THIS Tuesday is MOPS Tuesday! =)

Hello Again Friends! 

How did Valentine's Day go? I hope our intimacy panel last time was helpful, I know I always love hearing from our wonderful mentor moms!

As I was thinking about last MOPs Tuesday and the mentor panel and just marriage in general, I started to realize how the process really is like a roller coaster...now stay with me here...

Yes yes it has its ups and downs and fast times and slow times and unexpected curves and stomach turning drops but that's actually not the metaphor I am going for...

Marriage is a roller coaster. First, we spend time standing in the line watching others go on the ride before us, (parents, grandparents, friends, siblings, etc...) and as we watch we have moments of feeling excited and moments of feeling scared, for it to be our turn. There are many that decide to turn back and never ride the roller coaster, there are others that jump on to it without adequate planning or even get on board with someone they barely know. And there is a good chunk of us who thought we knew who we were gonna get on board with only to discover they didn't fit in line with us so well.

When we did find our perfect seat mate, we boarded the coaster (some of us elegantly and prepared, some of us skipped to the coaster happy it was finally our turn, and some of us just kinda tripped on edge and fell on to the ride) but regardless how, once we got on, we eventually (some of us faster than others) realized that being on the coaster wasn't exactly what it looked like from the line...This may not be the perfect ride we paid for...wait a minute!

Fortunately, the advantage to this roller coaster is that the entire time you are on it, you can see the people in the cars in front of you (the ones who know what kinds of drops and turns are coming) and you can even communicate with them about what to expect. You can also see the cars behind you, the new couples excited to start their journey but unsure what to expect.

We are all heading to the end of the ride but no one on the track knows when or how we will get there, and sadly some get off the ride before they get to see how it will end... I have moments of wanting to get off the roller coaster....I also have a lot more often moments of wishing I could just stop the ride and soak in the goodness of it all! In the short (nearly 5 years) my husband and I have been married we have had some crazy drops and unexpected turns but that is when I look up from my seat and look ahead to the couples who have been there and experienced this part of the ride.

At MOPs we have such a wonderful resources of mentor moms at our tables and as you saw last week they are so full of good practical wisdom because they have been in our shoes, fought to stay on the ride, and know how to hold on! I want to extend an extra special thank you to our mentor moms for being so brave last week and sharing a bit of their wisdom with us! I also want to encourage any of you who are struggling on your ride right now or need some extra guidance or want some extra prayer, to reach out. Reach out to your mentor mom, reach out to your table/DGL for support, and if you want even reach out to the group by filling out one of our prayer request cards so those on steering can pray for you!

We have mommas in all stages of the ride in our community and there is so much we can learn from each other and support each other through. Lets strive to be Proverbs 31 women and wives, and help each other through the process so that none of us get sick on the ride =D

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 

Please join us tomorrow as we discuss safety with our kids and hear from one of our very own Mops Mommas.

Guest Blogger: Christie Dee

Happy Valentine's Day MOPs Mommas!!

 I hope you all had a day filled with fun and quality time with the one you love =) 

I am going to try to be posting more blogs on here for us with recaps from the meetings, resources, and guest speakers. I am super excited to announce that we have Mentor Moms willing to do some guest blogs for us! Our mentor moms have been there in the trenches we are in and are full of wisdom for how to survive the journey. So without further ado, Christie Dee has written this week's guest blog and it is an awesome reminder of Christ's love for us, appropriate for Valentine's Day right? ;-)

A Piece of My Blankie

By Christie Dee, MOPS Mentor Mom

Note:  I wrote this story 11 years ago when I was still a mother of a preschooler.  It’s still one of my favorite memories of my kids’ younger years.  It’s so beautiful how God speaks to us through our children’s actions.  I know we are working on training our children in the Lord but God also uses our children to speak to us.  Keep your eyes open to what He is saying to you through your kiddos. 

Recently, there was a happening in our household that I find worthy of sharing.  Four-year-old Emily, the youngest of our four, was quite distraught because her “blankie” was missing.  It had been gone for several days.  She had survived without it because she was still sleeping in her own bed, with her own pillow – all the other comforts of home were still there.  Her increased level of concern this day came because our family of six was going two separate ways for the weekend.  She would be joining her dad and brother for a ski trip in the mountains, while her two older sisters would be with me at a Bible Quizzing competition.  The whole family searched high and low for the treasure – a small, faded-yellow cotton rectangle with plaid trim, holes and stains.

