and pull Izzy out of school, citing newborn sleep schedules. 👎

[SMama]

2 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Or she might go the other way and pull Izzy out of school, citing newborn sleep schedules. 👎

Derick is too invested in a third generation Pistol Pete to do that. I understand they have not made a big deal like they did with Israel’s enrollment. Samuel is truly caught in middle child syndrome, with special circumstances. 

Israel was the first Duggar 19/second gen to attend public school. Add the bonus of a FU to JB&M. Jill is pregnant and in her world baby news trump any other news. I’m rooting for Sam to join his brother. 

[emmawoodhouse]

38 minutes ago, SMama said:

Derick is too invested in a third generation Pistol Pete to do that. I understand they have not made a big deal like they did with Israel’s enrollment. Samuel is truly caught in middle child syndrome, with special circumstances. 

Israel was the first Duggar 19/second gen to attend public school. Add the bonus of a FU to JB&M. Jill is pregnant and in her world baby news trump any other news. I’m rooting for Sam to join his brother. 

I hope that thought that crossed my mind is wrong. Those boys deserve to live in the real world.

[Zella]

My guess is Sam will probably go to school like his brother. I am glad that Izzy seems to enjoy school. I think it would be less likely Sam would go to public school if Izzy had really struggled initially. The fact they'll have a newborn in the house right when the school year rolls around also makes for good incentive to have both of the older boys in school, IMO. 

Derick having been in law school fairly recently might have really helped the family with scheduling before Izzy went, so maybe that won't be as much as a struggle for them as it has been other members of the family. Isn't Izzy on year 2 of public school or have I just lost all track of time? If it's not his first year, that's even more practice they've had with getting out the door in a timely fashion regularly. 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Zella

[emmawoodhouse]

Izzy's in first grade, so yes, this is their second year of school routine. 

[floridamom]

There is no reason that a day bed with a trundle can't be placed in Derick's office and double as a guest room. I would certainly make my own children comfortable in their own home first and foremost. I don't ever remember reading that Jill had an overnight guest. This is a gross waste of good living space, IMO.

[GeeGolly]

Jill's had it fairly easy since Izzy started school because Derick could share the drop offs and pick ups during the last year and a half. If Jill is lucky Derick's hours (when he gets a job) will allow him to at least drop the boys off at school in the morning next year. Otherwise she'll need to get baby El ready and into a car seat every morning too.

Or I suppose she could let them walk to school together. I wonder if they have a bunch of walkers in their neighborhood. We lived very near my kids' school, but I needed to know they were safely in school for the day, so I only would allow my kids to walk home from school.

[merylinkid]

Even if Derek passes the bar and gets a job in a law office, he still needs an office WITH A LOCK on it at home.   If he brings any work home, he still has to keep it confidential.   So yes, he does need a dedicated office space at home.  

Sometimes kids even if you give them separate rooms like to stay together.   So maybe they tried separate rooms and the kids shared a bed anyway, so why not just go the bunk bed route?   If this is what works for THIS family, then go with it.   It doesn't mean they don't prioritize their kids.   Jill has been shown taking the kids to the library and doing things with them.   Sending them to public school instead of the dining room table shows she is putting them first.   The fact each kid doesn't have their own room just means they organized their household that way.   The house seems to be clean and neat and the kids have room for their toys even if it is not a whole dedicated playroom.   It's not like they have no toys and never get to have fun because they are always working on their Mom's next project (grift).   

[GeeGolly]

6 minutes ago, merylinkid said:

Even if Derek passes the bar and gets a job in a law office, he still needs an office WITH A LOCK on it at home.   If he brings any work home, he still has to keep it confidential.   So yes, he does need a dedicated office space at home.   

Huh, I have more than a few lawyer (and doctor) friends and only one has a home office. And there's no lock on the door. They do carry lockable briefcase type bags though.

I (and most of my co-workers and colleagues, including doctors) have been working from home for the better part of two years now. Most don't have offices, never mind rooms with locks and we've all managed to keep our clients info confidential (and well within the new WFH regulations).

I'm sure Derick can figure it out, without a dedicated office space, just like much of the country has during these past two years.

