Relax & Rejuvenate!

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

Matthew 11:28

  It seems like everyone tends to think of New Year's Day as a time to start afresh, set new goals and rethink life in general to try to make it better than the previous year.  As moms, I think a lot of us tend to have this type of attitude every day (at least I know I do!)...."TODAY is the day I won't lose my patience so quickly; TODAY I'm going to get up, shower and do my devotions before my kids awake; TODAY is the day I will be a better mom!"...and on and on.  This definitely can be a good attitude to have, although it can also quickly lead down the vicious path of "I'm not good enough" accompanied by feelings of frustration, comparing yourself to others and overall discouragement.

That being said, January's theme for MOPS this year was "Relax and Rejuvenate" - the goal being to get moms to slow down and refuel physically, emotionally and spiritually as 2010 begins - something moms are rarely told and even more rarely do!  At the second meeting, Marg led us in a fantastic "Mentoring Moms Moment" specifically on this very topic and here are some of the main points from her talk:

~you don't have to be SuperMom - there are other people in your life (husband, grandparents, friends) who can help care for your children - let them!

~take care of yourself so you can take care of your children (like in an airplane when you need to put on your oxygen mask first to be able to put on your child's mask)

~start your day right - shower, exercise, eat well, pray

~read a good book or start a hobby that you can "get lost in" every once in awhile

~develop relationships with other moms (like at MOPS!) that are in a similar situation as yourself so you can empathize with each other

~learn to laugh through life and it will get you through many things

~stop trying to be perfect and don't feel guilty that you aren't

~take time to pray and rest with God - He is our great comforter and is with us in all things!

~remember that whatever you are going through - "this too shall pass"

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Here also are a few pictures from our relaxing January meetings where the bulk of our time as spent making smoothies, getting massages (from a professional woman in our church!), making bath salts and just spending lots of quality time catching up with each other!

Christmas Show & Tell

This morning at MOPS, we shared some of our favorite holiday traditions that make Christmas such a special day in our homes.  Some of the favorite past-times include:

~waiting at the top of the steps until everyone is ready to come down
~taking a picture with everyone waiting at the top of the steps
~reading and/or reciting the Christmas story found in Luke 2
~opening Advent calendars throughout the month of Nov (Diana's advent calendar is pictured below)
~buying kid-friendly nativity scenes
~baking cookies together and take them around to friends and neighbors
~opening a special present Christmas Eve
~making photo ornaments with your kids
~reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' together
~visiting live nativity scenes like the one at Merrymead Farms (Dec 19&20)

***Both the wooden advent calendar above as well as the muscial plush nativity scene that Sarah K brought in can be found at Catholic Supply.

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Here are also a few pictures from our last meeting where we made the magnet nativity scenes for our kids!

The Station

At our meeting last Wednesday, the theme was The Station. Marg was our speaker and she shared with us that if we view our lives as a train ride it seems we spend most of our time looking out the window, trying to see how far it is to the next station. We look forward to arriving there, thinking it will be so much better than the ride we are on. In the same way with our daily lives, we want the excitement of what lies ahead (or we just want to get past the hard times in order to get to the better times), but in doing this we don't enjoy our current situation and circumstances like we should.

She pointed out that we need to even enjoy the bad times. James 1:2-3 says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." God can use the difficult trial to mold us or mature us so that we will be more like Jesus Christ our Savior.

Marg ended her talk by reading an essay titled The Station by Robert J. Hastings. You can click here to view the essay.

Then for our craft, we designed and made earrings, using all sorts of different beads. Very fun!

Mishmosh

This morning's MOPS meeting was a combination of two totally different topics since we were playing catch up from 2 snow days this past winter. The first on the agenda was our "Love Tunnel" theme with Peg and Poke sharing a wonderful testimony of their marriage throughout all of their years together. Peg and Poke first met when they were both part of a youth project (from different churches) to help paint a church in western PA. Poke is convinced she was drawn to his 1955 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop Coupe (who wouldn't be right?!) but Peg insists there was more than that;)

Some of their words of wisdom included...
~"You are not alone - couples today face the same problems that have always plagued marriages (i.e. financial difficulties, concern for you children, etc.)"
~"Don't be afraid to seek professional help from a counselor, pastor or hospital if needed"
~"God provides for exactly what we need when we need it"
~"Face problems together with God at the center and your marriage will grow by leaps and bounds"
~"Show your children unconditional love and make sure they know they can ALWAYS come home"

Thank you so much Peg and Poke for your willingess to share your lives with us- we were all very encouraged and inspired by your excellent example of a Godly marriage!

But that was not all, oh no that was not all (anyone else have Cat in the Hat memorized?), we then continued with our "Fun Foods" craft and made sandwich and fruit kebabs to take home for our little MOPPETS to have for lunch! They were very cute and it was great to have something ready for the kids when we got home. Here are a few pictures:

Everyone working hard on their projects!

The finished product...some people also used cookie cutters for the cheese and cucumbers which made theirs even cuter!

2008 Memories

Here are a few pictures from our 2008 MOPS meetings and outings:

Making growth charts from white picket fences the second week in October.

The finished product!

Peg instructed us how to make these beautiful pumpkin flower arrangements at the meeting before Thanksgiving.

Freddy Hill Hayride!

Beautiful day to be outside:)

Smile!

Ready to ride...

Strawberry picking at R&J Farms last June.