PJ Jonas

We do a lot of farm tours here at Goat Milk Stuff, and different Jonases give the tours depending on who is available and what is going on at the farm.  While the tours all cover the same ground, each tour is very different depending on not only who the tour guide is, but who is…

I’m the one who does most of the writing here on my blog (not surprising, huh?!)  Brett does some of the proof reading and editing. But Jim is the one who adds all the pictures and hyperlinks. About a month ago, he told me that while I mention “opportunity cost” in a lot of my…

Do you ever watch or listen to Ted Talks?  I love to listen to them (if I don’t have music playing) while I’m cleaning the house or cooking by myself.  I just put on a Ted Talk playlist and hit play. The other day, I heard a Ted Talk by Nigel Marsh* called “How to…

As many of you know, Brett is getting married soon.  She asked if we could do another round of P90X3* before the wedding (we completed the fitness program together a few years ago).  Of course I agreed.  Not only is the exercise good for me, but I get to spend time with my daughter who…

I wrote my last blog post thinking about happiness.  But after I finished writing it, I couldn’t stop thinking about authenticity.  Authenticity is being genuine or “what you see is what you get”.  It is not being fake.  And I kept wondering, “Am I really as authentic as I think I am?” Let’s be honest…

Somebody said to me the other day, “I really love my life and wouldn’t change it.  But if I had to swap my life for somebody’s, I’d pick yours.  I know you work really hard, but you all just always look so happy.”  And this was from somebody who knows “real life PJ” and not…

Last week I mentioned that we are facing a big decision about if (and when) to expand our Grade A Dairy and Cheese Plant.  We’ve been having lots of conversations about it as a family and one of the children made an interesting comment.  He said, “I think we should build; we’re willing to work…

When Jim and I were building our home here on the Goat Milk Stuff farm, we spent a lot of time talking about what “feeling” we wanted our home to give.  We wanted it to be welcoming and friendly.  We didn’t want it to have a “formal” feeling to it.  Instead we wanted it to…

I received a huge compliment this weekend.  A married man in his twenties said to me, “I want to entertain just like you when I grow up.”  He absolutely made my day. This weekend, we threw an Engagement Party for Brett and Mason. It was tons of fun with friends and family.  Plus we got to…

Grandma and Poppy have been with us for several weeks.  They arrived to escape Hurricane Irma and decided to stay until Brett and Mason’s engagement party since it didn’t make sense to drive back to Florida just to turn right around again a few days later. Poppy took the whole family out to China Garden…

Have you ever heard (or said yourself) the words, “I want my child’s future to be full of possibilities.”  I understand the intent behind those words, but I’m not so sure I agree with them. As a homeschooling Mom, I kinda think it’s my job to limit my child’s future possibilities.  For example, Brett is…

Have you ever said hello to someone and have them ignore you?  If you’re like me, the first thought that jumps to my mind is something like, “What did I do wrong to make them mad at me?” Or how about you ask somebody a simple question and they respond to you in anger?  Again,…

I want my children to be wildly successful in their lives.  Not perfect.  But successful.  By successful, I don’t mean materially successful.  Instead I define a successful life as something more meaningful.  I want them to excel in their marriages, their parenting, and their chosen vocations (whether that is goat farming or something entirely different).…