On the heels of my post about good websites for large families, we have a list of the best all-around sites for homeschoolers. These websites were chosen because they are updated frequently, have lots of resources (mostly free), have a personal tone about them or are generally just well-written and fun to visit!

1. DonnaYoung.org - This is a great resource for all things printed! You can print planners, calendars, worksheets, and much more. Whenever I think, “I could use a template for this…DonnaYoung.org is the first place I go!”
2. History.com - not a mere TV channel site…tgis site gives comprehensive information about all kinds of historical events. You can watch the online video - or just read. Either way, it’s a great starting point for many topics.
3. Kaboose.com - For preschool age children, this site can’t be beat! It is loaded with crafts, printables, recipes and all kinds of ideas for every holiday, every month and just everyday! Even if I don’t follow their suggestions to the letter, it’s a great place to get ideas. I recently found a few crafts to help make the Olympics a little more fun to study.
4. Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers - First of all, you have to love the name! Second this blog is written by a mom of three who puts their experiments, resources and all kinds of stuff online.
5. Freely Educate - An education doesn’t have to cost a dime to be successful!
6. Quirky Momma.com - A great collection of activities and tips.
7. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - A great magazine, ebooks, regular books, blog posts, all kinds of things to keep you inspired and keep you all learning.
8. Backwoods Home Magazine - While this is not a homeschool-specific resource, Backwoods Home is published by a homeschooling father whose daughter is all grown up and is now the managing editor of the magazine. There are always great projects, interesting articles and lots of inspiration and motivation in this magazine whether or not you live in the backwoods.

“It was quick thinking on their part. They reacted to the situation and took care of the little girl, Maddye, who wasn’t breathing. John performed CPR while Josh was on the phone with 911. They worked together to help save this little girl.”

“We saw Maddye’s mom the other day,” Jim Bob said, “Maddye is staying at the same hospital as Josie. They performed surgery. It’s going to be a long road for her too but the surgery went well.”

Josh Duggar looked out the window of his used car dealership and watched in horror as three cars crashed. “I went out to see what I could do,” says Josh, whose family is featured on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting reality show. “That’s when I saw the little girl.”

The grandmother of six-year old Maddye Plascensia brought her to Josh’s car dealership for help. John began CPR while Josh called 911.

“I saw her pull in, and that’s when I picked up and dialed 911,” Josh told the local news. “I knew something was wrong.”

The 911 call can be found on TMZ online.

Josh kept the dispatcher informed as John continued to perform CPR on the unresponsive child.

“This girl, just a few moments earlier, was just an ordinary little girl, and just a split second later she’s unconscious and not breathing,” John said.

“According to 4029TV.com, 6-year-old Maddye Plascensia was in the front seat of a car driven by her grandmother, Glannetta Plascensia of Springdale.

“The station reported that the girl was eating a chicken nugget and was not wearing a seat belt. She also apparently hit the car’s airbag.

“John, a volunteer fireman, performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. When the emergency team arrived, MSNBC reports that Josh held the IV bag while John used his cell phone to shoot video of the rescue.

“Maddye was rushed to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock where she was listed in critical condition.

“”All the credit goes to the Springdale, Ark., fire department,” Josh said. “I could see the emotion in their eyes, it was very serious.”

“Josh, who is now the parent of 3-month-old Mackynzie with his wife, Anna, 21, said, “Having a daughter of my own, I felt such a connection there. I was glad to have had some trauma training.”

“It is amazing to see how two young men rushed to help save the little girl’s life, using the skills they had acquired in their work as volunteer fire fighters in their hometown of Tontitown, Ark.”

1.) Large Family Mothering - The thoughts and experiences of a homeschooling mother of 15!

2.) A Baker’s Dozen - Homeschooling mom of 13, blogger and photographer.

3.) Large Family Logistics - 9 Kids and a little perspective…”All of our lives must be surrendered to God. We live for His glory not our own (1 Corinthians 10:31). Say no to yourself, do the hard thing, finish the work, do what you say you are going to do, be timely, organize yourself. ”

4.) Jeub Family - 15 Kids and no stranger to the media. The Jeub Family has books and has been on TV. The Jeubs answer a lot of the “how do you…?” questions on their website.

5.) A Christian Home - A resource to other sites and some great comebacks for when people say “Are they all yours?”

6.) In a Shoe - Mom to almost 12…I love the title of this blog! I have often been referred to as the old woman who lives “in a shoe.” This mom has lots of great resources too!

7.) Titus2.com - Whether you subscribe to their religious beliefs or not, this family, the Maxwell’s, offers tons of information and ways to keep your home organized.

8.) Larger Families.com - “Table for Eight” Author Meagan Francis is a well-written “regular” mom with 5 kids.  Her sites and books offer a lot of thoughtful prose on what it’s like to live large in a small family world!

9.) MOMYS - From their website: “ If you have, have had, or hope to have, four or more children under eight years old, this is the place for you. The purpose of MOMYS is to provide support and encouragement for women who have many small children, to the glory of God, and membership is restricted to those who fit this description. ”

10.) Quiverfull.com - Some large families do subscribe to a philosophy called, “Quiverfull.” You can find out more about it at this site.

Auntie Anne’s will even send you a text reminder the morning of FPD!

Head here to check it out. http://www.auntieannes.com/fpd/FPD.html

Thanks to Free Snatcher for this Freebie via Twitter!

