December 8th Meeting - Tea and Testimony

We had a great Christmas meeting this week here at Crossroads! We had our annual Tea and Testimony meeting where moms in our group could share whatever was on their heart. It was a very heartfelt and vulnerable moment for a lot of our moms and lots of happy tears were shed! Thank you for sharing your hearts with us ladies!

We also played a fun game where we got to show off our artistic ability while drawing on a paper plate on our head! Plus, our awesome leadership team decorated all of our meeting tables with Christmas themes. We hope it got you in the festive spirit! 

Allison's group brought a great brunch complete with waffle bar and we also had an awesome food donation from PDQ!

Also used in our raffle this week, Rainbow Play Systems on Glenwood donated an open play punch card pass and hair dresser Kristen Shelton donated a free haircut and color. You can contact Kristen for your styling needs HERE.

 Yankee Candle orders are now available for pickup and distribution! Contact crossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com if you were unable to pick up your order at the last meeting.

 Our next regular MOPS meeting is January 12th! We hope you have a Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you again in 2016!

 At our January 12th meeting we will be hearing from Cheryl Scanlan about setting goals in our busy lives. Bethany's group will be responsible for bringing brunch. Please sign up HERE to specify what items you will be bringing!

*Last* Week at MOPS!

We had an amazing and encouraging pre-Thanksgiving meeting!

Our Crossroads liaison Cindy Orange encouraged us last week to watch for God to show up!

In 1st Samuel 7, it talks about how Samuel set up a stone and named it Ebenezer. 

An Ebenezer is a "stone of help," or a reminder of God's real, holy presence, and divine aid.  Cindy encouraged us to watch for things that are repeating in our lives, ways that God is communicating specifically to you as an individual.  When we see Him in the little things, we start expecting Him to show up! 

So... how has God show up for you recently in a way that deserves an Ebenezer? 

What physical reminders has God given you to help us remember to keep watching for God?

Pray for eyes to see what He's doing!  Watch for Him to show up!

How about you start an Ebenezer in the form of a list of all the ways that He shows YOU that He loves YOU?

Then celebrate those moments with the same intensity that we pray!

At our last Leadership Meeting, Jamie shared about a friend's idea of playing "I Spy God" with her kids.  She has started doing this, and it's made a big impression!

How can you impress about your kids watching for God?

Little signs of His love... His help... how your kids show His love to others... and more!

Try it for yourself... and with your kids!

It's amazing what a little perspective shift can do!

If you missed it, check out the MOPS video about Noticing Goodness:

https://youtu.be/Ch0l2zKULbM

Thank you to Mary Kay consultant Ashli Messina for sponsoring our meeting!

If you'd like to order from her, visit http://www.marykay.com/amessina2/

In November and December our kids are learning about Daniel and how he honored and obeyed God!

Big Idea: With God I can!
Song: Awesome God

Key Verse: Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God"

Bible Story: Daniel Chapters 1 and 6

Daniel and his friends were told to eat the King's rich food and drink wine. However, Daniel and his friends refused, only eating fruits and vegetables and drinking water, keeping their bodies clean in God's eyes. They were healthy because they chose to honor God! Daniel also honored and obeyed God by continuing to pray to him when others tried to get him in trouble. Daniel was thrown into a den of Lions, but God calmed the lions and saved him! We can honor God in our lives too.

Half of the small groups made this adorable light-up snow man ornament! 

The other 3 small groups plus anyone who missed it last time will make theirs at our December meeting.

Thanks, April!

Coming up next...

It is a Crossroads MOPS tradition to have a "Tea and Testimony" at our Christmas meeting on December 8th!

In our desire to really focus on the now and watch for God during this season, we invite anyone who would like to share a testimony of how God is moving in your life right now or any "I Spy God" moments that you've had since our last meeting!

We want to celebrate these moments and thank God for them!

In addition to our usual delicious brunch, we will have a Waffle Bar!  Allison's group will be responsible for bringing brunch. Please sign up HERE to specify what items you will be bringing!

