Volunteering with Kids

Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart. ~Elizabeth Andrew

Teaching young kids about volunteering can be tricky.
The thought of taking a 4-year-old to the food pantry would likely make even the most seasoned mother panic.
So, how do you instill those kinds of values into your child?
Kristen Horton, Cornerstone Assistance Network Director of Volunteers, discussed volunteer opportunities with our Mops group today.

click here to learn more about Cornerstone Assistance Network

"I think volunteering with your preschooler starts with age-appropriate conversations," Horton said.

• initiate the conversation
• find a volunteer opportunity that relates to them
• bring it down to their level - don't scare them
• instill compassion
• look for opportunities to bless children the same age as your children

Ideas on how to volunteer with your child

Reverse Trick-or-Treating:

Horton suggested going to a nursing home with your children and passing out cookies or treats to the elderly.
Making friendly conversation with those at the nursing home and bring a treat would likely make their day, Horton said. It would also, instill compassion, she said.

"I think a key to volunteering with preschoolers is mentoring and modeling at home," Horton said.

Thanksgiving

Put together food baskets to donate with your children.
"Let them see the meal come together," Horton said. "Let them go grocery shopping with you."

Christmas

Operation Christmas Child (we are putting boxes together at the next meeting, Nov. 14, click here to visit the website.) * Let your child help you shop for your child. If they're old enough, let them watch the video on the site. *Adopt a child their age, to help them feel connected.

Other ways

• Clean out the toy box. Let them pick out toys to donate, Horton said.
• Have a Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive at their preschool and then donate the items to a food bank.
• Buy large bags of rice and beans and then have your children help separate them into smaller portions.
• Prepare care packages for the homeless (toothbrush, sanitary items, non-perishable foods) and keep them handy in your vehicle.

"It's simple and makes your child aware of what's going on in the world," Horton said.

Cornerstone Assistance Network also holds quarterly workshops and could always use help with child care, Horton said.
Bringing your child to help out in that atmosphere could help your child understand, she said.

"It's all about connecting those items for them," she said.
 

-For more information on how to volunteer with with Cornerstone Assistance Network, email Horton at khorton@canetwork.org or call her at 817-632-6001.

Next meeting on Nov. 14

Along with putting together our Operation Christmas Child boxes, we will be making holiday goodies. Bring pictures to make photo coasters!

 

10 Mistakes a Good Mother Makes [recap]

 Sometimes, it takes every fiber in our being to make it through the day of motherhood. Sometimes, we second guess our parenting styles. And, just sometimes we give in to our kids to simply get some peace and quiet. But every once and awhile, we have a day that goes semi-smooth.

 

 At our Nov. 10 meeting, Amy Baggett, a Dallas-based speaker and author, spoke about her book, 10 Mistakes a Good Mom Makes.

Click here to learn more about Amy Baggett

 Can you relate?

Some of the mistakes discussed by Baggett, included becoming a "Magic Genie," an "Extreme Home Makeover Mom" or a "Dog Trainer."

 

A "Magic Genie Mom" grants every wish their child's heart could even fathom. Typically, a "Magic Genie" mom is doing everything for their child. They please their child no matter what, Baggett said.

Parents need to find a way to work with toddlers, not just for them, Baggett said.

 

If you currently fall into this category, Baggett had some simple tips:

 

* Find where to draw the line.

*Work with the toddler - not for the toddler.

* Get into a routine cycle through out the day - do a chore with your child, then play together and then rest separately.

 

Teaching your children how to do chores at an early age will help teach responsibility and take some weight off your shoulders.

 

Also, durring rest/nap/quiet time, take time for yourself instead of scrambling to do all of the chores. You will be energized and will be able to give your children more attention.

 

An "Extreme Home Makeover Mom" raise their children the completely opposite of how they were raised.

Baggett gave an example of her friend who was the  youngest of  four siblings. Her friend often felt neglected and her parents never had enough time for her or took interest in her activities.

In turn, she became completely involved in her own children's lives to the point where they relied only on her.

As a result, dad could never change a diaper the correct way. Or the grand parent could never could dinner just the right way.

So, what started out with good intentions, led Baggett's friend into a whole new set of problems.

