Before the MOPS year started and before I designed our blog site I penned many of the blog posts, so far this would be the fourth one I had written. I wanted to get the content and messages to share ready before I began working on all the fun stuff when starting a blog like the graphics, fonts and colors. I feel this is parallel with the holiday season and what some of discussions have covered in the past, how to we focus on the content or meaning of the season over the pomp and circumstance of the festivities and decorations.

I don’t plan on offering much more for this post in hopes that members will share their thoughts and solutions for focusing on the story of Jesus’s birth as the heart of the seasons’ purpose. I would also encourage sharing any family traditions, decoration ideas and solutions for introducing or revisiting the birth of Christ with your family. 

This is the handout from our meeting today:

Super Woman	Abiding Woman
Does	Is (Psalm 46:10)
Tries to impress others	Pleases the Lord (Eph. 5:10, Proverb s 29:25)
Is controlled by an agenda	Is controlled  by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-26)
Her self worth is found in her accomplishments	Her self worth is found in an accurate view of who she is in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:10)
Her peace is found in her perfect environment	Her peace is found in Jesus in the midst of any storm (Is 26:3)
She is discouraged by failure	Failure reminds her that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
She expects perfection from herself and others	She practices grace with herself nad others (Eph 4:32)
She teaches her kids to be good	She teaches her kids to be Godly (Prov. 22:6)
She is frustrated with her lack of spiritual fruit	She abides in Christ and bears much fruit (John 15:5)
She does things with her children	She builds relationships with her children (Deut 6:6-7)
Her perspective is based on what is seen	Her perspective is based on what is unseen (Col 3:2)
She chooses quantity of activities	She chooses the most excellent Way (I Cor 13)

Reminders:

Next play date is January 7th

January meeting is Tuesday the 21st - Meeting topic: Embrace Your Health

Turn in MOPS registration form and $23.95 membership fee as well as MOPPETS registration forms

Mom's Day Out - Dec 14th Christmas Shopping Trip. Sign-Up for the fun!!!

Becoming a mother is transforming me into the woman my husband wants me to be…

When my husband and I were dating he would come over to my apartment after working long hours outdoors and after greeting me head directly to my fridge to find something to eat. More often than not he would be blinded by the interior light as he opened the door because the beams would bounce off the white walls and shiny metal racks revealing to him once again that I was not a cook. We still talk about how I survived so many years on apples, yogurt and frozen meals.

After we got married nothing really changed my shortcomings in the kitchen. My husband is a wonderful cook. He has always been taken care of by a list of great chefs; grandparents, both of his parents, aunts and uncles and multiple extensions of friends.

When I became a mom though, my perspective on food and food preparation changed. As we soon realize after our children are born one of the most important day to day decisions we make is providing for their nutritional needs. In the beginning, for those first few months nutrition and feedings provide a crash course into parenting, this is now your responsibility, and this child is completely dependent on you for survival.

So naturally as our son grew and began to eat soft foods and eventually solid foods the meals I once believed were acceptable were not good enough for him. Don’t get me wrong I still will heat up a frozen meal from time to time, but overall I’ve rolled up my sleeves and embraced the enjoyment that can come with cooking. I want to see my son get excited about meals and spending time together at the table. I love to hear him say umm mama when he eats his food.

So I don’t know if my husband prayed for my culinary skills to improve or not but I am transforming little by little into the woman he always wanted because of our son.

Has becoming a parent strengthened a characteristic or skill that you didn’t necessarily shine in before?

Reminders:
December Meeting is the FIRST TUESDAY of the month Dec 3rd.

No December play date however the next play date is January 7th!

Turn in MOPS registration form and $23.95 membership fee as well as MOPPETS registration forms

December 3rd meeting topic: Traditions: Keeping Christ in Christmas

Next Mom's Day Out -- Dec 14th Christmas Shopping Trip. Sign-Up for the fun!!!

Operation Christmas Child Collection week this week.

Cookie Exchange Dec 3rd meeting. Sign-Up!!!!!!!

Recognize MOPPETS volunteers: Sign cards and donation collection today and Dec 3rd to show your appreciation!

