I had my first four children in the hospital. Isaiah was our first attempt at home birth, and we have opted for it ever since.

Our midwife was interviewed on television (no doubt, by the very same person who did the two-minute video on our family two weeks ago). The clip above I believe gave a fair depiction of the viable option that many moms are considering nowadays.

The final words from the OB/GYN don’t surprise me. Doctors are naturally skeptical of most anything alternative. But her final assumption was interesting. “Are you willing to take the risk [to home birth].” Chris laughed when she said that and responded, “We’re not willing to take the risk going to the hospital!” Jessica’s point about the assumption that hospitals are sterile environments is one that mothers should consider.

What do you think about home birth? I’m curious to hear from you. Please comment below.

We publish the bestselling speech and debate curriculum. Now get it for 1/2 off!

We own Monument Publishing, the publisher of bestselling academic debate materials as well as many of our family resources. Every year we launch a “March Madness” sale, slashing our resources 50% to help clear our inventory to get ready for the next school-publishing year. We typically sell out of many resources in March.

This year, we’re offering 50% off a week early! Get these supplies while they last. Use the coupon code “thinkspring” and watch all the items in your cart cut in half.

Visit Monument Publishing and stock up. It is the time to do so. If you’re interested in the fantastic opportunities you and your family could experience – the same opportunities we enjoy in speech and debate – now is the time to buy up the materials.

www.MonumentPublishing.com

Use Coupon Code “thinkspring”

Need encouragement? Feeling like you’re holed up in an insignificant corner of the world you call home? I want you to know that your hard work as a wife and mother is the most important thing in your life. You are making a difference in the world in how you are blessing others, particularly your family.

What you do today will make a difference tomorrow. Not many working women can make such a claim. I say “working women” with my tongue in my cheek, for I know you have a pile of work waiting to be done. It’s overwhelming at times, I know, but you know what? That’s okay. Relax a little. Keep your little ones close. Read books to them, hold them and touch their sweet faces. Kiss those rosie cheeks and savor those moments. Today is the day to show them your love, so make the best of today!

Check in with your hubby during the day, if you can. Let him know you are thinking about him and that you love him. He is so important to you and he means so much. You gave him a kiss goodbye this morning, right? (Get back into that habit, Mrs. Mom.) Give him an extra big kiss when he comes home to make up for it.

I know, I know. You’ve got laundry to do. Well then, throw the load in and get back to your family. Yes, there are dishes, too, but don’t forget (and don’t feel guilty about it) to take some time to just be. Nearly every day I squeeze in a cat-nap in the afternoon, so if a mother of 16 can do it, so can you. Take a walk, talk with God, discuss with Him your frustrations and your joys. If you are close to Him, he’ll always reaffirm your commitment to your family.

Be blessed, Mrs. Mom, because you are.

Please share this with other Moms.

I lead camps in the summer. I'm on the far right with the Apologetics undeafeted champion on my shoulders (he's now one of our coaches). Jeub kids pepper throughout the photo. I must admit, my work is awesome.

Here’s a comment that’ll raise your hairs. It spoke about “Chris Jeub,” as if this blog is written about the Jeubs rather than by the Jeubs. In response to a post that Wendy and I reflected on our desire for another child, this commenter said:

“I don’t understand how Chris Jeub can wish for a 17th child while he is unemployed, with income problems. If you are going to have that many kids, I think you should get a job to support them.”

This juicy comment begs for a rebuttal. This person does not understand me, my work life, nor self-employment at all. Allow me to explain.

I left full-time employment in 2004. Since then, I have engaged in three revenue generating ventures to pay the bills. The combination of these add up to income somewhere in the 40′s. These are:

1. Monument Publishing. We publish the Jeub resources, but that is just part of what we bring in as income. Most come from educational resources for academic speakers and debaters.
2. Training Minds Ministry. We run speech and debate camps that “train minds for action,” a biblical mandate in 1 Peter 1:13. I hire the same coaches that write the materials. I actually serve as president for free, only accepting payment when I teach, just as the other coaches are paid.
3. Contractual/Consulting Work. Having an MBA, having run an Internet development company, and having run a family business has given me quite a few skills over the years. Folks have paid me for my time. For the past few months I have been working for Ken Davis Productions, and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it.

