We were outside, sitting in the filtered summer sun, under a group of large trees. At our community library event I was sitting at the back of a large group of mothers with their children. The woman right in front of me had one 3 or 4 year old son. At one point, he walked up to […]

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… […]

It’s New Year’s Eve– the time for self-evaluation, promises, and resolutions. The problem? Most of those goals go unmet & forgotten. 25% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within a WEEK. I’m convinced that a large part of that “failure” rate is that we aren’t honest with ourselves about our real life limitations BEFORE we set…

A chart on my Facebook feed offered a humorous look at what “taking care of yourself” looks like before, and after, kids. According to the chart, taking daily vitamins turns into eating “one of the orange gummy vitamins your toddler won’t eat.” Reading a novel becomes reading the yogurt’s expiration date so you don’t poison the kids. 60 […]

Well, today’s the due date. THE due date. The DUE date. But Luke is still inside, sticking his knobby knees out in alien movements that I feel with gasp-inducing clarity, and prying his little feet up into my ribs. And I can’t wait to meet him. Here’s one final “belly pic” for any curious people […]

Alfinda asks: Hi Jess. Can you also share some wisdom in the area of toys and imagination play for boys, i.e. Is it appropriate to let them play with pretend swords and guns? Sure! Yes, we allow pretend swords and guns. Here are the basic rules in our house (off the top of my head……

You are a theologian. And I am too. We may each be a good one, a subpar one, or a heretic, but we can’t get away from *having* a theology and bringing it to the table with each day of mothering. Who matters most in our theology? And we (secretly) think that’s OK. Because, I […]

In the Old Testament, stones were often used as reminders. Stones were used to make altars. The physical process of collecting and stacking the stones was an external marker of the inward reality of one’s heart being actively prepared for worship. Stones were set upright in the ground as reminders to both parties of peace agreements,…

I’m so excited about the Bible study curriculum we’re using this year. Well. OK, in order for it to be true, I have to take out a few words from that first sentence. It should read: I’m so excited about the Bible this year. There, that’s better. Because this year, our “curriculum” is very simple. It’s not really a curriculum […]

Each pregnancy, it happens at least once. A grocery store clerk, relative, older woman, a waiter– someone– says to my youngest child: “Are you gonna be jealous of the new baby?” Here’s what I want to say in response to that: “Be quiet!” (Of course I don’t say that.) What I actually say is, “Oh, no, (s)he is…

Why should you listen to podcasts? Because it’s a wonderful way to be encouraged and learn, while you’re doing something else. You can work out, cook dinner, nurse the baby, fold laundry, take a bath, sweep your floor, or tidy your living room… but engage your mind and heart at the same time! So, are you […]

There have been seven times in my life I’ve personally heard the words, “it’s a boy!” 1. In July 2002, following a painful, long delivery, after fearful words were spoken about meconium and the baby didn’t breathe for a long while, I heard, “it’s a boy!” as an afterthought before the NICU team whisked him away….

Hi there. If we haven’t met properly, I’m Jess. I’m not a mom with all the answers, but I’m not a mom with no answers either. I’ve been a mom for nearly 15 years, which is long enough to know some things by experience. And I’m a mom to 8 kids, which is enough kids… […]

I hate sin. I mean I really hate it. And I wish I could say I hate it for all the reasons God does, but I don’t. I’m not that holy. I definitely hate that it put Jesus on the cross. Honestly, though? I don’t hate it enough for that reason. Because I still do… […]