TimeOut

Just look at what I got this morning (plus some other fun treat bags):

This innocent looking cosmetic bag is actually a pregnant woman's dream...

No, it's not filled with make-up, but really good chocolate!

It's the nice kind I don't buy for myself, but wish I had some in bowls around my house...or in a cosmetic bag. I'm not picky.

Or maybe it's a travel bag, so I can take it with me wherever I go.

That would definitely make for a great summer!:)

For the past school year, I've been involved in a group called MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers...basically, any child that doesn't go to elementary school yet). It's been so, so wonderful. My friend, Jenny, was involved in it when she lived in Wisconsin and encouraged me to attend the group here at Riverland Hills Baptist Church. I'm so glad I did because it's been a great, fun way to meet other moms and just have a break from the norm during the week.

We (close to 100 moms) met twice a month at Riverland Hills and I'm going to miss it for sure now that summer is here.

To survive the summer, we made "Mom's Summer Survival Kits" during our meeting today, which was our last meeting until school starts back up. I thought it was a really cute idea and wanted to share it with you...

First, we were given plastic cups and permanent markers.

While at our tables, we all traded cups and wrote encouraging phrases or whatever on them to help us remember what truly is important in life (like, Avery waking up at 5:41 am this morning is really not a big deal...yes, I'm tired, but I need to remember to be thankful and enjoy my day anyway!).

Next, we followed this list of items to collect from around the room. Each one reminds us how to think/act/feel when life gets hectic...

1. An umbrella for those rainy days

2. A crayon to color and brighten your day

3. Extra marbles because you are sure to lose a few

4. Cottonballs to plug your ears because the kids are so loud you can't hear yourself think

5. Band-Aids for when things get rough

6. A few Hugs and Kisses for when things get tough

7. A funky hair band to keep you flexible

8. Some paperclips to help hold it all together

9. A couple of Life Savers for pool emergencies or times you feel like you're drowning

10. Lemonade for when life gives you lemons

11. Sweet words of wisdom to keep your spirit up

12. An extra Payday for when your cash is running low

13. A penny for days that don't seem to make "cents"

14. One or two Starbursts to give you extra energy

15. On extra set of eyes for the back of your head

16. Our summer schedule to make it easy to have some fun

17. A pencil to keep you straight

18. An eraser that reminds us that we all make mistakes

Even though this activity is just sort of cutesy, we really do some wonderful things during our MOPS time...

We heard from a mom who started a charity called "Annabelle Baskets" (for babies with heart problems) and made blankets for the baskets...

We had devotional times about our roles as mothers and wives...

Jenny Martin, from Southern Savers, came and did an Extreme Couponing class for us...

We had a q&a panel with our "Mentor Moms" about anything and everything related to marriage/parenting/life...

We had swap meets in the fall and spring, plus vendor shopping days too...

An ER doctor visited us and he answered lots of questions we had about our children...

It was truly a great experience and I am looking forward to starting again in the fall!

Oh, totally forgot to mention there is free childcare AND a gigantic breakfast buffet for each meeting. Awesome!

Next school year, it's going to be called TimeOut (instead of MOPS) and it's going to be open to moms with children through 5th grade...so, it's going to be BIG! Well over 100 moms, I'm sure.

If you live in Columbia and want to come with me, please come! I love it and have made some great friends!

For more info on TimeOut next year, just visit http://www.riverlandhills.org/children.asp and click on "TimeOut " (4th option under Preschool Ministry).