 

The "Dog Trainer" will most likely have a shelf full of childhood manuals, alway reward the good behavior and always punish the bad behavior. Their child will also likely be the best behaved child on the block.

This doesn't sound bad, right?

"If that's where the disipline stops, we're treating them like dogs," Baggett said.

As preschoolers, this type of "training" is fine, she said.

However, as teenagers, they may do things that peers reward and reject things that friends view as negaitive.

Instead, we should strive to have our children follow values, not rewards, Baggett said.

Mom vs. Food

"We don't want to be in a power struggle over food," Baggett said.

Many women in MOPS today, expressed interest in discussing food issues with thei children. If you're in WWIII with your child over eating habits, Baggett had these tips for you:

 

* As the mom, you decide what and when the child eats.

*The child gets to decide, if and how much they get to eat.

*The child must eat everything on the plate before they get more/different food.

*If the child won't finish what's on the plate, they don't get another option.

*If the child gets hungry, let them wait until the next planned meal.

*The child will likely be hungry and eat what is prepared for them at the next meal.

 

Our next meeting is Nov. 24 and our speaker will be from Cornerstone Assistance Network. For more information, visit http://www.canetwork.org/ 

 

MOPS Fall Fundraiser

Hello!

 We are excited to announce our Fall Mini Session Fundraiser! All proceeds from the photography mini sessions will go towards MOPS and further our mission on helping mothers of preschoolers be the best mothers they can be.

 Adrian McCandless and Jen Sebring are both local photographers, attend Fellowship of the Parks and are members of MOPS. They are looking forward to using their talents God gave them to serve the community and help provide funding for the MOPS program at FOTP.

Schedule

*Available appointments are in yellow.

Rambling Thoughts

I know I haven't posted anything in awhile and I apologize for that. Things have been pretty hectic for my family lately. However, I am back on track!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day - I sure enjoyed spending time with my husband and daughter.

Can you believe we only have one meeting left before MOPS is out for summer! What are you planning on doing with your kids this summer? Here is Marie's blog where she has listed out lots of fun things to do this summer. I am definitely going to try some of these.

http://giggleslaundryandthecross.blogspot.com/2012/04/fun-cheap-things-to-do-with-your-kids.html

How many of you are now making your own laundry soap and dishwasher detergent? I absolutely loved the laundry detergent sample that Jean Ann made and gave us. However, my husband did not! Seems he had a severe allergic reaction to the detergent so I am back to using good old All (free and clear of course).

I am going to try some of the other cleaners that she gave us recipes for - let me know if you do as well. We can compare notes on how well (or not) they work.

Just a reminder that our last meeting is next Wednesday, May 23.

Thanks again for reading!
Brandon

P.S. If you haven't seen this video, please check it out! Hilarious look at motherhood from Christian comedian Anita Renfroe.

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=FBCBJ1NU

Saving Money - One Coupon at a Time

I am not an extreme couponer. I am a mom who loves to save money on the things I purchase for my family. I don't need a separate room for my stockpile of items that I get free or close to free - I just want to save a little money when I go grocery shopping. Is that too much to ask for?

Some grocery stores are making it harder to use coupons, thanks in part to the show "Extreme Couponing". Thank goodness Trish gave us some great tips on how to "shop on a dime" at our last MOPS meeting.

According to Trish, here are the top ten things you can do to cut your grocery costs.

1. Make a list and stick to it! Don't buy anything that is not on your list - no impulse buying allowed! That's hard for me - sometimes the stores have great sales on items that I have a coupon for so I'll pick it up.

2. Shop alone - no kids or husbands allowed. Enough said.

3. Shop on a full stomach - I try really hard not to go to the store hungry but sometimes I do and then boy does my grocery bill reflect that!

4. Shop the perimeter of the store - live on the edge! The easiest way to do that is to make your shopping list out according to the way you are going to shop - plan it around the store.

5. Compare unit/bulk pricing - it's not always cheaper to buy the bigger item.

6. Samples beware - this is hard because who doesn't like free samples? If it's not on your list, don't sample it! Also, steer clear of  "action alleys" in the stores - this is where they display any items they want to introduce to consumers or items they want to get out of their stores.

7. Use coupons wisely - clip only what you need. If your family doesn't use it, don't buy it just because you have a coupon. (I am guilty of that one sometimes - especially if I think we might use it).

