OUR MOPPETS

While we were all having fun at Jesus' birthday party, our MOPPETS were having their own fun. Take a look at our adorable little ones!

Tuesday, November 10th at 9:15am

Dear MOPS Moms,

Wow! Welcome to November already…where has this fall gone??!! I hope you’ve all been able to spend some enjoyable time with your kiddos in the last month.

We have a whole bunch of great stuff planned for our next MOPS meeting on Tuesday, November 10^th, as well as some awesome activities for moms and kids in the months to come. This coming Tuesday, we are happy to have Elizabeth Murphy who will be sharing on a topic that I think we can all relate to – “Mommy Guilt”. Come and prepare to be blessed by her insights as a mom!

Here are a few things that you should be aware of in advance of Tuesday’s meeting:

1. Don’t forget about Operation Christmas Child. We will take some time as groups to pack shoe boxes for each of the kids that we collected items for.

Please remember to bring:

• A shoe box (if possible, 2 needed per group)
• $1-2 for shipping/handling ($7 needed per box)
• items for each child’s box (see attached list for suggestions)

2. Our November event will be a Mom's Night Out on Thursday, Nov. 19th at 6:30pm starting and ending at church (with lots of fun to be had in between).  Stay tuned for more details!!

3. Our December playdate is going to be a birthday party for Jesus. It will be held on Friday, December 11^th from 10-11:30 at church. Joy Buntrock is coordinating this fun activity, which will include a story and activity, games, craft, and of course, a birthday cake! This activity is only open for 2 ½ -5 year olds, but childcare will be provided for younger siblings so that moms and preschoolers can enjoy the party together! If you are interested in participating, please bring $5 with you to this month’s meeting so that you can sign up and pay. This will really help us to plan appropriately.

4. And last, but not least, our “early bird” prize this month is a pair of Milwaukee Bucks basketball tickets to a game in late January at the Bradley Center . You must be here, registered, have kids dropped off, and be in the main meeting room by 9:15 to qualify for the drawing. Nursery workers will be ready by 9am, so come early and be ready to go!

Hope to see you all next Tuesday!!

Amy Gruetzmacher

Giving Thanks!

Joy Buntrock: This year I am incredibly thankful that my husband has a good job and that my family is healthy.

Jessica DeGraff: I am so blessed and thankful to have a wonderful husband, three precious children, great family and awesome friends. Praise God!!!

Trick or Treat Pics

Nathan the pirate and Lillian the fairy

Madelyn is quite the little pumpkin!!!

The ADORABLE lion and monkey: Casey and Caleb


Warren, Brynn and Grayson not so happy with Mommy dressing them up!

"Potty Time" Playdate

Gretchen was very gracious in hosting "Potty Time's" playdate today. She served the lucky moms and kiddos homemade pumpkin muffins, apple pie and apple cider. It was DELICIOUS!!! A great time was had by all. Take a look...

Oliver and Sammie fall asleep on their mommies.

Calvin loved his mommy's pumpkin muffins!

Grayson can't wait til he can move around like all his friends.

Grace and Warren say "CHEESE"!!! Too cute!

Caroline and Lilly just finished hiding underneath the crib.

Cameron found the best hiding places during their games of "Hide n Seek"

Gretchen and Theresa enjoying the yummy apple cider.

Praise God for our New Moppets!

Alison Hoff's baby girl Samantha

Katie Scaff's baby girl Arianna

Brianne Haust's baby boy Oliver

October Meeting Recap

We were so blessed to have Pam Olsen as our speaker yesterday. She is an expert on the Love and Logic method of raising children. She had so much insight and great advice for us moms. She shared with us the recipe for successful motherhood: raising children that are respectful, responsible and fun to be around. We need to train choices and teach our children to self-solve.
It's as easy as that! ; )
For more advice or time with Pam, she can be reached at 414.379.0699 or pamolsen@wi.rr.com

MOPS Meeting Tuesday, October 13th @ 9:15am

Hi MOPS moms!

