Christmas Party M2M Style!!

Merry Christmas to all you beautiful ladies!! What a great morning we had yesterday celebrating together with gifts, games, food, craft, testimony & laughter!! A big, big, BIG thank you to Dayna & Christina for being our amazing leaders! M2M would not be what it is without you both! And another round of gratitude to everyone who was part of making our Christmas party possible! Congrats Jaclyn on winning our first ever "Ugly Sweater/Sweatshirt/Tree-skirt Contest"! Your idea was very original and so much fun! Emily, your testimony & song was the icing on the cake and such a perfect reminder of God's great love for all of us and His faithfulness in every part of our lives. Enjoy the fun pictures, yummy muffin recipe and we look forward to seeing all of you back in 2013!! Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins- from Dayna

1 box yellow cake mix (just the mix)
1 can pumpkin puree
1 cup (or more!) choclate chips

Mix all ingrediants- DO NOT add oil, eggs, water, etc. Use only the cake mix. 
Bake as instructed on the cake mix box (350 degrees, 18-21 min)

Two Meetings....One Blog Post :)

TGIF friends! I hope this post finds you all excited for the weekend and full of information from our last 2 back to back meetings! I'll do a quick recap of each incase you missed anything!

Derek Carroll spoke on Erickson's Psyco-Social Development.....

There was a TON of information and a 3 page fill in! If you missed this meeting let Dayna know and we can get you a copy of all the notes. It's just too much to post! But at the end of each stage of development (besides the first) there was a question asked....

Birth - 2 years: Children learn to trust or mistrust

Age 2 - 4 years: Is it ok to be me?

Age 4 - 5 years: Is it ok for me to move, do & act?

Age 5 - 12 years: Can I succeed in a world of people & things?

Age 13 - 19 years: Who am I & what can I be?

Age 20 - 24 years: Can I love?

Age 25 - 64 years: Can I make my life count?

Age 65- Death: Is it ok to have been me?

Derek also touched a little on the topic of whining and how to try and get a handle on it. He said to ignore the sound. Focus on what you are feeling, not on the sounds your child is making. Then use a "when then" sentence such as, "When you use your big kid voice, then I'll be happy to talk to you." And actually stick to your guns. Even if that means moving to another room to be away from your child (as long as your child is safe), walking the whole house, going into the garage, etc. Then once the whining has stopped, come in with positive reinforcement. (hugs/kisses) And do not mention the whining again.

If you'd like to talk to Derek about anything that was covered or maybe an issue you are currently going through with your kiddos here's his information:

Derek Carroll, M.A.

949-338-5891

DerekCarroll@TheParentEssentials.com

TheParentEssentials.com

*********************************************************************************

Now onto this Wednesday's meeting: Making the Most of Your Marriage with speaker Janet Hertogh.

I loved how she started her talk with the cat drawing game. Who knew a simple drawing of a cat could tell you so much about yourself! Especially the tail!

The 3 topics she covered were: 

1. Going to a deeper level of communication with your spouse

2. Seeing what the Bible says about marriage

3. How to spice up your marriage

The 4 C's 

Commitment- being emotionally tied to someone or something, Hebrews 13:4

Compromise- the settlement of differences, Romans 12:10

Communication- transmitting information (verbal or written), James 3:8-10, tone is 60% of what is communicated when we are speaking. Are we raising our husband's up or tearing them down? 

Communion- act of sharing, 1 Corinthians 7:4

Two other points she made were hugging your husband everyday and always welcoming him home. Literally stop everything you are doing and greet him with hugs and kisses. No matter what your day was like. Get the kids to do this too!

Lastly there was the spicy stuff! Getting out of your comfort zone and spice things up!

*Some ideas were going commando on your next date night! Of course don't tell him this until dessert :)

*Get in bed before him and surprise him by being naked! 

*Ask him what you can do to spice up your love life...and be ok when he   answers :) 

There were many more so if you missed this meeting, again ask Dayna and we can get you the list!

