We can’t wait!

Hello Everyone!

Our first meeting is almost here! I wanted to touch base one last time before Monday to answer any of your additional questions about MOPS Kids drop-off.

What to Bring to MOPS Kids:

In order to prevent confusion and ensure the safety of our children, we want to provide a list of MOPS Kids policies before the first meeting. All of this information is also in the MOPS handbook which will be available at our first meeting.

• Woodlake UMC uses check in system to sign in/out children. If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment BEFORE the first meeting to register your child online at https://www.woodlakeumc.org/kidsregistration.
• Babies six months and under are allowed in MOPS meetings. Children older than that will be in the MOPS Kids room.
• Woodlake MOPS provides childcare for children ages birth through five-years-old.
• Children may be in the nursery only if their moms are attending the meeting. Members may bring only their children to the meetings, not visiting children or children they’re babysitting. Moms may not drop off their children during a meeting and then leave to run errands, go to doctor’s appointments, etc.
• Label plastic bottles or sippy cups with your child’s name. Please bring only water, breast milk, or formula. Simple snacks will be provided. All other food should be removed from the diaper bag before leaving it. A bottle warmer is available in the infant nursery.
• Dress your child in play clothes and appropriate attire for the weather. Please have your child wear sneakers, no sandals or clogs. The older children may participate in arts and crafts, and the 3-5 year olds may go outside whenever possible. Please label jackets/coats during cold months.
• Please pack 2-3 disposable diapers with wipes or 1-2 extra pairs of underwear in a clearly labeled Ziploc bag.
• If your child is potty training in underwear, she or he must wear plastic covers over the underwear. Don’t forget to pack extra.
• ANYTHING that you bring to MOPS KIDS must be clearly labeled with your child’s name, this includes diaper bags.

Administrative Notes:

• We will take your picture for our directory at the registration table when you arrive.
• If you have not paid your group dues online, please bring a check for $55 payable to Woodlake MOPS with you to the meeting and give it to Allie Wilkins, our finance lead.
• Our meetings are held two Mondays per month with a few exceptions for holidays. Our first meeting will be on September 9th. We will be meeting at the Woodlake United Methodist Church (in Hampton Park). The meetings will be from 10 AM – 12 PM. When you arrive on the 9th, you will be greeted by someone on the Leadership Team who will assist you in checking in your children and then will direct you and your children to their appropriate rooms. MOPS Kids will open at 9:50 (no earlier).

We look forward to seeing your smiling faces!

Meet Our New Mentor Mom: Vicky Simpson

Please welcome our brand new Mentor Mom, Vicky Simpson. She is recently retired and the mother of Kelley Taylor, one of our MOPS mamas. We are so glad Kelley has chosen to share her wonderful mother with us! We thought we’d introduce Vicky with a little Q&A.

How many kids do you have? I am the proud mother of two amazing young women who have blessed me with a total of seven beautiful grandchildren.

What is your favorite thing about being a mom? I loved watching my children grow and become their own person. It was so rewarding to see their individual personalities and strengths develop along their path to adulthood. I’m very proud of the women both of my girls have become.

What is the Best Mom-Advice you’ve ever received?  “Choose your battles.”  As a self confessed control freak, this wasn’t always the easiest for me to follow. Remember, children are trying to make sense of their world and are learning to assert their independence, which isn’t a bad quality.

What advice would you give? This probably applies more to school aged children than toddlers, but let your children experience the consequences for both their good and bad choices. We live in a world full of consequences and they will need to expect and be able handle both as functioning adults.
If you worked outside of the house, what did(do) you do? I taught elementary school (mostly primary) for 33 years. I spent the majority of those years In Chesterfield County Schools.

Do you have a favorite bible verse? Philippians 4:13 – I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Introducing our 2019-2020 Theme

As we close out our year of Finding Our Fire we look ahead toward the new MOPS year. When we come back together in the fall we will be working toward living TO THE FULL.

