Embracing Family Time

At our last meeting, our MOPS group had the chance to hear an encouraging and inspiring presentation about "Embracing Family Time" by our Youth Pastor, Mathew McCabe.

Pulling from his knowledge of the Bible and from his personal experience as a father of four, Mathew makes it clear that not only is family time important...it's not IMPOSSIBLE with our crazy little monsters sweethearts.

In case you missed it or just want a reminder of Mathew's presentation, here's the recap:

Starting out with a bible passage...

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NIV)

These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

Here is what God says is important.

We tend to think family time has to be a big event that requires some planning and preparation.

Family time, however, is an ongoing process of life.

The younger you start your children with family traditions/expectations/events, the better; it's easier to shape a younger child's expectations and views of family and family time than an older child.

*MAKE IT A PRIORITY*

There will always be other things to do and the excuse "It'll get easier [when they're older]."

The truth is, it won't get easier, but it will get "different".

As parents of young children, we're all at a stage where it is an accomplishment just to keep the kids clean and fed and to get them to bed.

But as children get older, it gets complicated with hormones.

So instead of waiting for when you think it'll get easier, you just have to start early with molding your kids for family time.

How Do We Set Family Traditions?

*Be creative (with your resources, time and children).

     Example - If a family dinner time doesn't work, then consider waking up a little earlier to share breakfast time with the family.

*Think BIG!

     Don't underestimate your child's ability to partake in certain events. Intrigue and adventure is imparted to them when taking on activities that have some challenge.

*Think Outside the Box

     Nothing is wrong with taking trips to the mall, library, etc. But it's off the beaten path where the excitement is found. (Example - Gravelly Point Park to watch the planes coming and going from Reagan Airport.)

*Be Flexible with Timing

     Timing for the family may not be perfect but you have to fit it in. Find a way to be spontaneous! Example - Stopping by a field during a road trip just to run through the thick patches of fog.

*Maximize the Small Opportunities

Even the little pockets of time count! (Example - While eating a quick meal together, you can have Meal Time Question Cards for each other: "What was the best/worst/funniest part of your day?")

*Be Consistent!

Consistency in having family time helps little ones to understand and develop expectations about family and family time.

Make sure your expectations of your children's attitude and behavior are clear. Consequences/Rewards can be attached to the expectations to help motivate your child. 

Keep in mind that every family-time event may not turn out perfectly....in fact, some may even be a disaster! (Read: The McCabe kids being taken along on a 9-mile hike up a mountain which they didn't quite enjoy.) The memory of the event can still have a lasting positive impact, accompanied with fun(ny) family memories.

*Be Considerate to Your Child/Children's Needs

If you have multiple children, it's important to find time with each individual child since they each have their own personality and interests.

And a SUPER IMPORTANT tip for embracing family time is...

(Drum roll, please!)

***Take Care of YOURSELF!***

This may involve time alone, or time with your spouse, friends, etc. You need to take care of yourself and nurture yourself so that you are better able to take care of your kids. Example - Going away with your spouse once or twice a year without the kids. (Can I get an Amen??) ;)

Following the great talk from Mathew, our MOPS moms had a chance to reflect on the presentation through discussion and focus questions which helped us think about and share our family-time experiences and ideas.

If you're looking for more family-time ideas/inspiration, Parenting.com has a great article to get you started!

Family Activities: Cheap, Fast & Fun!

Have fun with your family!

MOPS Kick-Off: 2013-2014

This past Tuesday marked the much-anticipated kick-off of the 2013-2014 MOPS year!

With a warm atmosphere filled with hugs, smiles and laughter, our MOPS moms had a chance to just relax and enjoy each other's company; catching up with old friends, meeting a few new faces and even welcoming a few new babies!

Our speakers, Lisa Young and Naomi Sky did a great job of getting our meeting off to a fun and informative start!

Our theme this year is A Beautiful Mess: Embrace Your Story.

The theme, as described by our lovely MOPS coordinator, Lisa Young -

"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.

This year’s theme verse is:  

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.

Can I tell you – I've been holding on to this verse on those days when I feel like more of a mess than a masterpiece.  I'm thrilled that God looks at us through a different lens; He sees it all and KNOWS us intimately, just like an artist knows his work and sees the perfection and flaws and just loves it all. "

This is sure to be a theme that hits home for a lot of us, if not ALL of us. Sometimes, we can be so hard on ourselves as mothers...but what a relief to know that our Lord is loving us and seeing the beauty of our motherhood, no matter how "messy"! Now if only we could see through God's eyes...perhaps we wouldn't feel quite so guilty for those days when we're still in our PJ's at lunch time! :)

A special thank you to our Steering Team for all of the time and effort you put forth to ensure that our MOPS had a great kick-off! Also thanks to all of your planning and dedication, our mommies will be sure to have an incredible MOPS experience for the upcoming year!

CALENDAR REMINDERS:

• Playgroup at Cedarbrook meets every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon! Join the fun!
• September 19th (8:00 p.m.) - Prayergroup at Cedarbrook (The Refuge)
• September 21st - Family Apple Picking & Picnic at Larriland Farms
• September 24th (9:30 a.m.) - Our Next MOPS Mtg.

