Great Purse & book

Hi Ladies,
Last week at MOPS, Ginny Taylor showed our table a great purse she had made. Without sewing & with duck tape. Check it out.

The book is Simply sublime bags : 30 no-sew, low-sew projects by: Jodi Kahn

Mother's Day Giveway

I found this cool site, 5minutesformom.com, that is giving away AMAZING gifts to mom's. Go check it out. Link it back to your own blog & get entered to win these cool prizes. I am hoping/wishing/praying that I win a laptop, a gift card to stay at a hotel, video picture frame and much, much more.

So go ahead take the time to check it out & enter these giveaways. You don't have to be a blogger to enter. Follow the directions on how to enter. Happy entering!

5-5-09 - Have you hugged your Moppet worker today?

MOPS Tuesdays are always a bit frantic around my house. Having to get up earlier, (who am I kidding I'm usually up early) get both girls dressed, fed and out the door by 8:30am. And that's not on a day when I have to bring food - we won't even go there!

And can I just say that feeding a baby takes way too long! Ellia is easy just sit her in her highchair give her the food & let her go. She takes care of the rest very easily. Addie on the other hand, I have to put a bib on her, mix the baby cereal, add the fruit to the cereal mixture & then begin the slow process of feeding it to her. Ahhhh!

Anyways, today was a great day at MOPS. We had the Moppet workers join us as we honored them for hard work & dedication to our children. Without all of them we wouldn't be able to have MOPS 2x a month. (Don't worry our children weren't left to fend for themselves, although I'm sure a few of them would've enjoyed that. Mentor moms & special volunteers for the day stepped into make this day possible)

I gave a brief testimony of what MOPS has meant to me this year. Of how I've met so many fun ladies, made some great crafts, heard some awesome speakers, learned how I am not alone when I think I'm going crazy, laughed, cried, ate lots of great food, ("I've gained like 10lbs this year at mops" as someone said at my table) and all while my two sweet babies were being cared for by these loving volunteers. What an amazing gift each of these teachers have given all us MOPS moms.

One of our Moppet workers had this to say afterwords "The MOPPETs appreciation was fabulous. The food was delicious, the gifts were so generous, but the best part of all was hearing from the moms, how much MOPS makes a difference in their lives.
Thanks for making us volunteers feel so loved."

Don't take for granted all those nursery volunteers that watch our children on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, Wednesday evenings or Tuesday MOPS meetings. For with out them we wouldn't be able to enjoy these special times in the Lords house.

Have you hugged your Moppet worker today?

4-21-09 - Bittersweet

Gaye Lewis came to MOPS on April 21st to speak. She was soft spoken woman who shared her families personal story of Adoption.

Through a slide show she told us the touching story of her daughter & the child she gave up for adoption. Their story of restoration & healing was so beautiful. By the end I think there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

She stressed how the Lord can take something so ugly and turn into something beautiful. How our Lord is into Restoration. And how Restoration isn't easy or fast.

What a wonderful treat it was to be able to hear her speak. A very touching MOPS meeting.

4-7-09 Meeting - Pediatric Dentistry

Today, at MOPS we had Dr. Yoo-Lee Yea, a pediatric dentist from Jon Dallman Clinic in Bothell. She was so informative and gave so many great tips. Below you will find some of the key points of her discussion:

* First visit to a dentist? 6months before FIRST tooth or by their 1st birthday. She cautioned - "Don't let your child's first visit to a dentist be an emergency room visit, as it can traumatize a child's dentist experience"

* How long should a child brush? 2 minutes or 2 songs on their favorite cd.

* Parents should brush their child's teeth, especially the night time brushing as it is the most crucial. And you should continue helping them brush until they have mastered cursive writing!!

* Parents should brush & floss in front of their children. Make it a family affair. Children mimick their parents and we want them to pick up good brushing habits.

Always brush in small, circular pattern.

* Should you brush their tongue? Yes, at least 1x a day as bacterial gets trapped there too.

"Sugar bugs" - the things on your child's teeth - a friendly way to get them to brush.

* Flouride? Introduce when a child can spit successfully on their own. Otherwise they will just swallow it and too much flouride can be harmful. Can actually weaken the teeth instead of help strengthen them.

* Flossing? When teeth next door to one another are touching you should begin having your child floss. Usually around 4-6 years of age, when the permanent back molars come in.

* When do you change your toothbrush? When the bristles are "wilted" they they aren't doing a good job getting into all the crevices like they should when they are new.

Soft vs Hard bristles - She recommended soft

* Thumb sucking - Till 4yrs old not a huge deal. Because they don't have permanent teeth and their alignment can still be corrected.

Binky sucking - same thing

* Falling asleep with a bottle? This is the prime reason they see cavities in children. The milk coats their teeth and then stays on their teeth all night long. Try to let a child fall asleep with water. Or sneak in & wipe their teeth with a cloth.

* Insurance? Most insurance companies cover pediatric dentistry. Check with your provider to see the exact coverages.

She also recommended the products that contain "Xylitol" - as these are sugar alcohol that taste good, good for teeth and good for you. The Spry Products are great and have toothpaste, flouride rinses, gum, mints etc.


