MOPS of Dallas, Oregon

Don't Forget

2011-11-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to wear your PJS for pajama day and bring your tubes of toothpaste. See you at MOPS tomorrow.

First Meeting-Our theme for the Year-Momsense

2011-09-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

This year's theme is Momsense, so during our meeting we got to explore our theme, by meeting our steering team and having three members talk about being BOLD, SENSIBLE and LOVING. We had a lovely turnout of ladies and hope to see you all back again.

Our theme:

MomSense: Bold • Loving • Sensible

Equips moms to embrace their mothering instincts and develop their own parenting style while navigating through the myriad of daily mom decisions.

Developing a mothering strategy is somewhat like playing a game — and this year’s theme is appropriately game related. Have fun being a mom! Playing games involves being bold and taking risks, loving those in the game with us and being sensible while figuring out what works and what doesn’t.

Just as in real-life, sometimes in games, unexpected, “chance” events occur, abruptly changing our paths. We must regroup and determine our next steps. Teaming together with other moms is a great strategy.

Combining her mom intuition and her common sense helps a woman discover her own unique MomSense.
(Mom Intuition + Common Sense = MomSense)

First MOPS of the Year

2011-09-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

The new year of MOPS is starting soon. I hope all the ladies who received coupons where able to put them to good use. Our first meeting is next Tuesday the 13th at 8:45. Hope to see you all there. The website is under construction, but the new calendar of events, contacts, etc, should be up soon.

Congrats, she's published.

2011-07-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Congrats to our very own Korena Lund, who just published her book "Cinco de Mayo: A Thematic Unit of Study"

To see the full article found in the WOU alumni magazine, click on the link
http://www.wou.edu/magazine/spring2011/alumnotes/alumnabook.html

MOPS Year End Summary Video 2010-2011

2011-07-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

Our year end summary video, a lot of lovely ladies and fun times.

Summerfest Parade

2011-07-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to check out the parade and share a friendly wave to your local MOPS gals and MOPPETS. The parade starts at 11:00 am.

Parade is in downtown Dallas and starts at noon.
Check out our brochure. Click to enlarge.

FREE MOVIES

2011-07-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of the movies in the park at Independence Riverview Park, at Dusk:

7/1/11 - Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
7/7/11 - Despicable Me
7/14/11 - Beethoven
7/21/11 - Open Season 3
7/28/11 - How to Train Your Dragon
8/4/11 - Sister Act
8/11/11 - Grease (Rockin Rydell Edition)
8/18/11 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
8/25/11 - Toy Story 3

Schedule for Free movies at the Park in Salem, at Riverfront Park

The Goonies

JUL 2011

RATING

Saturday, July 2, 2011 at 9:25pm

A group of kids embark on a wild adventure after finding a pirate treasure map.

Rated PG for adventure action, peril and language

Fly Away Home

JUL 2011

RATING

Saturday, July 23, 2011 at 9:15pm

A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.

Rated PG for an opening accident scene and some mild language

An American Tail

AUG 2011

RATING

Saturday, Aug 13, 2011 at 8:40pm

While emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets seperated from his family and must relocate them while trying to survive in a new country.

Rated G

The Muppet Movie

AUG 2011

RATING

Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 8:30pm

Kermit and his new found friends trek across America to find success in Hollywood, but a frog-legs merchant is after Kermit.

Rated G

Planet 51

SEPT 2011

RATING

Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 8:05pm

American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck!

Rated PG for for mild sci-fi action and some suggestive humor

Summer Fun Activities

2011-06-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

SUMMER EVENTS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY! 2011

Put together by MOPS of Dallas and Dallas Indoor Park , please join and support both in the fall. Make sure to bring your friends. See you in September. Make sure to check the websites. Dallas indoorplaypark.blogspt.com and dallasmops.blogspot.com for more summer events and information.

Ongoing Summer Events

· Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday- 11am -1pm- Meet at Dallas City Park Academy entry where the new play structures are-just show up to play or pack the kids a lunch for a picnic. Most parents and kids meet her often throughout the summer. Bathrooms are on site.

Libraries

· Every Tuesday -AM Infant Story Time at Dallas Library 11:15am

· Every Tuesday-Toddler story Time at Monmouth Library 10:15am

· Every Wednesday-Preschool Story Time at Monmouth Library 10:15am

· Every Thursday-AM Preschool Story Time at Dallas Library 11:15am

· Summer Reading Activities through Dallas Library-Wednesdays June 15-August 3, 2011

Farmers Markets

· Polk County Bounty Market-Thursdays in Front of Courthouse on Main St. in Dallas- May 5 to Sept 29, 2pm-6pm

· Independence Farmers' Market- Saturdays at 302 Main St, Independence, April through November, 9 am to 1pm.

· Monmouth Farmers' Market- Wednesdays at Monmouth City park, across from City Hall, March through Dec, Noon to 6pm

· Polk County Farmers' Market- Sundays at 280 Hwy 99W Rickreall, May through early November, 9am to 3pm

Community Events

· Monmouth Music in the Park- Wednesdays July 6 to Aug 31st, 6:30 to 8:30pm, Main Street Park (Free)

· Movies in the Park- Thursdays at Dusk at Riverview Park in Independence, July through August (Free) see MOPS website later in summer for actual movie listings

· Independence Music in the Park- Fridays-7:30pm, Riverview Park in Independence, July through August (Free)

· Regal Cinemas Family Film Festival-Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10am, all movies rated G or PG, Admission $1.00, Lancaster Mall Stadium 11, Salem, see http://www.regmovies.com/summermovieexpress/default.aspx?state=OR for list of showings

Free or Discount Days at Local Museums and Attractions

· Hallie Ford Art Museum, Salem, OR- Free Admission on Tuesdays, Children 12 and under are free every day

· OMSI, Portland, OR- $2.00 admission, 1st Sunday of every month

· Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR- $4.00 admission, 2 and under free, every 2nd Tuesday of the month

· Portland Children's Museum, Portland, OR-Free Admission 4-8 pm, 1st Friday of every month

· Mission Mill Museum, Salem, OR- Admission Free at Willamette Heritage Center On Tuesdays, access to grounds always free

· Heritage Museum, Independence, OR- Always free admission

· Scotty's Playhouse, McMinnville OR-Always Free, M-F 10am to 12, S 10-1. http://www.hillchurch.com/ministries/kids-0-5th-grade/scottys-playhouse

· A.C. Gilbert House has free days, so keep your eyes out for them and will try to list them on MOPS website.

· Jenson Artic Museum, Monmouth, OR- Donation only- W-S 10am to 4

· Oregon Historical Society, Portland, OR- Every third Saturday, 2 children free with paying adult

· Portland Museum of Art, Portland, OR-Free Admission every day for ages 17 and under, Free admission on 4th friday of every month 4 to 8pm

· Washington County Museum, Portland, OR-Free Admission every Monday, Free family day every second Saturday of the month

June

· June 15th-Dallas Summer Reading Program-Crafts at Dallas Civic Center-Dallas Library Event-11:30am

· June 22-Dallas Summer Reading Program- T-Shirt-Design your own at Dallas Civic Center-Dallas Library Event-11:30

· June 29- Dallas Summer Reading Program-Crafts at Dallas Civic Center-Dallas Library Event-11:30am

July

· July 1st through 4th- 4th of July Independence Day celebration (Riverview Park), July 4th-Parade starts in monmouth and ends at Riverview Park in Independence- Childrens' Parade 11am, Fun Run-11:30am, Main Parade-Noon

· July 6- Dallas Summer Reading Program-Curtis Carlyle-Comedy/Juggling (Dallas City Park)-Dallas Library Event-11:30

· July 13-Dallas Summer Reading Program- Angel Ocasio-Comedy, juggling, magic (Dallas City Park)-Dallas Public Library Event-11:30am

· July 20-Dallas Summer Reading Program-Reptile Man (Dallas City Park)-Dallas Library Event-11:30am

· July 27-Dallas Summer Reading Program-Evergreen Aviation (Dallas City Park)- Dallas Library Event-11:30am

· July 28-31- Summerfest-Dallas, OR-Theme "Under the Sea", Parade is July 30 at 11am, and Art in the park is on July 31. Come help support our MOPS and DIP groups. If you would like to walk in the parade contact Odessa at odessarau@hotmail.com for MOPS and Krys at mightywilliams@aol.com for DIP, we most likely will all be walking together.

August

· Aug 3-Dallas Summer Reading Program-Puckett Family Magic Show (Dallas City Park)-Dallas Library Event-11:30am

January 11- Home Safety/Window Falls

2011-02-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

Jacqui B. came to talk to our group about home safety. She has been a registered nurse for 15 yrs and worked in the ER, homecare, and at Salem Pediatric Clinic. She is a former MOPS coordinator and member.

She first showed us a very touching video about the tragic hazard of window falls that was shown on CBS, http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6417442n

Statistics:
4,000 children are injured.yr by window injuries
12 die/ yr
Parker (child in video), died in spring 2009

In 2007, 12 children were injured every minute
Every 101 min, a child dies of unintentional injury

Child injury prevention is the solution and could reduce injuries by 45%

Largest killer of children is unintentional injury

Falls accounted for 61% of injuries in the ER

TOP 5 Causes of Fatal Child Injury
Motor vehicle crash
Suffocation
Drowning
Fire/burn
Transport/other (ATVs)

TOP 5 Non-Fatal Child Injury
Falls
Motor Vehicle crash
Poisoning
Struck by/against object
Bike accident

Fall Prevention Tips

Stair gates

Secure furniture to wall

Do not leave baby unintended on furniture

Tips for Age 1-4

Do not put toys up where kids climb to get them
"No play zone" 2ft from window
Separate play areas of children of different ages

Ages 5-9

Use age appropriate equipment
Furniture away from windows (children pretend to fly)
No play zone 2 ft from window

"Remember Statistics are only Statistics until it happens to you, and then it consumes your life."

A great resource for safety equipment and general children's safety is the Safety Store and Resource Center at Legacy Emanuel www.legacyhealthy.org/safetystore

One last tip, when going over fire safety in your house, show your child a picture of what a fire fighter really looks like all suited up, so they won't be afraid if ever caught in a real fire.

Dec 14, Christmas Skit with Mentor Moms

2011-02-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful Mentor Moms blessed us with a skit about the true meaning of Christmas...Jesus's Birthday. The skit was about children asking their mother about everything in the Christmas toy ads, and their grandmother bringing in a cake and explaining to them that Christmas is really about celebrating the birth of Jesus. After words we sang Christmas carols and enjoyed birthday cake. Happy Birthday Jesus.

Click on images to view larger

November 9 Meeting-Testimony-Kathy G.

2011-01-20T08:52:00.001-08:00

A big thank you to our speaker Kathy, her testimony was inspiring and motivating. If you would like notes about her testimony, contact Sara Weeks at one of our meetings.

A few messages from Kathy.

Redemption-Life is like a pawnshop.
You sign a blank check to walk, follow and serve Jesus.
Life does not end up the way YOU planned it.
To a childless friend, send a card on Mother's Day, saying they would make a wonderful Mom.

After being emotionally in shreds and feeling beaten down by life, she read Psalm 62. After going through it verse by verse, she felt God had told her who HE was and to trust HIM. By the end of the evening, she felt like she had climbed into the lap of her big loving DADDY.

A thought from Kathy: God is in the business of redeeming outward messes, no matter how created. HE wants to buy you bck and knit you back together.

When a loved one walks away from God refer to Psalm 40.

Heavenly father loves you and has a plan for your life.

Kathy was truly inspirational sharing her testimony about her highlights and struggles in life.

Click on the images below to enlarge and see the handouts she provided.

Photography Panel, Oct 26, 2010 meeting

2010-11-17T13:55:00.001-08:00

Photography Panel

A big thanks to our Mom photographers, Jill, Alysun, and Kellie. Your tips were very helpful and inspired us to all get out our cameras and take a few more pictures.

Here are a few tips from our speakers.

Perspective- Move yourself, not the subject. Get down to the kids level, look up sometimes. Don't always have to take a picture of faces, can get backs, feet etc.

Rule of Thirds- Don't always center photo. Scenery, sky, something in front, etc. Break down photograph into thirds. Some pictures do break the rules.

Focus-Easiest way to get into focus is to put shutter 1/2 way down, move camera, keeps focus.

Light Reflector- Can use laminated calendar, white piece of paper, etc. Move around and can see the difference of lighting on the subject.

Flash-Best to use only if the only way to capture moment, otherwise try and not use.

Sun- Photos in sun, move subject so sun not on them, but over the shoulder.

Shade- Best to take pictures in full shade, while there is a bright sun out. Face sun in the shade.

Metering- Aiming and focusing. Aim at the light, aim away from the light, think dark, lets more light in.

How do you get a child out of their shell? Have dad or other child help, when see smiles, snap away. Also bubbles or funny sounds.

Shutter speed-When photographing kids, keep at least at 1/320.

Blur- Low apperature. On point in shoot camera, use macro mode or background far away

Be sure to check out Alysun and Kellie's photography websites at www.alysunpeters photo.com and www.kellieparryphotography.com

Remember to just KEEP SHOOTING and PRACTICING!!!!

For larger image of handout, click on image

A big thanks to everyone who brought items for Operation Christmas Child, it was a huge success.

Mothering Style, Oct 12, 2010 Meeting

2010-11-17T13:00:00.000-08:00

Liz was a wonderful speaker, who was honest and with a great sense of humor. She also was the founding mentor of Monmouth MOPS for 10 yrs.

