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.

My Grandma Frieda came to Jesus at the age of 64. She taught me how to put LOVE IN THE KITCHEN.

My Grandma Freda was a wonderful cook. She put me to work in the kitchen a lot. I loved to visit her because it meant there was always something bubbling away on her stove.

My grandma had a nice garden in her back yard of Minnesota where she grew her own strawberries, green beans, carrots, onions, cucumbers, and zucchini. How wonderful, what a treat for me to be able to go into her garden to pick and eat fresh, sweet, juicy red strawberries! The flavor would explode in my mouth and drip down my young chin. My grandma would laugh at me and say, “You better catch that drip off your chin before it hits your shirt!” and, of course, when she said that, I would look down and that would be that. My shirt would be stained and have to be washed. “Oh well, can’t cry over spilled milk,” she would say.

My grandma taught me how to put love in my kitchen. She never had a driver’s license or drove a car, but she could run a kitchen like nobody’s business. She came to the Lord when she was 64, the only one in my immediate family to profess Jesus as savior, and she had a tremendous influence on me when I was young. I have such fond memories of her and her love for me.

Grandma Frieda’s love for cooking became her way of love for me. The love of Jesus was overflowing in her heart, and though she was in the middle of a family that didn’t know Jesus, she still let His love shine into the lives around her. So, she cooked. I ate. And God’s love became the impressionable memory that still lasts today.

I guess this is why I write cookbooks (I’m working on my next volume, Volume 3). It is so exciting to see all the new recipes fall into place. It includes some of my favorites that my grandma used to make. I look forward to sharing the same love that my grandma shared with me: sweet juicy blessings like the fruitful garden of my Grandma Frieda.

Valentine’s Day. A holiday of love. Now this is our kind of holiday.

If we were to give you a selling proposition – sort of an “elevator pitch” of what the Jeub Family was all about – we would say something like this:

Your home should have love in the house, the kind of love God intends for all families.

This is why we do this blog. Nearly every day as we go about our busy lives, the two of us will come across some profound aspect of love, and we’ll say to one another, “We have to blog about that.” Or we’ll rediscover some relational victory in our lives and we’ll think, “Wow, I sure wish other families knew of this kind of love.”

You see, LOVE is what motivates us. If that sounds overly simplistic or sugary, we challenge you to dig deeper. Love is the Greatest Commandment, remember, the big kahuna of life, the “most excellent way.” If your marriage or family is absent of it, or even lacking it, you’ve got to figure things out to bring love in. If you ignore your lack of love, you are ignoring the single most important aspect of life.

This love thing – the reason for this Valentine’s Day season — is more profound than most people think. But to be honest, our blog only scratches the surface. If you really want to dig deep, get our books. We don’t spend time away from our family for frivolous things, so when we do so to write, we write about only the most profound thing, LOVE. 

For Valentine’s Day this year, we’re making it easy on you. ALL our books can be purchased for over 50% off. Only $47! And these books are all about love, the most excellent way for your family:

• Love in the House (reg. $14.95)
• Love Another Child (reg. $30.95)
• Love in the Kitchen Vol. 1 (reg. $19.95)
• Love in the Kitchen Vol. 2 (reg. $19.95)
• Love in a Diet (reg. $14.95)

It may be obvious: we REALLY believe in this message of love. Don’t take love lightly. We hope you and your family will reflect on the importance of love in your life this Valentine’s Day. ORDER TODAY.

INTERNATIONAL ORDERS!!! We’re making this really easy on our international friends. We’ve knocked shipping down to a flat $10 Priority Mail! This applies to all international orders through Valentine’s day. This makes our books more inexpensive than any international outlet.

I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. - Deuteronomy 30:19

We realize that most people wonder how anyone would want more than just a couple children. We spend a good deal of time on this blog speaking to people with these common presuppositions. But there are many who get what we’re saying, and they desire more children. A houseful of little ones is actually a pleasant idea. It may not be as easy to conceive for them as it is for the Jeubs, but they still desire to have more. We say that desire is right on. These folks have their hearts set on one of the most tremendous blessings a couple can ask. Are you desiring to have more children? We say that’s awesome!

Every once in a while someone will write in and ask if this desire is off base, especially when they need to seek medical advice because they are not able to conceive. Of course, we have never had this problem, buy why would someone think this to be a wrong thing? One mother explained that this would be “second guessing God,” and another mom explain that anything beyond “hoping” for a child is trying to trick God. We find these views strange. Think of these things…

• We desire more money. Is it second-guessing God to attend a Dave Ramsey seminar and tighten up our finances?
• We desire a nicer house. Is it second-guessing God to buy a few how-to manuals and plan a remodel of our kitchen?
• We desire great relationships with others. Is it second-guessing God to find a community church and seek out wholesome relationships?

