Ready. Set. Mop! Er...I mean MOPS!!!

Ladies!  The 2011 year of MOPS will be starting Thursday, September 1st.  Our monthly meetings are on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.  The meetings are from 9:00am - 11:30am and held in the main auditorium of Faith Community Church on Kettleman Lane (by Target).

You are invited to a fun filled year with other Moms in the Lodi area.  We are all going through the same things you are going through.  It's a time to get together with friends, rejuvenate, take advantage of free childcare for 2 and a half hours and relax!

The MOPS Book Club is also starting back up.  The next Book Club meeting will be Monday, August 22nd at 7:00pm at Panera Bread.  The meetings will be held at the same time, same place, on the 4th Monday of every month.  Not a good reader?  No problem.  You can come to hear about the book that was read and sit and chat with the other moms.  ALL Moms are welcome!

Mom's Night Out will also be kicking back into gear on the 4th Thursday night of every month.  The next one will be on Thursday, September 22nd at 7:00pm at Panera Bread.  Come and kick up your feet, eat some yummy carbs, or just enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and revel in a night of female adult conversation!

For more MOPS 'get together' information, log on to our meetup site:  www.meetup.com/mopslodi

We hope to see you there!!

MOPS 2010

I joined an organization called MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) last year.  Unfortunately, due to the many family emergencies I had last year I missed quite a few meetings, but I always REALLY enjoyed attending the meeting and other get togethers.

It was my fellow MOPS moms (along with my family) who helped me survive the loss of my son Daniel this last January.  They were all so supportive and helpful.  I was overwhelmed!

This year I have chosen to be a "Table Leader" or "Discussion Leader" whichever title you prefer.  I will have 8 other moms at the table that I will be leading.  I am very excited about it.

I have to be honest...being a Table Leader was the LAST thing from my mind.  I knew I wanted to volunteer for a job this year but thought it would probably fall more along the lines of hospitality or crafts or some such thing.  I was praying about it and I really felt like God was telling me I needed to be a Table Leader.  NOT what I wanted to do.  Actually, I told my friend Autumn that I would do just about any other job that had a vacancy EXCEPT for table leader.  LOL!  As the saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh...just tell him your plans.".

I have overcome my anxiety (for the most part) of this job and am now simply anxiously awaiting the MOPS first meeting.  I can't wait to meet the moms I will be involved with and I can't wait to make even more new and fantastic friends.

As a new stay-at-home mom last year, I really fell into the habit of doing nothing for myself.  I was so emphatic about being a good homemaker, wife and mother that I forgot to be "me".  I joined MOPS just to get me out of the house for a little bit.  I was hoping this would help me not maul my husband first thing when he walked through the door as he would be the only other adult I would speak with all day!  I knew I was losing it and I needed help.  And lucky for me, MOPS was just the place for me to obtain that help.

It was nice to speak with other mothers and realize I am not alone in my fears, doubts, solitude and other eccentricities I had accrued.  I also learned many helpful parenting and wifery techniques along the way.

Any stay-at-home mother of a child from mere pregnancy to age 5, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting a group near you.  They are a nation-wide group and I would imagine there is one not too far from where you reside.  It would be worth the look...