MOPS at VUMC

Orbiting Meeting

2009-10-27T14:43:00.001-07:00

Wow, was today a great meeting or what??? A huge thanks to Corrie and Joie for finding so many fun things for us to orbit to.

Another kudos goes to the Moppet workers who brave the costume parade. It was such fun to see all the kiddos in their costumes.

October Newsletter and Calendar...

2009-10-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, but here are the October newsletter and calendar links.

Don't forget to check out MOPS on Facebook and SCV Mom's Blog!

Newsletter

Calendar

September Newsletter and Calendar

2009-09-14T22:33:00.001-07:00

Hey ladies,

You can check out the VUMC MOPS newsletter and calendar online!

Click HERE for the September newsletter (PDF version)
Click HERE for the September newsletter (issuu version)

Click HERE for the September/October 2009 calendar (PDF)

More Mentor Mom Tips...

2009-09-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

In the newsletter you will find two Back-to-School tips from our Mentor Moms, but they had lots more to share with us. Please enjoy a few more bits of their wisdom:

Diane Schmidt from the South America table:

My favorite back to school tradition and tip has to be breakfast time. Even if I feel rushed I try to be calm on the outside. One boy just wants to eat and read the sports and doesn't talk. I try to give him the hug of welcome. I don't expect a reaction. My other son is a talker- everything about the day or sometimes important stuff. He doesn't eat as much but drinks tons- 2 tall glasses of water, 1 tall of milk and orange juice. When I run out of OJ it seems to throw him a little. He doesn't talk as much at the end of the day, focuses on homework more than events. Get to know those kids of yours and it is easier for you to adapt to them. It actually is more fun to throw a curve, especially April 1st.

Suzanne Bowman from the Australia table:
(This piece of advice is actually passed down from Suzanne's Mom!)

Write the teacher(s) - handwritten for early years, email for older grades - simply offering the teacher your support as well as sharing a teeny bit about your child's interests, learning style, idiosyncrasies or habits or anything that you think the teacher may want to know that will help your child excel in school.

Make it a light, friendly note and include your phone number and email if they ever need to get in touch with you.

Welcome back!!

2009-09-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hello ladies! We are so excited that you are back to join us in sisterhood for another year. Our blog is the spot where you can find past newsletters, our event calendar, and lots of other exciting information. Check back regularly so you don't miss anything!!

Sincerely,
The MOPS Communications Team:
Lisa, Christine, Suzanne and Heather

August newsletter

2009-08-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Newsletter for the MOPS Moms of VUMC

August 2009

Hello MOPS Mommies!

Summer seems to be a time for reunions, whether it’s elementary, high school, college or even a family. I was invited to attend two separate reunions, but did not have the opportunity to attend either, but just the thought of a reunion took me back to those "glorious" days. I thought of my "best" friends and how important each of them were in my life. Then I thought of my "best" friends in my life now and how I would be lost without them. I thought of how much my life has changed in the last 10 and even 20 years and how different I am as a person. A new church, a new neighborhood, MOPS and children have changed who I spend my time with. Since my children have been born, I have invested time in relationships with people who are right there with me: in church, in school and in the trenches of motherhood. I've found that the bonds I am forming with my girlfriends now are just as special as those during elementary, high school and college.

Have your circles of friends changed? Have you changed? As you reflect on how your relationships have changed, you'll think of how your physical appearance has changed, your family has grown, your home has changed, your friends have changed, even your relationship with God has changed. The foundation of being Together on Planet Mom is that God is with us and we are created for relationship with him and each other. We are created to ―"do life" together. The more we draw together in community, the better we are able to thrive as women and moms. This life together is underlined in our theme verse for the year, where Jesus promises: ―"For where two or three come together ... there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20)

Remember God did not put us on this planet to raise our children alone! He gave us our husbands, our extended family, our friends, and yes...our girlfriends! So don't spend the last days of summer trying to figure out what to do or who to do it with. Call on your fellow MOPS Mommies, it only takes two or three mommies!

Blessings to you,

Corrie and Joie

Registration

Letters with registration paperwork have been sent to all returning members and to many new Moms as well! If you haven’t received yours, please contact Amy Young at A77young@ca.rr.com.

If you have friends who would like information, please refer them to the church (VUMC) as they have extra paperwork on hand.

Photo Directory news

We will be publishing our photo directory in October, so our Communications team will be taking photos of our new moms or re-taking pictures for any of you who didn’t like yours from last year. Please come to the first few meetings looking gorgeous and ready for a picture. J

We are also including the business directory in the back of the photo directory. If you are a Mommy with a home-based business, please e-mail Heather Ippolito at hippolito@gmail.com with your business information. Our members will be excited to learn about what discounts or special offers MOPS moms get from you!

Leadership Positions still Open

We are still in need of a few helpers on the leadership team. There are openings in Moppets and Communications teams. You know you’ve been thinking about joining a team, so now is the time!! Contact Joie or Corrie for more information about Moppets, or Heather Ippolito if you are interested in joining the communication team.

Helpers needed

We have two events that will require some Mommy power behind them. Please pray on it and see if your gift of gab or organization can be used to help our MOPS sisters.

Block Party—In an effort to encourage Mommies living near VUMC to join our MOPS group we will be participating in a block party at the church. We would like to ask some of our current and past members to help us work our booth. If you are available on Sunday, August 16 to take a shift during the 4-7 p.m. event, please contact Corrie (clilnibes@aol.com) or Joie (jroc1174@aol.com). Let's welcome some new MOPS sisters with open arms!

Antiquities-- We will once again be hosting the Antiquities photography fundraiser. It is a great fundraiser for our group where we organize time slots for darling vintage pictures of our kids. We will need many volunteers to do lots of different things—prior to and on the days of the event. This will be held Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17^th, with the possibility of extending it to Friday the 15^th if we have enough participation. If you are a great organizer—we can use your talent! Please contact either Joie or Corrie for more details.

