Stay Sane Like the Duggars

How do Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar maintain sanity with 19 children? In the midst of their busy lives, the Duggars make a point to stay in God's Word through regular Bible study and prayer as a family, as a couple, and individually. They recommend OnePlace.com, a website that provides free sermons and Christian radio broadcasts. OnePlace even has an app, so you can listen on the go. Michelle's favorite pastor is Charles Stanley, but OnePlace offers content from many others.

 Jim Bob and Michelle have Charles Stanley (second from left)

and two other staff from In Touch Ministries over for dinner

2010

Spine Boards, Wakeboards, and Surfboards

Time for our weekly recap!
On tonight's new episodes of "19 Kids and Counting:"


Duggar In Danger

• During a rehearsal at First Baptist Church Atlanta (Charles Stanley's church), Jason falls 12 feet into an orchestra pit. "We found Jason laying there, basically in a pool of blood," Jim Bob recounts.
• Jason is rushed to the hospital--Mama by his side--where it is determined that the 11-year-old Duggar has suffered two chipped teeth, a fractured jaw, and a sprained knee. He is stitched up and sent home (to the family bus) but takes weeks to fully recover.
• The following day, Jim Bob and Michelle speak at First Baptist, and the kids share music. Meanwhile, Jason chills in the greenroom in a wheelchair. 
• After the service, the family heads to Lake Lanier for some water fun! Even Michelle, Anna, Mackynzie, and Josie join in. 
• "A lot of people don't realize, Michelle is very athletic" explains Jim Bob, "which really goes great with having all those babies because it's kind of like running a marathon!"
• The day's activities include zip-lining, swimming, kayaking, jet skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing. 
• Michelle surprises everyone by being the only person who is successful at wakeboarding. 
• "My mom put all of us guys to shame!" jokes Josh.

Duggars Under the Sea

• At a Christian media event, the Duggars have the privilege of meeting Bethany Hamilton--pro surfer and shark attack survivor--and her brother, Noah. 
• "Meeting the Duggars was really cool!" says Bethany. "I can't wait for them to come to Hawaii and surf...I think it would be fun to see them all in the water"
• "I want [our children] to meet and learn about people today," says Michelle. She desires for her kids to be able to recognize and adopt positive character qualities that they see in the lives of others. 
• The entire Duggar clan has a "whale" of a time at the Georgia Aquarium. Some of the highlights include feeding belugas, petting African penguins, and watching divers clean the glass tunnels with cloth diapers. They also adopt a whale shark and name it Jim Bob, much to Daddy's excitement.  
• Fun fact: Collectively, the Duggars weigh about as much as a baby whale shark, but they eat four times as much at each meal!

Jason's fall was the most severe injury suffered by a Duggar. What is the worst injury that you have experienced? 

"Duggars Rock the Vote" and "Donating Duggars" Recap

On last nights' episodes of "19 Kids and Counting:"

• The Duggars enjoy assisting political candidates, and this Election Day, they had the unique opportunity to support their very own John-David in his race for Alderman. Jim Bob and the older kids spent the day in town, holding up "Vote Today" and "Duggar for Alderman" signs. It was cold and cloudy, but they were glad to help.
• When the polls closed, John-David was behind by only 59 votes, a great showing for such a young man. But John wasn't a sore loser. He went out of his way to congratulate his opponent and give him words of encouragement. Jim Bob predicts that this will be the first of many Duggar campaigns.
• In a visit to Josh and Anna's home, we saw little Mackynzie, the energizer bunny. Mackynzie inherited the night owl trait from Josh's family. Her "battery," as Josh puts it, is at 100% all day, and before they can put her to bed, Josh and Anna have to discharged it. Although she has a minimal vocabulary, this baby has no trouble communicating. As Anna puts it, "Her actions speak louder than words."  
• Business at both of Josh and Anna's car lots is going very well. 
• Joseph followed in the footsteps of Jana, Jill, and Jessa and became the fourth Duggar to get braces. 
• The Duggars were thrilled to have Dr. Charles Stanley, a preacher that Michelle has been listening to since age 15, over for a delectable dinner of tater-tot casserole. (Click here for the recipe.)
• Jim Bob and Michelle donated an old building on their lot to the volunteer fire department for training purposes. During the demonstration, Jana, John-David, and Jill learned all about fire safety. 
• Several of the older Duggars traveled to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to serve at The Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry devoted to assisting persecuted Christians across the globe. The kids filled bags with Christian materials and attached them to parachutes, which will be dropped in Columbia.

Have you tried the Duggars' tater-tot casserole recipe? What did you think?