Welcome to October and fall here in Wisconsin! It's been kind of a dreary week, but we're so excited for this coming Tuesday and our October MOPS meeting at Spring Creek Church! We've got a great speaker lined up to talk through a very important issue for all moms: discipline. Pam Olsen, who teaches the Love & Logic parenting method, will be leading us through a workshop of the basics of Love & Logic. She'll be speaking for about an hour, and then we'll have some time for questions and input from each of you...so bring those parenting dilemmas and let's see how she can help with some fresh ideas! As always, we'll be giving away some great prizes - including a massage and a facial from this month's sponsor - Hand and Stone Salon and Spa (www.handandstone.com). So come early, check your kids into their classrooms, and make sure you're ready to go in Room 152/153 by 9:15 to be eligible for these and other great prizes!

Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday!

Because we are better together...
Amy Gruetzmacher & Tracy Alexanian, co-coordinators

STEERING TEAM ONLY...MOPS Fall Council Meeting

Join other Wisconsin MOPS leaders for a fall council meeting!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
9am - 2pm
Spring Creek Church
N35W22000 Capitol Drive, Pewaukee, WI
Cost: $5
Snacks and lunch will be provided.
This meeting is open to all MOPS Steering Team Leaders, Mentors and Discussion Group Leaders. I hope you and your team will plan to attend - it will be a great day! Topics to be discussed include:
Answer the Phone, It’s God Calling!
Leadership Relationships - these are the glue that holds your team together.
Courage - how can we be courageous together?
From the Juice Box to Jesus
There will also be time for networking. Please bring items such as newsletters, group directories, moppets ideas, creative activities, or other items to share on the Show & Tell table. We will also be having great door prizes! Please RSVP to your coordinator, Amy Gruetzmacher by October 13th.
Thanks!
Betsy Gasper

September Meeting Recap In Pictures

Guest Speaker Betsy Gasper

Top: Amy Gruetzmacher

Bottom: Wanda Leffel

Top: Catrina Stover and Jamie Poelzer Bottom: Jessica Merrill and Jeanne Pacetti

Top: Amy Mealey and Ruth Sohre Bottom: Mentor Mom Michelle Gruber

Having fun at their "Time Out" table: Anna Herman, Crystal Topp and Joy Buntrock

Art and craft time: Carrie Lavin and guest

MOPS Meeting Tuesday, September 8th @ 9:15am

Hi Ladies~

I hope you all have a fabulous Labor Day weekend planned - whether it's heading up north for the last camping trip of the year or just relaxing around the house with your family - I hope you have lots of fun and good time with your loved ones!

We're very much looking forward to our first MOPS meeting of this school year next Tuesday, September 8th - the day after Labor Day. So, get the older kids on the bus and come on out to MOPS -- it's going to be a great time! We have a fun speaker lined up - Betsy Gasper, the head of the SE Wisconsin MOPS Council, and she'll be introducing our theme "Together on Planet Mom". Our hospitality girls have done a great job preparing the room, favors, and fun extras for you, and we'll have lots of stuff to give away too. As always, we'll be doing an "early-bird" prize drawing for those of you arrived and checked in before 9:15 (we've got restaurant gift certificates so you can enjoy a date night on us!) and we've also got four family 4-packs of free admission, tokens and dinner to a fun new play place in Sussex, as well as coupons for everyone who attends the meeting!

We'll begin our meeting in Room 152 promptly at 9:15 to maximize our time together, so please plan to arrive early to get your kiddos checked in and give you some time to grab some food, relax, and be ready to go. You'll find the nursery workers and check-in kiosks set up and ready to go by 8:45 am, so come early!

Some of you have already paid for the year, but for those of you who are interested, we now have available payment options online on our page of the church website. Check out the link below to see a video introducing our theme, as well as the opportunity to register for the upcoming year online using a credit card. http://www.springcreekonline.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=10294&sec_id=3128&nc=1252089646671
Otherwise, bring a check (payable to Spring Creek Church) or cash with you and we'll get you signed up with MOPS International ($24) - which includes some cool extras this year - and with our program ($7/month).

As always, please feel free to invite moms you meet to join us! Their first meeting is absolutely free. We'd love to have the opportunity to encourage them too -- as we all walk through the craziness that can result from being mothers of young kids.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 @ 7PM

Please come join us for the MOPS 2009-2010 Kickoff event on Tuesday, August 25th at 7pm. It'll be a fun Moms Night Out where you can pre-register for this years MOPS. Our theme this year is Together on Planet Mom. We have a lot planned for you and cannot wait to meet you!
Your MOPS Steering Team