New Years 2012 :Duggars 20 and Counting Book Review

We were fighting colds after Christmas and were so tired, we ended up not being to attend either of the two awesome New Year's parties that we were invited to. Hart fell asleep around 11 p.m despite the fire crackers booming off around us. I stayed up and read part of the first book about the Duggars. You know... those interesting Christian people with 20 kids? Yeah. I felt like a Duggar doing absolutely nothing on New Year's Eve, except coughing in bed! I did lean over and kiss Hart at 12:00, then turned off my light and went to sleep!

I don't watch their show, but Hart's mom gave me both of their books, because she does. It was actually a really easy read and pretty entertaining. It was nice to glean some of her wisdom with having so many children!

It tells their story and how God has taken them through this journey up until now. I think the thing that hit me about them is that they are INTENTIONAL PARENTS!

They don't just leave things up to chance with their children. They seem to truly have a goal of showing their kids how to love God and I really liked that about them.

Other things I found interesting were:

• That they NEVER bought anything new. They always thrifted or bought things gently used. I mean, it definitely shows in the outfits they wear, but they care more about honoring God than wasting their hard earned money on the "latest, best" whatever, even clothes/style. I think there are some honorable qualities there, for sure! 
• Next, was that they always paid for things with CASH. They never borrowed money, even building their home, and never were in debt. God has really blessed them in this endeavor and protected them, too. 
• They must eat REALLY unhealthy. She includes recipes throughout the book and it is all made with canned items and processed foods. I am sure it is delicious, but how many recipes can one person have with "cream of ______ soups!" I'm surprised they aren't all overweight!
• Despite declaring God's faithfulness over and over throughout the book and how he has carried them through their lives when they had absolutely NOTHING, yet 5 children in a 2 bedroom house, they never once mentioned anything about Jesus or talked about the gospel at all. I found that really weird for being such outwardly Christians, but maybe that was just me.. 
• She had great ideas about homeschooling practices, organizational strategies, and other household management, which I did enjoy reading through. 
• They don't watch TV ever, except for rare family movie nights. 
• All of their children had the most polite responses I have ever heard. Throughout the book, they answer questions they get quite often. Even though some were things like "Why do you all dress the same?", they always had the most kind, thoughtful responses. 

Personally, I did find this family kind of fascinating. Family dynamics with such a large family are really sweet and due to the size of the family, people just HAVE to be more thoughtful and considerate towards others. I actually am incorporating a few of Michelle's household management strategies and some of the ways I think about parenting Micaiah.

Anyways, if you are looking for an interesting book to read, read it! I think it is pretty good and you could definitely read it rather quickly!