Video and This or That Game--December 1st Meeting Recap

Our December 1st meeting was originally slated to be focused on the topic of anger.  Anne VandeZande had to postpone, so we changed plans!  Anne will be back to speak with us on the topic of anger later this year. 

In place of our speaker, we watched a video put out by MOPS International.  The person in the video spoke about "feasting", which is finding ways to refresh and replenish ourselves so we can be the best moms we can be at home for our kids.  We hope you find the time spent with us at MOPS as a "refueling" for your spirit! 

After the video, we worked with our tables to answer some discussion questions related to the video. 

Many people were wondering what the Passionate table was up to at the November 17th meeting...  They were standing on chairs, singing, and generally having a great time.  Brenda Boone, the Passionate table leader, was kind enough to lead our whole group in the same game she played with her table during ice breakers at the previous meeting! 

The game was basically "This or That", relating to the holidays.   If you agreed with the first statement from Brenda, you sat down.  If you agreed with the second statement, you stood up.  If you strongly agreed with one or the other, you could show your dedication by standing on your chair or pounding on the table. :)

Here are some examples of questions:

White lights or colored lights in your Christmas decorating?
Traveling or staying home for the holidays?
Rip the wrapping paper or open carefully and reuse it?
Open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Jingle Bell Rock or O Holy Night?

The game was so much fun, and Brenda encouraged people to share stories relating to their answers.  We were thrilled that so many people chose to share! This might be a fun thing to play with your own families over the holidays and you can even encourage your friends and family to make up questions of their own.

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Holly Melchert!  Here's what she had to say about her winning dish:

Bacon - Spinach Egg Bake

Ingredients:

12 slices bacon

1-2 Tb bacon fat from cooking

12 eggs

2 cups (approx.) of spinach, chopped

1/4 cup of basil, chopped (I was out of this)

2 Tb of fresh chives, chopped (In season I use this, otherwise I use a dried onion and chive blend)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

a few good shakes of pepper

8 -12 cherry tomatoes, sliced or halved

*When I make this at home I add a little milk and sprinkle cheese on top, but I omitted those things for MOPS*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut bacon into small pieces and fry.

Use some of the bacon fat on a paper towel and grease a 9x13 pan with it.

In a bowl mix all of the ingredients except the tomatoes.

Pour into the pan.

Put the sliced tomatoes on top of the egg mixture.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top if desired.

Bake at 375 for approx 35 minutes or until the center is done. 

Glad you enjoyed it as much as I do!

 

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Announcements:

• Inspired by our speaker at a previous meeting, we will be collecting, tampons, pads, and/or cash donations for Lily Sparrow House.  If you would still like to donate to this worthy cause, please bring them to this meeting.  Thank you to everyone who has donated already!
• We have had some issues with moms picking up their kids early.  For most rooms, this is not a problem, but the 1's and 2's tend to get upset if they think their mom is coming and it ends up with a room full of upset children. We absolutely understand that there are times that you may need to leave early.  If this is the case and you have a child in either the 1's or 2's room upstairs, please find Talea Smith and she will go in to get your child for you.  The children are used to seeing her go in and out, so it doesn't upset them.  If you can't find Talea, ask anyone on the steering team and we will help get your child.  If our meeting does end early on occasion, we want to encourage you to stay until 11:00 and spend time enjoying companionship with the other mothers in our group. :)

• WOMEN'S CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES SWAP: If you have any clothing that you are looking to clear out of your closet, bring them to this meeting!  We will have clothing racks with hangers out in the hallway and tables if needed.  Please limit your items to women's clothing and accessories.  Hang up the items you want to get rid of and "shop" the racks for new additions to your own wardrobe! Feel free to take back any of your items that are not selected by others at the end of the meeting.  Anything left over will be donated to people in need.
• We are still in need of more childcare workers!  If you know someone who enjoys working with children, please recommend them to the steering team.