Take home message: You are the best mother your child can have and your instincts are right. From the beginning of time you were meant to be your child's mother.

-It is important to write down your strengths as a mother and focus on them. Studies have shown that people who focus on their strengths are 6X more likely to excel at a job and 3X more likely to be happy.

-Plan how you want to parent. Many things are instinctive but you have to plan and prepare for things like how clean you want your child to be, will you let them bite or talk back, etc.

Parenting Styles:
Authoritarian -demanding and not responsive
Authoritative -demanding and responsive
Permissive -responsive and not demanding
Uninvolved Parent -not responsive, not demanding

here are few links to quiz your parenting style
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Quiz 3

Thoughts from Liz
-Don't let people steal your joy in parenting
-Out of control anger is never appropriate
-Your past has shaped your parenting
-Run things through the Lord
-Think about women in your life that mothered and auntied you that you want to be like.
-Always respect your husband's authority. Man bashing has no home
-If things crop up that you don't like in your parenting, change them or get help to change them.

Closed with Pslam 37:23-24
²³ The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

Check out Liz's new Christian Bookstore in Monmouth called Cornerstone books.

Oct 26th meeting

2010-10-25T09:40:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is our next MOPS meeting. Yeah! Our photography panel is all set to go and I am excited to learn a lot from them. I wanted to remind you all that this meeting is our PJ day, come prepared for our annual donut awards - slippers, robes, messy hair, and PJed kiddos are all welcome! It is also our Operation Christmas Child meeting and Christmas Cheer Collection day. Below are a few tips for these events.

OCC:

Please bring a wrapped shoe box if possible to help get the project finished, wrapping paper will also be available if needed.
It is $7 per box suggested donation for shipping of each box, an envelope will be available for donations, checks can be made to Samaritan's Purse
Bring shoe boxed sized stuffing items - buying multi packs are great! We can break them up into several boxes

See http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/ for a complete list of instructions and what items are suitable

Christmas Cheer:
We have been asked to gather 35 of each of the following items to go in a gift bags for elderly in our community who are alone for the holidays

Toiletries (preferably soap or shampoo)
Tea bags (several for each person, boxes that have individually wrapped bags can be broken up)
Writing utensils
Puzzle books

We will also have an envelope available for donations for this project so we can go shopping for any items that are still needed to fill the gaps. Checks for this project can be made to Sara Weeks. Thanks!

Whew! It is going to be a great meeting!

Save the date: Moms night out Nov. 19th.....More details to come! See you Tuesday, Odessa

Parent's Night Out a Success

2010-10-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who participated in our parent's night out on October 8. We enjoyed chatting over a friendly game of bowling and enjoyed some yummy desserts afterwords.

MOPS Tomorrow

2010-10-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hi ladies! Tomorrow is our next MoPS meeting. I hope to see you there, we have a great meeting planned and I really look forward to hearing from the speaker. Also I have been informed that there will be some repair work on the EBC parking lot this week. As I understand it the entry off of Miller AVE. will be closed as well as some of the parking lot. Could you please park either on the gravel lot or the lot behind the church if you cannot find a place on the regular lot. Thanks. At least one of the 'Grandpas' will be on the back lot to help. See you soon! Odessa

Parent's Night Out

2010-10-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that tonight is Parent's Night Out at Dallas Bowling Alley and then dessert potluck afterwards at EBC, from 7 to 9 pm. Childcare is provided at EBC for $2 a child.

See you there.

Grandpa Tips, September 28, 2010 MOPS Meeting

2010-10-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Photo by Kellie Parry

They are the men who great you at your car with a smiling face and help you carry a child, purse, bag, food, etc into the meeting. They are MOPS Grandpas and they graciously provided us with some fix it tips at our meeting.

Here are just a few...

*To rehang a towel bar in the same spot you can screw an attractive piece of wood to the studs and attach the bar to the wood.

*You can use a potato cut in half to remove a broken lightbulb from the socket (after you turn off the power of course!)

*Always attach the positive to positive and negative to negative wires when jump starting a car.

--- Interesting fact they shared at the beginning of the talk was that between the four of them they have 200 years of marriage experience.

What not to wear, What to wear

2010-09-14T17:22:00.001-07:00

Our first MOPS was a success. What a fun way to start the year, with our Steering Team participating in the Mom version of What Not To Wear. We saw some great outfits and some not so great outfits, but through it all we got too see a little bit of every mom in our fashionably and not fashionably challenged Moms.

We got to make a fun craft to help remind us when every MOPS meeting is with a notepad/calendar magnet for our fridges. It was a pleasure to see everyone's faces today and get to meet some new amazing ladies.

Don't forget to make sure to register for MOPS this year, the fee is $23.95 and gets you a subscription to MomSense Magazine, a magnet, luggage tag, tote bag and bumper sticker.

Thanks again to all the ladies who attended and for a great start to a new MOPS year.

Also, mark your calendars, Parent's night out is October 8. It will consist of bowling at Dallas Lanes and a dessert potluck afterwards.

MOPS starts tomorrow

2010-09-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ladies,

MOPS starts tomorrow at 8:45 am. Try to come early to get registered and find your new seating assignment. We have a lot of fun things planned and our steering team will be putting on their own version of "What Not to Wear". Look forward to seeing you there.

Summerfest Parade

2010-08-09T21:17:00.001-07:00

We had a wondeful turnout representing our MOPS group during the summer parade and some even got into the pirate spirit, while others showed off our new theme Momology by wearing lab coats. We were able to hand out 500 flyers during the parade, so hopefully this will bring new faces to our group.

August Events

2010-06-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

August 12-Matthew Price (American Singer, Songwriter)-Dallas Sounds of Summer, Thursday 6:30-8:30 pm, Dallas Rotary Performing Arts Stage, Corner of Main St. and Academy St. in Downtown Dallas, FREE

August 12-15 FREE Days at OMSI Open 9am-9pm

Aug 13- Dallas Aquatic Center (DIP and MOPS Summer Event) Group Rate $2.70 for open swim. Need min of 20 for this price. Meet at pool 1pm. Bring cash for swimming fee. Contact maryannliss@hotmail.com if coming.

Aug 19- Wilsonville water Feature Park- (DIP and MOPS summer Event)- Town Ctr. Park 29800 SW Pk PLl (wilsonville exit). Meet at 12-3pm. 5 acres, play area, picnic tables, cascade water feature, 0-depth entry pond, 7 bubble elements, 1/2 basketball court and restrooms on site at visitors center.

August 19-Benefit Show Community Food Drive (Hosted by Dallas Church Band)-Ben Rice Band-Dallas Sounds of Summer, Thursday 6:30-8:30 pm, Dallas Rotary Performing Arts Stage, Corner of Main St. and Academy St. in Downtown Dallas, FREE

August 23rd-MOPS Ice Cream Social- 6:30 pm, Bring your own toppings to share, ice cream and drinks provided. Come kick of the new year of MOPS. Dallas City Park, near new play structures.

August 24-Moonlight Swim-(Dallas Aquatic Center)-9-10 pm, 18 yrs and older

August 26-Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts (Rock and Roll)-Dallas Sounds of Summer, Thursday 6:30-8:30 pm, Dallas Rotary Performing Arts Stage, Corner of Main St. and Academy St. in Downtown Dallas, FREE

Ongoing Events

Polk Country Bounty Market-Thursdays 3:00-7:00pm, in Historic Downtown Dallas, www.dallasoregon.org/davc

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- 11am-1pm-Meet at Dallas City Park-Academy Entry by the new play structure-just show up to play or pack the kids a lunch for a picnic.

Every Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-11:00am-(Dallas)-Lyle School Play Structure-There is limited shade/seating at this play spot. Bring folding chairs/water.

Every Tueday-(Dallas)- AM Infant Story time at the Dallas Public Library 11:15 am

Every Thursday-(Dallas)-AM Preschool Story time at the Dallas Public Library 11:15 am

Tuesday/Thursday/Friday mornings (Dallas)-9am-10am- Walk/Run Group- Meets at La Creole Middle School track-Walk, Jog, push strollers/joggers. Young kids can play in the center of field, keeping them in view.

July Events

2010-06-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

July 8-(Independence) Movie in the Park (Riverview Park)- "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"-movie plays @ Dusk

July 8-Ben Rice Band ( Electric Blues)-Dallas Sounds of Summer, Thursday 6:30-8:30 pm, Dallas Rotary Performing Arts Stage, Corner of Main St. and Academy St. in Downtown Dallas, FREE

July 8-11- Philomath Frolic and Rodeo-www.philomathrodeo.org

July 9-Concert in the Park (Independence, Riverview park)-"Abbey Road Live"-7:30pm

July 10- Movies in the Park (Salem, Riverfront Park)- Back to the Future @ Dusk, FREE

July 12-15- Lutherwood Day Camp- Dallas United Methodist Church, 565 SE LaCreole Dr., Dallas, next to the middle school, Starts at 9am, preschool (ages 3-5, ends at 11:35), Day camp (youth going into 1st through 6th grade ends at 3pm), Register Now by calling Dallas United Methodist Church, 503-623-2481 or Trinity Lutheran Church at 503-623-2233

July 12-16- VBS- Calvery Chapel of Dallas, for info call 503-831-1074, 9 am to 11:30 am, Ages 5-10, FREE

July 12-16- VBS-Dallas Alliance Church- Ages k-6th grade, 6 to 8:30 pm, FREE dinner at 5:15 pm in tent outside, call 503-623-2265 to preregister

July 13- Free OMSI Summer Series (Lancaster Mall, Salem) (5:30pm-7:30 pm)-Space Science: Students will make their own rockets and star finder, for children 12 and under

July 13-$2 day at Portland Zoo (Portland), Every 2nd tuesday of the month, $2 per person, children under 3, FREE

July 13-14-Free Family Film Festival (Lancaster Mall Stadium 11, Salem)-Rugrats the Movie (G), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG), movies start at 10, first come first serve for tickets, FREE

July 14-Alton Chung-Storyteller-Dallas Summer Reading Library Event-Dallas City Park, 11:30am, FREE

July 14- Music in the Park (Monmouth, Main St. Park)-"Gumbo"-Vintage Americana and Swing-7 to 9 pm, FREE

July 15- Movie in the Park (Indepedence)-Riverview Park- "Madeline" 1998 @ Dusk

July 15-Rhythm Culture (Reggae)-Dallas Sounds of Summer, Thursday 6:30-8:30 pm, Dallas Rotary Performing Arts Stage, Corner of Main St. and Academy St. in Downtown Dallas, FREE

July 16- Concert in the Park Indepedence, Riverview Park)- "Billy and the Rockets"-7:30

July 16-18- da Vinci Days Festival (Corvallis), OSU Campus, weekend celebration of art, science and technology, something for all ages. Visit website at http://www.davincidays.org/

July 18-Reptile Man-Dallas Summer Reading Library Event-Dallas City park, 11:30am, FREE

July 20-Free OMSI Summer Series- (Lancaster Mall, Salem, 5:30-7:30pm), Earth Science (Geology)- Hands on Geology Stations, for children 12 and under

July 20-21- Free Family Film Festival (Lancaster Mall Stadium 11, Salem)-Rugrats in Paris (G), Kung Fu Panda (PG), First come first serve basis, movie starts at 1o, FREE

July 21-Crafts-Dallas Summer Reading Library Event-Dallas Civic Center at 11:30 am

July 21-Music in the Park- (Monmouth, Main St. Park)-Gusto Brothers-Blues and Rock- 7 to 9 pm, FREE

July 22-Joe Shinkle and 99W (Country Western)-Dallas Sounds of Summer, Thursday 6:30-8:30 pm, Dallas Rotary Performing Arts Stage, Corner of Main St. and Academy St. in Downtown Dallas, FREE

July 23-Concert in the Park-(Indepedence Riverview Park)-"Columbia Classic Jazz Band" 7:30

July 24- Movies in the Park- (Salem, Riverfront Park)- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory @ Dusk, FREE

July 26- Moonlight Swim- (Dallas Aquatic Center)-8-9 pm, 18 yrs or older

July 27-Free OMSI Summer Series, (Lancaster Mall, Salem, 5:30-7:30 pm), Life Science (Zoology): Live Reptiles, and band and/or whales hands-on Stations, for children 12 and under

July 27-28-FREE Family Film Festival (Lancaster Mall Stadium 11, Salem)-Wallace and Gromit (G), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG), Tickets are first come, first serve basis, Movies start at 10am, FREE

July 28-Music in the Park- (Monmouth, Main St. Park)-"Keller Coker and Friends"-7 to 9pm, FREE

July 29-Ty Curtis Band (Blues, Rock, Funk)-Dallas Sounds of Summer, Thursday 6:30-8:30 pm, Dallas Rotary Performing Arts Stage, Corner of Main St. and Academy St. in Downtown Dallas, FREE

July 29-Aug 1- Dallas Summer Fest 2010, Theme "Thar be Pirates", Historic Downtown Dallas and Dallas City Park

July 30- Kid's 5th Annual Triathlon-(Dallas Aquatic Center)-1oam-1pm-Boys and Girls age 5-12 can participate in a swim-bike-run triathlon. The first 50 registered get a t-shirt. The courses and distances and determined by age. Cost: $15 ($5 discount for annual members)

July 30-Concert in the Park (Independence, Riverview Park)-"Boomer Band"- 7:30 pm

July 31st-Parade-Dallas Summerfest- Kidz Hour 10-11am, Parade 11-12:30am, Historic Downtown Dallas, Please Join us for the Parade

Ongoing Events

Polk Country Bounty Market-Thursdays 3:00-7:00pm, in Historic Downtown Dallas, www.dallasoregon.org/davc

Independence Farmers Market: 9am to 1pm, Saturdays, Sterling Savings Bank, parking lot, 302 S. Main St, Contact 503-910-8193

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- 11am-1pm-Meet at Dallas City Park-Academy Entry by the new play structure-just show up to play or pack the kids a lunch for a picnic.

