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 hilarious!
11/02/2020 DEBUT of SEASON TWO!!! - Can't wait to share some NEW aspects of the show with all of you!
Click here to listen to Episode 58: Best of Year One
BLOG POST: Here's a bit of the dialog between Rich and Val from this episode. We share lots of clips from top episodes from the past year. Below you'll find the LINKS to the FULL-LENGTH version of all of the clips.
Rich: Happy first birthday to the Practically Speaking MOM: Intentional Mom, Strong Family Podcast! I am Rich Harrison, Val’s husband and today we’re celebrating this milestone by looking at the highlights of year one. I am really looking forward to next week’s BLOOPERS episode hosted by our youngest daughters Abby and Emma I’ve been collecting fun outtakes all year as I’ve edited and produced each episode. I handed all those bloopers over to Abby and Emma and we set them loose to make a comic relief episode.
Val, I want to begin today by telling you how proud I am of you for all that you pour into this ministry to encourage and equip moms week after week. What was it like, at the beginning. Were you nervous?
Val:
What was it like? Was I nervous? Do you remember as a kid, that first time you stood at the edge of a diving board – It felt like you were walking this skinny plank of danger? It felt way up high in the air and the plunge looked so scary. Not only that but you were out there on display for all to see – they’d see if you ran back off and didn’t dive, they’d see you belly flop when you meant to do some graceful smooth tight dive. Well, I walked the plank of the diving board last October. You know, God called me to podcast really about two years ago. I took several months saying, "I’m sure I must have heard Him wrong." Then I began developing a LAUNCH TEAM of women to pray for me and to give me feedback along the way. I had been in ministry for a couple of decades speaking in person and on CDs, writing books, seeking to bolster women in their worthy journey of motherhood. Then, last October I took the plunge into podcasting and this is what the first plunge sounded like...
Rich:
Now, something unique about your podcast has been how much you’ve incorporated your family into the episodes. It really has allowed a well-balanced approach because, thanks to a large family, you are kind of living all stages of motherhood at the same time. Our listeners hear about the life of littles in EPISODES _4 Dealing with Lying in Your Child Part 1 and Toddler Manners
In this clip we hear Becca telling about confronting lying in her 3-year-old….. in EPISODE 4
Rich: Val also talks about littles in EPISODE 3, Loving your child well from Toddler to Teen and in EPISODE 19 When Littles are Loud: Maximizing the Moments without Drowning in Chaos (based on her book by the same title).
Another series for parenting in the younger, elementary and middle years was the series on TIME SAVING STRATEGIES in EPISODE _2
In this next clip from that series, in episode _2__, you talk about teaching your kids responsibility through chores.
The listeners have met our oldest daughter Tori several times on the podcast when she has been on to talk about her ministry as a church youth director to tweens and teens. These two series have been our most popular, and they are episodes
Here’s a clip from episode _6 – Parenting Middles and Teens
Recently Tori came back on to talk about her own spiritual struggle as a teen ager in episodes
which included three original songs Tori wrote as God led her through those struggles.
Speaking of music. Our intro and outro music piece was written and produced by our oldest son, Nathan. He also wrote the music to go with the words we wrote for our first introduction of marriage principles in EPISODE 8 Intentional Marriage, Redeeming Your Marriage .Let’s pick it up there for a minute.
Val: Yes, the listeners who have followed our podcast from the beginning know that you and I, Rich, have been occasionally coming on the podcast to share the relationship principles that God has graciously taught us through our experiences of climbing up out of the marriage pit we had dug for ourselves. For those who would like to hear more, you may want to listen to EPISODE 17 Goal Setting in Marriage EPISODE 23 Overcoming Negative Communication Habits, OR our recent EPISODE 54, Nurturing a Sense of Security
Now we haven’t only had family on the podcast. In the first year you shared the mic with ten guests. One of the favorite guests has been Amanda Colliatie, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. The two of you did two series, EPISODE13 Mom’s Mental Health____ and EPISODE_43-45, Managing Stress in Mom and Child. Let’s listen to EPISODE_43, about confronting toxic stress.