[Dehumidifier]

22 minutes ago, merylinkid said:

Even if Derek passes the bar and gets a job in a law office, he still needs an office WITH A LOCK on it at home.   If he brings any work home, he still has to keep it confidential.   So yes, he does need a dedicated office space at home.  

I think I read somewhere in the past that the home office has to be lockable to be tax deductible. I'm not caffeinated enough right now to research that.

[BigBingerBro]

I'm also on the side of shared rooms.  As someone else said, perhaps the boys wanted to share?  

I grew up in a 4 bedroom house.  3 kids: 2 boys, 1 girl, the boys shared a room and the extra was a guest room/den.  Is this day and age of work from home, an office is not unusual.

It will be interesting to see what happens when baby comes.  Maybe they'll move.

[ginger90]

30 minutes ago, Dehumidifier said:

I think I read somewhere in the past that the home office has to be lockable to be tax deductible. I'm not caffeinated enough right now to research that.

A home office can actually be in a corner of another room, like a living room, for tax deduction purposes.

[Dehumidifier]

2 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

A home office can actually be in a corner of another room, like a living room, for tax deduction purposes.

Good to know in case I think of a home business. 🤔

[GeeGolly]

I'm a believer in every penny saved counts, but tax deductions for home office space is not all that much. Of course for higher earners it can help reduce the amount owed to the IRS at the end of the year.

[lascuba]

Michelle claimed that the kids totally wanted to sleep in shared dorm rooms when they were building the TTH. I don't think children's preferences are anywhere on Jill and Derick's list of priorities when planning their home. And at Sam and Israel's ages, it's unlikely that they'd have a preference about bedrooms and probably enjoy sharing at this stage. Jill is also not much of a thinker. She grew up in a house where her family hosted random fundies and fans overnight, so she prioritizes guestrooms, and they had dedicated rooms for miscellaneous nonsense like a prayer closet and offices rather than bedrooms, so in her mind it's perfectly normal to have kids sharing a room and using extra bedrooms for other things.

The tell will be if the kids are still sharing a room when they get significantly older.

Edited March 26, 2022 by lascuba

[ginger90]

34 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I'm a believer in every penny saved counts, but tax deductions for home office space is not all that much. Of course for higher earners it can help reduce the amount owed to the IRS at the end of the year.

Agreed it’s not much, depending on how honest you are. 😉 

All moot points, considering as far as we know, neither of them are self employed, and do not own a business.

[farmgal4]

3 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Jill's had it fairly easy since Izzy started school because Derick could share the drop offs and pick ups during the last year and a half. If Jill is lucky Derick's hours (when he gets a job) will allow him to at least drop the boys off at school in the morning next year. Otherwise she'll need to get baby El ready and into a car seat every morning too.

Or I suppose she could let them walk to school together. I wonder if they have a bunch of walkers in their neighborhood. We lived very near my kids' school, but I needed to know they were safely in school for the day, so I only would allow my kids to walk home from school.

They can ride the school bus unless they’re going to a school that’s out of their district.

[GeeGolly]

2 hours ago, farmgal4 said:

They can ride the school bus unless they’re going to a school that’s out of their district.

In my area kids have to live over 2 miles away from the school to be eligible to ride the bus. If its the same there, I think the Dillards live too close.

[ginger90]

3 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

In my area kids have to live over 2 miles away from the school to be eligible to ride the bus. If its the same there, I think the Dillards live too close.

It’s 1 mile from their house to the elementary school.

[lookeyloo]

Sweet Son and now son in law have a home office.  It locks.  It is only used for the business.  Sweet Son told me it was eligible for home office deduction, but, too much trouble for little gain so never claimed it.

[Meow25]

On 3/24/2022 at 1:47 PM, GeeGolly said:

Yup. They're human. Not much, or any, difference in raising different sexes. Don't get me wrong, I wanted at least one of each, but buying a truck or a tutu is just that. Energy wise, attitudes, interests, etc are as diverse as the kid, but not unique to male or female.

Agree.  In fact my daughters are FAR messier and rowdier than my sons.  

[ChiCricket]

9 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

In my area kids have to live over 2 miles away from the school to be eligible to ride the bus. If its the same there, I think the Dillards live too close.

