Intentional Moms, I pray that you and your family are preparing your hearts for a blessed Christmas in your home.  Today&apos;s episode is an inspirational devotional from guest host Jan Burt.  She gives us encouragement that, because of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have reason to have hope and joy, even in the midst of the struggles we face in our world.  Thank you, Jan, for pointing us again to the Savior this Christmas season! Jan L. Burt is an author, speaker, podcaster, homeschooling veteran, mother to five, and has been happily married to Tony for twenty-nine years. She served in youth ministry alongside her husband for twelve years & has led several Bible studies for women as well as hosting an online prayer retreat.Jan is the host of the podcast “The Burt (Not Ernie) Show” & author of the new book “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon) & “The Once-A-Year Homeschool Planner” (a multi-grade, multi-subject planning system) – which can be found at JanLBurt.com. She is also a regular contributor to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Find Jan  Instagram: @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com The Burt (Not Ernie) Show Podcast(on Apple Podcasts)The Power of God&apos;s Will - 40 Days of God&apos;s Promises Devotional on AmazonJanLBurt.comNext Week: Guest Host Katie Waalkes

Practically Speaking Mom: Intentional Mom, Strong Family

Christmas Devo to Moms by Guest Jan L. Burt - Episode 118

Mama, Are you depleted?  You can&apos;t pour out of an empty pitcher.  Intentional Moms take time to have your soul nourished so that you can truly nourish the souls of your children. Today we look at the different ways a busy mom can get quality time with God to nourish her heart so that it&apos;s filled up in order to be poured out for her children.The episode concludes with a look at four steps to being a Power House Parent.Click here to Read Val&apos;s BLOG POST that coincides with this podcastPower House Commitments:1. I will model a God-First relationship with Jesus Christ.2. I will honor my child&apos;s other parent.3. I will guard my child&apos;s heart.4. I will encourage other families to be a Power House family.Quotes:"God has an agenda for my day.  I need to trust him to make me passionate about His agenda for my day and to have peace about the things that aren&apos;t going to get done.""Time with the Lord is your daily spiritual nourishment to fill up your heart so that you can pour it out in leading your family to live a lifestyle of feasting with the Father.""You can&apos;t lead where you aren&apos;t going.  You can&apos;t teach what you don&apos;t know.  Your relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship in your life."Today&apos;s Guest Host:  Jan L. Burt is an author, speaker, podcaster, homeschooling veteran, mother to five, and has been happily married to Tony for twenty-nine years. She served in youth ministry alongside her husband for twelve years & has led several Bible studies for women as well as hosting an online prayer retreat.Jan is the host of the podcast “The Burt (Not Ernie) Show” & author of the new book “The Power of God’s Will – 40 Days of God’s Promises Devotional” (available on Amazon) & “The Once-A-Year Homeschool Planner” (a multi-grade, multi-subject planning system) – which can be found at JanLBurt.com. She is also a regular contributor to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Find Jan  Instagram: @JanLBurt or at her website JanLBurt.com .janburtauthor@gmail.comResources MentionedYouverision BibleCONNECT with Val:www.PracticallySpeakingMOM.com        Public announcements & Resources Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/PracticallySpeakingMom/Val&apos;s Private Group: Intentional Mom, Strong FamilyInstagram:@PracticallySpeakingMOM

Busy Mom, Let's Nourish Your Heart. With Guest Host, Jan L. Burt - Episode 117

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&apos;s sacred journey to make their faith their own...with Guest Host Nina Baldwin, EverydayBlessings.net, Everyday Blessings YouTube Channel, featuring Victoria Dahilig.  What&apos;s so sacred about struggling?  We don&apos;t realize it is sacred until later.   And then, then we see that the time of struggling was just as sacred as the time of redemption. Resources:Clash In Your Home: Getting a Game Plan for Cleaning Up the Conflict     EBook version                                                                                                                     "Welcome"  "Whisper"  "Be Still" written, composed, and performed by Victoria Dahilig. Copyright 2009A note from Victoria about the final song, Be Still,  in this week&apos;s episode...I was 14 and at a crucial point in my spiritual formation. Struggling between simply living out “my parent’s faith” and making my faith and belief in God my own, I had been in a battle between the knowledge in my head and the feelings in my heart. I was doubting the goodness of God. This battle culminated in a struggle with depression, loneliness, anger and fear – God gripped my heart, drove me to my knees and drew me back to Him through the light of others and the truth of His word.  As I searched Scripture, I re-discovered a loving Father who is attentive to every need and deep, heart-cry of His children and yet, sits in sovereign control of the Universe. A God who was not far from me, nor angry with me or disappointed in me but one who was close, constant and welcoming with open arms.  As my soul finally began to find rest in the character and promises of God, this song, Be Still, was my response.  Inspired by God’s own Words found in Psalm 46, Exodus 14:14, Isaiah 31:17 and Zephaniah 3:17, this was my heart singing in the assurance and confidence I had found in my place of belonging and safety in the arms of a good Father. My hope is that as other’s hear the words of this song, that no matter what storms may be raging in their life, they can take a moment to trust again and simply rest in the assurance that God is still God."                Victoria Dahilig, 2020More Episode series w/ Victoria  A Girl&apos;s Self-worth,   Parenting Middles and TeensNEXT WEEKGuest Host Jan Burt.  Check out her podcast HERE

