Crocktober!

Hello ladies! This week is a fantastic MOPS! We'll be having our annual Crocktober! Bring your crockpot (or a large freezer bag) and you'll go home with a great meal to plug in and enjoy! We'll supply all ingredients and tools you'll need to assemble your meal. We'll also welcome a special guest speaker to give us a cooking demonstration and tips. You don't want to miss this one! See you Thursday!

Mandy

MOPS this week - Fierce Flourishing

Hello ladies! Here's your reminder that we have MOPS this Thursday! We'll be switching it up a bit this year and rather than do our Mentor Mom/Steering Panel we want to hear YOUR opinions. We know that every one of you has a world of wisdom, whether you're just starting on this mothering journey or you've been at it for years. So we will have some great "Fierce Flourishing" discussion questions for each table to discuss (no, we won't put you up on the mic!) We'll also introduce a fun new activity that will help us to track our flourishing throughout the year.

Remember that Jill will be taking photos again for our directory so if you missed it last time, please come prepared to smile!

Also, as we're preparing for Crocktober on October 15th, we'll be compiling all of our tried-and-true crockpot recipes for our handout once again. If you have any crockpot recipes that you love and you haven't sent to me in the past, please email them to me prior to next Thursday (Oct. 8).

Thanks! I hope to see you on Thursday, it'll be a great chance to get to know the ladies at your table better!

Mandy

First MOPS - this Week!

Hello ladies! We will finally be having our first MOPS of the year this Thursday!! We're excited to get started again!  Here's a few things that you need to know.

We'll start at the Crossfield Baptist Church at 9:15am so please arrive early to get your kids settled in the childcare rooms and yourself settled at your discussion group table.

If you have a child in the nursery (babies & 1 year olds) and they need diapers/wipes/bottle/sippie, please put their essentials in a Ziploc bag labelled with their name. This makes it much easier for the caregivers to find the right supplies for the right baby.

If you have a child in the 2 & 3 year old room or the 4 & 5 year old room, please bring a piece of fruit (unsliced is fine) or small bag/box of crackers to share.

If your child is sick, please don't bring them to MOPS. We want to avoid as many germs as we can!
Jill will be taking photos of us for our directory (moms only) so this is your heads up to fix your bed hair (or come as you are, we won't judge!)

We will have 2 options for registration this year, either $35 or $60. I'll explain the difference in the package on Thursday. Whether you pay your registration fee with a cheque or cash, you will need to bring a cheque (if at all possible) for your childcare deposit. This is a POST-DATED cheque for $20 that we will keep until the end of the MOPS year and shred when you take a turn in childcare.

PLEASE remember that we NEVER want finances to keep anyone from joining us. If the registration fee causes any difficulty for you, please talk to anyone on the Steering Team. We want you to come anyways!

One final thing! All of our childcare workers are volunteers and MOPS wouldn't be able to run without them. We have a very limited team so far for this year. If you have a mom/grandma/sister/homeschooled babysitter who may be interested in helping us out once in a while, or every MOPS, we would love any help. Please have them contact me.

I think that's everything for now! In case you're not already overwhelmed, I'll have more info for you on Thursday! I hope to see you then!
Mandy

MOPS in the Park

Hello ladies! I hope you are having a great Canada Day! Time has completely gotten away from me and bam, it's our first MOPS in the Park tomorrow! So I apologize for the late notice!

Please join us in Banta Park (the one across from the Shell) anytime after 9:30am (we usually stick around until 11:30 at least, often later). We'll be setting up camp in between the splash park and the playground. Bring a blanket, sunscreen, snacks, swimsuits and towels, whatever you need. It's totally casual, just come hang out and play, and enjoy the freedom that extra sets of eyes affords when kids want to go separate directions in the park.

Looks like weather's going to be fabulous tomorrow, but in the future please know that we won't be meeting up if it's raining. If you're not sure, I'll send out an email and Facebook post as soon as we decide in the morning that it's not a go. Otherwise, we'll have our park playdate every Thursday morning all summer! Hope you can join us!

Mandy

MOPS this week - Spring Brunch!

Hello ladies! Just your reminder that we have MOPS this week! We'll be having our spring brunch, sharing some delicious food and enjoying fellowship with our fellow moms! We are sad that this will be our last MOPS of the season but we'll still have opportunities to hang out in the summer, including MOPS In The Park playdates starting in July. Stay tuned for my emails about that. ;)

As for the brunch this week, if your last name begins with I-Z please bring an item to share. We generally need main dishes, but you can also bring a salad, bread, or dessert. Of course, if you already signed up to bring something, please stick to that category.

Also, if you took home a volunteer assessment form to fill out, please remember to bring it on Thursday. We are excited to see which of you are interested in helping us out on the Steering Team next year. As always, if you'd like to discuss any of that with us, we'd love to hear from you.

On that note, if you are interested in volunteering with us, and perhaps you're not 100% sure, you're still invited to join us for the MOPS "Extend Your Reach" Community Leadership Training Event that we are hosting at our church on May 30th. Our MOPS International Area Coaches will be leading us from 9:30am-4:00pm. There will not be childcare, and lunch will be provided. This is a free event but we do need an idea of numbers, so if you can RSVP before May 23 that'd be great.

One last thing! In case you missed our announcement, we'll be having a MOPS Wind-up Party on June 7 at Judy Snyder's farm, starting at 4:00pm. The whole family is invited! Please RSVP by May 31.

