When I did Weight Watchers and lost 30+ pounds (between babies #5 & #6), one of the most beneficial and necessary things of the program for me was keeping the food diary. It keeps you honest. I had friends who would say, “yes, I do Weight Watchers too,” but then would have an extra serving of pasta, […]

We did not do any devices/video games last summer. For the most part, we kept the TV off too. But when I napped with the preschooler, and when we had sick days, we did freely enjoy I Love Lucy. So we didn’t outright ban TV, but we did purposefully and sharply limited screen time. We’re following the same basic approach this […]

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 […]

I don’t know where to start, because my thoughts are all so fresh on this one, and each one feels so delicate and raw. On Saturday, we were sledding with good friends, and had been for hours, when it all came to a halt. I’m typing this late on Tuesday, our fourth night in the hospital. I’ll start here. […]

Q: “With 4 children ages 10, 6, 2.5 and 15 mo, the discipline and training (especially of the 10 year old, who has a propensity for argument and complaining and always seems to thinks she knows best) could seriously interfere with normal, everyday activities like supper, bedtimes, homework, etc. Am I looking at this the […]

Awesome! Congratulations on your new little person!!! I remember the excitement (Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! This is really happening!!), the uncertainty (“what in the world have I gotten myself into?” and “what in the world is all this gear?”) … and the voracious appetite for ideas and information. To help, I’ve pulled together my favorite resources for you: […]

{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’ve published journal entries, pictures, & memories from our 12-day […]

Last week, I placed my first order with Amazon Prime Pantry. As a bargain shopper (and borderline cheapskate), I’ve been skeptically keeping my distance. But after trying it, I’m pretty impressed and think I’ll try it again from time to time. Here’s what I noticed, what I didn’t like, and what I DID like. What […]

Well, we’re all but there. The end of the year. Again. How does this keep happening? I’ve published over 150 articles on jessconnell.com in 2015. According to the stats, these are the top 10 most-read posts on jessconnell.com from this past year: #1- JOSH DUGGAR & THE PROBLEM WE ALL HAVE Though the news did not surprise me, […]

Virtually everywhere we have lived, I’ve heard it– younger women lamenting the lack of wise women who can give them solid biblical teaching, & biblical encouragement. Titus 2 describes an older woman who is: reverent in behavior (appropriate, respectful, respectable, godly) not slanderers (gossipy) not slaves to too much wine (drunks) able to train/teach younger […]

Lots of things can be overwhelming to us as moms. Things like Messes, attitudes, sickness, a busy schedule, and/or sudden changes in our routines can push us past the norms of stress we’re used to, into a zone where we can feel like we might teeter over the edge into insanity. On this particular day, I […]

Freestyle Friday is my new way of sharing random bits, in smaller portions, rather than in full-length articles. I’m trying this for a season, as a way to connect with YOU. So let’s go- here’s Freestyle Friday #2. Today I’m taking the opportunity to interact with a few of the survey responses: First of all: You guys are AWESOME & I […]

{Note: This article has been updated from its original publishing in Dec. 2008.} Today I want to share the ethos behind some big choices of my life. I’ve lived as an at-home-on-purpose mom for the last 13+ years of my life because I believe this simple truth: as a mom of young children, the best place for me to be […]

{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 […]