Activities for Lent / Easter

Today, Janna Widdifield will be speaking to our MOPS group about ideas that we can use with our kids to make Lent / Easter a big deal in a fun and relatable way.

Here are some of the resources shared:

• Palm Sunday Coloring Sheet
• He Is Risen Rolls Tutorial
• Robin's Egg Nest Tutorial 
• Hosanna Palm Tutorial  
• Hill of Calvary Tutorial
• Link to Janna's Easter Page (which contains more Easter and Lent ideas)

November 8th MOPS Meeting

Our next MOPS meeting is Tuesday, November 8th.

We have a wonderful speaker lined up for you - Janna Widdifield. Janna has spoken with our group in previous years and she always has great tips on how to make holidays fun and meaningful for your children. You won't want to miss this!

If you want copies of some of the ideas Janna will be sharing with us, you can print the documents below:

• Advent Countdown
• The Three Gifts
• Favorite Christmas Books

Janna's blog is Mustard Seeds. If you visit, be prepared to be inspired!

After Janna is done sharing, we will be packing our boxes together for Operation Christmas Child.

Transforming a Picky Eater Into a Healthy Eater

Transforming a Picky Eater Into a Healthy Eater - that is the topic of our upcoming MOPS meeting on April 12th with speaker Joann Bruso.

I am thinking I will have to take a lot of notes at this meeting since I have two picky eaters at my house. (Actually, three, if I add myself to the household's picky eater count.)

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Christian Literature for Kids & An Online Storytime

I have been meaning to post these two links for a while now. I hope that you find them useful.

Christian literature for Kids ages 0-8 Here you can find some suggestions for good christian children's books.

Barnes & Noble Online Storytime A new book is read aloud online each month. This month's book is the Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Read by the author. It does help to have a good internet connection.

October All MOPS Event

The October All MOPS Event will be October 30, 2010 at 10am. The event will be held at Cottonwood Farms. Admission is free. There are $3 wagon rides, if interested. Cottonwood Farms, http://cottonwoodfarms.com.

 

Apple Nachos

This recipe was recommended at Pickle's Pickles by Megan K. It looks like a very simple snack that our kiddos (and us too) will love.

50% off Anderson Farms Fall Festival 2010

I was looking at http://www.milehighonthecheap.com/ and saw an abstract of http://www.savvysource.com/psn/web/localSavings/index/cityId/61849. Here you can purchase a Family 4-Pack to Anderson Farms for $24. To learn more about Anderson Farms Fall Festival click on the link http://www.andersonfarms.com/FallFestival/index.php

Belleview Adventure Park, Train, and Zoo!

Join us this Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at

Belleview Adventure Park, Train and Petting Zoo!
5062 S. Inca Dr.
Englewood, CO 80110 US

We will be meeting on the East side of the park by the airplane. The best way to find the parking lot is to head east on Belleview and then turn left onto S. Inca Dr.  The parking lot will be there on the lefthand side of the street.  Again, this is a big place, so let's try to meet-up at the airplane.

WHAT TO BRING: I have heard that the creek is going to be your kids' favorite part so bring/wear swim stuff or at least a change of clothes. You will also want $1 bills for the petting zoo and the train (each a dollar per person). Bring a lunch so that you can stay as long as possible and enjoy all the fun this park has to offer! Feel free to offer other suggestions in your RSVPs.

Colonial Living History Day- Free Event

Countdown to Kindergarten

Here you can find the list of 25 things that your child needs to know before entering kindergarten.

Countdown to Kindergarten

At your local library...

at least if you have a Jeffco library account. Did you know that you can visit some of Denver's museums for free? It is called a culture pass. The Jefferson County Public Library has a select number of passes available each day for its patrons to use. To see your choices of museums click here. It will also tell you how many passes are available and the days they are available. I have taken advantage of The Wildlife Experience and the Butterfly Pavilion and I was able to invite up to three friends to accompany me for free.

Janna Widdifield 1.26.10

If you missed the last MOPS meeting or you would like to listen to Janna again, just click here. There is a slight delay at the beginning of the podcast but just give it about 40 seconds or so and the talk will begin. Also, here are the tutorials from the meeting. You can also read more about Janna at her blog http://mustardseeds.typepad.com/my_weblog/. Please feel free to share your ideas and the creative ways that you teach your children about Jesus and also celebrate the Easter season.

Hosanna Palm Tutorial-1

He Has Risen Rolls-1

Palm Sunday Coloring Sheet

New Year Resolutions??

What is your new year resolution (NYR)?

I don't have any...well...that is not exactly true. I just don't want to make them an official new years resolution because I never seem to follow through. Does that sound familiar or am I all alone in my failed attempt to keep new years resolutions?

Do you have any strategies that keep you on the road to success? Here is a strategy to create a measurable goal (NYR) that we used at the last school where I taught.

PDCA

Plan: I will ______ because ________. (Fill in the blank with your NYR and the reason.)

Do: How will I meet my goal? (Answer this question very specifically and put a time frame for completing your NYR.)

Check: How will I know that I met my goal?

Adjust: Did I meet my goal? What do I need to go now? (When the time you set for your NYR is up, answer these two questions.)

It is never to late to make a NYR or just set goals for yourself. This is also something you can teach your child(ren) from a young age. Just modify the wording of the questions.

