We hope your family has a wonderful Christmas and New Year! We hope everyone is healthy and safe travels for all!
We'll see you all back at MOPS on January 10th! Remember to bring a wrapped gift for our gift exchange.
Jump N Jax - Spring version!
Just a heads up that we'll be collecting early in the new year more stuff to consign at Jump N Jax! So when you're cleaning out outgrown toys & clothes before or after the holidays, set some aside for MOPS! We'll handle all the pricing. Whatever isn't sold will be donated. Feel free to bring any donations to any of our meetings/events in January! If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca, Amy, or Kathleen.
Art-in-the-Boot
St. Mark's will be hosting an art & craft show this Saturday, Nov. 6th from 10am until 4pm. They're advertising it as "Fun, Food, Art for the Whole Family." If you're looking for something to do on Saturday, go check it out!
Personalized Candles
A few updates
We're almost to $3,000 raised for the Light the Night walk! The walk is this Thursday. Have you signed up to walk with us? Can we reach that $3,000 mark or beyond before then?
Those of us who went to convention got together and have made some Take Away Meals that are available for purchase for $14. They're really full 8x8 pans. We have Baked Ziti (two are vegetarian and the other have ground beef), Chicken & Black Bean Chili, and English Muffin & Ham Strata. Contact Kathleen if you're interested in purchasing one before our next meeting! The money raised will go to help repay some of what we spent and to help make sure that those that want to go to convention can no matter of her financial situation! It's never too early to start thinking about going to convention next year... Aug 4-6th in Nashville!
One last thing, there's a MOPS area Steering training event hosted at St. Mark's on November 13th from 10am-1pm. If you think you are interested in serving on Steering next year I encourage you to attend. Let Kathleen know if you are interested and you'll be added to the evite. Also, we've been asked to provide childcare for this meeting. Not many children are expected. But we need help finding volunteers. If you can volunteer for a few hours, or know someone who can, again please let me know!
Thank you ladies for all you do! We're having a terrific MOPS year so far!
Those of us who went to convention got together and have made some Take Away Meals that are available for purchase for $14. They're really full 8x8 pans. We have Baked Ziti (two are vegetarian and the other have ground beef), Chicken & Black Bean Chili, and English Muffin & Ham Strata. Contact Kathleen if you're interested in purchasing one before our next meeting! The money raised will go to help repay some of what we spent and to help make sure that those that want to go to convention can no matter of her financial situation! It's never too early to start thinking about going to convention next year... Aug 4-6th in Nashville!
One last thing, there's a MOPS area Steering training event hosted at St. Mark's on November 13th from 10am-1pm. If you think you are interested in serving on Steering next year I encourage you to attend. Let Kathleen know if you are interested and you'll be added to the evite. Also, we've been asked to provide childcare for this meeting. Not many children are expected. But we need help finding volunteers. If you can volunteer for a few hours, or know someone who can, again please let me know!
Thank you ladies for all you do! We're having a terrific MOPS year so far!
Light the Night
Light the Night is coming up quick! Nov 4th in fact! We'll meet at the youth center and carpool down to the Landing. If you want to ride together/caravan we will be meeting at St. Marks youth center at 5:30 and will leave for The Landing at 5:40 or you can meet the group outside of the toy factory at 6:45 PM. Families are welcome! Please join our team and walk with us. Let's join together and show our support for one of our own MOPS families!
We have shirts for sale for $12 that we will wear to the walk. Also, if you raise $100 you will receive a t-shirt from Light the Night. If you have any questions, please contact Heather Tritt.
We have shirts for sale for $12 that we will wear to the walk. Also, if you raise $100 you will receive a t-shirt from Light the Night. If you have any questions, please contact Heather Tritt.
Pumpkin Patch
One of our members let us know about a pumpkin patch activity for this weekend at Hidden Fields. Lots of information can be found on their website!
From Jax4Kids:
Hidden Fields hosts a fall family day. Each child admission includes Hay Ride for the family to the Pumpkin Patch, One Pumpkin to Carve (with top cut and cleaned out) Decorate, or Paint on the premises (supplies provided), Build 1 Scarecrow (You bring the clothes, other supplies provided), 1 Pony Ride, Unlimited play in the Bounce House, Miniature Horses to Feed and Pet, Playground, Smores over the fire and Apple Cider.
Admission is $35 when you RSVP and bring a Non-Perishable food item to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Jacksonville. Parents are free; Sibling discount is $10. Admission price for children that will not be carving a pumpkin but will be participating in the other activities is $15. Children under 18 months are free, with sibling. Spectators are $5 each.
Walk Ins are welcome, price at gate will be $45, without $5 RSVP discount and $5 Food Donation discount. Additional pony rides are available for $3 each. Photos will be available, or bring your own camera.
From Jax4Kids:
Hidden Fields hosts a fall family day. Each child admission includes Hay Ride for the family to the Pumpkin Patch, One Pumpkin to Carve (with top cut and cleaned out) Decorate, or Paint on the premises (supplies provided), Build 1 Scarecrow (You bring the clothes, other supplies provided), 1 Pony Ride, Unlimited play in the Bounce House, Miniature Horses to Feed and Pet, Playground, Smores over the fire and Apple Cider.