Check out the theme information from MOPS International:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10 (NIV)

Are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?* Sometimes we need the reminder that life is meant to be lived to the full. That it is OK to enjoy ourselves, to let our hair down, to worry less, and to really suck the marrow out of life (who even says that? I guess we do now.) Because as far as we can tell, this is exactly how God intended for us to live- fully and abundantly.

It’s easy to forget what that feels like, though. One day we’re wide-eyed and the possibilities are endless, and then slowly, without even realizing it, we find ourselves dulled by the routines and disappointments that are a part of being human. We slowly start to lose our optimism and zest for life.

All that is about to change, because this next year is about the full life. Which means living grateful, joyful, and hopeful. It means being led by the Good Shepherd and trusting that everything is working out exactly as it should.

We’ll say farewell to auto pilot and regain our vitality. We’ll have more fun, get to know new people, stop fearing what could go wrong or being so afraid of what others think. We will enjoy our kids like never before, and someday, when they wonder what life to the full looks like, they will look no farther than how mom does it.

But here’s one important thing to remember: this idea of life to the full isn’t about striving for more. It’s not about striving at all. It is about recognizing that life isn’t a bunch of goals to achieve, or people to please; but an invitation to savor, delight, and enjoy your life just a little more.

If you have ever felt like you aren’t enough, if you have forgotten to have fun, or feel like you have lost your spark, then this is the fresh start you have been waiting for.

In order to live life to the full this year, let’s:

HAVE MORE FUN

Fun is often the first thing to go when life gets hectic because it seems frivolous and extravagant. This year we are going to remember that we can still have fun even when life is hard. We are going to let the laundry wait and build a fort with our kids. We’ll stop waiting until everything on our to-do list is finished until we have fun, and do one thing a month just because it makes us happy. This is our year to remember what it feels like to enjoy ourselves.

FEAR LESS

No more fearing what people might think or say. No more letting fear paralyze us or concern about the future rob us of the present. At any given moment, there is courage inside of each of us that may be lying dormant. This year we’ll bring it to life. We’ll change our ways of thinking, calm our anxiety, and surrender our need to control. This is the year of faith over fear, and abundance over scarcity.

FIND OUR PEOPLE

This year we’ll meet our neighbors, learn the name of the cashier at the grocery store, and invite our MOPS table over for dinner. We need our people, and they need us. Maybe it means asking someone we respect to be our mentor, or perhaps it means marching in a parade, throwing candy and inviting other moms to MOPS. Finding our people takes some vulnerability, but it will also mean being known, belonging, and helping others feel the same. Life to the full happens best with people by our side.

 

Here’s to a year of living the full life. Full of fun, joy, refreshment, trust and rejuvenation.

 

Click here to watch a video from MOPS International that introduces the theme. We can’t wait! It’s going to be so much fun!

source: mops.org

Better Know a Leadership Team Member: Kristen

Name: Kristen Schuette

Number of Kids: Two boys. Owen (5), Evan (2)

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Salisbury, NC. Home of Cheerwine, Food Lion, and boredom.

Share something interesting about yourself? Not super interesting, but unique…I have one blue eye and one green eye

What did you do before kids (job, school, fun)? I went to UNC and got degrees in English and Psychology which was silly because I still have no idea how I’m supposed to use that in the adult world. I worked, but never properly figured out what I wanted my “career” to be. For fun, I read more than two books a year (I miss reading for fun!) and traveled. My husband and I lived in England for a bit which allowed us to go on lots of fun trips.

What is your dream job? Still trying to figure this out…something I could do part time where I felt like I was helping people.

Did you always want to be a mom? When I was a kid thinking about the future, I always assumed I would be a mom. After I got married, and mom life was closer to a reality, I wasn’t as sure. It scared me to think about all the things that could go wrong. God kind of decided for me, but I am so happy things turned out the way they did. I love those little dudes to the moon and back.