Every Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-11:00am-(Dallas)-Lyle School Play Structure-There is limited shade/seating at this play spot. Bring folding chairs/water.

Every Tuesday-(Dallas)- AM Infant Story time at the Dallas Public Library 11:15 am (FREE)

Every Tuesday-(Independence)- Family Story Time, 6:30 pm, Independence Public Library (FREE)

Every Wednesday (Independence) -Baby/Toddler Story Time 10:30 am, Independence Public Library

Every Thursday-(Dallas)-AM Preschool Story time at the Dallas Public Library 11:15 am (FREE)

Tuesday/Thursday/Friday mornings (Dallas)-9am-10am- Walk/Run Group- Meets at La Creole Middle School track-Walk, Jog, push strollers/joggers. Young kids can play in the center of field, keeping them in view.

Tuesday and Thursdays-Strength and Flexibility Class (Dallas): 7 to 8pm, Faith Evangelical Free Church, Building 1, 2290 E Ellendale ave, Contact 503-623-2924 (FREE)

Polk County Museum- (Rickreall)-1 to 5pm, Mon, Wed-Sat, Cost $3, $2 seniors, $1 students, contact 503-623-6251

June Events

2010-06-13T17:11:00.001-07:00

June 26-Free Baseball Clinic (Corvallis), Goss Stadium, OSU, Ages 5-18 Welcome, will be taught by Knight's players, 12:30 to 4pm, stay afterward for the Knight's game at 6:35

June 26-(Salem)-Free Accupuncture-10am to 2pm-Salem Community Acupuncture Open House-2416 13th St. SE, light refreshments also offered. Door prize of 3 free months of acupuncture, for more info visit www.salemcommunityacupuncture.com

June 26-27 -(Salem)-Salem World Beat Festival, Salem Riverfront Park, $4 per person donation recommended, for more info visit www.worldbeatfestival.org or call 503-581-2004

June 27-10th Annual Summer Garden Tour "The Glory of the Garden", 10am-4pm ($10 dollar donation suggested), McMinnville, for more info visit www.mcminnvillegardenclub.org

June 27- Garden Faire 9am-4pm, McMinnville, 2nd and Cowls St., 1 block off of 99W (over 50 venders), FREE

June 28th- Scotty's Playhouse in McMinnville. NW's largest indoor play structure. Free for children ages 11 and under. Meet at 10am until noon. 700 N. Hill Rd. 503-472-8476

www.seeyalater.org/Scottysplayhouse.com

June 29^th-Free OMSI Summer Series, Lancaster Mall (Salem)- Life Science (Insects/Microscopes): Focus on insects, using stations from our popular program "Bug Me!," microscope stations, and featuring live insects. Join us 5:30pm-7:30pm every Tuesday evening through August 31, near Sports Authority for a fun evening of hands on activities and learning for children 12 and under.

June 29th-Dallas Community Night at the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Baseball Stadium, Tues, 6:35 pm, Unlimited $5 ticket coupons available at Washington Street Steakhouse and Pub and Envy Spa Salon

June 29th-30th- Regal Free Family Film Festival- Lancaster Mall Stadium 11 (Salem)-

Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (G), Astro Boy (PG)

Movies Start at 10 am, tickets are to be picked up the day of the event on a first come, first serve basis, (this is FREE)

June 30th-Rick Huddle- Dallas Library Event-Songs, Stories, and Interactive games Dallas City Park 11:30 am.

Ongoing Summer Events

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday- 11am-1pm-Meet at Dallas City Park Academy entry-where the new play structures are-just show up to play or pack the kids lunch for a picnic. Most parents and kids meet here often throughout the summer. Bathrooms are on site.
Lyle School Play structure-Tuesday and Thursday 10:00-11am. There is limited shade/seating at this play spot. Bring folding chairs/water.
Every Tuesday-AM Infant story time at the Dallas Library 11:15am
Every Thursday-AM Preschool story time at the Library 11:15 am

Walk/Run Group- Tuesday/Thursday/Friday mornings-9:00-10:00am –Meets at La Creole Middle School track. Walk, Jog, push strollers/joggers. Young kids can play in the center of field, keeping them in view. Begins when public school year session ends in June.

Pick up Library Summer Reading Event Calendar at Dallas /Salem Libraries

Goodbye to our graduating Moms.

2010-06-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

Goodbye to our graduating Moms, Jenny, Jacqui, Lisa and Crystal. You will be missed, but we know your journey is just beginning. Enjoy it.

Season and Soil

2010-04-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

"Just because we have ears and someone is telling us something, does not mean we can hear."
A big thank you to our guest speaker Joy Franz, who spoke to us about the seasons of life and told us the story of the seeds in the soil.

Spring is the time of year between winter and summer. It is warmer and when plants revive. It is the months of March, April and May and in the Bible is called "seed time."

Sower and the Seeds
Mark 4:1-20 (refer to this Parable)

Jesus is the sower in this story. The seed is the Word of God.
Response of seeds in soil

-For the seeds that feel beside the road
-They can take no root
-This is an example of what Satan will do to God's word. An example is to view Satan as the birds who ate the seeds and soil is our hearts.

-For the seed that fell on rocky ground
-These people recieved the message with joy, but only temporary because there are rocks underneath the surface and seeds can't take and flourish. Example: Judas.

-For seeds that fell upon the thorns
-The word of God was heard, but the worries of the world and desires of wordly things choke the seed, so can't grow.
-Example: Many people, good people who go to church, but worries of world don't let God's word into their heart.

-For seeds that feel upon Good Soil
-A person who hears the word of God, accepts salvation and goes on to bear fruit. Soft soil and prepared heart.

"The right gardener can break up hard ground or remove rocks or thorns."

Character of fruit bearing: (Galatians 5:22-23)-
Sprit of: love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Gymboree Fun

2010-04-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the Moms and kiddos who participated in Gymboree on March 23rd. The kids enjoyed getting to play around the gym, balls and jump ropes were especially popular. Moms got to enjoy socializing with one another. The kids also got to enjoy a great snack of apples and graham crackers and do a wonderful foam sticker Easter craft and coloring pages.

Parents Night Out Fun

2010-04-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

For those who participated in our Parent's night out on March 19th, thank you. We really enjoyed getting to socialize in a relaxing setting and participate in some fun improv comedy put on by a member of ComedySportz. We enjoyed games of wit, advice from Dr. Know-it-all, and stories about lollipops. The desserts were also super wonderful. Hopefully more MOPs members can join us on our next parent's night out. To check out more about ComedySportz, check out their website at portlandcomedy.com.

Financial Tips

2010-04-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

On March 9 we got some wonderful tips from our guest speaker Jeff K. Thank you for your great advice.

Here are just a few.

-First thing to remember is that everything with finances is a personal thing, everyone has different goals and needs.

-Before making any financial changes make sure to speak with your spouse, kids, qualified Tax professional and consult books.
-2 recommended books to read:
-Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
-Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley

-Not always the best idea to have all of your money invested in your house.

Budgeting/"Spending Plan" Tips
6 LEVELS

Level 1: 3R's
Roof (housing)
Refrigerator (food)

Religion (tyth)

-Everything else comes secondary

Level 2: Necessary Bills

-Utilities, communications, anything that actually makes life livable.

Level 3: Minimum Payments (on Debts)

-Work on getting this to zero

Level 4: Plan

-Savings/ Debt

Level 5: Non-essential Bills (not necessary for life)

-example: cable, phone features, etc.

Level 6: FF (fettered frittering)

-Fun Money

(where family values come in, this could be clothes, things for only one person in the family, allowances for kids)

TIPS:

-Should have $1000 in savings before work on other debts, then try to make an emergency fund with enough money that if 2 major things go wrong, you are covered.

-When debt is down and handled, get a CD ladder so that you get about $1000 dollars a month

-Try to have 5 months (minimum) worth of income saved in CDs

Life Insurance

2 major kinds:

-Term- in 20 yrs you get this much money

(get enough to pay off mortgage, a couple years of life and cover burial costs)

-Whole life- build cash value, can pay own premiums (if interested in whole life, spend a long time looking at policies, do your research. Be careful, because agents make a good commission off whole life. Never sign papers on first time visiting an agent)

-Good to get life insurance on kids. Good to wait until they are 5, because cheaper rates, then get about $10,000 dollars in life insurance per child. Look into Gerber Life insurance (whole life policy)

Investing When on a Tight Budget

-Pay down debt, so all money you are making is yours

-CD ladder

-Stocks (piece of ownership in company)

-Growth mutual funds (company buys shares of other companies. As company grows, you make money) (Don't put money in that you want in the next 5 years)

-Investing Books- Books by Warren Buffet, http://www.fool.com/

TIP: DON'T INVEST IN ANYTHING YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

College Savings

TIP: Make sure your finances are in order (retirement) before you start investing in kids college funds.

TIP: Start investing in college when children are young.

Check out the websites: savingforcollege.com and upromise.com

-Savings bonds are not the best for college savings, don't keep up with family gain.

-Can buy stock, but make sure to put in the child's name, since they are in a lower tax bracket

-Investments to look into:Coverdale IRA plan, UGMA (buy stocks into kids name), 529 plans (tax deferred payment plan)

-If don't make a large income, think about helping getting kids scholarships (make sure involved in lots of activities) and look into financial aid loans and grants

MOP SWAP Success

2010-03-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated and helped with the MOP SWAP. It was a huge success.

Multiple Intelligences

2010-03-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

At our February 23rd meeting, we watched a wonderful video by Kathy Koch called How Am I Smart: Multiple Intelligences. Both this video and her book have been added to our MOPS library.

In her video she discusses how indentity controls behavior, so if we are told were are not smart, we believe we are not smart. If we are told we are smart, we will be smart.

The best question to ask is not "How Smart am I?" but "How am I smart?"

There are 5 core needs we all have:

1. Security: (Who can I trust?)- if understand how they are smart, they learn to trust more.
2. Identity: (Who am I?)- identity controls behavior
3. Belonging:
4. Purpose: (Why am I alive?)-rooted in who am I
5. Competence: (What do I do well?)

There are 8 intelligences she discusses:
Word, logic, picture, music, nature, body, people and self.

Once an intelligence is awakened it can be improved, expanded, amplified, strengthened, focused and then trained.

Summary of 8 intelligences:

Word Smart (read, write, speak and listen)
-Think with words
-When excited talk or write

Logic Smart
-Think with questions
-When excited ask more questions

Music Smart:
-Think wiht rhythym, melodies
-When excited "make music"

Body Smart:
-Think with movement and touch
-When excited move and touch

Nature Smart:
-Think with patterns
-When excited they go outside

People Smart:
-Think with people
-When excited talk to people

Self Smart:
-Think by reflecting
-When excited spend time alone

Please check out more information about Dr. Kathy Koch at:

http://drkathykoch.com/

Tricks of the Trade-Mom Panel

2010-02-22T10:41:00.001-08:00

A BIG thanks to our panel of moms and the great advice they gave at our February 9th meeting.

Some words of wisdom from our mom panel:

Q: 2 yr old strips naked, and nothing is working to keep dressed for bed?
A: -Most kids go through a naked phase and it usually does not last long. Try no blankets at bed (the child may be warm). Put in cute underwear or a daddy t-shirt decorated. The idea is to put the child in someting cute that they want to keep on and wear to bed.
-Not a huge deal, but could put in foot pjs backwards with the feet cut off, to keep in pjs.
-Try to pin point what the child is getting out of being naked and work from there.

Q: Both kids are shy, how do you break them of habit?
A: -Role playing
-Socialize them. Think of why are they shy, are mom and dad shy? Make sure to get them out to safe place, like Sunday school, Awana's, MOPs, or get them involved in activities like 4H.
-May not be a habit to be broken, but just the way they are. Shyness should not be an excuse for being rude though and they to be able to respond to others.

Q: Kids constantly fighting, how do you get them to stop?
A: -Look at timing of fighting, does it occur when in the car, they need a nap, before dinner, or need attention (good or bad). Try to provide distraction. You can create quite time or do the 3 strikes and then you get penalized method. Have children help set up house rules, so they know what the rules are and why they are set up.
- Fighting is normal and sometimes you have to let them deal with the problem. Watch them though and decide when to interject.
- Remember children do more of what we do, than what we say. You and your spouse are an example of behavior. Have the children plan to do something nice for one another sometimes.

Q: How do you get 2nd child to sleep in room with older sibling? Baby afraid of crib.
A: Let them cry through the night, if not nursing. Make sure to check on them. Move older child out of room for a few days while doing this.
-Make sure with children to start where you want to finish. If want to co-sleep with child, expect them to be in your room until they are about 5. If you want them to sleep in crib, start with them in thier crib. Put kids down when sleepy, but not asleep. Kids develop strong sleep assocations, like only sleeping when nursed or with binky, etc. Have child play in crib, with older sibling, to learn it is a safe and fun place. When child is little make sure to do rituals before bed, like breast/bottle, book, bath bed.
-While child is crying it out, and you can't sleep, do something else, like scrapbook, etc. Tell child, if older, that it not polite to keep Mommy and Daddy up. Use a reward system if sleep through the night.

