Since December 2013, I’ve written hundreds of articles to help moms like you find biblical, practical solutions for their homes, marriages, and families.
Sometimes that makes it hard to navigate, and tough to find an old favorite post if all you remember is a phrase or general idea. So here’s the full list. The newest are at the top; the oldest are at the bottom. Browse and open up the articles that are of interest to you.
To listen to Jess interview Christian moms on the Mom On Purpose podcast, click here. Free episodes, released Wednesdays.
(I’ll update the rest in the fall. I take summers off from writing tasks. 🙂 )
APRIL 2017
- 13,685
- 25 Tips for Moms of Boys
- Best Easy, Tasty Backpacking Meals for Your Next Adventure
- VIDEO: 10 Things I Pray for Our Kids
- One Thing Your Son Needs
- Are You Contributing to a Culture of Lust?
- VIDEO: My Baby Fusses During Tummy Time
MARCH 2017
- VIDEO: Don’t Let Your Feelings Rule Your Life
- 12 Tips for Hiking with 3 to 6 Year-Olds
- VIDEO: Big Family Clothes Swapping & Storage Solutions
- Mom Life: Ever Experienced DAILY Burn-Out?
- Does Your Husband Have to Do a Jig?
- VIDEO: Getting Some Peace & Quiet, as a Mom
- He’s NOT a “Better Mom” Than You!
- Our Laundry Pile. (a 30-second VIDEO)
- What I Noticed After Fasting From Facebook
FEBRUARY 2017
- 2 Ultra-Practical Bible Reading Tips for Moms (VIDEOS)
- Top 5 Practical Qs About the Wonderland Trail with Kids
- Scraps
- Peopled-Out, by Facebook
- A Letter to the Young, Gentle Mama
- Your Kids Need to See Your Repentance
JANUARY 2017
- How We Set Family Goals for the New Year
- 9 Ways to Have a Rotten Sex Life
- Managing Postpartum with a Large Family (VIDEO)
- When Mama Feels Overwhelmed (VIDEO)
- How I’m Fighting 3 Fears, Right Now
- What I Think After Trying Amazon Prime Pantry
- Our Wonderland Trail Video (an hour-long video about our trip in August… I worked really hard making this video and it’s special to us. I would love for you guys to enjoy it with us.) (VIDEO)
- Here’s What No One Tells You About Having Another Baby (VIDEO)
DECEMBER 2016
- Postpartum Sanity: How I Prioritize Sleep (While Breastfeeding) (VIDEO)
- 17 Ways to Help Your Newborn Calm Down & Sleep Longer
- Things People Say to Pregnant Women (VIDEO)
- Your Daughter Needs a Sister (an Acceptable Christian Lie)
- 2 Days Postpartum: Will We Have More Children (VIDEO)
- 5 Practical Postpartum Solutions (Make it Easier for Mom!)
NOVEMBER 2016
- Here’s How I’m Fighting the Lies of Self-Pity
- Q&A: I’m NERVOUS– What if the Kids Can ***HEAR US*** Making Love?
- Here’s What I Learned Watching My Friend Be Busy at Home
- The Side God Takes in the Mommy Wars
- Favorite Family Games
- Naptime Matters.
- Productive Free Time (aka, Older Kids’ Naptime)
- 13 Natural Ways Our Family Stays Healthy in Winter
- I Want to Stop Yelling at My Kids
OCTOBER 2016
- Wonderland Trail Day 1- This Feels Impossible.
- Wonderland Trail Day 2- Bear Growls & a Rope Climb
- Wonderland Trail Day 3- Noticing the Good Things
- Wonderland Trail, Day 4: Our Laziest Day
- Wonderland Trail, Day 5: Real Talk- Babies, Stinky Feet, & Yelling
- Wonderland Trail, Day 6: The 15-Hour Hike
- Wonderland Trail, Day 7: Should We Quit Early?
- Wonderland Trail, Day 8: The Hardest Day We Didn’t Expect
- Wonderland Trail, Day 9: The Bridge Was Missing 3 Planks
- Wonderland Trail, Day 10: It’s Still Hard.
- Wonderland Trail, Day 11: 2 Bears & the Perfect Summer Evening
- Wonderland Trail, Day 12: 6 Snacks+Dinner+Dessert =Tummyache
- 12 Days on the Wonderland Trail
- Organization ON the Trail: Family Backpacking & Adventure Planning
- How Our Family Geared Up for the Wonderland Trail— OR– if you’re just curious to see how 9 people fit in a 4-man tent, watch the video here. (article + VIDEO)
- Didn’t I *JUST* Clean This Up?
- What Are You Saying About Your Kids?