Our raffle will be from Rainbow Room!

Remember to bring your MOPPETS teacher gifts (a small $1-3 item, handmade card your kid scribbled on, candy, etc) for the wonderful childcare workers that take care of your children each meeting! Please bring any gifts to our MOPS room and NOT directly to the teacher, so we can package them all together in gift bags.  Here is the list of childcare workers names to check your child's class:

 

Yankee Candle orders will arrive this week in time for our December 8th meeting.  If you placed an order but cannot attend the meeting, please arrange to have someone else from your small group pick up your order or send an e-mail CrossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com.

December 8th will be the last MOPS meeting of 2015.  

The next meeting will be on January 12, 2016!

November 10th Meeting - Holidazed!

Susan Ely gave us some great advice about keeping calm during the holidays! Did you know that the word "tradition" originates from the word "treason"? Don't betray God by forgetting the true meaning of the season!You can also check out her new kindle book at http://holidazedbook.com/

Susan's best holiday cooking, entertaining, and Grocery Shopping Tips for the holidays:

1. Stock up on staples like butter, cream, and sugar when they go on sale - anything you know you'll use in multiples over the next month.
2. Load up your freezer with meat NOW while its on sale, because in a couple of weeks all that will be on sale is turkey and filet mignon.
3. Don't try to be Martha Stewart. Develop 1 or 2 signature dishes, then try your hand at variations.
4. If you plan on baking, do a quick spice inventory and check dates. Old Allspice doesn't taste like allspice; it just tastes old.
5. Make your own whipped cream at a fraction of the cost. Please. Your store-bought pumpkin pie will be redeemed and your guests will think you're a genius.
6. Avoid the Christmas week killer grocery bill by picking up a few things each week between now and Christmas.
7. Make my mashed potato casserole. It will save you untold last minute stress and everyone loves it:
   
   Ingredients
1. 1 - 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
2. 5 cups hot mashed potatoes (8-9 med)
3. 1 egg, beaten
4. 1/2 tsp. salt
5. dash pepper
6. dash cayenne pepper
7. 1/2 tsp. paprika
8. 2 Tbsp. chopped chives
   
   Instructions
   Beat cream cheese and add hot mashed potatoes; combine.
   Add rest of ingredients, beating thoroughly and turn into buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole or souffle dish, swirling potatoes on top with a knife.
   Brush top with melted butter, springle with a bit more paprika, and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
   May prepare 1-2 days ahead, up o point of baking. Refrigerate and then bake at time of serving.
8. In busy weeks before the holidays, make friends with rotisserie chicken: Use in ceasar salad, soup, on top of pasta, chicken salad, tostadas and tacos, quick soup, and casseroles. Save the carcass to make a tasty stock.
9. When you have overnight houseguests write a note with instructions on how to operate the tub and shower. What looks like a no-brainer to you can be very frustrating when you're standing there naked.
10. Learn to make a decent cup of coffee.

Sara Watford from Perfectly Posh was our sponsor this week! Check out her Facebook page. 

Perfectly Posh is a line of skincare products that are: 

• Paraben-free and paraffin-free
• SLS Free
• Gluten free
• Soy free
• made with essential oils
• full of butters, oils, and other nourishing ingredients
• preserved with gentle, effective vitamin E
• MADE IN THE USA!

In November and December our kids are learning about Daniel and how he honored and obeyed God!

Big Idea: With God I can!
Song: Awesome God

Key Verse: Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God"

Bible Story: Daniel Chapters 1 and 6

Daniel and his friends were told to eat the King's rich food and drink wine. However, Daniel and his friends refused, only eating fruits and vegetables and drinking water, keeping their bodies clean in God's eyes. They were healthy because they chose to honor God! Daniel also honored and obeyed God by continuing to pray to him when others tried to get him in trouble. Daniel was thrown into a den of Lions, but God calmed the lions and saved him! We can honor God in our lives too.

Announcements

 Yankee Candle Fundraiser Money is now overdue! Please email Kara at CrossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com if you were unable to turn in your money at the last meeting.

