+J.M.J.+ We have paid off $23,031.00 of student loan debt in two years on an income less than the national average. It was our only debt and it is a relief like no other to have this gone. Ethan graduated with his bachelors degree debt free - this was from a post graduate program. We [...]
+J.M.J.+ I am frequently asked about how I entertain my kids, and there has been a huge surge in these questions since I announced our most recent pregnancy. How do I handle morning sickness with other kids? How am I entertaining them? This title is a bit of a trick because the answer really is [...]
+J.M.J.+ God has blessed Ethan and I with our fourth child. It is actually quite surreal just 7 weeks since losing baby Andrew Mary to be expecting again. I had no warning something was wrong during Andrew's pregnancy until he was gone, so I wanted to make sure that I didn't have some sort of [...]
+J.M.J.+ Once Ethan had a surprise waiting for me when I returned home with Philomena from a visit to see my parents. He had secretly commissioned a friend to build us a custom home altar. It's simple but perfect for our current stage in life. We had utilized a bookshelf for this purpose in the [...]
+J.M.J.+ A year and a half ago I published one of my most viewed posts ever: My Little Kids Don't Use Screens. Ever. Here's why. (You may enjoy giving that a read then coming back here.) I explained how studies show that the more little kids' brains are hyper stimulated by screens, the more it [...]
+J.M.J.+ When I shared about our general daily routine and my rule of life in this post earlier this month, a lot of you wanted to know what a day in the life looked like with a bit more detail. Every day with a family has lots of variation, but the following is what a [...]
+J.M.J.+ Nourishing food and tight budgets are really hard to reconcile. I know, because I'm constantly balancing what we're eating with our small income all of the time. People often times want a magical solution to feed their families a beautiful, organic, locally grown diet for "cheap". While my tips below and other ideas out [...]
+J.M.J.+ I feel more than slightly under-qualified after just 5.5 years of marriage to be giving tips on the topic. However, since I was asked about it and do think that since this is one of Ethan and I's strong points, I'm presenting 3 ways you can better communicate with your spouse. Know Each Other [...]
+J.M.J.+ In confession a few months ago, the priest asked me if I knew what a mother's rule of life was. I had brought before him the sin of wasting time online and thereby neglecting some of my duties as a wife and mother. I wish I could have told him that the idea was [...]
+J.M.J.+ I will always love and miss my little baby, Andrew Mary, whom we have had to give back to the loving care of Jesus. This post will share about our loss, how we are honoring our baby, a conversation on miscarriage, and some resources for people dealing with miscarriage or stillbirth. When I started [...]