8. Discard brand loyalties - this was a hard one for my husband. He used to be a brand snob - now he loves some of the store brands more than the name brand items. Also, if you purchase an item and are unhappy with it - call the store! They usually will do whatever it takes to make you happy and to make sure you continue shopping in their store.

9. Shop less - instead of shopping every day/every other day, make one large shopping trip every two weeks. Then all you need is to buy your perishable items like milk, eggs, fruits and veggies.

10. Check your receipt before you leave - sometimes the cashier has made a mistake or the item has rung up at the wrong price. An easy (but time consuming) way to help keep track is to write down the price beside the item on your list.

Saving money doesn't have to be hard. There are all sorts of ways to save a little green here and there. One of tips I really liked that Trish mentioned was to buy whole chickens and have the butcher cut them up for you. You get the price of a whole chicken which is cheaper than buying it already cut up and packaged AND you don't have to cut it up yourself! (I am not good at that - in fact, my last chicken looked like something from a horror movie).

One last tip from Trish - shop after dinner or late night. This is the best time to do a large shopping trip as the store will be less crowded and the shelves are being restocked.

If you have any money-saving tips, feel free to share with us either on the blog or on our Facebook page.

Happy couponing!
Brandon

Eat that frog and other ways to get organized

Sorry for taking so long to post anything. Guess I really need to put into practice some of the tips our last speaker (Ember Neville) suggested to us! Thank goodness this post is not about me and my less than stellar organized self.

Time Management - who doesn't wish that we had more time in the day to get stuff done? Even with Leap Year this year, I bet many of us are still wishing for more time. Time to do the laundry, time to clean the house, time to cook dinner, time to tuck our kids into bed at night - the list goes on and on and on.

Ember gave us lots of tips, resources and ideas on how to carve out more time for ourselves and our family. Here is a brief overview of what she discussed:

1. Know who you are - that sounds simple enough but when you really start thinking about it, it's hard to define yourself. Priorities are what makes each of us different - we all need to define our priorities for our lives and move towards them EVERY DAY.

2. Make a list with your top 3-5 priorities and put it where you can see it everyday. On that list, also list your top 10 goals for that week.

3. Create a "no" list - I need this one! I can't seem to say to no whenever anyone asks me to volunteer; therefore this is one of my goals each week. This list should contain things that you won't do unless they fit in with one of your priorities. Things like random kids birthday parties, baby showers, volunteer meetings, etc.

4. Communicate your priorities to everyone - that way you will have support in every aspect of your life. Also, find a mentor or two or three - someone whose life you admire and that you feel you can learn from.

Here are some other ideas to get you moving towards the "you" you always wanted to be!

• Visualize what you want to be different in your life ten years from now and start working towards that ideal.
• Your goals may shift and change seasonally, monthly and weekly. Go with it and try not to get discouraged.
• Plan out your year in advance - if possible. Grab a calendar (I use the one on Gmail) and start adding events, birthdays, etc. as you get them. It's an easy way to stay on track especially in a busy family.
• Make sure that you carve out blocks of time for yourself everyday - it can be in 30, 60 or 90 minute blocks or really whatever works for you. This is you time - time to relax and do what you want to do, not what your kids, husband, job wants you to do.
• Lastly - try and read for 15 minutes a day - it really does relax you. And if reading is not your thing, do yoga, exercise or whatever calms you down.

Ember also gave us a great list of resources that she either uses now or used at one time. They are:

• "A New Earth - Awakening Your Life's Purpose by Eckhardt Tolle
• imom.com
• "How to Behave So Your Children Will To" by Sal Severe
• "Eat That Frog" by Brian Tracy
• "Never Be Late Again - 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged" by Diana DeLonzer

Hope this helps everyone become super organized - I know I am going to start practicing some of these tips. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting on March 14.

Thanks for reading,
Brandon

Happy Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is today – are you prepared? At our last MOPS meeting our guest speaker was our own mentor mom, Marie Jackson. How appropriate that the title of her talk was “How Do I Make Love with My Kids Wrapped Around My Knees?

Marie spoke quite candidly about that three letter word many of us don’t like to talk about out loud. Yes, I’m talking about SEX. Her talk centered on how we as Christian women needed to be able to talk openly about sex with our husbands and how to find creative ways to incorporate sex back into our marriages.

