Meeting - LOVE is in the air ladies!

Hi ladies! Hope everyone is doing well, your households are staying healthy, and that you enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend!

LOVE is in the air ladies...! Personally, I was never a fan of Valentine's Day. My husband and I don't really 'celebrate' the day in any form. I would rather be surprised with flowers, etc. on any other random day of the year! But then came our kids, and craft time, and homemade creations for daddy became a tradition that is very dear to my heart! Having said that, if Andrew thought it would be a great day to shower me with diamonds, I think I would not oppose. ;)

Anyway... Come on out and join us this Wednesday, Feb 6 @ 9:30-11:30am @ COS (1600 W. 13th St.) for some fun, food, and fellowship! Breakfast will be served for the mamas, and childcare is provided by our MOPPETS program (cost is covered in your annual membership fees). However, please let us know if you plan to utilize childcare, so that we can ensure enough childcare workers. Thank you for your consideration; but if you do forget to RSVP, please come anyway!!

Ladies assigned to bring a breakfast item...Katie Jackson, Brenda Sheffield, Amanda Raper. If you are unable to bring something, no worries, just let us know thanks!

We'll be discussing 'The Five Love Language's' by Gary Chapman. If you have never heard of, or never read the book before, I would highly encourage you to pop on over to their site before Wednesday, and take the short quiz to find out your love language! You could also have your spouse/significant other take it, and there is even a quiz to find out your child(ren)'s love language.... http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/   Also, if you happen to have an empty shoe box laying around the house, please bring it on Wednesday!

Upcoming Events

THURS, Feb 21 @ 7:30pm - A 'New' Me - Spa Night!! This has become an annual favorite that you won't want to miss! What better way to end the month of love, than by loving yourself with a MOPS night out with girlfriends! details to follow...(but I promise its super fun!!)

Mar 6 @ 9:30am - Kelly's Korner, the world of mommyhood and blogging, you can read about her here: http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

Mar 28 @ 7:30pm - Crafts Galore (Please note change in date due to Spring Break!)

April 3 @ 9:30am - Gardening 101

April 18 @ 7:30pm - Sweet & Savory

May 1 @ 9:30am - Tea & Testimony

May 16 - End of the Year Family BBQ

~Erica

Tiny Tot Tuesday: Number Edition

Hey everyone, here is another installment of Tiny Tot Tuesday!  Today includes different ideas for using a deck of cards to practice numbers, so grab a deck and get started!

1. Go Fish: Everyone knows how to play this game, but it's a good one!  It helps kids practice number recognition skills!

2. War: Another oldie but goodie!  This game helps kids compare numbers.

3. Number Sets: Flip over a card and have your child make a group of that number using a small item (such as stickers, cheerios, beads). 

4. Matching Sets: Create groups of small objects.  Then give your child the cards and have him match the number to the set.

5. Ordering Numbers: Give your child a set of cards, one of each number.  Have them put the numbers in order (the best way to do this is to count and put down the corresponding card).

6. Guess the number: Cover the number on each card.  Have kids guess the number by counting the pictures and saying the number (ex: 5, count the 5 hearts).

7. Name that Number: Flip over one card at a time and have your child call out the number, then give them the card if they get it correct!

8. Movement: Turn over a card and have your child do a large motor activity (dkip, hop, jump, turn around) that many times.

9. Missing Number: Lay out cards in sequence, turning some face down.  Have your child guess the missing number.

10. Writing: Place a card under a blank piece of paper and have child trace the number!

~Melissa McMinn, Coordinator, mother of 3 boys

Meeting - Let's Get Physical!

Hello ladies! I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and a safe, Happy New Year!

With the new year, comes talk of 'resolutions', or trying new things, or creating new habits...and at MOPS, we want to help kick start 2013 with what we would like to call "LET's GET PHYSICAL!" with Kim Wiles, so you will want to wear some comfy clothes/shoes! Join us this WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9 @ 9:30am - 11:30am @ COS (1600 W. 13th St. in Grove). Breakfast will be served for the mamas, and childcare is provided by our MOPPETS program (cost is covered in your annual membership fees). However, please let us know if you plan to utilize childcare, so that we can ensure enough childcare workers. Thank you for your consideration!

Mamas assigned to bring a breakfast item for Wednesday...Corrine Sikes, Cindy Cole, Katie Johnson, and Stacy Clark. If you unable to be there or can not bring something, no worries, just let Lynn Hassleman know. Thanks!

Upcoming Events...

THURS, JAN 17th @ 7:30-9:30pm: BUNKO!! What better way to welcome in the new year, than a 'friendly' game of Bunko with girlfriends! (warning: this game is not for the faint of heart, these girls can be ruthless! j/k y'all!!) Snacks/drinks will be served, but friendly reminder that childcare is not provided for our evening meetings. There will be a $3 buy-in on the game, with cash prizes to win! This is the perfect opportunity to invite all your friends to share what MOPS is all about!