SEPTEMBER 2016
- Christians, Cribs, & Co-Sleeping (Is it “heartless” for a baby to sleep in a separate bed?)
- Here’s Why We Do Hard Things *WITH* Our Kids
- The Challenge of Being a Mom of Many (when I need breathing room)
- How & Why I Started Nourishing and Cherishing My Body
- End of Summer, Back to School (and a rant about extracurricular commitments)
JUNE 2016
- A Summer Intermission
- Motherhood 101: The Class We Never Got
- Is Homeschooling a Safeguard Against Rebellion?
- Christian Fasting, for Moms
- How to Set Your Kids Up for Obedience
MAY 2016
- Here’s Why the Arguing and Complaining is Non-Stop in Your Home
- Sometimes I Don’t Want to Be Godly
- Q&A: Getting Stuff Done with Kids Underfoot?
- Big Family Life: It’s Harder… and Easier.
- How I Built a First-Aid-Kit for our Large Family
- Mental Snapshots & Good Goodbyes
- From Grumpy to Grateful: Helping Our Children CHANGE THEIR THINKING
- Why Your Kids Shouldn’t Follow Your Diet Plan
- Q&A: Is Being a Stay-at-Home Mom Boring?
- The #1 Job Where Feminism Gives Anxiety and Self-Doubt
- How I Record Podcast Interviews (and a Special Announcement!)
- To the Mom Whose Kids Aren’t Sleeping Well
- 3 Firsts from my 7th Birth that I’m Planning to Repeat with my 8th
APRIL 2016
- So You Want to Have a Large Family?
- Q&A: Teens & Rude Tone of Voice?
- 21 Ways our Large Family Saves Money
- When Your Kids Try to Boss You Around
- You’re Not Limited to What’s In Your Box.
- Q&A: What if I Don’t Feel “In the Mood?”
- Listen to Decide: Is Perfect Motherhood Your Idol? (AUDIO recording – ladies’ conference)
- Baby #8 and Why I Pick My Own Due Date
- Q&A: Getting Kids to Stay In Their Beds?
- Q&A: Keeping Children Near Mom?
- How I’m Growing in Self-Discipline
- The Gut Punch. (when my husband had a scary medicine reaction)
- Getting on the Same Parenting Page as Your Husband
MARCH 2016
- Q&A: Food Battles, Pickiness, & Trying New Foods?
- Q&A: How Do You Read Aloud with Little Kids Around?
- Q&A: “Snapshot” of a Typical Day (for this Mom of 7)
- Q&A: Family Size & Living Out Challenging Personal Convictions?
- Q&A: Consequences for Older Kids?
- Who Gets Your “BEST?”
- What This Homeschool Mom Does When I Get Burned Out
- Is Your Child In Charge of Your Home?
- How To Think Unbiblically
- Q&A: How Can I Decrease TV-Watching in My Kids?
- Cooking, Sex, and Giving Honest Feedback
- Here’s Why I Love Our Potty Training Toilet Seat
- Why You Should Ask, “WHY GOD?”
FEBRUARY 2016
- Should Kids’ Screentime Be Unlimited?
- Can I Help You Be a Better Mom? (VIDEO)
- Mama, Do You Flinch?
- My 2-Year-Old Punched Me in the Face
- 24 Hours of Motherly Affection
- Do Him Good.
- Christian Wife, Let Your Husband BE.
- VIDEO: Floor Play Ideas With Your Preschooler (VIDEO)
- 12 Ways I Aim for Homeschooling Excellence with a Large Family
- What Age Do We Start Teaching Them to Obey? (VIDEO)
- VIDEO: Motherhood is Noisy (VIDEO)
- Did You Know February is Homeschool Burnout Month?
- “If You Have Enough Faith…”
JANUARY 2016
- Words, and Why I Write Them (and an Announcement!)
- Quiet.
- Make Love: Let Him Hear You
- The Elusive Titus 2 Woman
- He is good. (my daughter’s sledding accident/skull fracture)
- Reader Question: What To Do About My Device-Addicted Husband?
- 13 Easy, Quick Meals for Hard Days
DECEMBER 2015
- How I’m Fighting Mindless Eating & Distractedness
- What Worked (And Didn’t) for Me in 2015
- Peace on Earth, Peace in My Controlling Heart
- Top 10 Posts of 2015
- Unlearning Procrastination
- Mommy Life and Getting Past Survival
- 8 Practical Ways to Show Affection to Your Preschooler (VIDEO)
- You CAN Make Your Own Baby Food
- Have You Heard About These Christmas Gifts?
