Back in 2015 and 2017, I released posts titled “Ask Ellie” and “Ask Ellie 2.0.” Tons of readers submitted questions, and I answered them in blog posts and videos. Since it’s been a while, I wanted to do another “Ask Ellie” post.
Go ahead and ask questions, about any topic, in the comments section. They can be short-answer questions, like, “What’s your favorite color?” (it’s purple, in case you wanted to know). But they can also be questions that require longer answers. You can also feel free to pose questions to Mr. Handsome.
Vicki
How did you develop your friendship with the Duggars ? Bates?
J
Do you all plan to homeschool your children?
anonymous
Evenings and weekends, Mr H. should have to do 1/2 of the formal teaching at which time you should have time to do your business. The homeschooling of your children should be split 50/50. How disgusting to be responsible for educating the children plus everything else while the man is not given that duty?!
anonymous
The man provides for the whole household. It is a blessing to teach your children, as well as being keeper of the home. I think the father should be supportive, and if he can, he can help with the education, but I don’t understand why you think that it is disgusting to be the main educator.
Addy
Hi Ellie!
The question that I wanted to know was how has life changed every since your baby was born?
Thank you!
Anonymous
Hi Ellie, Do you watch the H&G channel? How many bedrooms are in your house and do you have a fireplace? Thank you for this fun post… Jane
Anonymous
I was wondering if you or Mr. Handsome could do a post on studying for college. I know your husband went to dental school, which I know is difficult to get into. Time management maybe…
Marilyn
Are you going to buy Mr. Handsome Jr. an Easter Outfit? Wishing you and yours a Blessed Holy Week and a Joyous Easter.
Happy Easter
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
Marilyn
How will you be spending Easter? Wishing you and yours a Blessed Holy Week and a Joyous Easter.
HAPPY EASTER
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
Eloise
How do you feel about people with different religions or no religion at all? Do you have any non Christian friends?
Anonymous
Are you going to have your baby vaccinated?
Anon
This is a controversial topic. If I was Ellie I wouldn’t hardly want to answer this question. You’d get bashed either way. But she can do as she likes.
Anonymous
It’s an extremely important and timely question, with measles going around the country right now and young babies like hers being vulnerable.
Anonymous
The public doesn’t know so much but it was all vaccinated children that came out with measles this last round, not one unvaccinated. That’s what is so funny about vaccinations and that alone should prove a point that having a vaccination doesn’t immune you from getting the stuff. And besides that they throw in a lot of bad junk in those, even DNA of people that vaccination comes out of. Do you want other people’s DNA pumped into your baby or yourself/children? (I had a daughter that had a personality change after she got her shots) You can ask for a sheet of ingredients of those vaccines before you you get the shot. No, of course they don’t like to give you a ingredients list because it proves something but they have to by law if you ask! I have Dr that can prove what’s all in there. Interesting enough he’s against all the poison that the government puts in there. I won’t say anymore.
A
1:10 – Would you please share where you heard that all of the children who are part of the outbreak were vaccinated? I tried to find an article and haven’t been able to find any proof of your claim.
In terms of vaccines and dna, would you refuse you or your children a blood transfusion even if medically prudent?
Benita
Are the vaccines made different now or what? There was never any controversy that I knew of when I was growing up. I never had any concerns about my children being vaccinated, either. What happened?
Anonymous
I think you should educate yourself about DNA..
Andrea
Please do tell where YOU got your medical degree from? There is nothing controversial about vaccines to those of us that are educationed. It’s highly unlikely a child of a Dentist would go unvaccinated unless there was a medical reason.
Anonymous
4:44,You understand that measles never went away, and the measles is really no worse than the flu? Also I’m curious, have you ever read a vaccine pamphlet and are you awhere that vaccines were ruled quote “unavoidably unsafe” by the Supreme Court? Also that our vaccines have not undergone placebo testing?
Anonymous
@1:10 I am having trouble believing anything you wrote, including the part about the doctor who can “prove” things.
@4:44 The flu kills people, and so does the measles.