When Your Child Questions Their Faith, Part 2, with Guest Host Nina Baldwin of Everyday Blessings. 116

Special Thanks to our guest host this week, Nina Baldwin of the YouTube Channel "Every Day Blessings" EverydayBlessings.net   Everyday Blessings YouTube ChannelNina introduces you to a conversation between myself, Val Harrison The Practically Speaking MOM, and my oldest daughter, Victoria Dahilig, a youth director."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… to admit that I couldn’t do this anymore on my own and I didn’t want to..."    Victoria Dahilig, Episode 115 This week and next, you get to journey to the heart of God through the testimony of Victoria Dahilig - church youth and ministry director, and one of my grown daughters.  This two part series includes two original songs by Victoria - words God gave her because they were the words her heart needed to hear, and perhaps you need these words for your own heart or for the heart of one that you love who is running from God."Psalm 113:7-8 says &apos;He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and the princes of His people.&apos; That was exactly where I felt that I was at – that I was poor in the dust and needy in the ash heap. I had felt that I was in a place of dust and ashes and God was willing to lift me out of the heap... I grabbed a hold of the truth about the sovereignty of God - the mystery of Him and the assurance of Him... One of my songs was born out of this realization, in the act of turning back to Christ and realizing how heavy the loneliness, and dust, and ashes were weighing on me and taking the chance to open up in an honest prayer to God – lifting a raw prayer before Him.“     Victoria Dahilig, Episode 51Parents, one thing I feel very strongly is that how we help our younger children discover God is a very different parenting plan from when our teens and adult children wrestle with their faith. "Who is God?" and "Who am I in relationship to Him?"  Are critical questions. As intentional parents, we can&apos;t have a "one size fits all ages" approach to this heart issue. We need to handle it differently at different stages of life. Next week, as we conclude this interview with Tori and introduce her next song, we’ll also talk about the Parent’s Action Plan - steps for helping your kids make their faith their own - different steps for different stages of childhood.“God doesn’t eliminate the difficulties and trials for our children, but He does walk with them through these times. He is right there with them at every moment of every step, going in front, going beside, going behind, carrying them. He is totally surrounding our kids and we can trust Him."val harrison, The Practically Speaking MOM, episode 115"Welcome Me" written and performed by Victoria Dahilig, Copyright 2009Next week, I(Val, The Practically Speaking MOM) will share ACTION STEPS for PARENTS  at each age and stage, to aid in the process of kids taking on their faith in God AS THEIR OWN, from the young to the grown, what we can do as intentional parents. (Episode 116). The story continues with the second song for the second step in Tori’s journey to the heart of God.Thanks again, to Nina Baldwin of Every Day Blessings YouTube Channel and EveryDayBlessings.net

When Your Child Questions Their Faith with Guest Host Nina Baldwin of "Everyday Blessings" 115

Strategies for being an intentional mom and a money making mom are packed into episode 113.  Most families these days need mom to make some income also.  Even most stay-at-home moms and homeschool moms I know are earning money on the side or more.    This episode is about setting up strong home systems and work systems so that your FOCUS CAN BE ON YOUR FAMILY.  Part of the episode is a conversation with one of my grown daughters, Becca, who is a work-from-home mom as well.  Then I share a list of tips for working smart instead of hard.And I also share how I taught my kids about money management and more through incorporating them in my business.We&apos;re in a series of guest hosts on the Practically Speaking MOM Podcast.This week we are featuring Olivia Hayse, The Mama Marketer who is a wife, homeschool mom, podcaster, blogger, and business owner.   She begins this episode with some of her own tips for being an income producing mom.  She shares a bit of her story - leaving a successful business to be a farm mom!  You also hear her heart in this episode to hear the importance of keeping your family way ahead of your business and how to make that happen. Here&apos;s how to connect with Olivia: at The Mama Marketer:The Mama Marketer websiteThe Mama Marketer InstagramResources MentionedTime Saving Strategies for Busy Moms Live Audio Workshop by Val $4 on her online shopPodcast episodes on Time Saving Strategies  Episode 2          Episode 5          Episode 10