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Looking forward to our next meeting on December 15th:

 

At the meeting, we will get to enjoy some rest and relaxation during our annual pre-Christmas Spa Day! :) We want everyone to embrace the theme of relaxation, so please come in your favorite comfy clothes--yoga pants, sweatpants, leggings--even pajamas!  We will have a variety of activities available to you during our time together including: adult coloring table, making rice socks (heating pad), nail station, board games (feel free to bring your own!), adult clothing and accessories swap (see below for more info), and chair massages!  Be sure to arrive on time to sign up for your massage--there will be posters up in the hallway to sign up and the appointments are first come, first serve!

The JOYFUL and FIERCE tables are on for breakfast and the STRONG table is in charge of bringing items MOPPETS. **Please note!  We have plenty of snacks right now, but are in need of napkins and Dixie cups to use for serving the snack to the kids.  Also, it has come to our attention that people have been bringing opened/partially eaten snacks to donate to MOPPETS.  Please make sure that items are unopened for health reasons.  Thank you. 

We can't wait to see you this Tuesday!!

Service Project Intro and Table Ice Breakers--Nov. 17th Meeting Recap

On November 17th, we were blessed to listen to our speaker, Kim Regensburger, talk about a very difficult time in her life.  She had just given birth to a baby, who was in the hospital and Kim was left alone to take care of her toddler with no vehicle and only a few dollars in cash.  It became clear that she needed to leave the house to pick up necessary supplies, so she set out, pushing her young child through the snow in a stroller.

Upon arrival at the store, she picked up the two items she needed the most: milk for her child and pads to deal with the post-birth bleeding. When she brought the items to the counter, she realized that she only had enough money for one of the items.

Kim chose to put the needs of her child above her own needs.  She purchased the milk and left the store, hoping to find another way to take care of her bleeding.  She was resourceful and found a way to take care of herself and her son, but she never wanted anyone else to feel left to have to make such a choice--denying a basic need.

Kim's story inspired a service project for our group.  At each of our December group meetings, we will be collecting tampons, pads, and/or other personal care products for the Lily Sparrow House.  These items are important necessities for women and are often overlooked when people are thinking of items to donate.  Please consider bringing something to donate during December!

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After the speaker, each table leader led their group in some sort of ice breaker activity at their table.  Some groups were more serious, some were silly and fun.  And some were really silly....

We hope that you are building strong connections with the ladies at your table!  

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Cassie Wipperfurth!  Here's the recipe for her winning dish:

Ham and Cheese Croissants:

http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/ham-and-cheese-croissants/

Here is an easier version. If they would like to make homemade croissants here is a link for that as well below.

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/190997/traditional-layered-french-croissants/?page=0

 

Gratitude--Nov. 3rd Meeting Recap

We were so blessed to have JoAnne Bloom join us for our meeting to speak on the topic of gratitude.

She outlined her talk by asking several questions:

HOW do I get to that place of a deep, "every day" kind of gratitude in my life?

• By INTENTIONALLY praying and asking for eyes to see the gifts
• Treasure hunt hourly
• Start a gratitude journal

WHY do I need to do these things?
By recognizing our gifts, we learn that God is GOOD and we can trust Him.  This leads to joy in our lives.

WHAT about the unwelcome hard gifts?

• "All is grace"...  I can choose to receive or refuse, and I need to trust God to lead me through to His provision.
• We need to surrender to God in each circumstance and let Him show us how challenging things can become blessings in our lives.

WHERE to next?
Pass it on... because "a gift is always a gift," regift, serve, give it away.
"I am blessed! I can bless! So this is happiness!"

We need to set an example for our children by modeling a grateful attitude and giving them opportunities to share their gratitude for blessings in their lives.  Here are some ideas that our speaker shared with us:

• Go on gratitude walks...collect items that you see as gifts, point out beauty and value of each thing.
• Read books that teach them to observe and appreciate the gifts of nature, noticing their surroundings.
• Treasure hunt with them to find the good in things.
• Have them help make gifts to give to others.
• Help them learn how to receive gifts graciously, thankfully...write thank you notes.
• Make "gift" jars, treasure jars.
• Have a "gift basket"--collect gifts from the week and share them on Friday around the supper table.
• Share stories of the goodness of God in your home.  Invite other Jesus followers into your home to share their faith stories with your children, recounting the goodness of God.
• Teach children the name of the birds, trees, plants so they learn to notice the difference in each one.
• Play games where they have to notice things...observe a tray of items, then remove it and try to recall each item. 

