Friday, December 27, 2013

My Favorite Things: Baby Products

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 baby product?
The one you can't live without!

  • Swaddle Me blanket - Carrie M.
  • Ergo baby carrier - Nicki F.
  • Baby Moby - Sara K.
  • Moby wrap - Sarah L.
  • First baby - Aden and Anis blankets, second baby - Baby K-tan wraps - Nicole P.
  • Wipes - Lou Ann C.
  • Pizza cutter - so not a baby item but my favorite tool to cut up many toddler sized portion quickly - Rachael K.

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

Friday, December 20, 2013

Featured Article: Holiday Traditions

Holiday Traditions by Sarah L.
Originally published in the December 2011 Indian Creek MOPS newsletter

What’s your family’s holiday tradition?  Traditions can make the holidays more memorable for kids.  I have many fond memories of baking cookies before decorating the Christmas tree and driving around town looking at the Christmas lights while we sip hot chocolate.  Growing up, my husband’s family always opened one present after church on Christmas Eve and then saved the rest for the next morning.  Sometimes traditons are silly things that are not started intentionally, for example, my family passed a hideous sock monkey around to nearly 40 people over a 20 year period, always surprising the recipient for one occasion or another.  Other times they take a great deal of thought and planning like a cookie exchange.
Another favorite tradition is the food!  Does your family usually feast on the same favorite dishes for each holiday?  Whether its turkey for Thanksgiving, ham for Easter, or burgers and brats for the Fourth of July it seems that the main course is always the same and the same side dishes are brought by the same family member each year.  
While family traditions are great sometimes they seem to bring me more stress than holiday cheer.  For me, stress started becoming a personal holiday tradition.  I run errands, check the calendar, bake, cook, clean, wrap, do laundry, pack, and repeat.  I have lengthy phone conversations with family to try to plan a strategy to fit in each side of the family without missing out on any gatherings.
One year we had an extra stressful Christmas season.  I felt behind on everything,
money was tight, one of my kids was having health issues, a family member was in the hospital and another passed away.  Add to that the errands, cleaning, cooking, wrapping, baking, and I was wishing the holidays were over as fast as they arrived.
    On that particularly stressful year when I was more focused on my to do list and my problems instead of the actual reason for the Christmas season, the birth of God’s son. This is when God taught me something far more important.  
    It was a typical year.  The tree was decorated, the cookies were baked, and the presents were wrapped. We were packed and ready to go out of town where we would rush from location to location trying to fit in all the extended family.  God had other plans.  It snowed....a lot!  In fact, we were snowed in.  Even our family back home was snowed in.  We were literally stuck in our house for all of Christmas day.  We took our time opening presents, stayed in our pajamas for most of the day, feasted on what food we had in the house, played with all our new toys, built a snowman, and spent time together.  There were no extended family members, no company, no cooking, running, or rushing.  It was the most relaxing Christmas that we have ever had.
    The next day, when the snow was cleared a little more and it was safe to drive we did go visit family and see everyone on the list and had a great time.  My husband and I learned something that year that we will make one of our family traditions from now on.  Christmas isn’t about rushing around running errands and getting everything done as planned. It is about the birth of Jesus and how his life and death changed mine and yours.  It is about spending time with family not having everything perfect.  It is about enjoying family traditions not stressing about them.
    I encourage you to slow down this month and re-evaluate which traditions are the most important to you and the most memorable to your kids and which ones are just plain too much work.  This year, buy the Christmas cookies or just forget them altogether (who needs those extra calories anyway?).  Shop online and have the items shipped to your house.  Have your husband and kids pitch in with chores and errands (okay, we will see about that one....).  Say “no” to one more party. Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy this special time when our children are young and so excited about the season.  Christmas traditions are a wonderful part of our memories but the real memories are from the time spent with those closest to you and the birth of a baby that changed the world.

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

MOPS Cook: Chicken and Dumplings


This is the time of year that comfort food hits the spot.
This Chicken and Dumplings recipe submitted by Nicole P. is the perfect comfort food!
Enjoy.

Photo courtesy SimplyRecipes

Chicken and Dumplings

2 chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
3 carrots diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 onion diced
1 Tablespoon flour
2 Tablespoon butter
5 cups chicken broth
salt/pepper to taste
Place butter, veggies and chicken in pot and cook until veggies are soft and chicken is cooked through. Add flour and stir for a few minutes, add in chicken broth and bring to a bubble, then reduce to simmer. While waiting for broth to boil, make dumplings.......
2 cups flour
1/2 cup of COLD butter diced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
In separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt, and butter and mix with a pastry cutter (or 2 knives moving in opposite directions), add milk and mix until all flour is moistened (add milk a tsp at a time if more is needed). Place scoops of dumpling dough on top of simmering broth, cover, and continue to simmer for 20 min
We would love trying new recipes!
Please submit your favorites to indiancreekmops@gmail.com

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

My Favorite Things: Gifts to Receive

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.

Just in time for the holidays, this month's feature:
What is your favorite gift to receive?

