Tuesday, August 31, 2010

MOPS-Mothers of Preschoolers

Ok...so here's the 4.1.1 on MOPS.

MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. It is a group of mommas who still have kiddos at home. Kiddos, babies, rugrats, offspring, little darlings...whatever your name for them is, as long as they are PRE school-age (which includes kindergarten)...you are more than welcome to come hang with us mommas! We get together twice a month...usually the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month at 9:30 am-11:30 am.

I enjoy MOPS so much because it is my escape from responsibilities at my house for just a short while. I walk in (technically I RUN in, dragging my kids behind me because I am usually late...surprise, surprise!)...anyways...I walk in and am greeted by so many friendly, wonderful people as I go to drop off my little ones to their classes. People that are willing to care for my kiddos while I rest, relax, regroup.

As the last of my little darlings is dropped off to their class...I feel like dancing to mine!! My shoulders relax as I approach the room where the mommas get together. I hear momma chatter, smell delicious food and a big OL smile goes across my face! There is a spread of food that sure beats that piece of buttered toast I grabbed while getting one kiddo off to school and the rest of us ready for MOPS.

A yummy breakfast and a HOT cup of coffee. Yes, HOT. If you have kids, you KNOW this is a delicacy. AND I get to finish the whole cup!

This is just the beginning.

There is a group of mommas, called the steering team. And this group of mommas deserve an APPLAUSE! This team serves us MOPS. They plan games, crafts, speakers and so much more. These gals are mommas with their own PRE school-age babies and kiddos making sure we all can relax, share, rest, and regroup together.

So when 11:30am is here...we end our time together as MOPS mommas. And this time as I head to pick up my kiddos...I feel refreshed and ready to be a better mommy.

More details on MOPS:

For a MOPS near you visit their website www.mops.org

MOPS in Marion is held at Cornerstone Church
1st MOPS is September 17th at 9:30am
October MOPS are Oct. 1st and 22nd
NEW!! MOPS at night! Kickoff is Tuesday, October 12th
website www.marioncornerstonemops.org

Monday, August 23, 2010

worn out momma

School is in full swing this week and I just wanna shout from the rooftops...

SCHOOL IS IN!!! WOOHOO!! YIPPEE!!! FREE babysitting for ME!!!

Now don't get me wrong. I love my kids and I love summer. But this worn out momma is ready for a break and ready for schedule!

That is how I describe myself lately...

worn out momma.

Allow me to set the stage for you the day 'worn out momma' came to be...

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, but inside the Hinton house...

bills and papers piled SKY HIGH covering all counterspace and then some.
the toilet was moldy and 'ring around the tub' is an understatement for our bathtub.
so many toys on the floor, I feel like I have to play hopskotch to get from one room to the next.
clean clothes are doing the tango with dirty clothes...and I have no idea which is which.
dishes are taking over the other counterspace that the papers haven't toppled over onto...yet.
breakfast and lunch food and dishes are all over the table and floor...and the cinnamon life and macaroni and cheese on the floor have been crushed and squished under the tootsies of a very happy 1 year old.

And then the moment I still haven't forgotten.

Standing in the middle of the living room...my 1 year old hanging on my legs...my 8 & 5 year olds needing 'somethings'. The room started spinning. All the mess started closing in. My body started tensing up and shaking...I WAS GOING TO EXPLODE!!!

That moment when you wanna scream and know you shouldn't, but you do it anyway! Well out it came...

MOMMY NEEDS A TIMEOUT!!!!!!!!!!!

I removed the 1 year old from my legs and ran to the front door! Quickly shut the door behind me and fell...collapsed into the porch chair!

Big heavy breath. Sigh. Drained. Strained. Wore Out. Spent. Tired.

That's it. End of story. There was no great revelation or answers that day.

I've prayed before, 'Lord, reveal to me times to regroup before things get really bad.' And when those opportunities came up, I would grab them! Be it, sitting on my porch or someone else's porch, taking a walk or bike ride...I've been dangling my tootsies off the edge of nowhere (previous post). But it has been different the last part of this summer.

Since that day, there has been a few more 'exploding points'...sadly. But today, in the calm and quiet as I've thought about 'worn out momma'...

I realized I haven't been taking care of ALL the parts that make me who God built me to be.

I've been taking care of the...wife part of me.
I've been taking care of the...mommy part of me.
I've been taking care of the...friends and family part of me.
But I haven't been taking care of the...

me part of me.

The two things I've been missing are:
1. leading a group of gals once a week for Bible study. (which...sneak peek is...we're doing 'Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl' by Lysa Terkeurst!!)
and,
2. relaxing and enjoying MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) twice a month.

Both of these things are on a regular basis and are on the calendar just for me. The 'me' part of me. The part that completes the whole picture of who God created me to be for this season of my life...a football wife to my honey, a mommy of little ones, a family and friend to all the wonderful people in my life and....me.

In my next two blogs, I will be giving more details on these two wonderful groups.

So what about you? What are all your parts that make you who you are? Are you taking care of all those parts?