Trip to the Fire Station

Clarksburg MOPS summer fun has continued, leading our group of mommies and babies to an exciting trip to the Germantown-Milestone Fire Station - Station 34.

As soon as our tour began, the alarms went off and we were quickly ushered into a side room so we could see the fire engine take off to help with the emergency call they had just received. A regular day for the brave firefighters, but certainly a bit scary and exciting for the group.

We then got to meet Fireman Lieutenant Gary who took us on our tour of the fire station, answering many of our questions and teaching us about what they do there.

We headed straight to the garage where a bright red fire engine awaited us!

Some of us could barely contain the excitement of being so up-close to the truck! 

Photo Credit: Heather Abbott

Fireman Gary showed us a lot of the important tools and components of the truck that they use during their emergencies.

Photo Credit: Heather Abbott

Ladder on the truck
Photo Credit: Heather Abbott

Fun Fact: After the realization that cat skeletons were never really found in trees, they decided  to stop using their ladders to rescue cats that were "stuck" in trees because too many fire fighters were falling and getting hurt.

Fireman Gary even let the kids hold one of their hook tools.

Sharp tools in the hands of little ones somehow feels perfectly legit when a firefighter is around!

And then the kids got to check out the one firefighter tool that we all know and love...the fire hose!

Photo Credit - Heather Abbott

Firefighter Gary even showed us how they lay out their clothes and boots so that they can get dressed super quickly when they are called for emergencies.

We learned about how some firetrucks are for pumping water and some firetrucks are "Ladder Trucks". 

The water trucks carry about 750 gallons of water...a LOT of water.

The ladder trucks, require two drivers; one driver for the front and one driver at the tail end of the truck to control the back wheels, since the truck is so long.

Front View of a Fire Engine that pumps water.

 After learning some great things about the fire engine, we also were able to check out an ambulance!

And after heading back inside the station, we took a peek at the firefighters' sleeping quarters, dining area and gym.

Firefighter Gary showed us how all of the stations have their own unique patch. They keep the patches for the different fire stations on display. Station 34's patch is a flaming skull, pictured below to the right.

Fire Stations have unique patches. Station 34's Patch is a Flaming Firefighter Skull.

This station also has a beautiful wall mural dedicated to the tragedy of 9-11

9-11 Wall Mural
Photo Credit - Heather Abbott

At the end of our visit, we were sent with little firefighter hats, coloring booklets and stickers for the kids. 

Saving lives and inspiring future firefighters seems to be all in a day's work for these guys at Station 34! 

Photo Credit: Heather Abbott

It was a great visit to the fire station for our MOPS group!

Summer Play Date Kick-off: Wheaton Regional Park

The Cedarbrook MOPS 2013 Summer Play Dates have finally begun and we had a great time reconnecting with each other and playing with the little ones at Wheaton Regional Park.

The morning started with this fun carousel ride, complete with jumping horses, zebras and chariots. The ride may have been TOO fun seeing as the kids weren't too keen on leaving it!

Carousel Ride
If you squint hard enough, you can spot Lisa and Jackson Young on the Zebra to the right  with Vicki and Daniel Canales next to them. Mollie and Vivia are on the yellow horse closer to the left with Nathan Miller just beyond them.)

Moving on to the rest of the park, the kids got a chance to climb a rubbery "mountain", play on swings, zoom down slides, ride dinosaurs and even get messy with a gigantic sand pit. Although mommy-chat time wasn't easy with all the chasing and running around, we all had a wonderful time! Here are some of the photos from the day's adventures-

Sliding back down the mountain after conquering the climb to the top (Daniel Canales, Left and Jackson Young, Right)
Photographs - Courtesy of Lisa Young

Dinosaur Rider with his Mama (Nathan and Jocelyn Miller)
Photograph - Courtesy of Lisa Young

Left Side: Naomi and Ezra Skye/Right Side: Mollie and Vivia Randall
Photographs - Courtesy of Lisa Young

Jainy and Jayden Stewart
Photograph - Courtesy of Lisa Young

Who can resist the messy fun of sand AND water???

The boys really loved playing in the sandpit.
Jackson (Left) and Daniel (Right) 

(From left to right) Nicole, Elliott & Wyatt Ostrander and Vicki Canales
Photograph - Courtesy of Lisa Young

As a sweet and relaxing end to the play date, we took a ride aboard the park's miniature train-replica.

The train ride carried us through the park's lush forest where we enjoyed the cool breeze and shade from the trees.
Chelsea Geary (with the baseball cap)

Getting ready to return to the boarding platform

This was a great kick-off to what is sure to be a wonderful summer of MOPS fun! Looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it, at our next play date!

Apples to Apples

Since I've joined the blogging world, I guess it fits for me to start a blog with, "I am so sorry for falling behind on my entries.".  Then, I think I'm supposed to give a really grand reason for why I've been such a slacker.  Well, guess what?  I DO have a really grand reason!  I have been crazy busy having fun with friends!  Thank you for not letting me "mother alone".  Spending time with other moms is so refreshing and rewarding!