Reminders:
Next Play Date - Nov 5th at church
Turn in MOPS registration form and $23.95 membership fee as well as MOPPETS registration form
Nov 19th meeting topic: Avoiding Mothering Comparisons
Next Mom's Day Out - Dec 14th Christmas Shopping Trip


My introduction to MOPS was really an intersection of events. I hastily resigned from my teaching position when my son was five months old. I quickly came to the conclusion that it would be very important for me to make new friends outside of my coworker circle. Being a teacher automatically puts a person in an atmosphere of like minds and values. Where and how could I meet new friends outside of a career with people of like minds and values.  At this time I’m still contemplating all the personal changes my husband and I will be going through as new parents.

As time goes by and the summer comes to an end my son and I were enjoying one of our daily walks. As I was hiking up an incline by the city park a black mini van stops by my stroller and the passenger window rolls down. I recognize the face of the driver as a mom of one of the students I had taught. She was smiling really big as was I due to the situation of our meeting. She asks me if I had heard of MOPS and I told her I had from some family members. She handed me a business card and explained that the MOPS group in our county was going to have its first meeting soon and that I should come. She explained that it would be a lot of fun, there would be other new and experienced moms there and the meetings provided free daycare. I told her I would plan on attending.

Since then I have attended as many meetings, play dates and mom nights out that I could. I knew some faces and met some new moms as well. These friendships have helped me transition from a working mom to a stay at home mom. My MOPS experience has also challenged me to envision the future for my family through speakers, videos and group discussions that usually involve some belly laughs as well. I would encourage other moms to attend our MOPS meetings and see how it will positively affect your family.

Please feel free to share your MOPS story, how you found the group, how the group has helped your family or a favorite memory from the meetings.

Our October meeting will be here before we know it. Please mark your calendars and join us again or for the first time. Below is a brief preview of what will be covered at the next meeting.

Atchison County MOPS is meeting on October, 15 from 8:30-10:30 at First Baptist Church, HWY 59 S, Tarkio, MO 64491. The discussion topic will be Embrace Your Story: Identity, What Defines You?  There will be a video segment with author Alexandra Kuykendall.
MOPS theme book author, Alexandra Kuykendall, shares how the methods she used for measuring her worth before becoming a mom no longer worked when kids arrived. A reexamination of what, and ultimately who, defines her pointed her to the gift of grace. If you are an expecting mother or a mother of preschool age children please join us for our October meeting.

Helpful tips and information:

This weekend I was lucky to make it to the hair salon to get a little pampering in. While I was at the salon my stylist and I discussed the arduous task of growing out your hair. My stylist called out to a neighboring hair dresser to talk about clients who trim their ends on the days during the New Moon or during the First Phase of the Moon when the light of the moon is increasing the Waxing Moon. Clients use the farmers almanac to pinpoint these dates and schedule their appointments accordingly. The theory continues with the counter effect that if a person trims their ends after the Full Moon when the light is decreasing, during the 3rd and 4th quarters of the Waning Moon their hair growth will slow down...bummer. The neighboring stylist finished by saying that her clients that follow the waxing moon have long full hair.

Helpful tips and information:

If your child loves to play in the sand box and gets sand caked in their hair, sweaty hands and other areas a simple solution besides a quick shower or bath is baby powder. Mrs. Roup, preschool teacher in Rock Port, this summer was kind enough to share this information with me when my toddler emerged from the sand box coated with a grainy tan. Luckily I carry a bottle of powder in Archer's diaper bag. I quickly dusted my sons hair and body, rubbed the powder over the sand and within minutes he was clean.

2013-2014 September Blog Post: Becoming a parent and a MOPS member

This being the first discussion post of the year I would like to preface by saying these posts are rooted from personal experiences, meaning views and statements may differ from fellow MOPS members from time to time as we are all individuals with different backgrounds, values and life experiences. The purpose of the blog is to fulfill the newsletter portion of our MOPS chapter. I also plan on posting synopsis's from parenting resources, helpful tips, recipes and so on. I encourage you to read the posts and respond to share experiences and knowledge from one mother to another.

Welcome to MOPS. We are wives and now mothers, the chapter that changed my life and my husbands’ life the most would be the later. Our courtship was like the relationships we experienced before with other possible suitors or partners. We exchanged phone numbers, went on numerous dates, we were introduced to friends and family until finally we acknowledged that this was something more than before. That this relationship was going to go to a higher level of commitment, marriage.

