Planet Mommyhood

Tuesday was our first meeting of the year for MOPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers). It went great! Our hospitality coordinator, Jenny, did a fabulous job on decorations! Here's the drink table in the front with the 5 tables for moms in the background. The floating candles aren't in the bowls, yet.


Notice the "red carpet"? The Steering Team put on a skit to introduce ourselves. It was a blast! Everyone really got into it and we all laughed and laughed. We did a fashion show of the top designs for today's stylin' mom. We had laundry mom, working mom, soccer mom, perfect mom and messy mom. The moms were great and I wish I had pictures of them! Can you say 'blackmail'...

Here are the letters that Jenny and her husband, Ryan, covered in the same material as the tablecloths and runners. Shhh, don't tell anyone Ryan helped. We women thought that was so sweet, but the men might not be as impressed as we were...


And, of course, no MOPS meeting would be complete without the FOOD! Here's Jenny arranging our spread. And, what a spread it was!


I didn't take any pictures of us in our "Planet Mommyhood" shirts that Christy designed for us, but they look great!

I'm looking forward to this year and getting to know the moms at my table, hearing the great speakers and enjoying the fun crafts! I have to soak it all in because this is my last year as a MOPS mom. My last year! I've been in MOPS since I was pregnant with Russ! My last year... Waaaaaah.

I'm okay. *sniff*

Really. *sniff*

Waaaaaaah...

Two Flip-Flop Kinda Days

Yesterday and today were flip-flop days for me.

Yesterday was the first MOPS day of the year and, for the first time in over 6 years of attending MOPS, I was on the Steering Team. Then, today was the first day of BSF, and for the first time in 3 years as a Children's Leader, I was not in leadership. It was weird. Good, because I know this is where God wants me right now, but still a little weird.

MOPS yesterday went wonderfully! We had 27 moms (Steering Team included in that head count) and 6 wonderful Mentor Moms. The morning went smoothly and everyone seemed to have fun! We want it to be fun enough that moms make it a priority, but also encouraging and a place where they can relax and grow so that, hopefully, they can see their growth as moms.

It was very different being in leadership and knowing what was coming next. It took some of the thrill out of it. :-) But, I think that it will just take time for me to get adjusted to this position of being in on the planning and such. We had some great prizes to give away and there seemed to be a lot of excitement about the year. I'm looking forward to seeing all God has in store for us this year.

BSF went great, too. I am so looking forward to having the homework to do each week to help me reguarly study the Bible. I do so much better when I have some direction (whether with BSF or through some other kind of study). I knew about half of the ladies in my group and my discussion leader was so sweet and honest and real.

I missed the excitement of waiting to see which kids will be in your class and how you and your new co-leader will gel together. I missed staying after for lecture and the chatting and laughing that is always present during that time.

But, I know that I am where God wants me. I am in a different chapter this year and it might take some time to get used to it, but I'm looking forward to all God has in store.

Anyone else feeling a little flip flopped this year?

MOPping again

Christy and I spent about 3 hours this afternoon finishing up some last-minute details because TOMORROW is our first MOPS meeting of the year! I am very, very excited. A little nervous, but mostly excited. I'm sure the nervous part will increase and the excited will decrease at about 9:00 tomorrow morning...

We have just under 30 women in our new group! That's very exciting!

Tonight, the Steering Team will meet to get the church ready for tomorrow, practice our skit (anyone got a video camera?!--it's gonna be hilarious!), make copies of every piece of paper in my folder and on Christy's flash drive, decorate and, most importantly, pray.

I have reminded myself lately that I really don't have to worry about the little details, for two reasons. 1) No one else will probably even notice if things don't go exactly according to schedule or plan. They'll be so busy having a blast that they won't notice the small details. And 2) This is God's ministry, not Christy's and mine. That's the hard one. We both want to control all the details and make sure everything is perfect. :-) But, this is a ministry and God is at the center. He will guide us through everything.

I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for the Steering Team as we minister and for the ladies as they come, unsuspectingly, into an amazing, brand new MOPS group. :-) Stay tuned tomorrow and as the year progresses.