Marie asked everyone to commit to the 7 day challenge – check out this link for more info- http://thesexperiment.com/sexual-chocolate-married. Here’s to making our marriages even stronger and our men even happier!

Marie also gave us a list of 50 date night suggestion.  Here are just a few to get you started:

1.       Make your own fondue – use a fondue pot (or crock pot) and dip fresh fruit, cake cookies, etc. into melted chocolate.

2.       Have a game night – pull out your board games for some friendly competition.

3.       Have a picnic – either outdoors or indoors.

4.       Find out your love languages – take the 5 Love Languages Quiz at http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/30-second-quizzes/love - end the evening with chocolate dipped strawberries

5.       Try a new restaurant

6.       Have a spa night – incorporate massages, bubble baths, etc.

7.       Go for a test drive – head out to your nearest car dealership and test drive your dream car.

8.       Make a monthly date calendar – give your spouse a list of 12+ dates on a card or a full size page. The more options he has to choose from, the better. Put some of his interests on their as well. Make him another sheet with that lists each month on there – add the date that he chooses to each month.

On Wednesday, February 15 we will be having another mother’s night out at Nicole Copeman-Maynard’s house (NEED ADDRESS) at 7 p.m. Bring your favorite dish to share as well as copies of the recipe so that everyone goes home with some new ideas.

Our craft of the day was bath bombs – easy to make! Here is the recipe for anyone that wants to make some.

Bath Bombs

½ part citric acid (½ cup)

1 part baking soda (1 cup)

15-20 drops of essential oil (any kind you like)

2-3 tbs of witch hazel in a spray bottle

Mixing bowl

Parchment paper

Mold or cookie cutter

Step 1 – lay out a sheet of parchment paper on the counter or table. In a large bowl, add the citric acid and baking soda, using a whisk or fork to mix thoroughly.

Step 2 – Add essential oils to spray bottle with the witch hazel. Spray witch hazel mixture into baking soda mixture with one hand. With the other hand, continue to mix the contents of the bowl – you will feel the powder starting to get damp after several seconds (it only takes a tiny spray to get damp).

Step 3 – When you can clump the mixture in your fist, pack it tightly in to a mold or cookie cutter. Work quickly as the witch hazel dries fast!

Step 4 – Let your bath bombs dry slightly, then gently twist the mold or push through the cookie cutter to pop them out on the parchment paper. Let them dry completely – keep them away from water until you are ready to use them!

Step 5 – Store them in a plastic container, seal them in baggies or wrap each one to give as gifts.

Make Plans to attend the Share Your Faith Workshop on Saturday, February 18 from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Fellowship of the Parks (9900 N. Beach Street, Keller, TX 76244). The meeting will take place in the Lounge.

In this workshop, taught by instructor Marty Phagan, you will learn a simple, easy to remember tool for sharing your faith with others, renew your passion for the lost and be motivated to prayerfully seek opportunities to share your faith.

EE trainers will also be available for on-the-job training visitations with workshop participants at future dates. Cost is $28 per person (includes lunch). Sign up at the Connection Point at FOTP(www.fellowshipoftheparks.com) .

I hope you are enjoying reading our blog – please leave us a comment and let us know how we are doing! There might be a prize drawing J.

Thanks for reading!

Brandon Gallop Rice

Introducing.....

Introducing…

I hope everyone is still reading! I am behind on my blog posts but promise to do a better job of keeping everyone informed of what’s going on.

I promised to include some information on your steering committee so I am introducing two members this week. Here they are:

Marie Jackson – Mentor Mom

Hi!  My name is Marie Jackson.  I am the biological mother of 4; an adopted mom of 4 more and a foster mom of many!!  My children range in age from 3-18.  I love being a wife and mom and wouldn't change a thing. I graduated college with a degree in accounting and only used it for about a year.  I hated the corporate world.  I met my husband when our oldest daughter was 1; he is my very best friend and the love of my life.   I became a stay at home mom 15 years ago when I was nearing the end of my 2nd pregnancy.   I would not be nearly as successful as a wife and mother had I not began my MOPS dependency 14 1/2 years ago.   I was 22; I had a four year old daughter, an infant, a brand new relationship with Christ, a hard working husband and not a single girl friend when I walked through the doors of my very first MOPS meeting.  I am still thankful to this day for the relationships that were birthed there and the lessons that I have learned.