Q: How to deal with picky eaters at meal times?
A:- The child may be snacking too much between meals, trying cutting out snacks for a little while.
-When thinking about nutrition for a toddler, look at 1-2 weeks as a whole for nutritional intake, not one day at a time. If loosing weight or not growing, then be concerned. Try not to cater to them with food.

Q: How do you get a preschooler to eat instead of play at meals?
A: -Add consequences if do not follow rules at meal time, remind them that the rules did not change from yesterday. Have a discipline chart, with pictures of consequences. Make chart as family, this helps you not be the bad guy.
-Try ignoring child, while they are trying to put a show on at meal.
-Have a dance party after dinner or fun activity. They loose this privelage if don't obey rules at dinner.

Q: How do you get a preschooler to not play while washing hands?
A:- Staying in the bathroom directing them, until the playing gets under control.
- Use and egg timer and demonstrate how to properly wash hands. If they make a mess, they have to clean it up. Give positive reinforcement or consequences.

Q: 8 yr old with wetting problem?
A: Make sure child does not have bladder problem
-Give a time out if child wets
-See if they are scared to go to the bathroom for some reason
-Get looked at by doctor, sometimes growth spurts cause wetting problems.

Note: This is advice from mothers at our MOPS group, they are not proffesionals. If you have serious issues concerning your child, please consult your doctor or other proffessional.

Congrats to Our Red Carpet Winners

2010-02-22T09:45:00.001-08:00

Photographs: By Kellie Parry

Congrats to our Red Carpet Winners from our Feb 9th meeting. All the Moms who dressed up looked beautiful.

Our Winners:
Jayne D.- Best Supporting Role (in a beautiful bridesmaid dress)
Lisa P.- Blockbuster Movie Queen
MaryAnn E.- Vintage Picture Award

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Video

2010-02-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the Fearfully and Wonderfully Made video shown by our guest speaker Betty G., a local midwife, on Jan 26th. Click on the post title and it will link you to the video.

Great Nutrition Tips

2010-02-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some great nutrition tips from our wonderful speaker, Karen Shaw, who spoke on January 12.

1. A quality vitamin is a must. Remember to take a prenatal if nursing, expecting or could possibly be expecting. Make sure to stay 0n a prenatal until know for sure you finished having children.

2. Multivitamins are a good baseline to start with, but fish oil, calcium and probiotics are also key supplements to take.

3. Best to take vitamins with food.

4. Quality, Quality, Quality of a vitamin is the most important.

5. Liquid vitamins are assimilated into the body the quickest, followed by capsule form. Tablet vitamins are great for slow release.

6. Probiotics are tiny single cell microorganisms (good bacteria) that are naturally found as part of our intestinal flora. Things like illness, stress, antibiotics and surgery diminish our natural bacterial balance.

7. Make sure to do your homework and find out which probiotic supplement would be best for you and your situation.

8. Probiotics should be refrigerated.

9. Vitamins and supplements of high quality can often be bought at the best prices online.

10. Flax seed, brown rice and wheat germ need to be stored in the refrigerator because the oils contained within them start to break down over time if left at room temp.

11. Don't eat dairy and protein together. Loose some of the calcium in the dairy if eaten with protein.

12. Best way to slim down after having a baby is to exercise and do not consume less than 1200 calories a day, 1500 if nursing. Make sure to eat breakfast and smaller meals throughout the day.

13. If you go for long periods of time between eating your body is more likely to hold onto fat.

14. Focus on trying to eat whole plant based foods like oatmeal, tofu, dark greens, kale, and brussel sprouts.

MOP SWAP

2010-01-29T20:32:00.001-08:00

Starting saving your used items. MOP SWAP is March 9th.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-11T13:00:00.001-08:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year. Please join us for our next meeting on January 12th, when we listen to a great speaker talk about nutrition.

PJ's with PJ

2009-11-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

December 8th is our next MOPS meeting. It's Pajama Day with Pastor Jerry! Pastor Jerry Franz will be sharing a Christmas message, prizes will be given for the best PJ's and a Christmas Craft awaits! See you there!

Gymboree!

2009-11-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, Nov. 24th, we'll be having a play time in the gym! Because there is no school for the public school families, we will not be having 'normal' MOPS (not enough childcare). Instead, plan on bringing all your kids (any age!) down to the EBC gym for games, snack, craft and a fun time together. 9:00-11:00 am, come when you can!

Interior Design Inspiration

2009-11-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

Wasn't the last MOPS meeting so amazing! It is always one of my favorite ones of the year. Kathy Gallagher always leaves us with great take-home ideas and new ideas to try. A few ideas I remember:
Making placemats from Christmas photos of family and friends.
Laminate your child's artwork for a placemat.
Buy an inexpensive hurricane vase, fill it with a candle and nuts/cranberries.
Think LARGE when it comes to artwork--bigger is better for a wall!
Wrap a leaf on to a candle with twine.
Add 'sparkle' to a room to reflect light (mirrors, shiny decorations).
Collect your fireplace supplies in a basket with a lid, not a plastic bin.
Always hang your curtains as close to the ceiling as you can.
There were so many more great tips and ideas! Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your knowledge!
(see July 5, 2008 post for changes inspired from last visit!)

First Meeting: September 8th!

2009-08-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Join us at 8:45 am for our first MOPS meeting. Meet the steering team and get to know the ladies at your table with fun games and time to visit.

Children enjoy their own age-appropriate activities in the MOPPETS program with loving attention from the child-care workers.

Returning moms: the meeting cost is $2. If you are new to MOPS, worried about what to expect, please come and let us welcome you -- your first meeting is free! A one-time fee of $23.95 pays for the MOPs International membership and includes a subscription to MOMsense magazine, weekly emails, and a book.

2009-06-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

We are taking a break from MOPS meetings for the summer. Our last meeting was on May 26 and we will resume on Tuesday, September 8th.

The steering team wrapped up the year with discussion, games, a "Good bye" song sure to win awards, and a fun salsa garden craft project.

There are a few changes to the steering team! We said goodbye to Jacqui, Kelleigh, Alysun, and Kelly.

New to the MOPS steering team are Odessa as coordinator, Susan as creative activities leader, Tera as discussion group team leader, Kelsey as registrar, and Stacy as publicity leader.

We had a fantastic year at MOPS. We hope you will join us again in the Fall ready to be encouraged and equipped to be the best moms we can be.

Family Fun Summer Events for Dallas Indoor Park/MOPS Members

2009-06-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

Every Mon.,Wed., and Fri. – 10:00 – Noon - Dallas City Park Academy entry – where the new play structures are-just show up to play! Many moms and kids meet here regularly throughout the summer. It’s nice and shady with picnic benches, covered pavilion and close to the bathrooms! (From June 1st – Aug. 31st)

Every Tuesday – am - Infant story time at the Library 11:15am

Every Thursday – am Preschool story time at the Library 11:15 am

Mommy Morning Work out’s- Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday mornings meet at La Creole Middle School track at 9:30am-10:30am. Walk, Jog, push strollers & joggers. Young kids can play in the center of track field, while we burn some energy lapping around the track keeping them in sight. (From June 2nd-Aug. 29th)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 18th- Thursday-Library Event-Music at the Civic Center 3:00 pm

June 19th Friday-DIP/MOPS Event-Dallas Aquatic Center Group rate is $1.50 per person. Meet at pool 10:00am, 1005 SE La Creole Drive, Dallas. Please bring cash for swimming pool fee.

June 25th Thursday- DIP/MOPS Event- A.C Gilbert House (Group rate is $3.75 for 10 or more DIP members,*please bring cash for entrance fee, one adult chaperone per five kids) 10:00am meet at entrance. Children under age one are free.

June 25th- Thursday-Library Event Comedy at Dallas City Park under main Pavilion. 3:00pm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July- DIP MOPS Event- Dallas Police Station Tour-*TBA*

July 9th-Thursday –DIP/MOPS Event- Independence Movie Theatre-Presents “New” Ice Age in 3D. Group rate is $5.00 per person for 25 or more in our group. This will enable us to have a private theatre before doors open up to the public. There is also a kids “Movie snack pack” available for purchase; includes a soda or lemonade, snack & popcorn for $3.00. The theatre will have these set up prior to our arrival if we tell them how many to make the day before. If you want a snack pack email me prior to this event maryannliss@hotmail.com (2 days before to event). Bring cash! Movie starts at 9:30am. * Meet in front of box office at 9:00am.

July 2nd-Thursday- Library Event – Magic Show at Dallas City Park 3:00pm

July 9-thru August 27th Sounds of Summer- 6:30pm-8: 30pm live music. Free at the Rotary Performing Arts stage corner of Main St. & Academy St.

July 9th- Thursday- Library Event- Puppet Show at Dallas City Park 3:00pm

July 21st DIP/MOPS-Tuesday- Event-Scotty’s Playhouse in McMinnville. NW’s largest indoor play structure. Free for children ages 11 and under. Meet at 10:00am- open till noon. 700 N. Hill Rd. 503-472-8476 www.seeyalater.org/Scottysplayhouse

July 23rd- Thursday- Library Event- Storyteller at Dallas City Park 3:00pm

July– DIP Event – Summerfest Parade 10:30am–Theme “Oregon’s 150th Birthday Celebration”: please contact: Maryannliss@hotmail.com If you would like to walk/ride with our DIP group in the Summerfest parade!
July MOPS Event Summerfest Parade Please contact Odessa at odessarau@hotmail.com if you would like to walk/ride with the MOPS group
July - Summer fest Activities:
• Breakfast in the park- Pancakes, eggs, ham, juice/coffee in Dallas city Park (fee paid at food line, Park entrance: Levens St. near pool)
• Arts in park- Free children area with activities (near new play area, Academy park entrance)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 4th Tuesday- DIP/MOPS Event- Salem Carousal –Meet at 10:30 am, location: Salem waterfront park. Fee. $1.50 per ride. (Parent can ride free if standing next to child) There’s an outside play park next to Carousal. Pack a lunch, snack & drinks if plan on staying longer. Great area to fly a kite or bring the bikes!

August- 6th Thursday- DIP/MOPS Event- Kids Bumper Bowling- Star lite Lanes in Dallas 394 Main St. Meet at 11:30AM. $5.00 per child; includes 2 games and shoe rental. _______________________________________________________________________________________

September 2nd Wednesday– Dallas Indoor Play Park term begins! Location: 879 SW Levens St. Dallas
September 8th First MOPS meeting! Location: Evangelical Bible Church 1175 Se Howe St, Dallas
Summer events are free unless otherwise posted and open to the public! Please invite your friends. All children are welcome! You don’t have to be a DIP/MOPS member to attend DIP/MOPS events!
dallasindoor playpark.blogspot.com

The 8 Worst Celebrity Baby Names of 2008

2009-05-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

by Bruce Lansky (storknet.com)

Although there weren’t any celebrity baby-names as bad as Dweezil, Audio Science, or Pilot Inspektor selected in 2008, many celebrities chose names which are likely to be uncomfortable for their children and exhibit some of the classic baby-naming mistakes parents should avoid. Here are the eight worst celebrity baby names of the year.

8. Sunday Rose Kidman Urban
(daughter of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban)
In Africa and the Caribbean, it’s common to name children after the day of the week they were born on—so you might think that Sunday was born on Sunday. She wasn’t.You might think that Sunday Rose is the name of a beautiful rose variety. It’s not. Apparently the name was chosen to honor a patron of the arts in Australia, but most people who hear or read the name will find it an odd choice for an American girl born on a Monday.

7. Honor Marie Warren
(daughter of Jessica Alba and Cash Warren)
Although Faith and Hope are popular girls’ names, some values (like Honesty, Humility, and Honor) are too stiff and awkward to work well as names. I wonder how Jessica and Cash will comfort their crying baby. Will they call her Ony or Hony? Unfortunately, there aren’t any charming familiar forms of Honor. That’s why I’ll bet Jessica and Cash will start calling their daughter Marie before too long. And that’s why it’s so important to pick a “high-odds” middle name when parents pick a risky first name.

6. Emme Anthony
(daughter of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony)
No matter how people pronounce or mispronounce this name (EM-meh? EM-ma? EM-mee?), it’ll be misspelled ninety-nine times out of a hundred. That’s what happens when you pick an obscure variation of one of the five most popular girls’ names in the U.S. Emma would have been a much smarter choice.

5. Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt
(son of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt)
When Knox introduces himself, “Hi, I’m Knox” it will be hard to tell that Knox is a name unless he adds, “You know, like Fort Knox”—which is what he’s likely to be called in school (unless they call him Hard Knox or Knock-Knock Who’s There?).

4. Ignatius Martin Upton
(son of Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton)
The list of problems with Ignatius is long: The name creates the impression of a brainy geek with a feeble social life and a pale, frail appearance. The probability is high that this name will be misspelled and mispronounced. And the kid will be called Iggy or (because kids love rhymes) Piggy.

3. Bronx Mowgli Wentz
(son of Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz)
Most place-names feature charming or picturesque spots like Paris, Siena, Montana, or the Nile. Now that Brooklyn has been gentrified, it’s become a popular girl’s name (ranked #57 in 2007). However, if you’ve ever taken a taxi from LaGuardia Airport through The Bronx on your way to Manhattan, you know that The Bronx is no Paris (or even Brooklyn) when it comes to charm. If you’re wondering about the middle name, Mowgli is the protagonist in The Jungle Book. It makes a very strange combination with Bronx. My suggestion: drop Bronx Mowgli and just go with the initials, BMW. That’d work. (But I hope nobody calls him BM.)