Anonymous
Benita, to answer your question, the number of vaccines that children are given changed. A law was passed preventing parents from being able to directly sue the pharmaceutical industry if your child has a vaccine injury (now you have to go through VAERS and it’s a long process and most people aren’t even awhere of what VAERS is), and immediately afterwards the CDC changed the dosage numbers for kids from I believe 12 sets of vaccines to 60 something. So that’s one of the things antivax parents are angry about. Also the ingredients in vaccines. Some of them are dangerous and others are unethical, and many of them are not needed, but they are cheaper to make with them (for example formaldehyde is used to preserve the vaccines but there have been no tests done to prove that it’s safe to inject that into your blood stream when we already know that it can cause many problems.) There have always been parents who chose not to vaccinate, it’s just become a bigger topic in the media in recent years since some states were trying to make vaccines mandatory which is so wrong. Anytime there is a risk for something there has to be a choice. If someone wants to vaccinate their children that is up to them, but you can’t force people to do something that has serious risks. (Read any vaccine side effect list) Also just to clarify, most “antivax” parents were formerly “provax” until one of their kids was injured.
Anonymous
To 1:25PM Having knowledge of chemistry, I feel I must respond. Formaldehyde in an aqueous solution such as a vaccine breaks down into formic acid and carbon monoxide. Formic acid is found in some ants, and is used as a food additive & preservative. Humans can easily metabolize it. Carbon monoxide comes out of the back of your car. The amount of available “formaldehyde” (put in quotes to indicate the true chemical form of it) you’d find in a vaccination is microscopic compared to the amount you’re exposed to from car exhaust, plywood, nail polish, carpeting, furniture, cabinets, fabrics, and paper products, to name a few things. Are you against formaldehyde in everyday household objects too, or just vaccines? Do you let your children be around those things in your home or your car? You are trying to make it sound as if children are injected with huge amounts of formaldehyde when that is not the case.
The rest of your post, particularly the part about vaccines posing serious risks or injury, I won’t comment on due to space limitations. But I don’t agree with you or follow what you are claiming as scientific fact.
Anonymous
I will never understand pro-life but not pro-vaccination. Don’t you believe in protecting the life you created? What about protecting other children? If your child is a carrier, you risk all other unvaccinated children AND pregnant women! These preventable illnesses can cause birth defects, miscarriage, or stillbirth. That doesn’t sound very pro-life to me at all. You’re not only making the decision not to vaccinate for your child, you’re also making that decision for every other child and every pregnant woman you could expose – including your own daughters when they grow up and want children. It’s not your right to decide that for every child, woman, and unborn baby. Not vaccinating is very selfish.
Anonymous
11:22, go look at the CDC’s website. More people in America die and are severely injured every year from the flu and MMR vaccine then people die and are injured from the flu and measles mumps and rubella. And 5:30, I could just as easily say I don’t understand how someone can be prolife and pro vax, considering the fact that multiple vaccines include aborted baby cells. Also there are more risks to receiving vaccines than there are in getting the viruses they “protect” against.
Anonymous
@9:57 The Health Dept. says that out of 3.4 billion immunizations given from 2006 – 2017, only 3,600 people, or 1 in 1 million people vaccinated, could prove enough injury from a vaccine to get compensation in a court case. Meanwhile, 80,000 people in the US died from flu last year ALONE. Your claim of more people dying or getting injured from vaccines is simply not correct!
Anonymous
11:41, yes only 3,600 cases were able to be proven, less than 1% of families who petitioned for compensation were successful. That in itself is disturbing. As for the 80,000 who died between 2017 and 2018 (not just 2018 you are mistaken there) the majority of those cases were not directly from the flu. For example, someone can get the flu, not have it properly treated and then that can develop into pneumonia which can kill you, but that’s not from the flu itself, so saying that 80,000 people died “from the flu” is false. Also just so we are clear, many (if not most) of the people who died “from the flu” WERE vaccinated against it. The flu shot only has an 8% success rate since it itself will typically give you a “more mild version” of the flu. I have only had the flu vaccine once in my life, and that was also the only year I ever had the flu last longer than a few days, I had it for over a week at that time.
