Sometimes we cry over personal pain or frustration. Sometimes over relational distress. Sometimes over an unexpectedly hard day. Sometimes my tears are understandable and justified.  Sometimes I’ve cried selfish tears, or over dumb stuff. But there is some of my crying that my kids have seen that (I’m convinced) does good for their souls… It rises up […]

So I’ve been working on recording podcast interviews for my new Podcast–  titled (announcement!) “Mom on Purpose.” Here’s the podcast cover you’ll see on iTunes– eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! I’ll be launching soon. And I actually need your help. Will you join my Mom on Purpose Promo Team ? Once it’s ready for release, I need readers and listeners who are willing to share […]

  Words can build up; words can tear down… this is true in the words we use regarding our children. Unfortunately, moms can often be heard openly griping about their children. I believe that we have to be intentional and thoughtful in the words we speak TO or ABOUT our children. And I believe those words ought to be… […]

These are the things I return to every time cause they’re just that good. My BrestFriend– Luke’s 3 months old and I’m still using this just about every time I nurse. It left the house with me during the first couple months. It’s the best nursing pillow for a few reasons: it buckles around me & doesn’t…

Sometimes we cry over personal pain or frustration. Sometimes over relational distress. Sometimes over an unexpectedly hard day. Sometimes my tears are understandable and justified.  Sometimes I’ve cried selfish tears, or over dumb stuff. But there is some of my crying that my kids have seen that (I’m convinced) does good for their souls… It rises up… […]

Several years ago, I was able to take a basic biblical counseling class, and one of the sessions focused in on the “Anti-Psalm.” This exercise was a challenge for us to better understand what a text is saying by carefully thinking through the exact opposite meaning. It can be very insightful to look at the “opposite” of what we […]

When you’re the mom, organizing home is an ongoing task. We need to evaluate the attitudes we have toward the work God puts in front of us. How can we stop despising the daily, ongoing work of motherhood? Listen as Jess talks with Mystie Winckler about: going beyond Pinterest-perfect home organization stewarding what we’ve been given combatting a one-and-done approach […]

Hey everyone, Life has been crazy. We moved into a different house here on the camp where my husband works, AND we have two hens that went broody & one of them has hatched eggs, AND we bought 4 kunekune (small, grass-eating, friendly) pigs.  But amidst the crazy-wonderful-craziness, I realized that I have this little […]

One thing that amazes me, the longer I live as a Christ-follower, is the unpredictable way of humans as they interact with Jesus.  Some who appear to start out burning bright for Jesus– fall away and disassociate themselves from Him and His people. Some who seem weak and needy persevere and the light of their light grows […]

{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’ve published journal entries, pictures, & memories from our 12-day […]

I was recently at an event where I was, for days, in a stationary vantage point of watching a wide swath of parents interact with their children amidst stressful circumstances. One mother stands out to me. Unfortunately, not for good reasons. She stood by watching as two of her young children destroyed part of the building. She feigned… […]

Q: When you suddenly notice arguing, general strife that is seemingly NOT momentary…..what do you first address in the home? I am feeling frustrated because it seems sort of sudden and not just one or two kids. I have been very tired and struggling to buck up…so maybe my attitude is part of it. I…

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 […]

Did you miss something this month? Catch up and get the encouragement your heart needs. BABY WATCH & MY WRITING/PODCASTING SCHEDULE Baby News: My sweet new son, Fisher, was born at home this morning: In December, look for blogposts once a week– each Monday. And Season 1 of Mom On Purpose podcasts will be released once a week, every Wednesday, through…