We women tend to be multi-taskers. We try to squeeze as much as we can into a given moment. On any given day, a mom can be seen: carrying the groceries in (loaded down like a donkey), calling instructions to the kids over our shoulder, using the tiniest sliver of our index finger (otherwise weighed…
Category: Grow as Wife
10 Ways We Make Time for Our Marriage (Amidst the Chaos of Large Family Life)
It can be difficult for parents in any season of life— with a newborn, with two or three little ones, with the time commitments of little league, with teens, or (as in our case) with a large family that bridges many of these “seasons”– to prioritize marriage amidst all the “busyness.” Here are 10 ways Doug and I purposefully work…
10 Things My 75-Year-Old Self Might Say to Me
Get into Scripture more than you are currently doing. Dig more. Study more. Read more. Memorize more! It is the one thing that will always make you wiser, richer, and change you. Let it be what flows from your mouth in counsel & conversation, in good times & bad. Treasure it! Seek to serve and love Doug…
Is Sex a Priority (or an Afterthought?) in Your Marriage?
Have you ever walked through a beautiful garden? The forethought and planning is self-evident. Plants have been put in certain places because of factors like sunshine, soil drainage, water, and access. From the first week on earth, when Adam was placed in the garden, humans have known that a garden needs planning and CARE in order to be beautiful,…
How Your Words Can Build a Go-the-Distance Marriage
It’s an oft-spoken observation about marriage and family: it is easy for us to act the most hurtful toward the people we claim to love most. Can I challenge you today to be purposeful about the words you speak to your husband? #1- STOP USING WORDS THAT BITE & DEVOUR HIM Galatians 5:13-16 challenges us all: “through love serve one another. For the…
“Do The Next Thing”
Do the Next Thing From an old English parsonage down by the sea There came in the twilight a message for me; Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven, Hath, as it seems to me, teaching from Heaven. And on through the hours the quiet words ring, Like a low inspiration: DO THE NEXT THING. Many a…
Do You Encourage Your Husband in These 3 Ways?
Have you ever considered: what or who is the primary earthly source of encouragement in your husband’s life? There are really only 4 options: Your husband’s primary source of encouragement is someone/something else, and he/she/it is not very encouraging. (Meaning: Your husband has little-to-no regular encouragement in his life.) Your husband’s primary source of encouragement is someone/something…
Has Your Marriage Lost Its Affection?
The morning began like any other: snuggles, breakfast, coffee, schoolwork, chores. Mid-morning, my son was reviewing his list of words for the day, which focused on the short “i” sound. After reading each word, I asked him to use it in a sentence to make sure he was connecting the sounded-out letters with real-world meanings. He got to the…
5 Ways You Need To Be Honest With Yourself
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…
Most Popular Articles of 2014: Year In Review
2014 was my first year of writing at JessConnell.com. Since we’ve nearly reached the year’s end, I thought I’d do a quick “year in review,” to give you the opportunity to read any articles of interest that you may have missed. In January, I released my first book, One Thing: Top Tip (From a Mom of 6). It’s…