Hospitality Wish List

We are looking for following donations for our Meetings:

Tea bags - green tea, black teas, herb teas

Sugar packets

Splenda, Equal or other non sugar sweeteners

Ball point pens

If you have any of these items please contact our hospitality chair, Lucy Beasley, at lucy_beasley@yahoo.com

Calendar of Events:

August 5—Wendy Pohl hosts a pool day at Fair Oaks Ranch Community Pool 17554 Dove Willow Street Canyon Country, CA 91387. 10 a.m. to when the kids (or the moms) get tired. Bring Swim Suits / Towels / Snacks or Lunch / Drinks / Sunscreen / etc. (FYI: It's a Jr. Olympic sized pool with a Waterplay Area & also there is playground near by.) Please call or e-mail Wendy to RSVP: wljazzi@earthlink.net or 251-8226.

Directions if needed (by freeway)

Take the I-5 SOUTH toward LOS ANGELES

Merge onto 14 Freeway NORTH towards PALMDALE

Exit VIA PRINCESSA

Turn RIGHT onto VIA PRINCESSA

Turn LEFT at LOST CANYON ROAD

Turn RIGHT at WINTER PINE WAY

Turn RIGHT at BEECH WILLOW LANE

Turn RIGHT at DOVE WILLOW STREET

Go to end of road and turn left up driveway to Fair Oaks Ranch Community Pool

August 11—Tara Johannesen is hosting a pool day. Please contact her for details at TRITCHMAN@YAHOO.COM or 263-1368.

August 27—Beach Day at Marina Park in Ventura. Colleen Rosales is inviting us to join her and Lucas for a day of fun at this beach that also has a park with a kids play area. For details or to RSVP Contact Colleen at colleen6819@sbcglobal.net or 702-0209.

Thanks to Wendy Pohl and Mindy Cope, we were also informed about some other family events around town:

Orange County Fair

Date: July 10 - August 9, 2009

Time: Friday to Sunday 10am to midnight; Tuesday to Thursday noon to midnight (closed Mondays)

KIDS FREE THURSDAYS ~ Kids 12 & under receive FREE admission every Thursday. Valid all day

Address: 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.

Website: http://www.ocfair.com/

Ventura County Fair

Date: August 5th - August 16, 2009

Time: 11am to 10pm daily

Youth Day ~ Friday, August 7th - All Children 12 years of age & younger will be admitted free all day)
Dollar Days ~ Wed. August 5 & Wed. August 12th - Entry to the Fair is $1.00 'til 3:00pm

Address: 10 W. Harbor Blvd. Ventura, CA, 93001

Website: http://venturacountyfair.org/pages/3441/

Antelope Valley Fair

Date: August 20 - August 30, 2009

Time: Weekdays 4pm to 1am; Sat. noon to 1am/Sun noon to 12pm

Kids Day Monday ~ Aug. 24th, kids 12 & under FREE admission. Opens at 4:00pm.
Carnival Happy Hours good for ALL ages from 4pm - 7pm, ALL rides & games $1.00 each.

Address: 2551 W. Avenue H Lancaster, CA 93536

Wedsite: http://www.avfair.com/

Los Angeles County Fair

Date: September 5th - 7th then ~ September 9th - October 4, 2009

Time: Mon. - Thurs. 11am to 10pm; Fri. 11am to midnight; Sat. 10am to midnight; Sunday 10 to 10pm

Labor Day Weekend ~ Sept. 5th - 7th 10:00 am - 1:00 pm only - Admission Only $1.00

A Day for Heroes ~ Fri. Sept. 11th, Military, Police, Fire & Paramedics, with ID, along with one guest can attend the Fair for $1.00 (which will be donated to the local & national disaster relief fund)

Address: 1101 W. McKinley Ave. Pomona, CA 91768

Website: http://www.fairplex.com/2009/

Avocado Festival
Date: October 2 - October 4, 2009
Times: Fri 4-9pm; Sat 10am-9pm; Sun 10am-6pm
Address: Carpinteria & Linden Ave, Carpinteria, CA.
Website: http://www.avofest.com/
The Avocado Festival has evolved into one of the largest festivals in California with three days of fabulous food, terrific music, and great family fun.

Recess Monkey from Seattle

Date: August 15 and 16, 2009

A children’s music group (and friends of the Cope family) will be performing at the Getty on August 15 and 16. Check out the Getty website for more details http://www.getty.edu/visit/calendar/days/08152009.html

MOPS of VUMC has a blog AND we’re on Facebook….

Don’t forget to check us out on-line.

All of our summer newsletters are on our blog and as we get closer to our first meeting there will be many more exciting things posted there, so check it often! http://vumcmops.blogspot.com/

You can also find our group on Facebook—search for “MOPS of VUMC” and join the group. All of our meeting dates are in the calendar on the page, we have a marketplace for Mommy-home-based businesses, and it’s a great place to connect with your sisters!

If you need any help accessing either of these, please contact Heather Ippolito.

Happy 4th of July!!

2009-07-04T23:17:00.001-07:00

To all my MOPS sisters,

Have a wonderful holiday weekend! Be safe!!!

Love,
The Communications Team and all of Leadership!

July newsletter

2009-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

MOPS July Newsletter

Hello MOPS Sisters!

As our friend Tracy Klehn writes - "The first step in making a daisy chain is to go outside...that's where the flowers are!" We have enjoyed seeing some of you at our MOPS summer play dates and watching friendships grow, new ones begin and welcoming some new mommies to our group! You are well on your way to creating that daisy chain of friendship.

Summer is officially here and we hope you are finding time to enjoy and build memories with your family! Your Leadership Team has been busy praying and planning in preparation for our 2009-2010 year and it is exciting to see God working in our group in a number of ways. We can't wait to see the awesome things in store for us as we learn Together on Planet Mom!