When I count my blessings, I’m not doing too bad. I have friends who have gone years without work, so I don’t think of myself struggling much at all. Sure, income in the 40′s isn’t rolling in wealth, but it is far from starving.

“I think he should get a job to support them.” My goodness, how could I fit a job into this? People think self-employment is sitting around in pajamas surfing the Internet. I work twice as hard self-employed as I ever did employed. Not sure why this commenter is on our website, but the judgment he/she dumped in the comment section is incredibly ignorant.

My, oh, my. Here I am, early in the morning in my living room recliner, tapping away on my laptop. This blog is fun to write, but I must confess and say it is work. In my pajamas. Perhaps this commentator isn’t as ignorant as I thought. So I must conclude: My life is awesome!

This is my work. It’s right where God wants me. I love it, and Wendy and I believe it generates a home life that a 17th child would find most welcoming.

Today is my 42nd birthday. Forty-two is “the answer to life, the universe and everything,” for all you Hitchhiker’s Guide fans.

One of my favorite blogs is Michael Hyatt’s. He posted this video this morning about a 108 year old concentration camp survivor who lives alone (with no assistance) in England and still plays piano three times a day. You need to watch it. You will be impressed.

I hope I live with the same joy as Alice Herz Sommer. There are secrets to life in her testimony.

Our books are written with the sole purpose to help bring LOVE in your house.

 Only a few days left to get all our books for 50% off. Order today!

We’re all about love. You may already know that from the books we write. Every one of them have “love” in the title. We speak about Love in the House wherever we go, because…

Too many households have little love in it, yet this is precisely what we ought to have in our homes. [Tweet this]

We’re parents of 16 children ages 28 down to nearly-1. We get around and meet families from all over the country, primarily through our speaking and our children’s avid involvement in speech and debate. There are great families out there, but few share in the love that we share.

• The parents fight, and they insist all marriage is difficult.
  We rarely fight, and we can’t imagine life without each other.
• The kids fight, and they insist all siblings fight.
  Our kids get in scuffs, but their love for one another is far greater than petty skirmishes.
• Inlaws / Extended family are hassles, as they always are.
  We love our extended family members, and we make it our point to stay connected.

Love is a constant issue to talk about in our family: what love is, how we can show love to one another, studying the depths of Scripture and its profound teachings on love. It consumes a big part of our schooling, discussions, and devotions. It’s no wonder that our house is full of love. We enjoy one another and welcome others into it.

We don’t mean to sound haughty. Please don’t click away thinking we have nothing to share. We used to think love was trivial, something not as important as whatever. Work, travel, the TV – it didn’t matter. We had the uncanny idea that love was just a feeling, and that real success in life had to do with our convoluted sense of righteousness that had little to do with love. We’re so glad we got over that.

Let’s get to the point, lay it on the line, tell it to you straight:

If you miss the mark on love, you miss the mark on life. Really, you will have no life at all. [Tweet this]

It has taken us 20 years of marriage and parenting to figure this out. Some days we have to slow down, pray, and relearn the depth of love in the house. We believe all families should do the same. Love should be at the center of your life, your core theology. Scripture couldn’t be clearer: “Whoever does not know love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). Families – and churches, for that matter – should be thinking of the things of love much more.

The life we have in the home today knows little of the misery of an unloving atmosphere. We’re so thankful that we veered from the path of legalism and judgment (such false religions these are) and relearned love.

We invite you to do the same. Is your home full of love?

Costs for Micah's table saw accident in September totaled about $35,000. All bills were paid by February.

