When we moved overseas in 2006, we sold or gave away virtually everything we owned. Personal items, baby books, and a few items we couldn’t sell and really liked went to my parents’ garage. Everything else? (Imagine me snapping.) Gone, just like that. We moved to a somewhat-grimy, moldy-bathroomed, garishly-embroidered-floral-couched apartment in the middle of nowhere […]

God calls His people “sheep,” and calls our spiritual leaders “shepherds.” But spiritually-abusive pastors harm God’s people, and make us fearful of the very people (shepherds) and the very place (church) that we need in order to be healthy, growing sheep. After being harmed by wolves-in-shepherds clothing, it is difficult to come to a place… […]

Discount grocery stores— this is currently my top budget-slicing method. At Costco, one basket costs us about $300-400. At my discount grocery stores last week, I got 3 basketfuls of groceries for just over $150. It takes creativity, and a little more time (we went to 2 stores, 45 minutes away, rather than just 1 store… […]

Years ago, Doug & I went through a Grip-Birkman training session— which combines personality & spiritual gifts in order to help teams of Believers work together. One of the verses the trainer focused on has continued to convict and challenge me in the years since: “by the grace given to me I say to everyone among […]

We LOVE to use questions (“would you rather…” “what if…” “which of these…”) to start discussions with our kids over meals, during hikes, and in car rides. We’ve used books, and card sets, but they often contain foul or off-color questions or prompts. So I thought I’d share some of the questions we use, to help… […]

The holidays are over. The “magic” is gone, but the mess, exhaustion, and daily needs remain, don’t they? Are you feeling overwhelmed?  In our house: Recently-bought games & books need a “home,” but our shelves are overflowing. Luke is due in 2.5 weeks. My pregnancy wardrobe is slung here, there, and everywhere, because everything is too tight and/or makes me…

Almost 6 years ago, we decided to stay in America, after (almost) 6 years of living abroad. I flew to Istanbul, Turkey (our former home) to sort, sell, and pack our belongings there. While there, I stayed a week in our friends’ home, observing her normal household routines. Mother of four kids (then, ranging from 8 to 20 […]

{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 […]

Last summer, we hiked the Wonderland Trail with our 7 kids (ages 14 down to 18 months). The Wonderland is a 93-mile loop trail around Mount Rainier, with 22,000 feet of elevation gain. People have taken anywhere from 20 hours to 15 days to hike the entire thing. We did it in 12 days. Here’s… […]

Sometimes we blame our anger on circumstances (“it annoyed me that he kept doing x”), people (“she just gets under my skin,” or “our personalities just clash”), and sometimes–perhaps more rare– we own it all ourselves (“I’ve got an anger problem.”) However, I think there’s one thing that is nearly universal in the way it…

  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….

Ever read Genesis 3? It’s the chapter where sin enters the picture. One verse previous, Adam and Eve are frolicking in the perfect garden God crafted for them, naked and unashamed. But by Chapter 3, everything goes awry. Genesis 3 teaches me, frames my theology, and makes me long to walk with God in Heaven. […]

Devices are a sticky subject now. 20 years ago it was TV time. No matter what, though, unless you’re Amish, you have to reckon with it. I’ll share what we do- but would love to hear your thoughts. A Yahoo!Parenting article (which — as a sidenote– I think should be retitled more honestly as Yahoo!UNparenting,…

Two days after having my precious new son, I shared a picture on Facebook with the following comments: I love the sleepy quiet snuggled-in days after a baby arrives, in general… and I love this quiet day, in particular.  Seeing my babies love on my babies… and getting to see them embrace (not just philosophically… […]