Guest Host Olivia Hayse Shares Her Favorite Episode, plus Tips for Mamas Making Money - Episode 113

Not only are we talking about MOM PRESSURES on episode 112, we&apos;re also talking about the MOM PRESSURE that lead to my Big Announcement! And, no worries, it is a good announcement!  We are going to cover Four Steps to Dealing with Mom Pressure.  Step two includes bringing our concerns to God in prayer.  One of the great things about God is that His solutions to our obstacles  come at just the right time and He orchestrates much better solutions than we could contrive ourselves. So, jump on the podcast this week and hear the big announcement!

Dealing with MOM PRESSURE and a Big Announcement - Episode 112

We mamas are on a constant quest for improving our health.  We talk about that journey in the first half of today&apos;s podcast. In fact, the tips that guest Becca Hammond shares are the changes she made to help her third pregnancy to be MUCH healthier than her previous ones.  She even says her delivery was a positive experience and she felt good, alert, and had energy.  In episode 111, she shares three simple things that made a big difference for her.Then the second half of this episode, Becca and I talk about important tips for thriving with multiple kiddos.   Four key aspects to helping your kids to thrive daily:1.  Fill their love buckets -  speak words of truth  & hope & vision over them, make eye contact, give physical touch, show a smile on your face, relating on their level in a way that matters to them.2. Get them moving!3. Give them mental challenges.4. Give them quiet time - a time alone to decompress, think, imagine, and self-regulate.We talk about this and lots more on this mother/daughter conversation between a mature mama of seven, who is also a grandma, with one of her grown daughters, a mother of three.RESOURCES:Val&apos;s book When Littles Are Loud: Maximizing the Moments without Drowning in ChaosE-book of When Littles are LoudAdrenal Renewal Drink:Organic Pulp-free OJ (not from concentrate) 4 ozCream or Coconut Cream 2 tblspHimalayan Sea Salt 1/4 tspCream of Tarter  1/4 tspCollagen, serving size depends on collagen you choose (or Val uses protein powder, if you blend it)Optional if you use a blender or food processor - some greens such as spinach or kale or a greens powderVal&apos;s TrimHealthyMama coach: Deann&apos;s FacebookLinks to Becca&apos;s health influencers (she follows all of these in Insta but here are internet links too)Fallonstable.comJessicaAshWellness.comReal Food Ganstas Instagramhormonehealingrd.comCleanKitchenNutrition.comMegLangston.comArmstrongSisters.comSTAY TUNED NEXT WEEK for a big announcement AND we&apos;ll be talking about dealing with mom pressure.Connect with Val at www.PracticallySpeakingMOM.com

Mom's Health Journey & Managing Multiples with Guest Becca Hammond, Ep. 111

Everything you do as a parent is an investment in your child&apos;s future. Therefore, let&apos;s be sure that the effort we are making is effective for strengthening their life steps.  In Episode 110 we are going to have a checklist for growth steps toward the ultimate goal of helping our kids to live fully in God&apos;s unique purpose for their lives.To do this, we look at Val&apos;s diagram of A Child&apos;s Hierarchy of Needs to God&apos;s Will for Their Lives, from her book When Littles are Loud: Maximizing the Moments without Drowning in Chaos. But this hierarchy of needs is not just about small children.  It applies to every life - we need to progress to the next step on the ladder as a daily checklist, but also over their lifetime. The levels of A Child&apos;s Hierarchy of Needs , which Val discusses in episode 110, are-Safety Needs mentally, socially, spiritually,  & physically-Physical Needs -Love & Justice Needs-Knowledge of God and  Who you are in relationship with God-Need to Know your unique design  from personality to gifts, talents, passions, experiences, strengths, weaknesses - our child needs to know that the unique design that is YOU is exactly what this world needs.  Your life is a unique message to the world  and PURPOSE in the world- Need to Hear God&apos;s voice & do His will - how do we teach our kids to hear God&apos;s voice for the daily small stuff and the big decisions o f life.On each step of the hierarchy, we want to take child through the following process:1. Let them experience life with this step of life being HEALTHY.  Are we giving them a healthy view of this part of life or a warped view? 2. Simultaneously, MODEL for them of how it looks for an adult to live out this area of life in a healthy way.3. When they are old enough, EQUIP them to MONITOR this area of their life.4. When they are old enough, EQUIP them to IMPROVE this area of their life.RESOURCES mentioned in this episodeTim Mackie - Justice and God&apos;s Story, pt 1The Bible Project  short family videos  by Tim MackieBible Study: Experiencing God - Henry BlackabyAbout George MuellerVal&apos;s hierarchy of needs for reaching God&apos;s purpose in your child&apos;s life comes from her book, When Littles Are Loud

