Christmas Celebration

We had a great time at the Little Gym last week and are looking forward to our Christmas MOPS meeting on December 15!!  We are going to have a great time of fellowship and hear from Lara Scruggs about how God has been working in her life.  We also are going to do a “silly” ornament swap.  By silly we mean bring a funny, tacky, or silly ornament to exchange.  It does not need to be new.  It can be right off of your tree (or the box that was going back to the attic).  If you would like to participate please bring your ornament wrapped.

 

If you are registered and can’t come please reply to this e-mail and I will let the nursery know.  Otherwise we will see you there.  If you are coming but have not registered just stop by the table on the way in and we can get you set up.

 

See you soon!

 

Kristen

Play Date Today!!

Hi everyone!

Just a reminder that we will be meeting for a class at Little Gym TODAY, THURSDAY, Dec. 2.  (They could not do our normal date.) Please arrive a little early if possible.  They will be doing a 45 min. class for us beginning at 9:30.  They are generally very punctual.  The cost is only $3 per family (not per child) which is great for Little Gym.  It is a wonderful place to climb and run.  The website is http://www.thelittlegym.com/chattanoogatn/pages/default.aspx if you are interested in learning more.    The Little Gym is located at 7540 East Brainerd Road Chattanooga,TN 37421.

We hope to see you there!!

First Things First

I am so excited about tomorrow’s MOPS program!  Julie Baumgardner is coming to speak to us about handling holiday stress.  She is the director of First Things First ministries, which is all about strengthening the family.  (Their website is http://firstthings.org/.)

Julie is a dynamic speaker who will have some great tips on handling holiday stress.  None of us want the holidays to be stressful, but when you begin to do lots of things outside of a preschoolers normal routine, it sometimes happens anyway.  Come and hear tips on extended family gatherings, travel, cooking, gifts, etc. Julie will bring some comic relief to a sometimes overwhelming time.  Let’s get prepared to focus our holidays on the real meaning of the season instead of everything else.

See you there!
Kristen

Pump It Up

Our November outing will be Wednesday, November 3 at 10 am.  We will meet at Pump It Up for a morning of bouncy fun!  Be sure to bring socks for your little ones.  The cost will be $5 for each child 2 and older (littler ones get in free) and moms don't have to pay.   We recommend that you print and fill out the waiver form before you get there to make things easier for you.  (If you can't do it, don't worry!  You can fill it out that day.)  You can click here for directions and the waiver (or paste this into your browser window: http://www.pumpitupparty.com/tn/chattanooga/directions-p6q174.htm).  Oh, and if you have a friend who would like to check out MOPS, she's welcome to come!

Hope to see you there!

Financial Planning

We hope you'll be able to join us for our next MOPS meeting this Wed., Oct. 20!  Darin Hurley will be speaking on financial planning.  He has a very interesting and informative program that includes topics like budgeting, saving, education funds, and wills. You may bring your children to the nursery beginning at 9:15 for the MOPPETS program.  The moms will have a light breakfast upstairs and we will begin our program begin our program at 9:45. 

If you have not registered for this year, please see Kate T. and Kate R. at the table on the way in.  If you have registered already we assume you will be there so come and enjoy.  If you will not be attending this meeting please reply to this e-mail so that we may have an accurate number of helpers downstairs.  If you will have older children with you due to fall break please let us know their names and ages so we can accommodate your needs.  

Thanks, and see you there!

Zoo Trip!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Chattanooga Zoo on Wed.  We will meet in front of the entrance at 10 am.  Cost is $ 1 per person age 3 and up (2 and under are free).  I will refer you to the website for directions:  http://www.chattzoo.org/directions.

See you there!

A note from Kristen

I am so looking forward to this Wed. Sept, 15.  We will begin our official MOPS year with a talk on toddler nutrition.  On last year's survey someone asked the question, "Can my child live on goldfish and animal crackers alone?"  We will find out on Wed.  We will begin with a light breakfast and coffee at 9:30 and will have fellowship time before our speaker begins at 10.  We will have a great program and discussion lead by a wonderful group of mentor moms.  We will wrap up and be down to the nursery at 11:15.  I was so blessed by the time with other moms last year and look forward to this years programs.

We continue to have a strong MOPPETS program for the kids.  Dana Lail, our children's ministry coordinator, is going to be doing check in at the nursery.  They will be ready to take the kids at 9:15.  If you are new there is a little paperwork to fill out for the the nursery workers, so plan on a few extra minutes. Marilyn and Linda have been working hard this summer to plan the lessons for the kids.  During each program they will also do crafts relating to the lesson with the kids.  They will also have a snack.  Kelly Stultz, our music director, loves to come and sing songs with the children.

I have to go now. Ryan is tackling a pop up tent.

See you soon,

Kristen

Details on Wednesday

Only a couple of days until our MOPS 2010-2011 kickoff!  We are looking forward to this year of MOPS. 

