mopping around

This morning we had our first MOPS morning.

If you're thinking we MOPPED all morning....that's just plain silly!

MOPS is a group that my sister-in-law, Stef, invited me to join at her church in Wichita (Central Community). She's actually one of the directors, who has brought this nation-wide program to her church. So I have to say it is VERY well organized and so much FUN! MOPS stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers" and it's for any moms with at least one preschool or younger aged kids (I think).

At first I drug me feet to commit to going. Having to get 2 kids up, dressed, fed and to Wichita by 9:15am just sounded too stressful. Stef's always good at talking me into things...she reminded me that if I can just GET there (regardless of how stressful it could be), I would then have 2 straight hours of ME time. Dave thought I was crazy. He's gotten some of those early morning calls when I'm at my wits end before the day is even a quarter of the way over....just trying to get out of the house and be in a good mood when I arrive where I'm going. So he was thinking I was better off just staying at home. But I decided to give it a try. Even though it's tough sometimes, a morning away from home is good for us all.

The "mock" MOPS meeting, 2 weeks ago, helped us know where to take our kids, where to take ourselves, and just get introduced to everything and everyone. Taylor is stepping up a little bit and going to the 2 year old class so she can be with her cousin, Paige. It's her first experience of doing more than just "play" in the nursery...they are actually doing old bible school curriculum...so she brings home cute things that she made and colored (this is a fun new experience for us!)

So what do the moms do??? Well, the food may just be the best part!! A buffet of breakfast casserole after breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, scones, breads, bagels and much more...they feed us well! We were told to fill our plate when we get there, that's our breakfast, and then fill it again towards the end and that's our lunch....GOOD PLAN!

Today we had a guest speaker, Ginger Millermon....an amazing singer with a truly amazing testimony that spoke wonders about the power of God....and caused me to have to completely control myself from crying OUTLOUD!

We also have small group time with our "mentor moms"...I think this will be my favorite part other than the food...just to chat, be lifted up, and encouraged. My "mentor mom" is awesome, one of those ladies that just puts a smile on your face each time she speaks to you. I'm so excited to get to know her and the girls in my group better.

We'll have other guest speakers, do some service projects, crafts, and other fun stuff! I think I'm going to really like it! In fact, sitting there today, I was just thinking about lots of my friends who would absolutely LOVE this too. I wish I would have been on the ball and invited you before it started. They said today that the room is maxed out at 49 moms, If things change, they'll allow us to bring friends later in the year...I would love to take anyone along that would like to try it out.

There's just something refreshing about time with other moms...especially when it's a time of encouragement and opportunity to grow closer to God all at the same time!