2. Jagger Joseph Blue Goldberg
(daughter of Soleil Moon Frye and Jason Goldberg)
I had no idea that Jagger Joseph Blue was a girl until I’d read the news release twice. What kind of role model does Mick Jagger provide for a baby girl? Soleil and Jason picked three names and couldn’t find one that’s likely to make their little girl happy. I find it surprising that a woman with two strange names (Soleil means “sun” in French, so translated into English her name reads “Sun Moon Frye”) would pick three strange names for her daughter.

1. Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale
(son of Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale)
Few people who read or hear this name will know that Zuma is a beach in Malibu and that Nesta is Bob Marley’s middle name. And fewer will care. I suppose Rock isn’t a bad name for a professional wrestler—but don’t forget that The Rock got tired of that pretentious name and went back to his given name, Dwayne. Unfortunately, with three odd names, Zuma doesn’t have a safe option to fall back on.

Lego Evil

2009-03-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Each lego is a plastic curse.

They are under the bed and then in my purse.

They line the halls and obstruct the doors.

They gather in piles on multiple floors.

They hide in cracks and crevices

and then they grow legs like tortoises.

They make their way into every room.

They get caught in the vacuum and swept by the broom.

No matter what, they never stay put

and are especially evil when under your foot.

Poem and picture from Life is Like a Lunchbox, shawnanigans.net

Preparing for Disaster

2009-03-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

By Alysun Peters

I woke up feeling good. Really good. I had a dream last night that I was part of the 85% of women who feel better after their 12th week of pregnancy. How grand! Perhaps I could eat sugar again. Chocolate cake sounded good, but I stuck with my normal whole grain Grape Nut breakfast. I planned on seeing my sister today. I haven't seen her in a month and I was anxious to hear about her trip to Hawaii. Plus, she said she got me a present. Emma, my 4 year old, woke up grumpy, unusual for little Miss Sunshine, but I thought little of it when she perked up and said, "I want to see Benton," her cousin. She even dressed in tights and a skirt because she wanted to show them to her cousin (she doesn't understand that boys don't care about these things).

We were on our way on this glorious sunny day. I called my husband and told him that I had lunch in the crockpot for him -- BBQ beef, it would make a lovely hot sandwich. I imagined the smell filling the house as he walked in to eat. It might just make up for his family not being home. I was feeling like such a good wife. And a good mother too. My children were dressed cute, Emma's hair in pigtails and ribbons, Mandy (18 months) was wearing the cute pastel fleece from Children's Place and it just came out of the wash smelling of fabric softener, I had snacks on the middle console, everyone had water bottles or sippies. I wish it wasn't so rare for me to be this prepared, but it was an exceptionally good morning because I felt so not-nauseous.

We were about 15 minutes into our trip and then I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Emma slumped over in her seat asleep. Uh oh, that's not good. Hope she's not si ---- vomit erupted from her mouth like a spewing volcano. I furtively looked around for something to give her to puke into all while trying to keep from wrecking the car. I saw nothing to puke into, only my Dooney and Bourke purse, the nicely organized snacks and essentials for the day. The vomit kept coming and I looked for a place on the busy, narrow highway to pull over. Emma was screaming, "Mommy, I'm puking!" Ya, no kidding, I thought. I finally pulled over and survey the damage. Every conceivable surface in the back seat was blasted with this morning's regurgitated breakfast. I had one napkin and I gave it to Emma to wipe her mouth. I called my sister and said we were not coming and I turned around to head home with all the windows in the car down. I was now feeling the familiar nausea that is my ever present companion through this pregnancy.

At home, I attacked the mess. I put Mandy in the house first because she was the least soiled thing in the car (only her fluffy pastel fleece and blanket were hit). I donned my rubber gloves, got a rag, disinfectant/deodorizer cleaner, and a plastic bag. I cleaned off the seat belt and the puddles from Emma's lap. I should note that she was now talking a mile a minute telling me she was not sick any more and she wanted to go see Benton. Little Miss Sunshine had returned, but it really didn't help what had already occurred. I finally got Emma out of her vomit drenched clothes (tights were a bad idea this morning) and the bath running. Mandy wanted a bath of course, so I stripped her down and threw both girls in the warm soapy water with their toys. I headed back outside to clean the car, leaving the back door ajar so I could hear the girls -- they are used to taking baths together, but I wanted to hear anything serious.

I shook vomit chunks out of blankets and was in the midst of trying to dismantle the car seat cover when I heard a shrill scream worthy of a horror movie. I dashed inside to find Emma shivering and naked pointing to her sister and yelling, "She's pooping!" I started screaming too when I saw the bathtub completely filled with semi-solid poop chunks and a slick of brown goo covering the water's entire surface. I've never seen so much poop, or at least it doesn't look like that much when in a diaper. Mandy was on her haunches in the midst of pushing out a steady stream of diarrhea from her bottom, filling the tub even more. About 10 toys and bobbed in the waste. I started heaving into the bathroom sink as each breath I took brought the smell of putrid diarrhea into my nose. I ran from the bathroom longing for a cleaning service to come and take care of this mess. There is no service who would do that and even if there were, I couldn't afford to pay them for this kind of hazard.

It was up to me. A towel for shivering Emma; pull poopy and crying Mandy from the tub and wrap her in a towel; get a mesh strainer and drain the tub; throw the toys in the sink to deal with later; scrub the tub with cleanser and bleach; rinse it 14 times; put Mandy back in the tub to hose her off, soap her up, and wrap her in a clean towel; get Mandy dressed and put her in bed to think about what she has done; clean the tub again as Mandy left some more poop chunks; put Emma back in the bath, soap her up, and wrap her in a clean towel; drain the tub.

I finished cleaning out the car. Emma must have been throwing her head from side to side as she puked -- nothing was sacred. She was seated behind me and the back of the seat as well as my coat sleeve, my Dooney and Bourke purse, and my neatly arranged snacks were all in her path of desolation. She even managed to get a shopping bag and picnic blanket in the back seat behind her. I had no idea vomit had that kind of trajectory. The car is now clean and load 1 is in the washing machine. There is a mountain of puke/poop infested items waiting -- at least 3 loads I'd guess. I've found vinegar takes out the smell of all sorts of things without making the clothes smell like a jar of pickles. It's also super cheap, so I added about 2 cups to the hot water soak and extra soap.

Emma is watching Beauty and the Beast and just announced she is not sick and wants a snack. Do I want to put more food into that child? Mandy thought so much about her bath episode that she fell asleep. She doesn't usually sleep at this time, so she's probably very sick too and will wake up in her own vomit. Maybe I should go strip the crib now before I need to do it wearing my trusty rubber gloves.

So much for feeling good today. Now I am ready for a nap. At least lunch is ready.

Scotty's Playhouse

2009-03-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

McMinnville's Church on the Hill holds a huge play structure open to the public for free. It's called Scotty's Playhouse and is the largest play structure around. It has multiple slides, endless tubes (adult accessible in a pinch), towers, rope walkway, and obstacle courses.

There is a padded toddler area for little ones. Plastic houses, a tree, a rock climb, and slides make up this area. There is plenty of seating for parents and the children have loads of fun.

Scotty's Playhouse is located in McMinnville, about 30 minutes from Dallas. Follow Hwy 99 all the way to McMinnville to downtown. Turn left on 2nd street at the fire station. Go straight for a few miles and turn right on Hill Rd at the stop sign. The play structure is about 2 blocks up on the right. Look for "Church on the Hill" and a large windowed building that holds the Playhouse.

Hours:

(Website hours are wrong)

Monday 9am - 11am

Tuesday 3pm - 5pm

Wednesday 9am - 11am

Thursday 3pm - 5pm

Friday 9am - 11am

Saturday 10am - 2pm

Dreaming

2009-02-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

by Lindsay O'Conner

Long ago, little girls were very good at pretend. Plastic dolls and dress-up clothes and microphone spoons were their props as they rocked and twirled and sang, dreaming of what was to come. Time marched on, and the little girls grew. The props fell away and new ones took over–diapers and blankets and pacifiers, only the babies weren’t plastic this time.

The mommy-girls smiled as their babies grew, and one day they noticed their little baby-girls rocking and twirling and singing, practicing their future. And the mommies remembered their own dreams. Some smiled at the power of a dream, recognizing their former toys as their current tools, and whispered, “Dream on, sweet child.” Other mommies suddenly remembered a tucked away dream and dusted it off with excitement. But some mommies barely breathed, surprised that forgotten dreams now remembered hovered with the scent of unrealized longing.

Which mommy are you? Are you living dreams fulfilled, nurturing new vision, or do you look at your life and see lost dreams?

Dreams are powerful. Martin Luther King knew it when he made history saying, “I have a dream…” Others have said “we dream, therefore we become,” which is rather like the Proverb “as a man thinks, so is he.”

Dreams are thoughts wrapped in wishing and longing, desire and hope, for things that can be that are not now. They are visions of something better or different for ourselves, our children, and our world. Whether secret or shared, vivid or vague, thought desires or full-blown mind pictures, they can propel us to achieve, to become. Dreams lift us above the daily and stretch us as we reach beyond our grasp.

My friend Julie Barnhill knows the power of a dream. When she was a little girl, she made imaginary crowds cheer. “Why Mr. Carson, thank you for having me on your show,” she’d say, smiling in front of a mirror. As the girl became a mommy, she still pretended. With spit-up on her shirt and preschoolers in her van, she’d talk over the radio program and her kids, “Why Dr. Dobson, thank you for having me on your show.” She tended and pursued her dreams for another decade, and last year I watched Julie sit down behind a real microphone and say, “Dr. Dobson, thank you…” only this time it wasn’t pretend. Keeping her dreams alive has even allowed Julie to say, “Thank you for having me here, Oprah.”

We can mother well while still tending our dreams. So…

Think. While taking a bath or a walk or in snatches of time when the children are sleeping, take time to ponder the recesses of your heart. Focus on possibilities instead of limitations. Thought time is the seedbed of dreams.

Create. Stoke your creative nature. It often breeds more creativity and sparks the imagination–the essential of dreaming.

Talk. Even if your dream is private, talk with others who live in the world of your hopes or who embody aspects of your aspirations. Allow their experiences to motivate you.

Read. Expand your thinking and enter worlds beyond your own. Gain insight, vision, and new ideas.

Pray. Ask God to be the architect of your aspirations. He may have a bigger dream for you than what you could envision.

Act. Take action to turn dreams into reality. It may not seem life-changing at first. We don’t have to know all the how’s of accomplishing our desires in order to take the first step.

Sometimes we must allow a dream to die and be replaced with something new. Donna dreamed of becoming pregnant. But when her long-held desire was derailed by infertility, she found a new vivid dream–a little girl saying, “I’m on my way, Mommy.” God re-birthed her dream through adoption, and four years later Kristina bounced into her life from Russia with two brothers.

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,” wrote Henry David Thoreau, “and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” So advance and endeavor to reach your dreams! Yet know that the process of reaching the dream-wrapped hope is also gold.

A MOPS.org article resource.

Resourceful Decorating, by Cheryl Johnson (designingonline.com)

2009-02-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

As the seasons change, many times your local thrift and consignment stores will have a change in inventory. So, be sure not to miss out on decorating supplies, furnishings, accessories, paint, wallpaper and fabrics that can be found at many thrift stores. But, before you go shopping for bargains, make a plan that incorporates items you already have into your decorating task.

The best strategy in budget decorating is to always inventory and use what you have on hand before buying decorating supplies. Be sure to check out the garage, attic, and/or basement for useful materials or furnishings that can be recycled into a new decor.

Shop in your own home first! Consider moving items from one space to another. Sometimes pulling items from one room to another and simply re-organizing, fixing up, or just using an item in a different way can be enough to jazz up a room. Add a fresh coat of paint, different window dressings and rearrangement of furnishings, and WHA LAH! You have a new room.

Need some paint? If you can be flexible about color, check the mis-mixed table at your local home improvement, hardware, or paint stores. You can find high quality paints for a fraction of the original retail cost when colors don't turn out exactly as they should have. Sometimes you can find a slight variation of just the color you've already picked that will work just as well with your selected color scheme and save you lots of money.

I buy these mis-mixed paints (usually for $2-3 per gallon or less) throughout the year and store them appropriately for later use. This way I go shopping in "my own" paint department first to see if I can accommodate the decorating plan I have chosen. Planning ahead and grabbing these types of decorating supplies when they're a bargain is a great way to maximize your home decorating savings.

Collecting fabrics for future use is also another great idea. Even unwanted clothing can be used to create small window dressings, pillow covers, and accessories. Many people give away scraps of fabrics or sell them at yard sales. Be sure to check clearance and end piece items at sewing and fabric shops. It's really so simple to make a curtain or a pillow. Usually only requires sewing simple seams.

For more complicated tasks, if you can't figure it out for yourself, you're sure to find a how-to book at any library or search on-line for free information.

I've found some excellent ideas for decorating on a budget, do-it-yourself projects, and decorating theme ideas from television, how-to books, and online sources like Designing Online. Benefit from some of the wonderful ideas and projects offered by professionals. You can get some great ideas for areas of your home that you just don't know what to do with.

Before you make your plans, check out several books at the library on home decorating. You will find no shortage of books on the subject of do-it-yourself home decorating. Glance through them and grab ideas to incorporate into your own decorating task.

