MOPS Night Out! Friday, April 4th

MOM's NIGHT OUT!

Where: Sitar Indian Cuisine in Bearden
When: Friday, April 4th
What time: 6pm, but no worries if you're late
Who: YOU! Yes, even any of you who haven't been to MOPS in since Oprah has been off the air.
Why: Why not?! And because husbands need a taste of bedtime routines and teeth brushing.

And last but not least, turn up the volume on your computer, and check this out: Sitar Knoxville

After those tunes, aren't you ready for Indian food and Slum Dog Millionaire?! See you there!

***While you have out your calendars to make sure you're free on Friday, mark your calendar for the MOPS Easter Egg Hunt on Good Friday, April 18th at 10:30am.  If possible, bring 1 dozen filled plastic eggs for each kid hunting.


***Also, next MOPS meeting: Thursday, April 10th.  We'll be crafting and collecting toothbrushes/paste for Operation Christmas Child.

"Visit" Knoxville with us on Thursday at MOPS!

Have you ever wondered why people would make a special trip to Knoxville for their spring break or summer vacation? Well, maybe good ole K-Town, has all sorts of hidden treasures and fun-filled family experiences that us locals don't know about. This Thursday, March 27th, our MOPS speaker will be the wonderful Laney Shorter.  She is a dynamic speaker and a "Marble City" expert. (Yes, is known as "The Marble City." Come find out why!)

Laney will have all sorts of resources for us and helpful hints on stay-vaction ideas.   Among other things, she'll talk about how to actually get to and UP the Sunsphere, best places to see thousands of tulips in bloom, and other FREE family fun right in our backyard. You won't want to miss this.

Hope to see you at Erin Presbyterian at 9:30am! Bring a friend, bring food, bring your kids. Coffee, laughter, and fellowship provided.

Don't Stay "At Home" Tomorrow

Instead of staying at home tomorrow, come to MOPS for our speaker, Kristen Lavalley from the blog When At Home.  Click here

Here is a picture of Kristen from her blog.  The photo on the right makes me think she just might be weird enough to fit into our group perfectly...and that photo on the left, well, here is what she says about it:

"Isn’t that photo on the left such a nice and fashionable looking necklace review photo? Don’t worry. I wasn’t actually posing here. The look you see on my face is the look a mother has when she’s given up on life and sees her fully potty trained child rip his pants off to pee directly on the porch. Not even a bush. Just  right there where he was standing. Isn’t that awesome of him?"

Bring snacks to share and friends, and we'll have a good time with Kristen tomorrow morning at 9:30am. See you there, At MOPS!

Long Time No See

Barring unforeseen snow, we will finally see each other again this week!  In addition to a devotional, sweets, and coffee, we will be doing a craft.  Hope to see you there for some fun and fellowship! Bring a friend, bring your kiddos, bring a food to share.

What: MOPS
Where: Erin Presbyterian
When: 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month (Feb 27th)
What time: 9:30am
Why: Because it's great! Come as you are.

Oh, and we will have cupcakes with lots of frosting in honor of the birth of our fearless leader, JS and the wonderful JY.  :)

No MOPS Thursday, Feb 13th

Since Knox County Schools are closed tomorrow, Thursday, February 13th, we will not have MOPS.  We hope to reschedule our speaker, Kristen Lavalley, for another meeting.  In the meantime, you can check out her blog (When at Home) and get to know her a little bit virtually.  

Stay warm, and we'll see you Thursday, February 26th!

P.S. Happy birthday to JY! We were going to celebrate tomorrow with cupcakes, but that will also have to wait until our next meeting.  :)

Crafty-Day Get-Away

Come to Erin Pres MOPS this Thursday, January 23rd at 9:30am and let your craft juices flow freely.  We will be doing a very cool craft that can be used as home decor, gift for your kiddo, or even a disciplinary tool...and no, we are not making paddles for spanking.  Aren't you curious now? Well, you'll have to come to MOPS to find out what it is!

AND if that doesn't get you out of bed and into the projected 32 degree weather, know that we will also be having a HOT CHOCOLATE BAR.  Yes, you read that right. In addition to our usual coffee and snacks, we will be having an all-you-can-drink hot chocolate bar complete with gourmet flavors like Warm Oatmeal Cookie, French Vanilla, Mint, and just the usual milk chocolate.  Of course, marshmallows, whip cream, and Hersey syrup will make a guest appearance.  Heck, we might even just put on some Norah Jones and really live it up coffee house style!

Looking forward to seeing you all for fun, fellowship, and laughs.   Oh, and we'd love some new faces too, yes, I'm talking to YOU! Free childcare and free parking next to the playground.  No excuse not to come...unless you had a baby in the last 2 weeks...you know who you are ;)

CPR, First Aid, and Emergency Preparedness

Do you have nightmares that your child is choking or turning blue in the face from not breathing? Will you know what to do if your child has a life-threating emergency? Come to MOPS this Thursday, January 9th at 9:30am at Erin Presbyterian for a Red Cross presentation specifically geared toward moms of infants and toddlers.  This is something that you will not want to miss.  Actually, please invite your friends, neighbors, grandparents, and playgroups.  You never know how the information in the session might save the life of your child or someone you know.

Our speaker, Mary Franklin, is a certified Red Cross instructor/trainer.  She teaches classes on CPR, First Aid, AED use, Water Safety (Learn to Swim +), Lifeguarding, and Babysitter's Training.  She has generously offered to give our group a "Cliff Notes" of the classes that she teaches.  Mary is extremely knowledgeable and will help prepare us for the unknown and the unthinkable.  We hope we never NEED this info, but if we need it, we'll be infinitely thankful that we have it.
(On a side note, Mary is also a mom herself and officiates competitive swimming from the college level all the way down to the little tikes. I bet she can even tell us some tips of teaching our littles to swim...or just let us know how to sign up for swim classes.)

Sleep better and gain incredible peace of mind from knowing you are prepared for emergency situations. We hope to see you this Thursday at 9:30 at Erin Pres MOPS! As always, childcare will be provided, snacks and coffee will be consumed, and everyone will be welcome just as you are.

**If Knox County Schools are on a 2-hr delay or closed due to weather, MOPS will NOT meet and will reschedule our Red Cross Speaker for another time.  If Knox County is on a 1-hr delay, MOPS will meet an hour late at 10:30.

Stay safe and warm!