Admission is $35 when you RSVP and bring a Non-Perishable food item to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Jacksonville. Parents are free; Sibling discount is $10. Admission price for children that will not be carving a pumpkin but will be participating in the other activities is $15. Children under 18 months are free, with sibling. Spectators are $5 each.
Walk Ins are welcome, price at gate will be $45, without $5 RSVP discount and $5 Food Donation discount. Additional pony rides are available for $3 each. Photos will be available, or bring your own camera.
Chevy MOPS event
A Chevy PR person has contacted us to invite us to an event created for MOPS. If you're interested, look at the invite and contact Jennifer. Childcare is not provided.
Outreach Projects
We have a couple of outreach projects going on right now! We are currently signing up for our Light the Night walk for Nov. 4th. You can sign up to walk with us or make a donation. Families and strollers are more than welcome! We also have t-shirts on sale for $12 that we will be wearing at the walk.
Also from now until December 13th, we will be collecting cleaning supplies & toilet paper for the moms at The Inn. They have limited resources to spend on these materials so when you're picking some up for your house, pick up a little extra for the moms at The Inn.
For both of these projects, whichever group has the most members participate will earn points for the Momology Challenge!
Also from now until December 13th, we will be collecting cleaning supplies & toilet paper for the moms at The Inn. They have limited resources to spend on these materials so when you're picking some up for your house, pick up a little extra for the moms at The Inn.
For both of these projects, whichever group has the most members participate will earn points for the Momology Challenge!
Sept 27th Meeting
Today we were joined by Chef Jessica Bright who shared with us some yummy recipes and helpful cooking tips! She has more recipes in her archives. She also mentioned the Farmer's Market on Beaver Street as a great place to get produce. If you ask the vendors, you can find out if they're local or not. If you go with your MOPS group you can earn points for the Momology Challenge! We're looking forward to more great speakers this year!
Also, if you have any personal recipes that you'd like to share with the group, let Kathleen know and we'll add them to the blog. It would be wonderful to have some easy family recipes easily available!
Also, if you have any personal recipes that you'd like to share with the group, let Kathleen know and we'll add them to the blog. It would be wonderful to have some easy family recipes easily available!
Art: What Girls Need
It's been awhile, but here are more notes from the girlology/boyology workshop from convention.
What Girls Need:
What Girls Need:
- Embrace the inner princes: dress up, feeling pretty, longing to be beautiful/irreplaceable. She looks to mom to see who she is. Princess play lets her experience & explore.
- Help her discover her talents. Let her try things even if she'll fail. Lover her regardless of the performance.
- Avoid unfulfillable promises "You can do anything you want to do or be anyone you want to be!" Give sincere compliments
- Encourage a relationship with dad. We look to our parents for identity. Who do men say we are? Who does God say we are? Encourage common activities. Prompt dad for words of affirmation. Pick out gifts for dad to give. Physical touch - story time in dad's lap. Point out her dad's service to her and the family.
- Limit media use - unrealistic ads affect self-image
- Remind her of who God says she is
Light the Night
Our Light the Night team page is now up and running! You can search for Team Liam, or click here to go to the team page. Once at our team page, you can join our team to walk with us or make a donation to the team. Any walker that raises $100 will receive a t-shirt, a lighted balloon, and a wristband for food. Our team page also provides information on what the funds raised provides for the society and the families they support. We will be participating in the walk as a group the evening of Nov. 4th. Your family is welcome to walk with us and strollers are welcome as well. Last year we carpooled from St. Mark's down to The Landing to help with parking. The walk isn't difficult and is a great way to show our support to another MOPS member, Teri Gonzalez & her family. Their son, Liam was diagnosed with Leukemia in August 2009 and will continue with treatment through 2012. He is doing well in maintenance now and we are grateful for a way to show the Gonzalez family our support while raising funds for a society that provides for support for all families dealing with Leukemia & Lymphoma!
New MOPS Year!
The Steering team has been working hard all summer to plan a terrific year for us! This month we have an informational meeting and a meeting with Chef Jessica where we'll get to try some yummy healthy food. We'll also have an art playdate and a casual girls' night in with food & drink. We also have a fundraiser opportunity (bring any donations for Jump N Jax to the meeting on Monday!) And we'll start our new Momology Challenges this month. We look forward to seeing you all on Monday morning to start our new year! If you have any questions, please contact your group leader!
Extra Clothes
You'll be hearing from your group leaders soon but we needed to add one more thing! If your child is potty-trained or in the process of potty-training, please bring a ziploc bag with your child's name on it and a change of clothes in case of an accident to the first meeting. We have a bin we can keep the clothing in between meetings. Thanks!
Parenting on Purpose Conference
We wanted to pass along the information about this wonderful opportunity!
Parenting on Purpose Conference with Bob Barnes
Saturday, September 11th
9:00am - 2:00pm
Chets Creek Church (4420 Hodges Blvd.)
