If you’re new to JessConnell.com, or want an overview of what my “best hits” are, these are my TOP 25 ARTICLES (by pageviews/popularity): #1- WHY HAVE MORE KIDS? “Recently, on an older post about exhaustion, I received this comment: “I don’t want to offend anyone but why do people keep having more kids if they are already […]
Grow as a Backpacker – Jess Connell – Page 3
{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,…
obedience – Jess Connell
Q: what happens when I honestly want to learn how to make my 2- and 4-year-olds obey? How do I know what’s realistic…when every book and every parents gives opposite, yet “biblical” advice on the subject? What happens when I’m at the end of my rope over tantrums from the younger one like I never faced… […]
martyr – Jess Connell – Page 2
Today I want to ask you something: Have you been waiting for the elusive “zap?” What I mean by that is: Are you waiting for something to happen TO you in one of these areas: Is your child throwing tantrums and out of control? Are you in a marriage slump? Is your house a wreck? Are… […]
God SEES – Jess Connell – Page 2
We’ve opened our homes to small groups for over ten years: We’ve hosted short-term groups (i.e., a single-book study that only met for that one topic, and then disbanded) For four years, when we lived in Istanbul, we were the primary host home for a house church that met, week in, week out with a… […]
family life – Jess Connell – Page 2
It’s New Year’s Eve– the time for self-evaluation, promises, and resolutions. The problem? Most of those goals go unmet & forgotten. 25% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within a WEEK. I’m convinced that a large part of that “failure” rate is that we aren’t honest with ourselves about our real life limitations BEFORE we set… […]
writing – Jess Connell – Page 2
It’s all about intake and outflow. To become a better writer, one must become a better READER. Consider Frederick Douglass– without formal education, he devotedly read and analyzed speeches by successful public speakers of his day. Then, he practiced. A LOT. He is still consistently listed as one of the greatest thinkers and speakers that America… […]
hiking – Jess Connell – Page 2
When our family (with 7 kids ages 14 & under) backpacked the 93-mile Wonderland Trail, one of the biggest considerations we faced was how much, and what, gear to bring. Here’s how we made it work: BACKPACKS Each person carried their own pack: Doug: Osprey 85-liter Aether Jess: REI Piggyback toddler/child carrier (we tried soft packs & Kelty… […]
transition – Jess Connell
In the recent Reader Survey, this question came through. It’s one I get asked from time to time, given our history of having lived abroad, in 14 different homes in 14 years of marriage, and doing all of that as a young, growing family: Q: You have been in various states of transition over the past… […]
family life – Jess Connell – Page 4
Q: My 2.5 year old son is having tantrums, laying on the floor, thrashing and screaming. I feel like something is wrong! Is this normal? What do I do? A: Yes, this is something “normal.” Tantrums are without a doubt something you will face as mom, and every single one of my children has tried to… […]
marriage – Jess Connell – Page 5
In life, we could just put one foot in front of the other and “make it”. OR, we can live intentionally and really engage in the adventure of sanctification God has laid out for us. This is true of all areas of life, but it’s definitely true for married life. Here are some ways that…
breastfeeding – Jess Connell – Page 2
Instead of having a good idea of what motherhood entails, most of us learn the ropes of motherhood while we live it out. We’re already in the role by the time we realize we’re almost entirely unprepared for it. This often leads to stress and anxiety for new moms as they not only take on the hardest, most… […]
intentionality – Jess Connell – Page 2
Parents instill appetites in their children. We know it’s generally true with foods. I didn’t grow up eating: Russian goulash Thai peanut chicken over a bed of sprouts & star fruit for dessert Ethiopian injera I did grow up eating: pancakes tacos spaghetti Even as an adult, while I might occasionally try something new, or discover… […]
Grow as Mom – Jess Connell – Page 3
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… […]