Child's Hierarchy of Needs to God's Will for Their Unique Life: Equipping Them to SOAR series, ep. 110

"COMFORT ZONES are pretty dull places to live..." This week is about helping our kids to STRETCH for growth, to SPREAD their wings in order to fly.  It&apos;s one of those episodes you will want your kids to hear."You become a leader by learning to serve others" "Don&apos;t compare yourself to others""Everything you do speaks and you are constantly building your brand" are just some of the truths shared in this mother/daughter conversation.As parents, our tendency is to want to make life easy for our kids.  However, a life of constant and immediate happiness, doesn&apos;t bring GROWTH.  If we want our kids to be strengthened, we must help them embrace challenges and obstacles as OPPORTUNITIES for their world to expand and  for their abilities to increase.  Comfort zones are pretty dull places to live.  And, usually God&apos;s design for our lives, is far bigger than our comfort zone. In this episode,  I&apos;m joined by my daughter Abby to discuss the benefits of stepping out of our comfort zone, overcoming obstacles, and the good changes that can come from challenges.This is the third week of the series on Preparing our Kids to SOAR.  See episodes 107 and 108 for parts one and two of the series.Bible Verse Philippians 4:8

Obstacles are Opportunities: Preparing Our Kids to SOAR Series - Episode 109

This is the second episode in the new series "Preparing Your Child to Soar," where we&apos;re talking about how the best preparation is a holistic approach, based on Luke 2:52. In this episode I&apos;m joined by our youngest son Andrew to discuss specific and practical techniques for thriving.  Today we cover the following topics:Time management skillsPeople skillsBalancing Weaknesses & StrengthsStress ManagementHow to Detox from Toxic (environment or people)Work EthicWhat does EXCELLENCE look like - God&apos;s perspective over mine.Links:Episode 14: Raising a Luke 2:52 KidBook: Gaining Momentum - Preparing Your Student for a Career, With our Without College

Life Skills w/ Excellence, a REALISTIC Perspective -Preparing Your Child to Soar series pt 2 - Episode 108

I want my children to be well-prepared for life –  a holistic view of life – prepared emotionally and socially, prepared academically and with wisdom, prepared spiritually and with discernment for their life purposes, prepared physically with healthy habits.  I want my kids to be prepared. Do you agree? That preparation doesn’t begin when they’re 16, it begins from a very early age.  We’re going to talk about all of this in our new series Preparing My Child to SOAR beyond the nest.   The conversation begins this week in episode 107."Holistic" from the Greek root "Holo" meaning "Whole."   Let&apos;s equip our kids through a WHOLE PERSON LIFESTYLE.Four Steps for Moms to Equip Your Kids with a Whole Person Lifestyle 1. Parents model self-evaluation and growth in these four areas of life. The goal is growth, NOT perfection. 2. Continually seek to create and maintain a home environment that focuses on developing these four areas of life as a family. (Listen to episode 14)3. In upper elementary or middle school, begin equipping your children to self-evaluate & set goals in these areas as well. (Listen to episode 107)4. Throughout their lives, from young to old, be their biggest cheerleader in their pursuit of holistic living.(Holostic, root word holo, Greek for whole) God introduces the holistic approach to raising our kids in Luke 2:52This Checklist will be helpful  to go along with this episode. This week&apos;s podcast refers back to episode 14 in which I introduce a method for evaluating and goal-setting about our kids, called "Raising a Luke 2:52 Kid."  Click the button below to listen to episode 14. Episode 14 Raising a Luke 2:52 Kid

Equipped to SOAR - Series Kick-off, Episode 107

My husband Rich joins me in the studio this week to share about the BIG SURPRISE our children gave us!  Next week, we begin the series "Equipped to SOAR" - what are the ingredients to effectively prepare your kids to soar beyond the nest? It begins NOW, right where your kids are TODAY.  They aren&apos;t too young to begin preparing them to soar!

