Q FROM A READER: How do you feed your large family? The older my son gets, the more he’s eating, and I’m realizing I need to get better at cooking more food for less money. Yup, with 9 kiddos (8 of whom are sons!!), you know I understand! This is an ongoing point of analysis…

I sometimes hear moms almost bragging about it… “it’s been ages since I’ve used the restroom alone.” “She’s persnickety & suddenly won’t eat anything I make!!”  As if being a Mommy Martyr makes you a good mommy. There is a HUGE difference between what the average mom puts up with today, and what would have been allowed… […]

(I wrote this 11/29/12 as a way to chronicle the loving, affection happening in our home and spur other moms on toward loving affection in their homes. I never published it, recently found it, and am sharing it even though it’s now 3 years old.) This morning, when Moses woke up, he came and crawled up […]

“I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.” ~1 John 2:12 Does one sin (or sin area) come into your mind when I say, “‘THAT sin’ does not define you?” I’ll be honest and tell you that I used to– as a believer– live under the weight and […]

The angels announced the coming of Christ to the shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” Christmas lyrics echo the cry of the angels: In despair, I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said; “For hate is strong, And mocks the… […]

Moms of sons, you want to take note of Titus 2:6. In the verses before this, Paul is instructing Timothy about HOW he should be pastoring the people in his church. In Titus 2: 1-5, Paul tells Timothy to give: older men a list of 6 things they are to DO and BE, older women a list of […]

In the comments section of a recent post, titled, “Why Have More Kids?” I received this comment: While I can appreciate your thoughts, my big issue with extra large families, is that ultimately, it is unsustainable. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone decided to have 6+ children!? We are already outgrowing…

Last fall, I unexpectedly encountered someone I haven’t seen in decades. Mercifully, it was in a crowded setting where we did not have to interact, and I don’t think he ever saw me. I didn’t even recognize him at first. But when I was young and impressionable, that person-across-the-way deeply impacted my life through manipulative… […]

A young friend of mine, going through her first pregnancy, asked on Facebook for ten newborn tips. And since I try to use all my writing from other places, I figured I’d share my advice to her with you. Here are my top 10 newborn tips: Stay in bed for a week. Minimum. (See the comments for…

{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 3 weeks, I’m publishing journal entries, pictures, […]

Are you exhausted? Feeling like it’s just too hard to keep going with your homeschool plans? Ready to throw in the towel? Be encouraged, mama! February is a really, really common exhaustion point. Last month was the beginning of my 10th year of homeschooling. Back in the beginning of my homeschooling years, I lived overseas and didn’t have real-life examples… […]

Mom on Purpose was a weekly podcast (in 2016-2017) dedicated to intentional motherhood. As the mom of a large family, I’ve spent a huge part of my life learning from older, wiser women about motherhood. Through Mom on Purpose, I’m doing that in a way that lets YOU listen in and learn alongside me. 🙂 Every […]

The angels announced the coming of Christ to the shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” Christmas lyrics echo the cry of the angels: In despair, I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said; “For hate is strong, And mocks the […]

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 (2) what we stashed in 2 food/fuel…