A Prayer For The New Year

Come, Holy Spirit,
Spirit of the Risen Christ,
Be with us today and always.
Be our Light, our Guide,
And our Comforter.
Be our Strength, our Courage,
And our Sanctifier.

May this new year be a time
Of deep spiritual growth for us,
A time of welcoming
Your graces and gifts,
A time for forgiving freely
And unconditionally,
A time for growing
In virtue and goodness.

Come, Holy Spirit,
Be with us today and always.
Amen.

Local Events for the month of December

Drive through lights, Pictures with Santa and Live reindeer at Thanksgiving Point nightly 6pm - 10pm. Closed on Sundays, Christmas and limited hours Christmas Eve

Breakfast with Santa December 12th and 19th

For more information on the above please visit www.thanksgivingpoint.org

Christmas Concerts at SMCC 7pm Dec.10,11,12 www.smccutah.org

Grand America Hotel

www.grandamerica.com

Angel Tree in support of local families in need is on display for those who would like to take that opportunity to help.

First Annual Grand Gingerbread Village now through December 20th. Complimentary - open to community

Tour the handcrafted gingerbread wonders of our Grand Gingerbread Village on display for silent auction in support of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

First Annual Teddy Bear Town. Now through December 20, 23rd floor suites. Monday-Friday: 3pm - 7pm

Saturday- Sunday: 10am - 6pm Story-time at 11am and 1pm

Complimentary: open to community

Larry H Miller Christmas Carol Sing-along

December 21st 7pm
Energy Solutions Arena.The event is FREE and open to the public. Doors will open at 6 p.m. No tickets are necessary and seating is general admission. Jon Schmidt will make a special guest appearance. 30-piece orchestra with music specially arranged for the concert. Audience members are encouraged to sing, and printed programs with song lyrics will be provided. Each guest who attends the event will receive a FREE hot dog and Coca-Cola soft drink, a FREE Utah Jazz game ticket, a complimentary ticket to a 2010 Salt Lake Bees game, FREE popcorn at any Megaplex Theatre and a buy 1, get 1 free coupon for super go-karts at Miller Motorsports Park. In partnership with UTA, guests can ride TRAX free on Dec. 21 from 5-10 p.m. to and from Energy Solutions Arena. Please visit rideuta.com and print a special ticket valid only on TRAX. Complimentary parking is available in the Park Place parking lot, kitty-corner from the arena (enter on 300 West). For more information on the Sing-Along, please call (801) 325-2000 or visit www.energysolutionsarena.com.

What a Bargain!!!

If you go to uddercovers.com (the name says it all) you can purchase a nursing cover that is regularly priced at $32.00 for free using the code "christmas" all you have to pay is the shipping cost of $8.95. Several of our Moms have these and they seem to work great.

December 10th Meeting

Hi Ladies! I hope this finds you all healthy and happy, and filled with the joy of Jesus this holiday season. I am looking forward to seeing you all this Thursday!

Info for Thursday...

*We will again be participating in a huge White Elephant gift exchange. As many of you remember last year, this was SO fun! Bring something from your home that you do not need anymore, and bring it wrapped.
*Moms Day Out sign-ups will be there! Don't miss this awesome fundraiser! Bring the kids to us to take care of, so you can get some shopping done (or feel free to pamper yourself with a massage or pedicure instead). 3 whole hours! $10 for one child and $15 for 2 or more. The days available will be Tuesday the 15th or Friday the 18th from 9-12.
*Another fundraiser for MOPS...Band Angel band-aids. We will each pick up 10 packs of 30 to purchase ourselves or sell. They are adorable with a meaningful message, and great stocking stuffers. More info will be provided.
*The PRC is in desperate need for baby boy clothes (3-6 months only). If you have some to donate, please bring them Thursday and I will get them to the right person.
*MOPPETS could still use golfish, cheese crackers, Gerber puffs and little plastic cups.

Our Upcoming Fundraiser

On Your Mark Get Set.......Let's Sell!

We are going to be selling Band Angels which are bandages with bible verses on them. They will be $3.50 for a box of 30.

