November Newsletter

McMinnville MOPS

Unexpected Gravity

November 7th & Craft Fair November 8th Gym November 14th

MOPS Meeting Rm 112 9:30-12

November 21st

Play Day Gym 10-12

December 5th

Next Meeting Rm 112 9:30-12

November 2008

Mothering takes guts to go places and adventure always has more turns than expected. Going from point 'A' to point 'B' is so much more than a straight line. Moms know. I decided to take a road trip. One more visit had to be done before baby number three arrived. Somehow before each new child there is a significant threat of losing more privileges, more freedom and more sanity. “Am I crazy,” I say to myself as I leave my driveway. Two children strapped in car seats and an extra large belly with one more, I head to the grandparents, eight hours away. The ease of the mi-

nivan, a once detestable vision, now provides ample security for a long distance road trip. Adventure has many shades, and to many moms it can happen all in one day. The naps had all been used up along with the toys, the music, the snacks and the bladders. Panic takes its turn on the adventure. My eyes squint to see the nearest town. For a mom in a minivan, a fast-food restaurant with a playland is an oasis in the distance. Though cumbersome, a stop is most essential. I stop. The race begins. Get the pottytrainer out of car seat

Have you ever thought about CLOTH Diapering? When you think of it, do you have visions of stacks of laundry to fold? Pins and plastic pants? Your toilet full of, well, you know??

like to save money and help the environment?

What if I told you cloth diapering can be as convenient, or even more so than disposables? Would you

I started cloth diapering with my second son, driven by the desire to get rid of the absolutely awful diaper rashes he had been having that just wouldn’t go away. We discovered that he is highly sensitive to the chlorine contained in most dis-

along with the newest toddler and don't forget the diaper bag or a wallet. Quickly waddle from a five-hour pregnant seated position to the nearest bathroom. Potty train with the 'hurray-dance'. Change a diaper. Order. Play. Eat. Bathroom, again. Another diaper change. Get set- leave. Yes, mothering is downright exhausting and we call it 'The Adventure' every day. Some days are just different. Most of the time it is great to look back on the events and marvel at our extended hands. But sometimes mishaps happen. I was ready to (Continued on page 2)

posables. Fortunately for you, I spent a lot of time, money, energy finding out what type of diapers were the easiest to use with a wiggly little boy, a daddy who was doubtful, and a very busy household. I have found that since I am doing laundry so fre(Continued on page 2)

19th Annual Craft Fair November 7th 10am-6pm November 8th 9am-4pm ATTENTION - The Craft Fair is nearly here! The Craft Fair will take place November 7th & 8th at Church on the Hill in the gym. It is our main fundraiser that will ensure funding for MOPS next year. Could you volunteer for a 2 hour shift on either Friday or Saturday? Could you bake a delicious treat for the Bake Sale Table? We hope you will come to the Craft Fair just to enjoy the festivities and peruse the unique and hand-crafted goods.

(Adventure Continued from page 1)

leave. We shuffle out the door to the awaiting minivan. I hold my soda, throw the diaper bag filled with all the extras for the trip on a shoulder, weighing down my already offcenter of gravity, and let my purse teeter over the same shoulder. I remind the kids not to forget their toy, an entertainment for at least twenty minutes. I thought I was in control. I used my empty hand to direct the youngest to the car. The toy drops. The older is waiting by the van door, the younger, just beneath my nose. I squat low to pick up the toy, thinking I’d make the transition to car smoother. But my protruding belly, larger than I am aware of, bumps my youngest just enough as he is going down the curb. Arms for-

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quently anyway with little ones, it is not so difficult to add in diapers. Instead of having to go to the store when you run out, you just wash more or pull some out of the dryer. I have found that I like the design of “all-inones” the best. They are made with a waterproof layer, all of the adsorption you need, and Velcro or snaps for clo-

Here are a few needs we still have: -

Set up Wed. Nov 5th at 9pm Do you have a 6’ or 8’ table we could borrow? Front-door Greeter Parking Lot Attendant (ask your husband to drive a golf cart around the parking lot) Bake Sale Table Attendant Craft Room (help kids make a fun craft) Security Tear Down Sat. Nov 8th at 4pm

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To volunteer or sign up to bring a baked good, please contact Tina Kelley at [email protected] or 971237-3427.

ward, he lands prostrate and I am sure startled as to why his mother just pushed him down. My eldest stares at me with a look that says, “Mom, what have you done?” Oh, how I must have looked to those watching eyes from the large win! $

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dows behind me. An accident? Yes. Do I laugh or cry? I do not advocate pushing your child down for a reprieve of laughter. No. But I chose to laugh. Sometimes that is just how it hap-

sures (no pins!). So if you are interested in learning more about cloth diapering, I would be happy to share my successes and non successes with you. The horrible diaper rashes of the past are no longer an issue for us and we are happy with the changes we have made. Please contact Kelly Sitton at [email protected] or 503.437.2215.

