Michelle Duggar’s Budget Honeymoon

For our honeymoon, Jim Bob and I planned a trip near our home because that’s what we could afford. We were going to go to Mount Nebo and Lake Fort Smith, both in Arkansas. We chose state parks for our destinations because the cabins there were so reasonable.

When we arrived at our first destination, we couldn’t believe the difference between the photo on the brochure and the reality. We chuckle about this now, but I did not go and look at the places ahead of time. I just looked at the brochures and I thought "Okay, it’s a state park and what we see is what we’re going to get." The picture showed a lovely cabin right beside a beautiful flowing river, but when we got there, the cabin was really rundown with awful orange curtains -- and cobwebs everywhere! On top of that, the river was completely dried up; there was no water at all. So we opted instead to go into town and stayed at a hotel in Fort Smith. We didn’t get the setting we were anticipating for our first night together, but it was still sweet. Next, we went on to the incredibly scenic Mount Nebo and stayed for a few nights. At that point, our car started acting up and we were like, you know what? Let’s just go home to our house, to our new place, since we were looking forward to being there together.

It was a small fixer-upper house, about 900 square feet total, and Jim Bob got such a good deal on it. We spent the rest of our honeymoon fixing up our little house, which definitely needed a lot of work! Jim Bob had moved in a month before the wedding, but I didn’t move in until after we were married so this was our first time living together.

Before our wedding, we had ripped out all of the cupboard doors in the kitchen and sanded them down, but we didn’t have time to finish them before we got married. So when we got back after our honeymoon, there were no doors on our kitchen cabinets and the place needed a lot of work, but that was okay. We were living on love and it was so exciting.

It was just so precious to be in our own house together for the first time. Jim Bob was already being a husband and working on the car. I remember thinking, "Oh, how romantic. He’s at our house and he’s working on our car." It’s funny the little things that you just hold dear to your heart forever.

Michelle Duggar Remembers Her Wedding Day

My wedding to Jim Bob almost 30 years ago was sweet and simple. We got married in our church where our pastor officiated our ceremony. At the time, our church was still being built so we were meeting in a big gymnasium for services. We actually got married in the hallway of the building -- we had set up folding chairs to use as pews! And we did the exact same thing when we renewed our vows 25 years later.

I wanted to do as much as I could myself as a way to save money and keep the expenses reasonable. We didn’t buy flowers and barely even decorated the hall. Our backdrop was a lattice that we had woven through with crepe paper. Our colors were all pastels; yellow, pink, green and blue. I even made my own bouquet using fake flowers so I could keep them to decorate my home with later. When my sister arrived from out of town and noticed that I didn’t have any flowers, she offered to create a flower display to put up behind the altar area. She used silk flowers and made a beautiful arrangement.

For the wedding cake, I made it myself and froze it. A friend decorated it for me using icing that she made with ingredients I bought for her. Another special touch was wearing Jim Bob’s mother’s wedding dress as my dress. Everything we did for our wedding was so inexpensive, but perfect for us. We wanted to spend our money on our honeymoon, which was our first time to be alone together.

The reception was very simple with cake, nuts and punch. It was such a sweet time! We invited our closest friends and family (about 200 people). When we had our 25th anniversary renewal of our vows, we repeated the same reception style with the same songs and even the same pastor.

Although we didn’t videotape our wedding, we took a lot of pictures and we had it recorded on cassette tape. As our children were growing up, we would listen to our wedding cassette again every year on our anniversary. We would reenact the ceremony, show them how we walked down the aisle and tell them the stories about what it was like. It was a great moment to share with them in such a special way.

Michelle Duggar on Courtship Chaperones

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: How do you pick chaperones for each couple? Does it change depending on who is free that day or is there a designated chaperone for each couple?

Well, it has been very flexible so far. We’ve set an age limit of 10 years old and above. So we have a lot of potential chaperones with 15 kids over that age! With Derick and Jill, they wrote out their courting rules at the beginning of their official courtship. These were their commitments to each other. After they agreed on them, they shared with their chaperones and family members so that they would know what they want to be held accountable for. Ben and Jessa have done the same thing.