The Band Angels Story:
Tim and Tami West have eight children in a unique blended family – only one of the eight is Tim’s own biological son. In 2003 his son and daughter-in-law had his first grandchild, Riley. In July of 2008 4-year-old Riley was taken to the emergency room where her blood sugar tested at over 600. She was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes, a diagnosis that changed her life and the lives of those who love her. Now a sleep-over at Poppy and Ma’s meant not only bringing her pajamas and toothbrush, but also her glucometer, test strips, alcohol swabs, syringes, and lots of bandages. Tim and Tami, along with Riley’s parents, family and friends pray every day that she will be healed. One evening Riley was on one of those sleep-overs when Tim noticed how many bandages she had on her fingers and arms. He also noticed that it all became routine – swab, test, inject, slap a bandage on. She was always so brave and understood the entire process. It occurred to him how precious it would be to remind her how much he wants her to be healed. He realized how millions of children’s parents hurt when their children hurt – whether it’s from insulin injections or minor cuts and scrapes. How powerful would it be to put healing bible verses and angels right on that wound? And the Band Angels were born.

What an AMAZING Deal!

According to Vicki, "If you go to seehere.com you can make a christmas card and then add 50 to your cart. When checking out use the code freebies4mom-1109 and they are FREE. 100% free. I did mine today and they didn't even charge me shipping. I hope this can help everyone save some money at this time of year".

Thank you Vicki for the wonderful deal and for passing the information on to all of us!

Inspirational Recipe Books

Thank you to Vicki and Tammy and for the wonderful craft and also craft ideas for the kids this past week. It will be so nice to have recipes all in one spot! We will continue to have a recipe at each meeting and would love to have you submit one of your favorites to share! Please feel free to email them to beckykkelly@gmail.com

Trunk or Treat

What a blast Trunk or Treat was!! Thank you to everyone who participated. It was great being able to get together, but even better to help with the Utah Food Bank. We ended up loading up a back seat of food and what an awesome teaching experience for our kids!!!

Trunk or Treat/Canned Food Drive

MOPS Valley Breeze Trunk or Treat/Canned Food Drive on Thursday, October 29 from 4-5pm at Draper Park parking lot bring your donations for the Utah Food Bank and your trunk full of tricks & treats for all our little costumed kids.

A HUGE Thank You..........

Thank you to all of the wonderful Mentor Moms who spoke at our last meeting - what an amazing talk! I hope all of you enjoyed them as much as I did!

Shaving Cream in Action!

Sarah Hecox was kind enough to submit photos of her daughter, Lily playing with the shaving cream she won at MOPS last week. She states, "we've 'painted' every major appliance in the kitchen. Needless to say, it's been quite a hit with my 2 1/2 year old" (Thanks Tonya).

Hooray for Time Management

A huge thanks goes out to Tonya Sullivan for the wonderful presentation on time management. She had so many wonderful ideas. I know several Mom's that have already tried the special basket of goodies. I must admit I am still trying to come to gripes with the shaving cream and the kitchen appliances. I am pretty sure that my six year would think that I have absolutely lost it. I am getting up the nerve to do and especially see my son's reaction!!!

To All of the Beautiful Mommy's

A big thank you to all of the Mommy's that had their pictures taken this past meeting for the photo directory - they all turned out great!!! For those Mommy's that didn't get their pictures taken be ready for the next meeting!

Upcoming Events in the Area

Baby Day Expo is this Friday and Saturday at the South Towne Expo Center
www.babydayexpo.com
coupons available at participating Best Buys and the South Towne Auto Mall

going on now: Cornbelly's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Fest ($1 off coupon at cornbellys.com) at
www.thanksgivingpoint.org
2 for 1 and $2 off coupons are available at participating HogiYogi and Costa Vida Restaurants
Scarecrow Festival and Barnyard Boo are also coming up there in Oct.

www.heehawfarms.com in Pleasant Grove going on this month
(this may have possibly have more events for younger kids)

MOPS Meeting October 8, 2009

This is a meeting you don't want to miss. We will be having a guest speaker talking about time management and we will also be doing a craft. Don't forget this meeting we will be taking individual photos for our photo directory. Can't wait to see you there!

MOPS Meeting October 1, 2009

There will be no MOPS Meeting tomorrow October 1, 2009 due to UEA. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday October 8, 2009! Have a blessed week!!!!

Calling All Moms......

I need your help! For our upcoming newsletter I would like your input. If you would kindly email me back your answer to the following question:
If you were to be sent to live on another planet, what item would you take (aside from your loved ones, pictures, and Bible)?
Please email your answer to beckykkelly@gmail.com
Thank you for your help!

