Important moments of life are often overrun with busyness, planning, stress, and “must-dos.” And the big “goodbyes” of life are often overshadowed by sorrow, a busy schedule, and stresses like packing, funeral planning, or travel plans. The expression of genuine emotion gets overlooked, stuffed down, or put off for a “later” that never arrives. Here…
Search Results for: transition
So You Want to Have a Large Family?
So you want to have a large family? Or you’re on the fence and thinking about having more kids? Maybe your husband wants more, and you’re not sure? Or vice-versa? Before we got married, we both wanted a “lot of kids.” But back then we would have said that number was something like 3-5 kids. NOW?…
Q&A: Keeping Children Near Mom?
One mom posed this question after reading my article, A Child Left To Himself. Q: I have two little girls (2.5 and 10 months). I would love to hear how you manage this [keeping kids near you and watching and training them throughout the day] practically and still get things done! When you say they are near are they…
Here’s Why I Love Our Potty Training Toilet Seat
For many years of my life, I was a slave to potty training with the little kiddy chairs. We’d tote them around the house, dutifully emptying out the little chamber underneath the plastic seat multiple times a day, even for the tiniest drops of pee (for which we’d clapped and cheered, like the good potty-training…
What Worked (and Didn’t) for me in 2015
WHAT WORKED IN 2015: WE ADJUSTED TO BEING A FAMILY OF *NINE*— Yes, this year, we had our 7th baby, sweet Luke Ebenezer. I successfully fought off postpartum stress, and worked to be OK with the extra weight that (for me) comes with successful breastfeeding. (He’s 10 months old now– what happened??!) It’s not a…
The Truth About Jess Connell
So you want to know the truth? Not just the lovely bits, hmmm? Well, I don’t blame you. Here at JessConnell.com, I try to share from both my weaknesses and strengths… however, there’s always that niggling sense that other people are better than us, isn’t there? It shows up often in our online interactions, because these…
“I’m an Exhausted Mom”
Is this you, Mama? Weary? In desperate need of a nap, a soul-warming beverage, and a few hours of silence? I can relate! For over 14 years now, I’ve faced the continual foe of pregnant, nursing, and mothering women: mommy exhaustion. Through 10 pregnancies, 3 miscarriages, 7 postpartum seasons, and moving more than a dozen times, God has taught me much about…
“My Kids Don’t Listen To Me”
Is this you? Many moms land here from search engine queries that boil down to one thing: their kids don’t listen to them. This mom is weary of fighting what feels like an uphill battle for respect and well-disciplined children, and she’s looking for answers. She has a niggling feeling that things don’t have to be…
September 2015 Mailbag: Preschoolers, Porn, & Fighting a Critical Spirit
#1– WHAT TO DO WITH THE PRESCHOOLER WHILE HOMESCHOOLING? Q: I feel at a loss with what to do with my 2-1/2-year-old daughter while we’re homeschooling, or even just throughout the day as I’m trying to get things done. What do you do with your 2-1/2-year-old? A: Well, Theo’s my current 2-year-old, and he’s a…
Mama, Are You Thinking Ahead?
One major struggle of women who have a hard time transitioning to the “empty nest” time seems to be that they never really thought their kids would be gone. They didn’t really think of their kids as future adults. Parenting wasn’t thought about in terms of raising MEN and WOMEN. It was just “my baby”, “my little…