The chaperones then have clear guidelines for what is acceptable and what’s not. They’re the accountability. What that means is they’re allowed to say, “Hey, are you supposed to be doing that?” But the funniest things have come up. For example can they high five during a game? And so as they go along, the couples have made some tweaks and changed things up a little bit.

Sometimes with all of our busy schedules, we’ve had to call on other folks to be chaperones. When Jill and Derick were courting, everyone went on a trip and Jill had to stay back for her midwifery work. But she still wanted to see Derick when he got off work. So she called Ginny, a family friend, who was able to meet her and Derick at a restaurant and then they could all eat together. Ginny was at Jill’s bridal shower recently and she said, “I had the most fun. I got to be Jill and Derick’s chaperone and they treated me to lunch. What a deal!”

Grandma Duggar has also taken a few turns chaperoning, which is extra special for the girls. After a recent visit with Grandma as a chaperone Jill told me, “Grandma gave me some amazing advice. Derick and I were just so encouraged by her wisdom.” So you see, chaperones can take lots of forms and are quite helpful in many ways!

Michelle Duggar's Marriage Advice for Newlyweds

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: What advice will you give Jill as a newlywed wife to keep in mind throughout her marriage?

1. Be available
First, I’m going to pass on the advice that was given to me by a dear friend Gala. Whenever I speak with groups of other moms and married women, I always share this advice. It’s been the best advice that was ever given to me in regard to my relationship to my husband Jim Bob.

Gala had only been married for three years, but she had very wise advice. I was about six months out from getting married, and was just all bleary eyed and in love. I couldn’t wait to be married and be called “Mrs. Jim Bob Duggar.” That was the dream of my life.

She told me: “Michelle, I know you’re so excited. You’re a bride-to-be, but some day you’ll be at this point. I’ve been married three years and I’m still happily married. I have one child, we’re expecting our second and I’m big pregnant. You’ve got to remember this. Anyone can iron Jim Bob’s shirt, anybody can make lunch for him. He can get his lunch somewhere else. But you are the only one who can meet that special need that he has in his life for intimacy. You’re it. You’re the only one. So don’t forget that, that he needs you. So when you are exhausted at the end of the day, maybe from dealing with little ones, and you fall into bed so exhausted at night, don’t forget about him because you and he are the only ones who can have that time together. No one else in the world can meet that need.”

“And so be available, and not just available, but be joyfully available for him. Smile and be willing to say, ‘Yes, sweetie I am here for you,’ no matter what, even though you may be exhausted and big pregnant and you may not feel like he feels. ‘I’m still here for you and I’m going to meet that need because I know it’s a need for you.’ ”

I’ve realized the sweetness of that through the years. While I am always joyfully available for him, in turn, he’ll lay down his life in any way. He will sit there and listen to everything I need to tell him because he knows that I’m there for him, too. I’m meeting his needs, he’s meeting my needs. We’re willing to be there for each other. And each one of us has different needs in a marriage relationship and that’s what’s so precious. I’ll share this advice with Jill so she knows that she’s got to be a wife first and then later, Lord willing, she’ll be a mother. Her responsibility before God and Derick needs to come first. It’s not just me and the Lord; it’s me and the Lord and my husband.

2. Talk about disagreements privately
Another piece of advice, I’ll tell Jill – don’t ever talk about things in front of your children that are supposed to be between you and your husband only. Step aside and say we’re going to talk about this privately. And don’t ever put your husband down in front of your children or other people, especially your families. Talk privately. We always say in our family, we praise publicly, but we correct privately. And that’s marriage advice that I would give to anyone.

3. Get marriage advice when you need it
There are going to be those times in your marriage where you might not always agree; you might not see things eye to eye and sometimes you may need a trusted third party to be a counsel for you in your marriage. Feel free to go to that trusted wise counsel that you both respect and get counsel when you need it. We have all been there. Yes, we have a oneness with spirit in Christ, but there are times that we need others to give us life counsel. So be willing to go seek it together.

