Clarksburg MOPS...where Moms don't let Moms mother alone.: February 2012

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