Money, a home, and relationships are all blessings. Aren’t children just as much a blessing? We think so.

But we know where this mom is coming from, really. Two thoughts. First, there exists a ridiculous legalistic attitude that trying to figure anything out in life must be some sort of “doubt” that God is in control. Silly religious nonsense, that is. God is so much more personal than that, He wants to bring us life to the fullest, and He places desires on our hearts that are holy and good. Desiring children couldn’t be better.

Second, it comes from the options that the world gives parents who have this desire for children. There are options that allow parents to conceive lives then kill the left overs. It is a gruesome answer to a most holy desire. It’s like…

• Robbing the poor to fulfill a desire for money.
• Defaulting on the home mortgage to afford the remodel.
• Posing as someone else to gain superficial friendships.

Actually, it’s far worse. Killing unborn children to increase your fertility is backward thinking and should never be chosen. In fact, it’s sad that we live in a world where that choice is available – sometimes encouraged. This is a fallen and backward world in many ways.

A life with children is a life of blessing. No doubt about it, and we’ll keep posting encouragements to this most loving and trusting relationship with God in your life. But don’t give in to those lifeless options that are available to you. They take life, not give it. Your adventure into family life should be based on life, not death.

We meet a lot of families who simply go for it! They are the courageous ones. If these couples find medical help to increase their fertility, great. If those options are exhausted, adoption may be sought, and that’s just as healthy and honoring of a pursuit.

Business is about forming relationships. I don’t know of many businesses that survive while walking on the backs of others. That may be Hollywood’s stereotype, but it isn’t the reality in the business world. Successful people help people succeed.

That’s why Ken Davis Productions and Training Minds Ministry hit it off last year. I attended his Professional Speakers Summit, a marketing conference for public speakers, and thoroughly enjoyed it. My ambition to “train minds for action” walked hand-in-hand with Ken’s ambition to train professional speakers. In fact, Ken believed so much in our program that he agreed to speak in Estes Park for our Training Minds Camp.

If you’ve kept up with my family and its ministry, you know that I’ve shared pretty openly that financial struggles have encouraged us to reassess the work we do. (See Reorg post.) Adaptability is a principle for every business, and it is a principle everyone should live by to some extent. Ken and his team knew of my struggles, so they called me up and offered me some work.

I have been thoroughly enjoying it for about two months now. I’m learning the business of entertainment through The Ken Davis Fully Alive Comedy Concert for the Family. I set up a tour in the upper Northwest for next month, and am now in Minnesota to help manage a show in St. Cloud. No kidding, he’s performing today in the same church Wendy and I got married in 21 years ago!

You know what is most fun about this? Meeting the good people via telephone and explaining to them how Ken’s Fully Alive performance will bless their community. I feel very good about this work.

And I’m learning a ton! You’ll see a lot of Ken Davis’ influence in the Jeub Family work in the future. We may not be as funny, but we have the same heart toward Jesus. This is a fun change in the Jeub home.

Now that you watched the video above, check out this one.

To view more videos of Ken, click here.

No kidding: We get handwritten notes along with our medical bill reimbursement checks.

Imagine a world where where Blue Cross / Blue Shield sent all its members get-well cards with personal notes to the recovering claimants, written by employees who each put a part of the claim in the envelopes. That’s what happens with the healthcare group we’re involved in. We were hit with two major medical expenses since September, and Micah’s checks are all in, Chris’ are coming in this month, and they each come with a personalized encouragement of some sort. We love it!

Samaritan Ministries is a cooperative group of people who pool their commitment to one another by sending medical reimbursement checks to cover medical expenses. The process is quite different than traditional insurance or government programs. The process makes a lot of sense, but one of the coolest things about the process are the handwritten notes of encouragement we receive from other members.

One of Micah’s checks came from a family with a 5-year-old son. The parents included this boy’s short get-well note written personally to Micah for healing to his finger. It came with $1 of the boy’s own money. Micah was so encouraged that he made a custom wooden sword (from the very swords he cut the day he cut his finger) and sent it to him. Isn’t that just great?

Standing on this side of $70,000 of medical bills, we can sincerely testify that God’s people came through. The system Samaritan has come up with is effective. Our claim is published, and the system lets its members know what their payments are and where they should go. We send our monthly check loyally (as we have since 2004 when we joined), even with a bit of enthusiasm knowing that the money is going to another brother or sister in Christ to help in his/her time of need. Multiply that by 18,000 members and you have quite an impressive group of people taking care of one another.

