Yesterday we asked: AM I DOING THE MOST ESSENTIAL THING?  Thoughts about essentialism and how it squares with my job as a mom have been swirling in my head for weeks. Saturday, it all came to a head when I realized I didn’t have my phone. My hands patted and searched, frenetically panicked like Bilbo Baggins’ hands when […]

{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 […]

Q: Can you give a snapshot of what a typical day looks like? From getting up to going to bed. Also include ages of your children. A: Kids ages, currently: 13, 11, 9 (our lone daughter), 8, 5, 3, 1 Here’s my typical day: 6:15/6:30- Get up, drink coffee, then go walk/jog for about 45 […]

In King David’s day, it went like this: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” ~Psalm 20:7 What are our modern American “chariots?” What do we trust in? I have some ideas. Scan them and see if any of them strike a nerve […]

Have you ever felt this? After a morning filled with: kids squabbling some semblance of chores and house cleaning schooling done (even if imperfectly!) toddler meltdowns bottoms wiped bellies filled it is easy to get to mid-afternoon and to SIMPLY. FEEL. DONE. I have most definitely felt like this before, and yes, sometimes daily, especially when all my […]

Isaiah is one of my favorite books of the Bible. So much truth about God. So much honesty about the fallibility of man. So many promises that strengthen faith. Consider this: God has built rhythms into our lives.  The cold ice-death of winter is followed by the buds of spring. The heat of a Texas […]

I never knew it could happen. There I was, going about my merry first pregnancy, growing bigger by the day. After having my 9 pound, 2 ounce son, I still didn’t know it had happened. My tummy never quite went back to its previous shape, but then plenty of women told me, “that’s normal; everything is […]

For the past few years, I’ve been dissatisfied with my personal study of the Bible, and I’m trying to hash out why. My goal is to reclaim joy in my studies of God’s Word. Here are some things I’m thinking through as I try to discover an approach to God’s Word that rightly honors Him as the truth-teller and […]

The holidays are upon us. I made it all the way to Thursday when *BAM* someone says, “yeah, just one week until Thanksgiving.” EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Admittedly, this year I don’t have much to do for Thanksgiving. Several families are getting together, and so I have a turkey, and two other items, to bring. One of which […]

When our kids disobey us, and especially if they cop an attitude, it’s easy for us to feel out of control… as if we CAN’T harness our own anger amidst such outright defiance. Good desires, like for our children to learn to obey, for them to make wise decisions, for them to respect us as […]

{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 […]

I just took another Myers-Briggs assessment. Every time I do it, I feel fear that my letters will change, but no… They haven’t changed since college. 🙂 The numbers strongly confirmed: by this measure, I’m still an ENTP. E= Extroverted (“extraverted” to the MBTI purist) N= Intuition T= Thinking P= Perceiving Here’s one description: Prophet: You are agile, […]

Here are 13 natural ways to stay healthy in wintertime. 🙂 These are simple, easy, FREE ways you can boost your family’s health. Teach our kids (from very young) to cough on the inside of their elbows. Even 2 year olds can learn to do this, rather than into hands or just out into the ether. This lessens the […]

I recently asked over 1,000 women: “What things keep you from getting the soul and body rest you know you need?” Here’s a selection of the answers: Laundry, dirty bottles, teething babies and an injured hubby.  🙂 I constantly put high expectations on myself and convince myself that I can do all things. It’s a battleground […]