Not necessarily.. I live close to an elementary school. I just checked on Google maps, and it's less than a mile (0.8 mi) away from my house.

My neighborhood's kids get bussed because there's two dangerous (high speed) streets they'd have to cross if they walked to school. My  kids got bussed when they were young enough to go. They sometimes wanted to walk, but weren't allowed to. (walking was forbidden by the school district, but I'm having a senior moment and don't remember how that was enforced.) 

So to bring it back to the Dillard kids...it might depend on the nearby roads. 

[Absolom]

Each district sets their own rules and the rules can change over time.  A mile is considered reasonable to walk in some districts and not in others and many have the dangerous roadway/intersection rule.  The district where my grandchildren go has no buses.  The schools are rather close together, but depending on assignment might be two or more miles from the house.  Grandchildren live two blocks from the school, but they are walked by an adult as are the children who are driven to the park across the street.  

[Zella]

I feel like a creep for doing this, but I cross-referenced their address with the bus route on the school's website. If I'm interpreting the map correctly, there is a bus stop the next street over from them that runs for their school.

It looks like in the mornings, kids who are picked up on that spot are picked up nearly an hour before school starts, and I suspect that amount of time on the bus is likely why they seem to drive him. I also remember seeing pictures of Jill and the kids riding bicycles to the school.

I have no clue how busy that road is, but I think I'd be opting for the few-minute-long car or bike ride with him versus having him ride on the bus for however long to go one mile or letting him walk alone at his age. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Zella

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

I feel like a creep for doing this, but I cross-referenced their address with the bus route on the school's website. If I'm interpreting the map correctly, there is a bus stop the next street over from them that runs for their school.

It looks like in the mornings, kids who are picked up on that spot are picked up nearly an hour before school starts, and I suspect that amount of time on the bus is likely why they seem to drive him. I also remember seeing pictures of Jill and the kids riding bicycles to the school.

I have no clue how busy that road is, but I think I'd be opting for the few-minute-long car or bike ride with him versus having him ride on the bus for however long to go one mile or letting him walk alone at his age. 

It reminds me how lucky I was. We had a slew of neighborhood kids who walked to and from school, one semi busy road, and of course crossing guards. Walking home was a small highlight of my kids day.

An hour on the bus is crazy for little kids. Around here that only happens in rural areas. I'm with you, I get my kids to school on my own.

[irisheyes]

On 3/25/2022 at 7:11 PM, ginger90 said:

I’m wondering if they registered Sam for kindergarten.

I don’t know about their district, but K registration isn’t until May in my district. 

[ginger90]

7 minutes ago, irisheyes said:

I don’t know about their district, but K registration isn’t until May in my district. 

Theirs was the beginning of March.

[Zella]

7 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

It reminds me how lucky I was. We had a slew of neighborhood kids who walked to and from school, one semi busy road, and of course crossing guards. Walking home was a small highlight of my kids day.

An hour on the bus is crazy for little kids. Around here that only happens in rural areas. I'm with you, I get my kids to school on my own.

I was genuinely shocked at how long that morning ride is! They must be the first stop.

Before I was homeschooled, one year I ended up doing hour long bus rides. I was older than Izzy (9/10), and it still felt like a punishment. Even the teenagers on the route bitched mightily about it. Lol I can't imagine making a little kid do that unless there was no other option. 

I did notice that the afternoon route seems less lengthy. Like 25 minutes from school's out to the bus stop. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Zella

[GeeGolly]

I was just thinking about the small town I grew up in. We had 3 K - 5 elementary schools which essentially made all kids walkers. We all walked home for lunch too. We had only 2 middle schools and one high school, so all but a few kids eventually took a bus to school at one point.

I wonder how big Izzy's town and school is, and how many elementary schools are in the town.

[Zella]

40 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I wonder how big Izzy's town and school is, and how many elementary schools are in the town.

Even though they technically live in Lowell, they are closer to Rogers, and that's where he's going to school. It's 66,000 people and has 6 16 elementary schools. That population is a little deceiving, though, because the NWA metro area (which includes Rogers) is over 500,000 and doesn't have clearly defined towns, though each one does have its own separate little identity and stereotypes. But you can drive from Fayetteville at the south end clear through Bentonville at the north end, and it never really feels like you drove through 4 separate towns other than the signs telling you that you're now in whatever town it is.  