So...........HERE WE GO!  Let's blog it up.

I have to be totally honest with y'all.  I grew up with a twisted view on homeschooling.  When we lived in the south, it was NEVER something I would have considered to be an option for my family.  I would say this is a pretty good portrayal of my past opinions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU2jdDGStsg
I'm happy to report that my opinion has changed.  I attribute a few things to my 'transformation'.  It was in part due to my observations.  I've noticed that homeschool families seem to be very connected.  The kids are not socially awkward.  In fact, their social skills are quite impressive, and they present themselves extremely well.  Acquiring the facts and being open-minded have also helped.  This is where our "Apples to Apples" panel came in handy.    

In case you missed it, I'll explain.  Two meetings ago at MOPS, we had a day set aside to focus on school.  We brought in a panel of school professionals and experienced parents from each method of schooling.  One was one of the founders for Cedarbrook Acadamy (which walks alongside parents that choose to homeschool) and the Administrator.  We had a parent that chose homeschooling for her 5 children and one that currently has her 4 in public school  We also had a representative from a private christian school that works on the administrative side.  It was such a blessing that they were able to give up their time and share their experiences and knowledge with us!

They each admitted that there are pros and cons to each.  I love spending time with my kids.  So, the idea of them going off to school for 40 hours a week is a sad thought.  They grow up so fast!  Homeschooling and christian schooling give you the opportunity to fill your child's mind and soul with Godly experiences, while public schooling opens up a whole new sinful world for them to see and experience.  (One day, your child could be peering out the pack window waving his middle finger to passersby because he saw that it got a strange reaction when his classmate did it at school!  ha) Raising your kids to be the light in a dark, sinful world can be scary, but it's exciting at the same time.  Public school can be just the place for our children to show God's love to people that won't see it at home.  Another great point made was that you can and should reevaluate your child's needs annually.  If you feel they would strive better in a different setting, you can change your schooling strategy.

These examples just scratch the surface on their thoughts and advice.  I walked away feeling so enlightened.  The overall consensus from the panel was that each family and each child is different.  When considering your child's schooling, decide what best fits their needs at that time, and trust your motherly instincts.  (The one man in the room liked our MOMSENSE term!)

Meet and Greet the Steering Team!

Our first MOPS meeting was, in my opinion, a great success!  

We learned the meaning behind Valentine's Day.  I mean, who knew it all started with a rebellious bishop who secretly wedded couples after they were forbidden to marry?!  Several woman discovered their hidden talent of scooping conversation hearts out of a cup using only chopsticks.  We shared many delicious breakfast and dessert foods.  I'm not talking about a handful of Cheerios and a banana on the run either!  There was everything from egg casserole to Pots de Creme a l'Orange!  I don't even know how to pronounce that long fancy title, but I know that it was so good!  ...so good that I had 2   ...so good that I couldn't concentrate on conversation for 10 minutes because I was busy thinking about how I could get another without looking like a rude pig.  I drew a blank, decided 2 was enough, and re-engaged myself.  (in case you were wondering how that played out)  ...so good that I looked it up and posted the recipe link from The Pioneer Woman here .  Thank you for bringing it Mary Lee!  We made super cute name tags for our little "moppetts"!  I think our kids are going to love seeing them at our next meeting!   

We also learned about our theme for this semester!  It is "MomSense:  Bold - Loving - Sensible".  Developing a mothering strategy is somewhat like playing a game.  Playing games involves being bold and taking risks, loving those in the game with us, and being sensible while figuring out what works and what doesn't.  Each discussion group table came up with a "team name" that related to this theme.  I can only remember the name of our table.  We are the "Mocha Mommies" because we have our minds on chocolate and chocolate on our minds.  I'll find out what the other team names are and post them soon.

My favorite aspect of the theme is the scriptural foundation.  "God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold, and loving and sensible." 2 Timothy 1:7 As women, I think we tend to be less prideful with our gifts and more reserved.  I know that is a generalization, but it seems to be true with with most of the women I've been close to in my life.  Maybe we shy away from pride so much that we are hiding our God-given gifts.  My prayer is that God  will teach us how to use our gifts boldly, lovingly, and sensibly...the way he intended when he created us.  

All in all, I think we all share the same excitement.  Together, we can figure out this whole "mothering" job and help each other along the way.  I'm praying for you ladies, and I'm proud to call you my friends.

...AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO... (drum roll please!)...YOUR STEERING TEAM!  (and the crowd goes wild!)  Sorry, I had a dork moment...I am having those closer and closer together these days.

Haley Hatley

Coordinator & Hospitality

Lisa Young

Finance & Assistant Coordinator

Jami Trumbower

Discussion Group Leader & Publicity

Kim Kelley

Discussion Group Leader

Laura Johnson

Discussion Group Leader

Vicki Canales

Creative Activities

 Sherra Gist

Special Events