A fun link you've just gotta hear....

So, evidently tomorrow at the meeting we are gonna hear The Toy Packaging Song! It's good enough that everyone will want to share this with friends...so follow this link to http://saragroves.com/lyrics/o-holy-night/toypackaging/ Gotta love all the cool stuff we learn at MOPS!

MOPS Meeting December 16th, 2010

This coming MOPS meeting is sure to be cram packed with lots of fun! We have an Ornament Exchange for which we will be playing "Eskimo Bingo". If you would like to participate, bring a wrapped Christmas tree ornament $5.00 or under. It will be lots of fun!!!

Please remember that ALL tables are to bring food for this meeting. It's almost Christmas and we need to be ingesting as much yummy-ness as possible!! HA!

As always, please be sure to check out our Meetup site for meet ups with Moms in between MOPS meetings. The link is: meetup.com/mopslodi. We have many fun things going on like Mom's Night Out, Book Club Meetings, Playdates and much, much more. Check it out!!

Hope to see you next Thursday!

Holiday Bazaar at MOPS

For those of you who didn't get enough shopping done on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, we now have Thrifty Thursday for you! Ok, I don't know how thrifty it will be...but I couldn't think of anything else to go with it, unless we go with Bizarre-o MOPSday! Either way, it's going to be a fun shopping day! This may be the only day you and your friends can shop together without having to move heaven and earth to arrange it. MOPS moms, crafters, and other local businesses will be set up in the back room to show ya what they've got! Bring money for shopping and hopefully you'll be all finished prepping for Christmas when you go home on Thursday!

MOPS Meeting, October 21st

Yes, It's that time again! We are having our second meeting of this month on Thursday the 21st from 9 - 11:30! We will be having our Second Annual Clothing Exchange (OK, so its the first clothing exchange...last year we did the coats...so we expanded it a bit! Yea!) Please bring any clothing, coats, shoes, etc...that is in GOOD condition (We are not the dump!) Make sure everything is clean. You can bring adult, child, baby - whatever you want. We will have a rotation set up so it is fair for everyone to "shop" Anything left at the end of the day will be hauled off by the Lodi House Thrift Store. This is a win-win-win! YOU get rid of stuff that you don't want. YOU get to shop in a comfortable environment. We get to DONATE to a worthy cause when all is said and done! How awesome is that?!

Mom's Night Out!

Remember those teenage sleepovers with too many sweets and lots of laughter? Let's relive those glory days and have a Game Night at Aimee Ritchie's house! Bring your favorite game and snack to share and get ready to make some new memories! The fun starts at 7 on Thursday, October 28th! See the Lodi MOPS Meetup to RSVP and get the address!!

5 Things Every Smart House Needs!

1. A world map, posted on the wall for easy access. Name a country and see who can find it first.
2. A good dictionary. Choose an unusual word, have family make up definitions. Vote on the most convincing one!
3. A jigsaw puzzle table. Puzzles build visualization skills as well as memory and pattern recognition.
4. A brain-boosting library. Stock it with books of crossword puzzles, mazes, and brainteasers.
5. A domino set. Playing this game reinforces number skills and then create and knock-em-down to enhance creative thinking!

Impact Sports Playdate!

On Tuesday, October 26 at 10:00 a.m. we are having a MOPS playdate at Impact Sports in Lodi! The cost is $5 for children ages 3 and up. There is lots of room for them to run and play while mom's chat...or even join in with them! If you are looking for something to do to get ya out of the house, this might just be what you're looking for! Go to the Lodi MOPS Meetup to RSVP!

DID YOU KNOW....

...that in order to clean out your dishwasher, all you need is some baking soda and a little time? I just saw this somewhere (I have no idea where) but I tried it and it works! At the stores they are selling Dishwasher Cleaner that you put in your dishwasher and it cleans your dishwasher of all the icky stuff that can build up. Try This - turn on your empty dishwasher for like, 30 seconds. Dump in at least half a box of baking soda. I used the box I planned on replacing for baking. Let it sit overnite - or as in my case, all day. Run dishwasher. Go ahead and use the light wash setting, and turn off the dryer to save energy. There is nothing to dry. I was amazed at how clean it got it! I hope it makes a difference in how it runs!

Swap out Pricey Ingredients....

Have you ever looked at a recipe and chose not to make it because you didn't have that ONE ingrediant on hand? Here are some quick replacements to use in your cooking so you can experiment and not go broke buying items you just may not use again!

Use this.... Instead of this....
Red wine--- Pure cranberry juice
White wine--- White grape juice or apple juice
Mascarpone--- Cream cheese mixed with a bit of heavy cream
Buttermilk (1 cup)--- 1 cup milk plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar
Creme fraiche (1 cup)--- 1/2 cup sour cream mixed with 1/2 cup heavy cream
Maple syrup--- Brown sugar with a little water
Molasses--- Honey
Cake flour (1 cup)--- 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Macadamia nuts--- Walnuts, almonds or cashews
Fresh herbs (1 Tbsp)--- Dried herbs (1 tsp)
Allspice (1 Tbsp)--- 1 tsp ea cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
Unsweetened chocolate (1 oz)--- 3 Tbsp cocoa + 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Black Bean Burgers

These burgers are great served on whole wheat buns with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado added. Obviously you can add what you want, but for a "Meatless Monday" they are definately easy and economical (Like, $.70 each!)

