Practically Speaking Mom: Intentional Mom, Strong Family

The mom life is so much more meaningful when we share the journey with a friend! Today begins a mini-series with one of my dear friends, Tiffany Deschner, an intentional mama of three adorable daughters who is also on my PSM Leadership team! In Episode 70, Let's Get Real, Tiff and I discuss several aspects of the momlife: ❤ Responding instead of Reacting ❤Learning to Lean In to God  in a diff...

We all want to grow and CHANGE, to eradicate the things in us that are unhelpful to our family and to ourselves; but real, lasting change is difficult to achieve. For many of us, we don't find lasting change because we try to fast forward to growth, skipping essential stops in this worthy journey.  We have to spend time at each of the Five R's of Intentional Parenting. We also need to kn...

"H iding in the messy moments from our past are opportunities for new God moments with us and with our kids" - Val Harrison, The Practically Speaking MOM, from episode 68, "Mom, Take the Time to REFINE - The 5 R's of Intentional Parenting, Part 1. We are always working on the growth of our kids' hearts.  This episode is for YOU, intentional mom, to work on your heart.  It&...

Merry Christmas, My Intentional Mom Friends! This is Val Harrison the Practically Speaking MOM and host of the Practically Speaking MOM: Intentional Mom, Strong Family Podcast.  This week we’re all in for a Christmas crosscast!  What's a "Crosscast?"  It's a collaboration of podcasters.  You'll be listening to a  a collaboration of 12 fellow female podcasters.  We were inv...

Val Harrison, The Practically Speaking MOM, is joined by her two youngest daughters, Abby and Emma, as they share lots of laughter and family traditions to bring you closer to each other and to Christ.  Some of the ideas are silly and some are serious, AND... they also share their favorite SIMPLE Christmas party recipes.  All of this is in episode 66, Creating CHRISTMAS Memories with Abby, Emma, a...

My dear mom friend, you do not need to be perfect to be an intentional mom.  In fact, imperfect goes very well with intentional and in today's podcast & blog we're looking at the four life-changing benefits of being flawed! I'm also sharing my Intentional Christmas ideas, including our family's Christmas Blessing Project! I’m just a sister sojourner on the path to strengthe...

Did you know that one of the most loving things you can do for your child is be excited about DISCOVERING who they are? We talk about it on Episode 64, Made to SHINE: The Value of Your Child's Unique Identity . Last week we talked about the question “Am I worth knowing?” as one of the six questions of our child’s heart and we're continuing this topic for a second week.   "Am I worth...

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 overshadowing those strengths ,   HOW DO WE DO THIS? Let's talk about it on Episode 63 . This process is the tremendous privilege we are...

Even intentional, loving parents are going to cause some heart-wounds in our children. How can we identify those wounds? How can we help them heal? That's our topic today on the Practically Speaking MOM Podcast, the place for an intentional mom to build a strong family.   Every child's heart is asking, "Do you love me enough to RESTORE our relationship, to REPAIR my heart?"    ...

Practical Parenting Hint - EXPECTATIONS and STANDARDS are not the same thing.  Use expectations as a tool to move your child toward the fixed standard. Let's talk about it in episode 61, Giving Our Kids SMALL Steps to BIG Results. "Small steps takes you a long way over time. In fact, there are  some things we accomplish in life that we would never be able to achieve except through little...

A NEW look, a new sound, and a new format is waiting for you in episode 60 of the Practically Speaking MOM: Intentional Mom, Strong Family Podcast.  This is a SPECIAL SEASON TWO DEBUT episode!  "Family Table Talk Ideas & Season 2 DEBUT - Let God Write Your Victory Song" episode 60. Click here for the blog post, "Let God Write Your Victory Song" Link to Operation World  (Abb...

BLOOPERS  Year One! "Behind the Mic" hosted by Abby & Emma, episode 59. This is Val Harrison, the Practically Speaking MOM and I approved this episode. What was I thinking? Link to blog post for Episode 59 . It has a few behind the scenes pics related to this episode. You’re listening to the final episode of Year One of the Practically Speaking MOM: Intentional Mom, Strong Family Pod...

Episode 58, BEST OF YEAR ONE - top episodes, top parenting principles, hosted by Rich and Val It's time to CELEBRATE!  This is the first of three episodes of celebration for our One Year Milestone with the Practically Speaking MOM Podcast, the podcast for an intentional mom to build a strong family.   Coming Soon: 10/26/2020 BLOOPERS - Behind the Mic with Abby & Emma - this one is hilario...

