May 7th Meeting

Here's what you missed if you weren't at MOPS today:

pancake muffins with maple syrup frosting and bacon

Jessica Shallow-Miller's fantastic ideas! for these and MUCH more,
see her blog, http://savegreenbeinggreen.blogspot.com/ and find her on facebook!
Thank you Jessica!

DIY duct tape cans with your own ideas of kid activities

check out http://www.campomega.org/

Click here for the May Issue of the MOPS Newsletter

May 21st will be our last meeting until next fall!

January 15th Meeting

Today's Meeting Recap

Our speaker this meeting was Christy Tryhus from Owatonna.  She is the author of the book, Live Life Beyond the Laundry.  Her business, Simply Balanced Coaching & Training's goal is to help busy people learn to balance all of life's responsibilities so they can create more time and energy for what's really important.

Christy highlighted three strategies:
1. The importance of making "Me-Time"
2. Combating "Busy Mind Syndrome"
3. Saying "NO"

Abigail Barnes opened our meeting with prayer and a devotion on realizing we cannot hold complete control and can lean on the One who does! Our current fundraiser is Cards for a Cause - a box of 30 handmade greeting/birthday cards with envelopes and a good quality keepsake box for $30 - $13 of which go directly to our Owatonna MOPS group. Checks can be made out to MOPS of Owatonna, and orders need to be in by our next meeting Feb 5th. We will also be having a MOPS garage sale on March 2nd at Bethel Church, and are accepting donations of kids' clothes, toys, and maternity/women's clothing.

For anyone who hasn't gotten one yet, our 2012-2013 MOPS Directory is now available at the Registration Table!

December 4th Meeting

Today at MOPS we had a panel discussion on parenting & special needs. The spectrum of topics ranged from Autism & learning disabilities to Cerebral Palsy & physical challenges such as severe allergies, but we all face some sort of suffering in our lives, and the panel sought to address the deeper question: How can we deal with and teach our children about suffering?

Just a few of the suggestions our speakers shared include:

• Encourage that mom in her marriage. Offer to babysit so that parents can have a date night.
• Encourage with Scripture, because everything else is going to fail them.
• Rake leaves, do laundry, sit with a child so that mom can take a shower.
• Ask positive questions about special needs kids, and call them by name, for example "How is [name]?" or "What's new with [name]?"

Shawn Pierce, Pastor Tim Haugen, Ross L., Lori Running, Kim Kubicek

2 Corinthians 2:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

 John 9:1-3
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Recommended books:

• What is Heaven Like by Beverly Lewis
• Just the Way I Am: God's Good Design in Disability by Krista Horning
• Heaven for Kids by Randy Alcorn
• Joni Eareckson Tada's disability ministries - http://www.joniandfriends.org/
• The phone number for ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) in Owatonna: 444.7800
• Kim K recommends:
  
  For kids: Ian's walk by Lauire Lears and Karen Ritz
  My Best Friend Will by Jamie Lowell
  Fiction written by someone with Autism:
  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon
  NonFiction: Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin
  The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartin
  Websites:
  www.autismspeaks.org
  www.fraser.org
  www.autismsupportnetwork.com
• Shawn Pierce recommends:
  
  Just As I Am (Krista Horning)
  Helping Those Who Hurt (Norman Wright)
  Extraordinary Kids (Fuller and Jones)
  Special Strength for Special Parents (Nina Fuller)
  Compassionate Caregiving (Lois Knutson)
  The Unexpected Gift/Raising Children with Disabilities (Michelle Screder)
  Same Lake Different Boat (Stephanie Hubach)
  Unexpected Journey (Joe & Cindi Ferrini)
  Finding Your Child's Way on The Autism Spectrum (Dr. Laura Hendrickson)
  Helping Kids Include Kids with Disabilities (Barbara Newman)
  Holding On To Hope (Nancy Guthrie)
  We have many more resources available at Joni and Friends, Msp.
  Our office number is 952-933-7777
• More books below (click to enlarge)

...and last month's newsletter, in case you missed it!
11.12mopsPDF

October 16th Meeting

This morning at MOPS mentor mom Bev Coyour opened with Proverbs 3:
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

As we ate breakfast a few upcoming announcements were made, and then we were introduced to Caroline Mandich, who led us in an outline of the five love languages and gave some wonderful tips for learning to speak our child(ren)'s love language... and our spouse's!

If you would like to read more about love languages or take the survey for your kid(s), visit http://www.5lovelanguages.com/ and click on "Assessments"

A few highlights included:
#1: Physical Touch - "Hold on to hand-holding."
#2: Words of Affirmation - "Love them for who they are, not what they've done."
#3: Quality Time - "Quality time requires sacrifice. Love is spelled T-I-M-E."
#4: Gifts - "Gifts are a tangible reminder of love."
#5: Acts of Service - "Do for your children what they can't do for themselves with JOY!"

4 Roots of Anger:
1. Pain, past or present, physical or emotional
2. Frustration
3. Fear
4: Injustice

Forgiveness:
1. It's wrong.
2. It mattered.
3. Release it.
4. Send it forth. "Jesus is your ox; He is our burden-bearer."

Caroline shared so many practical ways to express love, but the most important thing is to be intentional and strategic. Love is a choice, even when the feeling is not there, and we can "come to the well" to fill our tanks with Jesus's love to pour out on our children.