Charlotte
I would like to know this too. 👆🏻
Anonymous
April 30, 5:30 pm. It is NOT selfish to not vaccinate and look out for your children. That’s nice you want to look out for everyone else but you ultimately are living with your children and will have to reap the rewards of a bad vaccine and life will life for you. But it CAN be so different for you…If you do want to vaccinate at least wait till they’re older where their bodies can handle it. I finally got a certain vaccination that was required for travel for my children when they were 8-10 years of age. Let their bodies mature some before pumping them with poison so their bodies can work with it. I can’t stand to see little babies injected with the stuff…my Dr says you can’t die from measles in this day and age and if they do there must be another factor involved that takes them. He even encourages measles play parties like you’d want to do for the chicken pox! Get them immune to it! Get them through the fever, etc you’d have to go through and he said you good to go! People are too hyped up about “vaccinations”. Finally people get smart, educate yourself, and have an open mind to what the government is really including in these vaccinations. It’s money for their pockets at your children’s expense! No need! I’m glad people are finally challenging this whole vaccination game and asking real questions. Because the “money makers” is hiding a lot more information than you think on this matter!
A
You she vaccinate your kids. With the measles going around. Their a baby that is 5 months older got the measles from not getting vaccinate and is in the hospital because the mother getting get him his shots . Let’s hope he doesn’t died.
Anonymous
Lol that’s the question I wanted to ask!
Anonymous
I’d like to hear the answer, and also if Ellie and her husband were vaccinated as kids. Didn’t you need vaccination proof for college and dental school? Did your husband need extra vaccinations for that school? I know vet students are required to get rabies vaccinations. What shots do dental students need? Can you use religious exemptions, or is there no way around shots for dental school?
Anonymous
10:19, to answer your question, yes I do have a problem with formaldehyde in every day household products, and I avoide using ones that contain it. Sadly in the world we live in it is nearly impossible to fully avoid it (such as with a car) but I will refrain from having it injected into my children’s bodies. And as far as your response implying that vaccines can not cause serious injuries and or death, the CDC has payed out over 4 billion dollars through VAERS so far THIS year to families who have vaccine injuries. My father has a vaccine injury from the anthrax vaccine, my little sister has a vaccine injury from the MMR vaccine, my friend’s dad is wheel chair bound after having a serious reaction to the flu shot, I personally knew three babies who died within 18 hours of their MMR vaccines (however only one of their families receive money from VAERS as their doctors did contribute their deaths to the vaccine and didn’t try to pass it off as SIDS), and many many more. Please save your sarcastic response.
Anonymous
Do you know if the Bates and Duggars read your blog about themselves? I’m sure that they do since you’re included in some of their events especially for the blog. But It’d be interesting to actually know if they read all those comments about themselves! 😂
Alicia Mae
How fun Ellie! What is your all time favorite memory?
Charlotte
How do you budget? What are your top 3 financial goals?
MarriedUK
How does Mr Handsome feel about the blog? Does he feel “exposed” by you writing about your lives? How do you decide what to write about? How will you decide what to include about baby boy? I used to read a blog written by a mother which used to make me roar with laughter. Then one day she stopped writing it because she felt so guilty describing the epic difficulties she was having with toilet training her daughter. She concluded she had violated her daughter’s privacy and no longer wanted to expose her without her consent. It’s obviously a tricky line; what are you thoughts on it?
Sarah
What’s the hardest thing about being a new mom?
Anonymous
Hi Ellie, I’ve been thinking about this for a bit, perhaps in regards to my own experience and observations.
I would like to ask: What are your and your husband’s values and/or intentions in raising your son and perhaps future children? E.g. what are experiences, lessons, goals, abilities, values you would like to guide him to other than perhaps your religion? Do you have a strategy in how you would like to discipline?
The older I become, and the more I am in the position to be a parent myself, the more I find myself realizing how much of a responsibility it is to teach healthy strategies for appropriate social conduct, for self-care, live-long learning and resilience, for being able to love and handle life with everything that is part of it. Sadly, I don’t think these thoughts were a huge part of family-starting in the generation and culture of my parents.
Thanks, – Kate
Anonymous
Do you support LGBT rights?
Anonymous
Good question, and what about if one of your children was LGBT? Would you resort to the old “love the sinner but hate the sin” answer that always seems to cancel itself out?
