Angel Bell Craft

Here's a fun little Christmas craft...
Start by reading the story of Mary (Luke 1:26-56).
Explain that angels are special messengers sent by God.

You need:
A styrofoam cup
magic markers
jingle bell
ribbon
white paper
glue (hot glue works well)

Turn the cup upside down. Carefully draw a face on one side of the cup. Thread a pice of ribbon on the jingle bell. Punch a small hole in the bottom of the cup. Poke the ribbon through the hole and tie a large knot. loop another piece of ribbon and glue it to the back of the cup (think a carrying loop). Cut out angel wings and glue them over the attached part of the ribbon (where you glued the loop). Hang your angel bell from the loop.

Ring the bell and tell the world that Jesus is coming!

OCC Shoe Boxes - SHIPPED!

I just wanted to thank you ladies for being SO GENEROUS in giving! With your help, we packed and SHIPPED 70 boxes this year! What an amazing amount! With the cost of the goodies that went inside added to the $7 per box shipping it cost @ $900 to do those 70 boxes! How AWESOME!

Thank you thank you thank you!
There are 70 children out there that will be touched this Christmas because of your generosity!

Mom's Night Out!

The only thing better than a Thanksgiving meal is not having to cook it!
Join us at Copper River (in front of Chuck E Cheese on Haywood) for our Mom's Feast

Monday, November 15th at 7:00-Dutch treat.
This will be the last MNO event until after the new year.
Don't miss it!!

Operation Christmas Child

Each year we fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. This is our BIGGEST service project each year!
Last year we filled and shipped 50 boxes! To know that 50 children around the world were blessed by your generosity is an incredible feeling.
Well, this year we have "upped-the-anty"...we are aiming to fill and ship 70 boxes!
Your Discussion Group Leaders have a list of the goodies your small group is providing for the boxes. Most of those are already turned in waiting for the 4&5 year olds to pack away into the boxes. What we need know is money to ship those boxes.
Samaritan's Purse asks $7 to ship each box. So you do the math...70 x $7 = $490!
OUCH! I have the utmost faith that God will provide!
I ask you to pray about what you can give...
We will be collecting money the next 2 meetings to ship those boxes.
If you write a check make it to Samaritan's Purse.

Thanks girls!
Let's make this Christmas something special for 70 kids!
Michelle

MOPPET Blessing

Welcome to

Jonas Jorge Avesani
Born 9/28/2010
at 11:24am
3.7 lbs and 15 3/4 in long
Small but healthy!

God is good!

Congratulations to Mauricio and Nicole.
Marco is the Big brother!

Prayer Requests/Updates

Update from the Eaton's:
Isaac is...
Still moving forward in feeding volume.
Still moving forward in maintaining body temp.
Off of oxygen.
...Off of Oxygen monitoring.
Off of antibiotics.
Could be off IV fluids Tuesday.
Could be off IV port on Wednesday.
Will be in special care nursery for a few more days at least.
Brooke was discharged Tuesday.

Please be in prayer for Nicole Avesani. She has gone into preterm labor at 30 weeks and is at GHS. They are giving her steriods to speed up development and hoping to, at minimum, hold off labor for at least 48 hours.

Another New MOPPET

Welcome to...

Isaac William Eaton
Born on 9/17 at 8:39am
5 lb. 11 oz.
18 inches

Congratulations to Roger and Brooke
Isaac has two big brothers, Andrew and Matthew
and a sister, Lillian!

Our Newest MOPPET!

We have a new MOPPET!!!

Samuel Henry Portele
Born 8/30 at 11:53am.
8lbs 2oz.
21 inches long

Cathy and Patrick are the proud parents.
Claire and Molly are the big sisters!

Congratulations!

MOPS Convention 2011

Start planning for it NOW!!!
MOPS International Convention will be held...

In Nashville, TN
August 4-6, 2011.

Start saving your pennies now...it is one of the
best, most worthwhile conventions you could ever go to!

I'm there...how about you?

More baby news!

We have a new family member!!

Penelope Mayrinck Evans
Born August 8 at 3:37am.
8lb. 6oz.
21 in.

Carolina and James are the proud parents!
Lucas and Marialice are the proud big brother/sister!

Congrats Evans Family!

New MOPPET!!!

Our MOPS family continues to grow...

We have a new MOPPET!!!
Makenah Elise Brown
Born July 8, 2010 at 10:13 pm.
9lbs 4oz.
20 1/2 inches

Seth and Elizabeth Brown are the proud fisrt time parents.
Congratulations...and welcome to MOPS!

