Practically Speaking Mom: Intentional Mom, Strong Family

The words we choose with our kids can speak life into them, can transform their perception of themselves, can give them a vision for who they are becoming. This week's guest, Dakota Hammond (dad to our special VIPs) shares methods he uses to impact his sons.  You will be inspired and challenged with some very practical steps you can take with any age child, from very young to grown.  Dakota w...

Rich joined me on this week's episode for some very important topics. Please consider listening to our Father's Day Special Episode: Some questions our sons may be thinking but not saying: Can I be depended on? Will I be able to come through in difficult situations?  Am I capable? Can I achieve challenges that come my way?  Then we address: What can a dad do? What does a mom do if there...

We've had multiple podcast episodes about teaching our kids to listen to us. This episode is about the importance of us as parents learning to effectively listen to our kids. It's also  about the value of mentors for our teen kids and how to go about setting up a mentor, and it is about teaching them work ethic and lots more today in episode #147.  Our featured guest is Amy Kusmaul, who...

An unscripted, honest look at the difficult parenting task of talking to our kids about tragedy -  facing fear with them, giving them tools to manage fear or anxiety, effective discussion topics to grow kids who become hope-filled, difference makers in our world, and looking at the question, "How could a good God allow bad things to happen." This is our first ever "parenting in the...

"We chose to no longer have a Battle of Wits or a Battle of Verbal Arrows or a Battle of Stiff Silence . We were learning to lay down our emotional weapons and pick up tools for transforming our relationship." Celebrating 30 years of marriage, Rich & Val share some of the tools that transformed their marriage in episode 145 of the Practically Speaking MOM Podcast - the place for an i...

Do Hard Things Love Works Episode 139 Link Work Ethic Episode Link Getting Kids to Listen the First Time Episode Link Send Val your encouragement and thoughts about the show. Support the show Visit Val's website: PracticallySpeakingMOM.com Join Val's Facebook Group Intentional Mom, Strong Family Follow Val on Instagram and her Facebook Public Page Practically Speaking MOM We're on a...

Isn't it interesting that as moms we can LONG FOR alone time, when in the very same moment we feel LONELY.  How is that possible to feel lonely when we are continually surrounded by our little darlings?  It's because we long for intimacy, a relationship that challenges us and spurs us to growth through mutual edification.  We long for this kind of relationship from our spouse, from our f...

This is the third episode in our Mother's Day Week series of four short episodes about motherhood.  "Come to the Table: Feasting with the Father When You Feel Like a Frazzled Mama" is an event topic that I speak on from time to time at women's retreats or conferences.  Some of the material from that is sprinkled into the following episodes:     22 Mom's Marathon Path      ...

Send Val your encouragement and thoughts about the show. Support the show Visit Val's website: PracticallySpeakingMOM.com Join Val's Facebook Group Intentional Mom, Strong Family Follow Val on Instagram and her Facebook Public Page Practically Speaking MOM We're on a mission to strengthen families. Want to help cover some of the costs of the show? click here . A few dollars a month...

"Some moments in motherhood are pure bliss. It's the big moments of joy when our child learns to walk or say, "I love you" for the first time.  Then there are moments in motherhood that are pure agony or fear or regret or concern..."Listen to episode 140, "Mom's feel the deepest feelings."  This is the first of FOUR SHORT EPISODES THIS WEEK, celebrating MOTH...

Everyone in your family is God's precious, purposeful design. And yet, sibling squabbles, personality clashes, character issues, parenting mistakes... sometimes family life is uhh, colorful.   We've created a new occasional, on-going series looking at the unique personalities in your home and how to get them to mesh, blend, and shine together as a family.   Even with your parent imperfec...

Healthy Sibling Relationships - Listener Q&A, episode 138 Resources Related to today's Topic Val's book When Littles Are Loud: Maximizing the Moments without Drowning in Chaos Val's book Clash In Your Home: A Game Plan for Cleaning Up the Conflict The podcast series called Dealing with Lying in Your Child (This series teaches a way to deal with any heart issue that has been an o...