Christmas Website

I stumbled upon Merry-Christmas.com today and thought that the rest of you might find it useful.

Have you run out of gift tags? Print your own.

Are you looking for Christmas tradition ideas? There are 31 to read about.

Do you want to listen to Christmas music or read the lyrics? Listen to mp3's.

Are the kids getting bored and need something to do? They can email Santa or print a coloring page.

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, take a look at Merry-Christmas.com.

Playdate

Do you need a little break? Do your kids need some time outside of the house? How about meeting up with some other MOPS moms at Flatirons Mall. Friday morning, December 18, at 10 am in the soft play area.

Fast, Easy Ornaments

Jill Morian just forwarded me this link to make fast, easy photo ornaments. All you need is a picture (any size), a pair of scissors, a hole punch, string, and two paper fasteners. This is a great craft to make with your kids. Plus, these are unbreakable.

Also, if you weren't at the MOPS meeting on November 24, we made great smelling ornaments using a clear glass ornament like the ones you can purchase at Hobby Lobby or Michael's, some potpourri, and a ribbon. Quick, easy and really nice.

As always, we would love for you to comment or share any ideas that you have with the rest of us.

The Season of Advent

Just recently I have begun to learn about "Advent". I knew that it always occurred around Christmas but that was about the extent of my knowledge. To start my quest at learning what Advent was and is, I looked up the meaning of Advent. According to the dictionary, Advent is "the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event." So being the Christmas season it seems appropriate that we, as Christians, would celebrate the coming of Christ as the baby Jesus.

I have also learned that the most common way to celebrate advent is through a wreath with four candles. Each candle represents a Sunday prior to Christmas or the birth of Christ. Depending on the day of the week when Christmas falls, the advent season can be 22-28 days long. At amazingmoms.com, you can learn how to make your own advent wreath and read more about the symbolism of the wreath and the four (sometimes five) candles.

Another common way to celebrate advent is through an advent calendar that begins on December 1st. Joanne Heim, The Simple Wife, has a extensive collection of posts on advent and how she and her family have incorporated this celebration into their family. Joanne also spoke at our MOPS group last year and shared some examples of books and other materials that she uses to  during the season of advent.

I am a little behind starting our advent celebration this year, as it will be our first with MaKenna. I have a couple of ideas of what I would like to do, but I am curious how you celebrate advent with your family. I have heard a lot of you mentioning that you have begun, so please share your family traditions or ideas with me and the rest of our MOPS group.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

It is that time of year again and the snow has fallen a couple of times already with today being the first snow day. It's not even November or Halloween yet, crazy. I, personally, would love to stay in my pj's and sit by a warm fire sipping hot chocolate. However, with kids this is not always possible so here are some ideas from Family Fun that will keep your kids busy and entertained (besides watching tv or movies all day long). I started my search for "snow" here. The results...more than 150 games, crafts, recipes, and articles related to snow. Here are a few. There are many more that I could have included.

Birdseed Snow Angles- This activity may be best after the snow stops and of course, you do need to have birdseed. Probably best for older children.

Snow Pudding- Warning, this recipe does require you to refrigerate it for a couple of hours.

Homemade Snow Dough- Most likely, you have all of the ingredients for this fun activity in your pantry. So, if it is too cold to head outside and make snowmen or the snow is too dry, why not make miniature snowmen inside.

Build Your Own Snowman Printable- All you have to do is print from your computer, then cut and paste the facial expressions, hats and hands, and clothes. If that is to much, then print the scene and have your child(ren) add features to the snowman using crayons or markers.

Paper Snowflakes- I remember making these all the time as a child, and I grew up in the south where it hardly ever snowed. So simple. All you need is a piece of paper and a pair of scissors.

Halloween Candy

This Halloween don't let yourself or your child(ren) be caught off guard by an allergic reaction. A sweet and sticky thank you to Stephanie Ours for finding this amazing, very comprehensive site on Halloween candy. Here is an excerpt from the Sure Foods Living's article.

The gluten-free allergen-free Halloween candy list is here! It’s that time of year again — the decorations are starting to appear, the scary costumes are peering out of store windows, and my children are already excited and talking about the candy they get to eat. Halloween is coming, but don’t get spooked! I have made things easy for you again this year with a list of Halloween candy available, both mainstream and specialty, and their gluten-free and allergen-free status.

Each candy shows if it contains wheat/gluten, milk (dairy), soy, egg, nuts, or peanuts (6 of the top 8 allergens — fish and shellfish are not present in any of the candies on this list.)Note: I do not include coconut as a tree nut. Please, as always, double check ingredients and also check with the child’s parents before giving them any candy or allowing them to eat anything! I will not be held liable for any accident occurring due to the use of this list. It is meant as a guide only.

Click here to read the entire article.

The Great Pumpkin

I'll leave it up to Linus and the rest of the gang to decide whether or not The Great Pumpkin exists, but I do know that today is a great day to go to the pumpkin patch in search of your or your child(ren)'s "great" pumpkin. If you are wondering where to go, the Denver Post has done the research for you. They have compiled a long list of pumpkin patches, corn mazes, petting zoos, and hay rides all throughout the Denver metro area. Here is the link http://www.denverpost.com/coloradosunday/ci_4421368. Make sure to bring along your camera. I'm positive you will be able to get some terrific pics and maybe find the great pumpkin too.