Newest MOPPET!

We have a new family member!

Logan Michele Daves
Born June 3, 2010
7 lbs 4 oz.
19 3/4 inches.

Tracy and Carl Daves are the proud parents!

Congrats!

Mom's Night Out!

The end of the school year is sooooooooo busy.
Aren't you ready for a break?
We will have a Mom's Night Out event at Lola's
(a wonderful new restaurant owned by our very own Paige Nalbone)on Monday, June 7th.
The MOPS price for this event is $12 per person plus tax & tip for pretty much
anything on the menu along with salad & bread, coffee or soda & a small canoli.
Yum!!!
Please RSVP on Facebook or by email.

Hope to see you there!
Michelle

Lola's A Taste of Italy
115 Pelham Road
Greenville, SC 29615
298-0088

Convention Details!

Here is the MOPS Convention info I promised:

August 5-7
Gaylord Palms
Orlando, Florida

The cost:
BEFORE June 7th $229 ($199/ea for a group of 4)
Plus lodging (@$50 a night), travel and food.

BETWEEN 6/8-6/21 $249 ($219/ea for a group of 4)
Plus, plus

BETWEEN 6/22-7/12 $269 ($239/ea for a group of 4)
Plus, plus

I STRONGLY recommend you register early if you want to get the workshop you really want.
Go to http://www.mops.org/page.php?pageid=560 for convention/workshop details.

You won't be sorry if you go...in fact, you will be thrilled, refreshed, renewed.
I WISH I could go this year....family vacation is the same week though.
Maybe my hubby will take the kids by himself...NAH!

You don't need me to register...but check with each other. It is cheaper to do it in groups of 4.

Enjoy!

MOPPETS Gone Wild!

Let's Get Wild at Giggle Bugs!!

Date: Friday, May 14th
Time: 9:00-12:00
Cost: $3 per child ages 2 and up (yes,that means you pay for 2 year olds).

They usually do not allow outside food and drinks (other than birthday cake and ice cream), but we talked them into goldfish and sippy cups. No outside cans, juice boxes or Capri Sun-type drinks will be allowed. If you do not want to pay for a drink, put it in a sippy cup. :) We will provide the goldfish.

There is a small section for the itty bitties, but there is not a great deal for them to do. If you are bringing a little one, maybe think of bringing a ball or other favorite toy for them to play with.

P.S. Normal cost is $4 on toddler days (ages 2- 4) and $7 for ages 5 and up.

Woo hoo!!! Let's go play!!

More MOPPET News!

Like I said...we've been growing!

Welcome Caroline Leigh Hardee!
Born 3/22/10
7lbs 13oz
21in

Blake and Rebecca are the proud first time parents!

Congratulations!

New MOPPET!

Our MOPS family has grown!

Welcome Claire Addison Ginn
Born 4/2/10
8:32am
8lbs 6oz
20 in
Jamie and Crystal are the proud parents!
Brooke and Ryan are big sister/brother!

Congratulations!

Resurrection Eggs

Around Easter a favorite activity is going through Resurrection eggs. My girls will ask to do them numerous times a day! Well at a regular price of $15-$20 for a set it can be an expensive purchase.

I recently spoke at a Mom’s group in Columbia and going with the theme of saving money that day they had a great make your Resurrection eggs activity. I quickly asked if I could share it!!

What you will need:

* 5 plastic eggs of various colors
* Picture of a donkey (print one from your computer)
* Goldfish cracker, or other cracker your child likes to eat
* 2 small nails
* Small rock (grab one from the yard)

Hopefully you should have most of the items already so if you have to buy the eggs the whole activity should cost around $1.

Below is the scripture and story about each egg. If your family is like ours you might want to make a set for each kid. They love to open the eggs themselves and eventually will love tell you the story.

Open the blue egg.
Let the child hold the donkey. (Use a picture of a donkey printed on your computer to go in the blue egg)
Read Matthew 21:1-9
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem for Passover. Some people cut palm branches from trees and handed them out for people to wave. Some people laid their coats on the street like a carpet. Jesus rode into the city on a donkey. “Hosanna! ” the people cheered as they waved their palm branches. Some people cheered, “Hail to our King!” Jesus rode through the town on a donkey because when a king rode on a donkey it meant he would bring peace. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to set us free and bring us peace.