Too often we moms get distracted by the smaller parenting issue right in front of us, missing the BIGGER, LONG-TERM issue behind it that matters even more than the immediate frustration or difficulty with our child.  Or, sometimes, in an effort to deal with this immediate issue, we don't realize we are sacrificing the bigger priority.  This parenting gig can be COMPLICATED.  Today, in episode...

As each weekend rolls around, what kind of goals do you have for your family?  Today we're unpacking four simple goals that will bring much more meaning to your weekend. Blog post and podcast episode about Spontaneous Friday and Sketchy Saturday What's coming next Monday: Kids HABITS, Mom HACKS, and How to Get Kids to Clean Their Room without Ruining the Parent/Child Relationship, Episod...

Just a few days ago the ground looked dormant.  The mulch had faded and decomposing leaves were burrowed all around the flowerbed.... For a moment I worried that my plants wouldn't emerge... You know, mamas, parenting is a lot like raising plants.  We’re tending these plants BEFORE the growth comes. Growth is not always visible at the moment and we are tempted to get discouraged to think our...

The sound of home... a respite from the rest of life. Or is it?    The atmosphere of our mama heart spills over and becomes the atmosphere of our home. Plenty of days I completely blow it when it comes to having an atmosphere of peace and joy inside my heart, and it is pretty obvious in my attitude, in my voice, in my eyes, in my facial expression.   Pressure, anxiety, worry, frustration, busyness...

 Intentional parent, we want to answer the question, “Am I worth knowing?” with the answer, “I am honored and excited to spend my lifetime discovering God’s unique, masterful design of you, my precious child.  I want to know you – not the surface you, but the deep in your heart you. I can handle knowing your fears, your struggles, what makes you angry, and what makes you want to hide from the worl...

Part of our role as intentional moms is to identify God’s unique design in our children, to help them to see it clearly for themselves, and, to   help them to allow the Holy Spirit to HONE their gifts & strengths and work on their "weaknesses" that may be strengths that are just covered up.    HOW DO WE DO THIS?  How do we discover our child's design and impact their self-percep...

Self-Perception, overcoming internal lies we are tempted to believe about ourselves, speaking life and truth into our self-worth ...that's what Val and her daughter Emma are discussing in episode 131, in the occasional, on-going series "Life-Giving Words." Be sure to check out the Spotify playlist they put together for you to listen to with your kids as you all work toward a healthi...

Let's dive into a deeper understanding of  Your Child's Nine Circles of Influence on their Self-Perception and the invisible labels they may be wearing, in Part 2 of "Your Child's Nine Circles of Influence on their Self-Perception, episode 130." Click Here for Part 1 of Your Child's Nine Circles of Influence on their Self-Perception, Episode 129. Listen to episode 129...

This episode will be beneficial for parents no matter what age their children may be.  It is so important to understand these influences over your child's self-perception, whether they are four years old or twenty four years old.  The more we understand these circles of influence, the better we are at filtering and guarding and impacting the world around us.  Your child's self-perception...

Season 3 Introduces several new themes for intentional parents... Parenting in the Trenches Uniquely United Lasso Your Life Life-Giving Words Guiding Your Child's Heart Healthy family communication habits is taught in my book and taught LIVE on audio MP3, Clash In Your Home: Getting a Game Plan for Cleaning Up the Conflict. https://www.practicallyspeakingmom.com/shop "Help! My Home is Fu...

Moms have the most rewarding role in the whole world, by far.  But with that reward comes some very heavy responsibilities as well, responsibilities that we must continue to carry even in the midst of tragedy or personal suffering.  This seems almost impossible at times.   I've heard from several moms lately who are brokenhearted – newly widowed, a terminal cancer diagnosis, a grown child who...

Our kids are constantly bombarded with messages even at a very young age about romance, love, dating, and marriage.  Messages come from music, shows and movies, even video games with their seductive images. Most of these messages do way more harm than good in impacting your child's perception on these issues. Of course, reducing their intake of media goes along way in helping their beliefs ab...

I'm on a mission to simplify my life and streamline my systems AND to teach gt my kids on board with the systems also.  This frees me up to focus on what really matters - the hearts and minds of my children.  Having the kids participate in the home systems grows their character and gives them a framework for living a self-disciplined, productive life. In episode 124, you'll learn about s...