Anonymous
Well, I will sure be disappointed with Ellie if she supports LGBT. Hopefully we won’t hear…Not one sin will enter heaven! The world keeps getting worse with this and Satan is wreaking havoc in this area to deceive people that it is ok to live that lifestyle. “You’ll surely go to heaven anyway”. All I can say is that there will be a lot of surprised people turned away on judgement day. Repent for the day of the Lord is at hand…
Jennipher
Anon 3:13 God clearly calls homosexuality a sin and He even goes as far as to call it an abomination. I know what people practicing homosexuality say and that is, we all sin and so who are you to judge my sin. But the problem with that statement is when we sin we ask for forgiveness for that sin and turn away from it. But in the case of peop!e living a homosexual lifestyle is they don’t ask for forgiveness and turn away from it, but instead they embrace that sin and defend it and then try to force the acceptance on everyone else. But guess what, we will never accept it, we will always reject it and we will follow God’s Word on what is right and what is wrong. If that makes you sick well that will have to be your problem.
Alyson
What is Mr.Handsoms and Mr.handsome jr names?
Anonymous
At what age were you and Mr. Handsome baptized?
Anonymous
Hi Mr. Handsome, When did you know you wanted to live in Nashville, Tennessee and when did you tell Ellie? Jane
Anonymous
What is ‘a day in the life’ of Ellie like these days?
Jessica
Have you ever travelled outside of North America? When and where?
Kristi
Do you see yourself having a super-sized family like the Duggars and Bates?
Abagail
I have a comment and a question. My comment is that I saw your post about the Leslie Sansone DVD’s and I tried a couple of them. I can’t believe how much they are helping me to lose weight and tone.
Thanks for mentioning them.
My question is when will we get to know your husbands name and the baby’s name?
Benita
Ellie, what is your favorite characteristic about Mr. Handsome? Mr. Handsome, what is your favorite characteristic about Ellie?
Anonymous
Were you working before the baby? I thought you had a job working at home after you got married. Were you still working that job and do you plan to return to work? Also are you more comfortable wearing pants most of the time now as opposed to wearing dresses and skirts except for physical activities.
Sonya
Hello – I know from when you’ve done your how you started the blog stories that you first started writing about the Duggars just from their TV show and didn’t have a personal relationship at that time. What was it like when you first met them and told them you had been writing about them? Were they pretty used to fans writing about them by that point? Which of the Duggars do you most stay in touch with now?
Anonymous
How long have you known the Duggar’s and Bates families?
Regina Shea
Hello Ellie! I hope you all are doing well. My question to the both of you: How old were you when you got saved.
Ellie do you have a favorite devotional or Bible reading plan you enjoy?
Anonymous
Are you members of the NRA and how do you feel about stricter gun and ammunition control?
Anonymous
Were you raised with any of the IBLP teachings and do you plan to raise your children with them? How did you become friends with the Duggars? Do you agree with how they raised their children, specifically the blanket training and spanking from a young age? Four questions in one.
Anonymous
Do you believe in using birth control?
Anonymous
She didn’t have her son for a few years after they were married. So… why the question?
Anonymous
That fact that she didn’t have a baby for a few years doesn’t answer the question about her views on birth control.
Emma
What’s your favorite movie?
Ellyn
Would you ever consider working for a large company like TLC?
Diana
So fun! Do you have a hobby and what is it?
Liz
Do you plan to homeschool?
How many children would you like?
Will you vaccinate your son?
Anonymous
I know you have said that you hope to home school your children.
Would you be open to sending one or more of them to a physical school (public or private) if that appears to be what is best for them or what they want (based on individual circumstances)?
anonymous
Did your mother give you much guidance as a child, preteen, teenager and young adult that directed you to have the values that you lived in such an exemplary way? Some mothers from the fifties and sixties, though they lived by religious values were very mum towards their own girls. And this was also juxtaposed with an explosion in sexual “freedom” in the sixties and seventies. I think with the internet and Christian churches using the media there has been a push back for educating good Christian values since after 2000. But was your Mom proactive or just mum?
Ann
Do you earn a decent living by blogging? Do you speak any foreign languages?
darlene
i am so glad you’re doing this because i’ve been wanting to ask you a couple of questions for a while now!
1-how is your mom doing? besides enjoying being grandma to little buddy, does she still work on any of the blogs with you?