Ticket cost: $25 per person (includes breakfast and lunch)
Childcare available by reservation only
Sign up online at www.chetscreekchurch.com or call the church office at 223-5954
Much of life is about balance - finding a balance between work and play or maintaining a balanced budget. In the Parenting on Purpose process, nothing is more important than the balance between relationship and discipline. The right disciplinary program gives a child the ability to discipline himself eventually. A right parent-child relationship gives a child the secure foundation to learn the motivation to say "no", and even learn to seek balance in his own life. A positive relationship also makes a child feel secure even when he hears "no" from his parents.
Parenting on Purpose Conference with Bob Barnes
Saturday, September 11th
9:00am - 2:00pm
Chets Creek Church (4420 Hodges Blvd.)
Ticket cost: $25 per person (includes breakfast and lunch)
Childcare available by reservation only
Sign up online at www.chetscreekchurch.com or call the church office at 223-5954
Much of life is about balance - finding a balance between work and play or maintaining a balanced budget. In the Parenting on Purpose process, nothing is more important than the balance between relationship and discipline. The right disciplinary program gives a child the ability to discipline himself eventually. A right parent-child relationship gives a child the secure foundation to learn the motivation to say "no", and even learn to seek balance in his own life. A positive relationship also makes a child feel secure even when he hears "no" from his parents.
Mystery Box for the Sanctuary on 8th Street
We'll be putting together a mystery box for the Sanctuary on 8th Street to auction off for their Shindig fundraiser. We're putting together a box for an expectant mother of a baby girl. If you have new baby items, clothing, blankets, diapers (anything you could have used as a new mom!) you'd like to contribute to our box, please contact Brynne by August 31st. Let's show another mom-to-be some MOPS love! And I encourage to take a look at the Sanctuary's website to find out more about this wonderful organization. Thanks ladies!
10 Big Differences Between Brains
Another post from the girl-ology boy-ology workshop I attended at convention!
Differences between boy & girl brains
Differences between boy & girl brains
- Human Relationships - Girls communicate more effectively
- Left Brains vs. Both sides - Boys use left side more, girls use both equally
- Math Ability - Boys have a greater ability, this uses the left side of the brain
- Reaction to Stress - Boys fight or flight. Girls tend and befriend.
- Language - Larger in girls
- Emotions - Larger in girls - more in touch with them. Boys - difficulty identifying emotion.
- Brain size - Males have a 11-12% larger brain than females
- Pain - Girls experience pain more intently and seek help unlike boys.
- Spatial Ability - Boys are better at this, girls use different parts of the brain
- Susceptible to disorders - 5:1 boys vs girls are diagnosed with disorders. Boys are diagnosed more with ADHD and girls are more likely to be diagnosed with depression.
CD Player
Anyone have a working CD player you're willing to donate? We're looking to have some music time in the nurseries but we need a CD player or two! Let Kathleen know if you have one! Thanks!
Girl-ology & Boy-ology
Over the next few weeks I'll be posting notes once a week that I took during the Girl-ology & Boy-ology workshop at convention. Hope you all enjoy!
Testosterone
Testosterone
- Male body produces 40-60 times more than females
- More competitive & aggressive
- Risk-taking
- Lovers of cars, trucks, guns & balls
- Parents can help channel testosterone to keep boys out of trouble
- Plays a big role in 8-10 year olds
- From birth females are wired to receive estrogen
- Affects females physically, mentally & emotionally
- It's the intimacy hormone - desire for bonding & communication
- Infantile puberty occurs between 6 - 30 months - it's an estrogen boost & they desire more intimacy at this point
Convention
We had a wonderful time at convention this year! We think it was possibly the best one yet! We came home with lots of great ideas to share with you ladies. I will be posting notes from convention on the blog once a week until I run out of ideas I'm allowed to share. MOPS also announced that Convention 2011 will once again be in Nashville, August 4th-6th. Mark your calendars ladies!
We Need Your Donations
As you're cleaning out your closets this summer, don't forget we're participating in Jump-N-Jax this fall as a fundraiser for our group. If you have any nice quality fall/winter children or maternity items that you're willing to donate (maybe you don't have enough or the desire to consign them yourself), please contact Rebecca, Amy or Kathleen. You can check out the JNJ website for more information on the types of items accepted. Don't worry about tagging - we'll do all that, just let us know if you have items to donated and we'll take it from there! We need your items by Saturday, Sept 18th at the latest! To make the donation a little more worthwhile, those who donate items or help with the tagging of items will be entered in a special drawing for a very nice prize!
Extra Swing?
Nursery 1 will be reorganized prior to our start in the fall and they have requested to have another swing. If anyone has a swing in good condition that they would be willing to donate, please let us know!
New blog!
Welcome to our new blog! We will be discontinuing the use of a newsletter and using a blog to keep us up to date and provide one place to find all the information for St. Mark's MOPS! We hope you'll find this easy to use and if you have any suggestions on how to improve, leave a comment. This is your group and we're here for you! Remember Together Better Moms Make a Better World!
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