Feb 6 @ 9:30am - I Love You!

Feb 21 @ 7:30pm - A 'New' Me - Spa Night!

Mar 6 @ 9:30am - Traveling with Toddlers 101

Mar 28 @ 7:30pm - Movie Madness

April 3 @ 9:30am - Gardening 101

April 18 @ 7:30pm - Sweet & Savory

May 1 @ 9:30am - Tea & Testimony

May 16 - End of the Year Family BBQ

Looking forward to a super blessed 2013 MOPS year!

~Erica

Tiny Tot Tuesday: Fine Motor Edition

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't been getting these posts written each week!  Things have been crazy!  Anyway, this week's 'Tiny Tot Tuesday' is all about fine motor (small muscles in your hands and fingers) skills and how to develop those!  Developing these muscles is super important because it prepares your child for learning to hold a pencil and write, as well as so many other things! Below are some ideas to get your fine motor muscles engaged and have fun!

1. Stringing: Give your child a piece of yarn, string, ribbon or a pipe cleaner and have them string things!  You can string beads, cereal, pasta or anything else that has a hole in the middle of it!

2. Play dough!

3. Tweezers or a chip clip: Give your child a pair of tweezers or a chip clip, a bowl of something small and an empty bowl and have them transfer objects from one bowl to the other using the tweezers!

4. Sensory tub: Fill a container with dry beans or rice and objects to use to pour and scoop and let them go to town!

5. Punching holes: Give your child a hole puncher and paper and let them punch holes however they want!

6. Squishy balls: Give your child a squishy ball to squeeze.

7. Pick up sticks: Dump out a small amount of a small object (cheerios, pom poms, beads) and have your child pick them up one at a time!

8. Pipe cleaners: Give your child several pipe cleaners to twist and play with!

9. Sponge: Give your child a sponge and have them wring it out!

10. Poke container: Take an old container with a plastic lid (like a baby puff container) and poke several holes in the lid.  Give your child spaghetti noodles or pipe cleaners to push in the holes.

~Melissa McMinn, Coordinator, mother of 3 boys

Meeting - December Activities!

Hi ladies! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week with your families! We have a super fun packed December planned for MOPS, so be sure to read carefully, mark your calendars, and plan accordingly!

*WED, DEC 5, 9:30-11:30am - Drop and Shop. Literally, drop your children off at COS, and spend the next few hours shopping the local merchants of Grove! Because this is not a typical meeting and we mamas will be off-site, and for the safety of all involved, this is available for current members only, please do not invite friends to drop off their children. Also, you must RSVP for childcare by MON, DEC 3, so that we can ensure enough childcare workers.

*WED, DEC 12, 9:30-11:30am - Playdate @ COS....This is the perfect opportunity to invite new friends to experience what MOPS is all about!! Have your little ones dress up in their favorite pj's, and if you like, bring a couple dozen cookies! We'll have an (optional) cookie exchange for the moms, and also a fun cookie decorating station for the kids. (Sugar cookies/icing/sprinkles will be provided for your use, you don't need to bring anything for that, and it will be set up in a separate room from play area.) This is absolutely just for fun, no pressure to bring anything, just come on out and have some fun with your kids - we already have moms coming who will not be bringing any cookies because of allergy issues for their little ones!

*THURS, DEC 20, 7:30-9:30pm - Christmas Party @ COS. For the moms only, childcare will not be provided. Appetizers/Desserts/Drinks will be provided courtesy of your Steering Team, but please feel free to bring your favorite appetizer or dessert as well!

This year, we're going to have some fun with: "My Favorite Things" and here is how this works... think of something that you absolutely love, that kind of describes your personality or might help someone decide that it could belong to you. It could be anything - homemade/cooked/baked/store bought, etc. We want you to provide us three of those 'things', and wrap each one separately. You may not spend more than $10 TOTAL for the three things combined.

Here is an example: Lucy loves yellow #2 pencils. She purchases 3 of them at $1 each, which means she spent $3.00 TOTAL, which is below the $10 limit. Other examples: glitter anything (shoes/nail polish/lip gloss), are you really good at baking? can you make a great homemade skin product? are you obsessed with accessories? check your house for things that you tend to have around all the time - I seriously just considered bringing some lucky girls some Lanolin Cream. If you don't know, that's nipple cream for nursing. It makes an AWESOME chapstick (which I use ALL the time) and also hand cream! But I won't now that I spoiled it! Plus it's $7.54 a bottle, and well, I doubt that anyone would appreciate my used bottles! :)

Got it? 3 'things', each wrapped, no more than $10 total. So have some fun and be creative!! You will end up taking home 3 'new' gifts. If you do not want to participate in the gift exchange, PLEASE COME ANYWAY!!!