 Thank you to everyone who brought shoebox items to the last meeting! Don't forget to turn the boxes in during collection week starting November 16th  - 23rd. Please also include a $7 donation per box to cover shipping.

 This Sunday, Nov 15th, at 6:30pm in the Millbrook worship center, Crossroads Fellowship will have Babbie Mason perform a worship concert. All are welcome and you can find ticketing information HERE

At our December 8th meeting please bring a small $1-$2 gift for the wonderful childcare workers that take care of your children each meeting! Please bring any gifts to our MOPS room and NOT directly to the teacher, so we can package them all together in gift bags. Below is the list of child care workers for each class:

Next week Sarah's group will be responsible for bringing brunch. Please sign up HERE to specify what items you will be bringing!

We will watch a great video from MOPS international and have some discussion time in our small groups!  Plus, we will be making a fun craft! You won't want to miss this wonderful time with friends!

Operation Christmas Child!

Let's pack some shoeboxes!

Crossroads MOPS will be participating in Operation Christmas Child this Christmas by packing shoeboxes with gifts and necessities for underprivileged children at our next meeting!

• What is Operation Christmas Child? The world's largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child uses gift-filled shoeboxes to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Individuals and organizations pack shoeboxes and turn them in during collection week on November 16 - 23 so they can be distributed to children in over 150 different countries!
  
• How will this work? Each small group will pack at least one shoebox to give to a child overseas. Your group will decide if you are packing for a girl or boy, and which age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. 
  
• What do I do? Bring items to go in your shoebox and $1 to cover shipping costs to the next MOPS meeting on November 10th. Your group may want to discuss what each person is bringing in order to prevent duplicates. See below for ideas to go in your box. It may also be fun to take your child shopping with you! You can let them know that they are picking out gifts for children who otherwise probably won't get any Christmas gifts. 

What kind of items should I put in the shoebox?

• a WOW item: toys like a soccer ball with pump, doll, jump rope, musical instrument, shoes, etc.
• Accessories: Short sleeved shirts with no writing on them, socks, hats, hair clips, jewelry
• Hygiene items: bar soap and soap dish, toothbrush and toothbrush holder, combs, washcloths
• School supplies: pencils, erasers, colored pencils, and sharpeners for shool aged children
• Crafts: make them hair bows, finger puppets, or friendship bracelets - a great way to get your child involved in the process!
• Other items: plate, bowl, and cup, small flashlight with batteries (if batteries are outside of packaging both ends must be covered with tape)
• DO NOT INCLUDE: used items, liquids or candy that can melt like paint or glue or any toys filled with liquid, no military toys, no used or breakable items.

For other age and gender-specific ideas go HERE

October 27th Meeting - WCPSS Kindergarten Registration

Our speaker this week was Tamani Anderson Powell, director of Marketing and Communications for Wake County Public Schools! She spoke on WCPSS' magnet programs and kindergarten registration. 

• Rising kindergarten parents need to go to your base school to register starting in January.

• Go here to find out your base: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/student-assignment/

• All registration forms for kindergarten can be found here: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/kindergarten/

Those of us with children under 3 spent our time with mentor mom Karen Cole, who answered questions about early education and how to entertain our young children at home.

 April helped us create these cute fall magnets to decorate our homes for the season! 

Also, don't forget about our Yankee Candle Fundraiser! Prizes will be awarded to the top individual seller and top small group! You can get all needed information HERE

Our finance coordinator Jamie Branham shared with us how she has begun the journey of defeating breast cancer. You can follow her journey and know about how to pray for her specifically at  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/branhamjamie 

(Anyone can view but you do need to create an account.)

This morning she shared 2 things you can do for her: 

1. pray, pray, pray!
2. Do your own breast self-checks every month.

