Holy Cross MOPS

The Hospitality Team served delicious ham and sausage egg casseroles for breakfast today.

Erika recognized March Birthdays this morning. She let everyone know that we have hangers available for consignment sale sellers. The other reminders she shared were the Accessory Swap at our next meeting, ‘Ladies Night Out’ on March 16, and the last Book Study will be next Wednesday at 6 p.m. Here is the complete list of Announcements. Today’s Resource Table commemorated Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March 2, 1904. There was a nice selection of his books available for check out. Erika closed with a quote from Dr. Seuss, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” 

Deb spoke about perspective and described it as being the ability to stand between yesterday and tomorrow, and understand how and where today fits in.

She used a “getting up on the balcony” analogy. This refers to mentally and emotionally stepping away from a difficult situation to see the “big picture”, while not getting entangled in personal issues. It means stepping back and asking what would be best for the whole group in the long run. 

A struggle for Deb, which many moms can relate to, has always been to balance the urgent and the important. So often the urgent gets our attention and the important suffers. Urgent to us can mean: cleaning up the kitchen after a meal, laundry, or cleaning the shower. Important tasks should be: reading a book to your child, playing outside, and making memories.

As moms we need to take our main focus off of each individual day and put it in the context of our whole life. The demands of the present take on a life of their own if we let them. Our child is sick, we need to make dinner AGAIN, we ran out of milk, we forgot to pay the gas bill, etc. Focusing on the BIG picture, we are able to move through a rough day or two and realize that we are not in this stage forever. 

We can’t control much. Children at this age wet their pants, they cry for no reason, they say things you wish they wouldn’t, and so on. As women and moms, we want to control things. Stress results from carrying two days’ burdens in one day.

Jesus words: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  -Matthew 6:34

Prioritizing our choices is a great way to gain perspective. The hard thing is that there is no hard and fast rule about our choices and no predetermined rankings. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help in that process:

What need is more pressing right now, my sick child or helping my husband with the budget What will matter in 5 years, dirty dishes or going swimming with my children? What should I do that only I can do, vacuuming the house or taking a hurting friend out to coffee?

Moms,
Please get up on the balcony to see the big picture. When your eyes are focusing on each individual moment, point them ahead to brighter days. Relinquish control and allow God to guide you through your difficult days. Prioritize choices on a regular basis. Ask yourself the clarifying questions.

Today’s speaker was Leslie Visser. She is a Limited License Psychologist and has been in Mental Health for 20 years. She has been counseling for 15 years and has worked at Pine Rest for the past 6 years. Leslie primarily works with children. She shared this insight with us.

1.  Love your children unconditionally and be sure they know it.
Don’t label the child, label the behavior & know the child’s love language

• Verbal affirmation
• Quality time
• Physical touch
• Acts of service
• Gifts

2.  Make a master plan with your spouse and write it down.
The Bible is the greatest guidebook to help you      

3. Careful not to overwhelm your children with rules and be consistent, have balance.
2–3 rules at a time and once they have those down solid then you can add more

4.  Structure and consistency are very important.
Inconsistency causes trouble

5.  Stay out of control battles that you will always lose.
Food, potty, sleeping

6.  Ask yourself, “Will it matter in five years?”

• Build fun, do things as a family, have structure
• Behavioral issues—what is my child trying to tell me?
• Be mindful and cautious of the following: 
  H—HUNGRY  A—ANGRY  L—LONELY  T—TIRED

7.  Look at your schedule and do not over-schedule.
If you are tired, chances are your child is, too.

8.  Know your child and know yourself.

We missed you if you weren’t at the meeting. We hope to see you at our next meeting on March 18, 2010. Please let a member of the Steering Team know if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

The Center for Women in Transition sent us this heartfelt letter to say “thank you” to Holy Cross MOPS. During the holiday season we created 10 handmade fleece tie blankets for this amazing non-profit organization. What an awesome feeling it is to give from the heart! May we continue to express His love by “doing all for the glory of God”.  -I Cor. 10:31

The Hospitality Team kicked off this morning’s meeting with a delicious french toast, sausage, and fresh fruit breakfast. 

Erika opened with Announcements and let us know that the Game Night event was cancelled. She concluded by reading St. Teresa’s Prayer.

Deb opened with a recent instance she had with self-inflicted “mom guilt”. Then she spoke about the topic of telling others “what we do”. We are mothers/homemakers by choice and we are important. Motherhood is a wonderful occupation! Deb used the letters from the word C-A-R-E to describe what being a mom means to her.

C—Careful  Be careful with our words, looks, and moods. Communication is 7% content, 38% tone of voice, and 55% non-verbal communication. Deb revealed an instance with her daughter that made her realize she has to be aware of the looks she gives.

