Pizza & Friends - October 30

Don't forget to join MOPS the Open Gym/Make Your Own Take n' Bake Pizza Tuesday, October 30 9:30-11:30 at University Presbyterian Church. Moms and kids play and visit together in the gym and bring home a pizza for dinner. What could be easier? See you there!

October 16, 2012 - Dianna Frey

Dianna Frey's presentation No More Belly Flops in Parenting: Understanding Our Responsibilities had so many good things, it's hard to know where to begin. Enthusiastic and humorous, Dianna guided us through 5 things we are not responsible for in the world of parenting and 5 things we are through personal anecdote and research. Learning this balance is a challenge, but can also free us up to focus on actions that will be more effective and really matter in the long run. 

Here is a sneak peak:
NOT responsible for:
1. Making sure your kids are always _______.
2. Getting the ________ of others.
3. ____________ your children.
4. Doing for your children what they are ___________ of doing themselves.
5. You do NOT have to be ____________...

ARE responsible for:
1. Making tough decisions that aren't ___________.
2. Teaching your child to function _____________.
3. Holding your children ____________________.
4. Going along for the __________.
5. Doing your _____.

So, (once it's up) click the link to the right and enjoy Dianna Frey.
Thank you Dianna!

October 2, 2012

Amy Young kicked off the 2012-2013 year of MOPS with a great talk encouraging us all to expect great things this year and take the initiative to serve one another. Amy participated in MOPS when her children were young and was instrumental in bringing it to UPC. Amy addressed a common issue among mothers of young children - that of isolation. Her statistics indicated many women have feelings of loneliness and long for more friends, especially in urban settings. Thus her challenge for each of us to share our own stories, passions, and gifts with one another to help build community among us. So, here's to a year full of meaningful friendships at MOPS! Thanks Amy!

* Due to technical difficulties, the audio will be posted as soon as possible! Thanks for your patience.

MOPS 2012-2013 starts October 2nd!

There is still time to join this year's MOPS group at University Presbyterian Church. The theme for this year is Natural Beauty: God's Creation. It celebrates that we are each God's creation, uniquely designed and gifted, beautiful by being who we are created to be.

MOPS meets the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesdays each month from 9:30 to 11:30. There is a time of fellowship with your table groups, delicious breakfast, and a speaker each meeting. Childcare is available for children 6 months to 5 years old with warm, caring volunteers and fellow moms. Scholarships are available; no one will be turned away.

So, come, be refreshed, and enjoy some company on the road of parenthood. Click the link in the left sidebar and sign up today!

If you enjoy MOPS, you will love Refresh, too! Refresh is an exciting new community group offered the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month from 9:30 to 11:30. It will focus on small group spiritual formation with a different focus each quarter. You may join in the fall, January, or during Lent. The first topic will be spiritual disciplines. Childcare is available for $5 for each child. Scholarships are available for childcare.

Getting Ready for Kindergarten Workshop

Workshop: Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Thursday, August 16, 9:30-11:30am

New school, new friends, riding the bus and more independence are wonderful things that come with kindergarten. Join us to start an open conversation about safety to make sure your child has all the tools needed to GREET the school year!

· Give your child the legacy of safety 


· Reduce your child’s risk for abuse or abduction 


· Empower your child to make safe choices 


· Enable your child to interact safely with adults 


· Teach your child about safe boundaries 



Facilitated by Kim Estes of Savvy Parents, Safe Kids. http://savvyparentssafekids.com

$10/family.  No childcare provided. 

LOCATION: Class will be held in Calvin Lounge on the first floor at University Presbyterian Church at 4540 15^th Ave NE, Seattle.  For parking info and directions, go to www.upc.org. 

CONTACT: Sarah Baldock, sarahb@upc.org or 206-524-7300.

Invite all your friends to this seminar!  It is also great for those not going to Kindergarten yet, but involved in preschool/daycares.

Pre-Registration is required, click HERE to register.

You can also register at http://savvyparentssafekids.com.

Note: If you have already registered for the UPC Mom’s Morning Out, you will notice this workshop is at the same time, so you will have childcare!  There is a waiting list if you haven’t signed up for this but you can contact Sarah to be added to the waitlist.

Green Cleaning

Fellow MOPS member and mom, Heather McDowell, is offering an exciting deal for UPC MOPS members... who wouldn't mind a little help with house cleaning?