Emily’s nine-year-old sister Hannah, also a “blankie lover,” joined in the hunt.  Over the course of her childhood she too had had missing blankies, destroyed blankies, and other blankie traumas.  In short, she could identify with her sister’s affliction.  As it became clear that Emily would have to spend the weekend (and maybe the rest of her life) without her yellow friend, Hannah did something that will forever remain in my memory.  She began rummaging through her already-packed suitcase, pulled out her beloved blankie – a larger rectangle made out of a similar cotton fabric, this one white with animals covering it.  She then grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting of a piece of her cherished blankie and handed it to her little sister.  “I’m giving you a piece of my blankie,” she said matter of factly.  Emily cuddled the scrap of fabric to her cheek, said her obligatory “thank you” and off she went as if nothing had ever been wrong. 

To my two daughters, this happening was just one of many in the fabric of their lives.  But as for me, it touched my heart so deeply that I have pondering it and its significance for days.  We all have things in our lives that provide us comfort and security.  Tangible or intangible, they are precious to us – a part of who we are.  At times in our lives, others need what we have just as much as we do.  Our job is to be willing to give – whether it’s a word of encouragement because we’ve been through something similar, a sum of money, our time, our house, our talents and even our “blankie.”  Hannah saw a need that she could identify with.  She had the resources to fill that need, so she did.  It is simple, yet profound – an example of sacrificial giving at its best.  Hannah probably noticed the “smallness” of her three-quarter blankie for a few days, but pretty soon it was sufficient. 

Sometimes other peoples’ needs are an inconvenience for us.   Hannah didn’t wake up that morning desiring to cut off a piece of her beloved blankie.  But when the situation presented itself, she was there. Emily’s need provided an opportunity for Hannah to do a beautiful act of kindness.  It was someone else’s’ need that brought out something good in her. 

God of course has set the ultimate example of sacrificial giving.  He literally gave a piece of himself to us through his son Jesus so that we might have life, comfort, and security.  We can never repay this gift.  But through our “pieces” of giving, we honor the Lord and show ourselves to be becoming more like Him.  Emily’s yellow faded blanket was found a week later, hiding in the kitchen candy drawer.  Its reappearance paled in comparison to the precious act of giving that had taken place a few days earlier.  Now Emily has a yellow faded blanket and a piece of her sister’s white animal blankie to cuddle.  And I have a precious example of how I should live my life.

                 

Thank you Christie!!!

Reminders: 

THIS Tuesday 2/17/16- MOPs Movie Playdate  9:30-11:30 @ Calvary Bible Church Erie

THIS Thursday 2/18/16- Freezer meal workshop 7pm @ Allie's house

Tuesday 2/23/26- MOPs Tuesday!! **We will be talking about keeping our kids safe. This may be a hard topic for some so please be praying over this meeting**

THIS Tuesday is MOPS Tuesday!!! 12/8/15

Yay!! Its Christmas time again!! I am mostly excited about this,,,only a little stressed out, can you sympathize? Ok maybe I am a little more than *a little stressed out* but between events, family, presents, cookie making, family lunches, family dinners, decorating, etc... I can get a bit overwhelmed, and I would imagine a lot of you are in the same boat!


Something happened to my family and I this week though, that literally brought my world to a halt and scared me to my core. Early Thursday morning (like 3am ugh), I woke to an alarm I didn't recognize going off in my house. At first I assumed it was my husband's new alarm on his phone as he tends to switch it often, but then as I slowly woke up more I realized it was coming from outside of our room. It wasn't the fire alarm, or a kid's toy, it was like a rapid 4 beep sequence that kept repeating. Finally, I rolled over and told my husband what I was hearing and he got up to investigate. After a lot of going up and down the stairs trying to figure out where it was coming from, he finally determined it was the carbon monoxide alarm and not only was the one upstairs alarming but the one downstairs was as well...We quickly determined that we should grab our dog and our son and exit the house but being still half awake we only made it to the garage, where we sat in the car (with the garage door open), and tried to think through what we should do logically.