It’s important to note that you can get marriage counseling in a lot of different ways. Your friends are very quick to offer advice, but it might not always be the wise advice you need to hear. Another option is to listen to to messages from scriptural teachers together. Through the years as we have gone to marriage retreats, Jim Bob and I have tried to take time out as a couple to listen to messages from other couples that have either learned from their mistakes or from others with the Christian perspective that we share. Even if you can’t afford to get away for the weekend, that’s fine. In our early days, we’d often plan a romantic dinner and listen to readings together and have grandma babysit. It would strengthen our relationship.

Jim Bob and I say we have the best love life ever because we’re so experienced now, but we are also still learning about each other and it’s just great. I’ve gone back and reread some books that were helpful to me and I’m writing out notes to share with Jill. I’ll be giving her a little bridal package that has lots of things that she’ll need for the honeymoon. Jill is very understanding of a lot of things because she’s a midwife and she’s helped a lot of mothers. But there are still a lot of things that I want to share with her before her wedding night. For me, it’s a whole different perspective because I’m sharing this information with my daughter.

And even fellows need a lot of help! These guys need to know they can’t go into this thinking they’re all macho. They need to get their knowledge from the right perspective to go into things with the right ideas.

For Michelle’s recommending reading for newlyweds, visit the Duggar Family website.

Have a burning question for Michelle Duggar? Send it to her and it could appear in an upcoming post!

Michelle Duggar on Raising Twins

FAMILY MATTERS on 02.07.14

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Photo: DCL

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan on Facebook: Your family has two sets of twins. Are the twins a lot like each other? Do they have similar personalities? 

We were so elated when we found out about Jana and John David, our first set of twins. The joy of knowing there were two little blessings in my tummy was just more than we could ever have hoped for – we were so thankful. We had a lot of prep work to do before they were born: making sure we had two car seats, putting two baby beds in the room, and preparing our oldest Joshua to become a big brother to two siblings at once. We knew it was a boy and girl coming, so we got to tell him he was going to be a big brother to a brother and sister.

As they were growing, I realized that they were so different from each other. Jana and John, of course being boy and girl, had a lot of differences in that respect, but their personalities were so different, too. One was so laid back and the other one was so energetic and into everything. John David just watched Jana because she had enough energy for both of them.

Jana took off walking at eight months. John David waited until the average age of twelve months like the rest of my kids. John was a bigger baby when he was born; Jana was smaller, so I think she was more agile and able to get around.

Because Jana was always getting into things, of course, she was always having to be trained and corrected a little more because I’d say, “No no, you don’t climb up on that shelf because you could fall and hurt yourself.” John would watch and probably think, “I’m not going near that!”

Even to this day, I think Jana will take more chances. She doesn’t mind making a mistake on something because she can always go back and fix it really quickly, and still get done in the same amount of time. John David, he is very steady and methodical. He thinks through everything. He doesn’t take a lot of risk, which is a neat thing since he’s a pilot. I think that’s the kind of pilot you want, the kind who’s not going to take risks and who is very steady and methodical about everything they do.

Now, Jedidiah and Jeremiah, my other set of twins, they’re the same as Jana and John David in in that their personalities are almost opposite. One took off fast, and the other one was more steady and slow. Now they’re fifteen and they do things together all the time because they’re both boys. They have the same interests and they’re really close. Jed and Jer are constantly doing things together. They’re almost opposites in personality though.

It’s really interesting to see how their personalities play out later in life. They really were there from the time they were little.

The Duggars' Favorite Christmas Traditions

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan on Facebook: How does your family celebrate Christmas?

I think we do it a bit different in our family. Early in our marriage, Jim Bob and I really wanted to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. And so, we didn’t focus on Santa. We kept that idea out of the whole celebration, we explained to the children who Santa Claus was historically, but focused on his good deeds and his ministering to children. We tell them about the true person of Saint Nicholas, but we don’t sensationalize him. In fact, when our first kids were young, we probably didn’t even bring that up at Christmas time. It was usually at a different time of year that we explained the whole idea of Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas.

Our goal was to bring out the real meaning of Christmas. It was Christ’s day, the holy day of mass, Christ mass and what we’re celebrating is the day that Christ was born. We explained that to them from the beginning and how it is a huge celebration. We really make it a big deal. Right after Thanksgiving, around the first of December, we begin to prepare and get excited about Christmas day and how we’re going to celebrate the coming of Christ and how he came into the world.