- 6 Tips for Choosing Toys That Last
- The Truth About Jess Connell
- Motherhood as Artistry
- A Christmas Printable, for Holiday Sanity (FREE printable)
NOVEMBER 2015
- Top 10 Newborn Tips
- Best Picks for Non-Electronic Toys Kids Actually Like
- When the Person that “Wears the Pants” in the Family is a Size 2T
- The Unseen Years
- What Life is Like for This Mom of 7
- 9 Couches.
- 7 Instances When Moms Wait Too Long
- “I’m an Exhausted Mom!”
- What Keeps Moms From Getting Enough Rest?
- Motherhood Means Teaching Them All Day Long
- Why I DON’T “Get Out of the House More”
- Parenting When I Don’t Know What To Do
- Home Is Wherever I’m With You
- Does Body Image Have Any Connection To Our Souls?
- A Christmas Giving Tradition You Can Do WITH Your Kids
- Q&A: HELP! I Feel Like My Daughter’s In Charge!
OCTOBER 2015
- How I Use the MBTI to Understand Our Family
- “Mama, What Does $*@#%! Mean?”
- What I’m Thinking, Reading, Learning – 10/23/15
- “My Kids Don’t Listen to Me.”
- Making Family Decisions Amidst Ever-Decreasing Privacy
- 29 Honest & Motivating Quotes About Motherhood
- 20 Ways to “Push the Reset Button” With Kids (Because We All Have Tough Days)
- What I Learned About Love & Marriage at a Pantera Concert
- 4 Helps for Hard Times
- I Want to Grow as a Christian Woman
- Childlike Faith & Being a Punkinhead
SEPTEMBER 2015
- September Mailbag: Preschoolers, Porn, and Fighting a Critical Spirit
- Do Your Kids Need a Bickering Bootcamp?
- A Sober Estimate: 40 Questions for Personal Revival
- 25 Things the Bible Says About Parenting
- How to Avoid New Baby “Jealousy”
- Best Resources for Pregnant and New Moms
- Is It Possible to Give Calm, Firm Correction?
- 10 Bible Truths to Help You Understand Your Child
- Finally! A Simple, Discussion-Rich Bible Curriculum
- 13 Reasons I Don’t Mind Being a Chunky, Happy Mama (While Breastfeeding)
- Eustace and My Hard, Dragon Heart
- How Ya Doin, Mama? (Really?)
AUGUST 2015
- August Mailbag: Circumcision? Breastfeeding In Public? When Your Child Says “I’m Bored”?
- Reclaiming Joy in My Personal Bible Study
- The Problem With Grade Levels
- Should We Train Our Kids for Non-Moral Personal Traits? (VIDEO)
- Josh Duggar and the Problem We All Have
- Mama, What Habits and Norms Are You Giving Your Children?
- What Our Kids Crave From Us
- What I’m Reading, Thinking, Doing – 8/14/15
- The 7 Times I’ve Heard “It’s a Boy!”
- 10 Reasons I Believe Formal Education is Better Late Than Early
- 37 Encouraging Quotes for the Homeschooling Mother
- How to Respond to, “I Can’t Do This, Mama!”
- Homeschool Book Giveaway
JULY 2015
- What I’m Reading, Thinking, Doing – 7/31/15
- July Mailbag: Conceived Before Marriage? Knowing God’s Will? Potty Training?
- Your Kids Should See You Cry About These 3 Things
- What I’m Reading, Thinking, Doing – 7/25/15
- What Should a Young Man Be?
- It Takes Courage to Submit
- It’s Good When Kids Learn “It’s NOT All About Me”
- Mama, Are You Willing to Do the Hard, Loving Thing?
- Are You Believing This Lie About Love?
- 11 Things I’ve Learned About Being a Pastor’s Wife
- Navigating the Challenges of Real Life, Online
- How I Balance Online Transparency with Discretion
- Christian Woman, Are You a Wise Teacher Yet?
- Mama, Are You Thinking Ahead?
- Do You Treat Your Husband Worse Than a Stranger?
JUNE 2015
- June Mailbag: Courtship? College? Confidence as a Mom?
- How Can I Have a Successful Blog While Raising Little Kids?
- Fading Beauty, Mom Jeans, and the Realities of Marriage
- How to Stop the Judgments, Stop the Comparisons, and Be at Peace With the Mom You Are
- One Hundred Little Choices in Marriage
- Is This One Reason You’re an Angry Mom?
- When Your Kids Need You to Be Stubborn
- 20 Thoughts About Honeymoon Sex for Virgins
- Where Are the Titus 2 Women?
- Is Your Parenting Focused on the Wrong Things?