Open the purple egg.
Let the children eat the piece of cracker. (Use a gold fish, a ritz bitz, or any cracker your child likes) Matthew 26:17-19, 26-30.
Jesus and His disciples (the 12 men who helped Jesus tell others about God) celebrated Passover together. They went upstairs to a room in a house in Jerusalem. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet to remind them that they were to care for others. Then Jesus and the disciples shared a special meal. Jesus knew it would be His last meal with His friends. Jesus knew He had to follow God’s plan for His life and die for our sins.

Open the yellow egg.
Let the children hold the nails. (Show them how to make the 2 nails into a cross.) John 19:16-22
Jesus had to be nailed to the cross to die for our sins because it was God’s plan. The people who loved Jesus were very sad. Jesus did not deserve to be punished. He had not done anything. Jesus died so that we could be forgiven. The Bible says in John 3:16,”For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

Open the green egg.
Let the children hold the rock. (Use a rock from your yard)
Matthew 28:1-2
After Jesus died one of his followers wrapped Jesus’ body in cloth and put it in a tomb. The tomb was a special tomb cut into the rock in a hillside.. A big stone was rolled in front of the tomb to close the entrance. Guards were posted to guard the tomb. Jesus followers were very sad that Jesus had died.

Open the orange egg.
It is empty.
Matthew 28:5-8
Early the next morning a lady named Mary Magdalene went to visit the tomb. When she came to the tomb the big rock had been rolled away. The tomb was empty. It was good news! Jesus was alive! Jesus went to heaven to be with God. Jesus was punished for our sins so that some day we will get to go to heaven to be with God and Jesus.

Service Opportunities

The other day I thanked my neighbor profusely for something she had done for me, and her response was, "Hey, it was really no big deal!" It may not have been a big deal for her, but it was HUGE to me!! I love thinking about ways that MOPS can help those around us in ways that to us seem small and insignificant, but to those on the receiving end it is HUGE!

We have two opportunities right now to contribute a small amount to make a big difference. The first is the Home 4 Me closet. They are in need of you type-A women who love organization (you know who you are!) to help sort and organize the many donated items that come in weekly. If you're interested in donating a couple of hours a month to help out, there will be a sign-up sheet at the next meeting.

The second opportunity is to help bring Easter to a local boys' home. Check your emails for more on that, and consider how you might be able to help. Items are needed by the next meeting, so don't wait! Easter sales are on NOW, and as long as you're buying for your own clan, why not share the love with some boys who desperately need it?! What a great way to help spread the Easter story!

Obey First...A Parenting Tip

If you have not signed up for the free parenting tips at www.biblicalparenting.org you are missing out!
Here is the most recent one...and I really liked it...so I am sharing!

Obey First and Then We'll Talk About It

When parents give an instruction but children don't want to comply or it's not convenient for them, sometimes they need to learn to "obey first and then we'll talk about it." This emphasizes obedience.
If little Brian has pulled a chair over to the counter and is climbing onto it, you may say, "Brian, we don’t climb on chairs.""But I was just…""No, you need to get down. Obey first and then we'll talk about it." Once he gets down, discuss the problem and find a solution together."Karl, go get your pajamas on.""I don't want to go to bed.""No, obey first and then we'll talk about it."To some parents this may sound like blind obedience. We've all heard stories about people who were led into cultish activity because they couldn't think for themselves. No parent wants a child to fall into a pattern of blindly following a leader's instructions, but evaluating instructions is an advanced skill. Many parents have gone too far in the other direction ending up with children who can't follow simple instructions without a dialogue. Parents sometimes believe they have to talk their child into wanting to obey. Inadvertently, these parents teach their children that if you don't like a request then that's enough reason to resist it. These children make poor employees, develop selfish attitudes about following someone else's leadership, and have a difficult time in relationships because they haven't learned how to sacrifice their own agenda for others.Talking is important but sometimes even we, as adults, must obey first and then understand later. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son without fully understanding and then considered it faith for him to obey. Peter didn't know why he was to go to Cornelius' house but went anyway only to discover that God wanted to bring salvation to the Gentiles. Philip was asked to leave a revival in Samaria and go out into the wilderness, not knowing why, but when he got there he led an Ethiopian man to Christ.Evaluating instructions is an advanced skill and will become important later on but children need to learn that sometimes we all must "obey first and then we'll talk about it."

This parenting tip comes from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

To share with us on our blog click here.

If this tip was sent to you by a friend and you'd like to continue to receive tips yourself, you can sign up at www.biblicalparenting.org.