It’s an exciting time. We decorate. It’s a big birthday party for Jesus. We make banners and put them all around the house and put out our nativity scene. We’ve got a big beautiful nativity that has the Christ child in the manger, Joseph and Mary and some of the wise men and the shepherds. That goes out on our counter and then we surround it with pretty white lights. And so, that’s our big emphasis.

We have fun decorating and baking and doing all that, too, but I hope and pray that my children know that when they come out of our home and start their own homes that the central focus truly was the birth of Christ and how he set the example giving his life, how we in turn should be truly grateful for what Christ gave. And as we in turn give from our hearts the joy that God has given us, giving to others is really what I would hope that my children come away with as the focus of celebrating the Christmas season.  

We frequently do mission trips before Christmas. That has been probably one of the best things we’ve ever done for our children. It teaches them about giving to others. When they come back from those mission trips right before Christmas, I’ve often heard them say, “Mom, I just don’t even think I want to go Christmas shopping. I don’t want anything. I have no needs.” I’ve been so grateful to hear how it’s impacted their lives. Truly in America, we are so blessed. We are so lucky that we have a home and a warm place to sleep when the majority of the people in the world are sleeping on a dirt floor and have barely anything to keep them warm at night. We don’t take it for granted.

I think in doing all of those things we make our own traditions. We have fun memories here at home and yet our heart’s desire is to give our children an even bigger vision for the world. And it’s really not about us, but we can make special family memories. And it can be just as simple as sitting down and reading together and coming up with a creative way to share that good news with somebody else.

Have a burning question for Michelle Duggar? Send it to her and it could appear in an upcoming post!

Michelle Duggar on Raising a Strong-Willed Child

FAMILY MATTERS on 10.18.13

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Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan on Facebook: How do you handle particularly strong-willed children?

Well, I’ve had a couple of strong-willed ones go through here! I had one that really gave us a lot of challenges. We felt like we going back and forth saying, “Don’t do that,” and they would say, “Why?” They would just push it again and again and I’d think, “They’re never going to get it. It’s just not getting through.”

But we were consistent; that’s really important for parents with young children. If you’ve got a young child and they’re strong-willed, just be consistent -- lovingly consistent. Don’t get bent out of shape. Don’t get upset in the situation. They may push the limit, but they need to know what the boundaries are and they need to understand that those boundaries are not to restrict their fun. Jim Bob would always give this example: He would say, “We have always told you children don’t play in the street. Are we saying that to ruin your fun? Is that to spoil your life? Why would we say don’t play in the street? We put those boundaries in your life for a good reason. It’s to protect you because we love you.” Oftentimes as parents, we can see things that are a danger. And that’s why when we say it, the first time we’ll say, you obey it. There’s not a question of arguing with us about it. It’s just, yes, Ma’am, I will obey you.

Training a strong-willed one to obey was probably the greatest challenge I faced as a mom. I could train three others and they would quickly learn what I meant. But that strong-willed one, we’d go through these training opportunities over and over. Sometimes I would think, “Oh, they’re never going to get it. It’s not getting through.” But I knew I had seen a few of my others go through this and it was beneficial and did work in their lives, so I just didn’t give up. Even though they would butt heads with us, I would be fun but loving and say: “Mommy loves you so much that I’m not going to let you act that way. You cannot talk disrespectful to Momma, and you will obey, and hopefully, you will eventually obey joyfully.” But either way, they need to obey. I won’t budge.

They know I mean business because I just stand firm in what I say. Remember, you’re going to make it as a parent, and they’re going to catch on eventually. Jim Bob told me that he was not strong-willed as a child, but he struggled with dyslexia and it just took two or three times for things to connect for him as a child. He would remind me, don’t give up -- that could be a little Jim Bob that we’re looking at. That gave me hope!

Learning how to be tactful

How Michelle Duggar Teaches Her Kids to Be Tactful

FAMILY TRAVEL on 08.16.13

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Photo: DCL

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: As you travel with your family and meet people from different cultural backgrounds, how do you teach your children to be polite and open-minded about foreign cultures and experiences?

