Mom of 8 Daily Routine, Hobbies, Homeschool Curriculum & More Q&A 

I'm glad you and your husband had some time together . As a married couple, we need that. The first time, my husband and I went away for a night it was our 18 anniversary. Be blessed!

Why do you love dresses so much? Ah, because I'm a person and can like what I like.

LOL! I did find the grocery store/fast food question humorous. The response that the kids have figured out that super processed foods do not make them feel very good

When our kids were little, i was a SAHM. My husband made money & my mission was to save $. Some friends in the neighborhood asked if i could watch their kids while they worked. Started in an in home day care. After they all became school age, i worked at a church for 20yrs that had childcare. All due to helping our son with ADHD back in the 90s. Didn't want him on meds & he had severe allergies to just about anything under the sun. Sometimes God works in interesting ways.

Learning along with my children was one of the best things about homeschooling. There were many days I remember saying"I remember studying this when I was in school!"

I love watching you in the kitchen with your children. I did the same with mine and now they are the “chef’s” in their own home. My son’s wife works later than him so he has no problem putting dinner on the table for the family. All 3 of my children love cooking.

Gardening and cooking are hobbies with great benefits in also providing for the family. ❤❤😊😊 great q and a.

Thank you for the video. You are such a good speaker, clear, concise, logical--and present your ideas in a manner that is easy to understand. I wanted to inject that sleep for children is sooo important in so many ways. My two girls attended an elementary school that prioritized lots of sleep. Their philosophy was that if your children are not waking up on their own in time to get ready for school, they are not getting enough sleep. They had a handout with suggested bedtimes for all ages, that were earlier than most children were using. Because "everyone" did it, it made it easy to implement. And everyone benefited. Sleep is sooo important. Thank you again.

The fast food question kills me. Our kids are teens now, and they still think its really cool that we dont eat out hardly at all, and fast food never anymore. They love to make stuff at home that you could buy as treats at the grocery store. They don't ask for the crumby stuff at the grocery store at all. It's funny to me that people think its a necessary part of childhood.

I speak as an old mom now and my girls are in their 40’s. I had the blessing to be a stay at home mom back in the early 80’s. Not the most popular choice of the time but I knew it was the choice for me. I have an amazing husband who accepted how our lives would be going forward with our babies. As much as I wanted them to be able to go to the creek and explore or take picnic lunches to some nearby park, I couldn’t do that. The time was radically different from when I was a kid. But they did have full little lives that they still talk about. I look back and wonder what my hobby was. It was canning. What were my interests? It was raising my girls with complete joy. And it was the most fulfilling and joyful season of my life. Thanks for your lovely video. We are very different. Very. But very much alike. So in that, there must be hope for the future. ❤️

I have a small scale garden and I am trying to grow more of our food, so that is my hobby. It is my therapy and I love it and it benefits my family. I also love to knit, it also benefits them as they have warm scarves, hats, blankets, etc. So the things I love doing benefit my husband and children.

100% agree about children’s nap and sleep schedule. Even with my older kids, until there was a heavy homework load that needed my help. We did early dinner, tub/shower, and sleep or quiet time in their rooms at 6:30 or 7:00. I was a stay at home mom also and the break at night is a lifesaver.

We were blessed for years with my in laws garden full of green beans, tomatoes, potatoes and vegetables all summer and winter with the corn we froze as well as canned tomatoes and green beans

I agree going from 1 to 2 kids when they’re both tiny is rough! My first 2 are only 12 months and 13 days apart! My daughter wasn’t even walking til my son was 2 months old. Hang in there mamas!! It gets better I promise!

I sincerely appreciate how genuine and “real” your answers are….you’re very open in what you share and there’s ALWAYS something new I learn after each Q & A. You’re smile and enthusiasm are a bonus ☺️

Lamb is delicious and keeping sheep is relatively easy and delightful. Our ewes are like pets, coming up to us for rubs and grain. Love your channel, Jessica. Your content is so inspiring and challenging in the best way. Thank you for taking the time to share your talents and creativity with us! God bless you!

I walk in our garden 4-5 times a day. It’s so refreshing

Love your channel it's so refreshing every Sunday to learn from you❤

I just want to say THANK YOU for sharing as much as you do. I "only" have 2 children and homeschool (thats how I found your channel a few years ago) and now I am starting to transition over to gardening because of your calm energy and information!

