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 […]

{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 family […]

In August 2016, we took a 12-day backpacking trip around Mt. Rainier with our 7 children (ages 14 to 1 year old), on the incredible Wonderland Trail. In 12 articles, I’ve shared the good, the bad, & the ugly. You can read our story here. I published journal entries, pictures, & memories from our family […]

Over the years, I’ve heard something offered occasionally that I think is a terrible motivation for living life and making choices for yourself or your family, and it is this: “You get out there and show ’em. Do it well and prove them wrong.”  It can play out in a wide variety of ways in our […]

This is a sponsored post. One of our family traditions is to use the Christmas season as an opportunity to GIVE. Beyond our personal giving (Christmas gifts to one another), each holiday season brings an opportunity to reevaluate the charities and ministries we give to. Over the years, one ministry we have consistently participated in is Operation Christmas… […]

This morning, we’re starting our 2015-16 school year. In our homeschool this year, we have 8th, 6th, 4th, and 2nd graders (and a kindergartner). Phew! Just writing that makes me tired. But let’s talk about grade levels. When people ask my kids what grades they’re in, my homeschooled kids (mostly) know what to tell them… […]

Imagine the pressure– (perhaps you feel this pressure over the holidays!?) Christmas dinner will be at your house, and everyone’s looking to you to make it. Only problem is, you cook infrequently, don’t really know your way around the kitchen, and are relying on ingredients you only rarely use or eat. The pressure to produce […]

One of the realities of my life right now is that there is a dividing line that happens in almost every first/intro conversation I have with people (and this last year has included a lot of those)… The normally-progressing conversation that happens before… and then the shift that comes after… … people find out I […]

Extracurricular commitments can benefit our families… or burn us out. How can we make wise decisions, and rightly prioritize the Kingdom of God, in our kids’ activities?  Listen as Jess discusses these things with Shelley Miller: Wisdom for evaluating your schedule & commitments Identifying distraction, discord, and disobedience Embracing the continual work of relationship-restoration This episode’s Quick Mom Verse: “Look […]

Burnout can come to any of us. Sometimes it comes because we’re in a high-stress season, and sometimes it comes because we’ve over-committed. There are times, though, when burnout comes because we have not treated ourselves as human beings worthy of care. Whether because we’ve been a “mommy martyr” or because in the busyness of life, […]

Last week, I came across an article entitled, “15 Things You Should Never Ever Have in Your Home After Age 30.” The post gave a list of “don’ts” and offered this sage advice: “You’re an adult now and it’s time to decorate like one.” In case you didn’t click on the link, let me catch you up […]

You may already know what I’m referring to. It’s the job where nearly everyone– celebrities, politicians, nurses, and stay-home-moms– struggles, almost from the first few minutes. In this place, we feel self-doubt we feel pressured to do it all we are ill-equipped in what we do we have no idea how to do it we’re pretty […]

Every now and then Doug Phillips comes up in an article or reference, and I remember all the things… and am just so incredibly saddened that people were lured in by him. Plenty of men followed his leadership, in his church, in his organization, and in his conference/teaching circuits. But women, in particular, were drawn […]

Recently a friend shared about a stressful relationship– someone was texting her repeatedly, and she felt terror that she might misstep and make the relationship worse. My friend isn’t perfect, of course, so she was wanting to be wise and cautious in how she responded. Eventually, she was in tears, asking for input and prayer […]