Hiking with toddlers and preschoolers is quite different from hiking with older children. Especially if you’ve been an avid hiker with only adult-sized people, you are going to have to dramatically change your expectations. Nonetheless, hiking with 3-6 year olds really *IS* possible, and you can even ENJOY your hike together. We hike often with… […]
large family questions – Jess Connell
Like many Americans in the 80s and 90s, (maybe like you?) I grew up with one sibling. So I didn’t really know what to expect as a mom of many children (we have 9 now). Some things we can anticipate: (laundry, food, and stacks of clothes bins!), but what I wanted to talk about in… […]
personal growth – Jess Connell
Two springs ago, we were in Georgia on a road trip, and our van needed attention. Doug and Mae went into town with the van, and I spent the day with 7 of our sons on the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail. We had hiked a steep two miles uphill to see Amicalola Falls… […]
toddler – Jess Connell
For many years of my life, I was a slave to potty training with the little kiddy chairs. We’d tote them around the house, dutifully emptying out the little chamber underneath the plastic seat multiple times a day, even for the tiniest drops of pee (for which we’d clapped and cheered, like the good potty-training…
talk to your kids about sex – Jess Connell
It seems universally true that humans are prone to wait too long to do things we should be proactive about. For me right now, I’m realizing I need to work harder to help my nearly-3-year-old be self-controlled when things don’t go his way. I’m apt to let him go too far down the self-pitying, emotional, tears-down-cheeks train track…. […]
baby chicks – Jess Connell
This is a sponsored post. This Christmas, Do you want to do your part to fight human trafficking? Is the advance of the Gospel through practical means a passion for you? Would you like to provide practical help for refugees? Are you looking for a way to teach your children about Christmas GIVING rather than… […]
distractions – 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…
change – Jess Connell
This question recently came in: I was thinking about what you spoke about [in this podcast episode, called “Lean In & Learn from Other Women”] and the thing that stuck out most to me was how you learn most by living life with others. While I completely agree, I am stuck wondering HOW to make… […]
Big Family Clothes Swapping & Storage Solutions – Jess Connell
8 kids is a lot. It’s not “19 and counting” or anything, but it’s still a lot. The bigger our family has gotten, the more I’ve had to up my game when it comes to swapping out sizes and finding good organizing solutions for clothes. Here’s what standing in line looks like when I take my youngest […]
Q & A – Jess Connell
A reader asks: Q: Jess, what about when my husband is glued to his phone/laptop/ research for work constantly? Even when we eat meals together his smartphone is nearby in case any notifications pop up. He keeps music/talk shows playing in his headphones continually and actually does close to nothing around the house (with the exception…
children are a blessing – Jess Connell
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… […]
Grow as a TEACHER – Jess Connell
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… […]
siblings – Jess Connell
When it comes to having another baby, people will talk about the potential for additional financial costs, marital strain, or having to go through labor again. But very few people talk about this. This was something I noticed about having another baby, 5 weeks after having our 8th baby– Here are our current set of “bookends” (oldest– Ethan–… […]
martyr – Jess Connell
In Part 1, we asked the question- “Are You A ‘Mommy Martyr?’” That article gives a fleshing out of what it looks like to take on the identity of a ‘mommy martyr’ as well as some of the ways it affects our lives. Today (in Part 2), I want to look at 7 ways we… […]