What Your MOPPETS Are Learning: November

While we are enjoying some time with other mothers, the kids are busy in their classes as well. 

Each month we will post a sneak peak at the MOPPETS curriculum for the 2015-16 year.  

This year, the kids will be studying the Heroes of the Bible curriculum, which has been a favorite in the past.

All kids in the Monkeys, Otters, Lions, Penguins, and Kangaroo classes will participate in a Bible lesson, craft(if age appropriate), game, music, play time, short video (such as Veggie Tales) related to the Bible lesson, and snack.

Here is a peek at the curriculum for the month:

 

 November- Joshua and David

   11/3-Lesson- Joshua obeyed God's directions.
Story- Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

   Verse- Luke 11:28

   Song- I'm in the Lord's Army

   Practice Away in a Manger and My God is so Big to sing to moms in December.

11/17-Lesson- God wants us to trust him like David did.

        Story- David and Goliath

        Verse- 1 Kings 8:56

        Song- Only a Boy Named David

        Practice Away in a Manger and My God is so Big to sing to moms in December.

For a list of the entire MOPPETS Curriculum for the year please check out the "About MOPPETS" tab.

What Your MOPPETS Are Learning: October

 

While we are enjoying some time with other mothers, the kids are busy in their classes as well. 

Each month we will post a sneak peak at the MOPPETS curriculum for the 2015-16 year.  

This year, the kids will be studying the Heroes of the Bible curriculum, which has been a favorite in the past.

All kids in the Monkeys, Otters, Lions, Penguins, and Kangaroo classes will participate in a Bible lesson, craft(if age appropriate), game, music, play time, short video (such as Veggie Tales) related to the Bible lesson, and snack.

Here is a peek at the curriculum for the month:

October- Miriam and Moses
10/6-Lesson- Miriam Keeps Baby Moses Safe
Story- Miriam, Baby Moses, and the Princess
     Verse- 1 Corinthians 13:4
     Song- Baby Moses
           Peace Like a River

10/20 -Lesson-God can do anything.
Story- Moses crosses the Red Sea
         Verse- Psalm 136:11-12
         Song- Our God helps Us
               My god is so Big

For a list of the entire MOPPETS Curriculum for the year please check out the "About MOPPETS" tab.

What Your MOPPETS Are Learning: September

 

While we are enjoying some time with other mothers, the kids are busy in their classes as well. 

Each month we will post a sneak peak at the MOPPETS curriculum for the 2015-16 year.  

This year, the kids will be studying the Heroes of the Bible curriculum, which has been a favorite in the past.

All kids in the Monkeys, Otters, Lions, Penguins, and Kangaroo classes will participate in a Bible lesson, craft(if age appropriate), game, music, play time, short video (such as Veggie Tales) related to the Bible lesson, and snack.

Here is a peek at the curriculum for the month:

 

September-God Created the World/Abraham

 
9/15-Lesson- God Created the World

Story- God Made the World
   Verse- Galatians 1:1-5
   Song- He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
         This Little Light of Mine

9/29-Lesson-Abraham Obeys God

Story- God Blesses Abraham
   Verse- Genesis 12:1-8
   Song- The Abraham Rap
         Father Abraham

 

For a list of the entire MOPPETS Curriculum for the year please check out the "About MOPPETS" tab.

Yesterday we had our 2015-16 kick-off picnic!!! We had a wonderful turnout and got a chance to meet a lot of the new moms. The weather was cool and a little wet but I think the kids enjoyed a chance to play in the rain :) Can't wait to start the new year and getting to know all the moms better!

Freezer Meals!

As everyone gets back into the swing of school, activities, and the whirlwind of fall, sometimes getting a healthy dinner on the table can be a struggle.  Nicole P. offered a freezer meal group this summer and gathered up some fabulous meals that carry perfectly into fall!  Enjoy these awesome recipes!