My husband ended up driving our son and I to my parents house a few minutes away so Luke could go back to bed, and then came back to the house to call the fire department. When they got to the door to test the levels they had to go back and get oxygen masks to even enter our house and after several hours of using a huge fan to try and blow out the gas with all of our windows open, we still could not go home. About an hour after leaving the house both my husband and I started noticing a few symptoms like headaches, and dizziness but we didn't know if it was truly from poisoning or if it was just from exhaustion. So we called our doctor who immediately got poison control on the phone and after lots of questions they decided we didn't have to go in for treatment but we did need to try and sleep off the effects and have someone keep an eye on us for several hours before we could go to work.

Thursday is a bit of a blur to be honest, I had a headache most of the day and my husband and I were exhausted! We ended up spending the night at my in-laws that night but of course trying to get a 2 year old to sleep over somewhere with mom and dad in the same room is no easy feat, and therefore Friday was exhausting as well.

But come Friday night it finally hit me...the words my husband and told me that the firemen and so many others in our lives had told us...we could have died! In fact the firemen said that the levels in the house were dangerously high and we were lucky that I even woke up to the alarm. The nurse I talked to on the phone at poison control told me that I was lucky I was able to wake up my husband and my son...And as I pondered these words, I slowly started looking back on the past couple of months and realized just how present God has been in keeping us safe.

For example, in August I broke my leg but the furnace didn't go out until I was fully healed and able to get to the car on my own so my husband could get our son. Also, I recently had two job opportunities I was looking in to that would have had me working overnights, and who knows if I would have been working that night but if I had, I can almost guarantee my husband (a very deep sleeper) would never have woken up for that alarm. Even if I  had happened to be home that night I would have had a very hard time going back to work remembering the situation. Finally, what started out as a very stressful process of our landlord selling our house a couple of weeks ago, ended up being a great outcome because our new landlord is an investor and was able to get a new furnace installed quickly with funds that they have set aside for these things.

God kept us safe, and my outlook on this Christmas has completely changed...the presents, the chaos, the craziness is not so important anymore. The fact that my family is all still alive and well is my focus and I encourage each of you to look past the chaos of Christmas and see the gifts God has blessed you with, the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child, the importance of Jesus in our lives, and the limited time you have here on earth.

This week we will be hearing from Thomas Milburn on Noticing the Goodness at Christmas, and celebrating the year with our wonderful MOPs community! We will even have crepes made to order and extra time to talk at our tables this meeting, so you don't want to miss it!! 

Some other upcoming events: 

December Play Date: Wednesday 12/16/15 at Calvary Bible Church in Erie, We will be having a story and craft time =) Contact Kelly with questions

Spring Sign Up: Don't forget to sign up for spring MOPs if you only did a one semester sign up in the fall, registering helps us know how many people to expect and saves your spot at your table! We will need everyone signed up by the February meeting, if this is something that is not doable for you please contact Joanna or Andrea as we do have scholarships available!

See you Tuesday! and Merry Christmas from all of us on steering =)

This Tuesday is MOPs Tuesday!!

Picture retrieved from (http://www.westelm.com/products/mrk-coir-doormat-well-hello-there-d2307/#opi2202405148) 

The other day my son refused a nap like never before, and by refusing I mean he was kicking, screaming, crying, crawling out of bed, banging on the door, not caring about timeouts, etc… He had literally everything except furniture taken out of his room and this lasted for about three hours before my husband and I finally wanted to give up! Near the end of this battle my husband looked at me and said “I know he needs a nap, he is exhausted, in fact he is so exhausted he has to keep getting out of bed and fighting us so he doesn’t fall asleep. Every time he lies still for more than a few minutes he starts to close his eyes and then jumps back up again to stay awake. I don’t understand…I am trying to do something good for him, something he needs and yet he feels like I am torturing him, if only he would trust me and go to sleep he would feel so much better!”

I must have had a funny look on my face after he said that because he immediately asked me what was wrong. I responded by saying, that though I knew he was talking about our son, I felt like he was describing exactly what God was trying to tell me in my life right now. How many times had God tried to tell me to just trust him even when I didn’t want to, to stop what I am doing and rest even when I was deep in the middle of a project, to just listen to his wisdom instead of relying on my own understanding, and to let others help me even when my house was a disaster and I desperately wanted to be independent again?

