A Special Christmas Christmas Special

I know, that's a weird title!  But, it will make sense I hope. 
After watching all the usual Christmas specials, I  find that one in particular still gets me excited.  I, of course, love The Grinch and Frosty and Rudolph, but when a little boy named Linus actually QUOTES FROM THE BIBLE in a CHRISTMAS show, I just get so full of joy!  Yes, Christmas is love, peace, family, togetherness- all those wonderful things espoused by those other shows.  But the real meaning, the absolute truth about Christmas is that God so loved us that He sent His son, a tiny baby, to save us.  Unfortunately, we end up hearing so little of that aspect in today's media.  So I thank little Linus for reminding us of the true "reason for the season".
I hope you all have a safe and merry Christmas and a very blessed New Year!

Happy October!

Our next meeting on Oct. 12th will have breakfast provided by the Delta Divas. We will also have Jennifer Talkington as speaker and she will doing a Home Economics class which I have really been looking forward to.  As mothers, we are pretty much the sole gatekeeper for what foods come into our homes and what are families will be eating.  That is a big reponsibility and Jennifer will be giving us some tips to make it easier.  Should be fun!

back to school

Its back to school time, and to help ease the transition from beaches to books our Sept. newsletter will have some ideas for healthy school lunches and snacks.  Then, in October, our MOPS group will have our version of a "Home Ec" class where we will learn some yummy and easy to prepare meals. As always at our meetings, you can enjoy some breakfast and coffee with friends while having fun.  See you soon!

Baby shots

Yesterday I had to take my baby in for his shots, by far one of the things a mom dreads most.  I was surprised how, even though he's my 3rd, it was just as hard as when my oldest got her shots. The nurse even made a comment that most of the time, its worse for the parent than the child.  As I placed Joseph onto the table, he smiled and giggled, curious what mommy and this new lady were doing.  My heart already started breaking as he looked at me so trustingly and innocently, completely unaware of what was going on.  As he got the shot, he looked at me in pain and I could almost read his eyes, questioning why mommy was allowing this pain.  It made me think of God and how He must feel when we look up at Him wondering why we are suffering.  How we are like little babies in our understanding of how the world works, not realizing that maybe the pain we are feeling is small in comparison to what could have been and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.  I imagine that God's heart is probably breaking as well when He asks us to just trust in Him and that He loves us despite our feeling that He might not be there for us.  As soon as I could, I took Joseph back up in my arms and hugged and kissed him and promised him that everything would be alright. Then I quickly wiped my eyes and we headed back home.

Welcome to MOPS 2010!

It's back to school time! Amid all the hustle and bustle to get your little ones ready, it is nice to know that a new year of MOPs is also starting.  This year our theme is Momology: the Art & Science of Mothering. As moms, there is so much to learn and share as we journey together in this unique time of life.  Sometimes you may think, "why isn't there a school to become a mom?"  Well, with Momology there is!  And MOPs will be there to make it as memorable, and fun, as possible.    Come join us on Sept. 14th at 9:15 for our 1st meeting of the year and follow our blog here and also our Facebook page.

Together on Planet MOM

MOPS Schedule
9:15am-11:30am
Childcare is provided for children through age 5

September 15- Together on planet Mom
Welcome back

September 29- Avoiding Black Holes
Don’t let your house swallow you up!

October 13- A day in the life on planet Mom
Organizing our finances

October 27- Falling back to earth
Fall craft and devotion

November 10- Astronaut training
Healthy meal planning and getting in shape

December 8- In a galaxy far, far away
SPA DAY!!

January 12- Authorized personnel only
The importance of nurturing the relationship with your spouse

January 26- Houston we have a problem
Conflict in relationships

Get ready for Life on Planet MOM!!

The MOPS steering team has been hard at work planning our upcoming 2009-2010 year. There are so many great things that we want to do this year, it is hard narrowing it down. But there are some inspiring speakers, cool crafts, and just fun ways to connect with other moms coming your way! Christa Mushett- one of our wonderful mentor momsStephanie Pounds- one of the co-coordinators

Karla Briggs - one of our new mentor moms, Amy Shutt, Angel Cooley - all trying to not look at the camera.

Traci Mozina and Tracy Booth co-coordinator and coordinator of our awesome group

Caryn Colahan and little miss Lilly

I just wanted to let you know that this year we will not be having a pre-registration at Baines park as we have in the past. So be prepared to fill out your registration forms and such at the first meeting.

There is a change in the month of September as well and I wanted to let you know right away. We usually meet the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month - that will hold true for the months Oct-May, but with Labor day falling the day before our 1st meeting, we are pushing it back a week. So our 1st meeting in September will be on Tuesday September 15