MOPS Crafts

MOPS Craft Ideas

As our MOPS year wraps up, I thought I would share some of the crafts we did that were all pretty simple and fun and went over well with our MOPS moms in case you are a craft leader and looking for some ideas for your group next year or just looking for some simple craft ideas that also make cute gifts. Some of the crafts we did this year were

Chalkboard Picture holder 

I made mine a counter downer for when my husband has to travel.  Other ideas could be birthdays, what's for dinner, or just where you leave love notes for your spouse or child...and whoever it's for you can stick a picture on the top in the little coil of them...I wasn't on the craft team at that time so I'm not sure where they got the idea or what the prep was like but it was fun.

Sugar Scrub

We purchased plastic tubs for less than a dollar a piece here.  Then just had the girls make a basic sugar scrub with white sugar, oil and a few drops or essential oil (optional).  Then we had stickers they could add as labels and some glued a wide ribbon around the container to decorate.  

Handmade Envelopes

Up-cycling 

Our theme for this craft was up-cycling, so we had magazines, catalog pages and newspapers that we put out for the girls to choose from.  We also had templates for them to cut out their envelope and then quickly assemble.  We just made these at our discussion groups because it was so simple, but it was really fun, easy, and I heard a few of the moms had fun using their homemade envelopes to send cards to friends and family.  We also put out some scrapbooking stamps and punches with cardstock for them to embellish with.  The Restoration Hardware catalog made awesome envelopes!  Here is a link with templates and tips for making your own envelopes.

Holiday Christmas Clothespins

This was a really inexpensive craft for the group.  We got the idea from Blue Cricket Designs  I hot glued magnetic strips onto the backs of all the clothespins so they could be used as fridge magnets but as she mentions in the original post you could include a ribbon for them to be strung along a mantle for displaying Christmas cards.  What a fun little project!!!

I Spy Bottles 

(a sensory activity for the kids)

Two of our other craft leaders took on this project and dyed the rice, enough for 70-80 women!  Apparently they dyed it similar to the way you would dye easter eggs and then spread it out on tarps in their garage to dry.  Once it was dry they mixed it all together in a big plastic storage tub.  They also ordered clear plastic beef jerky containers Here but you could just recycle an clear plastic bottle too, using what you have on hand.  We then filled the containers with little things to spy such as foam letters, paper clip, buttons, a small butterfly bead, heart and airplane, penny, smiley face bouncy ball, a rubber band, star bead, frog and a marble. They made little labels with what is in side so the kids know what to look for and what they haven't found yet.  This one went over really well too, and the kids loved it!  We had it set up on 2 long tables, the moms came through, picked up a container, filled it 2/3 full with rice, then went through adding the various trinkets (we each bowl of things labeled with how many they should add such as 3 letters, or 1 of each for most of the other things), then they put some tacky glue on the inside of the lid and screwed it on.  Then used some clear packing tape and added the label and that was it!

Jars with Decorative Lids

from the Nate Burkus Show

So this project came from the Nate Burkus show and was really fun, you can see the tutorial here!  Those of us on the craft team took turns being in charge of each craft and our gal who presented this idea and took it on did awesome and she had to collect a lot of jars so we would have enough for everyone (70-80) and she pulled it off!  Thankfully her dad was also helpful in sanding, drilling the holes, and spray painting the lids although if you were to do this on your own, you could just use a nail and hammer to make the hole in the lid.  Also her dad was helpful in trimming the screws on the knobs, she picked up a lot of cute knobs at Hobby Lobby 50% off and the screws were really long.

Anyways, we had three stations set up so when the moms came in, they first went to the table with the knobs and picked out the knob they liked and then chose a station to create their jar.  The stations we had were candy, they could fill their jar with mints or taffy.  The next station was a beachy votive jar, filled 1/3 with sand (we bought a big bag of play sand) and then put a tea light candle in the middle and sprinkled in some small stones and sea shells (from the dollar store) around the votive.   The third station was to fill your jar with bath salt.  We had a tub of epsom salt and then set out the essential oils we had left over from the sugar scrub project we had done previously.  They added a few drops of essential oil to their salt and stirred.  Then they added a cute little scoop that she picked up at a party supply place meant for appetizers or something, but it worked really well in the jar with the bath salt.