This hit me like a sack of bricks. You see I have spent the last couple of months recovering from a broken leg. The timing of this could not be worse as I faced changes at work, changes at home, and financial stress  resulting from my husband losing his job in June and starting a new one only a couple of weeks prior to my accident. Breaking my leg, left me wheelchair bound for 6 weeks and then in a walking boot for another 4. During this time I could not tolerate standing for very long and needed lots of periods of rest to recover and heal. Our house very quickly became a disaster, our living room converted to a make shift hospital room, (as I could not make it up the stairs to our bedroom for a few weeks) with my medications, water, ice packs, lap top, wheelchair, clothes, and crutches next to the couch where I took up residence. My son’s toys were also everywhere as I had to keep him contained by me while watching him because I could not get up quickly to assist with things in another room. We didn’t vacuum for weeks, our dishes just kept piling up, and by the time we had people offering to bring us meals I didn’t want anyone to set foot in my pig sty!

But God knew we needed the help. He knew we couldn’t afford to eat fast food every night and we couldn’t manage to make dinner on our own with the amount of assistance I required. Before long there were people in our community offering to give me rides, bring us meals, help with babysitting, offering to sit with me while my husband was at work, and much more! He knew we needed a community of love and support and he provided it. And even though I reacted at first much like my son, refusing it and asking God why, embarrassed by my mess and worried what others would think. I eventually gave in and just relaxed in knowing that God would take care of us and he had given us this welcoming community as a resource.

This Tuesday the 27^th is MOPs week again (YAY!) and we are discussing how to be Fiercely Welcoming! Please join us and enjoy listening to how we can become a more Welcoming part of our community!!

**Don’t forget to check in at the table at the entrance to receive your raffle ticket if you make it on time, you could win an awesome dinner or treat from our mentor moms! Also you may want to consider bringing a coat for your little ones as our lovely Moppet's workers do like to take the kids outside to play and it is starting to get a bit chilly!**

See you Tuesday!! =)

Date Night Ideas

Hey Ladies!

I hope everyone has been having a good October so far! We had a great meeting last Tuesday October 13th. Our topic was "A Flourishing Marriage" and our guest speaker, Gail Fray, did an amazing job. Thank you again Gail for your words of wisdom.

Gail's homework challenge to each of us was to: "Write a statement of belief about your spouse. Share it with him on your next date or time alone together." Remember to look past that surface clutter and focus on the type of person God designed your husband to be.

Our activity this week was brainstorming date ideas, here are the ones the group came up with;

Dates with your son:

• Rapids game
• Rockies game
• Train museum
• Collect rocks and glue together into a cool sculpture
• Library and look up books based on topics he asks questions about
• Swimming
• Picnic at the park
• Go to kids play - “Peanut Butter Players” in Boulder; offers a play and meal for $15 (kids from calvary are in these plays)
• Ice cream
• Catching crawdads in creek, or frogs in irrigation ditch near Grandpa’s
• Making Cookies
• Aquarium
• Museums or zoo

Dates with your daughter:

• Afternoon tea at Dushanbe Tea House
• Mani/pedis
• Shopping
• Tea party
• Rockies game
• Do nails together @ home spa day
• Coffee shop and bookstore

Dates Guys Like:

• Round of golf
• Car races or Unser-racing each other
• Shooting range
• Just touch it :-)
• Sporting events; football
• Pond hockey
• Hike
• Go with them to hardware store
• Tennis
• Bowling
• Driving range/bucket of balls
• Paintball
• Mountain biking
• Fishing
• Sex
• Brewery
• Rockies game
• Drive in mountains

Double Dates:

• Puzzle room
• Escape room
• Breweries
• Skiing
• MadCap theater
• Put-put
• Bowling
• Game night
• Dinner theater
• Mini golf in Thornton

Dates for $20 or less:

• Festivals/local events
• Brewery
• Dine in and movie in
• Library movie at home after kids are in bed and sex! (duh) :-)
• Free concerts
• Hike Mt Sanitas and picnic
• Pearl Street strolling and ice cream
• Bible study with friends, dinner together first
• Bike ride and then end near your house for a picnic or wine/berries fondue

Special occasion dates:

• Go to the spot you got engaged and take time to reflect together and then go out for dinner
• Hike in Estes Park, then a couple massage and dinner at the Stanley Hotel
• “Progressive” dinner: different place for apps, dinner, dessert, etc!
• Night at hotel in Denver or mountains, then spa day (couples massage)
• Cooking class at Sur la Table (Boulder has tons!) or at Piece, Love, and Chocolate
• Dinner where you got married
• Hot air balloon ride
• Valentine’s Day; fondue at home

BFF dates:

• Book Store/Wine and Cheese
• Look at Model Homes
• Cheese Importer
• Crackpots paint pottery
• Movies
• Coffee
• Hiking with dogs
• Facials
• Fitness class or run
• Shopping
• Meal party
• Craft party
• Chick flick
• Pedis

Dates for when you don’t have a sitter:

• Shark Tank with popcorn
• Chick fil A; they play while you talk!
• Go to free festival or event
• Make your own sushi
• Football games
• Go to rec center; check kids into KidsStation, hot tub date!
• Sex by the fireplace
• Board games
• Fondue at home
• Stargazing in the backyard under a quilt
• Happy hour at home (wine/cheese/tapas)
• Scrabble

Dates within 15 minutes of Erie:

• Play bananagrams at Starbucks and drink coffee
• Walk around old town Lafayette
• 24 Carrot
• The Post
• Morning Glory Cafe
• Downtown Louisville restaurant
• Biking with picnic
• Waneka Lake
• Odd 13 Brewery
• Georgia Boys (Frederick)

Day Dates:

• Estes or Fort Collins “daycation”
• The gym (doubles as a no babysitter date)
• Hunting
• Do lunch on your work breaks while the kids are at school
• Look at open houses/model homes
• Bike rides
• Drop kids off with a friend and grab a quick lunch
• Frisbee golf
• Golf
• Gun Range
• Hiking
• Farmers Market

Dates that remind you of high school:

• Go to a high school football game
• Mall
• Ice cream
• Go to the movies
• Bowling/Putt-Putt
• Make out while watching TV
• Mini golf at Adventure Golf in Westminster

These dates look like a ton of fun, I cant wait to try them out!

A couple of reminders from the meeting: THIS Tuesday October 20th- Play date at Cottonwood Farms @ 10am (feel free to bring a lunch over to Joanna's after the play date to enjoy together)

Check out the Real Choices sign up genius for their Thanksgiving Dinner we are helping with, there will be more information about it at our next meeting but check out the link and see if there something you can sign up to bring; http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084ba8ab2aa46-real/11022007

October is Pregnancy/Infant Loss Awareness Month, we have some candles to light in remembrance of babies lost. If you did not get one this meeting, please feel free to grab one at our next meeting for yourself and a friend. Here are also a couple of additional resources on the topic: http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/flunkingsainthood/2010/08/what-not-to-say-to-someone-who-has-just-had-a-miscarriage-guest-blogger-elise-erikson-barrett.html

        http://thesnapmom.com/what-not-to-say-to-a-woman-who-has-suffered-a-miscarriage-or-infant-loss/

AND don't forget our next meeting is Tuesday October 27th, we will be discussing how to be "Fiercely Welcoming" and playing a pretty fun get-to-know-you game. Can't wait to see you ladies there! =) ~Ashley =)

A New Year of MOPS!

It's hard to believe, but the first MOPS meeting is coming this Tuesday! September 8th marks the beginning of our 2015-2016 year at our new location in Erie. We are so excited to see returning moms and to welcome new moms who will be joining us this year! Meetings run from 9-11:30am. Don't have time for breakfast? Great! Our Steering Team will be providing brunch this week. Our theme this year is "A Fierce Flourishing" and we'll discover ways to celebrate lavishly, embrace rest, and notice goodness in our daily lives. 

We also have some great events outside of our meetings to look forward to in the coming weeks. We hope everyone can join!

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MOPS Kickoff Picnic 

Sunday, September 20 at 4pm

Erie Community Park - 450 Powers St. Erie, CO 80516

Please join us for a family picnic to kickoff our MOPS year! Please bring kids and husbands and invite your friends to join as well! Anyone who may be interested in MOPS at Calvary in Erie this fall is more than welcome to join us. We will provide hot dogs, brats, and drinks. Please bring a side or dessert to share. The park has shade, bathrooms and plenty of play equipment for the kids. We will have lawn games for the adults too. See you there!! 