Janet would love to hear if you had any results from her ideas and you can contact her at:

Janjan65@hotmail.com or janethertogh@gmail.com

She also has a blog: www.blessed2Bmomof3.blogspot.com

And is on Facebook: Janet Kawamoto Hertogh

Adopt A Family was a HUGE Success!!!

A quick shout out to all of you amazing women!!!! Because of you and your amazing generosity M2M was able to bless THREE families with everything they need to celebrate Thanksgiving! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

I pray as we all get ready for Thanksgiving & the busy holiday season that we can take a moment to thank our Lord and Savior for all He has blessed each of us with this year. Enjoy your time with family and we look forward to seeing all of you back on Nov. 28th!

"Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all He has done." Col 2:7

God is bigger than ANY giant of the land

Sheri Rose Shepherd moves me. She inspires me. She gives me hope. Not only is she relatable, she is authentic and willing to use her struggles & trials to bring women like us closer to Him. Some of the things I wrote down during her talk are still sinking in.

I had a very personal experience with Sheri Rose a few years ago & wanted to share it with you all.

When Sheri Rose spoke to M2M a few years ago, I bought her 2 children's books at the meeting. When I got home and did my checkbook I realized I shouldn't have spent that extra money on the books, even though I knew they would be a blessing to my children. So with much embarrassment I emailed Sheri directly and explained my situation and asked where I could return the books & get a refund. She responded within a couple hours and said she tore my check up so it would not be cashed and told me to keep the books. She was so kind in her words & I was floored by her generosity. I thanked her as best as I knew how through email & thought that was the end of it. Then 3 days later I received a letter in the mail that had a return address on it of Sheri Rose Shepherd. When I opened the envelope there was a note. It was simple and stated, "I pray this money will bless you and your family."Then I saw it, a personal check to me from Sheri Rose Shepherd. The amount of the check was within $2.00 of our electric bill that month. A bill that was going to have to go unpaid that month because we just didn't have the $$. I immediately broke down in tears and thanked God for this woman and for His mercy. I kept asking myself how someone who didn't know me or my family, could be so generous. And of course the answer was because of Him. Because of the Lord, Sheri Rose knows what it means to give freely. She lives her life on His path and how my family and I ended up on that path still amazes me. 

Since that time 3 years ago, I have been waiting for the opportunity to personally thank her. To give her the biggest hug my arms could muster and pour out my heart in thankfulness. So if any of you saw me balling like a baby after the meeting that was the reason why. I was finally able to tell Sheri Rose thank you.
So when I say she moves me, she inspires me and gives me hope...I hope you understand why.

I hope all of the great things she talked about on Wednesday spoke to your heart.

Here's a recap of some of her points:

*Do not allow your children's reactions to determine your choices. Do not put their happiness above holiness.

*God is bigger than any giant of the land. Make sure you are speaking faith into your children and not fear.

*Teach your kids the power of a promise. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. 

*Pray for your children's future spouse. Keep in mind that you are raising someone's wife or someone's husband. 

*Prayer: Give me more of an eternal perspective on why I am this child's mother. 

*Question to ask ourselves: "How would those that live with me say they feel after they've spent time with me?"
*********************************************************************************

                                                                http://hisprincess.com

Halloween M2M Style

I'm a little late on posting about last week's Halloween get together, but posting super cute pics of our kiddos makes up for that right! Thank you Christina for opening up your home and having us over for some delicious goodies & wonderful conversations! The mummy cupcakes were awesome!! See everyone Wednesday!!

The word of the day is Play, play, play, play!!!

What a wonderful morning it was today! A huge thank you to Gail Quickle for sharing her passion with us and reminding us how important it is for our kids to just PLAY! It's so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life that we forget what our kids want most, is for us to just play with them. Be with them while they do "their work" and not worry about the mess or final product. I loved the poem she ended with and wrote it down to share with you all again:

I tried to teach my child with books. He game me only puzzled looks. I tried to teach my child with words. They passed him by, often unheard. Despairingly I turned aside. How shall I teach this child I cried. Into my hand he put the key. Come, he said, play with me. 