Don't be afraid to call one of your MOPS sisters just to chat, plan a play date or girly lunch! It is through "going outside" that you will find your rewards! We look forward to seeing you throughout the summer as our sisters open their homes for swim dates or host a park play date -- don't forget to check out Crocodile Dock VBS at VUMC July 20-24! You can find out all of the scoop as well as other summer events happening with MOPS and VUMC at www.umcv.org or http://vumcmops.blogspot.com/

"I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Rev 3:20

Blessings for a sisterhood summer!

Corrie and Joie

Positions Open for the Fall:

Ladies we still need some help with the following teams—Moppets, Communications, and Hospitality. If you are interested please contact the team leader or Joie and Corrie.

Registration Update:
Several of you were asking about the fees for next year so you can budget—so here they are:

Mom only-$65

Mom + 1 kid-$80

Mom + 2 kids-$90

Mom + 3 kids-$100

The first child is $15.00 with the $65.00 Mom fee. Each additional child is $10.00.

Amy Young will be mailing the packets on July 25th. If you have not received them by July 30^th contact Amy via email a77young@ca.rr.com or call her at 775-1413.

July Events:

July 8—11 a.m.-2 p.m. Pool play date at Corrie Nibarger’s house: 26066 Bates Place Stevenson Ranch. RSVP to Corrie for directions and further instructions.

July 14—9:30 a.m. Ferris Wheel Friends Reunion at Todd Longshore Park in Canyon Country. We hope to see lots of Moms and kids there—Ferris Wheel Friends met in room 2 with Miss Sarah and Miss Ann, but all kiddos are welcome!!! Please send Heather an e-mail so I know to look for you.

July 16—10- a.m. Santa Barbara Zoo Trip. Meet in front of the zoo at 10 a.m. Please let Heather Ippolito know if you can attend.

July 21— 10 a.m. Village Homes North community pool date hosted by Genia Roberts and Lisa Howard. RSVP to the girls for more specifics.

July 28—9:30 a.m. Roller Coaster Racers Reunion at Valencia Heritage Park in Valencia. Roller Coaster Racers were in room 1 with Miss Sandy and Miss Marge and Miss Mary. We hope to see lots of friends—all are welcome! Please let Heather know if you’re coming so I can look for you.

Fun Family Adventures:

Pandora Estrada who is going to be an amazing table leader next year e-mailed me some great suggestions of things to do near the SCV. I will post it to the blog, but if you would like it e-mailed to you please drop me a line at hippolito@gmail.com

VUMC Vacation Bible School (VBS) July 20-24:

It's VBS registration time....your kids will LOVE this week -- come join us at the "dock" Where Fearless Kids Shine God's Light!!!
Perfect timing for a great week in the middle of the summer!
Ages 3 (potty-trained) thru 6th grade will enjoy this energetic week!
New this year -- 5th and 6th graders will have their very own special activities which will keep them fully engaged in a new way throughout the week!!!

Registration is as easy as a Steamboat Whistling or a Fiddle Fiddling -- just click this link http://www.umcv.org/events.html, print, fill out and send to the church with payment to:
VUMC
28716 McBean Pkwy
Valencia CA 91381

Did your lantern light up????

Any questions -- please contact Michelle Andrews at 661-255-1301

Fun Things to do near Santa Clarita

2009-06-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Picking - Underwood Family Farms - Somis, CA - May 23-mid July - 9am-2pm

Cherry Picking - Leona Valley, CA June 6,7,13,14 - call 661-266-7116

Griffith Observatory - Free Star Parties - 5/2, 5/30, 6/27, 8/29, 9/26, 10/24, 11/21, and 12/19

Hollywood Bowl - Summer Sounds For Kids - $7 for adults/kids for show - $5 kids only art before or after performance - fills up FAST! 3 programs

Ford Theatre - July 4-Aug 29 - free kids concerts and workshops - $5 adults and $1 parking - have to order tix.

Ventura County Fair - August 5-16 - Dollar Days Aug 5/12 ($1 admission) - Fri, Aug 7, all kids under 12 are free

Disney Concert Hall - four-concert Saturday series with workshops - 10-11am workshop - 11am-12 concert - $80 for series of four per person/child. Oct 17- April 17

Peach Picking - Tyler Family Farmers - Lancaster, CA - Sept/Oct

Free Movies - Every Tues and Wed during summer at 10am - regmovies.com

Avocado Festival -Carpenteria, CA - Oct 2-4

Gilroy Garlic Festival - Gilroy, CA - July 24-26

Always Free Things to Do

California African American Museum - Exposition Park, Downtown Los Angeles - California Science Center, Exposition Park, Downtown Los Angeles - $6 parking

UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History - Los Angeles

The Getty Center - Brentwood, Los Angeles

The Getty Villa - Pacific Palisades

Hollywood Bowl Museum

The Los Angeles Fire Department Museum - Hollywood - only open Saturdays 10-4

MOCA Pacific Design Center - West Hollywood

Museum of Television and Radio - Beverly Hills

Muckenthaler Cultural Center - Fullerton

The Nethercutt Collection and Nethercutt Museum - Sylmar

Santa Monica Museum of Art - suggested $5 donation - Santa Monica

STARS Center Sheriff's Museum - 11515 Colima Rd. at Telegraph Rd., Whittier

Weekly Free Museum Days

Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology - Claremont - free Wednesdays

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) - downtown Los Angeles - free every Thursday from 5 to 8 pm

MOCA Geffen Contemporary - downtown Los Angeles - free every Thursday from 5 to 8 pm

Skirball Cultural Center - free Thursdays noon - 9 pm

UCLA Hammer Museum - every Thursday

Japanese American National Museum - Little Tokyo - Los Angeles - every Thursday 5 to 8 pm, and 3rd Thursday all day