What’s something you thought your kids would NEVER do before you became a mom? I think I had a pretty realistic view of what I wouldn’t be able to control behavior-wise (another reason why it took me so long to stop being scared to have kids ha ha), but I’m sure I thought they would have MUCH less screen time than they actually do.

What is something you’ve learned from being a mom? I think motherhood has taught me a lot about love and releasing control. I’ve also learned I am a lot cooler in a crisis than my husband is!

How has being a mother affected your relationship with God? It’s lead me to think about God’s love in a much deeper way than I could have before. If I think about how much I love my kids and then I think that God loves us that much and then some…WOW. I also think I’ve learned a lot more about letting go and stepping out in faith (not to say I am great at this, but I am much better at it than I was).

How do you share your faith with your kids? we do church, prayers, and books. If Owen asks me a question, I try to answer it and engage him as best I can. I would love to do more so if anyone has a good family devotional or kid book, hit me up.

How long have you been a member of Woodlake MOPS? I started in the spring of 2014

What is your LT role? What does it entail? I am on my second year of Finance and first year of Co-Coordinator. Finance has been more fun and interesting than I anticipated. I manage the registration info which helps me learn everyone’s name right off the bat. I make sure we are following the budget. I track all the money. It gives me an excuse to play in excel! It has reminded me that I enjoy being organized (even if my house does not reflect this!). Co-coordinator involves lots of planning and other things, but mostly Katie and I try to keep things running smoothly. We do our best to help the team create a space where you feel welcomed and loved and nurtured.

What’s your favorite thing about MOPS? It has been such a wonderful support network for me. It is a great resource of friendship and wisdom. Whatever you are going through, someone else in the group is either going through it or has been through it. It helped me feel less alone when I was a new mom going through a very lonely period.

What’s your favorite thing about LT? I have really enjoyed giving back to a group that has given so much to me. I also love the ladies on this team so much. It has been so cool to grow closer to them and form these awesome friendships.

Better Know a Leadership Team Member: Amy

Name: Amy Milton

Number of Kids: 2, Matthew (7) and Henry (3)

Where did you grow up? Right here in Richmond. I went to Gordon, Midlothian Middle, and Monocan. And then went to VCU because I was so excited about being away from home

Share something interesting about yourself: I can turn a sheep’s fleece into a sweater. Someone just has to shear the sheep for me. (It’s a skill set, not saying I’ve actually done so 🤷)

What did you do before kids (job, school, fun)? I spent way too long in grad school, getting my masters in Marine Science. I worked for the Smithsonian, doing water quality research on the bay. I loved that job and some days really miss it. Honestly, it would be hard not to miss getting paid to spend time on a boat, even when that means hauling a few hundred pounds of equipment with you. For fun I did a lot of the same things I do now, though actually got to finish craft projects. I enjoyed reading more than a page at a time. Hung out with friends. Went to fiber festivals and the Renaissance festival. Binged sci-fi tv with my hubby.

What is your dream job? Good question, especially since I am looking to go back to work. Ideally, something that pays well enough to afford daycare/nanny and a house cleaner, and still have something left over. Better health insurance would be a plus. Something where the day to day tasks aren’t mind-numbingly identical. I really loved my Smithsonian job, but it paid beans and the fieldwork schedule would be an issue with childcare.

Did you always want to be a mom? Yes, very much so

What’s something you thought your kids would NEVER do before you became a mom? I thought I’d be better about restricting screen time and only feed them healthy meals (or at least the same thing we are). I never imagined I’d nurse past a year, until I got involved with La Leche League and saw how awesome extended breastfeeding could be.

What is something you’ve learned from being a mom? I think most of all, I’ve learned to trust my own instincts. You can read all the how-to parenting books out there, but your mom-gut is the only one that’s right for your kid. Take any advice with a grain of salt.

How has being a mother affected your relationship with God? It’s brought me back to the church after being neglectful of my Faith for many years.