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Zella

[ginger90]

28 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I wonder how big Izzy's town and school is, and how many elementary schools are in the town.

From what I found, assuming it to be current, the school district is made up of:

23 (16 elementary, 4 middle schools, 3 high schools - plus, a pre-kindergarten center and an alternative school)

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

From what I found, assuming it to be current, the school district is made up of:

23 (16 elementary, 4 middle schools, 3 high schools - plus, a pre-kindergarten center and an alternative school)

Oh shit I just realized their menu scrolls down. LMAO I had no clue Rogers school district was that big. 

[GeeGolly]

8 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

From what I found, assuming it to be current, the school district is made up of:

23 (16 elementary, 4 middle schools, 3 high schools - plus, a pre-kindergarten center and an alternative school)

Is Rogers a tiny city, or a huge town?

[Zella]

1 minute ago, GeeGolly said:

Is Rogers a tiny city, or a huge town?

I'd personally call it a huge town. In the little town I live in, living in Rogers is really aspirational for a lot of folks with kids. I'd also call Fayetteville a huge town. Bentonville strikes me as more of a tiny city. LOL

[Absolom]

Arkansas is not a heavily populated place.  The entire state population is less than the county where I live.  Rush hour in Little Rock was not even like driving at 10 AM in California.  Rogers has a population of nearly 70,000 and is the sixth largest city in Arkansas.  

Edited March 27, 2022 by Absolom

[Rootbeer]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

I was genuinely shocked at how long that morning ride is! They must be the first stop.

Before I was homeschooled, one year I ended up doing hour long bus rides. I was older than Izzy (9/10), and it still felt like a punishment. Even the teenagers on the route bitched mightily about it. Lol I can't imagine making a little kid do that unless there was no other option. 

I did notice that the afternoon route seems less lengthy. Like 25 minutes from school's out to the bus stop. 

When I was in high school, we lived near the bus garage and were, therefore, one of the first stops on the route.  The bus picked us up at 6 AM since homeroom was at 7:30 (the district had a bus shortage, so we started early).  My dad drove us nearly every day, because of it.  We had to take the bus home and the hour or so it took was no joke, it would've been even worse if we were younger.

My niece and nephew lived less than a mile from their school, but there were areas with no sidewalks, so they took the bus or got a ride, it really wasn't safe to walk as the road was fairly busy.

Based on the lines of cars waiting to drop off kids at the grade school in my neighborhood every morning, I think a lot of parents give the kids a ride rather than putting them on the bus.  If Jill's got the time, I think it's fine if she drives her kids.  When I was a kid, I had some of my best conversations with my dad on the way to school.

[farmgal4]

21 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

In my area kids have to live over 2 miles away from the school to be eligible to ride the bus. If its the same there, I think the Dillards live too close.

I’ve never heard of that policy before.  The schools in my area will let anyone ride the bus as long as they are in the district.

[Zella]

12 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Arkansas is not a heavily populated place.  The entire state population is less than the county where I live.  Rush hour in Little Rock was not even like driving at 10 AM in California.  Rogers has a population of nearly 70,000 and is the sixth largest city in Arkansas.  

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the combined metro areas stack up differently than if you just look at "towns." The Little Rock metro area is 726,000, and the NWA Metro area is the 2nd largest in the state at over 500,000. Certainly not like numbers you'd see in a larger state, but the population of the towns on their own don't tell the whole story. 

Edited to add: And NWA is booming. It is significantly larger than it was 20 years ago, and it is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. it wouldn't surprise me if the population count there continues to creep much closer to Little Rock's metro numbers. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Zella

[Absolom]

The Little Rock "metro area" is quite dispersed though compared to many other areas of that size population.  I think NWA is possibly a bit more densely populated and does run together.  It is growing and I don't mean to disparage Arkansas.  It is lovely, but is mostly quite rural outside of LR and NWA.  Many people prefer that situation.  Growth is not always a blessing.