1. Preheat oven to 375; Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.

2. Warm 2 Tbsp. oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add 1 stalk chopped celery and 1 yellow onion, finely chopped. Stir for 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 clove minced garlic and saute 1 minute more. (*I added 1/2 red bell pepper, diced, to this saute - yummy!)

3. Drain 1 can black beans and rinse. In a bowl, mash beans into a thick paste. Add celery mixture, 1 large egg, 1 Tbsp. cumin, 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Form into 4 patties and bake on baking sheet until firm and set...about 10 minutes on each side.

5. Put on buns with your favorite toppings and serve with green salad or french fries!

Our first official meeting of the 2010-2011 season is this Thursday, September 16th from 9 a.m. to 11:30! It's going to be a great year as we take on the theme.."Momology...the Art and Science of Mothering" It is a delicate balance between the two, but everyone has their own style and combination of Art and Science when it comes to our kids. If you know anything about science, you know that variables change all the time...and when those variables have personalities we have to change our methods in order to be successful! Some days are like a wildly painted Monet and others like a methodical Escher. If you want to find out your mothering "style" as it relates to this year's theme...follow this link and print out the test. You may be surprised with what you learn! www.personalityprofiles.com Be sure to bring your results with you to MOPS and we can share what we've learned! See Ya'll Thursday! ....and don't forget there is breakfast!

Are you prepared for the next phase of Mothering?

Peer pressure?

Stress & Anger? (Yours and Theirs!)

Character Development?

Do you need direction for yourself now that the kids are in school all day? Your need for community doesn't end when your children go to school! MOMSNext is an open, accepting place for all mother's of school-age kids (grades 1 - 12) to come, just as you are, to experience community, personal growth, practical help, and hope. MOMSnext will encourage, equip, and develop moms in the next phase of mothering.

MOMSnext meets one Monday night a month from September - May from 6:30 - 8:30.

(9/13, 10/11, 12/13, 1/10, 2/7, 3/7, 4/11, 5/9)

For more information contact Lisa Hillstrom @ 327-5370 or thillstrom@yahoo.com

MOPS Kick-Off/Registration Party!!!!

We are so excited that it is "that time of year" again! Thursday, September 2nd from 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. we are having the 2010-2011 MOPS Kick-Off Party at Katzakian Park. This is the one by Wine and Roses, on Turner Avenue. Bring the kids and bring your checkbook, if you haven't already registered for the year, in order to secure your spot! It will be a great time to catch up with friends you might not have seen over the summer, and a chance to reach out and make new ones...as we're always inviting mom's to MOPS! Who knows...maybe some poor, unsuspecting mom will wander into the park with her kids and we will all meet-n-greet her that way! What a story she'll have later when she's asked..."And how did you end up in the Lodi MOPS?!" Anyway...mark your calendars and see us there! It will be great to catch up!

If, by chance, you've gotta go to the dentist or something equally unpleasant, remember that our first official meeting is at Crossroads-Heartland Better Together on the 16th of September from 9 - 11:30. See ya there!!!

Save Your Money!!

School is starting soon and the kids need clothes. Bring your kids useable but unwanted clothes and swap them at a clothes swap!
Wednesday July 21st, 2010 from 9:30am – 11:30am
For Location and more info Contact:
Elsa Hillstrom 209-367-8799 casahillstrom@yahoo.com or
Autumn Frazier at jadyns_mommie@yahoo.com

Help out and Hand down..
*Please bring clothes clean and ready to put on sorted tables.
*All sizes of clothing welcome, including adults
*Everything will be donated that afternoon
*Kids are welcome to attend

Summer MOPS Meet-up

We will be having a place for all of our Meet-up's, but until we get all this organized, I hate for anyone to miss anything fun!

Come out and enjoy a beautiful morning out a Thompson's Vineyards! One of our MOPS mom's, Lori Thompson, is welcoming us to her vineyards for a refreshing Meetup! Join us Thursday, July 15th at 9 a.m. for a walk through the vineyards. Her address is 744 W. Peltier Rd. If you have any questions, call 663-2235. We look forward to seeing you there!

You can RSVP to this Meetup by following this link: http://www.meetup.com/mopslodi/calendar/14053549/

Coming Soon!

Well, it's official! Lodi MOPS is coming out of the dark ages and is finally getting a web presence! We are very excited for the 2010 - 2011 MOPS year! Four of our MOPS Moms will be attending the Mops International Convention in August and we know they will be coming back to Lodi energized, inspired, and full of amazing ideas to carry out our theme, "Momology!" In addition, MomsNext will be kicking off its first year! Our hope is that all of our mom's are having a relaxing summer and will start in September full of enthusiasm and hope for the new year!