It really is all about teaching them tact. When we are in a public place, the kids need to show respect for others, and that means that we’re not loud and boisterous with our behavior. We don’t want to loudly draw attention to ourselves and we want it to be a pleasant experience for everyone involved. I try to teach them to be tactful and not to blurt out questions or statements about people or situations that might be new or different to them. We want them to come and ask questions, to whisper in my ear or daddy’s ear, and ask the questions they might have. Because they do have questions and want to know about things that are new to them.

Jim Bob and I try to explain that some cultures are different than ours, and that’s ok. When we travel to other countries, I want to give the kids the freedom to ask questions of myself and our family members. It’s important not to hurt the feelings of people that aren’t exactly the same as us, so I want them to come to me first. I’ve explained to them that others may wonder why they are asking a certain question because it’s about something that is common for their culture. It’s important for them to be sensitive to the feelings of others.

We are happy to talk with the kids about whatever questions are on their minds. If we can’t talk immediately when a question arises, we ask them to remember the question, remind us later, and we’ll talk about it privately, when we’re able. We’ve got a ways to go to train our kids in the proper etiquette of being around other people in public places. Believe me, ours aren’t angels!

When we travel, we’ll sometimes have a situation where our children aren’t behaving in the correct way; they’ll be climbing on something they aren’t supposed to, or making noise or something like that. If that happens, I’ll have them go back and ask for forgiveness and apologize for their inappropriate behavior. So believe me, we are still in the learning phases of all of that with a number of our younger ones!

With children, they just speak (and do) what’s on their mind -- often. They don’t even think about it, they just have the simplicity and curiosity of a child. We’ve learned the importance of being tactful and gracious to others and want them to learn, too.

Have a burning question for Michelle Duggar? Send it to her and it could appear in an upcoming post!

Michelle Duggar on Kids Becoming Adults

FAMILY MATTERS on 05.31.13

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Photo: DCL

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: How do you feel about Jana and Jill pursuing midwifery?

 Boy, it’s definitely been exciting. It’s very interesting to me. Jana from the beginning has just loved children. And being the first-born daughter in our family you would think as she becomes an adult she probably has had her fill with children around all the time -- that she’d probably want to do something with adults. But it is so interesting to see that any time she has an opportunity to do something in the community it always has to do with children. She wants to go to the children’s home. She wants to help mamas deliver babies. It’s just all about kids.

Jana and Jill both have been a team together working in midwifery. Jana really wants to be a doula and assist mothers in labor. She really has a good way about her when it comes to crisis situations. She can take the bull by the horns. Around the house, if Mama isn’t here at the moment and somebody has a boo-boo, Jana can fix it.

Jill is interested in the study of midwifery and taking full responsibility at the birth. I think it’s kind of neat to see the two of them work together. They’re gone for days sometimes delivering a baby; when a mother is in labor Jana and Jill are there for the duration. Whether it’s a hospital birth, home birth or a birthing center the team sticks together. So they get a call, and we don’t know when we’ll see them again. It’s been a very rewarding learning experience for the girls. I think Jill will continue her studies to get her accredited midwifery license. And Jana is piling up the hours in her doula training.

I see Jana now and I remember her personality when she was young. I would have never have thought that she would have gone the direction she did. She was very energetic as a little girl, but she’s very reserved and quiet as an adult. But boy, when she jumps into a crisis situation, she’s in charge, and she’s capable. I just encourage all of them. I tell them there’s absolutely nothing that they cannot do if God has called them to do it; he will equip you with what you need and you will be capable. 

Celebrating Three Generations of Mothers in the Duggar Family

FAMILY MATTERS on 05.09.13

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Photo: DCL

Mother’s Day is changing as our family changes and grows. Now, we celebrate with Grandma Duggar, who lives here at the house, and my daughter-in-law Anna. The children often make homemade cards for each of us, which are my favorite things. I have those treasures in my keepsake box, the special little hand-drawn ones. It’s a precious time for the children to share their creations.

