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!