Michelle Duggar on children and grandchildren

Michelle recently shared this sweet message after her daughter, Jill, welcomed her second child into the world. Samuel marks the eight grandchild for Michelle and her husband Jim Bob. The couple is currently expecting their ninth grandchild to arrive later this year.

"There is something so surreal about seeing your children grown, living their lives and even having their own children. As a mom, I have sweet little ones at home and grown children, too. Both stages of life are beautiful in their own way and so very different As our children become adults, we have the opportunity to be their friends and to enjoy their friendship. Watching them walk through the milestones of life such as marriage, having children, buying a home, etc. is a bit unbelievable at times! As a momma, I continue to pray for them always. I am so thankful for each of our children and their lives and I love, love, love the addition of sweet grandbabies to our family! They are for sure a major bonus to your children growing up! So to all the mommas out there, keep praying, enjoy the friendship of your adult children and love those grandbabies!!!! #mommaspray" - Michelle

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 on Homeschooling Milestones

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan on Facebook: In lines of proms and graduations, do you have special events that you celebrate in the homeschooling calendar?

We sure do. Each year we give standardized tests in May to all the kids that are in third grade through ninth grade. For us, it’s really fun because we go over to the testing facility, the kids take their tests and then we’ll celebrate with ice cream after they finish. That’s a big milestone every year.

Later when they’re finished with their high school education, I’ll have them take the GED test. It’s not required in our state, but I like them to do it because it’s good for them to have that certificate. That’s their equivalent of finishing their high school education. Some of them will finish it at 16 years old, but everyone is different. We’ll always celebrate that achievement with our own special graduation ceremony.

We typically try to make it a family thing and invite friends and family. In our area, there are some homeschool organizations that will graduate a bunch of kids together in one big graduation ceremony. They’ll have a ceremony with caps and gowns and diplomas, but we’ve never really participated in those events. Sometimes we’ll have 150 people at one of our family graduations. There’s a large enough gathering to constitute as our own big event!
We’ll decorate and set up a table with projects from their school years – things like their first grade papers when they were learning to write and all of the letters and words were written backwards. And then we’ll wrap it all up with a "This is Your Life" video presentation with images of them doing home school projects, or going on field trips, or sitting with me doing their phonics lesson, or maybe even working with Jim Bob on Mechanics 101.



It’s a wonderful thing to celebrate their lives so far and their education. They’ve accomplished a big milestone and they’re finished with taking standardized tests every year. But I let them know they’re not off the hook because I want my kids to never stop learning. There are opportunities to learn everywhere.

Have a burning question for Michelle Duggar? Send it to her and it could appear in an upcoming post! Or catch up with all of Michelle's Blogs.

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!

anniversaries with Jim Bob

Michelle Duggar on Anniversaries with Jim Bob

FAMILY MATTERS on 10.09.13

Michelle Duggar19 Kids and CountingBIO

 

Photo: DCL

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan on Facebook: How do you usually celebrate your wedding anniversary with Jim Bob? Any particularly memorable ones?

It’s different every year depending on what we are able to do. Often we might get away for just an evening. Last year, our children surprised us and they planned a whole getaway overnight for us in a nearby hotel.

They sent us to supper -- they had gotten us a giftcard to pay for the meal. While we were eating our meal, a couple of our boys delivered us a flower bouquet. On the bouquet they’d attached a note that said that we had reservations at a nearby hotel for that evening. And so unbeknownst to us, when we had left the house to go out to dinner, my daughters had packed our suitcases and sent us away for the night!

The boys that came to deliver our flowers had a second set of keys for our car, so they put our luggage there and sent us off to the hotel. It was really funny: I’m sitting having an anniversary dinner with Jim Bob and the kids had planned everything. It was such a surprise and that made it so fun.

But other times, on our anniversary night we might just go out for dinner and have Grandma come over and babysit. So it just varies from year to year depending on what we can afford to do. And sometimes we’re surprised -- we don’t even have plans and so our children surprise us!

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

back to school!

Back to Homeschooling with the Duggars

FAMILY MATTERS on 09.03.13

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Photo: DCL

Question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan on Facebook: How do you monitor how the kids are doing with homeschooling? Do they have tests that they take every year? And how do the kids feel about going “back to school” in the fall?

