One thing I’m super thankful for is that my mom and dad gave me a healthy perspective on food and body image. The more I look around, the more this seems to be increasingly rare in our modern world. My mom’s weight fluctuated over my growing up years, and I remember her working to be healthy and active (Jazzercise […]

It’s all about intake and outflow. To become a better writer, one must become a better READER. Consider Frederick Douglass– without formal education, he devotedly read and analyzed speeches by successful public speakers of his day. Then, he practiced. A LOT. He is still consistently listed as one of the greatest thinkers and speakers that America […]

If you’re new to JessConnell.com, or want an overview of what my “best hits” are, these are my TOP 25 ARTICLES (by pageviews/popularity): #1- WHY HAVE MORE KIDS? “Recently, on an older post about exhaustion, I received this comment: “I don’t want to offend anyone but why do people keep having more kids if they are already… […]

A few Saturdays ago, I sprained my ankle while coming down our stairs toward the garden. Moving too fast, I misjudged where the sidewalk ended, and the grass deceived me into believing the ground was taller than it was. My ankle rolled. HARD. I *HEARD* cracking noises, y’all. Yikes! But you know what? By Monday morning I… […]

Unfortunately, this last week in particular, I and my children have seen incontrovertible evidence that (at least for me), stress and yelling seem to have a direct relationship. When stress increases, the volume and frequency of my yelling increases as well. So this weekend, I asked a group of godly women to exhort me in regard […]

  IN THE COMMENTS, PLEASE SHARE: Any of these a favorite of yours? Hate any of them? Let me hear from you. Here are 25 things the Bible says about raising children, discipline, and parenting. The classic parenting verses are here, as well as a few unusual (not-often-quoted) portions that include direction and insight about how God sees children, […]

Doesn’t cooking with kids take MORE time? Well… maybe… but maybe that extra time is worth it, so that our kids can learn an essential skill for life. Listen in as Jess talks with Tracy Grossman about: Why not just be “June Cleaver” and do it all yourself? Practical ideas for including kids in your meal […]

In the recent Reader Survey, this question came through. It’s one I get asked from time to time, given our history of having lived abroad, in 14 different homes in 14 years of marriage, and doing all of that as a young, growing family: Q: You have been in various states of transition over the past […]

Is this you? Are you looking for ways to grow as a disciple? Perhaps you have been a follower of Jesus for a long time, but are looking for fresh ideas, or ways to revitalize your Christian walk? Or maybe you’re a new believer and want to grow more like the Lord? I’m by no means… […]

It can be difficult for parents in any season of life— with a newborn, with two or three little ones, with the time commitments of little league, with teens, or (as in our case) with a large family that bridges many of these “seasons”– to prioritize marriage amidst all the “busyness.” Here are 10 ways Doug and I purposefully work […]

“You are a God of seeing… Truly I have seen Him who looks after me.” ~a pregnant Egyptian slavewoman, in the middle of nowhere… a nobody really… making much of the One who found her in the wilderness, gave her water, and blessed her. When in the wilderness, it makes sense to look at what […]

Life as a mom of young children can be chaotic and challenging. Let’s talk about the ideas and practices that can help us embrace this important season of motherhood.  Listen as Jess talks with Emily Jensen (mom of 4 kids, ages 3 and under), about the lies we sometimes believe about being a mom of littles connecting with kids […]

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have the cutest, hippy-dippy love song. It’s my most recent favorite song to capture some of the way I feel about Doug: Oh, it gets some things wrong. Don’t go looking for perfect expressions of truth among imperfect humans. Every human offering gets some things wrong. And yes, it’s…

One mom posed this question after reading my article, A Child Left To Himself. Q: I have two little girls (2.5 and 10 months). I would love to hear how you manage this [keeping kids near you and watching and training them throughout the day] practically and still get things done! When you say they are near are they […]