Here are some other ways you can also help her family specifically:

• Your Caring Donations for Cleaning Service and other expenses: https://www.youcaring.com/jamie-b-450193

• Meal & Grocery Sign Up (It is full now but more dates for January and on will be added in a month or so):http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4fada72aaa8-meals3

• Rodan & Fields "Go Naked Day": November 6th post a photo of yourself without makeup. R&F Consultant & Former MOPS Mom Lauren Grossman will be donating $4 for every photo she is tagged in to the Branham family. More information will be coming soon about this.

Hannah and Jackie's group will be responsible for bringing brunch. Please sign up HERE to specify what items you will be bringing!

Susan Ely will be speaking at our next meeting, and her topic is "HOLIDAZED! How To Slow Down, Spend Less, & Restore Sanity to the Holidays." It's an inspirational, humorous, time and money-saving talk about how to get back to the true reason for the season - perfect for young moms struggling with juggling it all.  The material presented is based on a Kindle book she wrote by the same name that is $2.99 in the app store. You can check it out here: http://holidazedbook.com/when-the-holiday-madness-starts-too-soon-2/

Yankee Candle Fundraiser 2015-2016

At our last meeting we started our Yankee Candle sale to help cover our scholarships and childcare expenses.  

We have a larger group this year which means increased childcare expenses.  This is a great opportunity for us to raise some extra funds and stay on budget as Crossroads MOPS will make 40% profit!  

There are over 150 items to choose from priced from $6.00 to $28.00.

Our goal is for every mom to sell 2 items. 

Our deadline is November 10th. 
Late orders will not be able to be accepted as we are cutting it very close for the Christmas deadline.

All money is collected NOW.  Make checks to Crossroads MOPS.

Items ordered from the catalog will be here at our December 8th meeting.  

If you are not going to be here on that day to receive your order, please let Kara know at CrossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com so we can make arrangements.  On your order form, fill in the form number, your name, phone number, organization, and chairperson's name.

 You do not need to include sales tax as we are a tax exempt group.

 Yankee Candle has a new Mobile App!  

The App makes contacting family and friends even easier by sending messages through your contacts and social media posts!  It lets you load all your contacts from your phone, select who gets notified about supporting our group, and sends out one common message to all of them with instructions for how to order online.  

You can also send these messages online through their website.  You can provide e-mail addresses to our own Yankee Candle group fundraising page.

The profits are applied to your selling total and our group's grand total.

The only difference than ordering on the order form is online ordering is direct shipping; it will not come to the church with our order form deliveries.  There is a shipping charge.

To set this up for your friends and family, go to

https://www.yankeecandlefundraising.com

Click on seller login.

 

 Complete "Sign Up To Be A Seller."
Our group number is 990056842.

 

Online ordering (through website/app) is available until January 13, 2016. 

 We will have a prize for the top seller as well as a prize pack from Kings Bowling for the top small group (average per mom)!

If you were not at our meeting on October 13th, packets will be available at our next meeting.

You can go ahead and set up online ordering using the information above.    

If you have any questions feel free to comment!

October 13th Meeting - Raising Children in a Spiritual Household

We started off our Tuesday morning meeting with a great brunch and an announcement to all mom's from the Kid President! 

Wendy Schulz gave us some great tips on how to raise our children in a spiritual household. First, get all of YOUR questions about God answered. Kids have a "phony meter" and will know if you're teaching them something you don't believe yourself! She also gave us a challenge of spending some alone time with God each day and reading the scriptures with our children. This may look different for everyone, either waking up early, reading at dinner time, or corralling the kids in the bathtub and reading them a bible story where they can't escape! Wendy recommended the Jesus Storybook Bible as a great resource to teach the bible to little ones!

Trader Joe's was our sponsor for this week's meeting and provided a great gift basket for our raffle! If you weren't at the meeting you missed out!

We also kicked off our Yankee Candle Fundraiser and everyone received a packet of information and order forms. If you didn't get one, please ask for one at the next meeting!  There are two ways to shop - catalog and online. The top small group and top individual seller by November 10th will win a great prize package, so get out there and make some money for MOPS! Remember 40% of all sales go directly to our organization!

Go Play Save coupon books are still for sale! If interested in purchasing online with credit card go HERE, but take note there is a convenience fee added for online sales.

