Today’s Q&A is a really practical, common concern for many women: WHAT IF the kids can hear us making love? It’s something almost all couples have to work through. Here’s the question I received: Q: I just read your post about “make love – let him hear you”. In the post you reference letting your husband hear your pleasure […]
commitments – Jess Connell
So my whole life I’ve been a risk-assessing procrastinator. By that I mean, I don’t utterly and completely procrastinate. Procrastination is typically thought of as simply “putting off” and that’s not the whole picture of what I do. No, I *assess* the risk, first… How bad is the job gonna be? Is there any way to… […]
Sleep – Jess Connell
Here’s a detailed look at how, in the first two weeks of breastfeeding, I begin gently prioritizing sleep… so that our whole family (parents, older siblings, and baby included) achieves sanity, sleep, and contentment ASAP. This is the way we’ve done it with all 8 of our babies. Video outline: 1:00- What method we follow… […]
fasting – Jess Connell
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN FASTING?Simply put, fasting is choosing (for a set period of time) not to eat food in order to devote yourself more single-mindedly to the pursuit of God through Scripture and prayer. Christian fasting differs from the ritual/scheduled fasting found in other religions, and is not done in order to earn favor. Like…
God is sovereign – 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…. […]
beauty – Jess Connell
Christian woman, you may not even realize it, but are you pornifying our culture? Perhaps you say “no”– “I hate even the idea of porn!” “I don’t invite men to look at me with lust.” “I would never do that!” BUT– TAKE A FIELD TRIP THROUGH YOUR PHOTOS Go right now to the photos you have publicly posted… […]
Jess Connell – Jess Connell
One of the posts here on JessConnell.com that receives continual attention is this post, from 2016: Few people write about what it’s like to fast, while pregnant, nursing, or taking care of little people, and whether or not it can be safe, or done at all. Similarly, it is rare to examine the modern phenomena… […]
When Your Home Life Needs a JumpStart – Jess Connell
Note from Jess: I wrote this more than a year ago, three months after having baby #9. We’re… barely… creeping out of the postpartum season. Wowzers, things feel overwhelming. I looked around last night and here’s what I noticed: the driveway was a mess. Recycling that hadn’t made it to the bin, toys that were […]
travel – Jess Connell
One of the unique qualities of our family is this: WE’VE DONE TRANSITION. A LOT. In not-quite 14 years of marriage, we’ve lived in 13 primary residences, and in 8 temporary living situations (each 1-2 months). 5 of those residences were overseas, and almost all of those moves were with children. A number of you have asked…
writing – Jess Connell
I’ve always thought of myself as pretty brave. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know but I looked to the externals and deemed it so: moving around the world, multiple times, as a growing family keeping having babies even though it HURTS (!!!) every time, and makes life harder quitting my dream job and moving to… […]
Beyond GOALS: What Will Change My Heart in the New Year? – Jess Connell
Happy New Year! This time of year, goal-setting gurus and exercise hounds browbeat us into putting forth measurable, specific goals or resolutions. But the far more challenging question for me is this: WHO WILL I BE IN 2014? If I was a yelling shrew throughout 2013, what will change my heart? Can a simple goal, that […]
mealtimes – 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…
creativity – Jess Connell
In this frenzied toy-buying season, let me offer our recommendations for kids up to elementary-ages. We have seven kids, ages thirteen and under, so I’ve got a little more than a decade, and many different personalities’ worth of “experience,” invested in this advice. These are the non-electronic toys kids actually LIKE. (In fact, if you add up my kids’ ages…
Media intake – Jess Connell
It’s gone on long enough. MINDLESS EATING Somewhere along the way of adult womanhood, I got the sense that I deserved treats just for making it to the end of the day. Or, even to 3pm. Pistachio gelato, a bowl of cheerios, a handful of dried-out-after-dinner plain pasta, a few slices of smoked gouda with… […]