Every mom knows the struggle of the grocery store run… WITH kids in tow. Listen in as Jess talks with Bethany Weathersby, a mom of 4, about: what expectations are reasonable for kids’ behavior, practical ways to train your kids, realistic ideas to include kids in your shopping, and the benefits of training kids for […]

Doesn’t cooking with kids take MORE time? Well… maybe… but maybe that extra time is worth it, so that our kids can learn an essential skill for life. Listen in as Jess talks with Tracy Grossman about: Why not just be “June Cleaver” and do it all yourself? Practical ideas for including kids in your meal […]

Readers, I want to invite you to come check out my YouTube channel. Right now, I’m releasing 4 episodes a week. Here’s today’s video, ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LARGE FAMILY MOM (from start to finish): And last week, a vlog about a decision our oldest son is making: These videos chronicle life […]

So, if you haven’t heard yet, I’ve started a new vlog. We got kunekune piglets, and then had baby chicks, and we’ve got toddlers-preteens-roosters-chores-birthdays-almostadultkids… and more. And I want to get better at video editing, so I decided to dive right into this whole vlogging thing. Here are the first FIVE episodes: EPISODE ONE: An […]

Last week, I noticed I was feeling anxious. I’d been running the budget numbers again, trying to do accurate projections for what would happen when. We’re trying to sort out what we should do with our house, and when/if we should list it. Normal things to think through in a time of transition. But I […]

“The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children.”   ~Charlotte Mason Dear Mom of young children, Do you realize the incredible power you have […]

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 […]

Here’s a 4-minute video I made with my 3- and 5-year-olds to share some ideas of specific ways to get down in the floor and play with your preschoolers. IN THE COMMENTS, SHARE: Do you do wrestling play like this with your little people? Any other ideas along these lines that you’d like to share?

It’s hard to discern sometimes, isn’t it? Especially the first time we face these things as a mom! Did he really hear me? Does she really understand what I’m asking? How can I know what I should/shouldn’t expect. When do our children know enough to start obeying us? For us, obedience starts long before they’re speaking, and […]

Here’s a 3-minute video I made, smack-dab in the middle of my real life, to talk about the noise and chaos of real-life motherhood. IN THE COMMENTS, PLEASE SHARE: Has motherhood been more, or less, noisy and chaotic, than you expected?

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 […]

Weak. It’s not what we want to be. It’s far more glamorous to be strong. Able. Buff. Ripped. Cut. Well-off. Certain. Capable. Adept. Fierce.  No one enjoys being the needy one. The one asking for things. The one with nothing to contribute.  There’s ease in being the one with enough margin, enough wisdom, enough financial […]

There’s a common response I receive from younger moms, after they hear/read my no-nonsense advice about tantrums, attitudes, and arguing. “I bet you haven’t actually had a strong-willed child.” “I don’t think this will work; maybe my kids are more strong-willed than yours.” “You have a lot of kids, but have any of them been […]

{Today’s post is a follow-up from Monday’s– Christian Wife, Let Your Husband Be.— where a reader asked, “Beyond having a joyful attitude towards love making and keeping the home a happy sanctuary for him, what are more specifics things wives can do? I know every husband will have different things that are life-giving to him, […]