Maple Chilli Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts (or 1 lb ofpork)
2 Tble water
r1 tsp salt
2 Tble Maple Syrup
1 Tble chili powder

Directions:
Place all ingredients in bag and freeze.
When ready to eat there are 2 options:
Defrost overnight in fridge and 1. Cook at 350 for 25 minutes in a greased baking dish
2. Sautee in a bit of oil in a skillet on the stove.
Can be served with rice, or as a taco filling.

Lemon Marinade Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
2/3 c lemon juice
¼ c cider vinegar
¼ c oil
2 Tble minced onion

Directions:
Place all ingredients in bag and freeze.
When ready to eat there are 3 options:
Defrost overnight in fridge and
1. Cook at 350 for 25 minutes in a greased baking dish
2. Sautee in a bit of oil in a skillet on the stove
3. Grill
Serve with pasta and veggies

Teriyaki Steak




Ingredients:
1-2 lbs of steak (cut of choice) or chicken
1 garlic clove crushed
1 ½ Tble minced ginger
1/3 c soy sauce
1 ½ Tble brown sugar
1 ½ Tble cider vinegar
1 ½ Tble rice wine vinegar

Directions:
Place all ingredients in bag and freeze.
When ready to eat there are 2 options:
Defrost overnight in fridge and
1. Grill until desired temp
2. Sautee in oil in a skillet on the stove
Serve with rice and/or veggies

Kickoff Picnic on Tuesday!

Please join us on Tuesday, August 18th, at Quivera Park

from 9:30-11:30

for the Indian Creek MOPS Annual Kickoff Picnic!

Come meet ICCC MOPS mamas--new and old!  Feel free to bring sand toys, a picnic lunch, bikes, scooters--whatever your heart desires!  Popsicles will be provided for the kiddos!

Can't wait to see you there! 

Laid Back Dinner Party on Thursday!

Our last laid back dinner party of the summer will be Thursday, August 6th, at 6:30 pm at Katie K's house.  The theme is Italian.  Please bring a side dish to share. 

For directions, please contact us at indiancreekmops@gmail.com. :)

PLAY DATE TOMORROW!

Come join us tomorrow, Monday, August 3rd, at the John Anderson Park sprayground!  

4701 E 135th St

Grandview, Missouri 64030

We'll be there from 9:00-1:00ish.  Bring a picnic lunch, towels, and sunscreen.

Traditional play equipment will be open at 9:00.  The sprayground opens at 10:00. 

See you tomorrow!  :)

 

PLAY DATE TOMORROW!

Come join Indian Creek MOPS tomorrow at Mill Creek Park!  

79th and Cottonwood St. 

Lenexa, KS 66215

The play date starts at 9:00, but this is very informal so come when you can.   Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful weather!  

 

A Fierce Flourishing Theme Summary

Theme Verse: 

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

Sometimes we need new eyes. A perspective shift that recalibrates our hearts to the rhythm of God’s goodness surrounding us. To tune our hearts to better hear the music of the divine echoing throughout this world. That we might let that goodness seep into our bones and into our hearts so we can remember what it feels like to flourish.

We think flourishing looks a lot like:

Celebrating Lavishly: Celebrating breathes life into our days. Could it be that commemorating moments might help us to become more alive, to remember what is good and become masterful at recognizing it? How would life change to regularly invite friends into our stolen moments with uninhibited dancing and the best food, while gathered around the biggest table with the deepest conversations? Lavish celebrations can be sacred markers that help remind us who we are.

Embracing Rest: Perhaps it is time to let go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as a measure of worth. What if one of the most life-giving activities that would contribute to our flourishing is welcoming rhythms of rest and play into our lives? Creating healthy rhythms in our life is one way we nourish the weary spots in our soul.

Noticing Goodness: Could it be possible that we don’t need new things but rather new eyes to see what we already have? What if we regained our sense of vision, an acute resolve to find hope in the cracks and mire of the mundane? Noticing what is good gives us the gift of perspective and reminds us the sacred is closer than we think.

