December Mops Pdf

La Crescent

Notes and News BETTER MOMS MAKE A BETTER WORLD.

Volume 2, Issue 3

December 2008

Practicing the Five Love Languages Do you want to give your marriage a boost? Learning about the Five Love Languages (by Gary Chapman) and applying them to your marriage will do just that! We all love to love others, but each of us has preferences on how we most like to receive it. Do you enjoy compliments and kind words? If so, you might prefer Words of Affirmation. Do you like receiving meaningful and thoughtful gifts? If so, Gifts may be your primary love language. Do you like spending one-to-one time with others without distractions? If so, Quality Time may be your love

Questions Kids Ask Why was Jesus born in a stinky stable? Why can’t I see Jesus now? How long is eternity? As moms, we get so many questions from our kids. When my oldest turned 2 and started asking “Why?” at least 50 times every day, I thought I was going to lose my mind! When I stop to think about it though, what

by Michelle Zlabek

language. Do you like hugs and snuggling those you love? If so, Physical Touch may be your love language. Do you appreciate when someone does a household chore for you and helps you get things done on your to-do list? If so, Acts of Service may be your love language. The key is to know your primary love language and your spouse's. Often they are different. We tend to show love in the way we want to receive it. If you have the same love language as your spouse, it will be easier. For those of us who don't, we have to be intentional in showing love to our spouse in the way that most fills his tank! Every day ask yourself, “How can I best show love to my husband today?” If he's Acts of

Service, make a nice meal, shovel the driveway, or take out the trash. If he's Physical Touch, make a point to cuddle on the couch or greet him with a long embrace when he gets home. If he's Words of Affirmation, write a card telling him what a great husband and father he is or tell him these kinds of words at the dinner table. If he's Gifts, buy his favorite candy and leave it in his car for him to find. If he's Quality Time, schedule a date night out where you can have dinner or go to a coffee shop just the two of you. There is no limit to the creativity you can have with love languages! It truly is the gift that keeps on giving because as you show love to your husband, he will want to return the blessing!

by Betsy McGrath an honor—my little boy really wants to know what I think and what I believe. It’s up to us as parents to train our kids not only for life here on this earth, but how we train them now will last for eternity. On Thursday, Dec. 18, Pastor Dan Cravillion will be

sharing practical ways for us to train our children for eternity. He’ll reference the book 801 Questions Kids Ask about God with Answers from the Bible. I found the book used on Amazon for as cheap as $2.73!

Upcoming Events 

MOPS ON DEC. 18, JAN. 15, FEB. 5, AND FEB. 19.



ANTOHER GIANT MOPS PLAY DATE AT FAMILY RESOURCES IN LA CROSSE ON THURSDAY, JAN. 8 FROM 9 TO 11 A.M.



ALL-MOPS SOUP EXCHANGE AND PAPER CRAFTING ON THE EVENING OF THURSDAY, FEB. 12 (WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS TO COME)

Inside this issue: PRACTICING THE FIVE LOVE 1 LANGUAGES QUESTIONS KIDS ASK

1

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

2

DON’T MISS THE 2ND ALL-MOPS PLAY DATE

2

MENTOR MOMS’ CORNER

3

3 LOCAL RESTAURANTS OFFER KID-FRIENDLY DEALS TOUCH OF HUMOR: THE BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN

4

Recipe of the Month: Easy Breakfast Casserole submitted by Lisa Cravillion (This is a gluten-free recipe.) Ingredients: 1lb. pork sausage (mild or spicy) 1 tablespoon dried minced onion 8 cups frozen hash browns (about 32 oz.) 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese 6 eggs, beaten 2 cups milk 1/4 tsp. pepper Dried parsley flakes as preferred garnish Preparation: In a large skillet, cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spatula. When the sausage is cooked through, drain off excess fat. Add minced onion to the sausage and put aside. In a 13" x 9" baking dish,

layer the hash browns, half of the cheese, the browned sausage and onion, and then the remaining cheese. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle with dried parsley flakes. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the casserole to a wire rack and let stand for 10 - 15 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve with salsa, if desired. This recipe serves 12. You may prepare this dish the night before (this is what I did), but pull it out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before baking.

Variations: *What I did for the MOPS casserole was to substitute pre-cooked sausage patties or links for the pork sausage. I heated them in the microwave, then patted with paper towels to absorb excess fat. *You may substitute cooked ham cubes or turkey bacon for the sausage. *For a lower-fat version, use turkey sausage, low-fat shredded cheese, and 1% milk; omit the eggs and use an egg substitute. *To make an 8”x8”x2” sized pan of the casserole, cut all portions in half and bake for 45-55 minutes or until done.