Free Every Friday

Long Beach Museum of Art - free Friday

Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach - Free on Fridays, check website for Free Family Sundays

Bowers Museum, Santa Ana - Free for the first 100 visitors per hour on Fridays from 4 to 8 pm

Monthly Free Museum Days

George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits - Los Angeles - free the first Tuesday of the month

Natural History Museum, Exposition Park - downtown Los Angeles - free the first Tuesday of the month

Craft and Folk Art Museum - Mid Wilshire - Museum Row - Los Angeles - first Wednesday

Huntington Library - Collections and Botanical Gardens - Pasadena - free first Thursday of the month - free advance tickets required - available beginning the 1st of the preceding month (i.e. August 1 for September 6)

Norton Simon Museum - Pasadena - 1st Fridays from 6 to 9 pm

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) - Mid-Wilshire, Museum Row, Los Angeles - 2nd Tuesday - check for other sponsored free days - NEXGEN program is membership for kids under 18 for free - the adult who brings them gets in free, too - www.lacma.org/programs/NexGenKids.aspx

Autry National Center: Museum of the American West in Griffith Park - Los Angeles - the 2nd Tuesday of the month

Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden - free every 3rd Tuesday of the month

Japanese American National Museum - Little Tokyo - Los Angeles - 3rd Thursday all day

Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena - 4th Friday

One more summer activity to add to your calendar...

2009-06-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Cherry picking next Friday June 19th at 10 a.m. If you want to go let Heather Ippolito know. It is located at 9300 Leona Avenue Leona Valley, CA 93551. Cash only-- $3.25 per pound of cherries you pick. Ron, Libi and I hope to see lots of you there!

June newsletter

2009-05-27T22:19:00.001-07:00

Hello MOPS Mommies!! We hope your summer thus far has been fun and relaxing! Here are a few notes from the new leadership team and the calendar of June events. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the leadership team member directly!

Thanks!

Leadership Team for 2009-2010

Co-Chairs: Corrie Nibarger 253-1121

Joie Fried 775-0699

Membership: Amy Young 775-1413

Group Leader: Laura Young 309-6532

Finance Leader: Wendy Pohl 251-8226

Hospitality Leader: Lucy Beasley 255-0713

Communication Leader: Heather Ippolito 252-1425

Prayer and Care Leader: Michelle Jones 284-2564

Service Leader: Myra Gibson 222-7405

Craft Queen: Sabina Kosek 513-0599

Mentor Mom Leader: Kari Dahlquist 263-0973

Moppet Coordinator: THIS POSITION IS STILL OPEN

A Message from Prayer and Care Chair, Michelle Jones:

If anyone has prayer needs over the summer, feel free to email Michelle at mjonesharp@earthlink.net. We are happy to support you in prayer during our summer break.

A note from Amy Young—Membership Chair:

Join us in the fall for another amazing year of sisterhood. Registration information will be mailed out on July 25, 2009. Please make sure it is returned by August 8, 2009.

If you have a friend that would like to be added to the mailing list for fall registration please contact Amy Young at 775-1413 or a77young@ca.rr.com

A message from Heather Ippolito and the Communications Team:

In an effort to try to improve our communication we have a few newer things we would like to share with you.

First of all, for those of you on Facebook we have a MOPS of VUMC group. On the group there are discussion questions, a marketplace, and soon there will be a calendar of events. The marketplace is the perfect area to advertise your business or to sell or trade those items that the kids have outgrown. To access the group, just search for MOPS of VUMC and it should pop up—if not, please contact either Heather Ippolito or Suzanne Collins!

Secondly, our blog at http://vumcmops.blogspot.com/ is full of summer-time information. The entire summer calendar is posted as well as vacation Bible school information and all of the summer newsletters will be there.

If you are away for the summer, but want to feel connected, we hope

these two communication tools will help! If you have any questions or suggestions for us, please let Heather know!

June Events:

June 1—10 a.m. Los Angeles Zoo Trip. Meet in front of the zoo at 10 a.m. We will spend the morning visiting our animal friends. Heather Ippolito is coordinating this event—please RSVP so she knows to look for you.

June 2—9 a.m. Oaklane Townhomes Pool hosted by Nicola Foley. Please bring towels, sunscreen, favorite pool toys etc. There is a bathroom/shower and plenty of tables and chairs on site. Nicola will supply refreshments and snack—please RSVP to njfoley@sbcglobal.net so Nicola knows how much to bring.

Directions from VUMC:

Left of McBeanLeft on Orchard Village. Left on Wiley (Or it might be called Via Princessa). Left on Oakridge. Left on Oaklane (1st left and only left you can make). Gate code is 4008.Parking is marked visitor and is in green, however all parking is a free for all during the day (you can park in any spot).

June 9—9:30 a.m. Snow Cone Sippers Reunion at Valencia Glen Park. All former Moppets (especially those from room 6) are invited to a park day! Bring your hats, sunscreen, drinks and snacks and we’ll see you at Valencia Glen Park. Let Heather Ippolito know if you’re coming!

Directions from VUMC:

Go South on McBean Parkway until you read Orchard Village Road. Go left on Orchard Village. Make the first left turn you can onto Via Gavola. Follow the street until it ends in a cul-de-sac and you will see the park on the right. The address is 23750 Via Gavola.

June 11—10 a.m. Carpenteria Beach Trip hosted by Sabina Kosek. For more information and details about where to meet for this trip, please call Sabina directly at 661-309-3349.

June 15—10 a.m. Disneyland Trip. Meet in front of the castle at 10 a.m. We have to visit the Magic Kingdom at least once this summer, don’t we?? This is an open day for every type of passport, so we hope to see lots of folks there! Heather Ippolito it organizing the trip, so be sure to call her when you get into the park (661) 755-7585!