We become more ourselves when we celebrate, rest and notice, and that looks a lot like flourishing. But this flourishing isn’t the precious or exhausting kind. This is a fierce flourishing. It is a deep-in-your-guts experience of gratitude and hope compelling you to raise your hands and dance freer than you ever have before. It is a fierce protection of your most important moments, an invitation to rest and an opportunity to enjoy the people who are right in front of you.
This year at MOPS, may we become a home for found wanderers, redeemed prisoners, explorers at the edge of their comfort – all of us who were one-time captives now celebrating our unearned freedom, because we have regained the eyes to see. May this year unfold into radical expressions of your own unique Fierce Flourishing.

My Favorite Things: Movies

Want to try a new restaurant but not sure where to go?

Are you pregnant and not sure what baby products you really need?

Are you unsure of what to cook on a busy weeknight?

What better place to turn than your fellow MOPS moms for ideas?

Our new feature My Favorite Things - will give you some ideas of where to start.

Each month we will feature a different question and recommendations will be listed by other MOPS moms in the group.

This month's feature:

What is your favorite movie?

• The Notebook - Melony S.
• Pride and Prejudice  - Alisha D.
• The Notebook - Ashley C.
• Anything not Cars - Jessica F.
• Pride and Prejudice, BBC version - Jane H.
• Host - Stephanie H.
• Pitch Perfect - Emily H.
• Notting Hill - Katie H.
• The Notebook - Heather J.
• Baby Mama and Juno - Stephanie L.
• The Notebook - Alicia P.
• When Harry Met Sally - Lindsay R.
• Mrs. Congeniality - Amy S.
• Pitch Perfect, Too many to list - Raychel V.
• Jerry Mcguire, Silver Linings, Playbook, Dumb and Dumber - Laura W.
• Mary Poppins - Kelly R.
• The Princess Bride - Erin B.
• Center Stage, Horton Hears a Who - Karla T.
• Legends of the Fall - Julie K.
• Dirty Dancing - Angela A.
• Any movie out of the theater - Sara B.
• Center Stage - Carrie M.
• The Princes Bride - Nicki F.
• When Harry Met Sally - Sara K.
• There's Something About Mary, The Sandlot, Baby Mama - Sarah L.
• The Blind Side, The Proposal - Jessi C.
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - Nicole P.
• Sleepless in Seattle (cheesy I know!) - Lou Ann C.
• Christmas Vacation - only movie I have seen literally every year for at least 20 years! - Rachael K.

Want to contribute your ideas for our blog or newsletter? Check your MOPS folder for the My Favorite Things feature!

Featured Article: Get Ready to Flourish!

By Jessi C. 

Sometimes, I feel stuck in the everyday motions of life.  Wake, play, cook, and clean.  Corral Kids.  Drive to activities.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  Some days, I long for something to shake up my routine when what I really need is a fresh perspective.  Being a mom is beautiful and hard and exhausting and wonderful.  I need to tune my heart to what God is telling me and listen wholeheartedly.  For it is then that a fierce flourishing will happen. 

This year, I challenge you to:

Celebrate Lavishly—Life is too short to not have fun!  Dance in the kitchen, sing in the car, wear sparkly nail polish.  Enjoy your friends and family without thinking about your worries.  Psalm 150:1-6 says, “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!”  This is the type of noisy, amazing, fun celebration that I want!  

Embrace Rest—As moms, it is easy for our “to do” lists to grow longer and longer.  Instead of racing around during nap time, take a few moments to relax.  Your laundry isn’t going anywhere.  The dishes will keep.  Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 says, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”  So sit down and enjoy a tea party with your kiddos or grab a good book for a few minutes while the kids sleep. 

Notice Goodness—Take time to slow down and enjoy the small things.   As you’re stuck in traffic, savor these moments with your sweet kiddos, even though it’s frustrating.  Instead of staying cooped up on rainy days, get outside and play in the rain.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  I’m not saying it always easy, but it’s always worth it.

This year, get ready to be stronger, braver, kinder, and unstoppable.  This year, we will be fierce! 

Featured Article: Thankful

Thankful 
by Carrie M.

As we are quickly approaching Thanksgiving, I find myself thinking about

everything I am thankful for in my life. Of course there all the obvious things such as

my kids, my parents, my home, my family. But I have recently learned to be thankful for

so much more in my life.


