"Little People, Big World" Official Thread

[breezy1077]

I'm confused why they're adding on when they have 2 teens that will probably be leaving the nest soon.

I'm also confused why she doesn't know what their finances are.

I thought the same thing about the food sales.

I grew up on a horse farm and live in the suburbs now - their show makes me want to go rural again.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Dh and I love this show

Their house is pretty messy, I wouldn't want cameras in my house looking like that but it just shows that they are human too.

What do you all think about Jeremy not wanting to go to college? Those kids are so lazy, what is he going to do graduate high school and then sit around the house all day?

 

[caa1277]

DW and I watch it pretty regularly or at least try to. DW cleans houses for a living and she gets so disgusted everytime they show that mess of a house! Even with 3 kids and being an LP, the house shouldn't be in that condition. The kids should help out more by cleaning things clean, especially since it is going to be shown on national TV!

I think Matt might be stretching the family finances by doing all the renovations to the house and not being honest with Amy about it.

But we like the show, mess and all, and continue to watch.

 

[traveler07]

I do like watching the show but wonder about their money situation as well. They're always saying that money is tight, but they live on a huge farm, have so many "toys" and extras, go on lots of trips and are always adding or fixing up something around the farm. The show must be paying for a lot of it.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

I'm glad Jeremy recognizes that he doesn't want to go to college. He doesn't belong there. At least, not yet. BUT, they need to make sure he gets a trade education and a job. No sitting back on the farm and hanging out.

 

[AnninIowa]

The Roloffs WILL be on "Oprah" tomorrow - Thursday, April 24!!

 

[themilesfamily]

Well, I'm going to jump in and defend their messy house! LOL If cameras were in my house 24-hours a day, the world would certainly see a mess from time to time. I clean top-to-bottom about once every two weeks -- but the house can really fall apart in the meantime.

And I only have one child, one husband and one part-time job! I can't imagine being a little person with three kids -- a ton of their friends in and out -- AND a big house! And doesn't she have a job, too? She needs a regular housekeeper!!!

I do wonder sometimes about those kids. Their grades seem atrocious, they don't seem to listen to their parents, they disrespect their parents behind their back. But I guess every family deals with things in their own way. They are probably just typical teens.

 

[AnninIowa]

I read an article where Matt said Amy's mother was a complete neat freak, and now that Amy is an adult she rebels against that by not worrying about her house. I've seen several episodes where almost all of the other members of the family, including Matt, make comments about how she won't let them help clean up. Granted, Matt's idea of cleaning up is to just throw it away , BUT when Amy couldn't even walk through Jacob's room because of the mess, there is definitely a problem. It's funny that whenever Amy is gone, someone - Mike or Honey, usually - rush in to clean the house!

 

[momrek06]

Well, I'm going to jump in and defend their messy house! LOL If cameras were in my house 24-hours a day, the world would certainly see a mess from time to time. I clean top-to-bottom about once every two weeks -- but the house can really fall apart in the meantime.

And I only have one child, one husband and one part-time job! I can't imagine being a little person with three kids -- a ton of their friends in and out -- AND a big house! And doesn't she have a job, too? She needs a regular housekeeper!!!

I do wonder sometimes about those kids. Their grades seem atrocious, they don't seem to listen to their parents, they disrespect their parents behind their back. But I guess every family deals with things in their own way. They are probably just typical teens.

Well, you at least admit to cleaning "top-to-bottom" every couple of weeks.....ummm, I think it has been NEVER that the Roloff house has been cleaned AT ALL.

How do they find anything at all in there? I remember when they were doing the twins room over, Jeremy just put all their clothes in garbage bags DIRTY and all and loaded them into that storage bin.....

Oh....and the Roloffs have 4 children.

 

[Seahunt]

I'm confused why they're adding on when they have 2 teens that will probably be leaving the nest soon.

That confused me also, but then I thought oh yeah, well Matt's mind just doesn't work that way (thinking things through) - he gets a project idea and has to start it - but notice I didn't say finish it! I bet there are all kinds of Matt's unfinished projects around that farm...

I guess that's what keeps him going though.

Though sometimes when I watch an episode I wish he'd get an idea to start a cleaning business! Did you see Zach's van when he had his date? Yuck! Even he was grossed out by it and made a half hearted attempt in cleaning it up.

 

[momrek06]

I read an article where Matt said Amy's mother was a complete neat freak, and now that Amy is an adult she rebels against that by not worrying about her house.

Ya, I read that too. BUT as Seahunt has pointed out; their cars are as well a disaster. So, so much for that "My Mom is a neat freak so I will rebel" theory!!!!