Fun Events in Conjunction with the Circus

Here is some info about events going on at the Discovery Gateway Museum in conjunction with the circus:

Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Programming
Under the Big Top
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus present “Zing, Zang, Zoom” September 24th-27th at the Energy Solutions Arena. Discovery Gateway is proud to partner with Feld Entertainment to bring you special circus programming September 21st through 24th to celebrate Ringling‘s thrill-filled, mind-blowing circus spectacular!
Daisy the Clown visits! | Monday, September 21 | 10am – 1pm
"If I Can Ran the Circus" | Tuesday, September 22 | 11am, 12pm, 2pm, and 3pm
Creative Clowns with Ute Mertens Curiosity Shop | Wednesday, September 23 | 11am, 12pm, 2pm, and 3pm
Atrium Circus Celebration and The Elephant Parade | Thursday, September 24 | 11:30am – 12:45pm
Join us as the Ringling Brother‘s elephants make their way down Rio Grande Street in the annual elephant parade! The parade will pass right by the Museum, so be sure to arrive early for a great view of these magnificent creatures. Free craft activities will be offered in the Museum‘s ground floor atrium.
Special circus programming at Discovery Gateway | 12:45pm – 3pm
Circus Treats Little Scientist | Thursday, September 24 | 1pm, 2pm, and 0A3pm
Circus Art Fun on Celebrate Your Museum Day! | Saturday, September 26 | 11am, 12pm, 2pm, and 3pm

September 17th Meeting in Review

What a wonderful meeting we had. Kelly Taylor gave an emotional and very powerful speech about a "Chapter of her Life." We are so blessed to have Kelly share her journey with us. It was wonderful to be able to meet all of amazing Mentor Moms, our Moppets Coordinator, DGL Team Leader, and our Hospitality Coordinator. Thank you to everyone who brought food for our yummy brunch. Looking forward to our next meeting.

Discounted Circus Tickets

The circus is coming and will be at the Energy Solutions Arena September 24th-September 27th. There are several shows including both matinees and evening. If you are interested in these tickets please call Mike George with Group Sales at (801) 355-DUNK be sure to tell him that you are with SMCC MOPS. For more information please visit http://www.ringling.com. Thanks Carrie, for arranging the discounted tickets for us!

September 17th Meeting

Don't forget our meeting this Thursday on September 17th. Our own, Kelly Taylor will be the guest speaker. You will definitely not want to miss this! The purple table will be hosting the brunch and the yellow table is in charge of the MOPS Basket. Looking forward to seeing you all there!!!!

Bible Studies Starting Tomorrow

Women's Fall Bible Studies

Wednesday Morning Studies @ Draper Campus
9:15 - 11:30am beginning September 9
Childcare is available for a one-time cost of $10 for up to 2 kids or $20 for 3 or more kids

GENESIS
· 28-week study ends approximately late April
· Weekly teaching by Jini Robie in addition to various small discussion groups
· Study cost is $10

CHANGED INTO HIS IMAGE
· 13-week study ends December 9
· Led by Paula Glenn
· Study cost is $14

KNOWING GOD 101
· 13-week study ends December 9
· Led by Becky Mottola
· Study cost is $10
· Availability dependent upon enrollment


QUESTIONS??
Contact Jini Robie at theprman@aol.com

Blast Off.......

We have officially landed on Planet Mom! It was great being able to meet everyone and enjoy some great food! We hope everyone had a good time making their book marks and name tags. We look forward to many more wonderful meetings together!!

"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!

Can you believe the day has finally arrived? Tomorrow, is our first MOPS Meeting of the 2009-2010 year year. We are all very excited to meet each and every one of you! We have some great topics and activities planned too! Come prepared to have a wonderful time!

The Count is On........

Can you believe it is almost time for our first MOPS meeting? Your table announcements will be mailed to you in the next couple of weeks! Hope you are all enjoying your summers and can't wait to see you soon!

August 11th 2009 Activity

For those looking to cool down on August 11, 2009 at 10 am to 12 noon we will meeting at the Old Farm Splash Pad located at 13680 S ad 3250 West. If you have any questions feel free to contact Ami Rehbein at 801-878-4157. Hope to see you there!

SUMMER CARNIVAL

On July 13th Ami Rehbein hosted the Summer Carnival at her house. We all had a blast and enjoyed the time together with friends and good weather! Thank you for everyone that helped with the preparations and all that attended!