2-on any of your blogs, if someone has a general question, where should we post that? like sometimes i’ll think of something not quite related to the post and want to ask about it, but feel its the wrong place to ask. example: carlin bates wedding party article mentioned justin duggar being in her wedding and i started thinking ‘we dont hear too much about justin, wonder what he’s up to and how he got to be in the wedding party too?’ and wanted to ask you, but felt asking about justin on the bates page would be weird, yet asking on the article on the duggar page for that day would have been weird too!
3-what’s your favorite season and why?
thanks for doing this!
S. from Holland
Mr. Handsome: Why did you choose to work in dentistry?
Elise Kirsten
Thanks for doing this! I was wondering what your best writing tips are and how you got into blogging? Also how is the book going?
Anonymous
Why don’t you use your real name on your blogs?
Ally
Have you or Mr. H ever been recognized in public by strangers who read your blog? If so, what was that like?
Grace
Hi Ellie, my question is, which of the Duggars and Bates do you most keep in touch with?
Anonymous
Do your husband and your son share their name? Is the baby really a junior?
Anonymous
Did you save completely for your house? Do you believe in the “no debt” idea or were you comfortable getting a mortgage? Rates are so low now. I remember our first house was 12%.
Betty
I always wondered since you are such a private person as far as your husband’s name, babies name, your Birthdays and family information which is fine since that no doubt it is for your families protection and privacy, but what seems odd is that you have no problem posting Dugger and Bates names and Birthdays, pictures of the inside of their homes etc. The Duggar family and Bates family post those personal things yet you and I know that doing that opens yourself up to stalkers and lunatics who don’t have your best intentions in mind. I always tell my children that to know if the standards that you say you have are really how you feel and believe then the question you must ask yourself is, “even if other people don’t have your standard do you still hold true to your belief for both you and them, or do you bend that standard because they don’t feel the way you do?”. I feel that if your safety is paramount to you and yours then perhaps feel that same way for others even though they aren’t using good sense enough to protect themselves and their children from harm. Money should never be the most important goal.
Anonymous
The Duggars+Bates are public figures, they have a tv show and a simple google search shows you their birthdays. That is a life the Duggars+Bates have chosen, Ellie is doing nothing to harm them.
d
i certainly hope i misread your question and you arent insinuating that money is the reason for ellie releasing her information on the bates and duggars!! you do know she’s friends with both families! as a long time and loyal follower of all ellie’s blogs, i know for a fact, since she has said this herself, she only releases info and pictures of the bates and duggars, and extended families, that they approve of and release first. dont know why that would be odd, regardless of ellie’s standards, especially since they are ‘public figures’ and ellie is not, per se, and her ‘job’ is to blog facts and truthful info. notice ellie does not report on the ‘gossip’ that’s all over the place, like youtube, but strictly the facts as released by the families. hypothetically speaking, ellie might not like or agree with wearing pants or not , or whether you should cut your hair, but that doesnt mean her standards are ‘wrong’ or that she’s not abiding by her own standards by showing a picture of jinger duggar vuolo in jeans or josie bates balka cutting her hair. it means she’s doing her ‘job’ and reporting on what they are ok with releasing to the public.
btw, you do know you can get access to anyone’s address, birth date, phone number, family information, etc online, some for a fee, on public records sites right
Betty
I think the point being made was about valuing privacy as a standard and then posting personal information about other families, even if the other families don’t protect their own children and themselves from some of the crazies in the public. In other words if you see the danger in something and avoid it in your own personal life then it only stands to reason that you would do that same thing for others even if they don’t do it for themselves. Why open up yet another venue for some dangerous situations to come to others. Ask some of the Hollywood actors and actresses why it’s not a good idea to post personal info all the time on themselves and their children. Ask security companies if it’s a good idea to post the layout of your home and children’s rooms. It’s a dangerous and unfair game to play with the lives of other people and their children and use their privacy for an income and safeguard your own privacy from those same dangers.
Candi
Hi! I was just curious if your mom still works with you on the blogs since her name is still with it? Does she fill in when you can’t? Or is it pretty much all your responsibility now? Thanks!!