October 2nd Meeting

This morning mentor mom Janna opened with a devo on Hebrews 11, the "Faith" chapter, Kristen Haberman spoke to us about wills and estate planning, and then we started on a fall craft making welcome signs for our house which we will finish up next week.

click here for our

October MOPS Newsletter

October Events

Owatonna Fire Department Chili/Wild Rice Soup Feed- Owatonna Fire Department, Sunday 10/7 4-7 $6 Advance, $8 at door 5 and under free, benefits Firefighter Releif Association

2012 Area Halloween Events listed in order of start time by date

October 12th
*Thorncrest (Dundas) by Candle-lite (band, hayride, bonfire - $4 admission), pumpkins for sale & gift shops open http://www.thorncrestfarm.com/about.html
October 12-13 & 19-20
*Farmamerica Haunted Corn Maze & Mill, admission charged
October 13th
Fall Festival & Chili Contest (Frbo), 10a-3p
Thursday, October 25th
* OPL & ECFE Pumpkin Party Family Fun Night, 6:30-7:30pm, FREE
Saturday, October 27th
* Northfield YMCA - Annual 5K (9am), Kids 1/2 mile (9:45) and Kids Obstacle Course (10am) race The kids obstacle race& Kids 1/2 mile is FREE and all kids will get a pumpkin.
* Farmamerica All Hallow's Eve TOTing, 12-4pm, $4/person, 2 & under are FREE
* Cornerstone Church, Harvest Fest, 2-5pm, FREE
* RBNC Bats, Bones & Bonfire, 4-8pm, FREE for members, $3person/nm
* Owatonna Arts Center - Lil Monster's Ball, 5-8pm, FREE
Wednesday, October 31st
* Old Navy Outlet Lil Monster Bash, 4:30-7pm, FREE
* Pumpkin Man's Lair (Owatonna), check the website for details: http://crazy4halloween.com/Home_Page.php
Pumpkin Patches with Activities:
* Oakview Nursery & Pumpkin Patch (Owatonna): http://oakviewnursery.net/pumpkin-patch.phpn (admission charged, check theme weekend for specials, under 2 FREE)
* Tweite's Pumpkin Patch (Byron): http://tweitepumpkins.com/ (admission charged, 2 & under FREE)

Coming up:

We are taking volunteers for Hospitality, Winter Garage-Sale Fundraiser, Moppets check-in, and Meals – let us know if you are willing to serve in any of those ways by signing up at the registration table!

MOPS t-shirts for sale $12, must order & pay by 10/16

We will be collecting for Operation Christmas Child at the 10/16 meeting.

If you would like to notify us about a local event or contribute a Recipe, Craft, Review, or Article to our monthly newsletter, we would love to hear about it! Email mopsowatonna@gmail.com or let a Steering Team Member know!

September 18th, 2012!

A flurry of excitement filled Bethel Church this fine fall morning as Owatonna MOPS kicked off a new year. The sounds of chattering and children, the aroma of hot breakfast foods, and around 70 wonderful moms scrambling to set up, check in kids, register, find table assignments, reconnect with old friends and make new ones!

If you weren't there today, here is what you missed: our lovely coordinator Ashley opened with a devotional on this year's theme, “Plunge! Love as if your life depended on it.” She reminded us that though at times we might feel overwhelmed or lost, we have a trustworthy and faithful God who has equipped us with the abilities and allies we need even in desperate situations. Like Peter, we may feel we are sinking beneath scary, storm-tossed waves, but Jesus will never let us drown! He is always with us and He calls us to trust Him and follow Him in loving others with our whole heart.

We took photos for our directory, ate breakfast while a slideshow played on the projector, and introduced this year's Steering Team, Table Leaders, and Mentor Moms. Then we broke up into groups to get to know one another a litte better through a “Speed Dating” activity, and when we gathered back at our tables we listened to a few more announcements as we decorated bag tags for our kiddos and name place cards for ourselves. For more pictures check out our facebook page:

Join us again at our next meeting, October 6^th, and until then feel free to get together with your table group, reach out to someone you just met, or contact the MOPS Steering Team with any questions! We are looking forward to building relationships, learning new things, and growing our faith in year ahead!

Once again we would like to thank all of our wonderful SPONSORS and MOPPETS workers, who truly make our meetings possible – THANK YOU so much!!

May 1st Meeting

 "What if every message you heard was POSITIVE?"

That was Janna Lamison's question for us this morning. When her mother-in-law passed away this past year, Janna reflected on what she would miss most about the woman who had meant a great deal. Janna decided what she would most miss was the way her mother-in-law had of speaking words of blessing and healing into people's lives.

"Our greatest weakness is our tongue," Janna explained. Although we tend to see the negative, how we process what we hear is vital. We can believe the lie, or we can recognize it for what it is and find the deeper TRUTH. Janna talked about how Esau gave up his birthright for Jacob's soup in Genesis 25, and how we shouldn't give up the best gifts God has given us for immediate gratification. Instead of believing and spreading the negative, dig for and respond to the positive in people.

We also had some fun Mother's Day giveaways and brainstormed for ideas for next year!

Snuggling newborn Lucas Thayer