We put together a craft to help us remember to take note of things we are grateful for in our everyday lives.  Here are some example of how our members are using their crafts!

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Brooke Resler!  Here's the recipe for her winning dish:

Cheesy Hashbrowns with Ham: 

 2-3 cups hashbrowns 

2 cups leftover ham 

1/4 cup butter 

1/2 cup chopped onion 

1 can cream of chicken soup 

1 cup sour cream 

Shredded cheddar cheese 

Salt & pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix hashbrowns and ham. Put into greased 9x13 pan. 

Melt butter with the onion. Add salt, pepper, cream of chicken soup & sour cream. Pour over hashbrowns & ham. 

Bake 1 hour or until hashbrowns are tender. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake until melted. Enjoy!!!

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Announcements:

• If you are interested in purchasing a MOPS shirt, please bring $20 this Tuesday.  When ordering, please keep in mind that the shirts run small.
• We are still in need of more childcare workers!  If you know someone who enjoys working with children, please recommend them to the steering team.
• We will be helping assemble a directory of home/family businesses for our group members.  If you or your spouse have a business that you would like included in a directory, please listen for an announcement at the meeting for further information.
• Thank you to those of you who purchased and/or sold coupons for our Antiquities fundraiser and especially those who volunteered to work shifts during the photo sessions! Our biggest THANK YOU needs to go to Chrisie Harinen, who spent countless hours arranging the fundraiser, collecting coupons and money, calling people to schedule their sessions, and ultimately working many of the unfilled volunteer shifts herself.  There are many costs associated with running our group, and fundraisers help pay for things like child care during our meetings, speaker fees, craft supplies, beverages and other supplies at meetings, and much more. We can't provide everything necessary for our group to function without your help! 

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Looking forward to our next meeting on November 17th:

We will be hosting a speaker, Kim Regensburger, who will share her personal journey with Christ. We will also have time to do a fun "ice breaker" type activity at your tables!

The STRONG and POWERFUL tables are on for breakfast and the PASSIONATE table is in charge of bring snacks for MOPPETS. 

We can't wait to see you this Tuesday!

 

Glass Etching/Humor Day--Oct. 20th Meeting Recap

Last week's meeting was a wonderful opportunity to connect with new friends at our tables as we worked on our glass etching craft. 

For the craft, each person was supposed to bring their own 9x13 glass pan from home.  Ashley, our creative activities coordinator, had everyone's last names printed out and ready to go.  She taught us how to transfer our name onto the contact paper and then cut it out with an X-acto knife.

 Once that step was complete, we painted the etching cream on the name and let it work its magic for approximately 20 minutes, stirring the cream around a few times during that period. 

When time was up, all we had to do was rinse off the etching cream and voila! 

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Parenting can be frustrating at times, but funny moments can turn our day around in an instant.  The steering team challenged the tables to come up with funny stories to share--specifically, "Funny things my kids have said", or "Things I never thought I would say."

Here are a few of the highlights from the stories that were submitted and read at the meeting:

• "Get that donkey poop out of your mouth!"
• "Get your mouth off the toilet."
• "Please don't lick the garbage can."
• "We don't lick the dog's tongue." 
  
  (Ok, I'll fess up....those last two were both things I have said to my own daughter.  She's a licker.)  ;)

"Mom, did the baby come down the slide in your belly?"

When holding my 4 year old nephew on my lap, he leaned back into my chest.  Looking up completely in shock, he turned around, putting a hand on each boob and asked very seriously, "Why are yours so much bigger than Mommy's?  Mommy's aren't like yours... You have giant marshmallows!"

3 year old: Mommy, do you big owie? (as she looks at my maxi pad)
Me: Yep!
3 year old: Will I get one?
Me: Yes, someday.......Sorry, sweetheart.

2 year old: There's stuff all in my nose!
4 year old: Ooh!  Maybe it's boogers!
2 year old: ....(pause)  No, I don't think it's those...

Mom: Did you just go number 2?
Child: No, just a sweet toot!