I think that's it! See you on Thursday! Come hungry!!
Mandy

MOPS this week - Postpartum Depression

Hello ladies! I hope everyone is well and enjoying this fabulous weather! We have a great MOPS this week - since Cheryl Childs (from Families Matter) had an injury when she was booked to come speak with us in February, she is able to come this week and lead us in a candid conversation about Postpartum Depression. This is a great opportunity for all of us to learn about this topic that still isn't easily shared, for ourselves, friends or family. I hope you can make it. 

See you Thursday!

Mandy

MOPS this week - Resurrection Eggs!

Hello ladies! Here's your reminder that we have MOPS this Thursday! We'll be celebrating Easter by making "Resurrection Eggs". We made these a few years ago and my kids just LOVED them to pieces (literally) so I'm thrilled to be getting a new set! It's a fun way to teach them the story of Easter, plus I've never met a kid who doesn't love opening up surprise eggs.

 

Also, we could use one more mom to help us in childcare this week, and one more to help on April 30. If you haven't had a chance to sign up to help this year, please let me know. We do require each mom to help out once a year.

 

Thanks! See you Thursday!

Mandy

MOPS This week - organization!

Hello ladies! Here's your reminder that we have MOPS this Thursday! This is going to be a really good one - we have a professional organizer (Carla Dippel at Jane of All Trades - http://www.carladippel.com/) coming to speak to us about how to be more organized! We'll have lots of fun learning new tips and sharing our own!

See you Thursday at 9!

Mandy

Book study starting this week

Hello ladies! Karen Machacek will be leading us in our first meeting of the book study tomorrow morning and she has a few spots left if anyone is interested in signing up to attend. We'll be studying Lineage of Grace on Unshaken, the story of Ruth. We will meet Thursday mornings from 9:15-11 am at the church, with childcare. There is no cost to attend, but you will need a copy of the book (Karen has them available for $15).

 

The dates we will meet are:
Thursday March 5 to "Set the Scene" (a welcome & warm-up, no reading required!)
Thursday March 19 Session 1
Thursday April 2 Session 2
Thursday April 23 Session 3
Thursday May 7 Session 4
Thursday May 21 Session 5
Thursday May28 Session 6

Please let Karen know if you're interested in attending - cropsnmops@aol.com .

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Mandy

MOPS this week- Postpartum Depression

Hello ladies! This week we are thrilled to have Cheryl Childs from Families Matter come out and join us once again in a candid conversation about Postpartum Depression.  Ladies this is a great way for us to acquire some insight for yourselves, friends or family on a topic that still isn't easily shared.  We look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Mandy

Spa Day!

Hello ladies! Finally it's here, Spa Day! This is a fun one! Join us on Thursday morning to be pampered! Enjoy some treatments, eat some chocolate, relax and enjoy! Just a few things you need to know:

If you would like to have your armpits or eyebrows sugared, you need to have a couple of weeks' worth of growth. Also, don't wear any lotions or deodorant that morning.

If you would like a pedicure, bring some flip flops to protect your wet polish!

Please plan to arrive between 9:00-9:15. Treatment sign-up is first-come first-served. When you sign up for your treatment appointments, don't forget to leave some time in between so we don't have problems with appointments running late.

I think that's it! We look forward to spoiling you!

Mandy

Wing night and other reminders

Hello ladies! Just a heads up that we were incorrect in saying that Casual Connections is this week. Since there's 5 Thursdays in January we will NOT be having CC this week and the next one will be Feb. 5. This means that there is 3 weeks between MOPS this time, so the next MOPS (SPA DAY) will be Feb. 12.

Also! This Wednesday is our wing night at McCools (or whatever their new name is!) We'll be there from 6:30pm on but you can come whenever you're able. If you can RSVP to Sherri Spiers or myself before tomorrow (Tuesday) night that'd be great, so she can let the restaurant know how many ladies we're expecting.

Because of wing night, we'll be cancelling/postponing the Humpty's coffee night we had booked on Thursday. I'll keep you posted on the next date!

See you soon!

Mandy

MOPS this week!

Hello ladies! Just your reminder that we have MOPS this week! We'll be doing our annual Table Switch-Up, playing some games and getting to know each other. It should be a great time!

 

Also, save the date for a mom's coffee night at Humpty's on Thursday the 29th, starting at 7:00pm. We all need some breathing space and the dads need some practice at bedtime right?!

 

Please remember that if you have a child in the 2-3yo room or 4-5yo room, bring a piece of fruit or a portion of crackers for the kids to share. They've been a little short in the last little while.

 

Thanks and see you Thursday! Mandy

Casual Connections tomorrow

Hi ladies! Just a quick reminder that we have our Casual Connections With God tomorrow morning (Thursday) at 9:15-10:15am. We'll be watching and discussing video number 3 of the Mind Monsters series. Come join us for coffee and childcare!

Mandy

Pajamas & a Movie!

Hi ladies! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! We are returning to MOPS this Thursday with a pajama & movie morning. We'll be watching the movie "Mom's Night Out". Please wear pajamas or sweats and come enjoy! The kids are welcome to wear their jammies as well if they wish. Please note that due to the length of the movie, we'll be starting it right at 9:15 so be sure to get there early enough to check your kids in and be ready to watch!

See you Thursday!

Mandy