- When Your Life is Devastated (reflections on my husband’s job loss)
- Why Getting Older is a Good Thing
- Are You Letting Your Kids Walk All Over You?
MAY 2015
- When You Can’t Do It All (Mom On Purpose, Day 3)
- Avoid Emphasizing the Wrong Things to Your Kids
- The Truth About Sex & How it Affects Our Parenting
- Mom of 7 Shares Baby Gear “Must-Haves” & “Don’t Needs”
- Are You a Fool as a Mother?
- Make Love: Best Resources for Christian Wives About Sex
- 10 Things I’ve Said to My Kids in the Last Week That I Need to Hear, Too
- What Does Titus 2 Mean for Me?
- Make Love: Let Him See You
- Fear Full Mothering
- 5 Ways to Ruin Your Own Mother’s Day
- The Best Sex You’ll Ever Have
APRIL 2015
- Gospel, Law, Wisdom, and Parenting
- Putting Essentialism Into Practice (Mom On Purpose, Day 2)
- No, Jimmy Carter, Male Headship Does Not Equal Sex Slavery
- 12 Things Every Mom Needs to Remember (Mom On Purpose, Day 1)
- The Question Every Mom Needs to Ask Herself
- How Do You Talk to Yourself?
- How Do You Use Smartphones & Social Media as a Postpartum Mom?
- Freestyle Friday- “Mama, I’m so glad you’re BACK!” and LINKS
- The Postpartum In-Between (Searching for Joy While Waiting for a New Normal)
- 7 Ways I Beat Postpartum Stress
- Q&A: Staying Steady Through Transition
MARCH 2015
- Want to Hear a New & Improved Bible?
- Is THIS the Reason You’re Spiritually Stuck?
- How Embracing “Good Enough” Can Help You Be a Better Mom
- Freestyle Friday – Romans 12:3
- 56 Ways the Bible Describes Women
- Does Your Pain Isolate You From the Body of Christ?
- When the Tallest Trees Crack and Fall: Christian Leaders, Sin, & Disappointment
- The Opposite of the Titus 2 Woman
- Do You Multi-Task on Purpose?
- Writing a Blog: Meaningful or Insignificant?
- The Perfect Homeschool Day
FEBRUARY 2015
- Do Your Kids Recognize Your Authority?
- 11 Ways Mothers Change the World
- Q&A: What If the Littles Grow Up Different From the Big Kids?
- 50 Things I Love About Newborns
- The Proverbs Woman (No, Not That One!)
- Q&A: How I Handle Ugly Comments (About Our Large Family)
- Thoughts on Day One (with a New Baby)
- 10 Ways We Make Time for Our Marriage (Amidst the Chaos of Large Family Life)
- Q&A: How Do You Keep Up With All Your Kids?
- 7th Baby & I’m Still an Excited Pregnant Mama
- 10 Things My 75-Year-Old Self Might Say to Me
- Q&A: How Do You Get Quality Time With Your Older Kids While Also Raising Younger Children?
JANUARY 2015
- 20 Ways Abortion is Like Auschwitz
- Is Sex a Priority (or an Afterthought) In Your Marriage?
- Quit Stressin’, Worryin’, and Complainin’ About Your Children
- How Your Words Can Build A Go-the-Distance Marriage
- 5 Things to Do When You Feel Overwhelmed by Motherhood
- “Do The Next Thing” (a poem made popular by Elisabeth Elliot)
- Freestyle Friday #2 (survey responses & random thoughts)
- Do You Encourage Your Husband in These 3 Ways?
- What Everybody Ought to Know About Moms & Sons
- Freestyle Friday #1 (Update on our life since moving to Washington state)
- Has Your Marriage Lost Its Affection?
- Why Your Kids’ Appetites Matter
- Will You Take My Reader Survey?
DECEMBER 2014
- 5 Ways You Need to Be Honest With Yourself
- My Weekend “Mental Food Diary” (and What I Learned)
- Most Popular Articles of 2014 (Year in Review)
- A Willing, Yielded Heart
- Convictions & Choices, Part 2: What to Do When We Hold Opposite Perspectives?
- Convictions & Choices, Part 1: Don’t Do It Because “They” Do
- Don’t Do It To Prove Them Wrong
- Are You Ignoring Your Mommy Radar?
- 3 Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Blogging (VIDEO + transcript)
- The (On-Going) Talk (Talking With Your Kids About Sex, From Ages 2 to 5)
- I Am Just a White Mom.
- Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep? Are You?
- The (On-Going) Talk (Talking With Your Kids About Sex, From Birth to Age 2)
NOVEMBER 2014
- Are You Doing Too Much?
