PAINTING BABY BENJAMIN'S BEDROOM

PAINTING AT DANIELLE'S

We had a great painting day for baby Benjamin. Thank you to our painting moms who helped Danielle get the room ready for baby to be! We had a great day and a wonderful lunch together. Sandy and Danielle even got an opportunity to assemble the baby stroller. It was a great time getting to know each other better and putting our talents to a great cause. We will post finished pictures when the room is completed! Kelly looked so sporty in her blue hat and hopefully will not be too sore tomorrow from all the rolling! Maybe this would be a good time for a massage.

MAY 3 - STROLLER STRIDE EVENT

MOMS AT STROLLER STRIDE

We had a great time at our first Stroller Strides event at Phillips Park Thursday morning. Five of our moms attended; Melissa, Jill, Kim, Rosalind and Priscilla. We also had our instructor Jenny and a Stroller Strides mom Ashley. We started off with stretching at the Sunken Garden then did our cardio work in the garden and throughout the zoo. We also used resistance bands and learned a variety of exercises to strengthen our arms and build muscle. Afterwards the kids played at the playground and fed the ducks in the pond. According to Jill's heart monitor we did 50 minutes of exercise and burned 240 calories....which we all decided we could "spend" on an extra brownie later that day!! (Just kidding...that would defeat the purpose right!) All in all it was a great time with beautiful weather and a good workout. Enjoy the pictures! Thank you Melissa for organizing this event and providing us with the synopsis of the days events for those of you who could not attend!

MOMS' NIGHT OUT - SCHEDULE

In an attempt to celebrate the season of motherhood and foster relationships with other moms we have planned a Mom's Night Out for you. Please plan to attend one of our scheduled nights out:

• FRIDAY, MAY 4TH - Wedding Celebration - hosted by Kelly
• FRIDAY, JUNE 1ST - Sleepover & PJ Party - hosted by Sandy

APRIL 26 - MOMS MEETING

Glad you joined us for our meeting on Thursday, April 26th. We had several new moms, Camille and Olivia, we are so happy you joined us. Once again, it was a breakfast table filled with all kinds of delights -- we have such great cooks among us!! We will have to put together a M.O.M.S. recipe book so that we can share all these great recipes. Anyone interest -- leave a comment a let me know!!

Shellie provided a creative activity -- Mother's Day cards! They were beautiful and the stamping was simple and easy to follow. Hopefully we will make more of these great cards in the future. I think we should put together a card workshop and make thank you, birthday, thinking of you cards, etc. We always need these on hand!

We only have two meeting left before the end of our first year together! At the May 10th meeting we will have Kelly speaking and sharing her testimony and on May 24 we will be having our first Mom's Clothing Exchange and Year-end Celebration! Please come and help us thank our many volunteers that contribute their time and heart to make this M.O.M.S. group a blessing to all.

Until next meeting, remember to celebrate the season of motherhood!

MOMS' NIGHT OUT - CHOCOLATE FONDUE

THIS WAS OUR MOMS' NIGHT OUT!!

Karen hosted a chocolate fondue party which, as pictured above, was a great success! We had so much fun playing a get-to-know-you game and found out some fascinating facts about each and everyone there! What was the one make up item that most women said they could not do without "lipstick and eye liner" where a close tie!

Some of our favorite items to dip in the chocloate where pretzels, strawberries & chocolate brownies! Prizes where awarded to Danielle and Kim for having the most correct answers to our "Who Said It" game. It may have been a late night but we where feeling the effects of the chocolate and probably could have stayed up all night!! Wait until the sleepover in June we will have to ensure a large supply of chocolate is on hand! Sandy hint, hint!! Looking forward to the next Moms Night Out!!

UPCOMING MEETING PLANS

APRIL 12

• Joy will share her Hearts at Home experience
• Baby Communication video
• Table talk & prayer time

APRIL 26

• Devotional by Melissa
• Craft by Melissa & Shellie - Mother's Day Cards
• Table talk & prayer time

MAY 10

• Speaker: Kelly - Testimony
• Table talk & prayer time

MAY 24

• Mom's Clothing Exchange
• Year-end Celebration and Banquet
  
  

MARCH 22 - MEETING

Another great meeting with a delicious breakfast buffet -- thanks again moms!! Karen shared some ideas from the Hearts at Home conference which was attended by many of our moms. The entire CD collection was brought back to be shared with each mom and we will have a sign out sheet available for the next meeting. Some of the topics from the classes are "Keep the siblings, Lose the Rivalry"; "De-stressing without Distress"; "When Teens Rebel"; and many many more - 36 topics in total! What a resource this will be -- thanks to Hearts at Home and their dedication to educating moms.

We participated in an icebreaking activity and found some things we had in common with other moms -- it was awesome to see that no matter the age we all found things in common!

We completed an individualized "First Aid Kit" under the direction of our craft coordinator! We used pencil boxes and filled them with everything a mom may need for those little emergencies. Melissa even gave us ideas to use these boxes as well for travel kits, restaurant kits, etc. You can fill them with crayons and coloring pages to take to a restaurant or when travelling in the car - use your imagination and customize them for your own child(ren)!

MARCH 8 - MEETING

Meeting highlights: Wow - what a breakfast buffet! Thank you to everyone who contributed we had a delicious blueberry bake, several hot breakfast casseroles, fresh fruit, pastries, coffee, etc.

We welcomed new moms, Danielle, Sandy and Suzanna!! We hope you enjoyed your first time with us and we will look forward to seeing you again.

Karen reviewed the survey results and it was decided that we will continue meeting on every 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month at Calvary - this appears to be the location of choice, childcare will remain in the usual location. We will not be collecting childcare fees any longer and will instead have a basket at each table for an offering/donation to help with childcare expenses. Registration has been reduced to $25.00 per term. Karen reiterated that we do not want any moms to feel obligated to pay if this puts financial stress on your family budget. We are believing in faith that God will meet our needs in this area!

For the summer we will have a "Big Girls" Pajama Party in June for moms only, a "Pool Party" in July for moms & kids, and a "Family Campfire" in August for the entire family. Details will be provided when arrangements have been finalized.

After our survey discussion, we participated in an "ice-breaking activity" called "speed dating"! It was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed getting to know each other a little better. We have amazing moms at our group so please take the time to get to know each and everyone! Ask more direct questions like "what did you do this week?" instead of the customary "who are you?" it will open the dialogue to more authenticity!

Next meeting we will be participating in a craft activity with our very own "Melissa"! See you all next meeting --- and remember to enjoy this wonderful season of motherhood!

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

We are coming up to our one year anniversary of M.O.M.S. and feel so blessed to have meet so many great moms in the area. We want to thank each of you for supporting and helping us as we grow together in this group.

We will be meeting with the leaders on Monday, March 5 to discuss the survey results and the direction of the group. Your heartfelt input is greatly appreciated and we want to make this group as accessbile and productive for each of you.