Special Offer to UPC MOPS Community

As a member of MOPS who is loving the program and like-minded mom connections I’m making, this small-business-owner mom would like to extend a special offer to other MOPS moms through her small business: Seattle Green Earth Cleaning, Seattle's eco-friendly and socially-responsible cleaning company:

• 50% off your first house cleaning service
• then 20% off all future services
• And for brand-new moms (either 1^st or subsequent child): 50% off all services for the first 3 months of baby’s life 

We are a local, mom-owned business that strives to enhance our clients lives by providing fully-customizable home cleaning services, while contributing to the community and serving the social good. 

Based on my experience as a new mom, my business has come to specialize in cleaning family homes (read: homes with mountains of toys, handprints on windows and walls, working-parent clutter, pet hair galore—homes in need of safe and special sanitizing). I had my first child in August 2010 at the age of 39 and quickly discovered I was nowhere near prepared for the challenge. How I would have LOVED to have had a house cleaner take care of the cleaning, so I could have focused solely on the transition to motherhood!

We know that house cleaning is hard work and takes precious time--time many of us would rather spend with our loving families, at a job we enjoy, traveling, or in our community. As our motto says: we are here to clean your house, so you can live your life! And you don't have to be wealthy to afford a great house cleaner… we work with each client to create a custom cleaning plan to meet their budget and priorities. And because we are eco-friendly and socially-responsible, you can feel great about hiring us! 

Check out our website to learn more. And to take advantage of this MOPS offer, just fill out our Quote Request and enter the Offer Code "MOPS".

Heather McDowell

Seattle Green Earth Cleaning, Seattle’s ECO-Friendly, SOCIALLY-Responsible Cleaning Company

www.SeattleGEC.com

Heather@SeattleGEC.com

206-595-4209

What are you doing this summer?

“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” 
― Henry David Thoreau


Luckily for us, summer is around the corner. Hopefully, MOPS has provided a bit of sunshine through the gray, sometimes long, winter, and the many transitions and stages of motherhood.

MOPS will be meeting this summer for playdates at the park!

10-11:30am

June 19: View Ridge Park (4408 NE 70th St.)

July 3, 17, 31: Dahl Playground & Wading Pool (7700 25th Ave NE)

August 7, 21: Matthew's Beach (49th Ave NE & NE 93rd St)

September 4, 18: Meridian Playground (4649 Sunnyside Ave N)

Here are some ideas for things to do around Seattle compiled at our recent MOPS meeting.

• Woodland Park Zoo, Zoo Tunes

• Ferry to Whidbey Island

• Boat to Jetti Island

• Ballard Locks

• Farms: Remlinger Farm, Beringer Farm, The Farm, Kelsey Creek Farm

• Pools: Mountlake  Terrace, Shoreline YMCA, Lynnwood, Magnolia

• Beaches: Golden Gardens, Carkeek, Mathew’s Beach, Alki, Madison Park, Blue Beach, 

• Parks: Carkeek, Sculpture Park, Lincoln Park, Saltwater Park, Ross Park, 

• Farmer’s Markets

• Events: Pioneer Days, Bon Odori in International District (Japanese festival)

• Sports: baseball, soccer games

• Seattle Gymnastic’s Academy

• Seattle Center fountain

• Ballard fountain

• Arboretum

• Pike's Place Market -- pick out dinner!

• UVillage, Laurelhurst, other neighborhood free concert series

• Metro bus rides

• Light rail to airport

• West Seattle water taxi

• Ride the S.L.U.T

• Ride the Duck

• Space Needle

• Pacific Science Center

• Museum of Flight

• Paint with water

• Arena Sports - Magnuson Inflatables Open Gym

• Ice Cream Float Boat - tours on South Lake Union

• Wading pools

• Water parks, sprinkler parks - Crossroads Park, Ballard sprinklers

• Library

• Berry picking

• Build your own ice cream places

• Sodo-Sand Volleyball - Sandbox Sports

• Imagine Children's Museum - Everett

• Chocolate Factory Tour (must be 7 to go)

• Trampolines - Kirkland

• Olympia Children's Museum across from the capitol

• Center for Wooden Boats

• Check out the Red Tricycle Website

• 2/1 Coupon Entertainment Books on sale now for $15, just google Entertainment Book