  • Jewelry or running related gifts - Sara K.
  • Anything KU - Carrie M.
  • Jewelry - Nicki F.
  • Gator stuff, Starbucks gift cards- Jessi C.
  • Jewelry, gadgets, homemade stuff (from my kids), gift cards - Sarah L.
  • Starbucks gift cards or girly accessories (scarves, earrings, etc.) - Nicole P.
  • Coffee mugs - Just kidding! - Lou Ann C.
  • Real hot sauce! The kind that makes you tear up with one smell. My faves are Sudden Death, Widow, and The Bomb! - Rachael K.

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

Sunday, December 1, 2013

What Your MOPPET is Learning: December

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 2013-14 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, 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:

December- Mary and Joseph

12/3-Lesson- God chose Mary to be Jesus' Mother
       Story- Christmas Story
       Verse- Luke 1:26-45, 2:1-20


       Song- Final rehearsal of Away in the Manger and My God is so Big. Performance for the moms is today!

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

Monday, November 25, 2013

My Favorite Things: Mommy Advice

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 best mommy advice for a new mom?

  • Remember that every child will be potty trained, tie their shoes, and sleep through the night by the time they go to college - Carrie M.
  • Enjoy the moment and do what works for you and your family. - Nicki F.
  • Remember to laugh. - Jessi C.
  • Don't sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the moments, it goes so fast! - Sarah L.
  • Read Happiest Baby on the Block and have a vacuum cleaner or hair dryer ready to go - the loud "white noise" calms a fussy baby! - Nicole P.
  • Mommy really does know best - trust yourself! - Lou Ann C.
  • Google it! My best resource along with a couple baby books for when I felt absolutely clueless! - Rachael K.

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

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Featured Article: Comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
2 Corinthians 1:3-6


We all have hard things to deal with in our lives.  Some of you may be going through something right now or maybe you just walked through a difficult time.  Even as Christians we go through times that are very difficult, seem unfair, and leave us asking “Why me?”.  


There have been a few things that I have walked through that were very difficult and unique to me and my family.  They were not easy at all but later I was able to look back on them and see that the verse above is true.  Because I experienced these things I was able to comfort others going through the same thing.  Helping comfort another person was a blessing to me and glorified God.  It is nice to think that God can be glorified through insignificant me.


While reading 2 Corinthians and studying about Paul I realized that even Paul, a devout Christian, relentless follower of Christ, and probably the best preacher of all time suffered.  He was chased, imprisoned, tortured, beaten,  and lonely - just to name a few.  Yet, he had joy in Christ and continued to follow God, no matter what the cost. (2 Corinthians 2:7)


Even Christ could not go without suffering.  He was sent by God to earth to experience what we go through every day.  He was tempted, experienced loss, suffered a broken heart, and was crucified.  He experienced these things so that he can comfort us and through that comfort God can be glorified.  We truly have a God that understands what we are going through.


You are given the chance to comfort people in your day to day life. Each of us is given the opportunity to comfort our children, our friends, our spouses, and our co-workers. Everyone has different and similar burdens.  Everyone is seeking comfort.


We can learn a lot from Paul: “He praises God for the circumstances of his life even though there are afflictions. He calls God the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. He sees God's hand as having sent these things into his life; therefore, he doesn't pray to have them removed so that he might escape from them. He sees them as opportunities for the release of the strength of God.”  (excerpt from www.raystedman.org)


The only real comfort you can give to others is the comfort you can receive in Christ.  How authentic is your comfort to others?  Is it based on comfort received from God? How do you accept comfort from others?


Other Scriptures about comfort


Isaiah 66:13  As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.


Philippians 2:1-4 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then made my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of other.

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.


By Sarah Lyons

Sunday, November 10, 2013

MOPS Cook: Potato Pizza


If you are looking for a kid (and husband) pleasing dinner that is unique this is the recipe for you.  My mom found this recipe years ago in a Taste of Home magazine and although I don't make it often, it is so tasty and the kids gobble it up every time.  It is so filling and good and it is a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Recipe submitted by Sarah L.

Picture courtesy of Taste of Home

Potato Pizza

  • 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 tube (13.8 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound sliced bacon, diced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
  • 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • Sour cream, optional
To submit one of your family's favorite recipes email us at indiancreekmops@gmail.com


Friday, November 1, 2013

What is Your MOPPET 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 2013-14 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, 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:

November- Joshua and David

  Practice "Away in a Manger" (for the Christmas Program)*

11/5-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.

11/19-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.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Holiday Boutique

Holiday Boutique

Beat the Holiday Crowds!
Come out for a unique shopping experience with local vendors and consignors. Raffle tickets sold for door prizes. All proceeds help support MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)

Saturday, November 9th
 2013 9am to 2pm 

Indian Creek Community Church
12480 Black Bob Rd
Olathe, KS 66062
mopsatthecreek.blogspot.com

Participants:
Pampered Chef, Thirty-One Gifts, It Works, Origami Owl, Mary Kay, Arbonne, Norwex, Scentsy, Usborne Books, Discovery Toys, and more.