God has taught me to be thankful for everything from the good, bad, ugly and

gorgeous! It has not only helped my attitude and outlook on life, but I am a much better

mother. Don’t get me wrong, there are many times each day when I get frustrated but

when I stop and think about the positive things in this moment, I feel a sense of peace.

Our children test us daily in our job as Mom, not to mention all of the other

pressures that go under our job description. When I first became a stay at home mom

the pressures of role pushed me into a very dark place where the happy moments were

few and far between. It seemed like the only thing I was thankful for was making it

through the day. Today is a very different story. God has taught me to take a deep

breath and be thankful for the positives in all situations. Of course I still have rough

days but now I can see light in the darkness.


A few nights ago I was awaken by the cries of my two year old in his room. My

initial thought was “Ugh, I am so tired. What is wrong with him and how can I fix it

immediately.” I stumbled down the hall, opened his door and he said in a whimpering

voice “Mommy, I need you.” My annoyance quickly turned to compassion as I walked

over, kneeled down next to his bed and started rubbing his back. I looked at his sweet

face and immediately thanked God for waking me up for this moment. Because even

though I am exhausted, I was so grateful to be able to comfort my sweet boy and I knew

that these moments were not going to happen forever. Soon he won’t need me to

cuddle him but I am thankful that I have the memory of this time when he does.

The next time you are feeling annoyed, anxious, frustrated or all of the above,

take a deep breath and close your eyes and look to God for guidance. He will show you

the positives in the situation. Thank Him for the precious gift to be able to stay at home

with your children and watch them grow. Thank Him for their health. Thank Him for

their smiles, cuddles, innocence and love. Thank Him for you and giving you this

opportunity to make amazing people and priceless memories.


Originally published in the November 2013 Indian Creek MOPS newsletter.

My Favorite Things: About MOPS

Want to try a new restaurant but not sure where to go?

Are you pregnant and not sure what baby products you really need?

Are you unsure of what to cook on a busy weeknight?

What better place to turn than your fellow MOPS moms for ideas?

Our new feature My Favorite Things - will give you some ideas of where to start.

Each month we will feature a different question and recommendations will be listed by other MOPS moms in the group.

At the start of a new MOPS year, this month's feature is:

What is your favorite thing about MOPS?

• Sharing stories and gaining advice from my Pink Peonies group - Melony S.
• Talking with other moms and learning from them - Alicia D.
• talking with other moms - Ashley C.
• Friendly moms - Jessica F.
• Mom comradarie - Stephanie H.
• Mommytime - Heather J.
• Encouragement and time apart form my kids - Stephanie L.
• Getting out, meeting new moms, and worshiping - Alicia P.
• Meeting the new moms - Lindsay R.
• Adult conversations - Amy S.
• Relationships for me and my daughter - Raychel V.
• Meetin gother moms an dletting my kiddo play with peers - Laura W.
• All the wonderful ladies - Kelly R.
• How kind and giving all the amazing moms are - Erin B.
• Getting out of the house - Karla T.
• Adult time - Julie K.
• Friendship - adult conversation with other women - Jennifer P.
• Meeting new moms, getting out of the house - Angela A.
• Connecting with other moms - Sara B.
• Getting to know other moms - Emily H.
• The connections - Sara K.
• Fun, friends, and faith - Carrie M.
• All the awesome friends I have met! And 2 hours of "mommy time"! - Nicki F.
• Being able to talk to moms in the same season of life as me - Jessi C.
• All the friends I have met over the years, the great speakers, and lots and lots of laughs. - Sarah L.
• Support, help, and "girl time" from the other fabulous mamas! - Nicole P.
• Support from other moms - Lou Ann C.
• Having a time when my head can relax and focus on having a friendly conversation with other adults. - Rachael K.

Want to contribute your ideas for our blog or newsletter? Check your MOPS folder for the My Favorite Things feature!

Featured Article: One Mom's Trash Might Be Her Child's Treasure

One Mom's Trash Might Be Her Child's Treasure

by Sara K.

