Q&A: My 2 practical questions are: I have a 2.5 yr old and 11 mo old twins….all boys….all active. The twins swarm my 2.5 yr old and it makes him angry, so he shoves / etc. We discipline him for this, but I have a hard time blaming his reaction when they are coming at […]
Q&A: Food Battles, Pickiness, & Trying New Foods? – Jess Connell
Are you facing food battles in your home? You’re not alone. Read on to find out how we deal with it in our home. Q: I’m a mum of two (3 and 16m) and was wondering if you had any specific advice about encouraging 3 year olds with regards to eating new things. We try and […]
Is THIS The Reason You're Spiritually Stuck?
Are you spiritually “stuck?” Feeling like you have questions but no answers? Stagnant in life but unsure how to start growing again? I was 16 years old when it began. I was a coming-out-of-rebellion teen; she was a young mom (in her 20s) with 3 little ones. In free moments of my busy high school life, […]
Thinking, Reading, Learning- 10/15 – Jess Connell
Mmmmmmm, it’s fall! The leaves are on the ground… I’m wearing socks again… and we just started our first fireplace fire last night. Here are the things I’m currently thinking about, reading, and learning. What I’m thinking about: “Side Hustles”– I’ve been blogging for 9 years now. In January, we’ll have been homeschooling for 10 years. […]
March 2017 Round-Up: Podcasts & Posts – Jess Connell
WHOA, we’ve reached the end of March, and I have a four-month-old cutie. How did that happen? Have you heard about this excellent book? If not, and you want to read a surprisingly-prescient call to purposeful family life, written by a Christian couple in the 1950s, GET THIS BOOK. The Mom On Purpose podcast is going strong, and I’ve […]
Do You Multi-Task on Purpose? – Jess Connell
We try to squeeze as much as we can into a given moment. On any given day, a mom can be seen: carrying the groceries in (loaded down like a donkey), calling instructions to the kids over our shoulder, using the tiniest sliver of our index finger (otherwise weighed down with groceries) to open the […]
What Worked (and Didn't) for me in 2015 – Jess Connell
WHAT WORKED IN 2015: WE ADJUSTED TO BEING A FAMILY OF *NINE*— Yes, this year, we had our 7th baby, sweet Luke Ebenezer. I successfully fought off postpartum stress, and worked to be OK with the extra weight that (for me) comes with successful breastfeeding. (He’s 10 months old now– what happened??!) It’s not a […]
Convictions & Choices: What to Do When We Hold Opposite Perspectives?
In this series about convictions, we’ve talked about: And in that last article, we left off at that pesky place where we come to a different conviction than someone else in the Body of Christ. So what do we do then?!? Unlike being under the Jewish law, where 600+ rules guided daily life (and many […]
Wonderland Trail, Day 9: The Bridge Was Missing 3 Planks – 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 family […]
Christian Woman, Are You a Wise Teacher Yet? – Jess Connell
Do you remember this rebuke in Hebrews? “Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.” (Heb 5:12) Can you imagine hearing this? I’m afraid too many churches… and too many women in our churches… could […]
Humility & Reconciliation in Hurting Human Relationships – Jess Connell
One of the things I love about having a big family is that it gives our children skads of opportunities to interact with people who (from time to time) rub them the wrong way. Better than that, they’re forced to work through it and KEEP living alongside one another, loving and learning to lay down […]
Wonderland Trail, Day 7: Should We Quit Early? – 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 […]
Quiet. – Jess Connell
You know, I had plans for January. I’d pre-written enough blogposts to get me through January (and then some)… and (in my plan) that was going to give me the ability to use all my normal bits-and-pieces of writing time, plus the 10 days off school at the front of January, to write some novellas […]
Q&A: Consequences for Older Kids? – Jess Connell
Q: Any advice on consequences for the older kids? I’m having trouble coming up with ones that actually work. For example, when a task is asked of them and they stall/dawdle? Or schoolwork isn’t completed thoroughly? Taking away privileges doesn’t seem to work, adding more work doesn’t either. A: I like ideas that drive home the “cost” of […]