Are you interested? Samaritan is perfect for self-employed families, but also good for part-time workers or others with no insurance. Samaritan may be for you. There are restrictions (every healthcare solution has restrictions), but investigating this for your family may be up your alley. Visit Samaritan Ministries’ Website. They come with our strongest recommendation!

*Full disclosure: Samaritan members are automatically enrolled in an affiliate program, so if you become a member and list us as your referral, we receive a discount on our monthly payment. That disclosed, know that we do not endorse anything on this website without being fully sold on its value already.

What are the typical snacks? According to the National Purchase Diary Group, the most popular snacks for men and women are:

  Top 10 Snacks Consumed by Men and Women*
        ----------------------------------------------------
                Men                       Women
        1. Gum                    1. Gum
        2. Chocolate Candy        2. Chocolate Candy
        3. Fresh Fruit            3. Fresh Fruit
        4. Potato Chips           4. Potato Chips
        5. Breath/Candy Mints     5. Breath/Candy Mints
        6. Ice Cream              6. Ice Cream
        7. Nuts                   7. Cookies
        8. Cookies                8. Nuts
        9. Tortilla Chips         9. Yogurt
        10. Bars                  10. Crackers
        *Ages 18-54 Year-olds
        ----------------------------------------------------
        The NPD Group

Boy, I think that’s just a shame. Why isn’t popcorn on the list? Probably because microwave popcorn is expensive, inevitably burns, smells up the entire house, and doesn’t taste all that great.

I’m out to change that for you. Wendy and I have not purchased microwave popcorn for about six years. We’ve saved money, eaten more healthily, and enjoy popcorn much more than the people who took the NPD survey.

We buy popcorn by the 50 lb bag.

This recipe is queued up to be published in Wendy’s upcoming Love in the Kitchen Vol. 3. Here’s the recipe:

Stove Top Popcorn

By Chris Jeub
Serves 6 little kids

• Peanut oil
• 1 cup popcorn
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• Seasoning to taste

Pour about 1/8″ peanut oil into kitchen kettle. Place on high heat. Pour popcorn into pan. Allow oil to heat until one kernel pops. Pour the sugar over the popcorn and cover.

Allow popcorn to pop. When about half the kernels are popped, turn heat to low. Popcorn will be finished when there is about 2 seconds between pops. Remove from heat. Shake the kettle and pour into bowl.

Melt butter and pour over popcorn. Shake bowl till evenly coated. Season with your favorite seasoning. Besides traditional table salt, here are some other ideas: ranch dressing mix, taco seasoning mix, Lawry’s seasoning mix, and macoroni and cheese seasoning.

It isn't what we buy that is the question. It's what we DON'T buy.

We spend roughly $800 per month on groceries. We don’t go on extravagant shopping sprees every week. This surprises most people, even other large families who spend twice as much with half as many children. The question they ask is, “What on earth are you eating?”

A better question may be, “What on earth aren’t you eating?” We rarely eat out or buy processed food. Boxed meals or frozen dinners are not in our stock. We fill our kitchen with with meals we love, largely made from scratch with natural ingredients. For specifics of meals, check out my cookbooks here.

Lots of great shopping ideas in my cookbooks.

Are you struggling with keeping your food budget manageable? In my second cookbook Love in the Kitchen Volume 2 you will find a whole section on keeping your grocery bill light. I have several principles for saving money. Here are five:

1. Before you shop take a survey of what you already have in the freezer and refrigerator and make a list of possible meals you could make from those items. Your shopping list will be much smaller than if you just went shopping.
2. Buy meat in bulk or family packs. I often find meat marked down considerably, hardly ever buying at full retail price. I freeze the packs in our freezers.
3. Buy fresh vegetables and fruits in season. They are less expensive and better tasting. These are usually the fruits and vegetables that are on sale at the time. Buy them up and enjoy them with the family.
4. Keep track of prices of things. Know your prices in different stores. Know whether canned goods or dry foods really are a bargain.
5. Don’t be fooled into buying foods just because they claim to be “healthy.” There are obvious junky foods like chips and sugar-coated snacks, but things like veggie sausage and organic rice (both more expensive than regular) are not worth it.

These are just a few starting points to shopping wisely, principles on how we keep our grocery bills low. What are some of your best shopping tips? Use the comment section below to share.