Candi
By the way, beautiful picture of you and hubs at the top of this post! Purple has always been your color and also the coral color you wear in the water at the top of the blog…those 2 colors look so good on you 😊
Ellie
Thank you, Candi! 🙂 Those are two of my favorite colors to wear.
KK
Do you think that viewers have any misconceptions about the Duggar family? Is there anything about the Duggar family you wish was featured more on Counting On?
How has blogging about the Duggars changed from when you and your mother started the website?
Ellyn
Do you hear about all the Duggar/Bates news well before it’s publically announced? Have you ever slipped and said something before it was made public?
Anonymous
Do you or Mr Handsome have any bad habits? Do you indulge them?
Lily
Some of these questions are very personal! Since you are are an avid money saver, is there anything you think is worth splurging on, or you don’t feel as bad to spend a lot of money on? For example, I prefer clothing that is 100% cotton and will pay more for it versus polyester clothing that won’t last as long and feels sticky on.
Laura
Do you wish to have a girl, if and when you have your next baby? 🙂
Katie
We know Mr Handsome and Junior are nickname.
So is Ellie your real first name? Or it is also a pseudonym/middle name/nickname?
Anonymous
Do you get lots of used items for your baby? Are there things that you prefer to buy new?
Anonymous
What is the age difference between you and your husband?
Carol Williams
Hey Ellie, Thanks for having such an interactive post – it’s really makes me feel special when you respond to me! My question is: Do/Did you play any instruments or sports?
anonymous
This is a question for Mr Handsome. Since the Bible says that the man is the head of the family do you have a strategy for how you are doing that? What things do you do to equip yourself so you have some confidence that you are living up to the big position? Or do you not really think about life like that?
Anonymous
You have said you are Christian and go to Church.
In some of your pictures from everyday you are wearing pants. On special occasions you are wearing long dresses. Have you given much thought to if it is Christian for a wife to wear pants? How do you think about this issue, or do you even think about it?
Anonymous
How is it not Christian for a wife to wear pants?? Women wearing pants is not cross dressing, and is in no way a sin.
anonymous
Umm….can you go to the Bible and verify that?
Maybe it is not a mortal sin, but I’m not entirely confident that some of the pants women wear are “not cross dressing” or “in no way a sin”.
Anonymous
Make another blog about the comments that you get.
Could you categorize your comments by now. When you read the comments that you get do you start mentally filing them according to what category they fall into. Is there comments that will never get posted, without getting graphic tell us why, what were their errors. Do you hire a comment prereader who filters your comments so that you actually never personally actually read some of your comments? I know of one social media person who regularly informs that she has preraders so the trolls etc should not waste their time trying to trouble her with their negativity. Aside from negative comments what other things might you have to say about the comments you are getting?
Aine
On this blog when a number of people reply to a person’s comment, it results in the replies being moved to the right and sometimes only one word per line. Would it be possible to have the comments underneath each other like your other 2 blogs?
Livvy
I am so curious to know your Myers-Briggs personality type!!! Do you know what it is? If you’ve never done the test before, or you don’t remember your results, you can take the test for free at:
http://www.16personalities.com
I’m an INFJ. 🙂
Katie F.
I believe I remember reading you’re a fan of the Hallmark Channel and When Calls the Heart. Who is your favorite character in When Calls the Heart?
Also, what is your favorite book?
anonymous
Do you have all of your commenters email addresses?
The statement on the comment form says, Leave a reply Your email address will not be published.
How does this comment form get everybody’s email addresses?
Ellie
Nope, I don’t have anyone’s email addresses unless they provide it in their comment. 🙂
Ellie
anonymous
Maybe you could design some new header options and have a reader of your blog contest for a lucky reader to pick which you will use next. Or have reader suggestions of what they think would make a good design for your next exciting header. The persons you actually use, or something inspired by it, you could bless with a prize!
Anonymous
More from Ann’s parties, and more from your extended family in general, and stuff you do for occasisions. All that is always interesting.
Anonymous
What’s your family daily routines? What things do you always do and what other things do you do when? How do you know what to do? Do you just know? Or do you have methods of figuring that out?
