Spring 2011 Wrap-up and BIG NEWS!

Our Spring Semester at Moms & More seemed so short, didn't it? But it was jam-packed with good friendships, great teaching, and excellent resources. I'm still applying what we learned from our teachers and our book, Stuck by Jennie Allen, when I feel like I've stopped relying on God to guide me on a daily basis... which happens way too often!

If you enjoyed Spring 2011 at Moms & More, then stay tuned. I promise you will love what's happening on Tuesday mornings at Fellowship Bible Church.

Moms & More has a new name, a new curriculum, and a whole new mission.

We are now bloom...Building a Legacy Out Of Motherhood.

Just because you attended Moms & More for a few years doesn't mean you have to move on! We have fresh, inspiring topics about motherhood, marriage, and our own spiritual growth as women.

You are welcome at bloom, whether you have a newborn or school-age children.

Childcare is still provided, and we're excited that we can now also accommodate home-schooled children and special-needs children.

We will begin registration for Fall 2011 in just a few weeks. We'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as registration opens, and it'll be really simple to register online. Please be sure to register so you can secure your spot for childcare.

Also, remember that anyone is welcome at bloom, whether they are a member at FBC or not. So tell all your mom friends, new neighbors, or gal you run into with your cart at Target (after you apologize, of course!) about bloom.

Also, be sure to find us on Facebook (search "bloom") and Twitter @bloomFBC.

Enjoy your summer!

Overwhelmed?

We're studying our Overwhelmed Chapter of Stuck this week.

As I was driving home from a Kroger run this morning, this song came on KLove. I just grinned and thanked God because it describes how we can feel when life starts to overwhelm us. Take a listen...



Enjoy thanking God for the blessings of your life, and let's be sure to ask God what He would have us do with our time today.

Stuck - Lesson One

We were so blessed to have Jennie Allen, the author of our study Stuck, as our speaker at Moms & More yesterday. Her message of hope was incredibly encouraging as we navigate through life wondering what to do with all our hidden "junk". God is so much bigger! And wasn't it so relieving to hear in small group time that other women are struggling with hidden junk in their own lives? Let's continue to be transparent and draw nearer to God and each other as we prepare for next week's discussion on Lesson One, called "Broken".

We apologize that we ran out of books yesterday. Another order has been placed, and everyone who wasn't able to get a book yesterday will be able to purchase one next Tuesday. In the meantime, we're providing you with a scanned version of the Introduction and Lesson One, so you can go forward in your study and be prepared for discussion next week.

Stuck_lesson 1_broken

Unfortunately, we found out that due to reasons dealing with Jennie's book publication, we will be unable to broadcast her talk on the website. We're so sorry to those of you who needed to miss yesterday.

Are you ready to get un-stuck? Boy, I sure am. See you next Tuesday!

Organizing Snippet Resources

I truly hope you were inspired - not discouraged - by the Organizing Your Junk Drawer Snippet I presented today. My goal is to empower you to tackle little bits of chaos, because I know how out-of-control being a mom of little ones can feel. I'm right there in the trenches with you! Life doesn't always look perfect, but think about it this way: your home is the only place on this planet that can be a safe haven for you and your family. Any process that could take away just a little bit of stress will contribute to that end goal.

Imagine it's a typical Saturday afternoon, and you need to leave the house for a birthday party in 10 minutes, but the present isn't wrapped. Even worse, you have NO clue where your scissors and tape are. You are stressed. You may even snap at your child. Now, are you in the state of mind to enjoy that birthday party? No, you probably want to call the hostess and tell her everyone has a sudden stomach virus, stay home, lock yourself in the bathroom, and have a good cry.

But here's the flip side of that scenario: You have 10 minutes until you need to go, and you reach in your Junk Drawer in the kitchen to find scissors and tape right where they always live. You quickly wrap the gift, usher your kids out the door (kissing each one on the head on their way out), and arrive to the party 5 minutes early, in a great mood because you were successful!

This scene is real life. And you, in the midst of your real life, can experience the second option if you spend a couple of minutes right now to set yourself up for success.

Plus, making your home run a little more smoothly may actually encourage the rest of the family to join you in your efforts. Use language like:

"Where do these toys live?"
"Let's give these beautiful drawings a home!"
"Choose 3 toys out of this [bulging at the seams] toybox to give to children who don't have many toys."

I know you can do this. Just be willing to give it a try, be creative, be flexible, and be prepared to be a success!

By the way, you can find the Junk Drawer Organizer I used - and many other great organizational products - at any Target, WalMart, or Container Store. Look in the Kitchen Organization section, with the utensil drawer dividers, etc.

Click here for a listing of my favorite books and resources that I used in my Former Life as a Professional Organizer. And be sure to look under the Handouts tab to see the handout from the presentation.

Catch Up with Online Audio Recordings

If you miss a week of Moms & More, you can stay caught up by clicking on the Fellowship Women's Ministry webpage and scrolling down a little bit to the Moms & More section. An audio recording of each Tuesday's teaching will be posted the following Thursday.

So now if you had to stay home with a sick kiddo, you won't feel left behind at Moms & More!

A Little Encouragement

Cindy's talk on the importance of disciplining our kids was great, wasn't it? For those who missed it, we'll have the audio posted soon.

Until then, I have two questions for you.

Have you ever felt like being the perfect parent is impossible? Do you find yourself wanting a Parenting Vacation? Yes? Great - I'm not the only one!

Here are a couple of blog posts meant to encourage you today.

Parenting: The Joyful Impossibility
"It was eleven o’clock on a Sunday night, and I was pulling out of the grocery store parking lot exhausted and overwhelmed. After we had put our four children to bed, later than we had planned, Luella discovered that we had nothing in the house to pack for lunches the next day. With an attitude that couldn’t be described as joy, I got in the car and did the late-night food run. ..."
[click the link to read more]

Parenting: It's Never an Interruption
"Parenting is all about living by the principle of prepared spontaneity. You don’t really know what’s going to happen next. You don’t really know when you’ll have to enforce a command, intervene in an argument, confront a wrong, hold out for a better way, remind someone of a truth, call for forgiveness, lead someone to confession, point to Jesus, restore peace, hold someone accountable, explain a wisdom principle, give a hug of love, laugh in the face of adversity, help someone complete a task, mediate an argument, stop with someone and pray, assist someone to see his heart, or talk once again about what it means to live together in a community of love. ..."
[click the link to read more]

Enjoy your Snow Half-Day!

Moms and More Cancelled Tomorrow

Moms & More will be cancelled tomorrow, Tuesday January 11th, due to inclement weather.

We look forward to seeing you next Tuesday!