Apple Cranberry Crunch

Several of you have asked me for this recipe...so here it is!

This is an "abouts" recipe...no real measurements
@7-8 apples peeled and cut (enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13)
2T flour
@1c fresh cranberries (or in the off season use craisins) I almost always use craisins
@3/4c sugar
combine all this in the baking dish.

then... the topping...
5 packages of instant apple cinnamon oatmeal
1 stick butter, melted
@1/2c brown sugar
@1/2c flour
combine and pour on top of apple mixture
(you can also add @1/2c chopped pecans to the topping)

350 degrees for 45 minutes.
I put it together the night before, store covered in the fridge, then increase the cooking time in the morning to 1 hour.

Parenting Anger

I have heard a lot of you talk about getting angry with your kids.
It happens to me all of the time...not that I am proud to say that, but it's true.
I received this via email a few weeks ago and thought I would share:

"But My Anger is Justified"
Some view their anger as justified because they are right and others are wrong. They believe that being right is the only ticket required to launch into an adult temper tantrum. But saying "He made me angry" implies that external events require emotional intensity. The dad who links the trigger (what "made" him angry) and response (what he does with his anger) too closely ends up believing that others have made him the way he is.
When parents do this, they often blame their kids for problems and rarely take responsibility for their own emotions. In many cases, of course, the child is indeed wrong. It isn't helpful, though, to expect our children to bear the responsibility of our anger in addition to what they did wrong. The mom who says, "I wouldn't have to get angry if my kids would listen the first time," has fallen into the trap of blaming her children for her angry responses. The truth of the matter is that it doesn't take much intelligence to see something wrong, but it takes wisdom to know how to respond to it. There's a big difference between a button that pops up on a turkey to announce that it's done and a cook who knows how to make a great dinner. Some people are like those little turkey buttons—whenever something goes wrong they pop up with angry reactions and they try to justify abusiveness because they see a problem. It's not enough to be right in life; parents also need to be wise. Real wisdom knows how to respond in a way that brings change, not revenge. As parents, we don't just want to punish our kids for doing something wrong; we want to help them change their hearts. Anger may reveal what's wrong, but it's rarely a good solution to a problem. Once you identify an offense, it's best to consider how to motivate change.

This parenting tip comes from the book Good and Angry, Exchanging Frustration for Character in You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN,BSN.

If this tip was sent to you by a friend and you'd like to continue to receive tips yourself, you can sign up at http://www.biblicalparenting.org/ParentTips.asp.

Our First MOPPET of 2010!

We have a new member of the family!

Samuel Langston Ellison

Born January 28th

2:55pm

7lbs 14oz

19 inches long

Congratualtions to David and Marijon!

Ian is officially a big brother now!

Wrapping Up a Great Day!

I don't know about you, but today's meeting was like a great shot of energy. I think we must have had one of our largest MOPS crowds and on a cold, January day that is a BIG DEAL!

I have to give a shoutout to Jan Kneeland who talked about encouragement. I find that going to the Bible not only provides comfort in difficult times and direction for living, but also encouragement that I need. I need to look to God for my encouragement. Too often I look to other people and things of this world to keep me going. How about you? As mothers, we look for power that WE have and we fall short. We worry about the end result instead of trusting God to work things out in his timing. And his timing is perfect!

Thanks also to Ann Marie for helping many of us get the "right fit." I wish she could have seen that initial stampede to the bathroom. Many of us have been living with "girls in need of a lift" and this was certainly a needed event!

Our craft was great as usual, the food was yummy and I had the opportunity to hear compliments from both of our visiting moms because I sat beside them. They could feel the love and support we all have for each other and that is what MOPS is all about.

Let me leave you with the words from Phillipians 1:6 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.

Love to all,
Jerri Lyn

* Look for more good stuff from Jan in our next MOPS Messenger!

10 Questions For Lindsay Cuttino!

I have had the pleasure of knowing Lindsay Cuttino for the past two years. She is my DGL this year and I served on the Hospitality Team with her last year. Lindsay is a very creative person and you should see the beautiful cakes she creates! I spoke with her this morning and asked her 10 questions. Here is what she said:

What is your favorite color? White!

Easiest meal to put on the table in a hurry? Breakfast food!

Your childhood ambition? I didn't have one.

Your hardest adjustment as a mom? Juggling everything that a mom has to do with two kids...especially when I have to take them somewhere.