From 40/29 TV.com in Arkansas -

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Two of the Duggar sons, Joshua and John, are being hailed as heroes, after family members said they helped save the life of a 6-year-old girl injured in a car crash last week.

The crash happened right in front of Joshua’s car dealership on Thompson Street last Thursday afternoon.

Three cars rear-ended each other that day, and Joshua quickly came to their aid.

“I thought fender bender, no big deal, happens quite often here actually. And then I realized there was a little girl,” said Joshua.

Joshua said the girl was sitting in the front seat, airbags had been deployed and she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

He immediately called 911 and brought her into his office.

“The little girl was unconscious, she was not breathing,” said Joshua.

He and his brother, John, immediately started CPR.

“My brother, he started doing chest compressions on her. I was helping elevate and tilt her head back some,” said Joshua.

Minutes later, paramedics showed up. And with the Duggars’ help, they were able to revive Maddye.

“They realized there was something blocking her airway. She had been eating chicken nuggets when the accident happened and it caused the blockage of the airway,” said Joshua.

Maddye is still in the hospital being treated for her injuries, but family members say little Maddye wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for Joshua’s quick thinking.

“He is the hero here. He deserves a lot of credit for what he did and I thank him from the bottom of my heart,” said Joshua.

But Joshua isn’t taking all the credit. He said he just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

“The Springdale paramedics did a phenomenal job. I was just a piece of the puzzle, a very small piece at that, that really helped to saved Maddye’s life. And I’m just really grateful to be a part of it,” said Joshua.

Maddye was flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock — the same hospital where the 19th Duggar, Josie Brooklyn, was born nearly three months prematurely.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar paid a visit to Maddye’s room Tuesday night, and they said she is in critical condition but expected to do OK.”

First, look for signs that your child is interested and ready. Allow him or her to accompany the same sex parent into the bathroom to see how it all works. I always explain everything I’m doing and why. I talk very matter of factly and use the proper words for body parts. Although we don’t use the word “urine” we use “pee.”

Next, we buy a potty chair and put it in the playroom or living room. It becomes just another piece of furniture. Sometimes we sit on it for fun. Sometimes we put dolls on it. Sometimes we don’t even notice it.

There will come a day when you will  notice that your child age 2-3 will want to clean everything. This is a really good sign that they are getting ready! Also, they will be able to put pants on by themselves (or be really close).  If and when your child comes to you and says that they went to the bathroom in their diaper - or “I need a diaper change,” then you know they’re ready.

Jack (now 5), who was almost 3 when I potty trained him, was left to be untrained a little too long. He was very resistant and since I hadn’t had a little one in a few years, I didn’t make a deal about it. I just let him go along in his diaper and figured we’d get to it when he seemed more amenable to the idea. That all stopped when one day, after a bath, Jack brought me a diaper and said he needed to poop in it. Well, if he knew he needed to poop and could hold it until I put a diaper on him, then he could certainly go in a potty!

I put the diaper on that evening, but the next morning announced that there were no more diapers for Jack (I recently did the same thing for Kiara as well).

I make the announcement first thing in the morning - and then, here’s the key, I think to potty training…you have to stick to it. I take all of the diapers away and pack them up. Then I allow the child to go pantsless for a day and we use only the potty. I let the child know that the potty is here and for one or two days I ask the child about every 15 minutes if they have to go. I do not load them up with salty snacks and drinks to make them go more. I just let them go when they need to. When they go on the potty, we make a huge deal about it. Everyone cheers and claps and we do the “I went potty” dance. If the child misses or goes in his pants he is still commended if he was trying to get there. If he just forgets, then I kindly, but firmly explain that “we go in the potty now. You have to tell Mommy or go to the potty when you have to pee.”

I do not use pull-ups or other disposable products ever. EVER!!! I never want my child to feel like peeing in their pants is an option. Even if we go out and about the first day or two after potty training, I do not put a diaper on. That is just confusing for the child. They will never understand how it all works if they have to put a diaper on sometimes. They will think you don’t trust them or don’t believe they can do it. You have to be a believer. I always bring extra clothing, towels, baby wipes and even the potty chair if I have a child who is very afraid of the big potty. But diapers are gone.

I am also a firm believer in bribery. I know, I know. But a couple of M&M’s after going pee in the potty never hurt anyone - and they are a great motivator, especially in the first day or two. Eventually, you just start giving out fewer and fewer M&M’s. No big deal. They won’t be eating M&M’s after they pee in college!

That’s really it. That’s my whole method. I find it generally takes one day of being firm and of reminding and rewarding and then a day or two of reminding and rewarding and then they’re about done and it’s a new habit. Be firm, be consistent and be a believer. But you have to make sure they’re ready. Don’t train and then go back to diapers…that’s a sure path to a 4 year old who is pooping in his pants to spite you (it happens, believe me!).  A 4 year old, unless he has other developmental issues, should not be in a diaper. No child older than 3.5, I believe, should still be in diapers.  I really believe, as parents, we should have the time to devote to it. It can be done over a weekend and it can be done easily if it’s just a part of the day.

http://www.largefamiliestoday.com/2009/04/01/is-anna-duggar-pregnant/

Say what you will about the Duggars, but they are totally devoted and loving parents.  Josie is expected to go home from the hospital sometime in February.

Josie was born 3 months premature and weighed a little more than 1 pound at birth.

The entire Duggar family moved from their hometown of Tontitown to Little Rock, Arkansas over 200 miles away to be nearer to Josie.

There is no word yet on when the show might continue, although some reports say it could be in as little as two or three weeks.