If you have any questions, or concerns about anything, please contact us! Looking forward to a fun-filled MOPS month!!

~Erica

Tiny Tot Tuesday: Alphabet Edition

Hello everyone! Today's 'Tiny Tot Tuesday' is full of ways to practice making the letters in the alphabet!  The more exposure to the letters your child gets the better!  These ideas include several different sensory ideas as well as large and fine motor ideas.  Hope you enjoy!

1. Yarn: Cut two large pieces of yarn (or string, or ribbon).  Using one piece, make a letter on the floor.  Give your child the other piece and have them copy your letter!  The bigger you make it the more fun!

2. Play dough: Write the letters on a sheet of parchment paper (foil or wax paper can work too).  Give your child some play dough and show them how to roll it to make "snakes" then use the "snakes" to place on top of the written letters to make the alphabet!

3. Shaving Cream: Put shaving cream on a cookie sheet.  Have your child spread it out then practice drawing letters in it. (Can also be done in the bathtub if you don't want a mess)

4. Glue: Draw a big letter on paper.  Give child something that starts with that letter to glue onto the letter, making the letter as they glue.  (ex: A=apple jacks, B=buttons)

5. Sticks: Use sticks to write the letters in dirt or sand.

6. Magazine: Give your child a magazine and scissors and cut out the letters in the alphabet.  If you find them all you can glue them on paper to make the alphabet!

7. Bathtub: Use bath crayons to write letters while taking a bath.  (You can search the Internet for how to make your own)

8. Water: Give child a bucket of water and paint brush and paint the letters on the sidewalk or side of the house then watch them disappear!

9. Blocks: Use blocks to construct the letters.

10. Body:  Call out a letter and have your child try and make it with their body!  Some letters require more than one person.  

Just remember to have fun and follow your child's lead.  If you only do 1 letter before quitting it is okay!  Just provide materials and opportunities and see what your child can do!

~Melissa McMinn, Coordinator, mother of 3 boys

Meeting - How to look cute on a budget!

Hi ladies! Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I know we just saw each other a few days ago, but the way the calendar falls this month, it's meeting time again!

I'm sure many of you can relate...pregnant and/or nursing the last 4 years of my life has taken its toll on my sense of fashion! I mean let's be honest, no one 'plans' to become the stay-at-home mom who's lives in pj's/work-out/lounge clothes, and I'm fairly certain I swore that would not be me! But you know, I LOVE my pj's. And for a season (or two, or three...) it's okay. And, besides that, who wants their nice clothes puked (or, ahem, poohed) on?!

So, join us this Thursday evening for a segment we'd like to call, 'How to look cute on a budget'! Tiffany Porter is our special guest speaker, and will walk us through some fun fashion ideas, using things that most probably already have in your closet. And, as mothers of little people, modesty is of course a priority. If you are able, we ask that you bring a scarf, or some article of clothing or accessory, that you no longer need/wear, and we'll do a fun little swap, so you'll end up taking home something "new"! If you don't want to participate in the exchange, not a problem, please come anyway!!**Correction: bring any article of clothing or accessory that you do not use any more, and learn fun new to ways to use them!

Thursday, November 15, 7:30-9:30pm @ COS (Church of the Shepherd) 1600 W. 13th Street in Grove. Friendly reminder, there is no childcare provided for evening meetings. *Ladies assigned to bring snacks: Michelle Sorochman, Krista Sampson, Katie Schauf, Rachel Harrison.

Calendar Dates: Please read carefully as we have changes for December!

*WED, DEC 5, 9:30-11:30am - Drop and Shop. Literally, drop your children off at COS, and spend the next few hours shopping the local merchants of Grove! Because this is not a regular meeting and we the mamas will be off-site, and for the safety of all involved, this is available for current MOPS of Grove members only, please do not invite friends to drop off their children. Also, you must RSVP for childcare by MON, DEC 3, so that we can ensure enough childcare workers.

*WED, DEC 12, 9:30-11:30am - Playdate @ COS. PJ party for the kiddos and cookie exchange! Perfect opportunity to invite new friends to experience what MOPS is all about!!

*THURS, DEC 20, 7:30-9:30pm - Christmas Party @ COS. For mothers only (childcare is not provided for evening meetings) Please bring your favorite dessert or appetizer!

If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to contact any one of the Leadership! Also, make sure to check Facebook (don't rely on your newsfeed) often for the most up to date information; it’s the easiest way to communicate last minute changes!! See you soon!

~Erica