Isaiah, my oldest son, turned 12 yesterday. I plopped my Macbook on the dinner table and took a video of his blowing out candles (see below). It is so neat to see so many faces giving him their love in the house. Watch how Hannah gives Isaiah big hugs, how Keilah cheeses for the camera, and how Joshua is fascinated with the computer. All so much fun in the family.

Isaiah’s big birthday present was successfully completing Colorado Hunter’s Education Course! Friday night and all day Saturday was spent down in Colorado Springs working through the material. Isaiah studied hard the month before and was very nervous at his first “non-homeschool” exam. There was a lot on the line: limited elk draw is due April 1, and if he failed the test, he would not be able to carry a gun his first year hunting. Isaiah sweated it out and, with excellent teaching from his hunter’s safety instructor, pulled through. Lots of smiles in the Jeub home last night!

Well, the first kid is up this Easter morning as I type out this post. Easter eggs pepper the living room and each has a bowl of candy hidden for them to find. May God bless your day reflecting on the greatest gift to mankind: Jesus the Christ. He displayed ultimate love by voluntarily submitting to the scorn of men, all for our sake. Jesus has made more of an impact on the Jeub household than any person. He is alive and well, and He is the reason for the smiles in the house. God is love, and may you experience His love on this “Son Day”!

Okay, brag time here. My sister Becky received a high honor last month. She has served as school counselor at St. Johns High School in Arizona since 2002. To her surprise (but not to those who know her) she received the Arizona Outstanding Adviser of the Year Award.

Becky is a most incredible woman who pours her life into those around her. She has taught Wendy and I an incredible amount about love in the home. We couldn’t be more proud of her.

Congratulations Becky! Read about the award at her home town’s paper here.

We kid you not. A recent decision by a judge in a controversial juvenile court published a decision a week ago that states:

“It is clear to us that enrollment and attendance in a public full-time day school is required by California law for minor children unless (1) the child is enrolled in a private full-time day school and actually attends that private school, (2) the child is tutored by a person holding a valid state teaching credential for the grad being taught, or (3) one of the few statutory exemptions to compulsory public school attendance applies to the child.”

So, essentially, thousands of homeschool parents in the state of California are in violation of the law. The Home School Legal Defense Association plans to appeal this to the California Supreme Court. It amazes me how, when it comes to educating children, folks like this judge rely on government’s flawed system over that of families. The Jeubs will be keeping HSLDA in our prayers as they fight this ignorant decision.

To read up on this, visit the Christian Examiner here or a San Diego paper here. A petition is also being taken by HSLDA that they will use as leverage in their arguments (click here to sign the HSLDA petition).

Wendy and I will be speaking at the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) on April 18-19. We invite anyone in the area to come! We hope the seminar will be a standing-room-only seminar, as we are speaking on how to live a frugal life. The workshop, “Cheaper by the Baker’s Dozen,” is scheduled to take place in Duluth at 1:00 pm. See the MACHE website for complete conference information.

If you would like to take a look at a detailed handout for the conference, download the following PDF (pictured to the right): Handout for “Cheaper by the Baker’s Dozen”. We have already arranged to retain the audio copyright of the presentation so that we can make copies to sell or download online. More on that in April!

We are also making plans with a church in Pine City, Minnesota, to have Wendy speak to the local Crisis Pregnancy Center, the same center that counseled her when in the 1980s. We’re looking at Sunday, August 20. We’ll post more details on that when they come available.

We are excited about the opportunities to share our lives with others and serve as an encouragement to couples and families. Please do keep us in your prayers as we expand this area of ministry. Thanks!