So healthy to see that you recognize the need for all of us to spend time on self care and find ways to do it. I also love that you do incorporate food and activities outside of the homestead. Allowing your children to sample things like fast food allows them to recognize how it affects them while also giving them the skills to practice making choices that are good for them. I think allowing them to make smaller decisions in life is a great way to prepare them for making the larger decisions in life. Appreciate that you are so generous in sharing the daily parts of homesteading. It is so encouraging to not only see the end result of preserved food but to see how it happened from planting to preserving to how it can be incorporated into a food plan. You make it look so easy but you also give us the gift of recognizing how we can also do it. Have a great week!

Thank you for being my "mentor mom", so much wisdom and grace. 32 yrs old here, with 2 littles, and learning so much from you as I switch careers from pre-kids work life to full time mum for the long-term vision. My first born is also and allergy kid. Looking to raise a full minivan family so you have great advice for it! Lots of love from New Zealand.

You are an amazing woman and I admire all you do for your family!!! I also love the color on your walls!!! It matches your beautiful personality!!

Thank you for being so honest answering all the questions. Your sincerity on questions of burnout makes me happy knowing I’m not the only one. I really enjoy watching you and your family. God bless you. Deana

Great to see you back. Hope you have loved the time with your family. Have a blessed week.

Honestly I find most Q&A videos a little tedious and will speed them up. Not yours! It was very interesting and went so quickly. You articulate very well. I’m also very excited to see what your meals look like during spring and summer. Lastly, I miss your presence on IG but completely understand and respect what you’re doing. Especially with looking to guard your older children’s privacy. God bless.

I agree with you. Going from one to two children, close in age, keeping sleeping routines saves your life and marriage😊

Glad you got away and had a rest! Great to have you back!

Good to see you. May He Bless thee week ahead, for you and yours xx

I just respect and like you so much. What a noble life you have chosen. Also, I love the bright green kitchen! 💚

Your comment about the freedom your younger boys enjoy makes me feel blessed to have been able to grow up at a time when the kids just rode bikes and played with no worries for our parents. When it was safe to be out of their sight for hours at a time 😊

Funny story! When are daughter was in elementary school we didn't have a lot of money for store bought treats , so I would back her cookes etc. When she got to school the other children who never got the home made stuff would always trade her their store bought for her homemade! She considered it a win-win because she got the treats she wanted.

Good Morning. Great to see you on.

My first time watching. You seem so reasonable, intelligent and down to earth. A pleasure.

I appreciated your explanation of hobbies as a SAHM! Very wise words and your advice actually sounds more exciting than "hobbying" alone!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your life goals and happiness! I feel like I can relate to you so much. I also started as a stay at home mom young and learned to include my hobbies as part of our day, not just mine. And i agree with the change going from 1 child to 2- that was the hardest!

My bad. I never look at the community section. Lol. Glad all is well and you and your husband got time with just each other. So nice having my coffee and having you ‘visit’. 😘

You do an awesome job at everything you do. Your family is doing a great job together. God bless your family and homestead. I'm so glad you had a wonderful time away. ❤️ You both deserve it.

I’m so glad you were able to have a little getaway with your husband. My husband and I went away in 2019. It was the first time we had been away together without our kids in 23 years.

Good morning missed yall

Blessed Sunday, Jessica! I also was concerned because didn’t see you last week but knew it was Mother’s Day and hoped you were having a wonderful weekend! I am very impressed you have a plan for the Homestead as life progresses with the children. It’s stunning how time does fly and you look back on all the memories and wonder how did the children grow up so fast! Have a Blessed and happy week!

I appreciate how candid you are with answering all these really personal questions. You're such an inspiration. I'm a little jealous of the role model all your littles have!!

You look great Jessica! I don't have any extra activities I do outside my home either. Besides working and going to church. Like you, I enjoy learning and doing the things I am doing at home. Learning new baking, gardening, sewing, and crocheting skills are so satisfying to me. I enjoy my home time. That's totally OK. I think we are blessed with being content with that. Totally okay if someone enjoys other activities too.

Life is constantly changing, I think you do a wonderful job of staying in the season you are in knowing it won't be long until another will follow. I'm in the winter of my life but it has joy too. Blessings.

Awesome to see you, so glad you were able to get some time with your beloved. :) Great to spend time with you today!