- Is Your Heart Prepared for the Holiday Stress? (Facing the Busyness Without Grumping, Whining, or Self-Pity)
- Stop Waiting For a Zap! (It’s Time to Grow on Purpose.)
- Is It Biblical to Teach Our Kids About Sex?
- The Weirdest Thing About Diastasis Recti in Pregnancy
- Make No Provision For Your Yelling
- Unprepared for Motherhood: Thanks, Feminism!
- A Child Left To Himself
OCTOBER 2014
- What Are You Clutching? (What Our Desire for Control Says About Our Faith)
- Make Your Ebenezer Timeline (Charting God’s Faithfulness in Your Life)
- Large Families & Sustainability
- The Pregnant Homekeeper (How to Keep the House Running Well While Exhausted)
- What Plays Loudest in the Soundtrack of Your Mind?
- Young Woman, I Am So Sorry
- The Opposite of the Proverbs 31 Woman
- Why Have More Kids?
- What Moves Us From Fear to Faith?
SEPTEMBER 2014
- 10 Essential Self-Care Habits for Moms
- Oilcloth-Covered Dining Chairs: Tutorial
- Avoid Burnout: Intentionally Steward YOU
- 7 Ways to STOP Being a Mommy Martyr
- Are You a Mommy Martyr?
- 5 Reasons to Make Love (Even Though You’re Tired)
- Just MYOB (Mind Your Own Business)
- Trajectory
AUGUST 2014
- What Has God Put On My Plate? (Battling Insomnia, Stress, Anxiety, and Exhaustion)
- “THAT SIN” Does Not Define You
- Free e-Books for Christian Women
- Motherhood is a LOT (The Truth About Being Mommy)
JULY 2014
JUNE 2014
- What Can I Do About My Problems?
- Embracing Spiritual Growth (Without Despising the Growing Pains)
- A Skillful Producer (Proverbs 31:17-22, 24)
- 21 Ways to Help Your Family Thrive in Transition
- A Generous Giver (Proverbs 31:20)
- A Prudent Investor (Proverbs 31:16-18, 24)
MAY 2014
- An Eager Worker (Proverbs 31:13-15, 27)
- An Excellent Wife (Proverbs 31: 10-12, 23)
- God’s Word: A Firm Foundation
- Wives, Submit to Your Own Husbands
- Are Unrealistic Expectations Ruining Your Holidays?
- 4 Questions to Help You Evaluate Parenting Advice
APRIL 2014
- Seasons of Life and Homeschooling
- Heavenward Praises for an Earthly Home
- The Stew or The Cross: Decision-Making in Light of Eternity
- He Makes Me Lie Down
MARCH 2014
- We Need What We Would Never Choose
- Watching Our Children Leave
- Feelings of Home
- Pausing for Real Life
- 5 Questions About Your Spiritual Growth
FEBRUARY 2014
- 5 Things To Do When Your Heart Aches
- Do You Rightly Value The Whole Body of Christ?
- 8 Verses That Help Me Fight For Contentment
- Modern-Day Chariots: What Are You Trusting In?
- Romance Is Unique, NOT Universal
- 6 Challenging Questions for Your Marriage
- The Lie You’re Telling Yourself About Time
- What Is Happening In Your Heart When You Yell?
- Become a Better Writer: RISK
- Mounting Pressure for “Mommy Makeovers”
- Stress, Yelling, and Sin
JANUARY 2014
- What If No One Wants to Buy My Book?
- Who Is the Captive: Your Thoughts? Or YOU?
- Humility & Reconciliation in Hurting Human Relationships
- 9 Reasons We Love Having Chickens
- It (Whatever “it” Is) Takes a Willingness to Fail
- Content with Little; Content with Much
- Releasing Our Dreams: Finding God’s Adventure
- The Sovereignty of God in the Waiting Room of Life
- How Will You Infuse Joy Into Today?
- 6 Tips for Joyfully Hosting a Small Group
- Become a Better Writer: READ
- Beyond Goals: What Will Change My Heart in the New Year?
DECEMBER 2013
- How Do Your Children Treat You?
- How to Write Your Novel
- How to Have Quality Time With Your Kids
- This is Why You’re Discontent With Life.
- 35 Ways to Love Your Children
- Book Review: How I Write, by Janet Evanovich
- 12 Things to Do When Your World Explodes
- How to Handle Tantrums
- 10 Tips for an Intentional Marriage
- Here’s Why I Opted Out of the Food Wars
- Homeschooling at Your Child’s Pace
- How to Be Content
- What Comes After the Pain?
- 6 Ways I Handle Being an Exhausted Mom
- What Happens When Your Husband Listens To You?
- WELCOME!