June 23—9:30 a.m. Bumper Car Buddies Reunion at Valencia Heritage Park. It’s time for another Moppet reunion! This is primarily for kids from room 4, but all are welcome!! Bring your hats, sunscreen, drinks and snacks and join in the fun! Give Heather Ippolito a jingle if you can come!

Directions from VUMC:

Go North on McBean Parkway. Turn left at Newhall Ranch Road. You will see a driveway very soon on your right, turn in here and park. The address is: 24155 Newhall Ranch Road.

June 30—10:30 a.m. Northbridge Pool hosted by Laura Young. Bring your own food and drinks. No floaties are allowed in the big pool but there is a nice size baby pool. plenty of shade and picnic tables. No RSVP necessary
Directions from VUMC:
Take McBean to Fairview - turn right onto Fairview. Follow to Grandview. Pool located at the corner of Grandview and Fairview. Park in the parking lot.
Laura will let you in with a key, her cell is 661 755 3892

Vacation Bible School...

2009-05-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hello ladies,
Many of you were asking for VBS information so I've placed it on our Facebook page and here in the blog. Hope you find it helpful!

Family VBS is the week of June 15th, 6:30pm - 8:30pm. This one is for the whole family (Recommended for Pre-K and older, but all are welcome) and is a hands-on journey into the Bible. Registration is open through May 31st and cost is $50/family.

VBS is the week of July 20th, 9:00am - 12:15pm. This year's theme is: "Crocodile Rock: Where Fearless Kids Shine God's Light". Registration will be June 14th - July 12th. Cost is $40/1st child, $35/additional children from the same family. Adults who volunteer to help for the whole week get half off of the registration fee.

Summer Activities...

2009-05-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

MOPS Summer Calendar

May 19—10 a.m. Santa Clarita Park Play date hosted by Joie Fried.

May 22—7:30 p.m. Robin Hood Movie Night at the Ippolito House 18502 More Court Canyon Country

May 26—9:30 a.m. Carousel Cutie and Tea Cup Tot Reunion at Fair Oaks Park

June 1—10 a.m. Los Angeles Zoo Trip. Meet in front of the zoo at 10 a.m.

June 2—9 a.m. Oaklane Townhomes Pool hosted by Nicola Foley.

June 9—9:30 a.m. Snow Cone Sippers Reunion at Valencia Glen Park

June 11—10 a.m. Carpenteria Beach Trip hosted by Sabine Kosek.

June 15—10 a.m. Disneyland Trip. Meet in front of the castle at 10 a.m.

June 23—9:30 a.m. Bumper Car Buddies Reunion at Valencia Heritage Park

June 30—10:30 a.m. Northbridge Pool hosted by Laura Young.

July 8—11 a.m.-2 p.m. Pool play date at Corrie Nibarger’s house 26066 Bates Place Stevenson Ranch.

July 14—9:30 a.m. Ferris Wheel Friends Reunion at Todd Longshore Park

July 16—10- a.m. Santa Barbara Zoo Trip. Meet in front of the zoo at 10 a.m.

July 21— 10 a.m. Village Homes North community pool date hosted by Genia Roberts and Lisa Howard

July 28—9:30 a.m. Roller Coaster Racers Reunion at Valencia Heritage Park

August 4—10 a.m. Fair Oaks Ranch Community Pool Day hosted by Wendy Phol

August 11—10 a.m. Creekside Community Pool hosted by Tara Johannsen

August 27—10 a.m. Beach Day at Marina Park in Ventura. This is a park as well as a beach so for those who may not like the sand, they can hang out on the grass and there is a nice kids play area too

Almost the end...

2009-04-27T19:12:00.001-07:00

Hello MOPS families! We are nearing the end of our year together. Today the children will begin working on a super secret craft which they will unveil to you after our final meeting May 12. Please don't ask them about it and spoil the surprise!!!

Our book for today was Weird Parents by Audrey Wood.
As summer approaches we are sometimes overwhelmed by the thought of how to fill their summer days. Here are a few ideas of things to do with the kids to keep all of you smiling!!!

I have found a great group (thanks to former MOPS Mommy Andrea Pohlot!) It's called Mommy Adventure Club and it is run by an honest to goodness stay at home mom who wanted to do things in L.A. that were fun for her as well as her kids. She organizes trips all over-- some that cost while others are free, but the real treasure on her site is the list of 101 things to do in L.A. with kids. I have been amazed at some of the things on this list that I never knew existed-- I am hoping to get to all 101 myself!

People know that I love all things Disney and the Disney company has some amazing travel suggestions throughout California.

I believe I have mentioned this site before (this site even puts the calendar on the side of our blog) but I love Go City Kids! They have all sorts of resources for daily activities all around Southern California. From simple things like story times at libraries and free food nights to concerts and special museum or theme park exhibits-- this site has it all!

We will be having room reunions during the summer so that your child can reconnect with friends from their room. Please check the clipboards for the dates and locations of these reunions. I will try to send out reminder e-mails, but my Mommy brain kicks in during the heat of the summer :)

As this is our last blog entry for this year, I hope that you all have a wonderful summer! It has been my pleasure serving as the Moppet Coordinator and I look forward to seeing many of you next year!

Better late than never...

2009-04-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took awhile to get this up, but finally I'm getting caught up.

The kids read the darling book A Frog Thing We did a Spring Cleaning craft today-- we put out all of our bits and pieces from old crafts and let the kids imagination run wild. Some kids left with one completed craft while others left with many!!!

It is hard to imagine that we only have two more meetings left. In next weeks blog look for some summer ideas to do with your kids.

Happy Spring!

Spring is here!!!!

2009-03-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Since we had a free day today, so did the kids! They were able to play, color and blow bubbles to their hearts content. There was no book today because I didn't want our Mom's to miss out on their fun!