If you have a specific challenge to overcome, likelihood is someone else has already encountered it, conquered it, and written a book or web page about it. Use their knowledge! It will save you time and frustration of figuring it out.

Learn to make swags and wreaths. Swags and wreaths bring texture and color into a space and can be fairly simple to create. A simple how-to book is all you need to create a few decorative pieces. Wreaths can easily be adapted to suit any theme or color scheme. And, handmade ones are a fraction of the cost of those purchased already made.

Tip: Some people grow to love the craft of wreath making and it becomes a useful hobby. They make great gifts!

Swags are sooooooo easy to make once you have the right supplies and tools. Like wreaths, they have a basic structure that can be adapted to suit your theme or color scheme. Once you become an experienced swag or wreath crafter, you can whip together an accessory for any decor in a matter of minutes.

Don't over accessorize. If you have collections, group them together for the best displays. Your trinkets and treasures will look less like clutter and more like valued collections.

Are you organized or disorganized?

2009-01-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

By Gretchen Rubin, thehappinessproject.com

It’s hard work being disorganized. People who are disorganized spend a lot of time hunting for their keys; they have to order a replacement birth certificate; they know they must have a dozen hammers, because it’s always been easier to buy a new one than to locate one in the house. Often, however, people don’t realize how disorganized they are. Are you? Take this quiz.

At a minimum, you should know exactly where to find these possessions:

 stamps
 your passport and if you’re married, your spouse’s passport
 a corkscrew
 Band-aids
 a safety pin
 a flashlight
 a functioning alarm clock
 paperclips or a stapler
 your phone charger
 a spare set of keys
 your doctor’s phone number
 cinnamon
 your tax statements from 2003
 fabric stain remover
 a pair of mittens
 spare AA batteries

Congratulate yourself for being well-organized if you can also say exactly where you’d find these objects:

 a tape measure
 your high-school yearbook
 a Swiss army knife
 a pencil sharpener
 a copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting
 the instruction manual for your camera
 silver polish
 a vase the proper size to hold a bunch of tulips
 food coloring
 a tube of lip balm
 a cheese knife
 an extension cord
 a recipe for a favorite food your mother or father used to make
 a pack of playing cards
 a pad of Post-its

Disorganized people often aim to put things away approximately. They’ll keep something “in a kitchen drawer” or “in my office.” It’s much more satisfying to put things away in an exact location—like a particular kitchen drawer. It takes some effort, at first, to decide where everything belongs, but once you’ve put objects in their proper places, it’s much easier to return them there.

Look Forward to Reading...

2008-11-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

The MOPS library is available at each meeting (December 9th). Each mom is encouraged to check out titles to help them be the best mom she can be. We recently added 3 new books for your enjoyment. We're all busy, yet we hope these books are worth your time.

The first title is Walking with the Women of the Bible. Elizabeth George, author of A Woman After God’s Own Heart, invites women to get to know the women of the Bible. Readers will be intrigued and inspired as they become friends with Eve, Deborah, Rachel, Leah, Naomi, Mary, and many more. The devotions highlight how God reached out to these women and changed their lives. Readers will discover that He will also help them successfully handle their own situations and grow in areas that include:

devotion and service (Ruth and Naomi)
courage and honor (Esther)
motherhood and creativity (Jochebed)
wisdom and leadership (Deborah)
sacrifice and faithfulness (Hannah)
Walking with the Women of the Bible encourages women to cultivate a deep, intimate relationship with God and turn to Him for strength, comfort, and help.

Gary Chapman's, The Family You've Always Wanted: Many feel bombarded by images and experiences of broken families. This is not how God intended families to be! So often we examine the traits of unhealthy families, but Gary Chapman paints a biblical portrait of what a loving, stable family looks like. This book is not just to be read, but experienced. Chapman details five timeless characteristics that create a healthy family environment:

An attitude of service.
Intimacy between husband and wife.
Parents who teach and train.
Children who obey and honor parents.
Husbands who are loving leaders.

In Dr. Chapman’s own words, “What happens to your family does make a difference not only to you and your children, but to the thousands of young observers who are in search of a functional family.”

A Marriage Without Regrets: “This book isn’t about how to have a perfect marriage, or to change our spouses,” says Kay. “It’s about having the kind of marriage where you can stand before God and say, ‘Lord, I was all that You intended me to be.’ Only when we make that kind of commitment can we truly have a marriage without regrets!”

Speaking candidly about her first marriage, her conversion to Christianity, and her longtime marriage to Jack, Kay offers practical advice on effective communication, security and significance, difficult relationships, parenting, and God’s guidelines for divorce and remarriage.

Readers will discover what the Bible says about...

resolving conflict
understanding each partner’s role
improving the sexual relationship
becoming financially wise
respecting and keeping marriage vows

_________________________________________

*Because of the long gap between MOPS meeting, please try to return any previously checked-out books on December 9th. Some of the books other moms are specifically waiting for are:

The House That Clean Itself
Shepherding a Child's Heart
Baby Wise II
Dundstan Baby Language DVD series

Swimming day

2008-11-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

At the end of October, MOPS moms and preschoolers were treated to a free pool pass at the Dallas Aquatic Center. Mentor mom, Joyce Harms, organized this event and about 12 moms plus their kids attended. It was a really fun morning of swimming for the kids and conversation for moms. We hope to have this kind of event again if you missed out.

Acres of Apples, Frugal to the Core

2008-10-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

I've always dreamed of having an apple tree in my back yard. You know the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for?" Now that I actually have my own apple tree, I stand in my yard watching the apples piling up around me thinking, "Oh no -- What do I do with this mess now?" If I could make gasoline out of apples, I could retire, but since that is not an option and my frugal mind will not allow me to waste one apple, I have had to come up with some yummier "apple disposal" methods. If you find that you have a few dozen more apples than you know what to do with, these recipes from LivingOnADime.com will help settle your frugal dilemma.

Other Uses:
When you have a partially eaten apple, save the good part and chop into pieces. Place in a microwave safe dish. Blend together 1 tsp. each brown sugar, flour, oatmeal and margarine and a dash of cinnamon. Top the apple with the topping and microwave until tender.
Core and slice apples very thin. Dehydrate and use in granolas, eat alone or soften in warm water to use in recipes.
Slice and use in Pancakes or waffles.
Freeze. Peel, slice and core and then store in 2 cups portions in freezer bags.
Use soft apples in cooking.
Cut into small pieces and add to salads with a fruit based dressing.

Apple Butter

9 to 10 apples, cored, peeled and chopped
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. salt
Place everything into a crockpot. Stir, cover and cook on high 1 hour. Cook on low for 9-11 hours or until thick and dark brown. Stir occasionally. Uncover and cook on low 1 hour longer. Stir with whisk until smooth. Refrigerate or Freeze. Makes 2 pints.

Apple Pie Filling

9 cups baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
5 cups water
2 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Combine the rest of the ingredients in Dutch oven and bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add apples and return to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender (6-10 minutes). Cool for 30 minutes. Then ladle into freezer containers or bake immediately. Makes two 9- inch pies.

Fried Apples

4 large apples, cored and sliced
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Cut apples into 1/4 inch slices. Heat butter in a large skillet. Put the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the skillet and cover. Over medium-low heat, cook apple slices 7-10 minutes or until they begin to soften and the syrup thickens. Serve coated with excess syrup on top. Serves 4.

Baked Apples

apples, cored
raisins (optional)
1 tsp. margarine
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar
(These amounts are per apple.)

For each person use 1 apple. Fill the center of the apple with all the ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees until tender or put in a Dutch oven on top of stove and simmer on very low until tender.

Apple Snack

2 qts. apples, peeled, cored and halved

Coarsely grate apples. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 225 degrees until dry. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Apple Crisp

6 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon and/or nutmeg
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange apples in well-greased baking dish. Blend all remaining ingredients except water. Spread evenly over top of apples. Pour water over the topping. Bake 45 minutes until apples are tender and top is crisp. Serves 6.

By Jill Cooper

Jill raised two teenagers alone on $500 a month income after becoming disabled with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. To read more of Jill's articles and for free tips and recipes visit www.LivingOnADime.com.

If Only...

2008-10-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Bread crust was moist and delicious.

Clothing had no sizing so you bought what fit.

Hamburger Helper tasted great three days in a row.

Ice cream sandwiches counted as a complete breakfast.

Beds made themselves.

BOZ made house calls.

Oprah aired at 1:00. 3:00, 5:00 and 7:00…in the morning!

Hotels offered free get-away weekends for couples with preschoolers.

Coffee came in one gallon jugs.

The washing machine could carefully separate dark clothes from the whites and complete six loads of laundry in one cycle.

Men could complete 18 holes of golf in thirty minutes.

Varicose veins were in style.

Your best friend lived across the street.

The Emergency room had punch cards. After five visits, the sixth one was free.

Your neighbor had three teenage girls who loved babysitting free of charge.

The plastic vacuum cleaner you daughter loves to play with actually worked.

Your cat could clean the kids too.

Hosing down the inside of your car resulted in no interior damage.

Everyone’s advice truly worked.

Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, musical chairs, cake and punch were a hit for an eleven year old birthday party.

Photos joyfully put themselves in books and wrote catchy captions to ago along with each picture.

Easy Bake ovens could make Tex Mex casserole for six.

Two cars really could fit into a garage along with everything else.

School started at 10:00 a.m.

Cupcakes came with more frosting than cake.

Every backyard came equipped with a rollercoaster, dancing pink unicorns and a water park with a full-time lifeguard.

Date night was more than dinner at the local drive-thru and a gift purchase for your niece’s birthday.

When women said, “I don’t want anything for my birthday” men understood that they really meant, “Surprise me with something creative and personal that I’ll love!”

By Linda Vujnov, MOPS.org article

Grand Opening of Reading Time Books in Dallas

2008-09-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Reading Time Books

857 Main Street, Dallas

Grand opening Friday, Sept 26th.

Beginning Saturday Sept 27th at 10 am, they will have a children's story time, no age limit. The story teller from the library is one of the story tellers that will be doing them. During that time, all children's books are 10% off. They have ample room for kids, stroller etc. and a kids room with toys. She wants to start doing some kind of art times later too. There is a cafe that has catered deserts etc and any coffee drink you would like.

The Mom Purse

2008-09-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

By Cheryl Bertou
from MOPS.org

I have officially turned into my mother and now carry a “mom purse.” I vowed it would never happen. I would never stop carrying the cute, efficient little purses of my pre-child years. But after moving past the real need for a diaper bag there are still plenty of things I can’t leave home without and inevitably have ended up with the “mom purse.”

Now, I’m not completely sure that I need the extra large bandages (but what if... ?) or even the complete variety of Band-aids, from Curious George to Batman to Star Wars but I know I can’t leave the house without baby wipes. And the plastic baggie of “emergency” cars are a waiting room necessity. Add the tissues, lotion, deodorant, sunglasses, wallet, cell phone, stain removing stick (for me and my son), the virtual drug store in a bottle (for my husband and everyone I work with), the brag book of photos and multitudes of other little things, and my purse now weighs as much as my toddler.

I used to laugh every time my mother cleaned out her purse. It took her about an hour and I could never understand how the endless gum wrappers made their way into the bottom of her purse and not the garbage. And all that loose change. As a kid I knew of many great uses for that. Guess what’s at the bottom of my purse now? Gum wrappers and loose change!
I guess I am still one step ahead of my mother though. I don’t have the huge wallet that is big enough to be a purse on its own, bursting at the seams with coupons, receipts, cash and other slips of paper. Or maybe I just haven’t made my way there yet?

I tried to go back to the cute, little purse. But I just can’t do it. I can’t fit a baby wipes container into one of those dinky little things. And they're not so cute when stuffed as full as a Thanksgiving turkey. Besides, I could only fit about five things in there. I can’t even remember a time when all I would need on any given trip out the house was five things.
I suppose the “mom purse” is just another one of those motherhood things. Just like the stretch marks, an untidy house, having plastic dishes and the crushed goldfish all over the backseat of the car. These were horrifying thoughts before kids, but are now just normal parts of life. Besides what damage are those goldfish really doing in the backseat? And even I can’t break plastic, so where’s the harm in that? What do I care if my purse is too big to fit in the overhead compartment on a plane? As a matter of fact, why did I ever care if I carried a “mom purse?” I guess motherhood just helps clarify what is really important.

Adventures in Mothering

2008-09-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Steering Team put together a video about our adventures in mothering, going along with the new theme from MOPS International. It was played at the first meeting, but the sound wasn't the best. Scroll to the bottom of the page to pause the blog music, so you can hear the video better.

Mommy Lessons, MOPS.org article

2008-09-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Chatting with an elderly woman in the supermarket check-out, I joked that I just might drive around for an hour on the way home in order to keep my snoozing newborn asleep.

She laughed, adding, “Not with the price of gas, you won’t!”

What that woman didn’t realize was that, to the exhausted mother of a newborn, a sleeping baby is priceless. $4 a gallon for gas? Fill me up. Heck, go ahead and triple the price. It’s worth it to hear that glorious sound of snoring in the back seat.

Three months into this roller-coaster ride of motherhood, I’ve learned more than I ever did in four years at college. I feel as if I’ve earned a bachelor’s degree in parenting, and yet something tells me that, years from now, there still will be more to learn.

