Strong Women

In this beautiful mess of motherhood, we are emerging as some powerful women! At our first meeting in April, Chris from the Women's Defense Company came to give us some tips. His intention was not to scare us but to make us angry. I like that thought. We had a great meeting talking about being aware of our surroundings and learning a few techniques. Maybe we'll sign up for a class as a girls night next year! We had a girls night at Chrissy's house this month: wine and trading recipes. One of the things that energizes me the most is a good belly laugh.

Girls Night at Chrissy's



We had a Photography Fundraiser and raised around $500! Jenny graciously donated her time and talent and offered a fantastic photo package- photo booth style, for our kids! What a success! Can't wait to see how the pictures turned out! Registration for next year is out...for our group only first. Don't worry future St. Marks MOPS moms, we'll post the link for you soon. I just promised to give current members a bit to register before we open it to the public. Please stand by! Our second meeting of April was about traveling with kids. We sat in a circle and traded tips. Julie, one of our mentor moms encouraged us to travel now, while our kids are young- before school. One cute take away I got was to hang a ribbon in the car with a little car on it that you can move to show the progress of your trip. I like that idea.

 The dots on these maps show where the moms in our group have traveled with their kids.

This is pretty amazing! Who needs a speaker when we can just ask each other what works and what doesn't work!

Our year is coming to a close. Just one more meeting and a few parties! We have a busy summer to prepare for next year. It's going to be another good one! In the meantime, check out these amazing women. Beautiful, strong women growing babies! Wow!

Keeping it Green

At our second meeting in March, we had the owner of Wee Sprout Naturally speak to us about "green parenting". We learned a few tips on cloth diapering and lots about "green cleaning". Jan hooked us up with this neat link of household non-toxic cleaners. Some of us left stressed out but luckily we had a few fun play dates to calm down. Gara was super brave and let us tear up her house one afternoon.

 

Awesome, play date, Gara! Thank you!

 



We also went to the library to hear Princess Belle read us a story. I guess Abigail was not a fan of the story she chose. Amy was the winner of the Disney on Ice tickets given away at the Green Parenting meeting. Congratulations, Amy!

Don't worry, Abigail. Maybe you'll get to go to Disney on Ice next year.

A few of us went to Gainesville this weekend for the MOPS Florida Leadership Conference. Our favorite part was splitting up into groups based on our positions for next year to brainstorm ideas and solve problems. We also loved meeting moms from other MOPS groups all over the state and learning how they set up their groups. We came back full of ideas and excited to plan out next year this summer!

We had our Easter Egg Hunt play date this morning at the park. This is an all-time favorite play date. The weather was perfect, the kids went nuts and ate lots of candy! The moms had fun, too!

We're closing in on the end of the year. Don't worry, there's still lots of fun ahead!

Springing Ahead!

We're having lots of fun this spring so far. How nice is it living in Florida when you can get out and enjoy the parks and great weather even in February and early March?! We had an awesome play date at the Clark House playground in Orange Park on President's Day. Some dads came, too which was a nice touch.

Clark House playground

We've had a few more work out play dates, too! Our last meeting in February was perfectly timed for planting season. Victoria Register-Freeman came to talk to us about gardening with our kids. She gave us tips on easy items to grow (radishes and lettuce) and the importance of teaching our children where our food comes from. Here is the season planting list to get you motivated to start planting!

 

 

We celebrated the start of Lent with our annual fundraiser Shrove Tuesday. We had all you can eat pancakes, bacon and sausage. The children worked on neat Mardi Gras crafts and we even had a bonfire for the palms. Oh and we raised $100 more than last year...not bad at all!

Our celebrity pancake flipper!

 

A family pack of tickets to Disney Jr. Live was given to a lucky winner who helped volunteer for Shrove Tuesday. Congratulations, Gina! If you missed it, don't worry...we'll give away a pack of tickets to Disney on Ice at our next meeting! 

 

Showing off our Sophia I amulets at Disney Jr. Live at the Times-Union Center for Performing Arts

 

 Annie Pajcic was our speaker at our first meeting in March. She gave an awesome talk on her walk with faith and being a mom of 4! We were so lucky to have such a local celebrity take a morning off to spend with us. The week continued with an amazing girls night at Stephanie's house. We had 2 massage therapists and 2 pedicurists rotating through out the night, delicious treats (including Godiva chocolates!), wine, chick flicks, amazing moms pals and a beautiful sunset! Just, wow! We are so blessed to have such a supportive group of moms!

Waiting on a turn for a pedicure or massage while enjoying the sunset at our March Girls Night

 

New Years Resolution Help

Did you make a New Years Resolution? We've kicked off 2014 with some great speakers to help you become the best version of yourself. Our first meeting in January was more of a social one. We played the white elephant gift exchange with our Christmas reject gifts. In the meantime we had Sherry Field from Mother Earth Massage Therapy give us chair massages and friends from Beauticontrol Spa pamper us. What a great way to chill after the Christmas Craziness!

Nice and relaxed on a Monday morning!

 



So, now that we're relaxed, the next meeting's speaker was a Marriage and Family Therapist. (This was perfect for my new year's resolution!) She gave great tips and advice on keeping our marriages healthy. Communication seemed to be an underlining theme. The therapist does a series that you can watch here. Click on the Media section and you'll see the series: Love Handles. Awesome meeting! Most people's resolutions are about loosing weight and being healthy. Today's meeting nailed that one. A personal trainer talked to us about eating better (no carbs after 4pm!), fitting exercise into our crazy schedules and moderation. Her power point presentation is here. Nothing like a little MOPS to keep you on track! Our play date coordinator schedules a work out play date at least once a month. It's a treat to have our very own personal trainer in the group!