How do you share your faith with your kids? Honestly we don’t talk about it as much as we probably should. It’s not something that comes naturally to either of us. And I think a big part of that is my fear that I don’t know enough to teach. But I did choose to send my kids to a church preschool, and we are slowly becoming more active in my church. Definitely a work in progress.

How long have you been a member of Woodlake MOPS? This is my 4th year

What is your LT role? What does it entail? I am the Creative Activities Coordinator. I plan and implement all of the craft nights, come up with the icebreaker games during meetings, make sure we have the supplies we need for any craft done in meeting, and demonstrate if necessary.

What’s your favorite thing about MOPS? It’s ME time. I love being in a room full of supportive moms who have experienced some of the same things. I love that Mops has brought me closer to God.

What’s your favorite thing about LT? By far, it’s the close friendships I’ve developed.

Better Know a Leadership Team Member: Lisa

Name: Lisa Nida

Number of Kids: 2  -Daniel is 7 in March and Aurora is 3.5

Where did you grow up? I was born in South Africa and spent some years in MD before moving to Midlothian in 4th grade.

Share something interesting about yourself? Um. I love Agatha Christie novels about Hercule Poirot, I hate spoilers about anything, and I currently work as a PALS tutor in Chesterfield County and listen to many books on cd during my commute.

What did you do before kids (job, school, fun)? See so many movies in the theater! I was also a Kindergarten teacher and I loved summers when I could just relax and read. I went to JMU for undergrad and grad school. I worked at Camp Willow Run.

What is your dream job? A florist. Something that involves being with my kids a lot. Something that involves working with kids but very low stress…does this exist?

Did you always want to be a mom? Yes! So much! It was a dream of mine. It turned out to be a different road than I would have thought but it’s also more amazing (and terrifying) than I could have imagined. My kids are probably my favorite thing about the world.

What’s something you thought your kids would NEVER do before you became a mom? Run around the church sanctuary before, during, or after church. Haha.

What is something you’ve learned from being a mom? How imperfect I am and how much I fail, and also how much I don’t control about the world. How much I am capable of loving, and how to be humble. I have never failed at anything more or ever been more proud of myself. It’s also made me so much less selfish.

How has being a mother affected your relationship with God? It has made me love him in a new way and appreciate his love for me more. If he loves me more than I love my kids I can’t even imagine that. And to think he would be willing to sacrifice one of his children for me (or watch Jesus go through all that agony), that’s huge. I am also just beyond thankful for my children. I FEEL God’s love and care for me in his gift of my children to me.

How do you share your faith with your kids? I read the Bible with them and talk to them about it, we talk about spiritual things often throughout the day, we pray together about many things and I talk to them about my relationship with God and His relationship with us. I don’t keep it private from them at all when something is hard and I need to trust God or something is happy and I want to thank God.

How long have you been a member of Woodlake MOPS? This is my 6th year. ❤

What is your LT role? What does it entail? I am the Care Group Coordinator. I organize all the mops members into tables based on my super secret algorithm and lots of prayer. 🙂 I convey the theme and MOPS info to the Care Group Leaders and help support the them in their care for the tables throughout the year.

What’s your favorite thing about MOPS? Everything! MOPS is one of my favorite things in the world. I love everything it stands for. I love the community, I love the special mom friend time, I love the food. I think I love MOPS-related run on sentences!

What’s your favorite thing about LT? Oh my goodness, everything! Being on LT has been one of the most special parts of my life. It is such a family and I just love it. I love working to make MOPS a welcoming, special, warm, loving place where Moms can come and feel seen and known and not alone. I want MOPS to feel like the biggest hug metally, emotionally, and spiritually for all the MOPS moms, and letting God use my personality, talents, and passion to facilitate this group has been so rewarding. ❤ Everyone on LT is just the most special to me (I feel like I am 5).