Rich:
I know you have a lot of fun with your guests whether they’re family or not, but the fact that you’ve been a mom – living and learning the real momlife for 26 years yourself – means that you’ve gained plenty of wisdom about that; and I know it’s your passion to share that with moms right where they’re at too. What’s been some of your favorite topics?
Val:
EPISODE 14 Raising a Luke 2:52 Kid. Over 20 yrs ago, I had four littles and I was feeling overwhelmed by all the ways I needed to be helping my children to mature in character, in abilities, in academics, in relationship skills, in knowing God, and it just all felt so big. Then I read Luke 2:52, that says, “Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, favor with God, and favor with Man” and it occurred to me that I could put all the different developmental aspects of my kids into these four categories: wisdom, physical growth, relationship with people, and relationship with God. Eventually this became an entire simple system; a prayerful, intentional parenting goal session that I have twice a year about each of my children. I share about this in episode 14. Here’s two clips about the category of PHYSICAL GROWTH and Relationship with People.
Rich:
Another series from this past year was EPISODE 25 Root Parenting vs. Surface Parenting where you talk about our tendency as parents to RESPOND to visible behaviors from our kids at face value rather than digging deeper.
Val:
Yes, It’s so important to take the time to venture below the surface to the root cause of our children’s behavior – fear, resentment, feelings of inadequacy? a physical issue? Are they being bullied? There’s so much happening below the surface in our children. In Episode 25, Part 1 of “Root Parenting vs Surface Parenting”, I explain what it is, what root parenting looks like. Then in part 2, I go into more detail about HOW TO IDENTIFY the cause of the behavior or attitude. This is definitely a series where you want to start with part 1. Then this clip is from part 2 which can be found in EPISODE 26 DIGGING DEEPER into the Four ROOT AREAS that cause your child's behavior and attitude.
Rich:
Val, I know from time to time, moms who haven’t heard the podcast will ask “Why are you doing this? What’s your goal?”
Val:
That question always catches me off guard because for me this isn’t some accolade or career pursuit. I’m pursuing God’s call on my life. I am compelled to share what God has placed on my heart for moms for the past twenty years. And one of the foundational convictions He’s put in me is just how important it is to remain so connected to Him as our source for every part of our life.
Rich:
And you call this "Living a Lifestyle of Feasting with the Father" in EPISODE 27, “Relationship Killers, Maintaining Influence, and Mom – Are You Out of Order?” (Learning to Live a lifestyle of Feasting with the Father is something you share in little bits at time beginning in EPISODE 22 MOMS MARATHON PATH but our clip was from 27. Be sure to listen to 22-27 to get all the parts of this concept to make changes in your own life in how you spend time with God and develop a meaningful relationship with Him that fills you up so you can pour out to your family).
We’re out of time for this week. But it has been so fun to take a look back over the past year.
There’s something I didn’t mention at the beginning of this episode. Val isn’t in the studio with me now so it’s the perfect time to share this– today is Val’s birthday. And so, Val Harrison, the Practically Speaking MOM, to the world, you’re an inspiration to all intentional moms who are striving daily to live out God’s calling on their life in their role of motherhood. but to me, Val, you are –
My greatest blessing and the best gift God could give, the one I love to laugh with and share my everything with, and the one I love dearly. You’re heart for God and your walk with Him have challenged and inspired me for all these years, which is why words can’t say how much I believe in you and what you’re doing; and I’m so glad to be a part of this ministry and a partner with you in all of life. I love you, and a huge congratulations on this first year of your podcast.
So, all of you Intentional Moms who are building strong families out there, join me in wishing Val a Happy Birthday, by showing some encouragement and love for her this week! Leave a review about her podcast or ministry on whatever platform you use OR share her podcast and tell people how much it means to you and let her know you did! That would make her day! Every week she is praying and seeking God’s heart on your behalf to bring you the encouragement and words that God gives her for you. Could you tell your world about this ministry? Thank you!