This project was fun because there are so many ideas of what you can put in the jars...if you decorate a mason size jar or old spaghetti sauce jar, you could fill it with layered soup mix or cookie mix to give as a gift, smaller jars you can use for toothpicks, candy, teabags, sea shells, rocks, cotton balls, pencils (a great teacher gift) or whatever else you can think of!  

Christmas Clothespins

Holiday Clothespins Project

I recently posted the Holiday Clothespins Project by Blue Cricket Designs as one of the many handmade Christmas gift ideas.  We are making these as a craft project for my MOPS group and I was in charge of getting everything ready and making a sample for the girls.  So here are how some of mine turned out.  We have two MOPS groups that meet on opposite weeks and I heard the first group really like it and I'll be doing it with my group this week.  I hot glued magnetic strips onto the backs of all the clothespins so they could be used as fridge magnets but as she mentions in the original post you could include a ribbon for them to be strung along a mantle for displaying Christmas cards.  What a fun little project!!!

Pooley's Pumpkin Patch

Pooley's Pumpkin Patch

it's officially fall

We recently went to Pooley's Pumpkin Patch in Bennington, NE with our MOPS group and it was so much fun.  It was a cute, simple pumpkin patch but with plenty of fun things to keep the kids occupied from feeding the chickens, picking up and petting the baby chicks, swinging on giant tractor tire swings, a corn maze, a hay bail maze, petting zoo, tractor race track (john deer pedal cars and john deer tricycles) pony rides, hay rides and of course a pumpkin patch.  My kids had so much fun climbing on and playing on the little hay bails, one  of my new friends from my MOPS group and I decided, who needs an expensive rainbow playset in the backyard when all you need is hay bails?  The kids loved everything, but the hay bails, tricycle track and the baby kittens roaming around were the highlights.

Orange Chicken Recipe and Other Stuff from Today...

 

I know I've been a bad blogger, but I've been a zombie pretty much with a teething baby I feel like I sleep in 15 minute intervals!  Anyways, Today was a great day starting off with MOPS…which always makes for a great day!  We learned about good lasting gifts we can give our children (a good topic at this time of year when we are all pretty much shopping for the perfect Christmas gift, and the best gift isn't even something you can find at the store!).  Today I decidedly was more firm and strict with J as she’s been acting up a bit lately and I've been getting super frustrated and needed to change my approach…we had a couple moments during the day, but in the end she made the right choices and listened to me without a TOTAL melt down.  Anyways, I made Orange chicken for dinner for the first time and it turned out great despite my husband’s prediction as I started adding the breaded chicken pieces to the hot oil “I have a feeling this is going to be a disaster…”  showed him not to doubt me! Haha!

Dinner was followed by Toy Story 3 on blu ray that we rented from the good old Red Box to have some family time enjoying my hubby’s black Friday/early Christmas present (blu ray player).  Anyways….As I was putting J to bed, I came in to give her a kiss as my hubby was saying good night…she wanted to kiss my cheek and after, as I pulled back she grabbed my neck and pulled me in close, hugged on tight and said in the most loving warm sweet voice “oh Mommy, you’re so nice to me!”  I can’t tell you how that just made me light up.  I don’t like being the bad guy, but obviously my extra firmness today didn’t seem to make her feel less loved at all….if anything..she felt more loved today because other than that, it was a normal day!  And she’s never done anything like that to me before, pulling me in for more cuddles and telling me I’m so nice…usually she is whining about something or trying to beg me to sit a few more minutes or read another book etc. 

 Had to snap this cute picture of family waiting for me to come watch the movie with them!

Here are the bullet points the speaker gave out at MOPS on good gifts we can give our children (and their children and generations to come) by the lovely and amusing Nell F. Bush, Ph.D. 