My prayer for all of us this week is to play. Play when we don't feel like it. Play when it's inconvenient. And most of all, play when our kids ask us to. I want that wonder in my children's eyes to never leave.

*********************************************************************************

AND.......

Starting this week I thought it would be neat to share all the pinboards on the blog so everyone can get to know a little about the people at other tables. Thank you ladies!

Jaclyn Cummings- Fashion Table

Lena Kubota- Decor Table

Amanda Ward- Parties Table

Maureen Enoch- Travel Table

Have a blessed week and hope to see you at Christina's Halloween Party next Wednesday!!!

If you'd like to contact Gail with any questions

 or inquire about Mission Hills CC Jr. Kindergarten program click on the link below: 

http://www.missionhillschristianschool.org/component/option,com_qcontacts/catid,38/id,1/view,contact/

Raising Generous Kids

Happy Monday Ladies! I am still thinking about last week's meeting and what Barb had to say about raising generous kids. Her 3 tips were simple & practical. 

Here's a quick recap of the tips:

1. Study my child to see where he/she is naturally generous

2. Be intentional

3. Be a good example

I also liked her "Game Plan" on  how to implement teaching them to be generous. 

** Invite kids into the process (let them have a say)

** Give kids the freedom to be as involved as they want to be. Don't pressure them.

** Encourage & applaud them every time they are generous. 
     It shows them that what they are doing is important. 

I hope all of you were able to pull a couple good ideas from your tables on things you can do to be generous. Here are a few I wrote down from Barb and my table.

1. Bake cookies for retirement homes
2. Pay for person's meal behind me in drive-thru, or the person behind me at Starbuck's
3. Make up some "Blessing bags" for the homeless. If you see someone on the corner, pull over & hand    them a bag. 
4. Volunteer at a food pantry
5. Adopt a family for the holidays (Bread of Life Ministry)
6. Get items for shoeboxes over Xmas (Operation Christmas Child)
7. Sponsor a child through World Vision

The list could go on & on, but the main idea is to find something or somethings that you can involve your kids in. 

Our goal as a group is to put 2 baskets together for Bread of Life Ministry this Thanksgiving. There will be more information on this from Dayna, but as you do your grocery shopping these next couple weeks, if you could maybe pick up some extra canned food items or things you think would be a good fit for the baskets that would be awesome!

Barb Christing's contact information is: 

barbchristing@yahoo.com

And her website is: SlingshotKids.com

Are you feeling less stressed about your next party??

What a great morning of chatting, food and advice! Thank you so much to Sylvia for all her wonderful "stress free" tips on hosting a party or event. If you missed this morning or didn't write her "7 Commandments" down here's a recap:

1. Pray- Before even beginning the planning process, pray about your event. 

2. Plan- This is key to having enough time for everything as well as making sure you have everything you need. Write out lists for everything. (menu, supplies needed, stores you will shop at, your budget for the event, etc) 

3. Peruse- Be creative in this area! Make sure to look through all the stuff you already have on hand, so that you aren't buying things you already have!

4. Phew- Give yourself enough time to get everything done! When the lists are all checked off...let out that nice big "Phew!"

5. Party- Enjoy the party or event you are hosting! With proper planning, this commandment should be the most enjoyable! You won't be stressing about the food not being ready, or the table not being completely set, because you will have planned enough time for all of that to have been done before anyone even walks through the door!

6. Points- After each party or event you host, make a list of things you'd like to do differently or items you might like to have for the next one!

7. Peace- The feeling you will have when it's all over and you're ready for the next one! 

If you have any questions about anything Sylvia covered this morning or additional questions you may have thought about since, here's her contact info:

Sylvia Newman
(Director of First Impressions/Hospitality)
snewman@missionhillscc.org
*******************************************************

A couple other tidbits from this morning...