Tree of Hope: MOPS is excited to adopt a mother and her family from the Tree of Hope this Christmas (formerly called Angel Tree). Together, we will bring Christmas joy to a family by meeting their practical needs and also blessing them with toys and gifts. If you have participated in Angel Tree in the past, then you will remember the personal blessing and joy that YOU received by generously blessing someone else. We want to encourage all of our MOPS moms to participate in this special volunteer opportunity. Stay tuned to hear more details at our November MOPS meeting!

pens on our adventuring tasks as mothers. We have more than we can handle. We are on the road alone. We are exhausted, a mistake happens and our choices are to laugh or to cry. With or without the onlookers from the window; I believe it is okay to laugh at these moments. I stifled my laughter with apologies as I buckled them in. Then settling myself in, I look at my protruding belly almost touching the wheel. I drove forward. My destination ahead fueled with laughs for the way. I am a mother on an Adventure. I guess, once in a while I break for laughter, expected or not. Story by Amy Brewer

If we have a group of ladies who would like to know more, we can get together to have fun and talk about cloth diapering. (

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** Thanksgiving Craft for Kids Handprint Thanksgiving Wreath

A keepsake Thanksgiving craft that the entire family will enjoy. You'll Needconstruction paper felt or craft foam in autumn colors poster board scissors glue brown buttons permanent marker

Fashion the wreath leaves by tracing your child's (or the entire family's) hands on colored paper. Then cut several hands in a variety of colors. If you are using paper or craft foam as opposed to felt, use markers to write messages on the hands, listing reasons to be thankful. Cut the wreath ring using poster board or cardboard. Glue the felt or paper hands randomly around the wreath until the card board is covered. Then attach buttons or nuts with a glue gun (a job for a grown-up). Add your ribbon for hanging.

Please remember we always need more volunteers to help out with child care, so all of us moms can enjoy the benefits of our MOPS meetings. Persons interested in being volunteers can contact Jessica Spencer at [email protected] to get more information. Thanks!

. Get to Know Her Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus earlier and was both a ruler and a Pharisee, spoke up. “Does our Law decide about a man’s guilt without first listening to him and finding out what he is doing?” But they cut him off. “Are you also campaigning for the Galilean? Examine the evidence. See if any prophet ever comes from Galilee.” Then they all went home.

John 8:50-53 Have you ever made an assumption about another mom without first getting to know her? Have other moms assumed things about you? Were those

assumptions true?? How many times do our assumptions or the judgments we pass end up being completely wrong? If we had just taken the time to ask a few questions and get to know her, we may have seen her in a whole different light. In this passage, religious leaders had heard that Jesus was from Galilee, and so did not believe that he was the Messiah. Nicodemus questions one of the leaders, prompting the leaders to find out the truth, that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem, but had moved to Galilee, and actually was the Messiah.

with, or someone in need of a patient ear.

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Pray about those you may meet, asking the Lord to help you overcome the habit of judging others. Pray for the necessary courage it takes to accept others even though they are different.

Take the time to get to know those moms around you. You may discover a good friend, someone to share ideas

Give praise that we all are different and rejoice in that, knowing that God made us all.

MOMS

MOPETTES

Elle Monagon

Riane Enos

Kiara BrandonSanchez

Isaac Owings

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Sarah Harper Robyn Howard Valonda Leichty Becky Mather Bonnie McCone

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Carson Carden AJ Dean Dylan Elliott Josie Harper

Josiah Pettit Noah Schwarer Owen Wark

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Church on the Hill 700 N Hill Rd McMinnville, OR 97128 Phone: 503.472.8476 Www.hillchurch.com

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* Sell unused household or garage items on Craigslist. I recently walked around my house and garage and made a list of items we don’t use or want. For example, I have an abundance of nice serving dishes, an excessive number of clocks, candle decorations and sporting equipment in the garage that hasn’t been used in years. Create a menu of dinners for an entire month. You’ll not only save time and energy by knowing exactly what is for dinner, but you’ll also save money by purchasing only the ingredients you will use. The time-consuming part is creating the menu and organizing recipes. I am still working on my menu, but am excited to try out a more organized cooking system. Shop Smart: How would you like to shop for tooth-

paste, shampoo, mascara, shaving cream, razors, detergent, cold medicine, and many other household items – and get them for FREE? Too good to be true, you ask? Not so! You can take advantage of the Rite Aid and Walgreen’s Rebate Catalogues and get free or incredibly reduced-price items every month. During the month of October, I got $80 of free medicine and $50 of miscellaneous household products from Rite Aid alone. These are all name-brand products! So – now you’re asking “How do you do it?” There are a couple different ways to go about it. You can pick up the rebate catalogues at the front of each drug store and then carefully watch the weekly store %

advertisements to combine sale-price items with the rebate. Instead of going to all that work, I personally subscribe to a website called www. thegrocerygame.com where I get a shopping list each week informing me which items to buy. This service also tells me exactly which coupons from the Sunday paper to clip and use. I pay less than $10 per month for the website service, and $8 per month to receive the Sunday paper. The fees are well-worth the grocery and drug-store savings I enjoy each month. I learned about this from my best friend earlier this year, and I have been an “enlightened shopper” since June 2008. Now I tell anyone who will listen about the phenomenal deals I get. Please feel free to ask me any questions – I would love to talk with you about it! Lacey Summers [email protected]