Many vendors with crafts, tutus, hair bows, home decor, T-shirt quilts, and more.

Free Admission!

Open to the public!



There are a few spots left for additional vendors. Please contact us at indiancreekmops@gmail.com for more information!

Monday, October 21, 2013

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?

  • 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!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Featured Article: Is Your Iron Sharp?


Have you seen it yet?  Your children becoming like the friends they hang around?


My mom doesn’t have any close girlfriends.  Growing up, I never understood that.  And she never understood why I’d always ask her to go to a friend’s house to hang out or beg her to have a friend over to play or spend the night.  I always knew when I grew up, it was going to be a priority to me to have friends.


So from the time 'Z' was old enough to interact with others, I began teaching him that friendships and relationships are the most precious possession you could ever have.  The thing I always told him, and he would repeat back to me, was, “You can never have too many friends.”


Then recently it started happening.  He began acting like the friends he was hanging around.  Hmmm.  Sometimes that was a good thing, sometimes it wasn’t.  I was making lunch one day and a Bible verse followed by a God-thought echoed in my head:  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)”   You become like the friends you hang around.  Jean, do you spend enough time with Me to act like Me even when you’re not with Me?


Wow.  I realized that I needed to be teaching 'Z' to love everyone but as Proverbs 12:26 says, "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray." 


I also realized I needed to be more intentional about the time I spend with God everyday.  If it’s just natural that I’m going to behave like whom I spend time with, then I absolutely want to make sure that I spend time with Jesus frequently.  Here are some things that I’m trying to do to make time with Jesus happen:


1. Solving the Problem of Discipline – GO TO BED EARLY OR ON TIME!  Set your alarm and get up immediately.  Kerri A. taught me several years ago that when 'Z', a chronic early riser, wakes, make a rule that he must stay in his room until 6:30am (or whatever time you choose). If I wake at 6:00, 6:15, or even 6:25, that’s the perfect time for a quiet time.  If you have itty bitty ones, carve out your quiet time during their naptime.

2. Solving the Problem of DistractionsGet out of bed, get awake, read and pray aloud.

3. Solving the Problem of Diligence – Leave your Bible or computer open the night before to what you’re going to be reading the next morning.  Schedule it on your calendar.  Be prepared for Satan’s excuses (too tired, too much to do, etc.).  If you miss a day, don’t feel guilty or give up.

4. Solving the Problem of What to Do – Find a devotional Bible or website that matches where you are in life or where you want to be.  It could be a Bible reading plan you find online like www.BiblePlan.org, www.BibleGateway.com, or the devotional thought I’m currently reading every day at www.Proverbs31.org.  There are many great devotional Bibles out there: Mom’s Devotional Bible is a great one published by MOPS and available at www.MOPS.org.

5. Solving the Problem of How to Pray – I use the “A.C.T.S” model of prayer:

  1. A – Adoration – praising God for who He is, not what He’s done
  2. C – Confession – if we don’t confess the sin in our life, why should God listen and be moved by our prayer?  Feeling like your prayers are going nowhere?  Work on confession and watch what happens.
  3. T – Thanksgiving – thanking God for what He’s done
  4. S – Supplication – this is the “prayer request” part


Once I got it through my thick head that having a daily quiet time is something that helps me become more like Jesus – an immediate benefit to my family and friends – and that it isn’t something that’s a to-do list item to be checked off, it became easier.


How sharp is your iron?  Perhaps taking a little time to cultivate your friendship with Jesus is just what you – and your family – needs.
Written by Jean J. 
This was originally published in the MOPS Newsletter in April of 2010.
Used with permission.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

MOPS Cook: Chicken Chili

The weather is starting to get cooler and this Chicken Chili submitted by Nicole P. is sure to warm your family up!  It's made in a crock pot making it easy for a busy mom of preschoolers! 

Photo courtesy of SparkRecipes



Chicken Chili

2 B/S chicken breast
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 small onion- diced
1 cup of corn kernels
2 cups of black beans
1 can of Rotel
1 package of Ranch seasoning
2 Tablesppon cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
salt/pepper to taste
8 oz cream cheese
Place chicken, onion, and broth in crock pot, add beans, corn, Rotel, and seasonings--stir seasonings into corn/beans. Place cream cheese on top and cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Before serving, mix cream cheese into chili and shred chicken up. It will be thick, and a little "dip" like, serve with tortilla chips! 


Do you have a recipe you would like to submit to the Indian Creek MOPS blog? Please email it to indiancreekmops@gmail.com

Thursday, October 3, 2013

September Play Date & MNO
We had a great turn out for the Moms Night Out & the Play-date!

Bunco






Fire House Tour






Hope to see everyone at Music with Mar, Parkside Cafe & Jason's Deli 

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

What is Your MOPPET 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 2013-14 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, 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:

October- Miriam and Moses
10/1-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

10/15 -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.