Did you see Zach's van when he had his date? Yuck! Even he was grossed out by it and made a half hearted attempt in cleaning it up.

 

[themilesfamily]

Oh....and the Roloffs have 4 children.

That's right...I always forget about Jacob!

 

[muffyn]

I told my hubby about this thread & he laughed
he said to mention,, that with their new addition , they really can save by not purchasing carpeting, as you never see their floor as it is/1

we have the same amount of acreage as they do & I am still trying to figure out just where they fit all that stuff in!!! our property doesn't seem that big!

 

[Kycha]

Did you see the condition of the youngest one's bedroom?!?!

What gets me is they just painted his room not too long ago. So, they had the whole room cleaned out to do the painting. It didn't take long for things to get out of control in there.

Have they ever shown Molly's room? Or the parents?

!

They have never shown Matt and Amy's bedroom, but we have seen all the kids. And one room is as bad as the other. Though, I must say that things have improved tenfold since their last renovation. At least now they try to keep most of the clutter in the upstairs rooms.

Honestly, I just don't think cleanliness is a priority for them. And that is okay. They have very busy lives with jobs, running the farm, school activities and sports. Not to mention raising their kids. Clutter doesn't bother me that much, but they do seem to go to the extreme. Fortunately, they don't show the upstairs rooms too often.

 

[Huggles]

I can understand an untidy house, but theirs is not merely untidy. I was disgusted to see the damage to the doors on the twins' room ( holes in it and graffitti on it) and some other rooms upstairs and the general lack of care about the place. Oh yes, they care about one another and are a loving family but they seem to have no pride in, or respect for, their home. Maybe it comes from the 'throw it out' attitude...I cannot count how many times you see them eating off paper plates and disposable cutlery yet they have a dishwasher right there. Matt's idea of a clean up is not to reassign the junk to the relevent person and get them to put it away, it is merely to put it in the trash.

Maybe if they didn't spend so much money on replacing stuff they misplaced or trashed, then they would be really well off. Mind you, there is no shortage of gadgets and vehicles about the place.

 

[barkley]

i suspect matts one of those guys who gets focused on a want and looks at the cost but figures that money will, in his mind, inevitable appear to cover it, but does'nt look at how much it's cost will be in their day to day expenses.

by that i mean, when amy was questioning how they were affording the expansion he kept talking about how well the pumpkin farm was doing 'now' while amy was talking about their ongoing needs and even the existance of college funding for the kids (i was surprised, even if he has taken over the finances, that she did'nt know if college funds had been set up and seemed surprised when he said he had also set up some kind of accounts for he and her-i'm guessing for retirement). in the begining of the show amy was out there working not out of want, but because they expressed that someone needed to be providing for their day to day needs-and it was'nt until she pushed the issue that matt went out and got a job.

i dunno, i just look at what he perceives as their big money maker-the pumpkin patch and think that it's ill conceived to be overly reliant on it as the means to fund big projects. they are realy reliant on their kids and family to work there, and as the kids get older and go to college or get their own jobs they will be less available or inclined to work there (molly was'nt thrilled to be working there this past season), matt's parents are getting older and it's inevitable that the time will come where they are no longer able. the whole patch is also a buisness that can be totaly unviable if bad fortune in the event of a bad crop one year comes up (not unusual for farmers to have periodic bad seasons esp. if they are'nt rotating a crop to preserve the soil which it does'nt appear they do) AND in times of bad economy people (customers) tend to forego luxury shopping (which to me, buying a pumpkin to decorate it and toss it out a few days later clearly is). i just don't see it as the big cash cow he perceives it as (and i would wonder how a bank would view it as equity to fund a re-model of a home).

i thought it was interesting and telling to some extent on a recent episode where amy/molly go whale watching and leave the guys at home. matts sends the boys to grocery shop with some money and HIS list. the boys repeatedly say in the voice overs that their dad has no concept how much food costs and that they will have to purchase the stuff that everyone needs and probably can't buy everything their dad wanted on the list. then they get home and tell him that they got what they could, but there was'nt enuf money for everything and all he's focused on is that they did'nt get him the box of cereal he wants (crispix i think) and says over and over something like 'i think crispix is a right not a luxury', 'why did'nt you get my crispix', 'crispix is a basic right or should be', 'i don't know why you could'nt get me what i wanted'.... gese, the kids are explaining he did'nt send them with enuf money and he's like a spoiled 4 year old whining over it and pouting. i can't imagine being amy and having to grocery shop for a person like this-when he's determining how much is in the budget for shopping and then likely taking away from that budget by virtue of taking on costly projects.