We had some naysayers share with us their skepticism about Samaritan Ministries, suspecting that the cooperative Christian ministry would eventually let us down. We’ve been on Samaritan since 2004, and in that time made no extremely large requests. Other than a child being born every couple years, we haven’t been a huge financial burden to the ministry.

Then Micah put his hand in the table saw. And a month later Chris went into the ER with an apparent heart attack. We thank God and the medical care we received for speedy and successful recoveries, but by mid-October we had $70,000 of medical bills staring us down. We faced the largest short-term debt than we’ve ever faced. For these reasons, we were thankful to belong to Samaritan Ministries.

We’ll be honest. We were shaken. And we were wondering if we’d be able to pay the bills. [tweet this]

We got word in time for the New Year: 100% of our bills would be reimbursed. No kidding. We’d challenge anyone to come up with an alternative to Samaritan that will reimburse 100% of your medical bills and provide the top medical care in the industry. We don’t think such an alternative exists. In fact, we’ve come to this firm conclusion:

Conclusion: Samaritan Is the Best Option for Healthcare [tweet this]

We’ve been strong supporters of Samaritan for years. We’ve seen it in action from a distance. Their website has genuine and honest testimonials from other families who have experienced the same good service of this little ministry. But now…

We weathered $70k in medical bills in a few short months.
We’ve got big faith in Samaritan Ministries.
[tweet this]

Are you interested? Samaritan is perfect for self-employed families, but also good for part-time workers or others with no insurance. If you are on state welfare and recognize it for the trap that it is, Samaritan may be for you. There are restrictions (every healthcare solution has restrictions), but investigating may be up your alley.

*Full disclosure: Samaritan members receive a discount on a monthly payment when referred by friends (like us). That disclosed, know that we do not endorse anything on this website without being fully sold on its value already.

A local TV news station Fox21 did a 2 minute spot on our family last night. They filmed a couple weeks ago for about two hours, and the spots they grabbed seem to accurately capture life in the Jeub home.

What do you think? Post your comment below.

This has been an exciting week. On Monday Wendy spoke for a homeschool group in Castle Rock. We’re looking forward to booking her for more speeches. Her Love in the House message is powerful. Perhaps she can come to your town? See our speakers page.

Last night was the Colorado Caucus, making national news with Rick Santorum’s upset over Mitt Romney. We loved getting together with our neighbors to speak and listen to politics. On the grassroots side of things, Cynthia ran for county delegate. There were 13 candidates running for 10 slots. Cynthia came in 2nd place, just 1 vote behind 1st place. Woohoo, go Cynthia!

We left the caucus early to run over to a friend’s home who has cable. Niki Weirich, the news anchor, did a great job editing two hours of film down to a sweet two minutes. She was kind enough to post the video on YouTube before she left work so you could enjoy it this morning.

It isn’t in the video above, but Niki promoted our book signing on the news. If you can make it to Monument on Saturday, we’d love to see you there. Here are details:

• Book Signing by Chris & Wendy Jeub
• The Love Shop (downtown Monument gift shop)
• Saturday, February 11, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
• 251 Front Street, Monument, Colorado 80132
• Google Map and Directions

We’ll have the $47 book deal that is online this week, our Valentine’s Day special. But at the book signing you can save on shipping, have us sign them, and visit for a while.

Wow, what a week. And it’s only Wednesday! Hope to see you Saturday.

The famous navy kiss. Notice how the onlookers can't help but smile.

We heard an interesting discussion between some marriage counselors on the radio the other day. Apparently, passionate kissing at least 15 seconds per day will revitalize youthful love for one another. We decided to give it a try, so we laid it on one another in the living room.

Micah walked by. “That is just sick!” he said.

Chris returned, “Kisses like that is one reason you exist.”

“That is just sicker!” he laughed.