WOOHOOO Another Contest!!!

In efforts to maximize our profits by minimizing our advertising costs we’d like to enlist your help. We need you to assist us in getting the word out about our Twice Upon a Time resale fundraiser. We are going to do this contest style, the person from each group with the most total points wins a cool prize.
you should be getting an email that has this information as well as an ad and a flyer for you to use (if everyone would just place 1 flyer that would be 110 flyers around town!!), and if you scroll down there is a sample email you can just cut and paste into a new message and send to all your friends. It’s easy, it’s fun, it’s free, and it could pay off (in more ways than one).
Contact me if you have any questions, need an official press release or have any fabulous ideas!!! heatheridaho@yahoo.com . HAVE FUN and thanks in advance, you will make a difference.

Here are the ways you can earn points:
· Follow our Twitter http://twitter.com/twiceuponatime1 = 1 point
· Flyer posted (ideas are community center, library, coffee shop, school, preschool, grocery store, Dr. office, waiting room) = 1 point for each Flyer Posted
· Join our Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=650299581&ref=profile#/pages/Draper-UT/Twice-Upon-a-Time-Baby-Sale/69236089166?ref=mf) = 1 Point
· Post the sale info somewhere on your personal blog = 1 point
· Send an email to your friends about the sale = 1 point
· Get an ad or press release placed in your church bulletin, local club newsletter, preschool handout, or printed in a newspaper. (or some other print ad) = 10 points
· Tell 3 of your friends and neighbors = 1 point

Cut and paste this and email to your friends!

Twice Upon a Time Baby Sale
When: April 3rd & 4th (9am –3pm Friday and 7:30am to Noon Saturday)
Where: South Mountain Community Church 12411 South 265 West, Suite A. Draper, UT 84020
What: Gently used children’s clothes sizes newborn to 5T, maternity clothes, baby gear (strollers, swings, etc.) and toys.CASH ONLY

Twice Upon a Time resale fundraiser

We are so excited to announce our first ever “Twice Upon a Time” resale fundraiser.

When: April 3rd & 4th
Please bring your donations to MOPS as soon as possible, but we will accept donations until April 2nd.
We will need lots of help, volunteer sign ups are at the back of room.
All volunteers get to go to pre-sale on Thursday April 2nd!
Details for donated items:
· Gently used items
· Newborn- 5T and maternity clothing
· Toys and baby gear
· Pin outfits together, so pieces don't get lost
· Shoes together in a zip lock bag
· If possible group your donations together by size (easier for sorting)
Items that we could really use to help with the sale:
· Tagging device (way to attach price tags to apparel)
· Extra plastic grocery bags that we can use at sale for checkout
Calculator that prints receipts

February 12th Meeting

You won't want to miss our panel style discussion on marriage. Orange and Blue tables don't forget that you have brunch....I'm hungry already.

Survival Mode

Holy moly! Its been a while since I've updated the blog. Ug, first it was the stomach flu that hit our house on Thanksgiving (at least we could eat as much as we wanted with no fear of weight gain!). Then colds, then the big Christmas flu fiasco, followed by just a regular cold and rounded out by another bout of stomach flu. Not to mention the shopping, holiday parties, and normal life in between.
I've noticed that the first thing to go by the wayside of regular life is service. The first thing I tend to do when I'm stressed with life is to it cut back on my volunteering, my trips to DI with donations, my visits to sick neighbors and friends with cookies or dinners, my posting on the MOPS blog. I call it "survival mode", its where the primary goal of the day is to make it through to the next day. If you have no idea what I'm talking about think about the first few weeks with a newborn when you are doing good to just get out of your PJ's, that's survival mode for me.
Then I'm slapped in the face with a little reality check like the upcoming Road Home project. While I'm whining about kids with runny noses, and too many holiday parties to attend; there is some mother out there that is fearful of whether her kids will have a warm place to stay, something to eat for the day, for safety. That is true survival mode. That makes having a newborn, the stomach flu, a full calendar, or the stress of my normal life seem so petty. My "survival mode" is actually someone's dream; to be warm, feed, safe, loved, and comforted. So I apologize for once again getting so wrapped up in the "stress" of my princess life to forget that its not that bad in fact it is that good. I'm so thankful for opportunities like the Road Home project to bring my perspective back down to earth.