Q: How do I keep busy at home? I find myself so terribly bored and restless at times. Being a stay at home mom is so boring! What am I supposed to do with my down time? Once chores and homeschooling are done for the day, I literally have no idea how to fill the couple of hours before I need […]
Organization ON the Trail – Family Backpacking & Adventure Planning – Jess Connell
One of the first things we realized, when we decided to take on the family adventure of hiking the 93-mile Wonderland Trail, was that we would need to be super-organized, both in advance of, and while on, the trail. Here’s the specifics of how we stayed organized during our family backpacking trip. ORGANIZE THE TRAIL INFORMATION One of the […]
What I Noticed After Fasting From Facebook – Jess Connell
Some time last year, I did a week-long purposeful fast from everything online (except for e-mail), and as I went through the week, I wrote down the things I was noticing. Recently I found that list and thought I’d share it with you. Here’s what I noticed: Almost instantaneously: I’m alone with my thoughts again. I’m able […]
Peopled-Out, by Facebook – Jess Connell
As a mom, there is a limited amount of time I have for people outside of our four walls, but Facebook is sneaky. It makes me FEEL like I can commit fully to people both inside, and outside, of our walls. The problem is, after devouring hours of social media each week, I feel “peopled […]
Wonderland Trail, Day 11: 2 Bears & the Perfect Summer Evening – Jess Connell
{NOTE: For those readers who don’t know our family, we’re the Connells. Doug’s my husband and I’m Jess. At the time of this trip, we had 7 kids (Ethan-14, Baxter-12, MeiMei-10, Silas-8, Moses-6, Theo-3.5, Luke-18 months), and I was 6 months pregnant with our 8th child. I’m publishing journal entries, pictures, & memories from our 12-day […]
“Your Daughter Needs a Sister!” (an Acceptable Christian Lie) – Jess Connell
We heard it so much over the last 9 months. “MeiMei needs a sister!” “You poor thing! So many brothers! Do you know what this one is yet?” “Oh goodness, you guys need a little girl this time!” Now I know… having a son would mean we’d have 7 boys, right? I mean, 7. BOYS. […]
Wonderland Trail, Day 2: Bear Growls & a Rope Climb – Jess Connell
{NOTE: For those readers who don’t know our family, we’re the Connells. Doug’s my husband and I’m Jess. At the time of this trip, we had 7 kids (Ethan-14, Baxter-12, MeiMei-10, Silas-8, Moses-6, Theo-3.5, Luke-18 months), and I was 6 months pregnant with our 8th child. Over the next 3 weeks, I’m publishing journal entries, pictures, & […]
Wonderland Trail Day 1: This Feels Impossible. – Jess Connell
{NOTE: For those readers who don’t know our family, we’re the Connells. Doug’s my husband and I’m Jess. At the time of this trip, we had 7 kids (Ethan-14, Baxter-12, MeiMei-10, Silas-8, Moses-6, Theo-3.5, Luke-18 months), and I was 6 months pregnant with our 8th child. Over the next 3 weeks, I’m publishing journal entries, pictures, […]
Q&A: What if I Don't Feel “In the Mood?” – Jess Connell
Q: I would like to see practical tips for how to make it a priority and how to feel ‘in the mood’ when I am so tired… A: Well, since you asked a straight question, I’m going to give you a straight answer. 🙂 I think waiting and hoping to feel “in the mood” may be […]