Grandma Duggar – Jim-Bob’s mother, Mary – has always been really wonderful and helpful with the kids, even when she and Grandpa were busy with their real estate business. She has been an important spiritual mentor in my life. When I first met her I was applying for a job working for her at a yogurt shop, before I even knew Jim Bob. I was so impressed by her that I just remember thinking this is a lady I’d like to learn from. I had no idea that I would get that privilege from then on! I am just so grateful for Mary in my life because she has been such a godly influence. She and I have such a sweet relationship and she is a great grandma and mother-in-law. Now that Grandpa Duggar has passed away, she spends a lot of time with the children and they really cherish that time. The kids take turns helping Grandma with her business or just spending time together. At Mother’s Day especially, we try to really recognize Grandma Duggar and thank her for being such a great mom and grandmother.

At Mother’s Day, I also recall memories of my own mother. Mom died an early death and didn’t get to spend many days with my children. However, she was with us for our first baby Joshua, and we have special memories of that time together. He was the first grandchild here in Arkansas that she was really able to spend a lot of time with, since all of her other grandchildren were back in Ohio. She was there for his birth and she brought me all the things that I needed when I was recovering after the childbirth. She was there pampering me and loving on the baby and giving me a chance to catch up on my rest so I could heal. Mom was just enjoying every minute of it. In all the pictures I look back on from that time, I see Mom with a big grin on her face.

A Day in the Life of Michelle Duggar and Her Kids

FAMILY MATTERS on 04.29.13

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Photo: DCI

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: What’s your daily schedule like on school days?

7 a.m.: Wake up, everyone!

We’re not early birds. We tend to be more of a night-owl family so we aim to get up by 7 a.m. Everybody wakes up, gets dressed, makes their beds, and gives their rooms a quick clean up.

8 a.m.: Breakfast and chores

We have breakfast and then some quiet time around the table. We might do the proverb of the day, depending on if we’re all at the table together at the same time. It depends on the responsibilities that some of the children have going on. After that, we’ll do a quick tidy of the house. It’s not when we do our big stuff like scrub the toilets and mop the floor, it’s just a fast clean to empty the trash, gather the laundry, and clean the areas that they kids are responsible for.

9 a.m.: School starts

We usually start the day with math, English, and spelling, and maybe a little music practice.

Noon: Lunch break

Jinger is my lunch lady right now, so around 11:30 a.m. she’ll start preparing lunch. At noon we eat and then we have a little bit of time around the table where we do "memory lane" (memory exercises) and we memorize scripture and hymns. This is one of my favorite times of the day; scripture is so important to my family.

We’ll do that for 30 to 45 minutes and sometimes I’ll read a little chunk of a book to my kids. We are still in that old-fashioned mode of reading books! I always tell my kids to pick up a book. That book could be their best friend and they can really learn a lot from reading.

1 p.m.: Back to school

After "memory lane" we’ll do book work, which is our science, history, law, and medicine resources. A lot of times we’re all studying the same information -- just reading it together, so we’re all on the same page. Then the kids break and do resources for each grade level. It's called "the bus stop method," where my little ones get off a little sooner and the bigger ones keep working. They’ll go to their separate desk areas where they can work on their projects individually.                 

After that, they finish their music practice. If they haven’t finished all their math, English, and spelling, they’ll go back and work on that, too. Typically, it's free time for them after they’re done with all their schoolwork and music practice.

5 p.m.: Dinner and family time

Jessa is my dinner lady now and she has her team of little helpers in there helping her get dinner ready. After dinner, we have family time. We’ll do work projects together and then we go outside to play volleyball or kickball. You name it -- we do all kinds of outside activities! Even in the winter the kids are outside with their gloves and their noses are pink, but they love outside time all year round.

8 p.m.: Baths, snacks, and prayers

Bible time is at 8:30 p.m. so we all have a snack and then get ready for bed first. We’ll meet in the boys’ room or down in the living room for time with dad. We read the scriptures and talk about what we’re reading. Then we all pray together and say goodnight. The younger ones go to their beds, but my older ones will usually come to our room and talk more until midnight or so. It just depends on what’s in their hearts or what they need to talk about. Then we go to bed and get up the next morning and start all over again!