"You are very old, mom.  Look at how many stripes you have!"  --said by my 3 year old boy, referring to my wrinkles.

My 2 year old has watched me nurse my infant many times.  One day, he started to pull up my shirt and said, "What's under there?  Are those your elbows to feed milk, Mommy?"

I'm having twins and the other day, my 2 year old come up, grabs my boobs, and says "Hi babies!"  I tried to tell him the babies were down in my belly, but he insists that is not right because, "There's two!"

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Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Brenda Boone!  Here's the recipe for her winning dish:

Skinny Pumpkin Dip

1 cup pumpkin purée
1 8oz block cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat...)
1 box vanilla pudding, unprepared--just dump in the packet (or another complimentary flavor--butterscotch would probably be yummy!)
1 container Cool Whip (I used the light one)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix (you may want to add more as you taste test.)
I also added a bit of brown sugar--it's up to you how sweet you want it!

Serve with apple or pear slices, graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, ginger snaps, etc.  I sprinkled the top with extra cinnamon for effect and added pumpkin candies to make it cute!

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Announcements:

• Don't forget to turn in your envelopes and money for the Antiquities fundraiser!  You can turn them in Thursday, Oct. 29 in the office at Bethel Church between 9 am and 4 pm.  If that doesn't work for you, please contact Christine Harinen to arrange a different time and place to drop it off.  
• We still need volunteers to work the table checking in people for their photo appointments!  Check out your calendars for November 5-7 for a time that you can come help out.  It's a simple job and you get entered in to win door prizes for every shift you work!
• We are also in need of more childcare workers!  If you know someone who enjoys working with children, please recommend them to the steering team.
• We will continue collecting cards, gifts, money, etc. for Shannon Kerr and her family at our next meeting.  The gift basket will be presented to the family in November.

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Looking forward to our next meeting on November 3rd:

We will be hosting a speaker named JoAnne Bloom, who will be speaking with us on the topic of gratitude.  We will also be doing a quick craft relating to the speaker's topic.

The SPIRITED and JOYFUL tables are on for breakfast and the FIERCE table is in charge of bring snacks for MOPPETS. 

We can't wait to see you next week!

The 5 Love Languages -- Oct. 6th Meeting Recap

We had a great meeting last Tuesday and got to hear our wonderful speaker, Stacia Christenson, talk about a very important topic: The Five Love Languages.  

This theory is based on a book by Gary Chapman and at its core, expresses that we each feel loved in different ways.  Something that is incredibly meaningful to one person may not mean as much to someone else.  The best way to love people in your life is to figure out their love language and make an effort to show them love in that way.  Stacia focused her talk with us on how we can apply the five love languages to our relationships with our children.

 

So, what are the 5 Love Languages? 

1.) Physical Touch:  A person with this as their primary love language will love to sit close together, hold hands, enjoy a touch on the back, or you playing with their hair.  Your touch gives them reassurance that you are there for them and you love and care for them. 

2.) Words of Affirmation:  A person with this as their primary love language will light up when you notice things that they do.  Taking the time to compliment or encourage them will fill their love tank like nothing else.  You show your love by showing your appreciation for them, whether it is verbally, or in a little note.

 

3.) Quality Time:  A person with this as their primary love language wants your complete attention.  When you take the time to watch them, listen to them, and block out other distractions to completely focus on them, they feel that they are truly important to you.  They feel loved because you are showing that they are worthy of your full and complete attention.  

 

4.) Gifts:  A person with this as their primary love language sees the gift as an indicator that you are still thinking of them, even when you are separated.  Gifts do not have to be extravagant or expensive--they can be any simple token that tells the other person that you care about them and think about them often. 

 

5.) Acts of Service:  A person with this as their primary love language feels that when you do something nice for them, you are showing that you both understand their needs and will do everything you can to make sure they are taken care of.  These acts can be something simple or something that requires a lot of work.  By doing something for them, you show how much you love and care for the other person. 