I stay busy taking care of my family, work a little bit from home when I can and spend whatever time I can serving a gracious God through the ministries He puts in my path.  I truly believe there is no greater joy than what comes from serving others.  I LOVE scrapbooking and blogging, but have little time to do either.  My favorite thing is when people think I look way too young to be my daughter's mom.  I don't fit the mold of the "conservative Christian", I live a step outside the box, and I am happy there.  I detest legalism and am grateful beyond words to be a part of a church family that practices relationship above religion.  I love my piercings and tattoos and I am pretty sure Jesus does too.

 Dawn Lydick – MOPS Coordinator and MOPPETS Coordinator

Hello!  My name is Dawn Lydick.  I have been attending FOTP since around 2001.  I am currently a stay at home mom.  It is the most challenging and rewarding job I have ever had.  I have had several career paths mostly because I have a short attention span and thrive on challenge and change!  I struggle with the job of being a mommy (the tedium, constant demands and lack of "brain space") but love the kisses, hugs and that special bond I have with my daughter.

I moved to Texas with my job in Human Resources for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway in 2000.  I was born and raised in Montana where my family still lives.  I have traveled extensively and have lived in several places.  While in Texas, I married a native Texan and gave birth to one.  It looks like I will be staying here a while! 

I married Drew Lydick in 2005 when we were both 40.  We met through Match.com in 2003.  Neither of us had been married before.  We both were of the philosophy that we would rather be on our own than with the wrong person.  We feel so blessed that we found each other.  We are the greatest of friends and our personalities really complement each other.  He is very laid back, quiet and reserved.  I am an energizer bunny.  We balance each other well.

Our greatest blessing arrived in January 2005 when I was nearly 42 years old.  Evelyn keeps us entertained and challenged to say the least.  She has my energy and her daddy's sense of humor.  She loves to perform - singing, talking and acting constantly.  Can we say "drama" is her passion?  She attends FOTP's Mother's Day Out Program on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We both get a chance to be social with our own friends on those days!

I still love to travel and explore.  I still thrive on challenge and change.  It is interesting to see how all of this meshes with my family life as Evelyn grows up.  What a great adventure!

Next week I’ll profile two more of your steering team.  There might be a test/giveaway just to see who is reading!!

Thanks for reading!

Brandon Gallop Rice

FOTP Classic MOPS~Welcome Back!!

Great Start to MOPS 2012

I want to thank everyone who came to our first MOPS meeting last week – we had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones.  The steering team is already hard at work for the January 25^th meeting!

For those of you who were unable to make the meeting here is a brief recap of what happened:

We had a great speaker – Stacey Blind who taught us all what Tabata was!  Stacey also had us do a healthy mixer where we all had to get up and interact with each other by performing various activities with a different person – whew! Who knew you could work up a sweat in 10 minutes.

Stacey spoke about emotional and mindful eating as well as showed us some great exercises. She also gave us ten tips to help with our mindful eating. Here they are:

1.     Be portion precise

2.     One bag is not one serving – if the snack monster attacks, have your own 100 calorie snack bags ready

3.     Avoid distractions

4.     Improve habits

5.     Size does matter – eat on a smaller plate.

6.     Dine with others who are dieting

7.     Out of sight, out of mind

8.     Fat free isn’t free

9.     Pass on calorie dense food – cake, cookies, pie, doughnuts – do you see a trend here?

10.  Eat filling foods that are nutrient dense – salad, whole fruit, etc.

Kristen, a new steering team member, mentioned a mother’s night out event that will take place on Monday, January 23 at Zoe’s Kitchen. It will start at 7 p.m. – everyone is welcome! Zoe’s Kitchen is located in the Alliance Town Center off of I-35.

Our craft of the day was luggage tags – they turned out so cute! I am glue gunned impaired and required help to finish mine.

Speaking of your steering team, I thought it might be nice if we highlighted one or two members in the next couple of blogs. This is a great way for you to get to know us.  Marie Jackson and I will be taking turns writing the blog so if you have any questions, please let one of us know.

Thanks for reading!

Brandon Gallop Rice