Have a burning question for Michelle Duggar? Send it to her and it could appear in an upcoming post!

Michelle Duggar’s Snapshot of China

FAMILY TRAVEL on 03.28.13

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Image: DCL

Travel question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: What were some of your most memorable moments from your trip to China?

One of the most interesting things was the response we’d get from the crowds when we all walked around together. We’re a very unusual sight! We’re all blonde or fair-haired, and a really huge group. Our interpreter would try and tell people that this is all one family. And boy, I thought people were going to fall over. They just couldn’t even fathom having a family as large as ours. Even the double stroller was such an eye catcher for the Chinese. I don’t think many people had ever seen one before. They just don’t have much need for double strollers because typically most families have only one child. Every time that double stroller came out, people would crowd around and look in the stroller to see what was in there. Are there really two kids? And sure enough, Mackynzie and Michael would be in the stroller, and they’d all be going “Oh!” and “Ah!” A lot of people would come up and touch their blonde hair. In China, they were not the least bit afraid to come up and just touch your kids’ heads. It was really interesting!

The Great Wall was a really amazing destination to visit. Just going up those huge mountains, climbing the massive structure and hearing the history of the Wall was incredible. We got to experience the older part of the Wall one day, and then we went to the more modern tourist area the next day. On the way up, there is a market where they sell souvenirs, and you barter and try to get the best bargains. That was a lot of fun. The kids especially loved that, trying to get good deals and bargains on stuff to take home. I think the local people got the real bargains, though. We thought we were getting a deal, but really, they probably got the better end of the deal! But it was fun bartering. We came back with some wonderful treasures from China and fantastic family memories.

Michelle Duggar's Snapshot of Japan

FAMILY TRAVEL on 03.22.13

Michelle Duggar19 Kids and CountingBIO

 

Photos: DCL

Travel question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: What were some of your favorite moments from your trip to Japan?

Asia is such an amazing place. The best part was really the joy of visiting another country and getting to experience it with the whole family together. That was just an opportunity of a lifetime for our family. We were just thrilled to be there!

We went to Japan first and visited Tokyo and Kyoto, which are two of the largest cities in Japan. And they’re absolutely beautiful cities. We were so amazed at the architecture; the buildings are huge and immaculate. My boys kept noticing how many unique styles of architecture they use, too. The shapes of the buildings are incredible.

For the boys, one of their favorite experiences in Japan was the samurai training. They were taught by one of the best teachers in in Japan. Even Jim Bob learned a few skills. As a matter of fact, a few days after the boys did the training, we saw their teacher on television! The kids just loved that.

For the girls, the opportunity to dress up in traditional Japanese clothing was especially memorable. The outfits were absolutely beautiful. There are layers and layers and layers of clothing involved in traditional dress! You are so heavy by the time you get all the pieces on that you can hardly walk or breathe. It’s impossible to bend over; you don’t do much while you’re in that clothing! But it’s only for very special occasions like a wedding. We really enjoyed the beauty of that experience.

Overall, it was the type of trip that we won’t forget quickly. We had so many wonderful experiences as a family in Asia!

See the boys practice their samurai skills and the girls wearing traditional Japanese dress in theDuggars Do Asia Photo Gallery! 

Travel along with Michelle and the Duggars as they take their first trip to Japan and China. Tune in Tuesdays 9|8c, for 19 Kids and Counting: Duggars Do Asia.

Trivia questions!

This week I am combining two blogs for one week of trivia so that way I am caught up. The first five questions are from Ask Michelle: How the Duggars pack for a trip? and the second set of questions (6-10) How Michelle Duggar keep her kids happy while traveling?
1. How long does it take for the family to get ready for the packing?
2. Who picks out the clothes?
3. What do the duggars have to do at the last minute?
4. What do Jessa and Jinger with the plastic  bags?
5. Where do they put their dirty clothes?
6. what do the little kids do while in plane?
7. Who teams up with Jennifer?
8. What are in the older kids bags?
9. What kind of snacks do the kids have in their bags?
10. do the duggars save money instead of buying snacks on the plane?