February MOPS Meeting

We had a great evening, these are pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.      

You Can Help Too!

If you have anything you would like added to the our blog/newsletter (money-saving tips, special upcoming events, great craft ideas, etc) please email me at fbcspfdmops@gmail.com,  krissabell@hotmail.com or contact me on facebook.

Krista

Ten Ways To Reuse Old Valentine's Day Cards

Find the complete article by the same name at http://www.associatedcontent.com/

1. Make place cards or a decorative garland for a party
2. Pair matching kids’ cards together for memory game
3. Turn front covers of old cards (with blank backs) into postcards
4. Make romantic placemats
5. Hot glue magnetic strips to small children’s cards to make fun fridge magnets
6. Punch holes around card and lace the edges with yarn to practice lacing with kids
7. Cut out pictures or figures from cards, punch holes, separate with beads or cereal rings on yarn to make a necklace with your child
8. Decoupage boxes, jars, a valentine’s picture frame, or other items
9. Cut out pictures/words from old cards to make personalized cards for next year
10. Cut up fronts from old cards into gift tags for next year

Questions to Ponder

Questions to think about for our February meeting. I think this will also be a continuation of what was shared during the January Meeting with Mrs. Maclaughlin. If you missed meeting her she is a great lady and this is her website. http://www.carlamaclachlan.com/

1. What are the rules in your home that you know you have, but may not be written down yet?

2. How often do you give consequences to your child, and how long do the consequences last?

3. How does your parenting style differ from other members in your family? (Your spouse, your parents, in-laws, etc.)

4. Does your parenting style cause conflict with people in your family? (Other than your children, of course)

God’s Word: Our Children’s “Owner’s Manual”

We’ve all heard the statement, “Babies aren’t sent home from the hospital with an owner’s manual.” Wouldn’t that be nice though? Children change so much with each passing day. Just when we think we have their “behavior problems” figured out, they grow up a little more and their behavior changes ever so slightly. If we had that “owner’s manual” we could just turn to the appropriate chapter for the age of our little sweetheart.

The Holy Bible isn’t exactly an “owner’s manual” arranged by age of our children, but it does have a wealth of information on how to take care of our children. The following are a few of the most well know verses:

- “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Hebrews 12:11 (NASB)

- “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NASB)

- “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NASB)

When you come on February 28th at 6 pm, I pray you will be encouraged. I pray you will gain insight on how to handle some “problem areas” you may be currently experiencing. Remember above all else, though, consult your “owner’s manual” (Bible) daily for guidance and encouragement from our Heavenly Father.

Krista Armstrong

2011-2012 Steering Committee

FBC Preschool/Children's Minister-Stacy Heaton
Hospitality-Krista Jules
Crafts-Maria Welker
Speakers/Newletter-Krista Armstrong

We will be looking for new committe members for the 2012-2013 year soon, let us know if you would be interested in helping out.

Contact us at fbcspfdmops@gmail.com

Childcare Information

We call our childcare program MOPPETS! All ages are based on the child's age at the beginning of the year. When possible, the kids will stay in the same room throughout the MOPS year.

Nursery (birth-walking)
Toddlers (walking-23 months)
Twos & Threes (24 months-47 months)
Fours & Fives (48 months-kindergarten)

When applicable, please bring the following in a bag with the child's name:
diapers and wipes
bottles
change of clothes
(If you would like for them to eat something different than what we are providing)

If you child has any allergies please tell workers at the desk when you check them in.

**Please leave lovies at home to minimize risk of getting lost or damaged.**

Freezer Cooking

How To's for Freezer Cooking

~ Decide if you want to do once a month cooking or once a pay period ... 

~ Make your freezer cooking plan with meals that use similar ingredients, decide how many of each recipe you will make. I would suggest making only one or two of new recipes to make sure they are ones you/your family like.

~ Make a master grocery list. Shop one day and plan for your cooking day with in the next day or two.

~ If at all possible clear your calendar and plan to spend all day or at least a large chunk of time for cooking, if possible without the kids underfoot. :)

~ You may want to plan a prep day the day before cooking day, especially if you will not have all day. Prep by browning beef, cooking chicken, chopping veggies etc... This will save a lot of time while assembling the meals.

~ Also make sure you have all the dishes you need, pots, pans, casserole dishes,
tupperware, ziplock bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil...