I am a big fan of forgiveness, I am human and make mistakes often, which require an apology. Every time my kids go anywhere they bring something back home with them. I never knew paper could be so suffocating.  Drawings from church, school, even kid's museums find their way on my counter.  It seems everywhere they go beautiful "masterpieces" are made from paper. That's what my kids call them, "masterpieces". Since they are all masterpieces, my children think they must be treasured forever. Multiply that by three and I have trees glaring at me every time I walk out the door.

They often show me these wonderful drawings and then leave them on the table when they move on to something else. I am left to figure out what to do with the latest masterpieces. I admit, more often than not I throw the papers away, I can't keep them all, even trying to keep one a month, makes to much clutter, requires storage I don't have. No harm done they don't remember it, and life goes on, right? Sometimes if they are especially attached to something that child will put it on the fridge or cork board in their room. With school finishing up, more "masterpieces" are being brought home as the teachers clean off their own bulletin boards. 

Last week my daughter brought me a picture of a flower garden drawn with markers, on notebook paper. I made my normal compliments and she went on to the next thing. When I needed the counter space to make dinner I'm sure it, along with so many of the days "masterpieces" went into the trash. Two days later, my daughter asked about that flower garden drawing, while I was talking on the phone and preparing dinner. Dread played across my face while she started shuffling through papers in the basket at the kitchen desk then looking through the trash, finding that day's masterpieces discarded. I quickly got off the phone, while listening to her grumble about a paper destroyed because it was wet from coffee grinds. I mentally started to prepare my confession and get myself ready for the scream scene that surely lay ahead. Watching big crocodile tears stream down her face, I cleared my throat and began to talk.

"Mckinley, I think mom threw that picture out." Knowing that's where it had to be, if she couldn't find it, as that was the destiny of most papers in my household. "What do you mean?" she replied her voice shaking, on the verge of a complete meltdown. "That was my best picture....ever! YOU even said how nice the flowers looked and how the clouds were big and puffy!" I love how children can make you feel like scum. I looked at her, took her hands out of the trash can and began talking. "I'm sorry. The picture's not there. The trash man came yesterday, the picture is gone. I made a mistake please forgive me." She replied through sobs before stomping to her room "I can't forgive you! You threw away my favorite picture...every!" Pleading and following her I asked if she could make another one like it, and got a big NO! I continued to apologize and asked what I could do to make it up to her. After some groveling she allowed me to help her on a new picture after dinner. We also agreed that I would try to take a picture of the masterpieces with my phone, so if they got thrown away we could still enjoy looking at them.

Sometimes it's important as moms to humble ourselves and confess mistakes to our kids. They mirror our actions, confessing that I might have thrown it away, and asking for forgiveness is something I would expect from them. I'm not perfect, nor do I want them to think I am, because no one is perfect all the time. I need to model when I make a mistake humble myself through confession and ask for forgiveness. I don't want them to try to be perfect all the time, it's impossible. I also learned that I don't own their feelings. I could have told her from my grown up perspective she was being ridiculous, that we can't keep everything. But to her, it was an important thing, just like my shopping list is and important thing for me. I had to allow her time and space to hurt, I had to take responsibility for the hurt she felt. She had a right to be upset about the picture, and with me. It was important to her and I discarded it without her knowledge, that doesn't make her wrong, just normal.

The following week she found her treasured drawing in a folder in her bookshelf, where she often places her masterpieces. I'm glad she found it, and we had a good time drawing and coloring our own flower garden picture.

Originally published in the Summer 2014 Indian Creek MOPS newsletter.

My Favorite Things: Weeknight Meals

Want to try a new restaurant but not sure where to go?

Are you pregnant and not sure what baby products you really need?

Are you unsure of what to cook on a busy weeknight?

What better place to turn than your fellow MOPS moms for ideas?

Our new feature My Favorite Things - will give you some ideas of where to start.

Each month we will feature a different question and recommendations will be listed by other MOPS moms in the group.

This month's feature:

What is your favorite weeknight meal?