I do have some recommendations for bubble themed books though that I'd like to share with you:

Pop! A Book About Bubbles-- this answers any questions little ones may have about how bubbles work.

Bubbles, Bubbles-- this is more of a bathtime book. The darling little girl in it creates things out of the bubbles in her tub like a bubble wig.

Bubble Riding-- this was going to be our story of the day. It has amazing pictures and is designed to lower stress and increase creativity in kids. It is almost a meditation for the kids-- very fun!

As the weather gets nicer, don't forget to spend some time blowing bubbles with the kids. We are sending the kids home with bags full of bubble blowing fun for the whole family. Enjoy!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2009-03-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Today the children were visited by a leprechaun who hid treasure for them to find! We hope that they enjoyed their pots of gold (and other treasures) as well as the Lucky Charms cereal!!!

The kids were treated to the book Jack and the Leprechaun by Ivan Robertson.It is a very sweet story about an American mouse who goes to visit his family in Ireland and they teach him all about this fun holiday.

To get you into the Irish spirit this week, I'll share some St. Pat's ideas with you!

In the week leading up to the big day why not try watching some movies to get you in the spirit. This site has YouTube clips from the top 10 movies-- some of which are intended for older audiences.

Leprechauns are quite tiny-- try this game where the kids have to find tiny objects that the little sprites left behind!

For those of us who are not up on the reasons behind the symbols of the holiday you can check out this site that tells you the origin of shamrocks, leprechauns, Blarney Stones, and more!

To continue last meetings theme of cooking with the kids, try to make rainbow Jello or Irish soda bread.

The music teacher in me would like you to incorporate some of these songs into your holiday celebration. Many of them are to tunes you already know like I'm a Little Teapot and BINGO.

I hope that you find your own pot of gold this St. Patrick's day!

Happy National Pancake Day!!!!

2009-02-21T15:29:00.000-08:00

I hope that you and your family get to go to IHOP for your free stack of pancakes today! We celebrated this fun day with the kids in many different ways.

The kids in rooms 1 and 2 read the book Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie de Paola....actually they didn't read it they told the story. You see this is a picture book about a woman who wakes up and wants pancakes for breakfast. She finds that she doesn't have all of the ingredients so she goes to get them. We asked the kids to tell us the story after looking at the pictures.

The rest of the kiddos read If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff.
They all made a fabulous breakfast magnet for your fridge complete with eggs, bacon and PANCAKES!!! We hope that it will make you smile when you see it.

Today I thought I would talk to you about cooking with the kids. Yes, I know that it is sometimes more hassle than fun but there are so many skills that they gain by spending time helping you in the kitchen.

Math skills, confidence, spacial recognition, and an increased desire to try different foods are all good things that come from cooking with kids. The biggest drawbacks are safety issues and an increase in clean-up-- but these are minor when you look at all they get out of it!

I have several cookbooks for little ones that I love!

Paula Deen's My First Cookbook is colorful, easy to read and simple to follow. The only problem is that all of the pictures are hand drawn, so yours won't look quite like the pictures.

For those Sesame Street fans out there we have Big Block Party. It is a storybook with recipes in the end. The best thing about this book is that you can prepare the food then read the book and eat along with the story! I don't know of any kid who wouldn't want to eat Oscar's Delicious Cups of Dirt!

The Toddler Cookbook is designed just for 3 and 4 year olds. They have pictures for each step of the recipe with real-life kid chefs cooking the recipes. The recipes are simple with very few ingredients and many of them are very healthful. It is written by Annabel Karmel and she has an amazing website with videos and other kid/food information.

My last reccomendation is Kid Favorites Made Healthy. This is a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook with over 150 recipes that kids love. Libi and I recently made the banana bread and it was gone in a flash-- very yummy! Many of the recipes have pictures, but the best feature of this book is the nutritional information for every recipe-- great if you are doing Weight Watchers or counting calories!

I hope these ideas have inspired you to get in the kitchen with the kids. I know you will make yummy recipes and lasting memories together!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Today the children will get some love from our workers in the form of a fun craft, great story, and Valentine's sugar cookies.

The Very Special Valentine by Christine Tagg pictures by Maggie Kneen was our story.
The kids made fabulous sunglasses and cases for their Valentine's wardrobe.I know that Joie and others are looking for some easy and inexpensive Valentine's ideas-- so here are some I found. Enjoy!

Start the day with heart shaped muffins and pink milk. When you bake your muffins use cupcake papers and put a marble between the paper and the baking tray to make them heart shaped. Add red food coloring to your milk to make it pink-- very festive!

Play some Valentine's dominoes at home. This is a great game for all ages... very easy to play!

For lunch, cut everything into heart shapes-- your sandwiches, fruit, jello, cookies-- just use a cookie cutter.

Who doesn't like Bingo... especially a Valentine's themed one? You can use conversation hearts as place makers and then eat them for dessert!

I found a cute site with Valentine's on a dime ideas. My favorite was take your hubby to a bookstore-- browse and enjoy the silence. This sounds way better to me than getting dressed up and going to a crowded restaurant!

I know that our group is all about Moms, but I found a great article for Dads. Send your husband to this site and help him get some really fun Valentine's ideas for you and the kids!

After the kids are in bed and you are snuggling in for the night, pull out this silly Mad Lib. Ask your hubby for his words then read your silly love letter.

Whatever you do, I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Happy Inauguration Day!!!

2009-01-19T20:48:00.000-08:00

Hello MOPS families! Today we celebrate an important day for America-- the peaceful transition of power from one leader to another. It only happens every four years, so we are celebrating in the Moppet rooms!

Today the kids heard the story "If I Were President" by Catherine Stier. She has some really great activities that go along with this story in addition to other works she's had published!The kids made a patriotic craft for your home today. You can either display it now, wait until 4th of July, or keep it up all year long!