In the state of Arkansas, we take tests every year just like the public school kids do, so at the end of each school year, we will go and take our standardized tests. Every state is different on how their homeschool laws work, but we file our letter of intent to homeschool at the beginning of each school year. We start in August and do a little through the summer, to keep up with things like music lessons and reading. My kids are always reading. They’re usually reading either science or history books -- keeping their minds busy with good reading material, a lot of biographies and that sort of stuff.

Our schedule changes depending on the season of life that we’re in. Right now, we’ve got a lot of older children that are working, driving, and coming and going. Often, I will have a schedule on the wall and then six months later, I’ll switch it up a little bit and change the times that they’re going to be practicing their music or doing their science, history, or law, etc. I switch it up just because it makes it a little bit more interesting than always doing the same thing at the same time. Usually we do breakfast, lunch and dinner about the same time, but all those other things can move around in the schedule. And that makes it more fun for them.

Their excitement about going back to school is probably the same as everyone else’s kids. When they’re young, it’s always so exciting to get back or at least get started on schoolwork. The first time, they feel like big kids and they’re in school. They’re just thrilled.

My bigger ones that have been through it year after year see it more like going back to the grind. Once we’re in that routine, I can tell everybody really is glad to be back -- even though they might not say it! There is the comfort of being in that routine again. We’re checking off our list. We’re accomplishing this stuff. And we’re actually remembering all this great stuff we have learned!

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

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

Michelle Duggar19 Kids and CountingBIO

 

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

Michelle Duggar19 Kids and CountingBIO

 

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?

Answers from Michelle's tlc blog!

1. 8 months
2. yes.
3. their friend's kids seem so mature and well-rounded
4. at the age of Four
5. that you can't keep them from learning

On Tuesday we will have the answers from this week's episode trivia... be sure and check it out

trivia from Michelle's blog!

In Michelle's recent TLC blog "How the duggar family got hooked on homeschooling?" Blog which was posted March 1, 2013. Don't forget to tune in on Tuesday March 12, 2013 for brand new epsiodes of 19 kids and counting.
1. How old was Josh when they first found out about homschooling?
2. Did Michelle go to public school?
3. Why were Jim Bob and Michelle impressed with their friend's families?
4. What age did Michelle start learning phonics with Josh?
5. What did her friend say to her?

We will have trivia for this week's episode on Wednesday and a recap summary! Be sure to check out the blog on Wednesday! 

How the family pack for a trip?!

Ask Michelle: How the Duggars Pack for a Trip

FAMILY TRAVEL on 03.08.13

Michelle Duggar19 Kids and CountingBIO

 

Photo: DCL

Travel question from a "19 Kids and Counting" fan: What’s it like to pack for such a large family?

Packing begins quite a bit earlier for us so that we can get all of the details down. We start weeks in advance. Usually, we try to make sure that we've got enough socks and underclothes for everybody for seven days. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you have to have seven pairs of socks for everyone, you multiply that. At home, we wash every day because we just have enough for a few days. Three of my boys are in the same size right now, so that means I’ve got to have 21 pairs of the same size sock to make it through a trip. For starters, we had to get more socks and undershirts to make sure that everybody had enough of the basics.

And then it’s time to start packing! The kids will go down and pick out the clothes that everyone needs for our trip. Sometimes, we’ll find out that someone’s leggings have holes in them, and someone else’s shoes have a big hole in them. We have to do some last minute thrift shopping to find just the right size shoes and clothes for everyone.

My daughters have figured out this amazing system for packing. They’ll get a day's worth of clothes laid out. They stack the largest size at the bottom and they just work their way up, making a stack with all of the boys' shirts in it for each day. And then they just roll each bundle up and slide it inside of a plastic bag with a label on it for that day. At the end of the day, they can use the plastic bag as the dirty clothes bag for all of that day’s items.

If we're in a hotel room, all of the dirty clothes and socks go under the sink in the bathroom so that when it's time to gather all the laundry, we just go from room to room putting everything in the bag. The bag is already labeled, and we’ll just mark "dirty" over the top of the label. It helps us to keep track of everyone’s clothing and see what we have left for the week!

Travel along with Michelle and the Duggars as they take their first trip to Japan and China. Starting March 12, tune in Tuesdays 9|8c, for 19 Kids and Counting: Duggars Do Asia. See a sneak peek of the trip in the family's photo slideshow and preview video. Don't forget to check out on Monday, March 11, on the Today show!