Our love for one another is awesome already, but the kissing has added a bit of flair lately. Micah and his siblings will groan and turn their heads, but we’re not fooled to think they’re serious. They laugh and giggle about it. They know their parents love each other, and we’d argue that healthy displays of affection validate that love for the children.

The radio discussion we heard revealed an ugly reality: hardly any marriage participated in passionate kissing at all. And everyday was virtually unheard of. Perhaps parents have come up with some reasons:

• It’s inappropriate in front of the children.
• There’s a time for affection, and that time is always later.
• Affection belongs in the bedroom, closed door, lights off, etc.

Or perhaps parents are just busy. We’ve been laying it on each other lately – which has been fun – but before we heard the radio discussion, we wouldn’t have concurred to every day.

The result of such thinking? Stiff and stale of love, marriages too busy to stop and enjoy some physical chemistry. This lack of love pours into the home. A little bit of passionate kissing may be what you need to spice things up in your house.

Think of the loving atmosphere you want your home to have. You want your children to love each other, you want you and your spouse to love one another, you want everyone to love God with joy. This takes loving action. Maybe…

A passionate kiss every day – and some right there in the midst of the hustle and bustle of living room life – is the perfect display of Love in the House.

Give it a try, and tell us what you think in the comment section below.

Attitudes are contagious, and they are often the solution to gloomy family life.

I did a couple of experiments not too long ago, one at a speaking event and another on a conference call for work. The results had everything to do with the power of attitude, and the findings will help make your home an awesome place to live.

You Smile, They Smile

First, the speaking event, one where Wendy and I were speaking in front of about 300 parents. Wendy and I were at the front of the room as people ushered in. Wendy seems to always be smiling, but my countenance is sometimes droopy. I don’t do it on purpose, but it just is. Sorry if I appear grumpy. Maybe it’s my beard or my Polish nose. I’m usually quite chipper!

At the beginning of the ushering, I made a mental note at how open the crowd was. They were no more chipper than I appeared. Then we put bigger smiles on our faces. Wendy really put a big smile on, and I consciously smiled more than my grumpy countenance. Almost instantly we noticed a change. Before (with subtle frowns) the people were just as droopy as we were. After (with smiles) they were happy and optimistic about the talk they were about to hear.

Perhaps this was anecdotal, but I think not. Attitude is contagious. If you smile, your friend will smile. That’s just the way it is.

Gloom to Bloom

The second was in a conference call I was in, one that wasn’t going to be fun. The event I helped set up was not filling as we had projected, so the meeting was about what we needed to do to get registrations up. The anxiety was high, and there was a subtle temptation to grumble about the droopy numbers. “Man, this really stinks! What are we gonna do?” It started as a downer.

I had this idea of attitude on my mind, so I was determined to stay upbeat and focused on solving our problem. I had thought the meeting would be exhausting, but after a few breakthrough ideas rolled out, we got excited and formed some action items we were sure to work. We left within an hour with an exciting task list and renewed enthusiasm. You couldn’t have told anyone on the team that we had a problem. We were gung-ho ready with solutions!

Your Family’s Attitude

I share these thoughts with you because so often I see gloomy families. They’re plain-old grumpy. Spouses snap at each other, kids fight with one another, and the love of God is as foreign to them as oil is to water. It’s sad to witness, and it is far too common in families. I don’t believe it needs to be that way.

Our family isn’t this way. Sure, we’re not perfect and we have our down times, but overall there is laughter and joy all around us. The Jeub home is a fun place to be! I’ve sometimes been at a loss when people ask how to get to this point. “Gee, I don’t know, we’re just happy people, I suppose.” But perhaps I’ve figured out a couple reasons here in this post:

1. Put a smile on your face. Turn that grumpy countenance into a happy one. It’ll spread to others!
2. Seek solutions to problems. Instead of “oh no, this stinks,” think, “hey, that’s interesting” and resolve to solve the problem.

I hope your day is an awesome day filled with joy, peace and (most importantly) love.