Your pet peeve? I was always a grammar nerd! I hate it when people pluralize something that is actually singular. Example: People say, "There's two chairs over there." They are saying "There is two chairs over there" but that is incorrect!

Quality you are known for? I get along with most people.

Your greatest extravagance? Buying a whole tub of Bryer's cookie dough ice cream, sitting on the couch and eating the ice cream all by myself!

TV show you have to watch? I love to watch Rachel Ray!

Are you a night or a morning person? Morning.

Tell your favorite MOPS memory? I will always remember having to stick my hand in that nasty gravy during the game played in the Nov. 2009 meeting. Yuck!!!

I would like to thank Lindsay for taking the time to answer these questions. I would also like to enlist her to proof all future blog posts and newsletters. I need grammar nerds in my life and that is not good........I majored in English!

Resolution Check-In...Adios to Sweet Tea

Yikes!

January is almost behind us! I hope you all have had a great start to 2010. How are those resolutions going? I have heard of great progress for many of you.
I really enjoyed hearing William speak to us at our first MOPS meeting of 2010. I was so impressed with his dedication to achieving health that I decided to make a few small changes. I am proud to report that I have not had a sweet tea in two weeks. Now if you know me, you know that this is MAJOR! I love iced tea. I crave it. I will knock people down to get it. I like all types of tea and I drink a lot of the unsweetened variety. McDonalds, however, has this great big tea for a buck that became my downfall about a year ago. I discovered how easy it was to swing by and grab one before going to the pool or to a meeting or anyplace else. It became a pleasure that was too easily obtained. Do you have any idea how much sugar is in the stuff? LOADS!

So, it was with great trepidation that I decided I needed to cut out this extra sugar after being inspired by William. I needed to get back to my unsweetened tea and increase my water intake. Well, it has not been easy but I have made it so far. I actually don't miss it as much as I thought I would. I have been experimenting with different types of mint teas which add a zing to the unsweetened stuff. I can report that I am not craving sugar as much as before.

So ladies, it really starts with the little things! What is next? I don't know yet. I have been working on that ice cream love affair also. Now if I could just get motivated to MOVE THE BODY!!! I would love to hear more about the little changes that are having a big impact on your life.

This week we will get back to our normal meeting schedule with our second January meeting, so don't forget! We will have our yummy food provided by discussion groups and Kristen has a great craft planned. See you there!

New Years Resolutions

I think my least favorite part of the new year is the feeling that I HAVE to make resolutions. I mean, let's be serious, is changing to a new calendar really going to make me a better housekeeper, or less addicted to sweets? It's not...been there, tried that. But I still feel like I need to resolve to do SOMETHING.
So, this year I have decided to grow my relationships. Most importantly, my relationship with God. I don't spend nearly the amount of time with Him that I should. If I did, I would probably be a better housekeeper and able to stay away from the treats...because I KNOW that relying on Him will help me get places better than if I were relying on myself.
I also plan to invest more time in my relationship with my husband...who is this guy that I'm married to anyway? And my children...now that they are getting older I feel like the only time I spend with them is chauffeuring them or pressuring them to get their homework done. And you, my friends...how well do I really know you? or you me?
So that's my focus this year...I resolve to grow my relationships.

How about you? If weight loss or gaining health is a goal...I do have an opportunity available for you. The leader of this program is a friend of mine...and he is wonderful.

2010 NuLifeRx Fitness Challenge
January 9th, 2010 at LivN Nsidout
550 Brookwood Place
Simpsonville, SC 29681
Price: $99 for the complete 12 week program!

Start your New Year off with everything you need to succeed in your weight loss goals! Connect with others in the upstate who are focused on gaining health in the new year. Be supported by a group of doctors, a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist and a weight loss coach in accomplishing your goals!

Includes:
Kickoff event with speakers and 12 week program description
Health With A Mission - 12 week fitness challenge book and journal (200+ pages)
NutritionRx - Online web-based nutrition tracking with calorie count.
2010 NuLifeRx Fitness Challenge t-shirt
Online Social Networking for participants to connect with each other and the NuLifeRx staff for support
Weekly "Brunch and Learn" meetings at LivN Nsidout (food purchased separately at Inergy)
Couch to 5k guided preparation for the "Race With A Mission" on April 9th, 2010 (optional)
Weekly "Couch to 5k" group training at LivN Nsidout
Finale and "Race With A Mission" 5k on April 9th, 2010 (optional race fee $20)

So sit down today and think of what you resolve to do this year...
Looking forward to growing my relationship with YOU!
Michelle