Tonight marks our third year of walking as a group for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's annual fundraiser Light the Night. We walk in honor of sweet Liam Gonzalez who was diagnosed with Leukemia 3 years ago when he was a member of our MOPPET program, before he turned 3 years old! He is in maintenance mode now and we're very grateful to be able to support his mom, Teri and this wonderful family. There is still time to donate or join our team!
Our group is a very generous group and we love helping others when we can! We never want anyone in our group to feel pressured to give. We never know what struggles our own members may be fighting privately. Please know that whenever we share an opportunity to help others that we only do so in case you were not aware and would like to help. That being said, if you ever hear of a need that you would like to share with the group, please contact Kathleen. Requests will be placed on the blog instead of flooding your emails. Later today a new page on the blog will be created where you can always see what opportunities there are in our area to help. I know some moms have ideas on how to get children involved in giving and we'd love to post those ideas as well. Keep up the good work ladies of helping to make sure there is "No Mom Alone."
Fun Event Next Weekend
Third Annual Oakleaf Expo!!!
NOVEMBER 5th From 10 am ~ 3pm
845 Plantation Oaks Blvd, Orange Park, FL
Phase 2 Clubhouse
Over 100 Vendors, Bar B Q Dinners, Hot Dogs,
Hamburgers, Train Rides, Face Painting,
Bounce Houses and a Live Dj!
Start your Christmas Shopping Early!!
LOTS AND LOTS OF GIVEAWAYS!!
Mark this on your calendar because
You will not want to miss this .
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
NOVEMBER 5th From 10 am ~ 3pm
845 Plantation Oaks Blvd, Orange Park, FL
Phase 2 Clubhouse
Over 100 Vendors, Bar B Q Dinners, Hot Dogs,
Hamburgers, Train Rides, Face Painting,
Bounce Houses and a Live Dj!
Start your Christmas Shopping Early!!
LOTS AND LOTS OF GIVEAWAYS!!
Mark this on your calendar because
You will not want to miss this .
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
September News
Our year is off to a great start! It was wonderful to see all the new & familiar faces on Monday. We will be having a monthly newsletter. In addition to a printed version being available at the first meeting of the month, there will also be an electronic version here on the blog for those who either miss the meeting or lose the newsletter. If you have anything you would like to submit to a future newsletter please let Kathleen know!
Important things to know:
Bring a 4x6 profile picture (of your kids) to the next meeting. We will be making silhouettes. They can be printed on regular paper as we will be cutting them up! If you have good quality scissors please bring those as well.
We will be starting a study on Thursdays at 10am hosted at Jan's house. The study will be based on the book Unplug the Christmas Machine which you can order from Amazon or half.com has it for a few dollars. If you're interested in the study but would need childcare please contact Kathleen ASAP. And please let Jan know if you plan on attending. We will begin on September 22nd.
And finally, we will be having our first play-date on Monday. We will be doing art work with our kids for Original Works and then letting them have water play if the weather cooperates. See your email for more information.
Important things to know:
Bring a 4x6 profile picture (of your kids) to the next meeting. We will be making silhouettes. They can be printed on regular paper as we will be cutting them up! If you have good quality scissors please bring those as well.
We will be starting a study on Thursdays at 10am hosted at Jan's house. The study will be based on the book Unplug the Christmas Machine which you can order from Amazon or half.com has it for a few dollars. If you're interested in the study but would need childcare please contact Kathleen ASAP. And please let Jan know if you plan on attending. We will begin on September 22nd.
And finally, we will be having our first play-date on Monday. We will be doing art work with our kids for Original Works and then letting them have water play if the weather cooperates. See your email for more information.
New Year & New Things!
We are gearing up for our new year! We are bringing back a few things from the past. This year we will have a photo directory and a monthly newsletter. But we need your help with both! Find a picture of yourself that you like and send it to Suzanne or Beth. Otherwise, we will take your picture at one of the first few meetings. So if you want control of what you're going to look like in the directory, get your picture in! As for the newsletter, we will be selling ad space for $2 an issue or $15 for the entire year (9 issues). If you know someone who would like to advertise to a great bunch of moms please contact Kathleen.
End of Summer
I can't believe there is only a month left before our new MOPS year! Our infant nursery (usually 5 months until walking/12 months) is completely full already! We have a few spots left in the other nurseries and we certainly have room for moms who do not need childcare.
Our last summer playdates are coming up! This Monday, the 15th, we are headed to Hanna Park to play in the splash park. On the 29th we'll head to the MOSH for a nice air-conditioned playdate!