 

 

Better Know a Leadership Team Member: Kelly

Name: Kelly Harar

Number of Kids: 1, soon to be 2. Audrey (2) George (due March 5th)

Where did you grow up? Born in Massachusetts and lived in Western Mass until 6. Love my Boston Sports! Moved to Northern Va (Gainesville) and lived there until moving to Richmond in 2015 with hubby.

Share something interesting about yourself: I’ve been skydiving twice! It was like no other experience in my life. I’ll never do it again now that I’m a mom, but it was an awesome bucket list item.

What did you do before kids (job, school, fun)? I graduated from GMU’s nursing program and have worked in the OR since. I love the technology in my department and being able to help improve the lives of my patients. I continue to work but on a prn basis so that I can primarily take care of my children while they are young.
I really enjoyed exploring Richmond when we first moved here – trying new restaurants, scenic sites, wineries and breweries. I love learning about the history of a city and just the old timey architecture in general. We don’t do as much of these things now but will get back into it once the babies are a little older.

What is your dream job? I have it! It is the perfect fit for my personality and interests and I’m always learning something new. It is never boring! It’s also super flexible too, allowing me to put my family’s needs first.

Did you always want to be a mom? For as long as I can remember I always felt like this was my path. It is even more amazing than I thought it would be! People tell you, “the love you feel is like nothing you have ever imagined” and that couldn’t be more true. I am blessed beyond measure

What’s something you thought your kids would NEVER do before you became a mom? I don’t have a big list of shenanigans yet because I’m in the beginners phase of motherhood lol. And the hitting and kicking during tantrums I kinda expected haha.

What is something you’ve learned from being a mom? How much work it is! I have thanked my mother ten times over and wonder how on earth she did it with her crew of kiddos.

How has being a mother affected your relationship with God? I have never been one to pray and ask for things. I have never been one who prays terribly often in fact. But I have found myself saying a daily prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings I have. Even on days that were tough. I make sure to be thankful for it all. We lost our first baby in October of 2015 and it absolutely crushed us. Having my daughter and soon to be son are two of the greatest gifts. Having lost and known that heartbreak has made me accept that I am not in control of all life’s variables and that I am blessed on a daily basis and need to be thankful.

How do you share your faith with your kids? My daughter is still pretty young, but we pray before meals (she folds her hands and will say “amen” at the end lol) and bedtime prayers. We read baby books to her about Jesus – especially Easter and Christmas books. We focus on the thanksgiving nightly prayer so that she will grow up exposed to that type of prayer.

How long have you been a member of Woodlake MOPS? 2017-2018 was my first year. This year is my second.

What is your LT role? What does it entail? My role is with Fundraising. This is an important role because it keeps us well funded. These funds allow for fun decor, tea/coffee and activities and such involved in each meeting. The craft fair is the big endeavor of the year. It involves putting some ads out and organizing vendors. There is a streamlined process that has made this seemingly intimating task pretty straight forward. We always make a good chunk of change too so it’s totally worth it! In the spring we do a t shirt sale that is not as involved but it’s fun and we get to customize a fun shirt related to momming.

What’s your favorite thing about MOPS? I have always valued the speakers. It seems like whatever the message of the meeting that I was meant to hear it. That day. There are so many ups and downs during the day to day of being a mom and knowing there are other REAL people out there in the thick of it too makes it somehow less of a struggle on the hard days. And also we get to share the many joys together too. Double bonus!

What’s your favorite thing about LT? I have really enjoyed getting to know this group of ladies better. They all have tremendous hearts and are incredibly generous. Couldn’t find a group out there that is more supportive than them. Also, we have fun together! I’m ready for another game night – cards against humanity parents addition!