Here are a few details for you:

• You can park in the Douglas Street parking lot and enter through the door on Douglas with the awning.  This is the nursery, where our Moppets coordinators and teachers will be awaiting the arrival of your children!  (If you haven't given us the names and ages of your children, please drop an email to Kate Treick at katetreick@yahoo.com)  You can arrive any time after 9:15.
• After you drop off your kids, head upstairs (on the Fellowship Hall level) to the Nell Davis Classroom (right outside the Fellowship Hall).  
• You can register for MOPS upstairs.  If you are a returning mom, you will simply need to confirm that your information has not changed.  Checks can be made payable to First Presbyterian Church; the fee is $60 for the year, or you can pay your first installment of $30.  (If you need a scholarship, please contact Kate Treick.)
• We will meet from 9:15-11:15.  We will be hearing from Ashley Broadrick on the topic of toddler nutrition.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kate Treick.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

Fall Schedule

Here is a glance at our Fall 2010 schedule.  It is, like anything in life with preschoolers, subject to change, but we will keep any changes posted here.  It's going to be a great fall!

Date              Topic/Outing                    

Sept. 15       Toddler Nutrition

Oct. 6          Playdate: Zoo Trip

Oct. 20        Financial Planning and Budgets

Nov. 3         Playdate: Pump It Up

Nov. 17       Handling Holiday Stress,  Julie Baumgardner from First Things First

Dec. 1           Playdate TBA

Dec. 15         Stories from our Moms, Christmas celebration

Change in Registration dates

We've made a slight change to our pre-Registration plans.  Our church-wide picnic is on Sunday, so we realized that many of our young families will be heading up to McDonald Farm and may not stick around to stop by the registration table.  We're working on having a registration table at the farm.  We will have a table set up in the nursery after first service and before second where you can get your registration forms.  And, of course, you are welcome to simply register on the first day of MOPS!

If you are new to our MOPS group and plan to register the first day, it would be very helpful if you could email us with the names and ages of your little ones.  Our Moppet leaders love to be ready to welcome them the first day!  You can email us at mops.firstpres@gmail.com.

See you on the 15th!

Registration Information

We are excitedly planning for our first meeting of the fall on September 15!  We will be hearing from Ashley Broadrick about toddler nutrition, as well as enjoying our usual time over coffee to hang out and catch up or get to know each other.  Please arrive around 9:15 to drop off your children in our wonderful MOPPETS program, and then head up to the Fellowship Hall for time with other MOPS! 

You will be able to register at our first MOPS meeting.  The cost for the year is $60 including childcare, or $40 if you don't need childcare.  If you need to pay in two installments of $30 each, you are welcome to do so, and scholarships are also available.  Please don't hesitate to ask!

If you would like to pre-register, we will have a table set up in the Connector and the Nursery on Sunday, September 12.  If you attend First Pres, or you would like to visit, you are very welcome to stop by and register!  (If you are a visitor, please let us know, and we'd be happy to also direct you to some friendly Sunday school classes.  We have a first service at 8:30, Sunday school for all ages at 9:45, and second service at 10:55.  The tables will be available after first, before second, and after second service.)

If you have any questions, feel free to email Kate at katetreick@yahoo.com, or send an email to our general MOPS email, mops.firstpres@gmail.com.

We're looking forward to seeing you soon!

Last Summer Play date!

We've had so much fun with our play dates this summer...thanks to all who came out at different times to play! We have one final summer play date before we begin our fall schedule.


We will meet Wednesday, September 1 at the Tennessee Riverpark Playground about 9:15 am. 

Directions: Turn into Tennessee Riverpark from Amnicola Highway. (Turn toward the river, just south of the CB Robinson Bridge/Dupont Pkwy and across from Binswanger Glass.) Pass the Marine Corps Reserve Center, cross the railroad tracks, pass the boat ramp entrance, and then the playground will be on your left (still south of the bridge).


Looking forward to this final play date of the summer!

Welcome!

We have designed this blog to be an easy place to keep up-to-date with everything happening in our MOPS group at First Presbyterian Church.  We have an exciting year planned, and we can't wait to start!

There are two summer play dates still left on our schedule.  On Wednesday, August 18, we will meet at 10:00 at the Creative Discovery Museum.  We will also have a park play date on Wednesday, September 1. Watch for more information in our next post.  Older siblings are welcome at our summer play dates, and it's a great time to invite friends!

We will be kicking off our year on Wednesday, August 15.  You can bring your children beginning at 9:15, and we will begin the program around 9:45. Our speaker, Ashley Broadrick will be talking about toddler nutrition.  You can register for MOPS at our first meeting; the cost is $60 for the year, including childcare.  (The cost is $40 for the year without childcare.)  You may pay in two installments, and scholarships are available.

We hope to see you there!