In stark contrast, when becoming parents there had been no practice relationships, no serious trial and error. Even having experienced countless hours of babysitting, being a daycare provider and eventually a teacher, nothing could have prepared me for being a parent. Becoming a mother changed every descriptive characteristic I could ramble about myself. For example before babies if someone had asked if I had good reflexes I would reply ah no but now with children I have amazing reflexes. The only down side is my reflexes only work for my children so if I am holding my son and trip on something somehow I always manage to get my bearings, sans son I would most likely kiss the ground.

I love coming to MOPS and meeting for play dates because when I get a chance to talk with my new peer group, mothers, we get lost in conversation and it is very cathartic. I think our discussions about what we would and would never do for our children are some of the most caring and thought provoking talks I have ever had. These talks provide me with resources, validation and inspiration. 

This being the first blog post of the 2013-2014 MOPS’ calendar I welcome you to post experiences when you first became a mom or how you’re life as a mom is currently.

Reminders:

• First Mom's Night Out is planned for Sept. 28 at El Portal in Shenandoah. Meet at the church at 6:30 pm to carpool or meet at the restaurant at 7:00 pm.
• First play date is scheduled for Oct. 1 at the Tarkio park at 9:00 am.
• Next MOPS meeting is Oct 15th.
• Hand Tiffany your registration form for MOPS year 2013-2014. You can make check payable to First Baptist Church of Tarkio in the amount of $23.95.
• Please be sure to read the information in your welcome packet. Especially the MOPPETS policies and procedures.

MOPS is starting and you are invited to join us. The first meeting is this coming Tuesday, Sept 17 from 8:30 - 10:30 at First Baptist Church of Tarkio! We will have the opportunity to meet everyone, find out what is planned for the year and make a fun craft! It will be a fun filled meeting with lots to do. We hope you leave refreshed and encouraged.

Please be sure to label your children's diaper bags, sippy cups, etc. to help the MOPPETS workers out. You can sign your kiddos in at the MOPPETS table and drop your little ones off at the nursery and toddler rooms. Then make your way to our meeting room for some mommy time! 

This years theme is "A Beautiful Mess - Embrace Your Story." Over the course of the year we pray you will be encouraged and equipped to Embrace your Mothering Story!

If you know a Mother of Preschooler that hasn't received this announcement please invite them to join us this Tuesday!

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Tiffany, MOPS Coordinator

2013-2014 MOPS Theme

Welcome to the Atchison County MOPS blog. 

A Beautiful Mess is the theme 2013-2014.  

Addressing the felt needs of moms through this theme:  

Moms live in messes. The toys, crumbs, and spit-up are their natural surroundings. Moms often feel like a mess. They are exhausted, under-showered, and hormonal. Their past and present circumstances and decisions can leave them feeling inadequate for God’s love and purposes.  A Beautiful Mess — reminds moms that beauty can come out of their difficult spots. The grime of mothering young children brings the beauty of motherhood. The bruises of life can bring God’s redemption. Embrace Your Story — reminds moms that their past, present and future can be used for good. God knows where each of us has been, where we are today and has set in motion where we are headed.    

Theme Verse:   Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation)  

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

So you may be asking yourself...what is MOPS?

MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers, a program designed to encourage mothers with children under school age through relationships and resources. These women come from different backgrounds and lifestyles, yet have similar needs and a shared desire to be the best mothers they can be!

A MOPS group provides a caring, accepting atmosphere for today’s mother of preschoolers. Here she has an opportunity to share concerns, explore areas of creativity and hear instruction that equips her for the responsibilities of family and community.

The MOPS program typically includes MOPPETS, a loving, learning experience for children.

Approximately 4,000 groups meet in churches throughout the United States, Canada and 35 other countries, to meet the needs of more than 100,000 women. Many more mothers are encouraged by MOPS resources, including MomSense magazine, the MOPS International website, various publications and books.

If you are an expecting mother or a mother of preschool age children please join us for our first meeting on September 17, from 8:30-10:30 at First Baptist Church, HWY 59 S, Tarkio, MO 64491.

Contact Information:

Atchison County MOPS

HWY 59 S

Tarkio, MO 64491

Tiffany Rhine, Coordinator

Phone: 660-744-6229

Website: www.MOPS.org