 

I finally stopped being sore after FOUR days!

 

We were able to see the circus elephants at our play date in January! It's amazing how quickly they can put away a table of food! We even gave away tickets at a meeting.

 

Eyes glued to the Circus action! Wow!

 

This past weekend we had a MOPS & POPS Valentine's Day party. The kids had pizza and watched a movie in the nursery while the parents enjoyed a nice meal catered by Biscotti's. We even played the newlywed game!

Romance in the air!

 

 

 

Wisdom Panel

At Monday's meeting we welcomed a panel of veteran moms* willing to share their expertise with us! My hand was cramping trying to write it all down for you-- there was so much wisdom at that table. So forgive me for anything that gets left out, but I want to record some of the thoughts that were shared with us in case our mommy brains need some help.

• Don't listen to the parenting "noise". Trust your instincts. You know what's best for your family. 
• Enjoy your kids! Let the rest go. 
• No one cares if your house is messy. 
• Actually, some people might, but people who compete with you (about your house, your clothes, your kids) don't need to be your friend.
• Build a network of supportive people in your life. 
• Invite people over even if your house is messy!
• Every minute of a kid's birthday party doesn't need to be filled with activities! 
• One tip for reigning in Christmas excess: Santa gets his Christmas magic from Jesus, so 3 wise men = 3 gifts. 
• As they get older (later elementary school age), keep them involved in activities-- sports, music lessons, drama--whatever they enjoy-- but the activities will keep them away from negative distractions.
• Remove yourself from toxic friends. Ain't nobody got time for that. 
• Embrace the differences in your children. Resist the urge to compare them to each other. 
• Make your husband feel special, too! He needs affection as much as the children do. 
• Work as a team with your husband. This requires calm communication. 
• Have family or date nights in!
• As you move out of preschool, it's very important to KNOW THEIR FRIENDS. 
• Social media is especially fraught, whether you allow your kids to have it or not. The bottom line is to stay aware of what they're doing online. 
• Connect your children with social issues early! 
• Be wary of travel sports leagues and year-round sports before middle school. Encourage your children to try a variety of activities before choosing what they truly enjoy. 

What did you think? What was our experts' best advice? Add your thoughts in the comments section on our facebook page. All of these thoughts are open to conversation! 


*Special thanks to the members of our Wisdom Panel! Pictured L-R from top: Teri Gonzalez, Cheryl Virta, Shannon Graham, Beth Rasche, and Meg Commander.

Boxes & Jars

Monday's meeting had us all looking ahead to the upcoming holiday season!

First, Mentor Mom Jan reminded us to keep it simple this holiday season. She shared with us a homemade gift that she received last year to demonstrate that often the most treasured gifts are not the most expensive or elaborate.

In our small groups, we packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Each group was to pack two boxes, but several groups had enough gifts to pack extra boxes, so thank you all for your generosity!

We packed 11 boxes total. Outreach Coordinator Simmons Skinner will mail them and track them so we will know in which country they eventually end up!

We also took some time to prepare our own families for the holidays by making Advent jars. We wrote 25 Christmas activities or scriptures on red and green craft sticks and put them into decorated jars. Hopefully this will help to point our little ones toward the true meaning of the Christmas season.

Our next meeting is Monday, November 25th, the Monday before Thanksgiving. I hope you all can make it, but if you're traveling or unable to come, have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy this time with your family!

CPR IS NO JOKE

So a mouse walks into a bar. 

No. That's not the one. Let me start again. 

Q: How does a mouse resuscitate his friend? 

A: By giving him mouse to mouse! 

*****

Josh Bowman, Aquatics Director at Yates Family YMCA, was our guest speaker today. He had some great information on general safety and first aid, and then he did some demonstrations of infant and adult CPR and choking procedures for children and adults. 

His handouts had some great information, so be sure to pick one up at the next meeting or ask Lucy if you weren't there today.

Joking aside, this blog post, or even what we learned at the meeting, cannot replace real CPR and first aid training, but I do want to highlight some of the tips we discussed today. 

Also, if your baby looks like this, you have bigger problems than we can solve here. :)

Sorry- back to the tips. 

First we talked about safety and first aid. 

*In addition to baby proofing, make sure your babysitters are aware of potential hazards in your home. You may know the danger your child is capable of getting into, but unfamiliar caretakers may not. 

*Keep all cleaning supplies locked and out of reach. A new danger you might not be aware of is the small detergent packets, both for dishwashers and laundry. They are small and candy-like, but very toxic. 

*A number to know: 1-800-222-1222/ Poison Control.

*Have a safety plan, and make sure your children know the plan. How will we get out in case of fire? Where will we meet up in case of natural disaster? 

*Make sure caretakers also know the plan. 

*If you come up with a way to share that with a sitter that doesn't make you sound totally crazy, please share with the group. 

Then we talked about CPR. This is what you need to know.

We also talked about choking, which is particularly a problem with small children. 

Rule #1: When giving back blows, do not break your child.

Or just do this:

*Do not attempt to remove an obstruction unless you can clearly see it. 

*If a woman is visibly pregnant, use chest thrusts instead of belly thrusts. 

*If the victim is able to cough or cry, encourage them to cough but do not intervene. 

We also talked about water safety and the need to always have a designated person watching children in the water, even in places where there is a lifeguard. Swim lessons are highly recommended.

And there you have it! If you have further questions, Josh Bowman can be reached via email at jbowman@firstcoastymca.org.