1. A Pleasant, Manageable Name (their badge of honor, give them a meaningful name that they can live up to) “A good name is better than fine perfume.” Ecclesiastes 7:1
2. A Positive Birth Story (kids are very literal and don’t get adult humor so don’t tell them about how funny they looked or how hard it was –they’ll hear “I was not cute, or I was disappointing or I was trouble and hurt my mom”…tell them how wonderful it was and only the positives.  You can add in the other details when they are teenagers and able to grasp the humor of it) “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord;” Psalm 127:3
3. Freedom to Love Grandparents (Children absorb our emotions, they may know your emotions before you are even aware, so we have to be careful not to taint our kids relationship with other family members through our own attitudes.  A sense of connection to extended family is an important part of a child’s identity and development) “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32
4. A Place of Refuge & Comfort. (Instead of trying to solve all their problems or talk them out of their feelings, just give empathy and turn to the bible together.  Sit together and be a source of comfort.  Our job is to absorb the upset and comfort and nurture.  We have to remember to pause, comfort first and correct later when they are able to receive it.) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who comforts us in all out troubles, so that we can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have from God.” 1 Corinthians 1:3
5. Positive Role Model of Marriage.  (Always present a united front.  If they come to you about something first response should be “What did Dad say?” and then “Well, then listen to your Dad”,  Show respect in your marriage, build your spouse up in front of the kids, talk about how you love being married, respect each other’s parenting styles.  And when it comes to teaching about sex, teach them the ideal, that sex is for marriage…but if they ever make a mistake, let them know “we want the baby”  we will take care of the baby or we will find a family to take care of the baby, we’ll figure it out, just don’t do anything you would regret the rest of your life.)  “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29
6. Positive Role Model of Parenting.  (Studies show adolescent girls really benefit from a firm father figure.  It keeps them out of trouble.  Have a simple predictable style, especially when they are little, have a very simple routine because kids crave that security of knowing what to expect.  Be at home as much as possible, don’t over-schedule with so many activities and commitments.  Provide them the opportunity for lots of open ended free play OUTSIDE.  Also lots of free play in their room with no distractions.) “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish with all wisdom.”  Col. 3:16
7. An Abiding, Unhidden Faith. (Pray together throughout the day, share your faith openly. “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2

Discussion/Reflection

Name one “good gift” that your parents gave you as a child.

Is there a gift you would have liked to receive from your family, but didn’t?

What good gifts are you currently giving to your own children?

Discuss (think about) a gift that might be challenging for you to give.

And For the Orange Chicken Recipe.  I found it on Allrecipes (of course!) and figured it was a good one since it had over 700 reviews and was 4.5 stars!  It turned out DELICIOUS!  Next time I will put in less sugar though, it was pretty sweet and would still be plenty sweet with less.  I also tossed the chicken pieces on egg to help the flour batter stick. 

Asian Orange Chicken

do yourself a favor and just print off the recipe card here!

• Sauce:
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•  
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
•  
• Chicken:
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Flower Accessories

The other night I went to a moms night out event in which there were a variety of activities set up for moms to enjoy while visiting and enjoying some grown-up time with other moms.  My friend from Melonbelly took me to this event and here are some of the things we made while gabbing up a storm!  We made a bunch of rings even though there were other crafts...I think we both just love burning ourselves with hot glue guns.

Here is a fabric flower ring, hmmm...might need some trimming...

(we started the 2-tone trend at the event!)

Here I was just experimenting with the supplies and made another ring.  I glued scrap fabric around a button, and then glued another button on top.

Then we found some flowers from a scrapbooking table and decided to make real flower rings...

We also made big sunflower hair clips.  I always wondered where people found those cute flower headbands or flower hair clips for their babies and little girls...they MADE them and it's so EASY!

And Last but not least, we made handmade greeting cards.  I'm not a great scrapbooker, but for this they provided samples and all the supplies so it actually turned out!

Anyways, these were all super easy, very simple crafts that just kept our hands busy while doing some girl bonding! 

COMING SOON...

Fabric Flower Tutorial

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!!

 

I joined Blog Hop Friday

So I Feel Kinda Cool....

I feel kind of cool watching the new season of Dancing with the Stars. Why? Because Brooke Burke is the new co-host and I actually got to hang out with her fairly recently at a small web event in October 2009. I was in CA for eHow and the CEO Richard Rosenblatt (seems like the coolest CEO and nicest guy) introduced me to his wife Lisa and Brooke who run the website ModernMom together. It was really fun getting to meet them all, although I felt just little okay a LOT out of my league...you know that feeling at a party, everyone is talking about what they do...and when you are a stay at home mom, it can be intimidating. Actually, I recently got a message relating to this in my MOPS e-newsletter, I might as well share because I could totally relate! I mean I was there because I write articles on eHow, but it's not a "real" job, just something I do! And then talking to these 2 super successful (and famous) women! It was exciting and fun, but definitely intimidating, even though they were incredibly nice. And being that they are both moms, we did have some things in common to talk about, so that helped!