btw-did anyone like dh and i did, when watching the show about the opening of the pumpkin patch show, get kind of that they were jimmy rigging the loading and unloading structures for those rides they're not doing around the farm? i was just watching how they do so much of the stuff by trial and error and up until minutes before they are loading people and wonder if the county they live in has no laws about safety and why it does'nt appear as though anyone ever comes in an inspects/approves these things? the only time i've ever seen him have an actual county inspector come out and do permits is when they had the pool put in-and that's for their own use, not the general publics.

i dunno, between a filthy kitchen where they are shown handling the food products they sell (molly's jam), and trial and error rigged rides for customers (and is it even legal for the twins as minors to be driving the public via those tractors?) it's not a raging compulsion on my part to load up my kids and head over.

 

[puffkin]

I don't think the house is dirty....just messy. Big difference. I am a neat freak though and that drives me crazy.

Why in the world does Jacob need that much clothing? They don't just need to organize, they need to weed out.

I can see them adding on a garage and maybe some more storage room, but I think the addition seems excessive, especially since their kids are leaving soon.

I am reading Walt Disney's biography right now, and Matt reminds me so much of Walt.

 

[muffyn]

1 ) i suspect matts one of those guys who gets focused on a want and looks at the cost but figures that money will, in his mind, inevitable appear to cover it, but does'nt look at how much it's cost will be in their day to day expenses.



2 ) i thought it was interesting and telling to some extent on a recent episode where amy/molly go whale watching and leave the guys at home. matts sends the boys to grocery shop with some money and HIS list. the boys repeatedly say in the voice overs that their dad has no concept how much food costs and that they will have to purchase the stuff that everyone needs and probably can't buy everything their dad wanted on the list.


3 ) btw-did anyone like dh and i did, when watching the show about the opening of the pumpkin patch show, get kind of that they were jimmy rigging the loading and unloading structures for those rides they're not doing around the farm? .

(I don't quite know how to quote several divided up sentences,, so bear with me)


1} I wonder just how much they might hope that the tv show will pay for extras, maybe see 'product placements' in the show later on . could Home depot have donated some things? after all if Matt & kids just sat home, there wouldn't be a show, TLC maybe says, hey we will pay for your next cruise etc.

2. did you notice all the non-edible things they were purchasing ? cleaning supplies and laundry detergent ( umm, they don't clean ) If Amy was only gone for a few days why couldn"t they have waited for the laundry detergent & stuff like that? food should have been the priority

3. there seems to be an inconsistancy with their planning/building stuff. some things they go way overboard with "experts" remember they flew in the people that built the zip line in hawaii to make sure Matt made his correctly?? & they had the inspector to check his new trebuchet?

 

[muffyn]

wonder if the county they live in has no laws about safety and why it does'nt appear as though anyone ever comes in an inspects/approves these things? the only time i've ever seen him have an actual county inspector come out and do permits is when they had the pool put in-and that's for their own use, not the general publics.

.

oh,, remember the episode with the porch? he had problem with the inspectors not liking the height & then re just added more dirt to the outside so he could have the short rail he wanted. On the internet there are several places that were reported the fights his neighbors have had with him over what he is building, especially the pool ( now that is the least of the problems since looked like it HAD to be built to code). they have complained to the city about him. he must fall in a grey area on things.
I know they made mention that if he uses all his buldings for himslef NO problem, but it takes a different meaning if he lets the public use them, but didn't seem to have any type of standards required for that yet

out where we live if you build ANY building you say is agricultural, it needs NO inspections. there is also a nearby county where there are hardly ANY building codes & you can just about build what ever house structure you need without inspections!

 

[eh24fan]

oh,, remember the episode with the porch? he had problem with the inspectors not liking the height & then re just added more dirt to the outside so he could have the short rail he wanted. On the internet there are several places that were reported the fights his neighbors have had with him over what he is building, especially the pool ( now that is the least of the problems since looked like it HAD to be built to code). they have complained to the city about him. he must fall in a grey area on things.
I know they made mention that if he uses all his buldings for himslef NO problem, but it takes a different meaning if he lets the public use them, but didn't seem to have any type of standards required for that yet

out where we live if you build ANY building you say is agricultural, it needs NO inspections. there is also a nearby county where there are hardly ANY building codes & you can just about build what ever house structure you need without inspections!

With the railing on the porch, I totally agree with Matt. They built it for THEM, not for average height folks. It is the porch on the house, not a public area.