Jon Dallman Clinic
425-486-6300
18807 Beardslee Blvd.
Suite #103
Bothell, WA 98011



***The clinic is accepting new patients***

3-17-09 - Getting School Ready

Today, at MOPS we were joined by Heather Wong - a former Kindergarten teacher and ELL Specialist. She came to go over how to know if your child is ready for Kindergarten and give tips on how to get them ready. She was delightful to listen too and provided some very good resource websites & general information. We had a good time of asking questions and sharing advice from many other teachers in the room.

Below is some of her information and Jana did email out this handout.

Getting Ready for School
Characteristics of School Aged Children (from the Issaquah School District)
These are some characteristics of most five year old children entering kindergarten.
Share attention with others
Make short visits places without a parent
Accept limits set by an adult
Sit for short periods of time – work on project
Take care of personal property
Put on a coat without help
Share and put away toys when asked
Follow simple directions (1-3 steps)


Social/Emotional Growth Ideas for Calming the Butterflies:
Visit school before it begins
Show excitement about starting school
Listen to their thoughts about school

Play “School” at home
Help them feel good about what they can do
Focus on taking turns/waiting in line
Teach how to calm down/channel energy
Focus on describing feelings/needs
Role play making friends
Focus on taking turns speaking/listening

Health and Safety, Things to Practice:
Full name, address and phone number
Routine of how to get to and from school
Using the restroom alone
Good health care habits
Asking for things/help needed
Telling grown-ups how they are physically feeling
Fine Motor Skills
Gross Motor Skills
Start each day fed, well rested, and dressed for the weather!



Reading
Here are some skills to work on:
Print Awareness
Print Motivation
Vocabulary
Narrative Skills
Letter Awareness
Phonological Awareness
http://www.kcls.org/readytoread/

Math
Real World Contexts: Show how numbers are used in your child’s world
Ask questions – explain process
Sorting – identify categories
Shapes
Patterning
Calendar Skills
Estimation
Counting Games

Writing
Modeled Writing: Write for your child
Shared Writing: Write together about experiences you have had. Keep a daily journal or a vacation journal.
Writing Genres: Notice print everywhere, write lists, write a letter or a note, write directions, write a story
Create a Writing Center: Special paper, pencils, erasers, pens, note cards, stationary, letter stamps, alphabet cards, other ideas?



Parental Involvement – How Can I Help?
Establish a Daily Routine
Provide a place for things brought home from school
Provide a place for things to be taken to school
Check for homework every night
Look for classroom newsletters
Talk with your child about school : Subjects, friends, special events
Provide a home study environment/schedule
Help your child respect the work they are doing (vs. sibling)



Supporting Your Reader
Make a home book basket/reading center
Look for books that are:
Easy to read
Just right
Challenging
Read silently, read aloud, partner read
Check often for understanding
Use questioning techniques
Encourage choosing different genres
Encourage fiction and non-fiction reading



Supporting Your Writer
A piece of writing needs: Audience and Purpose
6+1 Traits of Writing
1. Sound Ideas
2. Good Organization
3. Word Choice
4. Voice
5. Sentence Fluency
6. Conventions
(The “+1” is the Publishing)
Tip: Have your child read their writing piece out loud to find areas of improvement

Supporting Your Mathematician
Work together on math facts
Look for mathematical vocabulary in story problems
Explain procedures and thinking process
Look for real-world math applications:
Newspapers, Restaurant Menus, Recipes, Travel Brochures, Catalogs, Grocery Ads, Sports Schedules, Nutritional Labels, Advertisements, Sport Player Cards



Communicating With School
By: Email, Letters, Phone Calls, Pinning notes
Provide teacher with background information on your child
Ask questions when information from school is not clear
Support parent activities/school events
Attend parent-teacher conferences


Ways of Getting Involved
Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)
Classroom or Library Helper
Art/Science Docent
Technology Support
Field Trips
Book Orders
Photocopying/Filing
Jobs from Home (cutting/prep/etc.)




Presentation Resources: Issaquah School District, King County Library, Mem Fox, Getting School Ready
Websites to Check Out:
Getting School Ready: www.gettingschoolready.org
King County Library Early Literacy: http://www.kcls.org/readytoread/
Mem Fox’s Website: http://www.memfox.net/
WA State Office of Public Instruction: http://www.k12.wa.us/parents.aspx
Reading Level Comparison Chart (ATOS Scale is the Accelerated Reader Level)
http://library.springbranchisd.com/sbisd_library/reading_levels_comparison_chart.htm
Leveled Books Search and Benchmarks
http://registration.beavton.k12.or.us/lbdb/
Accelerated Reader (search for titles of books to find out their approximate reading level)
http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp

Book: Slow & Ready Get me Ready - June Oberlander

Banana Muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 12 jumbo muffin cups or 24 regular muffin, or line with muffin papers.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 scoops protein powder (Vanilla, I get mine from Costco)
6 bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted or vegetable oil
1/3 cup applesauce



1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and protein powder.
2. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter (or oil)and applesauce.
3. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Depending on your oven time may be longer (it took about 27 minutes in mine).

**submitted by Alana O'Reilly**