MomSense this month!

Upcoming Events:
MOPS Meetings December 8 & 22 6-8 PM January 12 & 26 6-8 PM MOPS Night Out Jan 19th, 6-8 PM (more information to follow) This month we will be focusing on Manners and Respect, just in time to practice them at all the family dinners and Christmas Parties! We need to remember that respect works both ways, we need to teach our children how to be respectful by being respectful to others. In her book, MomSense, Jean Blackmer talks about being annoyed by her preschoolers timing for potty breaks, but is perfectly cordial with her friends inconvenient timing. As moms we need to set the example of respectfulness, and sometimes that means slowing down to listen to your child. Blackmer lists tips to help us raise respectful kids. - Interact often with your children - Value your childrens thoughts and opinions - Say nice things about other people - Use positive communication - Say nice things about other people - Do what you say - When (not if) you mess up, say Im sorry

Steering Team:
Vicky Barnhart Co-Coordinator Lacy Reynolds Co-Coordinator Natalie Lowman Mentor Mom & Hospitality Coordinator Tammy Palmer Mentor Mom April Poole MOPPETS Coordinator
301-241-3227 www.vtmops.blogspot.com VTMOPS@gmail.com VT MOPS 6170 Kellys Store Road PO Box 174 Thurmont, MD 21780

Coming up next...
December 8th our guest speaker will be Annie Mahr. Annie has been involved in marriage and family ministry for much of her adult life. Her husband is a retired Army Colonel so she has had her own ups and downs on juggling marriage, family, deployments and lots of moving! She will be sharing tips on teaching manners and respect within the family. December 22nd is our Christmas Meeting. POPS (Papas of Preschoolers aka your spouse, date, or guest) are invited to join us for a potluck dinner. Pastor Aaron Reynolds will be our speaker. This would be a great night to invite a mom that you think would love MOPS as much as you do! January 12th we will be talking about Keeping It Together using tips and tricks from YOU on how you keep things organized in your home.

Melissa Keeney
We wont make you guess, but we did think it would be fun to give you a few clues about some of the ladies in our group. Each month we will feature a Mom so that we can begin to get to know one another! We have recently interviewed Melissa Keeney and this is what we discovered...

Name: Melissa Jo Keeney Birthday: June 6, 1979 Anniversary: August 16, 1997 (first date August 13, 1995). Married for 14 years. Husbands Name: Calvin (I met Calvin at church when he was a greeter) (Editors Note: He must have been VERY hospitable!).

Children: Montana (9 years), Carl (7 years), and Cheyanne (6 years). Where were you born? Frederick, MD. I grew up in Keymar, MD. Where do you live now? Rocky Ridge, MD Favorite Book: Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox Favorite Verse: Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. Favorite Kids Book: All of the Amelia Bedelia books. Favorite Kids Game: Connect Four. What is the best Clue youve gotten to get you through the game of Life ? Anger and jealousy get you nowhere, but alone. And that nothing is done without God. What do you do to un-Scrabble when you feel like youve been through a Twister as a mom? Chocolate!!! Potty Training is the worlds messiest Battleship ! What is your best strategy? Follow their queue, they will let you know when theyre ready. Be patient. Monopoly Chance Card: You get 2 hours to yourself, what do

it: ut o o Ud Ab k YO by hin ould T urs n tw ho a a me Wh h two I ??? wit self ? ne r lo you LLY a A RE

you do? I would love to go to Hershey Spa, but on a normal day I love to watch Greys Anatomy and/or snuggle with Calvin. If you had a Magic 8 Ball, what would you ask? Will I ever get to Scotland or Hawaii? When was the last time your MomSense made you a winner? I feel like Im a winner everyday as a mom because my kids are healthy, and because I have a partner to lean on for help. Also because my kids know Jesus.

Sherry Surratt is named as new MOPS International President and CEO effective, Jan. 1, 2012 Surratt comes to MOPS with deep experience in church ministry and learning from women leaders. Her most recent position was the Director of Leadership Networks Radical Future Innovation Labs. MOPS International Board chair Rebekah Burch Basinger describes MOPS new President as a woman of warm personal faith and a passion for bringing Gods good news to young Convention moms. "Sherrys ministry background is noteworthy, but board members are most excited by her deep commitment to Christ and strong desire to have a part in influencing a generation of young mothers for the sake of the Gospel, Basinger says. A graduate of Sam Houston State University, Surratt began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Houston (TX) Public School system. Very quickly, she moved into an administrative position as Assistant Principal over teacher development curriculum. After relocating with her pastor husband to South Carolina, Surratt joined the staff at Seacoast Church based in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, as Childrens Ministry Pastor and Central Support Pastor, developing multisite ministries at their 13 campuses. Surratt and her husband Geoff are parents of two adult children, Mike and Brittany, and the proud grandparents of one-year -old Maggie Claire. More information about Sherry will be in our Spring 2012 MomSense Magazine.

Save the Date:

August 9-11

Grapevine, TX

Each month we will feature a quick and easy recipe that will be fun for the whole family! I have finally moved away from my pumpkin obsession onto another obsession- cookies!!! My aunt would make these cookies every year when I was a kid, my cousins and I would gobble them up. They are also fun to make together with your kids. Recipe from www.kellogs.com Holiday Wreaths

1/3 cup margarine or butter 1 package (10 oz. about 40) marshmallows 1 teaspoon green food coloring 6 cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes cereal or Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal Red cinnamon candies Prepared vanilla frosting Melt margarine in saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring. Add cereal, stir until well coated. Portion warm cereal mixture evenly by using a 1/4 cup dry measure coated with cooking spray. Using sprayed fingers, quickly shape into individual wreaths. Dot with cinnamon candies, using prepared frosting to hold candies in place. Store in single layer in airtight container.

News
Monthly update on those precious little ones that make us MOPS!
MOPPETS, aged 4 to 10, are studying the theme of "Values to Grow On" based on excerpts from various

Veggie Tales movies. After eating & worship led by Pastor Aaron, the evening includes activities to illustrate the movie, Bible account and theme for the evening. The children enjoy coloring & activity pages, games, drama, crafts and learning a key Memory verse. On Dec. 8 --God's love for us with the gift of Jesus in "The Christmas Star." On Dec. 22--the story of "The Candy Cane Maker" and how this special Christmas candy shares truths about God's love. MOPPETS, 3 and under are loving cared for by Ms. April, Ms. Verna and Ms. Kaitlynn. They enjoy the time of worship with the older kids, followed by free play. What makes a better reindeer than your own child's hand or foot print? Especially if you have a younger child this idea will work perfectly. You not only get a cute craft, but you get the memory of your little ones handprints and footprint. Materials needed: Brown Non-toxic acrylic paint Card stock paper Scissors Glue Hole Punch Red Ribbon Bobbly eyes Red, black or pink small pompoms for the nose Pipe Cleaners for antlers Simply trace your childs hand, cut it out and decorate the reindeer.

Fundraisers!
We are selling labels from Mabels Labels. If you or anyone you know need labels for any item (clothing, bags, Sippy cups) please visit our dedicated site at mopsofvt.mabel.ca During the month of December we will be doing a fundraiser through Thirty-One. We will be asking each registered MOP to help with this fundraiser in order to keep our costs low. Please see Natalie Lowman for more information.

We will post the menu for our MOPPETS Meetings each month in case your child might need an alternate snack. If so please notify the MOPPETS workers and provide them with the snack of your choice.

December 8th Mac n Cheese, apples & cookies, apple juice & water. December 22nd Pizza, pretzels & cup cakes, apple Juice & water.