Here is an episode full of wisdom nuggets for moms to keep the right PERSPECTIVE with your to do list, to keep your PRIORITIES in order, to find STRENGTH in difficult times, AND it wraps up with guest Steph Fisher leading us through a Stress-Relieving Deep Breathing Exercise.  This is a conversation rich in wisdom, encouragement, and motivation for mamas between Val Harrison, The Practically Speak...

 This week we look at lots of awesome strategies for FITTING HEALTH into our busy momlife!!  Oh, Mama, you want to listen to this two-week discussion between Val Harrison, the Practically Speaking MOM, and Steph Fisher of @StephFisherWellness.  "When you take care of YOU well, then you're able to take care of your family well." Steph Fisher of @StephFisherWellness Moms have a tenden...

Click Here to go to Episode 55's BLOG POST . How Do YOU Measure MOM SUCCESS?  Goodbye COMPARISON & PERFECTION! Have you clearly identified your family values? Until you do, you are likely to use the wrong measurement for gauging how you’re doing as mom, and how well your kids are growing toward a meaningful life. Too often COMPARISON or PERFECTION sneaks in as mom's measuring stick f...

A Sense of SECURITY is a Fundamental Building Block in the Pursuit of Wholeness - the wholeness of an individual and of a relationship. What if you had someone in your life who was fully committed to your wholeness as a person, someone who sacrificially pursued your sense of security every single day? How would that impact your ability to thrive? To stay encouraged? To pursue God's big and sm...

Sibling Squabbles & Family Standards for Fighting Fair, Birthday Bonding, Listener Q&A, Changing Negative Self-Perceptions, and the Hard Work of Mending Relationships are all a part of Episode 53 of the Practically Speaking MOM: Intentional Mom, Strong Family Podcast. How would you like to sit-in on a lighthearted chat with Val and her two youngest children? That's what you'll do...

An honest story of brokenness, redemption, hope, and beautiful scars along with SPECIFIC ACTION STEPS for INTENTIONAL PARENTS - steps for the role you play in your child's sacred journey to make their faith their own.   What's so sacred about struggling?  We don't realize it is sacred until later.  Later we see all the ways that God weaves together our mistakes and poor choices, our...

"In all honesty I was tired of running from God. It’s hard work to run away from God because you’re running away from love and joy and hope. You don’t realize, until you’re away from all of those, the deep cavern that is inside of you without God filling it. So I came to this place of surrender and it was really GRACE. I was finally willing to admit that I was lonely and that I was hopeless…...

Fifty episodes is something to CELEBRATE when you're a mom of seven, grandma to two, a homeschooler, and a Mompreneur!  Val (and Rich too) are amazed that God continues to direct this ministry - now with registered listeners in over 40 countries around the world and thousands of downloads. Moms in all types of circumstances are becoming more intentional, growing stronger families, and celebra...

LAUNCH Time: Legacy Building for what comes next  & a Mother's Prayer at the Threshold, Episode 49. If you'd like the words of the Mother's Milestone Prayer from this episode, you will find them on my blog that publishes Mondays by noon, at www. PracticallySpeakingMOM.com.  While there, be sure to take a few seconds to enter your email address to register to receive my weekly bl...

Growing Heroes & Helping Weaknesses - the positive habit of audio adventures w/ guest Jim Hodges, Episode 48. Read Val's Blog Post regarding this episode HERE (get Val's weekly podcast & blog emailed to you every Monday by going here and entering your email address) I f you’ve known me for awhile, then you know that I’ve been living the mom life for almost 27 years. From those ne...

Intentional parents, it is never too late to pivot, apologize, and course correct.  The sooner you do, the sooner you'll get to enjoy the wonderful, undeserved harvest even for the mistaking parent.  When we parents learn the hard way, we aren't the only ones who suffer. Our children bare the brunt of our errors and for those of us who love our kids deeply, which is most of us, the guilt...

The Hope-Filled Life of a Mistaking Parent including a Mother & Son Discussion between The Practically Speaking MOM and her oldest son, Nathan. This week's podcast is a lesson learned the hard way by a Mistaking Parent (me), and God's grace for all of us imperfect moms! You'll also hear the beginning of a mother and son discussion between me, The Practically Speaking MOM, and my...