For example, we make homemade popcorn by the case. Pictured above is microwave popcorn. Though the cost difference is huge (like 10:1), most people eat microwave popcorn. I would love to hear your shopping tips on saving money, as I’m sure others would, too. Write them below!

Our family has been fans of Blimey Cow for about a year, but this video has gone viral. It was uploaded just one week ago, and already has been viewed nearly 1/2 million times and has received 1,500 comments.

This guy is funny because the funniest things in life are true. We so totally agree with his analysis that we can’t help but laugh.

Here’s the one that strikes us as the funniest: #2: Homeschoolers Have No Lives. There are those who are concerned for the cultural development of our children, as if we aren’t really experiencing the fruits of life like those in “regular school.”

Contrast that concern with the facts of our lives for a moment. At the time of this post…

• We’re crazy busy with preparing for homeschool speech and debate tournaments.
• Lydia just finished with a fantastic record at a Denver tournament in team-policy debate with her partner, a homeschooler from Salt Lake City.
• They’re traveling out to California next month to compete in a tournament with about 500 other homeschoolers.
• Micah wrote an extremely funny Original Interpretation, sort of a stand up comedy act. Noah did an Oratory on gymnastics. And Isaiah is chugging along as a first-year team-policy debater.
• The little kids join us on the tournaments and time rounds, meeting kids and building friendships.
• We meet and befriend families from all over the country, arguably the coolest people imaginable. They have this similarity: they all kicked out of the culturally expected box for their children and are homeschooling them.

Come to think of it, our homeschooled lives have been nonstop exciting! We’ve traveled coast to coast, all for homeschool-related projects, more than we traveled by the time we were 20. We’re not held down by a shackled schedule that directs a massive amount of children (as in traditional school systems). If our work life justifies a change in our schedule, we do it. We learn along the way and have a ball.

So we agree with Blimey Cow: our lives are awesome. 

Meals like Thanksgiving (pictured) should come few times through the year. I aim for simplicity and efficiency.

There is a lot to writing a cookbook, more than people realize. I wish it were as easy as dumping all my recipe cards – stained and jotted on through the years – into a big machine. Wouldn’t that be nice! Instead, it takes hours and hours of data entry, editing, and testing. Then I will hand it off to my editor, and the grueling will really begin!

I’m writing my third cookbook now, Love in the Kitchen Vol. 3. It is hard work, but it is fun work, too. I enjoy the journey. Last time (Volume 2) I had a new baby. Zech (now two-years-old) spent a lot of time sharing Mommy’s lap with her laptop. Here I am now with another new baby, Elijah! Too amazing how that worked out. God is just amazing to give me another child to love and a new book to write.

Do you know what makes my cookbooks unique from any you’d typically find in the bookstore? Thumb through any of my recipes, and you’ll find hardly any exotic ingredients you need to run to the store for. They are simple and effective. Complex recipes usually require running off to the store to spend more time, energy and money than I (nor you) would like to spend. I try hard to make each recipe as frugal and simple as possible, blessing your family with great meals.

I came up with a new pizza recipe and it sure is handy. It has basic ingredients that are in most anyone’s homes. Here is the recipe, one of the 200+ recipes that will be included in Love in the Kitchen Vol. 3:

Quick Pizza

Quick and healthy seldom mix together well, but that’s what I find myself needing nearly every day. I came up with this recipe while at home with eight of my youngest children (the older ones were off at events). The key here is to make pizza with what is in the house already.

Choose any of the following for your crust:

• Bread
• Bagel
• Tortilla
• English muffin

Choose any of the following for your pizza sauce:

• Ketchup
• Ranch dressing
• Tomato soup with a pinch of basil
• Tomato sauce with a pinch of ground cumin
• Salsa

Choose any of the following for your topping:

• Onion, chopped fine
• Jalapenos
• Sauerkraut
• Pepperoni
• Sausage, browned and drained
• Hamburger, browned and drained
• Bacon, browned and drained
• Black olives, sliced
• Green olives, sliced
• Canadian bacon
• Lunch meat, cubed
• Hot-dog, sliced
• Green pepper, chopped
• Tomato, chopped
• Chicken, cooked, chopped

Choose any of the following cheeses:

• Cheese, shredded
• Cheese, sliced
• Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and lay your bread out on the sheet. Spread sauce item thinly onto the bread, top with as many toppings as you like. Sprinkle on cheese evenly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes checking after the first 7 minutes for desired browning.

Perhaps you do something like this already. Don’t think everyone does! I’m often surprised when I talk with moms who don’t know how to throw together a “quick pizza.” Well, they do now. Give this a try and let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear from you.