So happy you and Adam got some time on your own. It is good for a married couple to have a long stretch period of time to themselves. ♥️

Good evening my dear friend, I so enjoyed this video!! I wanted to tell you how lovely you are looking!! Looking forward to seeing you next week.

So happy that you and Adam got time away. You give such great advice. Even though I only had 1 child, being a Mom is the greatest gift. Love my freeze dryer! Kiwi is the only freeze dried fruit I don’t care for. Pineapple, green grapes and strawberries are my favorite. We love chili freeze dried! I agree about the veggies. Not good as a side. Best in soups/stews.

We don’t have any food allergies but choose not to eat out. Restaurant food doesn’t taste good at all to our family. Recently we went out to eat and hardly touched our plates due to not tasting good

I love your videos. Thank you for filming your life! ❤ You encourage me to keep in a mindset that everything counts and matters.

Hi Jessica. It is always good to spend Sunday mornings with you/your family. Glad to see you back. Have a great week. Hugs.

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. 🙏

Jessica you did such an amazing and impressive job in several of your descriptions about motherhood and personalizing days and life about not only how you make it all special, but how others can too to find that joy, in homeschooling etc. I have been asked those questions myself before, but I love your responses so others can catch the vision to make it work for them. I may watch this again just so I can recapture your elegant explanations, in hopes to take the overwhelm out of it for other moms talking with me💖 Thank you.

Thank you! Always appreciate what you take time to prepare and share... you are a blessing to so many... especially to me! Blessings on you, your family and your homestead! 🌻🐛Carolyn in Ohio 🌿💚ps when I need alone time (especially prayer time) I just announce that I am going out to weed the garden and I get the whole garden to myself!😂🌿

YOU ARE AMAZING, glad you and Adam had a great time and recharged yourself

Your answer to hobbies and interests was so beautifully said! Thank you for sharing!

Great to hear you had some time together.❤ Thank you for sharing stories with how your family routines work for you. ❤❤❤❤

I'm glad you and Adam had some time to get away together, and that all is well. Nice to see you back!😊

I'm glad you all had a great break!! 🥳 Very good video as always much Love from Okc.

I think you are an amazing woman Jessica. Wonderful that you & Adam were able to to spend time alone together. I really enjoy your videos.

Please do more homeschool videos! I'm happy to see them and really need the honest opinions from those who are going through it.❤

I just love how you answer questions❤! Great advice and not at all defensive or judgmental of other ways - just beautiful!

I totally agree with you in regard to hobbies. I loved growing my garden, cooking meals from scratch and teaching my children at home. I built my life around my passions.

I just got a freeze dryer through your link and my first official load is just getting done, so excited to seeing more videos on freeze drying this summer from you. I have a nice sized garden like you here in Kansas so I'm very excited about using the freeze dryer to preserve my harvests. ❤❤❤

I prioritize naps and bedtimes also no exceptions because i need the quiet for my brain this way i can be fresh for the rest of the day and the next morning

The mental bordem that you explained was so touching. I havent heard anyone put into words that season of life like you did. I thought i was a bad mom feeling that way. They way you speak of it makes it seem so normal and forgiving !

Thank you for answering my question! God bless! Hope you have a great week!

15:15 I agree, mom of 8 grown kids, going from 1 to 2, 13 months apart was a bigger challenge than when the others came along! Routines we're helpful

You said so many beautiful and meaningful things about our beautiful bodies. I love being reminded of that.

I totally agree going from 1 to 2 children close in age was the hardest. We have 4 children with age gaps of 18 and 19 months apart. Adding our 3rd and 4th was much easier. We had structured naps and bedtimes like you indicated. It was a life saver! Now our kids are almost 12, 10, 8 and almost 7. Life has changed so much and they are so helpful with chores and garden projects.

Great questions and answers. Always fun. Love all your videos. I wonder if any of your older children are beginning to show their passions for future careers. Thank you for your Pantry Challenges. Actually doing them is a life saver for me financially. I have learned so much from you, in many areas. I'm very appreciative. 😊❤

Good morning 🙏😊 Love this video!! So much information and all of it useful. Good sound tips and tricks . Your family is so blessed! Have a wonderful week🙏

Glad you got some time away with Adam, before the busyness of summer begins. This was a wonderful video. 😊

I had 3 under the age of 2. It was a blur. I was tired a lot. Agree with her about sleep. I scheduled around my kids sleep and meals. We did simple outings that were close to home like a walk in the neighborhood, visit a friends house, have someone over.