If you have a little artist in your family, you might want to visit this site that has printable coloring pages for President Obama's Inaguration.

If that wasn't enough crafting I found another site that has a biography of our new president in addition to a paper plate craft idea (not the one we did in class), and some more pages to print.

For the history buffs out there, Our White House offers some great things to read for kids to explain about inaugurations in general and Obama's specifically.

Finally for those of you who want to go really over the top-- try hosting your own Inaugural Ball tonight for dinner. Serve your meal on your best china, dress up in your fanciest clothes, and then dance the night away. It would be a fun memory for all of you :)

Happy Holidays Part 2...

2008-12-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well it's hard to believe that our first semester of Moppets is over. We have had a great time with the kids this fall and we're super excited to welcome them back in January!

Today the kids read the book God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa T. Bergren.

Lisa Tawn Bergren writes amazing spiritual books for both adults and kids. Be sure to check out her latest book How Big is God, it will help you answer some of your little ones questions about God.

The children finished up their gifts for you as well today. They wrapped them up and made cards-- but no peeking until Christmas morning :)

Due to the rain, the children were not on the soggy yard today. During the time they would have normally been on the yard they were watching Christmas cartoons. Their snack was holiday cookies, we apologize in advance for their sugar high.

As promised in the last installment this week I'll give you some New Year's traditions that your family might want to try. Enjoy!

1. Have the kids record an end-of-the year talk show. Interview them to ask about their accomplishments from the past year.

2. Check out how they celebrate New Years in other locations around the world. Try out one of their traditions-- who knows, it might be one you keep from year to year.

3. Forecast the future. Ask each person in the family to write down a question they have about the coming year (What will be the top news story of the year? How many goals will Hayden make this year? etc.) Then have each person in the family write down an answer to the question. Seal these away until New Years 2010-- break them open and see who was closest!

4. Make January 1 a "Day of Firsts". Try a new food, style your hair a new way, go to a new park you've never been to. See how many firsts you can cram into one day!

5. Make a memory jar for 2009. Take an empty jar or box, a pad of paper, and pens and put them in a place that your family can easily access. During the course of 2009 write down any nice thing that happens (a new puppy, a good grade on a report card, Grandma coming to town) and the date. On New Year's Eve 2010 you can review all the nice things that happened during the year.

6. If you have little ones who can't wait up until midnight, why not celebrate at noon? Do the whole countdown and drop your own ball--- maybe a basketball or football! Then there's no pressure to stay up and everyone can stick to their bedtime schedule!

7. Make pancakes in the number shapes for the new year. How fun would it be to wake up on January 1st to 2009 pancakes?

8. On New Year's Eve have the family decorate a box and place it in a central place in your home. Throughout the year as you go to the movies, school programs, Disneyland etc. place a small memento from the occasion in your box. At the end of the year you will be able to relive all of the wonderful adventures your family has had.

No matter what you do, I hope you have a wonderfully safe holiday!!!!

Happy Holidays Part 1....

2008-11-30T15:56:00.001-08:00

Today we begin part one of our two part holiday series. The children were read the story A Small One about the donkey who helps Mary and Joseph get to the inn to have baby Jesus. I can't tell you about the craft because it's a surprise-- you'll find out on Christmas day.

There is also a video that tells this story-- you can find it on many DVD compilations like Classic Cartoon Favorites, Vol. 9 - Classic Holiday Stories sold at Target or Amazon.com.

Holiday crafts are a dime a dozen, so instead of giving you links to craft sites I thought I might share with you some traditions that might be fun for your family.

Try sleeping one night under the Christmas tree or having a picnic under the tree if you can't be away from a cozy bed.

Wrap up holiday books and have the kids unwrap one every night as their bedtime story.

Bake cookies then take them to neighbors houses or a retirement home.

Choose a family and secretly give them gifts representing the 12 Days of Christmas (e.g. For 4 Calling Birds give the family a telephone calling card, for 6 Geese a-laying give the family eggs.)

Have a Birthday party for Jesus-- complete with birthday cake and balloons.

Join together with a few other families and have a progressive dinner. Have appetizers at one house, entree at another and dessert at yet another. You'll get to see how everyones house is decorated and you'll only have to cook one portion of the meal.

Next meeting I will have lots of ideas for New Years celebrations, so be sure to come back!

Thanksgiving Activities....

2008-11-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

Hello MOPS Mommies!

It is the time of year to be thankful for all the blessings we have and I have lots to be thankful for. I would like to express my thanks to my amazing MOPPET team of Laura, Amy and Julia who make my life so much easier. My Moppet workers never get enough credit and they do so much for me and our children. I would also like to thank you and your adorable children-- we do this for you and we are truly blessed!

Now on to our activities for this week. We read Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland and made hand-print turkeys.
The author also wrote Valentines are for Saying I Love You-- so grab that book in February.

If you are looking for some fun activities to keep little ones busy while you're in the kitchen, check out this site. They have Thanksgiving Bingo cards, coloring pages, word searches for older kids, and lots more!

If you're more into crafty things check out this site where they give you craft ideas appropriate for 2 year olds and up. I love this site because they have crafts into not only age categories but thematic categories as well.

For some recipes to make with little hands try these ideas. My favorite is having them make butter for the dinner rolls-- how fun is that?

Our very own Christine Davis has a friend who has a wonderful newsletter/website with ideas for pre-school aged kids. Be sure to check it out-- you can subscribe for monthly ideas. Thanks Christine for bringing this to my attention!

I hope you and your families have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Today we took a break from our traditional stories and we watched a story on DVD. Our story was about Spookley the Square Pumpkin.

We did a square pumpkin craft for the kids to bring home.

Spookley has an official site with lots of things for kids to do. There are coloring pages, activity sheets, and music videos to watch.

There are lots and lots of Halloween games to be found at the Family Fun website. If you want a really great parenting magazine, by the way, this is one of the best!

