October 11, 2012 Upcoming Events October 20 MOPS Hike, 10 a.m. October 25 MOPS Meeting, 6-8 p.m.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

This is no shortage of activities to keep our children busy this month. Boredom is not an option. Here is a list of some upcoming autumnrelated activities, parades and festivals. Enjoy! Brookfield Pumpkins 8301 Ramsburg Road, Thurmont Pick-your-own pumpkins, petting zoo, face painting, corn table and many photo opportunities. www.brookfieldpumpkins.com Summer Farm Adventures 5614 Butterfly Lane, Frederick Explore the pumpkin patch, hayrides, giant slides, farm animals, corn maze and much more. www.Summersfarm.com UN-Scary Costume Party please. www.fcpl.org Family Festival at the Farm October 20-21 Twenty-seven Frederick County farms open their doors for free, self-guided farm tours. www.discoverfrederickmd.com/ funfarm Fort Richie Halloween Party October 26, 6 to 8 p.m. Fort Ritchie Community Center, 14421 Lake Royer Drive, Cascade Features a costume contest and games for children under the age of 12. www.thefrcc.org October 27, 2 p.m. Thurmont Regional Library Little ones are sure to enjoy the games, treats, crafts and costume parade. Dress up or come as you are. No scary costumes or masks

Steering Team Vicky Barnhart Co-Coordinator Lacy Reynolds Co-Coordinator Melissa Keeney Hospitality Coordinator Natalie Lowman Mentor Mom Coordinator April Poole MOPPETS Coordinator Michelle Volkmann Publicity Coordinator Phone: 301-241-3227 Website: www.vtmops.blogspot.com Email: VTMOPS@gmail.com Facebook: VT MOPS Address: 6170 Kellys Store Road PO Box 174 Thurmont, MD 21780

Wanted: 26 Photos of Your Children

A is Attitude. B is Bubbles. C is Cookies. D is Drama Queen. E is Easter. At the meeting on November 8, we will create ABC photo jars of our families. VT MOPS will provide the craft materials. We need each of you to bring 26 photos (one for each letter of the alphabet) to complete this craft. Gather photos that can be trimmed or cropped into a circle shape with a 2 inch circumference. Questions? Ask Lacy.

5 Ways to Help a New Mom

Babies, babies and more babies. This month, three of my friends are scheduled to give birth and I anticipate these joyous occasions with the opportunity to create the perfect gift. Without a first baby registry to guide my purchasing choices for these ladies and my internal desire to give a meaningful gift that doesnt burden the new mom, I searched the online inspiration website, Pinterest. Roo Ciambriello, writer/blogger and mother of three daughters, penned this thoughtful advice.

Challenge 2: Be a New Moms Helping Hand

Mark Your Calendar Christmas Shopping Child Care Saturday, December 1, 9 a.m.1 p.m. Drop off your children at Victory Tabernacle and enjoy kid-free Christmas shopping. Space is limited. Reserve your spot today!

1) Be a helpline. If you want to help out a brand new mom and youre a seasoned mom veteran, offer to let her call you at all hours of the night with her freakouts or baby questions. 2) Deliver healthy meals. New moms are generally exhausted and need comfort food to keep up their energy levels. 3) Kidnap her kiddies. If Mom has older children, give her a morning when its just her and the new baby. 4) Rock that screaming baby. Sometimes she needs a break from her sweet newborn, especially if her newborn seems to be prone to crying jags. After the baby is fed, have her take off her shirt and throw it over your shoulder (her scent comforts baby). Send her into the shower and to bed while you rock the baby for her. 5) Get her out of the house. Pick a morning and tell her youll meet her at her home to help her pack up the kid(s). Something as simple as being an extra set of hands while she pushes around a stroller at Target can do wonders for her. Do any of these, and you will bring tears of joy to a new mom. And she will not forget it when youre the one living in a sweatpants-clad daze with a crying newborn. Promise. Pinky swear.
This article was adapted from the tutorial 10 Ways to Help a New Mom, posted on the blog, www.nicegirlnotes.com. Ciambriello is the mother of three daughters, all under the age of 4. Her youngest was born in April. Besides posting entertaining and useful tutorials such as How to Clean When Your House is a Bomb and How to Make a Dollhouse out of Drawers, she also writes about her life in Connecticut.

Baby News
Introducing the newest MOPPET: Lila Hope Sandifer was born at 9:37 a.m. on September 24. She weighed 8 lbs, 3 oz. Congratulations to Katie, David and big sister Natalie.