• Fried rice - Melony S.
• Tacos - Ashley C.
• Hamburger Helper - Jessica F.
• Egg Foo Young - Jane H.
• Spaghetti - Stephanie H.
• Tacos and Mexican rice - Emily H.
• Spaghetti - Katie H.
• Tacos - Heather J.
• Tacos or Spaghetti - Alicia P.
• Baked Spaghetti - Lindsay R.
• Grilled steak or chicken, roasted vegetable - Amy S.
• Tacos, turkey burgers - Raychel V.
• Anything in the crockpot - Laura W.
• Sandwiches or pizza - Kelly R
• Papa John's pizza - Erin B.
• Pizza - Karla T
• Hen House premade meals! - Julie K.
• Chicken and rice - Jennifer P.
• Cheesy tuna casserole - Angela A.
• Mac-n-cheese, frozen pizza - Sara B.
• Tacos - Sara K.
• Homemade pizza - Carrie M.
• Tacos - Nicki F.
• Fajitas or pasta primavera - Jessi C.
• Spaghetti, tacos, homemade macaroni and cheese - Sarah L.
• Tacos - Nicole P.
• Shake and Bake - Lou Ann C.
• Rice casserole - lots of variations- Rachael K.

Looks like the consensus is Tacos this time!

Want to contribute your ideas for our blog or newsletter? Check your MOPS folder for the My Favorite Things feature!

What is Your MOPPET Learning: May

While we are enjoying some time with other mothers, the kids are busy in their classes as well. 

Each month we will post a sneak peak at the MOPPETS curriculum for the 2012-13 year.  

This year the kids will be studying the Fruit of the Spirit curriculum which has been a favorite in the past.

All kids in the Otters, Lions, Ostrich, and Giraffe classes will participate in a Bible lesson, craft, game, music, play time, short video related to the Bible lesson, (such as VeggieTales) and snack.

Here is a peek at the curriculum for the month:

May- (2 themes) Mother's Day (1), Gentleness (2)

Song of the month- Favorite songs of your choice.

5/7-Lesson- Respect and bless your mother.

Story- Mother's Day

Verse-Proverbs 31:28a   Her children arise up and call her blessed.

5/21-Lesson-Jesus is gentle and wants us to be gentle too. (Singing at the end of the year brunch)

Story- Jesus and the little children

Verse- Mark 10:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me."

For a list of the entire MOPPETS Curriculum for the year please check out the "About MOPPETS" tab.

Featured Article: Embrace Your Beautiful Mess

Embrace Your Beautiful Mess
By Sara K.

Life is full of messes. Some last a day while others last a season or more. It's the messiness that makes of many of the memories. Whenever I find myself in a messy season, I am always reminded of this verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you, the plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV Jeremiah 29:11).

It may seem like you have a string of multiple messes, but God has a plan for you. I often find myself drawing on His strength. God gives us strength when we feel helpless, he helps us through "seasons of life" that seem unbearable. Throughout my marriage my husband frequently traveled for work, when my daughter was six weeks old he had an eighteen day business trip in London. During that time I had to return to work after maternity leave. My baby girl didn't transition well to a bottle. Needless to say I was stressed out. I wasn't sleeping because she would be up all night eating and boycotted the bottle during the day. Nothing I was doing helped. I was at the end of my rope when I received a call to come and get the kids from child care. My then two year old son, who was going through a biting phase, had broken skin on a little boy's nose, because the boy had a toy he wanted. I cried all the way home, and prayed to Him.

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." (NIV Jeremiah 31:25).

God helped me once I asked. 

"The LORD Is my stregth and my sheild; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me." (NIV Psalms 28:7)

I needed to rely on Him, on His strength to help me through this messy season in my lfe. I know everyone has a similar story, a messy season that is tucked in the back of their mind. By the time my hubsband got home, my dugher started to smile, my son was adjusting back to daycare, stopped biting other children. God is always there. Embrace your mess, and rely on him for strength for it is part of HIs beautiful plan for you.

Originally published in the October 2014 INdian Creek MOPS Newsletter.