November 15th Meeting

What a blessing our MOPS speakers are!

This morning author and teacher Sarah Beckman spoke on Safeguarding Your Marriage. As the youngest of 14 children, Sarah was introduced to alcoholism and divorce at a young age, but grew up to know God's love and plan for her life despite brokenness. Sarah encouraged us to create and cultivate a SAFE marriage, and offered her own story as an example of God's redemption.

Sarah's acronym for a safe marriage:

• Spend time together ALONE
• Add accountability
• Find out about your man
• Engage in the intimacy of prayer

Resources and recommendations:

saltandclay.org
growingkids.org (Growing Kids God's Way by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo)
fivelovelanguages.com (The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman)
Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
Night Light by James and Shirley Dobson

Forest Hill Cemetery, Owatonna

1 Corinthians 10:13 says "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

The Marble System

There have been several requests for Kim's chore chart/marble system, and she has been gracious enough to provide it to us - thank you Kim! Click to download.

Chore Chart

November 1st Meeting

Hello November!

Is it too much to ask for as beautiful a month as October? Here's hoping! At our Nov.1st meeting we debuted our *Slideshow* of Fall Family Fun photos and announcements while we indulged in a delicious breakfast. We got started on taking table pictures for our yearly directory and began collecting goodies for our service project for our men in uniform! If you didn't receive an email with the suggested items to donate, email mopsowatonna@gmail.com and we'll get you one!

Our guest speakers Holly Guenther and Kim Kubicek were from among our own ranks at MOPS, and they shared some fantastic advice on balance in our lives as moms. From balancing work and home to balancing your bank account, these women's experience and perspective were truly treasures to be remembered and put into practice!

On weekly schedules and family meetings:
"If it's not written in, don't expect it to happen." -Kim

On routine and flexibility:
"I would like to have an Alice." -Holly

On volunteering: "Are you doing it because you should do it or because you want to do it? Don't say yes right away; pray about it and talk to your spouse." -Kim
"No can be a complete sentence." -Holly

Kim shared her family's marble system, message wall, medical binders, and meal plan organization, and Holly encouraged us to think about how our kids are going to turn out later in life and the kind of person they are going to be, highlighting Proverbs 22:6 as her inspiration. Thank you for sharing your wonderful insight, Holly and Kim!

Here is the electronic copy of our November Newsletter with tips on balancing a busy life, and all new "Book Review" and "Steering Team Spotlight" - check it out!

Nov Newsletter Page 1

Nov Newsletter Page 2

Nov Newsletter Page 3

Nov Newsletter Page 4