Our first meeting of the year is Sept 12th! If you've registered with us already we have recently put you in a group. You will probably hear from your group leader in the next couple of weeks. If you haven't registered please fill out a registration form (see the link in the post below) and contact Kathleen or Beth so we can make sure we have a space in the nursery.
Our last summer playdates are coming up! This Monday, the 15th, we are headed to Hanna Park to play in the splash park. On the 29th we'll head to the MOSH for a nice air-conditioned playdate!
Our first meeting of the year is Sept 12th! If you've registered with us already we have recently put you in a group. You will probably hear from your group leader in the next couple of weeks. If you haven't registered please fill out a registration form (see the link in the post below) and contact Kathleen or Beth so we can make sure we have a space in the nursery.
Registration time!
Our registration for our 2011-2012 year is open! Just fill out a registration form and send in your $40 deposit to hold your spot. Since we had such a great turn out in membership last year we encourage you to turn in your forms quickly! We have also increased our cap on membership for the coming year so that we can reach more moms. If you have friends who are interested in joining St. Mark's MOPS, feel free to send them the registration form. We are also having events this summer that are open to all. Maybe you have a friend who thinks she might be interested in joining but doesn't want to commit without meeting anyone first. Bring her to one of our fabulous events this summer! Our group is open to all. If the dues seem overwhelming right now please let Beth, Jan or Kathleen know. It will be held in the strictest confidence! We do have a scholarship fund available for those in need. We don't want dues to be the reason you don't join!
Just a little explanation to where your dues go...every woman who pays her dues is registered with MOPS International. You will then start to receive newsletters with great tips, plus a little registration goodie bag. The rest of your dues go toward paying nursery workers, funding our MOPS & POPS events, play-dates, girls' nights, speaker gifts, training materials for Steering, and various other little things that wouldn't exist without your dues!
I hope you all will return and bring friends with you for our upcoming year! If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact Kathleen.
Just a little explanation to where your dues go...every woman who pays her dues is registered with MOPS International. You will then start to receive newsletters with great tips, plus a little registration goodie bag. The rest of your dues go toward paying nursery workers, funding our MOPS & POPS events, play-dates, girls' nights, speaker gifts, training materials for Steering, and various other little things that wouldn't exist without your dues!
I hope you all will return and bring friends with you for our upcoming year! If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact Kathleen.
Ideas for Summer
School's almost out which means some of us have almost 3 months to think of ways to entertain our kids! Here are some ideas of things to do this summer. If you have suggestions, let me know and I'll add them!
Free things!
Bowling - see the post below to sign up for free bowling this summer!
Library story times - Here is the program list for Willowbranch.
Take kids to the theater!
Kids workshops at places like The Home Depot or Michaels
The Cummer after 4pm on Tuesdays
The Riverside Arts Market on Saturdays
Look up a program you & your child would enjoy at a local park!
Things that charge admission
The zoo & splash park.
The MOSH
Pump It Up
Hanna Park Beach & Splash park
O2B Kids
$1 movies at Regal or Carmike
Free things!
Bowling - see the post below to sign up for free bowling this summer!
Library story times - Here is the program list for Willowbranch.
Take kids to the theater!
Kids workshops at places like The Home Depot or Michaels
The Cummer after 4pm on Tuesdays
The Riverside Arts Market on Saturdays
Look up a program you & your child would enjoy at a local park!
Things that charge admission
The zoo & splash park.
The MOSH
Pump It Up
Hanna Park Beach & Splash park
O2B Kids
$1 movies at Regal or Carmike
Jump N Jax
Jump N Jax will be happening this summer! We are collecting items now. If you (or your friends) have children's clothing, toys or equipment you want to donate please contact Kathleen. We can also use child sized hangers if you have extras you want to get rid of. We will attempt to have a MOPS presale of all our donated items in July before the JNJ drop-off. Thanks!
Bowling
You may have noticed we have a bowling play-date on the calendar for July. If you haven't heard of Kids Bowl Free, you can sign up now and start getting coupons for 2 free games each day this summer. It doesn't cover the cost of shoes if your kids are big enough for them. We will be going to Cassat's Batt & Bowl. They have bumpers & a ramp to help the little ones bowl. You can register for this location here.
We are working on some other play-dates & girls' nights for the summer. If you have any suggestions, please contact Kathleen!
We are working on some other play-dates & girls' nights for the summer. If you have any suggestions, please contact Kathleen!
That time of year...
This year has flown by! I can't believe it but it's time to start registering for next year. Forms will be available at the meetings through the rest of the year. A $40 deposit by June 1st will be required to hold your spot. We will open up registration to the public in April. Right now we're limiting registration to renewals for current members.
