Okay, okay. So, technically, it's still winter, but it's beginning to feel like spring (or it was before The Big Snow this week), so I decided to jump the gun a little with this issue. Besides, I have some very exciting news I couldn't wait to share:

My book is finally finished—hot off the presses, and just in time for Valentine's Day. This earlier-than-expected release is due in part to the fact that five of our nine-kids-still-at-home broke out in chicken pox shortly after Thanksgiving last year (despite having been vaccinated against them). The mini-epidemic resulted in an eight-week quarantine, which took all the "hustle-bustle" out of our Christmas holidays and gave me the down-time I needed to see this book to completion. I edited, re-edited and formatted the text; Doug wrote the sweetest, most beautiful foreword I've ever read; and David rendered invaluable help with the cover design.

Our family has been pox-free for a couple of months now, but we had the publisher ship the books directly to Amazon, just to be safe. Please join us in praying that this little volume will bless the hearts and lives of all who read it!

SITE-MAP - You may notice that we've re-arranged our menu bar, adding new sections on "Home Schooling" and "Saving Money" (both of which will be further expanded in the future). The family photos and Christmas updates that used to be on our menu are now listed under the "About Us" heading.

FACEBOOK - Bethany taught Mom how to use facebook while she was home for Christmas, and even made a "Flanders Family Home Page" where our readers can be updated everytime we post new content to this site. Now you don't have to wait for those quarterly newsletters (although we'll continue sending them to everyone who subscribes).

BABY #12 - The time is drawing near for our newest little one to be born. You can sneak a peek at our youngest family member and count down the days until baby's arrival by clicking here.

BOOKS - Click here to check out what books our family members have recently finished or are currently reading. We've also uploaded a short list of some of our favorite titles for reading aloud to the kids.

GOALS - Isn't it great that both February and March start on a Monday? It's like having a second and third shot at keeping all those New Year's Resolutions! For tips on charting a course toward reaching your own goals, click here. For help in defining those goals, check out the daily, weekly, and monthly "to do" lists we've added to our planning charts section.

RESTAURANTS - We've expanded our list of local restaurants where kids eat free (or almost free). The newest deals can be found at Jersey Mikes, El Quatro, J.W. Finn's, and Applebee's.

MAILBAG - Click here to see what our readers are saying and to read our responses to their most frequently-asked questions, including this month's getting a head-start on college.