Freestyle Friday is my new way of sharing random bits, in smaller portions, rather than in full-length articles. I’m trying this for a season, as a way to connect with YOU. So let’s go- here’s Freestyle Friday #2. Today I’m taking the opportunity to interact with a few of the survey responses: First of all: You guys are AWESOME & I…
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…
What Everybody Ought to Know About Moms & Sons
Have you seen the images on Facebook, trumpeting the amazing, lifelong, unbreakable bond between mothers and sons? Here are some quotes I’ve seen on these photos: “There has never been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between a mother and son.” “The bond between mother and son… remains unchanged…
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…
Why Your Kids’ Appetites Matter
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…
Will You Take My Reader Survey?
Will you help me by taking a simple 10-question survey? Click here, or on the image, to access the survey: It is an extremely big help for me (and for Doug & I together, as we sit down regularly to discuss the direction/timing/aim of my writing endeavors) to hear specific feedback from you! I look forward…
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…
My Weekend “Mental Food” Diary (And What I Learned)
When I did Weight Watchers and lost 30+ pounds (between babies #5 & #6), one of the most beneficial and necessary things of the program for me was keeping the food diary. It keeps you honest. I had friends who would say, “yes, I do Weight Watchers too,” but then would have an extra serving of pasta,…
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…
A Willing, Yielded Heart
One of the surprising things, to me, about the Christmas story, is the way Joseph & Mary’s hearts yield themselves to God. Mary submits… despite her age despite her singleness despite the challenges it would mean for her despite the judgment of her community Joseph submits… despite the way things would look despite the “cost”…