Also, we are collecting Steering interest forms. If you are looking for a way to be more involved in what happens in your MOPS group, this is the place for you! The Steering leadership team meets once a month and once during the summer to plan the year. We need group leaders, social coordinators, sunshine (or hospitality coordinators), etc. It's a great way to make new friends and influence our group for years to come! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Kathleen or Jan. Forms will be available at the meetings for this as well.
We are also looking forward to planning some play-dates and girls' nights for our break over the summer. If you have any suggestions or events you've been wanting, let Kathleen know and we'll try to get it on the calendar. You can always check the next few upcoming events on the bottom of the blog. We'll also send home a newsletter at our last meeting with upcoming events and important dates. We've had a terrific year so far and I can't wait to see what's in store for the St. Mark's MOPS future!
Also, we are collecting Steering interest forms. If you are looking for a way to be more involved in what happens in your MOPS group, this is the place for you! The Steering leadership team meets once a month and once during the summer to plan the year. We need group leaders, social coordinators, sunshine (or hospitality coordinators), etc. It's a great way to make new friends and influence our group for years to come! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Kathleen or Jan. Forms will be available at the meetings for this as well.
We are also looking forward to planning some play-dates and girls' nights for our break over the summer. If you have any suggestions or events you've been wanting, let Kathleen know and we'll try to get it on the calendar. You can always check the next few upcoming events on the bottom of the blog. We'll also send home a newsletter at our last meeting with upcoming events and important dates. We've had a terrific year so far and I can't wait to see what's in store for the St. Mark's MOPS future!
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper!
Our last fundraiser of the year is almost here! The Shrove Tuesday All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Supper is March 8th from 5:30-7pm. Come join us for crafts & yummy pancakes! If you can help out (we still need volunteers) and haven't signed up please contact Beth or Teri.
Let your friends & family know to join us for the fun. The cost is only $3 for kids, $5 for adults or $15 per family! It will be in Leatherbury Hall on the St. Mark's campus. We hope to see you all there!
Let your friends & family know to join us for the fun. The cost is only $3 for kids, $5 for adults or $15 per family! It will be in Leatherbury Hall on the St. Mark's campus. We hope to see you all there!
Youth Center Kitchen Needs
Since we are one of the groups that uses the kitchen on a regular basis in the youth center we were asked to organize it a bit better! A few of our moms recently took on this task - thank you to those of you who did! We have compiled a wish list of things that would make the kitchen more useful. If you have any of these laying around the house unused, feel free to donate them!
silverware
whisk
spatulas
trivets
silverware dividers
serving spoons
pie servers
knife block/sharp knives
broom and dust pan
small sauce pan
paper towels
dish sponges
silverware
whisk
spatulas
trivets
silverware dividers
serving spoons
pie servers
knife block/sharp knives
broom and dust pan
small sauce pan
paper towels
dish sponges
2011 Convention
MOPS International has posted some information on the 2011 Convention! Registration opens soon! Please let Kathleen or Jan know if you're interested in going this year. Go to the website and look at all the information they have up already! FYI - Kathi Lipp is hilarious...she is the author of The Husband Project which we did last year and now has a new book out The Me Project. The schedule looks quite a bit different from years past! I really suggest if you have an opportunity to get away for these 3 days that you do! You'll be pumped up, renewed, and ready to start our MOPS 2011 year! Plus who doesn't enjoy a little girl getaway? If you have any financial issues that you think would prevent you from going, please let us know. We have money left from last year and we can start fundraising right away!
Happy New Year!
We hope you have all had wonderful holidays with your family! We look forward to kicking off the second half of our year with a lot of fun activities. This month we have a gift exchange on the 10th, kids craft playdate, book swap girls' night & a speaker on nutrition to help us all get back on track after the holidays!
Don't forget we're also collecting clothes for the Jump N Jax consignment sale until Jan 24th. Feel free to bring any good quality children's clothing, equipment or toys to any of our January events or let Amy or Rebecca know if you need stuff picked up.
Finally our January Momology challenge is a moms' movie night. It can be in the theater or at home!
And congratulations to our moms who both welcomed the new year with new babies! Congrats to Ashley & Allison! We can't wait to meet your new additions!
Hope to see you all a lot this month!
Don't forget we're also collecting clothes for the Jump N Jax consignment sale until Jan 24th. Feel free to bring any good quality children's clothing, equipment or toys to any of our January events or let Amy or Rebecca know if you need stuff picked up.
Finally our January Momology challenge is a moms' movie night. It can be in the theater or at home!
And congratulations to our moms who both welcomed the new year with new babies! Congrats to Ashley & Allison! We can't wait to meet your new additions!
Hope to see you all a lot this month!
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