MOPS: January 2010

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Loving and Giving in Service

Our next MOPS meeting is Monday, February 1st at 6pm. Please join us as we "study" and discuss our MOPS cirriculum which will be focused on looking beyond our homes to contribute as moms. We'll share some sneaky kids food and as always, enjoy and cherish our mommy friendships.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Everybody Zumba!

Our last meeting- Planet Fit Mama-was a lot of fun with a visit from a local personal trainer and a Zumba demonstration. Way to shake it, mommies! For our next meeting, Monday, January 18th, the Universe Expands. We will watch and discuss the MOPS DVD "Growing with Extended Family." See you there!

The MOPS Story

Eight women. The number was small, but the need was great. The first MOPS meeting took place in February 1973 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. For two hours, while their children received care, these mothers talked, laughed, ate, passed a basket for childcare expenses, had a craft demonstration and ended with a short devotional. In this humble beginning, the seeds of the MOPS concept and format were planted. Through friendship, creative outlets, and instruction, the women began to understand that "mothering matters." Today, the same needs for significance are met in much the same way in MOPS groups across the United States and around the world.

Mommy Moment

The vacuum stopped working. Again. As I sit on the floor with it, I yell to my husband: "We are keeping that vacuum repair store in business! This is ridiculous! I will never buy this brand again!" On and on I go....

I begin to take it a part, trying to figure out what it is THIS time. I get to the handle, slowly pull out the screws and pry the plastic apart. After I remove the biggest, most disgusting ball of dog hair, I suddenly see the problem: 2 pink rubber bracelets and my daughter's pink "dog tags" with her name and birthday inscribed on them.

Thank God I didn't go to that vacuum repair store and chew them out. Can you imagine them pulling all of that out and looking at me like I am the biggest idiot on the planet? Major embarrassment successfully averted...today.

-Sheila Walton

Featured Recipe: Chicken Tamale Casserole

Ingredients
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Words to Live By:

Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
When in doubt, just take the next small step.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will.
Stay in touch.
Pay off your credit cards every month.
You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
Over prepare, then go with the flow.
Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
The most important sex organ is the brain.
No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words ’In five years, will this matter?'
Always choose life.
Forgive everyone everything.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Time heals almost everything. Give time.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
Believe in miracles.
God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
Your children get only one childhood.
All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
The best is yet to come.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
Yield.
Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

MOPS

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Loving and Giving in Service

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Everybody Zumba!

The MOPS Story

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Featured Recipe: Chicken Tamale Casserole

Words to Live By:

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