I’ve read entire books, scoured magazine articles and searched the web for answers. Some weeks, it’s about feeding. Other weeks, it’s sleep training. And yet, with all that information, there were some things I simply had to learn on my own.

Here are some of the lessons parenthood has to offer:

The human bladder can hold out much longer than you ever imagined.
Daily showers are overrated.
Playing endless rounds of Pat-A-Cake can be more fun than a raging party on a Saturday night, so long as you have the right little person to play it with.
A jumbo pack of Pampers has 88 diapers. That only sounds like a lot.
People say dumb things.
They ask when the baby is due, long after you’ve given birth. They say, “What a sweet little girl” to a child decked out in navy blue race cars and footballs.
You can survive without steady amounts of food and sleep for lengthy periods of time. You aren’t pleasant to be around, but it’s do-able.
A seven-pound person without the ability to speak, walk or form complete thoughts is somehow able to undo even the best-laid plans.
A numb arm and cramped neck are a small price to pay for a baby who isn’t crying.
Your spouse is a far more extraordinary person than you realized on your wedding day.
If ever you said, “I would never do that,” you will be forced to eat your words.
Thought you wouldn’t let your child cry in the grocery store? Once you’ve spent 30 minutes changing, dressing and loading your child into the car, then driving 15 minutes to the store and simultaneously spending 40 minutes shaking a rattle with one hand while picking out produce with the other, you’re not about to go home empty-handed.
Time speeds up once you have a child. Somehow, 24 hours passes in a flash – even if you’ve spent most of it awake.
The external stuff just doesn’t matter, so long as you’re making memories with the people you love.

It’s entirely likely that, long after I’m gone, my son will remember me as a woman who had spit-up on her shoulder, wrinkles in her clothes and a layer of dust on her furniture.

I’m okay with that.

By Elizabeth Davies a MOPS group in Dubuque, Iowa.

Picnic in the rain

2008-08-20T10:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday evening was the MOPS kick-off potluck and picnic at the Dallas City Park. If you weren't there, you missed really great food. It was a small turnout because of the rain, but those who came had a good time.

It really rained non-stop the entire evening. It was hard for the kids to be so close to the play equipment and not be able to play.

Some of the kids braved the August storm and got soaked.

Others played under the covered part and made up a game.

Our first MOPS meeting is September 9th come rain or shine. Don't worry, we are inside at Evangelical Bible Church. At the first meeting, we have a buffet breakfast for the moms while the children are well taken care of in the MOPPET program, full of kind volunteer workers. The morning starts at 8:45am and ends at 11am. If you have never attended MOPS, we would like you to come for free. Everyone else pays the regular low $2 per meeting fee for a morning that will encourage you with friendship, creative activity, and discussion. We hope to see you there!

Toy Time

2008-08-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Don’t let the quest for your child’s entertainment break the bank. Preschoolers are often entertained just as easily with homemade toys as with more expensive store-bought items. Try these mom-tested homemade toys:

Bottled Fun
Take empty, clear, plastic single-serving bottles and remove the labels. Fill at least two-thirds full with water, mix in a little food coloring and vegetable oil. Add things like glitter, plastic confetti flakes, or small plastic party favors. Using a glue gun, seal the cap and let it dry. (Cover the cap with strong tape for added “insurance.”) Let your child roll the bottles on the floor, or shake them up to watch all the stuff float around inside.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Small plastic containers with lids, like Crystal Light canisters or yogurt cups, make great shaker toys. Fill with any cereal and seal the top with a glue gun. You can cover the outside of the container with colorful contact paper. Use a variety of “fillers” in separate containers to make different sounds.

Touchy-Feely Book
Make of book of interesting textures for your child to feel like a soft, squishy sponge, sandpaper, and pieces of different fabrics such as satin and fur. Attach each texture sample to a piece of posterboard. Use cheap, heavy duty fabric or vinyl to back each page sturdily. With a key ring to hold the book together, you can add or take off pages easily.

Floating Shapes
Fill half a large, heavy-duty ziplock bag with water. Add small sponges or other water-safe shapes. Seal the bag and put it on your baby’s high chair tray so she can push on the plastic and watch the shapes float around.

More “Non-Toy” Toys:
Coasters in a stackable holder
Plastic container lids and damp washcloths for teething
Small flashlights
Trowels or a small folding shovel
A basket with a handle and a lid
A gently used purse and/or wallet with pictures inside
“Treasure” boxes, like plastic tool or tackle boxes or lidded cardboard boxes

*From MomSense magazine, July/August 2003, MOPS.org

Blackberries and Play

2008-08-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

While I didn't take any pictures of moms picking berries, that was the real reason for the party. Odessa, Jayne, Jenny R., Lorraine, and Kelleigh were at Alysun's to pick the plentiful blackberries today. After the kids tired from picking, we headed back to play in the yard, splash in the pool, eat sandwiches and then enjoy home-made blackberry ice cream.

If you missed out, but still would like to pick berries, contact Alysun (ajepeters@gmail.com). There are plenty of berries left and fun to be had, although all the blackberry ice cream was devoured.

Come kick-off the MOPS year!

2008-08-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

It's time for the kick-off potluck at the park. All the fun happens Tuesday, August 19th at 6pm. Bring your family, some food, table service (some will be provided if you forget). Lots fun will be waiting at the park (near the new play equipment).

Parading for MOPS

2008-07-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

A good sized group of moms and helpers walked in the Summerfest Parade in Dallas on Saturday. We were handing out flyers to publicize our MOPS group and invited all the moms we saw with young kids.

The little ones helped out too!

Thanks to Odessa (and her helpers), Jacqui, Kelleigh (and her husband), Tera, Stacy, Alysun, Sandy C. and Carole who walked, pushed babies and handed out flyers.

If you are returning to MOPS in September, remember to invite your mom friends and moms with little ones around town that you see. The mom that brings the most newcomers wins a $25 gift card of your choice. Let's get more moms to MOPS so they also can be encouraged!

Welcome new baby!

2008-07-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Carson Ray was born to Kelsey and Nathan and joins brother and sister, Trenton and Livia.

* If you would like to post a birth announcement on the blog, please email me at ajepeters@gmail.com.

Updated Living Room

2008-07-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

So, I think I'm mostly done with my living room changes, suggested by our MOPS Speaker, Kathy. (At least the ones I can pay for so far...). New lamp shades, wall art above the chouch ($15 for all three at Rite Aid!) and raiding all my rooms of black & white photos put in new Ikea frames. We painted walls and that was the finishing touch!

Funny Mom Song

2008-06-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Go to the bottom of the page and click Pause on the blog's music feed to watch the video without the blog's background music getting in the way.

Dreaming

2008-06-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

By Linsey O'Conner

A long time ago, little girls were very good at pretend. Plastic dolls and dress-up clothes and microphone spoons were their props as they rocked and twirled and sang, dreaming of what was to come. Time marched on, and the little girls grew. The props fell away and new one took over–diapers and blankets and pacifiers, only the babies weren’t plastic this time.

The mommy-girls smiled as their babies grew, and one day they noticed their little baby-girls rocking and twirling and singing, practicing their future. And the mommies remembered their own dreams. Some smiled at the power of a dream, recognizing their former toys as their current tools, and whispered, “Dream on, sweet child.” Other mommies suddenly remembered a tucked away dream and dusted it off with excitement. But some mommies barely breathed, surprised that forgotten dreams now remembered hovered with the scent of unrealized longing.

Which mommy are you? Are you living dreams fulfilled, nurturing new vision, or do you look at your life and see lost dreams?

Dreams are powerful. Martin Luther King knew it when he made history saying, “I have a dream…” Others have said “we dream, therefore we become,” which is rather like the Proverb “as a man thinks, so is he.”

Dreams are thoughts wrapped in wishing and longing, desire and hope, for things that can be that are not now. They are visions of something better or different for ourselves, our children, and our world. Whether secret or shared, vivid or vague, thought desires or full-blown mind pictures, they can propel us to achieve, to become. Dreams lift us above the daily and stretch us as we reach beyond our grasp.

My friend Julie Barnhill knows the power of a dream. When she was a little girl, she made imaginary crowds cheer. “Why Mr. Carson, thank you for having me on your show,” she’d say, smiling in front of a mirror. As the girl became a mommy, she still pretended. With spit-up on her shirt and preschoolers in her van, she’d talk over the radio program and her kids, “Why Dr. Dobson, thank you for having me on your show.” She tended and pursued her dreams for another decade, and last year I watched Julie sit down behind a real microphone and say, “Dr. Dobson, thank you…” only this time it wasn’t pretend. Keeping her dreams alive has even allowed Julie to say, “Thank you for having me here, Oprah.”

We can mother well while still tending our dreams. So…

Think. While taking a bath or a walk or in snatches of time when the children are sleeping, take time to ponder the recesses of your heart. Focus on possibilities instead of limitations. Thought time is the seedbed of dreams.

Create. Stoke your creative nature. It often breeds more creativity and sparks the imagination–the essential of dreaming.

Talk. Even if your dream is private, talk with others who live in the world of your hopes or who embody aspects of your aspirations. Allow their experiences to motivate you.

Read. Expand your thinking and enter worlds beyond your own. Gain insight, vision, and new ideas.

Pray. Ask God to be the architect of your aspirations. He may have a bigger dream for you than what you could envision.

Act. Take action to turn dreams into reality. It may not seem life-changing at first. We don’t have to know all the how’s of accomplishing our desires in order to take the first step.

Sometimes we must allow a dream to die and be replaced with something new. Donna dreamed of becoming pregnant. But when her long-held desire was derailed by infertility, she found a new vivid dream–a little girl saying, “I’m on my way, Mommy.” God re-birthed her dream through adoption, and four years later Kristina bounced into her life from Russia with two brothers.

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,” wrote Henry David Thoreau, “and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” So advance and endeavor to reach your dreams! Yet know that the process of reaching the dream-wrapped hope is also gold.

This article originally appeared in MOMSense magazine, May/June 2004, MOPS International, Inc.

10 Ways to Know Your Life is a Fairy Tale: because you can't always tell just by looking

2008-06-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

10. Prince Charming rides to your rescue in a mini van

9. Your daily challenges involve the care and feeding of trolls and goblins

8. Fairy dust comes from cracker crumbs

7. Prince Charming looks better to you in shorts and a t-shirt than all dressed up.

6. There is a fairy godmother, and her name is GRANDMA.

5. When you look into the mirror and ask "who's the fairest of them all?" you see yourself.
(The mirror doesn't lie).

4. You sleep with the fire breathing dragon--and he looks a lot like Prince Charming.

3. About the 7 Dwarfs. They are your children and they magically switch between Bashful, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy and visits to the Doc.

2. Prince Charming rescues you from things like yard work, laundry, and the occasional dressing of trolls.

1. It's not what you expected when you set out on the journey, but Happily Ever After describes it all pretty well.

By Andrea Lunde

Andrea is mother to 2 boys, ages 3.5 and 1, and is married to her Prince Charming, Paul, for 9 years. She lives in Salem and writes short stories in her spare time.

MOPS is a Mom's Group in Dallas, OR

2008-06-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Year in Review

2008-05-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

We were not able to view the "end of the year" slideshow at MOPS. See it here by clicking the "PLAY" icon.

The before and after...

2008-04-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

After taking Kathy's suggestions:

GYMboree fun

2008-03-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

GAMES!

SNACK TIME!

FUN!

GYMborree

2008-03-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

There will be no regular MOPS on Tuesday, March 25th because of Spring Break. Bring all your kids to the church gym for a morning of games and inside fun from 9am to 11am. Stay while the kids play and the mom's can talk. A snack will be served!

Missing our friend Annie...

2008-03-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

You can write a condolence card to Annie's family at the Dallas Tribute Center website. Click on this image (created by Kelleigh R.) to read In Better Hands song lyrics.

Ann Elizabeth Latty died Tuesday, March 4, 2008 in Salem at the age of 37. She was born November 28, 1970 in Scranton, Pennsylvania to Guy and Janet (Henderson) Wood. Annie grew up in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania and graduated from Abington Heights High School in 1989. She joined the United States Coast Guard which took her to San Pedro, California and then to Petaluma, California where she attended and graduated from Yeoman school. She was then was transferred to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. While stationed at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, she met and married her husband, Shon on December 7, 1991 in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. They were then transferred to Hawaii. While in Hawaii, her daughter Samantha was born.

Annie was honorably discharged in 1995 and moved to Reedsport, Oregon in 1996. In 2001 while in Reedsport, her son Jonathan was born. In 2006, she moved to Dallas, Oregon.

She enjoyed being a homemaker and mother, choosing to home school her children. She also enjoyed being a puppeteer, translating and teaching American Sign Language, computers, arts and crafts, quilting, and church activities. She was an active member of Dallas Evangelical Bible Church, teaching Awana’s, children’s church and American Sign Language, and singing with the Women of Praise.

All of us who had the privilege of knowing Annie are blessed. We miss her, but know she is in better hands now.

In Memory of Annie

2008-03-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Our friend and fellow MOPS mom, Annie Latty, died on Tuesday, March 4th.

None of us could've imagined tragedy striking our little town. We see each other at MOPS, church, 4-H, piano lessons, the grocery store and when we say "Hi, how are you," sometimes it may mean "Let's catch up later, but not now."

When I think of Annie, I think of her saying, "Let me tell you how BIG my God is...." These words were a good indicator that this was no quick hello. If God was doing something with Annie, she was the first to let you know. In a Sunday evening service last summer, she candidly told her story--a story that told of great personal pain. One of the old women later said, "That was a breath of fresh air!" And because of Jesus, Annie really was a breath of fresh air.