Celebrations! DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

Half Birthdays

Dec. 12 Bethany Henry Dec. 25 Sarah ClemonsWagner

Dec. 23 Lee Ann Finn (B-day on June 23)

Second All-MOPS Play Date on Jan. 8 We had a great turnout to our first all-MOPS play date at Family Resources on Nov. 13, so we’ve decided to do it again. Mark your calendar for Thursday, Jan. 8 for our second all-MOPS play date at Family Resources in La Crosse. Join us from 9 to 11 a.m. for some much-needed Page 2

mom time while the kids play with the center’s toys. Family Resources is located at 1500 Green Bay St. in La Crosse. For more information about the services offered by Family Resources of La

Crosse, check out the website: www.laxfamilyresources.org

Volume 2, Issue 3 Mentor Moms’ Corner: What Kind of Christmas Will You Have? By Julie Thompson I just finished reading the book, Can Martha have a Mary Christmas?: Untangling Expectations and Truly Experiencing Jesus by Brenda Poinsett. We have all probably heard the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Martha was busy with the meal and cleaning preparations while Mary, her sister, sat at Jesus’ feet listening and conversing with him. This made Martha angry as you can imagine. She was doing all the work while Mary just sat there. Who do you identify with this Christmas season? Are you a Martha, busy baking, shopping, decorating, sending Christmas cards,

planning holiday parties, and squeezing Jesus in if you can find the time? Are you a Mary where Jesus is the focus of your holiday season? Will you teach your kids the story of Jesus’ birth and focus on giving to others instead of receiving? Will you slow down and make time to celebrate the true meaning of the season: Jesus coming to us to save us from our sins and become our Savior?

with it and act out the story of Jesus’ birth. Let your kids help you make cookies to give away to friends and neighbors. I'm sure you'll come up with other ways to have a Mary Christmas.

Let's have a Mary Christmas this year and cross something off of our to-do list and make time to experience Jesus. This may involve changing our expectations or our family’s expectations. Start a new tradition like buying gifts for a needy family or purchasing a kid-friendly nativity set where your kids can play

Local Restaurants Offering Kid-Friendly Deals Several area restaurants offer special deals for kids meals on particular days during the week. Check out this list the next time you’d like to save a few bucks while still taking the family out to eat. Buzzard Billy’s Flying Carp Cafe—free kids meal on Sundays with an adult purchase (222 Pearl St., La Crosse, 608-796-2277) Carlos O’Kelly’s—all day on Tuesdays the kids menu items are either $.99 or $1.99 with the purchase of an adult entrée (9396 Hwy. 16, Onalaska, 608-783-1782)

Country Kitchen—Thursdays from 4-9 p.m. kids eat free from the kids menu (1509 Losey Blvd. S., La Crosse, 608-788-1800) Fazoli’s—Tuesdays from 5-8 p.m. kids eat for $.99 with the purchase of an adult entrée (9370 Hwy. 16, Onalaska, 608-781-5818) Perkins—all day Tuesdays and Thursdays kids eat free from the kids menu; 1 child per adult (2 locations: 9428 Hwy. 16, Onalaska, 608779-4700; 1411 Rose St., La Crosse, 608-785-0982) Grizzly’s—(this deal is not just for kids) buy 1 burger

and get 1 free on Tuesday nights (3039 Medco Ct., Onalaska, 608-781-6630) Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor—Wednesdays from 5-7:30 p.m. kids can eat from the buffet for $.35 x their age; Thursdays beginning at 5 p.m. kids can make their own 1-topping personal pizza for $4.15 (835 Oak Ave. S., Onalaska, 608-781-1620) Pizza Doctors—Mondays and Tuesdays from 4-7:30 p.m. kids ages 4-11 eat free from the buffet with an adult purchase; kids under 3 are always free (624 King St., La Crosse, 608-784-0450) Page 3

“Who do you identify with this Christmas season?”

La Crescent MOPS Notes and News BETTER MOMS MAKE A BETTER WORLD. La Crescent Evangelical Free Church 1675 County Road 6 La Crescent , MN 55947 Coordinator Maggie Kowalski Phone: 507-482-6378 E-mail: [email protected]

Check out our blog!

LaCrescentMOPS.blogspot.com.

The Birth Order of Children 1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy. 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible. 3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes. _______________________ Preparing for the Birth: 1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously. 2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing. 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month. _______________________ The Layette: 1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn's clothes, colorcoordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau. 2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains. 3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they? ______________________ Worries: 1st baby: At the first sign of distress—a whimper, a frown—you pick up the baby. 2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to

submitted by Darcy Lenz, MOPS Mom

wake your firstborn. 3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing. _______________________ Pacifier: 1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it. 2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle. 3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in. _______________________ Diapering: 1st baby: You change your baby's diaper every hour, whether she needs it or not. 2nd baby: You change her diaper every two to three hours, if needed. 3rd baby: You try to change her diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to her knees. _______________________ Activities: 1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour. 2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics. 3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

_______________________ Going Out: 1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times. 2nd baby : Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached. 3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood. _______________________ At Home: 1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby. 2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby. 3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children. _______________________ Swallowing Coins: 1st child: When the first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays. 2nd child: When the second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass. 3rd child: When the third child swallows a coin, you deduct it from his allowance! ________________________