A—Aware  Be aware of household, kid’s and husband’s needs. Need to be aware of acting on our awareness; sometimes we ignore and think things will go away. Be aware of what your children are learning outside of the home.

R—Refresh/Renew  Create a safe refreshing place for family. What do you need to do to create it? Work towards building that safe place.

E—Elastic  Be flexible. We often become overly scheduled. Don’t be too busy to enjoy the treasures that God gives us.

Deb read a poem called Remind Me Lord. She closed with prayer and a thought provoking reminder about these preschool years of being a mom. “The days are long, but the years are short!.”

Today’s speaker was our very own MOPPETS Coordinator, Stephanie Tuinman. She spoke about the topic of Early Literacy. Stephanie is a former preschool teacher at GRCC Laboratory Preschool. She is a wife and mom of two girls, Hannah (7) and Clara (5). Stephanie has brought her educational expertise into her home. Some simple and easy ideas she encourages using are a front view bookcase, putting books out based on the holiday or what is going on in their lives, and creating a cozy reading area for your children. She thinks baby signs books are great. You can use these signs in day to day life. Her daughter, Hannah, knew over 50 signs by the time she was 18-months old. Click here to download a great list of Stephanie’s favorite books that deal with sensitive issues. She also recommends books on tape or CD and recording yourself reading stories for your children to listen to. Stephanie has also found that the Kent District Library has great resources for creative ways to further develop your child’s early literacy skills. Making a book with your child is another wonderful way to get them excited about reading. You can download a printable worksheet help your child make their very own copy of Brown bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?

Next she discussed the 6 Skills that Young Children Need for Early Literacy:
1. Print Motivation—interest  and enjoyment of reading. 
2. Print Awareness—noticing print; meaning of symbols.
3. Phonological Awareness—noticing sounds.
4. Vocabulary—knowing the name of things.
5. Narrative Skills—being able to describe things and events and tell stories.
6. Letter Knowledge—knowing letters are different from each other, their names, sounds, and recognizing them. 

We missed you if you weren’t at the meeting. We hope to see you at our next meeting on March 4, 2010. Please let a member of the Steering Team know if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Yesterday the Hospitality Team warmed us up with delicious Baked Oatmeal and MOPS Great Oatmeal with Apples. A great wintry power breakfast!

Erika opened our meeting with various Announcements and read a wonderful Acrostic about Loving Yourself.

Deb spoke about Friendships from our Life on Planet Mom book. Creating lasting, deep friendships takes time, effort, shared priorities, grace, and devotion.

It is important to make time for friends! After becoming a mom you don’t stop being an individual. You can find many creative ways to get away with friends, like going out after they’re in bed, schedule a phone date to catch up, or switch off babysitting with another helpful friend. Husbands are wonderful, but they can’t meet all of our “friendship” needs.

Effort is essential for a real friendship. To grow a lasting friendship you must become vulnerable and share yourself with one another. Being there for a friend in a time of need grows the relationship.

We find our closest friends in communities that we enjoy together because we have shared priorities in those places. When seeking friends look for those that support your values and morals, care about your family, and encourage you to be all God created you to be.

Grace and devotion is important for friendships that are of genuine care and empathy for each other. Showing love, care, forgiveness, and covering our messiness with grace are just a few qualities that describe this quality of friendship. The finest friends are those you admire and would like to become more like as you mature. Lastly, Deb read from Meditations for Moms, Two Best Friends and then closed in prayer.

Kelley Bussa had us working on our final service project for the year by creating cards for Cadence International and Kidslink Downrange. This program exists to provide military children with the means to communicate regularly with their deployed parent(s). The card kits we made will be sent to the U.S. Military installation training area near Nuremberg, Germany. Thank you for your kind hearts and generous spirit in giving your time and creativity to this worthy cause. Thanks to Kelley for planning and organizing this special craft that took lots of organization and various materials!

We missed you if you weren’t at the meeting. We hope to see you at our next meeting on February 18, 2010. Please let a member of the Steering Team know if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Marriage God’s Way Seminar will be held on Feb. 13, 2010 from 1:00–5:30 p.m. in the Holy Cross Lutheran Church Mission Hall. This seminar is for all married, engaged, or seriously dating couples. Whether you have a good marriage or are facing challenges, this WILL be beneficial. It will open the way to a stronger, more peaceful, joyful, and purposeful marriage as God intended. The cost is $15 a couple and covers registration, take-home materials, snacks, and door prizes. Pick up a brochure and register at the table in the church’s narthex or click here to learn more and download the registration form. You can drop off or mail the form to the church office at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1481 Baldwin Street, Jenison, Michigan 49428. Questions can be directed to Deb Cheyne at dcheyne@holycrossjenison.org.