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!

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!

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

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!

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.