A Little Bit of Hope and an Educational Vacation Idea w/ Rich & Val - Episode 106

In this final episode in the series, "Teaching Our Kids to BE A BLESSING,"  we look at HOW to help our children ESTABLISH and MAINTAIN healthy friendships .  One of the most common concerns that moms bring to me, is their heartache over their child&apos;s lack of meaningful friendships.  What can be done about this concern?  In this episode we look at ALL the layers of RELATIONSHIPS that our children have and some ways to help them navigate these relationships and improve the important ones. The episodes in this series of BEING A BLESSING are:101 "The Value of VOLUNTEERING"102 "Simplifying HOSPITALITY"103 & 104  "Being a Blessing AMONG SIBLINGS"105 "Build Strong FRIENDSHIPS"PracticallySpeakingMOM.com, to listen to earlier episodes in the series.Mentioned in this episode:  Val&apos;s book - Gaining Momentum"Who is My Neighbor" by Apologia PublishingThe next series that we will begin is "Equipping Our Kids to SOAR"

Helping My Child BUILD STRONG FRIENDSHIPS, "Be a Blessing" Series, Episode 105

Here&apos;s an episode power-packed with examples and PRACTICAL solutions for your family.    The focus is on improving sibling interactions.  Intentional Mom, you can do this!  There is HOPE for your family!41 - Sibling Relationships, Family Values... Val&apos;s Four Daughters53 - Sibling Squabbles, Bonding, Etc.Gal. 5:15-24 (NIV)

Teaching Your Kids to Be A Blessing Among Siblings, Part 2 - Episode 104

"BLESSING ONE ANOTHER AMONG SIBLINGS," what does that look like? How do we make this a reality in our imperfect home?  It&apos;s going to take two episodes to share my answers with you.  This  is part one.  Oh!  This episode also talks about IDENTIFYING GOD&apos;s WILL FOR OUR OWN LIFE and OUR KIDS LIVES ! Read the BLOG POST that goes with this series, CLICK HERE.This is the THIRD topic in the series on THE HABIT OF BEING A BLESSING. The FIRST topic was VOLUNTEERING with guest Debbie Smith here to talk about family volunteering in episode 101. CLICK HERE to listen 101.In  episode102, Becca Hammond was our guest to talk about the benefits of incorporating HOSPITALITY into your busy family life - and how to do it SIMPLY.  CLICK HERE to listen to 102.  WHAT is the Habit of Being a Blessing and WHY is it so important for our kids?The lifestyle of being a blessing  is the perfect vehicle to take our children to  a life of COMPASSION, EMPATHY, ATTENTIVENESS TO OTHERS NEEDS, The ABILITY TO SPEAK BOTH HUMBLY & CONFIDENTLY AT THE SAME TIME to ALL PEOPLE – no matter their age, race, socio-economic status, or anything else.  What is coming in future episodes to wrap up SEASON TWO:Next week - Part Two of Being a Blessing Among Siblings.*The final series of SEASON TWO is called INGREDIENTS for LAUNCHING OUR KIDS FROM THE NEST - what do they need most.*Season Two will end with a BLOOPERS episode hosted by Abby & Emma.God&apos;s Artwork verse - Eph. 2:10

Among Siblings, Part 1 - From the "Teaching Your Kids to Be a Blessing" Series - Episode 103

Do you long to be a more intentional mom but you feel overwhelmed or weary or just don't have a clear path to the next step toward a successful family life? The Practically Speaking MOM, Val Harrison, is here to bring some order to the chaos and some focus to the confusion. You don’t have to be the perfect mom to have a strong family, you need a plan! Join author, speaker, and mother of seven, as she shares wisdom and encouragement about the six areas of an intentional mom's life.You'll learn from her years of experience, successes, mistakes and redemption. Val and her husband Rich, married 27 years, have three married children, two more in college, and two in her homeschool. This podcast covers all stages of parenting, from babies to toddlers to teens and beyond. Val wants to encourage you to not become weary in your work as an intentional mom, "Even with all its unique personalities, imperfections and scars; your family is God's masterpiece. Your efforts matter in this worthy journey of motherhood. Let's walk this path together!"

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Practically Speaking Mom: Intentional Mom, Strong Family

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