~ On cooking day assemble all meals. Decide what size you want the meals, you may want to freeze some in individual portions, or divide a 9” X 13” dish up into two smaller dishes if you have a smaller family. Make sure to follow recipes on if to cook before freezing or if they should be frozen before cooking. Make sure to label all meals with meal name, date, and also cooking instructions.

~ Save any left over veggies, meat, pasta, potatoes etc.. in a large container in freezer and add to it to make soup.

~ Make sure to set out a frozen meal at least 24-48 hrs ahead to thaw.

~ When planning on using a freezer meal make sure you remember the cooking time.
(i.e. casseroles may still need to cook for 1 hr even when thawed).


If starting for the first time, you might just want to make one tray of the casserole to make sure you like it.  You wouldn't want to spend all the money and time making 4 casserole to find out you and your family don't like it. 

In terms of storing, the aluminum foil trays are great because they can go in the oven and then you can just throw them away when you are done with it if you want to.  They can be expensive so it was recommended to purchase them in bulk at Sam's or Party City.

Other tips:
- Label your containers with food, date and cooking directions.  This way you know what is in each dish and you don't have to find the recipe to figure out how to cook it.

- Look for recipes that use similar ingredients.  Pick 2 that each call for 1/2 of a bell pepper so you use up the entire pepper and don't waste any.

- Store leftover veggies in the freezer: chop or slice them before freezing that way they are ready to cook with when you need them.

- Flash freeze leftover berries:Wash and then air dry berries on the counter.  Once dry, lay out berries in single layer on cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour.  Store the berries in an air-tight bag or container and use when needed.

- When freezing burritos, wrap them individually so you only need to pull out as many as you need.

- Once casserole is made, cool to room temperature and then place in refrigerator to cool for approximately 3 house.  Once cool, you can freeze the dish. 

*** I have personally found that using Ziploc vaccum freezer bags prevent freezer burn more than regular freezer storage bags. They come in pint and gallon sizes. I buy mine at Wal-Mart.

Resources

~ http://moneysavingmom.com/ Go under the “from my Kitchen” tab on this site and she has a great section on freezer cooking along with lots of free printables for planning.

~ http://lifeasmom.com/features/freezer-cooking-days Lots of great articles and resources on prep and containers, planning sheets etc..

~ http://www.southernsavers.com/2011/11/freezer-storage-101-best-freezing-
techniques/ Freezing techniques

~ www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2011/02/10/freezable-foods/ This is a great list of foods that can be frozen, many I would not have thought of.

~ http://annies-eats.com/2010/08/26/stock-your-freezer-tips-and-tricks/ Tips and tricks for stocking your freezer.

~ http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/favourites/freezable/ Freezer food recipes

~ http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/01/freezer-friendlymake-ahead.html Freezer food recipes

There are also several sites that have crock pot freezer recipes, assemble the meal in a ziplock bag ahead of time, then place all ingredients in the crock pot in the morning! :)

~ http://mamaandbabylove.blogspot.com/p/green-living.html Has some crock pot freezer recipes

~ http://www.sidetrackedsarah.com/p/freezer-to-slow-cooker.html More freezer to crock pot recipes

~ http://redicklife.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-to-crockpot-meals-part-ii.html recipes

Valentine's Day ALL year long

Husbands

• they need some down time once they get home but be sure to share with them what you need --> use communication, compromise and courtesy, not whining
• remember to date your husband!!!!  Work on the relationship with the man you married because you are going to be with him longer than with your kids 

Spirituality

• Make it a priority and find time for it (while nursing, in the bathroom, washing dishes)
• Keep a notepad next to your prayer chair to write things down as you remember them so you can stay focused on prayer (while remembering to pick up eggs from the commissary).

 Children

• Every child is different but all of them need lots of sleep!
• Consistency is the key!
• If whining or fusing, trying to figure out what the reason is so you can fix it (sick, dirty diaper, sleepy, sad, etc)
• If throwing a tantrum, figure out why (no cookies before dinner, frustrated because they can't communicate their feelings) and then talk about it once the child has calmed down.
• Be sure to give lots of love while disciplining.  
• The type of schooling (public, private, home) is a decision made based on the needs of each child and is a decision that can be changed as the child changes or as the needs of the family change

February MOPS Meeting

February Meeting will be on Tuesday, the 28th from 6-8:30 pm. Please join us for a great evening. We will be listening to Mary Jo Wilcher and learning from her experience of dealing with difficult  children.

Please RSVP on facebook with your children's names and ages who are coming so we may have enough childcare and food ready.