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Playdate at YaYa Farm

Tuesday, September 15th at 10am

YaYa Farm - 6914 Ute Hwy. Longmont, CO 80503

Join us for exploring the farm and seeing the animals! There are picnic tables available if you'd like to bring a lunch or snack. Apples, cider, donuts, etc. are available for purchase. Feel free to invite friends! 

Check out the website here: http://yayafarmandorchard.com/

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MOPS and POPS - A Night on the Town

Saturday, October 3 from 5-8pm

The Old Mine - 500 Briggs Street Erie, CO 80516

Grab your hubs or your BFF and join us for a night on the town in Erie! We will have FREE childcare provided at the church, so drop your kids there and then meet us on the patio at The Old Mine. The Old Mine has plenty of food and drink options available for purchase, and/or you are welcome to grab ice cream from Sweets next door and bring it over. Invite friends! 

http://www.theoldmine.com/

http://sweetsicecream.com/

When you RSVP, please indicate the number of kids you are planning to have in childcare at the church so we can plan enough workers. 

Encounters with the Divine

We all want to feel special. 

I say "feel"  because I think deep on our inside we believe, or want to believe, we are special.... we have something to offer... a voice to be heard...a gift to give.

If we are being honest, most days we don't feel special at all. Most days are monotonous and our service goes unnoticed. 

Maybe your daily check list goes something like this... 1. Look fabulous 2. Be Mary Poppins 3. Make Friends 4. Keep the kiddos alive 5. Teach my kids something like Spanish (They should probably learn Spanish) or how to sew or something useful 6. Learn Spanish or how to sew 7. Plan a play date  8. Volunteer 9. Feed the poor 10. Tell someone Jesus loves them....and if you work outside the home, probably add # 11. Don't get fired....

 In all that we forget to be on watch for an encounter with the Divine. If you have no clue what the dickens a "Divine Encounter"  is (no it has nothing to do with aliens)  I would describe it as a moment when the heavenly enters into my ordinary

I'll be honest, divine encounters are not on the top of my list most days, but shouldn't they be? I can't say I walk around my house in search of one..especially in the midst of dinner time and temper tantrums. But that is exactly when it happened...of course I didn't realize that is what it was when it was...if that makes sense. 

After a long day of mommy hood, laundry, cleaning and homeschooling I was wiped. Ben arrived home to announce he was making hamburgers to which Zachary burst into tears.  Throwing his little body to the floor with sobs, only the great dramatics could mimic, he managed to choke out, "I....don't....LIKE...THAT!!!!!"  Awesome.  You can imagine how dinner went - but before we ate we prayed for our meal ...and since no one volunteered, I gave a brief...and I'll admit, maybe a even a little edgy "thanks for these AWESOME hamburgers...."  Zac's sweet voice chimed in..." And thanks for my special Mommy."  I tried to keep praying, but suddenly I was laughing and crying and all at the same time it was super ugly like this sob - giggle- chortle thing. Something in my stomach did a flip.  It was so unexpected and I was actually a little embarrassed that I became so emotional at his words. Get it together, Foulke. It was just a sweet thing. Don't make a scene here. (oh who are we kidding, i love a good scene make!)  

Dinner went on something like getting a root canal at the dentist and the moment quickly passed away. Later that evening I was in scripture reading about Stephen and the early church. Did you know Stephen's face shown like an angel while he was making his final statements to the Sadducees. Now THAT is divine.  (Acts 7/8)

I found myself thinking about my odd reaction to Zac's sweet words "What was THAT i thought?" and I felt the spirit say to me," I see you and I want you to know you are special.   Your soul leapt for joy at being recognized and the very word you needed to hear at that moment was 'Special' ". It was that word that pierced straight to my current need. Often in the daily ordinary we loose touch with how truly loved and celebrated we are by our savior, sometimes we need Him to remind us "Child, you are special and precious to me." It was through the spontaneous kindness of my kiddo that I had a divine encounter and it took my Monday out of the ordinary and into the heavenly. 

I believe Jesus wants to enter into our ordinary as often as we have eyes eager to see Him. Allow some of His heavenly to awaken your plain old tired ordinary. He will offer you exactly what you need.  

my love,

k