Better Know a Leadership Team Member: Erin

Name: Erin Medearis

Number of Kids: 3 girls and a stepdaughter in WV 

Where did you grow up? Southern MD

Share something interesting about yourself: I have a fake hip

What did you do before kids (job, school, fun)? Served in the Marine Corps 

What is your dream job? Be the female Nate Berkus 

Did you always want to be a mom? Yes

What’s something you thought your kids would NEVER do before you became a mom?  Poop everywhere except in a toilet 

What is something you’ve learned from being a mom?  You can’t force things 

How has being a mother affected your relationship with God? I’ve learned more and more how much is really out of my control. “Let go and let God” 

 

How do you share your faith with your kids? Taking them to church, showing them how to pray, sharing the Bible with them 

How long have you been a member of Woodlake MOPS? 4 years

What is your LT role? What does it entail? Hospitality- Ensuring our wonderful moms have a space that’s inviting and allows them to just be for a couple of hours. 

What’s your favorite thing about MOPS? The fellowship 

What’s your favorite thing about LT? Being a part of the behind the scenes of our group

Better Know an Leadership Team Member: Kellen

Name: Kellen Hylton

Number of Kids: 2 girls. Olivia and Aria

Where did you grow up? Bluefield, VA

Share something interesting about yourself: I’m not really that interesting 🤣 I’m kinda funny and fun to be around if that is interesting

What did you do before kids (job, school, fun)? I worked at the front desk at a doctors office. I went out with friends a lot, golfed and actually went on dates all the time with my husband

What is your dream job? A paid stay at home mom

Did you always want to be a mom? Yes! It’s always been my biggest dream to be a mom

What’s something you thought your kids would NEVER do before you became a mom?  Be loud in a restaurant. I always said my kids will have enough discipline to not act that way in public. Boy was I wrong.

What is something you’ve learned from being a mom? Patience, how to love someone more than myself, and how to make your hair look like it’s been washed when it really hasn’t

How has being a mother affected your relationship with God? It has brought me closer to God. It has also made me more obedient to him

How do you share your faith with your kids? We pray at every meal and before bed. We sing Bible School type songs and we talk about Jesus often.

How long have you been a member of Woodlake MOPS? This is my 4th year

What is your LT role? What does it entail? I’m the service coordinator. I run Mystery Moms and do one service project each semester in our meetings. I’ve also wanted to teach our kids about serving others so I’ve worked on getting the kids more involved this year in projects outside of our meetings.

What’s your favorite thing about MOPS? Making friendships, the food, nights out and all our fun activities.

What’s your favorite thing about LT? I was in mops for two years before joining LT. I had just moved here when I joined and knew no one in the area. I made good acquaintances but it wasn’t until joining LT that I made true friendships. I also felt more involved working behind the scenes as well.

Better Know a Leadership Team Member: Katie

Name: Katie Liekweg

Number of Kids: 3 (Rory 5, Dylan 4, and Stella is 2)

Where did you grow up? Alabama, Florida, and Virginia

Share something interesting about yourself: As outgoing and boisterous as I am, I am actually, at times, very shy and sensitive

What did you do before kids (job, school, fun)? I was a waitress and went to community college. But really my full time job was concerts and shows

What is your dream job? Forensic psychologist

Did you always want to be a mom? NO

What’s something you thought your kids would NEVER do before you became a mom? Have a paci until 3!

What is something you’ve learned from being a mom? I have more patience than I thought

How has being a mother affected your relationship with God? Oh boy. Well, first, my kids have brought me back to God (I was a practicing pagan before). But the everyday challenges have brought me so much closer to him. I pray all day sometimes!

How do you share your faith with your kids? We talk about how God made them kind and how He expects them to practice being kind and we pray together

How long have you been a member of Woodlake MOPS? 4 years!

What is your LT role? Co-coordinator and spiritual coordinator

What does it entail? Helping to plan the meetings, being there for all of you and praying for you

What’s your favorite thing about MOPS? The sisterhood

What’s your favorite thing about LT? The life long friendships I’ve made, but, also, how I have something for me. Something that helps me to remember who Katie is!