I found a new site with games for young and older children-- lots of really fun graphics and word games on this one.

One of our Moms made these cute finger cookies for the Lombardi bake sale. You can make them at home for yourself with this recipe.

If you are enjoying this blog, please send a quick note to hippolito@gmail.com

Have a wonderful, safe Halloween!

New pictures...

2008-10-24T19:20:00.001-07:00

...are now on-line. Follow the link in the previous blog to view them. Thanks to Claudine, Tara and Lisa for sharing their photos.

Love,
Heather

Pumpkin Patch Trip...

2008-10-20T13:49:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at the Pumpkin Patch at Underwood Farms. In this link I will post everyone's pictures so we can all share them. I am also linking some sugar pumpkin recipes, so we can all enjoy our pumpkins!!

Here are the pictures that Suzanne and I took.

There are lots of recipes-- here's how to process your pumpkin to make it usable for recipes.

In my new Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine they have several sugar pumpkin recipes. If you go to the "In Season" tab on this page, you will see several of these recipes.

If you have other pictures for me to share, please send me an e-mail hippolito@gmail.com and I'll stick them on here for other Mom's to download.

It was great fun to see you all today-- see you next week at MOPS!

Pooh's Friendship Week

2008-10-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Winnie the Pooh was published by A.A. Milne on October 14, 1926. This week we celebrate this achievement by reading some stories inspired by our favorite silly old bear. Each of the classrooms will have a different Winnie the Pooh story read to them (please note that these are the Disney versions, not the traditional or classic Pooh versions.)

The kids made a bee with their friends. If you look at the wings of the bee you should see the fingerprints of all the kids in their class. This shows that if we all work together we can make things better!

If you would like to learn more about A.A. Milne you can check out this site. It has a short, reasonably easy to understand biography of Mr. Milne's life. This site also has some neat games and e-cards featuring both classic and Disney Pooh.

For all things Pooh-- games, stories, and merchandise you can check out the official Disney site.

If your child would like to color some Pooh pages, try this site.

For those Moms who love to bake-- and show off their amazing skills-- there is a darling Pooh cake that you and the kiddos can make here.

We hope you take some time to enjoy a little time with Pooh and your friends!

Week 2

2008-09-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today the kids read the book Papa Oblong by LeRoy Blankenship. You can check out his website by clicking here, but it isn't very kid friendly.

If you would like some other great books about Noah's Ark, check these out:

One More River: A Noah's Ark Counting Book by Joan Paley

Noah's Ark (Picture Yearling Book) by Peter Spier

Noah's Ark (Caldecott Honor Book) by Jerry Pinkney

The kids in the older rooms made a beautiful rainbow mobile and the younger kids colored a rainbow picture.

If your little ones would like to do more crafts, check out these links.

Make a Noah's ark out of paper plates, click here.

This is a great site for coloring pages that you can print at home. I linked it right to the Noah's Ark pages.

If you are feeling really Martha Stewartish-- you can bake your kids an ark cake. Here's how you can make it out of pre-made pound cake.

I also found some games that you can do in the Noah's Ark vein, click here.

Please let me know if this blog is helpful to you by sending me a quick e-mail at hippolito@gmail.com

Thanks!

Welcome to Moppets!!!

2008-08-23T21:02:00.001-07:00

On this site you will be able to see what your children are doing in Moppets and some fun extension activities for home. I hope that you will use this site to help your children learn and grow!

Here's to more adventures in motherhood!

Love,
Heather

September 9th-- First Moppet Meeting

2008-08-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our Moppet blog. Here we will share with you what we've done with your children and give you some ideas to continue the fun at home. We hope that you enjoy!

Heather, Laura, and the Moppets Staff

Today in Moppets we read Listen Buddy by Helen Lester.

It is the story of a little bunny named Buddy who has trouble listening to his Mommy and Daddy. In the end he learns the importance of listening after a bad encounter with Scruffy Varmint. We hope this will inspire the children to listen to the adults not only at Moppets, but at home too!

If your child enjoyed this book, check out other books written by the same author by clicking here:

Helen Lester's Official Site

Our older children made a cute bunny craft which shows off Buddy's listening ears. We hope you will put it in a place of honor in your home.

Extension Ideas:

Bunny Bath-time:
Here is a craft that you can do at home. Try to read the instructions to your child and see if they can listen and complete the craft.

Bunny made from a washcloth.

What you'll need:

* Washcloth
* Rubber band
* Ribbon
* Wiggle eyes
* Small pompom
* Glue

How to make it:

1. Fold washcloth in half to form triangle.
2. Roll washcloth from small point to long side.
3. Fold rolled washcloth in half.
4. Fold washcloth in half again. Fold loose ends back towards fold.
5. Place rubber band around washcloth 2 inches (4 cm) from fold. Cover rubber band with ribbon. Glue eyes and pompom (nose) on to bunny.

To see the website with diagrams, click here.

The Play's the Thing:
If your child likes to act things out, download this bunny mask and have them show you what Buddy did in our story.

Parents corner:

Quick Tips To Get Kids to Listen-- Please note, these are just suggestions from a parenting website. You should do what works for your child.

Be clear and pleasant
Avoid nagging
Use humor
Phrase things in a new way
Be concise - can you say short attention span?
Never baby talk to a small child
Avoid negatives. Instead of Don't Run, say Walk Only.
Don't talk down - expect maturity and you're more likely to get it
Don't back down or kids won't know when you're serious
Check for understanding by asking the child to repeat what you said
Make a game out of story time - lock lips and put the key in your pocket

While this article is for educators (sorry it's the teacher in me coming out) it has some great games you can do to help your child be a better listener:

Listening Games Article

Next meeting:
I hope that this is helpful for you. We look forward to seeing your child next time at Moppets where we'll be reading about a very special animal on Noah's Ark.