Pics from our Christams tea!

I had the best time at our Christmas tea! I'm so glad each and every one of you came.

Yummy food.

Cute tea pots.

Super fun white elephant gift exchange!

Melanie modeling the poinsettia hair pins.

Hi Michelle! I bet you didn't know I was taking your picture! Wink, wink.

Heather G. pretending I'm not taking her picture.

Thank girls for such a fab time! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. Don't forget the playdate for all MOPS moms on January 4th. See post below for details.

It's almost the New Year!

2011 is just a couple days away! We have several Steering positions that are open for the 2011-2012 year so start praying about how God might use your wonderful talents to serve our group! Contact Heather Westbrook for more details hewmail@yahoo.com.

ABQ Playroom Playdate Jan. 4th

When: Tuesday, Jan. 4th 10:00am to whenever
Where : ABQ Playroom -located at Paseo and Ventura, next to Jinja.
The cost is $5/child, under 18 months is FREE.
You will not need a membership to come play for that day.
You can bring any children, there is stuff for kids up to about 10yrs old.
You can bring a small snack for your kids if you wish, there is a room in the back where they allow food and drink.

This will be a fun time to reconnect with all the moms and kiddos after the busy holiday season. We hope to see you there!

Check out their website for more info!

Pumpkin muffin recipe

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of love and good food. This is my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe. It only has five ingredients, it's super easy, and super yummy.

Ingredients:

I pkg spice or carrot cake mix

1 can (15 oz) of pumpkin

2 eggs

1/3 cup of water

2/3 a cup of craisins, raisins or cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, pumpkin, egg and water until moistened. Stir swiftly for 1 minute. Stir in craisins, raisins or cranberries. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Makes 18-24 muffins!

Upcoming!

Our last meeting of 2010 is on December 7th. Come join us for Christmas tea, caroling, eating, and sharing. Crumpets, finger foods and tea will be provided! Small groups don't have to bring food! We will have a white elephant gift exchange. A white elephant gift exchange is a gift that is not purchased but something you found at home. An ugly decoration you may have received last year and you are looking to gift it to someone else. A lost sock that doesn't have a mate. A Tupperware bowl from 1981. Make it fun and interesting! I can't wait to see what you bring and the laughs! A pastor from Grace Church will be sharing a Christmas devotion.

MOM'S NIGHT OUT!!!!!

December 14th 8:00 p.m.

@Flying Star on Paseo Del Norte

If you have never been to Flying Star they have coffee and yummy deserts. They have dinner as well. It will just be a fun night of coffee and dessert with friends. If you can't make it we will be having another Mom's night out in the New Year.

January 18th will be our first meeting in 2011!

We will not have a meeting on the first meeting of January as APS schools will have not returned.

Coming in January, we will be starting a MOPS book club. All of the details are not worked out yet, but they will be soon. We may just meet at a MOPS Moms' home and have a book club/playdate meeting. The book we will be reading and discussing will be So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore. The book is currently $15.78 on amazon.com. So ask your Mom or favorite Uncle to buy it for you for Christmas. Click here for a link to the Amazon.com listing for this book.

Everything you need to know about Craft Fair!

Our 14th Annual Holly Days Craft Fair is this Saturday! This is such a huge event and is our main fundraiser for the whole year. I know it seems like so much work, but it's really worth it. It's actually fun to be involved it and you get to know other MOPS mom's better. Here's what you can do to help:

1. Download the above picture and email it to everyone you know in Albuquerque. Invite your mother, brother, uncle or neighbor to shop at our craft fair. Post it on Facebook or your blog.

2. Bring baked goods for our bake sale. Breads, pie and cinnamon rolls do really good. If making cookies make sure to wrap them in bunches, 2-3 in a bunch. Wrap them in saran wrap and label them. (For example: Pumpkin cookies with pecans. Below is a picture from last year.)

3. Set up on Friday and Clean up on Saturday. See your small group leader for your groups assignment. If coming to set up, we need the most help from 7:00 a.m. to about 10:00. We have to move everything out of the gym so we can mark the floor for booth spaces. If early morning doesn't work for you, you can come throughout the day on Friday. Clean up time starts at 2:45, and the more help we can get the faster we can get out of there! We have to take table and chairs down, remove tape from the floor, put away Christmas decorations, and sweep the gym floor.

4. Don't forget your donation for the raffle baskets. See your small group leader tomorrow for more details. The raffle baskets bring in hundreds of dollars on their own. Every year you ladies out-do yourselves on the creative basket ideas!

We appreciate your help! MOPS moms can move mountains!

Parenting with Love and Logic

You know what I love most about MOPS? The fact that every Mom in the room is different. She potty trains differently. Some Moms use cloth diapers and some Moms use disposable ones. Some Moms parent differently. I thoroughly enjoyed Elyssa from Love and Logic. As in anything, you take parts of what she said here and apply it there. Maybe some of the things don't work for your family, so you don't use them. I highlighted some key points that make sense no matter how you discipline your kids.

1. " I recognize this world. We practiced for it at home." My kids are 6, 5, 4, and 3. So this made so much sense to me. Sometimes I try and fail at getting them to do things my way and I really need to focus on letting them learn with my guidance. Mom drill sergeant is not working so far.

2. "Let them make mistakes at a young age, so they don't make them when they are older with harder consequences."

3. "The most powerful words are the unstated words." I find myself re-hashing the trouble my kids just caused. Telling them one time is enough and letting them learn from it.

4. Write a vision statement as a family. I have to admit that when my kids were really small, this vision statement was not a high priority on my list of to dos. I was barely keeping my head above water just providing the basic needs of my four little girls. I snapped my fingers and they grew up fast. I wish I would of thought of this when they were smaller but we can still do it now and they can be a part of writing it!

5. Schedule Mommy time where YOU come first!!!!! Having small children is wonderful and rewarding but sometimes taking care of them 24/7 can be overwhelming! If you don't have a hobby, ask some Mops Moms' what they do and ask if they can show you how. Keep trying until you find something that clicks. Reading, sewing, photography, or baking. We have Moms that sew that would love to show you how. We have Moms that scrapbook. Never underestimate the power of a hot bath at the end of a long day with kids!

If you liked Love and Logic here are a few links for you. To purchase the book on Amazon CLICK HERE! It's only $12.95.

Elyssa's phone number if you are interested in taking a parenting class. They do have childcare if needed. Her number is 710-0236. And she is on facebook HERE.