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is!

No, I don't have indigestion or heart burn, but I have the wonderful feeling you get after you relieve heartburn. Actually, it's even better. :-)

I got home from the BSF retreat this afternoon around 4:30 or so and when I walked in the house, I heard angels singing. Well, okay, that's not true, but it was so clean and neat that I'm sure they must've been singing in heaven! I think it looked better than when I left Friday morning! Laundry had been done, the kitchen was clean and swept (even the dishwasher and sink were empty of all dishes), our bedroom was picked up and the bed made, the bathrooms were picked up.

Slade amazed me with the effort he put into getting things picked up. I didn't have any expectation of what the house would/should look like and it was a pleasant surprise to see it so orderly and peaceful. He's the best!

It was great to see Slade and the boys and I got lots of sweet hugs and stories of all they had done while I was gone. I am so thankful that they had fun and that everything went so well.

I had a blast on the retreat! It was in Dallas this year at... some big hotel there. Adam's Mark, maybe? It was in the middle of a name change, so I don't know what it's name was/is.

Phyllis, my co-leader, and Ann and Terri (they co-teach the little sweet 2 year olds) and I were in Phyllis' vehicle. We talked and laughed and laughed and talked and the 2 1/2 hour drive passed very quickly.

We got to Dallas around 12:30ish and Terri and I and a few others had nothing to do until dinner at 6. Many in our class were helping out in different capacities (greeting, answering questions, etc), but we didn't have to do that, so a group of us headed out and went shopping. We went to North-something mall...I think. Are you glad I didn't drive? Anyway, we walked around the mall for a little over an hour (in our lovely BSF attire...and shoes!) and then had about 3 hours before we needed to be at dinner.

My roommate, Elizabeth, and I were going to work on our lessons, but instead we talked. And laughed. And talked. And ate Oreos. I really enjoy Elizabeth because she's very transparent and open. She's also due to deliver a baby in 4 weeks, but she kept that baby inside, which I really appreciated as well.

The BSF retreat was similar to other retreats I've been on, but also different. We had a speaker and sessions of lectures, but they were very in-depth and not at all emotional (like you sometimes might get on church retreats). We sang a bunch of songs from our hymnbook, which I enjoyed, although certain people, who will remain nameless (ahem, Terri and Phyllis), distracted me and I kept hitting wrong notes. If they hadn't been making me laugh, I could have hit those high notes, I'm sure. Yeah, so that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

There were just under 3000 men and women there. Probably about 20% men's leaders and 80% women's leaders. It was really neat to sing together and study together with other leaders who are doing similar preparation throughout the week and such.

Our sessions centered around the book of Isaiah and we got a too-brief overview of the whole book during the weekend. We also got to meet some of the leadership that help BSF run so well. It was encouraging, challenging, convicting and inspiring.

I started the weekend with a prayer that God would use the time away to confirm His call for me to do MOPS leadership instead of BSF leadership for the next two years. I knew I would hear inspiring stories of people who give and do so much for BSF and I didn't want to feel regretful about my decision. I feel like I received that confirmation that I am and will be just where God wants me as I finish up BSF and then begin MOPS. I will miss so, so, so many things about leadership, but I just pray that if that is in my future again that God will work out all those details. He's a big God and I'm so thankful I can pray and trust Him to guide me.

Elizabeth and I stayed up late the first night chatting with two other ladies and that was fun. Then Saturday night, we stayed up even later and with almost everyone that came from our class. We laughed and laughed until our sides hurt. What a fun experience to see the ladies I've gotten to know pretty well "let their hair down", so to speak, and get to know them even better. We have a fun group of ladies and I will treasure the memories we made this weekend.

So, it's bittersweet when I think of leaving, but I'll still see everyone while I attend the studies and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for me, as well as who will replace me in the children's area. I just hope she doesn't get too comfy, because in two years, I'm booting her out. Um, just kidding. I hope she loves it as much as I have and that the class grows so much in the next 2 years that they'll need to open up another children's class and I will be able to co-lead there or something. :-)

Well, I really ought to go do something productive or even try to get to bed at a reasonable hour... G'night!