What are all of those methods? Do you have a hard time with consistent application of your efforts? Do you usually feel competent, confident, clear minded and happy? Or do you suffer from a myriad of strange feelings like pain, brain fog, exhaustion, confusion, anxiety, depression, anger, hate, just a cess pool of sufferring much of the time? Then just trying to eek out some minimal normalcy for your husband and baby?
anonymous
Can you do a blog where you tell an experience on this topic and get your readers to tell their experience on it too. The topic is the thing or things you don’t know that you don’t know that end up blind siding your life. Only then do you realize that you did not know it all and start thinking what else don’t I know that I don’t know I don’t know. Our public secular school system was silly, they spent hours years teaching pretty much useless subjects, while other real life lessons went untouched. Producing ‘happy’ robot like students, who had to gho out into the school of hard knocks next to become ‘real’.
anonymous
It looks like you and Mr Handsome are standing on a golf course. Does Mr Handsome play golf? If he does or does not, what do you two think of golf as one or both, of the spouses hobbies? What do your readers think of it. It seems like something good, even harmless, but their are probably some opinions on how having a golfer fits into the family dynamic and how much golfing is going to be allowed.
Ellie
I see what you’re saying about it looking like we are standing on a golf course. It was my sister-in-law’s wedding at a park. Mr. H doesn’t golf. 🙂
Ellie
M
Ellie . Please pray for the people in Davenport Iowa with all the flooding. It’s flooded on both sides of the river.
Ellie
Sorry to hear that! Will definitely be praying. Is that where you live? We have friends in that area. It was hit last year, too, wasn’t it?
Ellie
M
Ellie: I live across the river in Moline IL. But parts of Moline is flooded too. Yes but not as bad as this year. If you go to weather.com they show pictures of the flood.
Ellie
Stay safe! Looks like a scary situation.
Anonymous
Do you and Mr Handsome have a game plan for raising your boy? Do you write down the plan?
anonymous
Are you going to blanket train your children starting with Mr H. Jr.? That could be useful if you are working at home and home schooling. Do you fear being too responsive to your child and it escalating to a life of living in each others faces? I think blanket training could be a good thing. Start with a clear nylon mesh sided playpen with the blanket and some toys near to where you are watching. Do you have one of those play pens?
anonymous
Good luck with home schooling an energetic boy. Plus work from home. Plus all the things a mom and wife are usually trying to do. How will that turn out? When I tried to ‘home school’ one daughter in grade two, ha!
Breakfast was barely over, the dishes went onto the pile left in the sink from the day before. By 10:15 she wanted recess. Then lunch, then P. E. time, and then another recess…..and I’m thinking about shopping, meals and chores. Soon the other kids got home from school. My daughter wanted to get back asap to a school experience of teachers, class times and recess times, etc. ‘structure’. Its hard for one mom to ‘provide’ all that for a child, even for awhile, at home. Schools have a whole staff and pass the children off from one room to the next on schedule. Meanwhile janitors and cooks do the domestic stuff there. A real Christian school would be ideal imho.
Ellie
I know what you mean, it will certainly be a busy life! My mother-in-law somehow managed to homeschool 7. When Mr. Handsome was 13, she was homeschooling 7th grade, 6th grade, 4th grade, 2nd grade, and Kindergarten, plus she had an infant and was pregnant. Not sure how she did it, but somehow her kids are all very smart. I don’t think we’re going to have 7 kids though, haha.
Ellie
anonymous
You left out work from home. Does she have a home based business?
Ellie
Nope, my mother-in-law’s children and grandchildren are her full-time job. She still has 2 high schoolers, and she watches one of the grandchildren part-time.
Anonymous
Do you ever wish you had waited longer to get married and have kids?
Anonymous
Are you ever going to answer all of the questions that everyone posted on ask Ellie 3.0?
Ellie
Yep! We’ve been filming videos. 🙂
Anonymous
Cool! Thanks! That will be fun hearing all your answers to the questions!
Anonymous
What is your proudest accomplishment? You cannot say having your son or marrying Mr. Handsome.
Anonymous
Do you ever wish you had not had your son?
Ellie
Nope. He’s certainly a lot of work (like all babies are), but we love him and love having him in our life.
anonymous
It would be interesting if you could share your andMr Handsomes thoughts on what in reality you consider the most important things are and get your readers to add what they think the most important things are, for spouses and parents to be doing.