So What Do You Do?
By Esther Feng

“You wanna go to this cocktail party with me?” my husband asked me.

The first thought that had popped into my head was, It’s two days away! That’s not enough time to find a dress. I could have found a dress if I’d tried. My real reason for avoiding the event was the inevitable question, “So what do you do?”

Without fail, I’ll be standing next to my husband, nodding to the small talk and eating shrimp cocktail (hopefully without getting sauce on myself). And then someone asks me, “So, what do you do?”

I don’t know how to answer. I can’t say “I’m a teacher.” It’s been five years. Saying, “I’m Grace and Sarah’s mom,” isn’t relevant. I don’t want to be holier-than-thou with “I’m doing the most important job of all – mothering.”

It’s not that I can’t schmooze – I’ve just discovered that I don’t connect with people who have “real” jobs. They don’t want to talk about baby poop, breastfeeding, potty training or piano lessons.

I feel insignificant and intimidated by women who make important decisions all day while I decide between grilled cheese and PB&J.

Many days I wish for reading material more stimulating than Goodnight Moon – for the opportunity to create something more meaningful than macaroni glued to a box.

But being a stay-at-home-mom is what God has asked of me in this season of life. Maybe one day I’ll have lots to say when asked, “So what do you do?” But for right now, I’m proud to be a stay-at-home-mom.

God, remind me that I’m already significant in your eyes.
________________________________________________________

PS- if you haven't joined yesterday's McLinky Party "My Mommy Moments" there is still time! Check it out!

A Diaper Cake!

I'm feeling pretty special this week! Over the weekend, I was treated out to a girls night out before this little guy arrives (about 19 days left)! I've met some great moms through my playgroup that I found through meetup.com and one of those great moms made me this AWESOME diaper cake! Isn't it so cool? I've heard of them but had never seen one before! This morning, my daughter was really amused by it...she kept saying "diaper cake.....don't eat it!" and giggling. But as I started to take it apart, she gave one of the diapers a quick lick...just to make sure she wasn't missing out on something good! haha.

She (my friend) also made these adorable burp clothes!



And then she ALSO did something really cute and thoughtful, she had a little book made for me with recipes and advice from her and the other moms in our group. The recipes were all yummy favorite dishes that are easy to put together after you have a new baby....It turned out SO cute! Best of all was the TURTLE CHEESECAKE we sat and ate over the course of a fun girls night (no hubbys or kiddos!) at the Cheesecake Factory!

Moving to a new area where you don't know anyone can be really hard. And it seems once you become a mom, it can become even harder to make new friends. It's so important to reach out and get involved whether you are in a new area and know people or not, there are tons of other great moms out there! We don't have to be all alone. Two great resources for me have been finding a playgroup through meetup.com and MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). There are lots of ways to get connected in your area, for more ideas, check out this article HERE. It can be too easy feel isolated but it can also be very easy to get involved!

And...I guess I might as well show off a belly shot!

37 Weeks and 1 Day

Easy Craft: Weekly Menu Planner

Weekly Menu Planner and Organizer

Here is a fast, easy and useful craft project you can whip up in no time! I didn't come up with the idea, we made these with our MOPS group, here is the one I made. We just took your average boring folder, you probably have one lying around, and worked some magic with cute paper and a glue stick! We added 2 protective plastic sleeves so you can reuse the calender, menu planner and grocery list (by the aisle) by writing on the outside of the plastic sleeve with a dry erase marker if you choose.

We made sure we used folders that had the pockets on the inside flaps so in the front pocket, you can store your coupons and on the back pocket you can store your take-out menus.

Here is where you can print out the calender, planner and grocery list for your super cute planner:

Free Calendar Template
Free Weekly Meal Planner & Monthly Menu Planner Templates
Printable Grocery List by the Aisle

And some other handy resources to get the job done...

Frugal Recipe Index - might come in handy while trying to plan those meals
Frugal Family Recipes Blog
Free Printable Coupons (Coupon Mom)