It now seems like an incredibly twist of irony but a couple of months ago, she got a call that her mother was not expected to live long. Annie was upset because she had not seen her mother for several years and couldn't afford to go. God provided the plane ticket and, needless to say, her mom made it. What we didn't know, was that Annie would not.

Most people who knew Annie found out just 24 hours ago that her life was in the balance. Someone organized a prayer meeting. About 50-60 people huddled together in small groups. There were the very old and the very young alternately crying and praying. This was the small army that assembled to plea for Annie's life; our faith was the mustard seed and Annie's health the mountain. Certainly with so many mustard seeds in attendance, God would move.

There was a beauty that because of this shared pain, we found unity. That a fragile thread was all that held each of our lives intact was vividly seen in the circumstance that brought us together. Twenty first century medicine was not healing Annie. Modern man was failing and it all lay in God's hands. None of us would ever say we thought we had control, but here was God--an untamed Lion who would do what pleased Him most.

The announcement was abrupt. Death announcements always are no matter how you phrase it. As we left the building, you could hear things like,

"Hey, I'll see you later. Thanks for being my friend."

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I love you."

We left slowly, none really wanting to go. Life does go on. The sun will rise and set. The dog will want to go out in the morning. The mail will come at 1:30. Our kids will need to be fed. Husbands will go back to work. But we'll also call each other more and ask "How are you doing--I mean, really, how ARE you?"

Sometime during the day, we'll try to picture Annie in Heaven--then realize the pain is too fresh to attempt it. For now we are all looking up in awe at this silver thread that holds us so thinly between life and death. Annie is gone and we are here and she will be greatly missed.

(Tribute written by Lori Dressel, a friend of Annie's, a graduated MOPS mom, and former MOPS coordinator)

We will miss Annie's engaging conversation, her kind heart, and contagious laughter.

Annie's life was full of joy because of God's love.

A memorial service honoring Annie's life will be held at EBC on Saturday, March 8, at 5:30pm.

SweetHeart Success

2008-02-17T09:32:00.001-08:00

Last night's SweetHeart dinner was a success! We enjoyed a delicious meal of either baked chicken or beef stroganauff with biscuits, vegi's, wild rice, tea and a salad. Then we topped it off with German Chocolate cake or Sour Cream Lemon Pie.
We also learned what we had in common at our tables. Everyone at my table had eaten 'game' meat. Everyone at Jayne's table had been married at EBC and no one at Jenny's table ordered the raspberry vinegrette for their salad dressing.
Jill had a fun game and gave out great door-prizes. I think we took home the best door prize--Deodeorant. Thanks, Jaqui for sharing.
Hope to see you there next year!

Friendship MOPS

2008-01-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

On February 12th we'll be heading to the "Front Porch" for our MOPS meeting. Joy Franz will be sharing with us on the topic of "Friendship." Make sure you mark this date on your calendar and we'll see you then!

Budgeting/Finance MOPS

2008-01-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

MOPS will meet on January 22 and our speaker is Jeff Kershner. He's an expert in the area of finance and budgeting. If you have any specific questions you'd like to direct his way, send them by e-mail to enszone54@juno.com and we'll make sure you get your questions answered! See you then!

MOPS Cancelled due to snow

2008-01-08T07:23:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, January 8th MOPS will be cancelled due to the weather delay with the Dallas School District.

Here are some alternatives for you to try today:

Enjoy the morning with your kids.
Build a snowman or make some snow angels.
Eat that 9x12 dish of egg casserole and all the fresh fruit you cut up last night.
Try not to eat the whole dozen donuts you were going to share this morning.
Sleep in.
Pay your bills early.
Scrape off the windshield of the car for your husband.
Paint something.
Call a MOPS friend and chat over the phone.
Really start exercising and eating healthier, so when we reschedule our topic on "Nutrition" you'll feel great about your choices!
Make sure you mark the next MOPS meeting on your calendar and be prepared to learn in the area of "Budgeting and Fianance."

Etiquitte

2007-12-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from our last meeting. Jill's mixer was so funny to watch. The ladies made PB&J sandwiches. Sounds easy? Not with one hand behind their backs and no utensils! Then off to the 'milking station' where it was a race to fill their cup. What fun!
Then Jill Love, filled us in on proper etiquette rules and some handy decorating tips. What a fun meeting!

Next MOPS will be in January

2007-12-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

We were not able to reschedule MOPS this month. :( I am so sorry! I was looking forward to hearing from our Mentor Moms and having a special Christmas meeting. We were trying to reschedule MOPS for the 18th, but that is when the new carpet will be coming. If we can't use the rooms, we have no where for our little kiddos to be safe while we meet.
Thank you for being patient and understanding.
We pray for you a very Merry Christmas and we'll see you in the new year!

MOPS is canceled for December 11th

2007-12-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

There was flooding in the church basement and repairs are being made at the scheduled MOPS meeting time. Because child care cannot take place in those areas, we have to cancel MOPS.

We are really sad about not meeting, so we are trying to reschedule. Your discussion group leaders will be calling you to let you know the final decision. Also, you can check back here.

Proper Etiqeutte?

2007-11-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

Did you know it is acceptable to put your elbows on the table? But...only after the food is cleared. Do you know where to set your napkin if you get up to use the restroom? How about when you're finished with your meal? Does the napkin go in the same place, or somewhere else?

You'll have all these questions asnwered--plus many more fun tips--at our next MOPS meeting. Jill Love, the Area Coordinator, will be our speaker. She'll have us laughing and learning together! Hope to see you there!

2007-11-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

We will be participating in the Samaritan’s Purse outreach, Operation Christmas Child, at the November 13th meeting. Help provide Christmas gifts to children around the world who live in poverty. This simple project will give hope and show God’s love. You can participate by bringing a wrapped shoe box (wrap lid and box separately in Christmas paper) to MOPS on November 13. You can also bring gifts to fill the boxes and $7 for shipping. Here are some ideas of what to bring:

TOYS
small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch A Sketch®, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), Slinky®, etc.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
HYGIENE ITEMS
toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.
OTHER
Hard candy and lollipops (please double bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps; sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries).
A PERSONAL NOTE
In a separate envelope, you may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. (If you include your name and address, the child may write back.)
Do Not Include:
Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans

Did you see?

2007-10-10T21:38:00.003-07:00

Did you see this photo on your MOPS e-mail last month? We have a famous mother and daughter among us! What a fun surprise!

Mark the Date!

2007-10-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

MOMS night out is coming! We'll be meeting on November 5th at 6 pm at Mira Mar Restraunt. Games at the EBC youth building will start at about 7:30 pm. Bring along a snack and your favorite games. Come for all or part of the night. Let's have a great time together!

Next Meeting October 23

2007-10-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

At our next meeting, Pastor Jerry will be speaking. He is the pastor of the MOPS charter church, EBC. He'll be talking about "Peace." Why we loose it, what we can do to keep it and even how we can get it back. It's a great message and I trust you will be encouraged by it.

Family Room

2007-10-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

At our last MOPS meeting, Annie shared her story with us. She challenged us to make our homes a safe place to grow, even if the homes we grew up in were not a good example for us. She told us how we can shine the love of God through our lives! Here are some photos from the meeting.

MOPS Kick-Off Picnic

2007-08-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the park kicking-off the MOPS year. It was fun to see the families together and the kids had fun playing. The food was really good! It got us excited to start our MOPS meetings as us moms got to sit and chat while the dads played with the kids!

The first meeting is Tuesday, September 11th at 8:45am. Come join the fun!

Registration Forms

2007-08-27T20:56:00.001-07:00

MOPPETS and MOPS registration forms are available for you to fill out before our first meeting. You can pick them up at Evangelical Bible Church or contact Kelsey to get copies.

Welcome Letter!

2007-08-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hello!

In just a few short weeks, summer vacation will once again come to a close and Autumn events will be underway. For the first time, I have been preparing to send my child off to school! Can my little baby already be old enough for Kindergarten? It’s hard to believe. The first MOPS meeting will also come soon. Our first meeting is all planned—& we would love to see you there!

Our theme for the year is: “The Home Factor: Begin Here…Go There.” The theme for this year centers around the idea of “home.” Our homes are a place for our children to safely grow & learn; we also prepare our children to one day leave our homes & impact the world. As stated in the theme verse (John 14:!7), our bodies are a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Our speakers & topics will center around various areas of our homes—our physical & spiritual dwelling places. We have great speakers, a variety of creative activities & even some extra activities planned. We’d love to see you come!
Each MOPS meeting begins at 8:45 am. It would be a tremendous help if you could come on time & turn in your registration forms. The first MOPS meeting of the year is September 11. MOPS ends at 11:00 am.

The annual MOPS registration fee is $20. This includes your MOPS International Membership, a bi-monthly MOPS Magazine, a book and a variety of other things from MOPS International. Each meeting is $2. If this is your first time to MOPS, your first meeting if FREE! If finances are an issue, full and partial scholarships are available.

MOPS meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, September through May. We are located at Evangelical Bible Church- 1175 SE Howe St. in Dallas. Look for the pink & white “MOPS Meets Here” sign on the church reader board, pull into the parking lot and look for our friendly “grandpa’s.” They’ll help you with kids & doors and lead you in!

We look forward to seeing you soon,

God bless,
Kelsey Ensz
MOPS Coordinator

You are invited!

2007-08-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Berry Picking on the Farm

2007-08-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Our summer is nearing it's end, but that doesn't mean the fun is ending! This is an update on the August Schedule of events. We will be combining the Fishing on the Farm day and the Berry Picking day all into one, with two small changes. One, the location of our get together will be at Jody Condon's childhood farm on Perrydale Road. Second, due to lack of water, the fishing adventure will have to wait until the pond fills up! However, blackberries are ripining, and blueberries may still be available a short distance away. Bring a picnic lunch, a bucket, grubby clothes, and come out to enjoy the scenery, each other, and the berries!
We will meet at 10:00 at Jody's parents house, August 14th (next tuesday). Blackberries are scattered around the property, and blueberries are available at Perryhill Farm 1/4 mile away. Directions to the farm: head north out of Dallas to Perrydale Road (off of Hwy 22). Go 3 miles, turn left onto Sunnyside Rd. Their house is the second on the right.

2007 Summerfest Parade

2007-07-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the MOPS moms and kids who walked in the Summerfest parade. Even more participants showed up after this picture was taken. Our multi-tasking skills were tested as we passed out fliers to anyone with a stroller while trying to hold onto the hands of our own children. The parade was over in a flash and we were able to turn around and enjoy the entries that came after ours (we were WAY in the front!!). We are excited to meet the new moms that will join our MOPS group as a result of our efforts!

Summer Schedule

2007-07-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

Every Monday and Friday – 9:30 – 11:30am - Dallas City Park (Pool entry or Arboretum entry – where the Summerfest Breakfast in the Park is held) just show up to play! Many moms and kids meet here regularly throughout the summer. It’s nice and shady and close to the bathrooms! (From June 4^th– September 7^th)

Every Tuesday – 10:30am - Infant story time at the Library

Every Wednesday – 9:30 – 11:30am – Lyle Elementary School Park – Always a large turn-out during the summer. This is a great place to catch up with your friends! Bring your lawn chair, sunscreen and water! (Beginning June 20^th)

Every Thursday – 10:30am Preschool story time at the Library

August 28^th – MOPS Family Picnic – Dallas City Park - (Pool entry or Arboretum entry – where the Summerfest Breakfast in the Park is held) 6:00pm – Bring a Potluck Dish to share and table service for your family. Drinks will be provided.

September 11^th – First MOPS meeting!

Summer events are free and open to the public! Please invite your friends. All children are welcome! You don’t have to be a MOPS member to attend MOPS events!

GYMboree!

2007-03-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Just because Spring Break is coming, doesn't mean we can't get together! Meet at EBC at 9 am for a fun morning for you and the kids! We will have organized games, a small snack and a puppet show! It's over at 11 am. There will be a corner area for small babies to be safe. Kids of all ages are welcome to come, though older kids may be asked to be 'helpers.' We'll see you there!

Sweetheart Dinner

2007-03-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

A long while ago I had hoped to put more of these on the blog. But it's been a month--so I hope you enjoy these few!

The Novice Gardeners

2007-03-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Mary Lou shared with us some great gardening ideas. Our craft was to start out own seeds and decorate a biodegradable pot! Here are a few of our attempts!

Life!

2007-03-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

It's growing! My seeds sprouted and I look forward to soon taking them outside!

Sweetheart Dinner

2007-02-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

"I've Never had so much fun at Cynthain Catering!"

Tonight we played a game called "I've Never." Jill did a great job with our mixers for the evening. A few that were shared: "I've never owned less than 4 cars at one time." "I've never had babies at the hospital." "We've never kissed each other until we were engaged." "I've never been to Disneyland." And the favorite comment, after "I've never been married longer than a decade", was "I don't even know you...." The grand prize (a beautiful handmade quilt donated by Joyce Harms) went home with Tim and Susan and their new baby girl!

The food was delicious--Beef Burgundy or Breaded Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, baby spinach salad (with candied walnuts, cranberries, and cheese curds), green beans and a choice of beverage and beautiful dessert! There was plenty, so most people went back for more!

It was a full room--19 couples--and it was so fun! We missed you, if you weren't there--plan ahead and hopeuflly we'll do it again next year!

A special thanks to Sandy, Neil and Geri for watching our kids! Thank you!