 

 

If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to read Gary Chapman's book.  It gives lots of case study examples that can help you understand how the 5 Love Languages can affect real relationships.  If you're interested in learning you own love language, or the love language of your spouse or children, you can use this online profile: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/

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 Our "Silver Spoon Award" winner for the week is Kelly Gentz!  Here's what she had to say about her winning dish:  

"The Fro-Yo Granola Bites are beyond easy. Here is the blog post, but really it's just granola (you could even use cereal), yogurt, and fruit. Then freeze! I froze them overnight and took them out about 8:30am. I also made 48 mini cups and that took 5 individual yogurt cartons." 

Here's the link: http://www.bettycrocker.com/menus-holidays-parties/mhplibrary/everyday-meals/a-new-way-to-do-granola-and-yogurt?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=omp_social_omptbsp_tdevergreen&utm_content=fy16&esrc=17448&pp=0

Here are our first two award winners!

 

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Announcements: 

--Antiquities fundraiser packets were handed out at this meeting. We are selling them for $10 a piece and that includes the photography session, props, and a 10x13 inch print.  The photography sessions will be Thursday, November 5-Saturday, November 7th from 10 am-8 pm.  We will be calling to set up the session times on Monday, November 2nd, so please make sure to get a phone number for each person who purchases a coupon.
Please bring your sold coupons to the October 20th meeting.  You can continue to sell coupons until October 31st.  Please drop off the sold coupons at Bethel Church's office, or make arrangements to get them to Christine Harinen if you don't bring them to the meeting.
If you did not get a coupons packet, please let us know, so we can make arrangements to get you one.  You can contact us through our email, mopsowatonna@gmail.com

--Bonfire social on Sunday night at 7:30 at Bailey Balzer's at 6059 NE 60th St in Owatonna. Bring marshmallows or chocolate bars (of any kind) to share and a stick and chair, if you have them!

--October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and we are praying together this month for all of the families who have experienced this loss, which includes several of our MOPS moms, some very recent.

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Looking forward to our next meeting on October 20th:  

We will be doing an etching craft, so please bring a 9x13 glass dish and an exacto knife (if you have one).  If you do not bring a dish to etch, we will have a few vases that you can etch a monogram onto instead.  Here's an example of what the finished products will look like! 

 

First Meeting of the Year -- Recap

Welcome back to another year of MOPS in Owatonna!  We had such an incredible turnout for our first meeting.  We met the members of the Steering Team and they introduced our theme for the year:  A Fierce Flourishing.  This year, we will focus on three things: Noticing Goodness, Embracing Rest, and Celebrating Lavishly.  Our first meeting was a celebration!

 

 We did a necklace/name tag craft.  We hope that you were able to use the time while working on the craft to start to build meaningful connections with the other ladies at your table.  Your table leaders will do their best to help facilitate good discussion both at our meetings and at other times, too!  You can help them out by sharing suggestions and preferences for play dates, Mom's nights out, etc.

 

You should have also had your picture taken at some point during the meeting.  We will make an announcement during our October 6th meeting for anyone who still needs to have their picture taken.  We will also ask all of you to fill out an information sheet that day to tell us about yourself and your family.  That information, along with the pictures, will be used for our group directory.  We had some creative ladies that had some fun in the "photo booth"!

Lastly, we are starting a new tradition this year.  Each meeting, we will have the opportunity to vote for the winner of the "Silver Spoon Award".  The award will be presented to the person responsible for the breakfast item voted as the best dish of the morning.  She will have the trophy sitting in front of her during the next meeting and will be responsible for sharing the recipe with us, via this blog.  Our inaugural Silver Spoon Award winner is Heidi Douglas!   *See recipe below!*

Raspberry Triple Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

7 oz. marshmallow cream

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate syrup (garnish)

Directions:

Make brownie mix according to directions in a 9x13 in. pan.  Allow brownies to cool completely.  For topping, thoroughly combine softened cream cheese with marshmallow cream and spread evenly over brownies.  Rinse raspberries and sprinkle over the cream topping.  Sprinkle on the chocolate chips.  Drizzle with chocolate sauce.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.  

Yield: 16 bars

Looking forward to our next meeting on October 6th:

Stacia Christenson will be speaking to us about the 5 Love Languages and how they can help our relationships flourish.  See you then!