Don't forget to sign up for the OC Register! This is our fundraiser for this year and every subscription counts! Pass along the info to your friends, family & neighbors! Heck....for $1, why not sign up everyone on your street and when you see them walk out on Sunday morning confused as to why there's a newspaper on their driveway... wave and say Merry Xmas :) 

Also if you haven't done so already please take a look at the meal sign up for Christina. There are still 5 spots available!

http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=BDGZ4555

Have a great rest of your week!!

Any bookworms out there??

Calling all moms who love to read, like to read, or maybe just want a break once a month!! We are looking to form our bookclub back up now that summer is over and would love, love, love for you to join us! Our meetings are once a month & normally meet at the Starbucks in RSM near the Lowe's. Our upcoming books are: The Paris Wife, Unbroken & Crossing Oceans. Even if you feel you can't commit to a book a month, we'd still love for you to join. Make it every-other month if that's what works for you. Annnndddddd....if you don't finish the book that month....that's ok! Still come & enjoy some company & coffee! Please contact Naomi Salazar at naomisalazar11@gmail.com if you're interested in joining!

Christina had her baby!!!

Congratulations to Christina and her family on their newest addition!! Grant Walker was born on September 18th at 8:04 AM. He was 6 lb 10 oz & 18 1/2 inches long! Mamma & baby are both doing great! The Migge's are now a happy family of 5! 

First M2M of the semester a SUCCESS!!!

Thanks for joining us this morning for our first M2M of the Fall 2012 semester! What a wonderful morning we had filled with food, friends, fun and a lot of laughter! Just a reminder that we have our first M2M play date one week from today. 
               - Next Wednesday, September 19- 
We will meet at Foothill Ranch Community Park around 10AM. Bring a friend and let's have fun!

Many of you were asking for the recipe of the blueberry cobbler this morning. It was made by our own Mentor Mom Coordinator, Lori West! She has been kind enough to give us the recipe! Here it is! 

BLUEBERRIES & BISCUIT COBBLER

 

2 Cups Blueberries (rinsed)

1 Can Buttermilk Grand Biscuits (cut into quarters) The Buttermilk are the best.

1 Stick butter

 

Grease large glass dish

Mix 1/2 Cup Brown sugar w/ 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Dip quarters of biscuits in melted butter, then coat in brown sugar mix.

 

Place pieces in glass dish.

Cover w/ blueberries, 1/2 Cup of granulated sugar, then 1/2 Cup of Quick Quaker oats.

 

Bake 20 minutes @ 350 degrees

 

GREAT FOR BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH! 

See you all soon and remember.... You ARE Wonderfully Made!

Does Anyone Else Ever Feel Like This??!!

Hey moms.... do you every want to do a happy dance (literally), the day the kids go back to school??! Check out this video for a little morning chuckle :)

Wonderfully Made: Pinning Our Hopes on Faith, Family & Friendships

Welcome back M2M'ers and hello to our new moms! We are so excited to start another year of Mom2Mom and this year's theme is all about pinning your hopes on Faith, Family & Friendships. Life for us moms should never be a "mom-petition" & this year we hope to share with you how to inspire one another, encourage each other and be the sisters in Christ that God has called us to be. This semester's line up of speakers is amazing! Take a look below for our meeting dates as well as what topics we will be covering! We can't wait to see you at the first meeting!

September 12th- Getting to Know You....1st meeting! 

September 26th- Stress- Free Hosting Tips
(Sylvia Newman: Director of Hospitality & First Impressions at MHCC)
http://missionhillscc.org

October 10th- Raising a Generous Child 
(Barb Christing)
http://www.slingshotkids.com/

October 24th- Teaching Your Child Through Play 
(Gail Quickle)
http://www.missionhillschristianschool.org/component/option,com_qcontacts/catid,38/id,1/view,contact/

November 7th- Treasures of Truth 
(Sheri Rose Shephard)
http://www.hisprincess.com/

November 28th- Developmental Milestones & Discipline Strategies 
(Derek Carroll)
http://www.theparentessentials.com/

December 5th- Keeping Your Marriage Hot 
(Janet Hertog)
http://www.blessed2bmomof3.blogspot.com/

December 19th- Christmas Party!!!