Yabba Dabba Do!

That's what Fred Flinstone always said when the 5:00 dinosaur rang and he was finished with work, so that's what I'm saying because in about an hour and a half, I'll be headed to Dallas for the BSF retreat. I'm looking forward to it. It only comes around every 3 years, so this will be my first year. It's a time of intense Bible study, which will be enjoyable, plus I'll get to know the ladies in my class better and I'm sure new ladies, as well.

The downer... I'm missing my church's Ladies' Retreat this weekend. Boo. I always enjoy our Ladies retreats and the retreat committee does such a great job making it a lot of fun. But, it's a yearly retreat, so I'll be back on board next year.

I don't know if I've already said this or not, but after much prayer and talking with Slade, I've decided not to do BSF leadership next year. I still plan to do the Bible study because it's really the best study I've ever been a part of, but I want to focus my energy and time on MOPS for the next 2 years.

I will miss BSF leadership a lot, but I am looking forward to this new adventure. MOPS has encouraged me as a mom and helped me grow as a Christian, as well as just a person. I've enjoyed the speakers we have and have been challenged in lots of areas. I look forward to giving back to MOPS.

Back to BSF, we always give a pink sheet to the moms/grandmoms when they pick up their little ones that has a help (called a home training lesson) for them as parents. They're always very good.

Recently, the lesson was on praying for characteristics you want to see in your children. I know that's so simple and common knowledge, but it was eye-opening for me. I've struggled with the kids in specific areas, and I've been praying for them, but this gave me the reminder to be specific.

I've been praying for self-control for both boys. Randall can go totally out of control at the most random things and Russ gets angry easily. As I've prayed for self-control for them, it has helped me to be more aware when I'm in the situation of my reaction and how to better respond, too. Neat how that works, isn't it? :-) I've also been praying for Russell to be more empathatic. He is not usually very concerned for how others feel or if they are affected by what he does. I know I won't see immediate results, but I feel more proactive.

And I am seeing some results. This morning, Russ woke up very crabby because he went to bed later than usual. Slade's mom came over and watched the kids for the evening so we could go out before I leave. They weren't in bed super late, but we got home just a little bit afterwards and they heard us and wanted hugs and such. Anyway, so he had a hard time waking up and was growling and whining and such--all quite loudly. I looked him in the eyes and reminded him that he had a special time with Nanny, but that if he couldn't choose a good attitude after a special late night, then he would have to go to bed early tonight. It took a few minutes, and a few more gentle reminders, but he stopped the loud whining and has had a good attitude the rest of the morning. Yay!

So, all that to say, I'm so thankful to be a part of two very life-touching ministries--BSF and MOPS. I like them so much they both get capital letters, even. :-)

Have a good weekend!

MOPS Happenings

Well, Randall is in bed taking a nap (and it's only 11:30). He has been saying his tummy hurt all day and has eaten hardly anything. I don't want to give him medicine, because then he's up and going and maybe all he needs is to rest.

But, that gives me blogging time. :-)

Well, some big happenings around here. I have decided to be the co-coordinator of a new MOPS group that our church is chartering, beginning next year. Our group right now is at maximum capacity (75 or so moms!) and there is still a waiting list. So, my friend, Christy, prayerfully decided to take on the task of starting a new one. Longview is definitely big enough to support more than one and I'm excited about it!

I really prayed about just how involved to be in this new one and, after lots of soul searching and going back and forth, I've decided not to do BSF next year so that I can let MOPS be my ministry. I will still be in BSF, just not in leadership. I know I'll miss many aspects of leadership, but I really feel like this is a good decision and direction. I only get to be in MOPS for 2 more years! Then I'll officially have no more preschoolers (they count kindergarten as still preschool since it's not mandatory in all states).

So, I probably don't really know exactly what I'm getting myself into, but I'm looking forward to all of it! I think the world of Christy and look forward to working with her in this aspect.

So, if any of you are interested in MOPS and would like to help out in any capacity (or even just attend!) let me know! I'll hook you up!