Loved this video! Amazing all you do and the honesty you share. You have me thinking about what times of the year I reach burn out. I never thought about until now and you opened my eyes. A video on the dogs would be great.

Happy for you and Adam had some time together. ❤

I love your Q&As, thank you for sharing your life with us

Thank you Jessica! I discovered (me and after me we realized in our entire family from my mother) we are sensitive to Caseine type 1 whiche is the Cow dairy protein. We are only OK with Caseine type 2 which is Sheep and Goat dairy protein. Some farmers started to make genetical tests to their cows because only a few are type 2 caseine. We are not allergic but Type 1 caseine was discovered to affect the inmunological system. I was wondering if your son is allergic to the whole dairy, no matter which protein (casine) or sugar (lactose) the dairy has. I'm studing food design from a nutritional perspective so knowing more about a lot of dairy issues can make me more conscious about others needs. Thank you again Jessica! I always say ot to you but is never enough: I admire you so Much! 🥰🥰🥰🥰❤❤❤❤

I especially loved your take on hobbies. Currently in a season with 2 under 2 (3 kids altogether) and it's quite intense, even with husband home on paternity leave. I'm trying to take them along for whatever I'm doing throughout the day so I don't have to focus on laundry or dinner when they are down for a nap, but not having your hands free or time in the evening to yourself is intense! Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience 🙏

Thanks ...enjoyed this Q & A, Jessica ❤

My youngest youngest is about to leave home in 2 months. Its heart breaking at the same i am happy for him. He is going into the Army.

Lovely video! So glad you enjoyed a little time away. I hope your eldest will one day consider the treatment to reverse his allergy to dairy. My daughter has anaphylactic allergies to tree nuts and we are going to attempt to reverse the reaction to walnuts. She has only had a few exposures to walnuts and each time it is worse. It is a truly terrifying situation and she is no where near the level of your dear son. Take care and see you next week.

You can get chicken waterer cups (also called automatic water cups) that you attach to a 5 gallon (or similar style) bucket. They are fairly inexpensive, especially when compared to the pre-assembled versions. I have found it keeps their water cleaner too:)

I absolutely know what you are talking about with babies close together! My girls were only 18 months apart! Two in diapers, two in high chairs, two in cribs, two teething, two, two, two in everything!

I dont have any hobbies either but like the things I like. I spend alot of my time with my kids, always laughing, having a good time and I work full-time! Its my kinda normal and I love it!!

Yay! You're back! 💙💙💙

Enjoyed it! Love your dresses, it is refreshing to see!

So grateful for all your shared info about freeze driers. I bought one this week because of you. I’m like a crazy lady in the garden planting extra herb everywhere.

You are amazing! And you have glorious hair. I always look forward to your videos! 😊

Glad you are back. I was worried all week for your well being. I must have missed you telling us on FB you would be gone? Glad you are ok. God bless.

This was the most beautiful, important, informative video ever. Such good advice to mothers. As a grandmother now, I remember feeling so many of the feelings you addressed! Oh how I wish someone like YOU, was here to know we weren’t alone! Many ❤❤❤❤❤👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I miss you last week. Thank you for the video 😊

Thank you for sharing! Love all of your content. You have a beautiful family. God Bless😊

I’m a mother of 8, 5 still at home and over stimulation is a real thing! Yes, taking a walk outside and shutting off electronics for the rest day has helped me too! Then loving on our 17yr old to 3 year old comes back into focus. Gods word is such an encouragement too!

I enjoy what you share about your families' life. Love all you preserve. I preserve most of what I eat. I grow most of it but some times I have to buy to supplement my needs. I would love to have a freeze dryer but can't see it's within my budget since it's just me.

Pit bulls who raised right are very friendly and good with kids

I used A Beka Book for a lot of our home education, I mixed in some other materials but they were a consistent each year. Great video, thank you for answering so many questions. Be blessed

I really enjoy learning from you in these Q&As! Thank you❤❤

I'd definitely love more on your homeschool!! Love your Q&As!

Always enjoy your videos. So very glad you enjoyed a little getaway! I enjoy all your content. God Bless You! Val C

Jessica , such a blessing. I'm so glad to hear of your small trip eith Adam. Im in a very different season of life, but just hearing this, I related . T u