At the next meeting, we will be having a representative from WCPSS speaking to moms with children over 3 about the entry process for Kindergarten!

Moms with children under 3 who aren't quite ready for Kindergarten will be listening to our mentor mom Karen Cole speaking on early education!

Danielle's group will be responsible for bringing brunch on the 27th. Please sign up HERE to specify what items you will be bringing! 

We hope you will join us in this gorgeous fall weather!

(and MOPS!)

Important MOPS Information

Our Next Meeting

We are looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday, October 13th.  Drop off begins at 9:15am!

 

We will hear from Wendy on Raising Big Faith in Little Hearts.  Her description:

How in our busy schedules of dishes, dance class, and laundry are we supposed to fit “religious education” for our children? God has laid out the perfect plan, and it doesn’t require you to sign up for yet another activity. In this session we will explore how to intentionally start growing a big faith in our children through the everyday moments of life.

Bethany's group is bringing brunch for everyone so come ready to eat and enjoy time together!

We will also be raffling off a bag full of Trader Joe's goodies!

We are feeding 70+ moms each morning at MOPS so here's a few things to keep in mind when your group has brunch!

• Please sign up to bring 2 or more items.  We want to provide an an excellent brunch for everyone.  We chose this year not to double up groups for brunch assignments so that moms wouldn't have to bring brunch as frequently; this does mean it will need a little extra love on your assigned day though.
• One egg/potato dish should be 9x13 size or equivalent.
• If you know you will not be able to provide food on your scheduled day, please contact another member of your small group to make arrangements for drop-off.
• If your child has a nut allergy, be cautious bringing (s)he in to the Great Room.  We strive to keep the kids' classrooms nut-free but can not guarantee that for brunch items brought in.
• Please label your food, especially if there are allergens.  We will have sticky notes at the cart and on the table to label your food.

We had to adjust the brunch schedule slightly. 

October 13th - Bethany

October 27th - Danielle

November 10th - Hannah & Jackie

November 24th - Sarah

The rest of the list can be found here:

http://crossroadsraleighmops.blogspot.com/p/brunch-schedule.html

Curbside drop-off will begin at approximately 9:10am and 9:25am.  A member of the Leadership Team will be there with a cart to collect items to make it easier for you to get in to the building with your kids!

Because of some mom's stricter diets, we have also added an "allergy free dish" to our sign-up.  The allergy free item should be free of nuts, nut milk, wheat (gluten), dairy, and soy; you can label your item has allergen free and list the ingredients.  You are not able to accommodate every allergy/intolerance, but these are the  most common.  

 

Feel free to sign up for brunch in advance!  Visit:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d48aaad2ca13-crossroads

 Fundraiser Update

Our goal is to sell at least 8 more GoPlaySave books!

  We will be selling books for $30 each.

You can pay 3 ways: cash, check made payable to Crossroads MOPS, or by credit card using this link: http://www.goplaysavetriangle.com/store/cmop2016

We will have your book waiting for you on Tuesday!

You will make your money back. Just with Kroger coupons (can be used at Harris Teeter) there's $20 savings right there!  Plus Ace Hardware coupons are good at Lowes and Home Depot.  Not to mention numerous BOGO coupons for restaurants, ice cream, Marbles, Monkey Joes, museums, golf, and more!

Let's get this done on Tuesday!

 

If you haven't done so already, please pay your MOPS International Dues ($24.95) and Fall Semester dues ($50) to cover child care, craft, hospitality, and other expenses.

You can pay with exact cash or check made out to Crossroads MOPS tomorrow.  You can also pay online from HOME with a card HERE.

If the link doesn't work, go to CROSSROADS.ORG/MOPS and click on “Register.”  Feel free to leave off all the initial information about your kids, etc; we already have that on your registration form!

We also will have at least one computer available during the meeting that you can pay online.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has paid their dues so far!  This helps us stay on budget!

If you aren't sure of your payment status, e-mail CrossroadsRaleighMOPS@gmail.com.