by Jess Connell · September 28, 2016 This has been a long time coming… … and I’m SO excited to share episode 1 of the Mom On Purpose podcast! (Scroll down to listen here, or click to listen in iTunes.) Each Mom On Purpose episode features an imperfect-but-growing mom who will share one or more intentional decisions she’s […]

by Jess Connell · October 4, 2016 {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. Over the next […]

by Jess Connell · September 26, 2016 Over the last year, I didn’t realize what was happening, but looking back, I was fighting a combination of fatigue and laziness. Though I still cared immensely about how our kids turn out, getting off the couch very often felt like too great a burden to ask. Being mentally engaged and […]

by Jess Connell · September 28, 2016 This has been a long time coming… … and I’m SO excited to share episode 1 of the Mom On Purpose podcast! (Scroll down to listen here, or click to listen in iTunes.) Each Mom On Purpose episode features an imperfect-but-growing mom who will share one or more intentional decisions she’s […]

This past spring, I knew something had to change. I’m 36 (and– gulp!– I can only say that for another month or so). And I had started noticing my age. It was little things: groaning, with an additional “oof” or “oh!” when I got off the couch hearing clicks in my knees and ankles as […]

by Jess Connell · September 30, 2016 Since October is my birthday month, let’s talk about birthday depression. Last year, I (seriously) typed in, “why am I sad even though it’s my birthday?” to Google. Yup, I typed in that phrase. It wasn’t much help, except to say, apparently, this is a thing. Some people get sad, […]

Doing hard things is admired in many circles. Decide to run a marathon, get your MBA, do a DIY remodel of an old house, or move into an RV and traverse America in a year, and people will fawn over it. Sometimes you can even get a reality TV show doing stuff like that. People are, […]

by Jess Connell · September 26, 2016 Over the last year, I didn’t realize what was happening, but looking back, I was fighting a combination of fatigue and laziness. Though I still cared immensely about how our kids turn out, getting off the couch very often felt like too great a burden to ask. Being mentally engaged and […]

by Jess Connell · October 3, 2016 {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. Over the […]

by Jess Connell · September 12, 2016 Well, this year we had a long summer. Longer than normal. And it was fabulous. Here are some highlights: Our family of 9 spent 12 days on a backpacking trip around Mt. Rainier. We were completely phone/internet disconnected during those days, and lived off of (1) what we could carry, and […]

by Jess Connell · October 4, 2016 {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. Over the next […]

by Jess Connell · March 10, 2014 We have a bush, a beautiful bush that used to grow in our yard. (It was a Japanese Barberry— love them!!) But that was exactly the problem. It grew in the yard-– it had been planted in the middle of the grass. For two years, I mowed AROUND the bush, […]

by Jess Connell · March 10, 2014 We have a bush, a beautiful bush that used to grow in our yard. (It was a Japanese Barberry— love them!!) But that was exactly the problem. It grew in the yard-– it had been planted in the middle of the grass. For two years, I mowed AROUND the bush, […]

by Jess Connell · December 30, 2013 Feeling exhausted? ME TOO! At this point of motherhood, it seems I should walk around with caution tape. That would give everyone around me a warning before they talked to or interacted with me. Maybe I could wear a sign: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!! DO NOT GO INTO THIS CONVERSATION WITH […]